A post, an apology, and a request for forgivenes

I got to thinking about Monday morning. I thought about how difficult it is to get Jake up on Mondays after being able to sleep in two days in a row. I thought about getting Joe and Jake ready for school. I though about what a disaster my kitchen is Monday morning because I take the Sabbath injunction to not wash my dishes on Sunday seriously. I thought about waiting for Raena to take her nap so I can post on this blog. And then I thought about the very few comments each post gets, and how it didn't seem like anyone would even miss it if I just stopped. So I did. It's been at least two weeks, probably three, since I last posted.

Then, this morning, I had a message. One sister, not even a sister that is in my circle of close friends, just a very nice woman in my ward, shared that she missed the postings.

And now I feel bad.

Here's what I missed by not posting:

• I haven't read a conference talk in weeks. That means I've missed opportunities for the Spirit to teach me.
• I've lost sight of why I was doing this: to bless the lives of sisters I love and give us all an opportunity to Feast.
• I let my own personal pride get in the way of providing even for the one, letting a flawed counter measure the worth of my project.

So, I apologize for caring more about myself than you and the commitment I made to you. I hope you forgive me for getting lazy and selfish. Even one is worth the effort.

In that spirit, I have chosen for this weeks feast President Monson's talk from the priesthood session, "School They Feelings, O My Brother." President Monson talks about the prevalence of anger in our world. He teaches us about the damage it can do in our homes and in our relationships. He spoke to me when he told a story about President Grant. As a young adult, he did some work for a man who paid him $500. The man regretted he could not pay him more. Pres. Grant did additional work, harder, more laborious work, and was paid $150. Then Pres. Grant got mad. And he got madder. He was insulted! What an offense! He talked to a friend about it. The friend asked, "Did the man intend to insult you?"

"No. He told my friends he had rewarded me handsomely."

"A man's a fool who takes an insult when it wasn't intended."

And so, this fool is grateful for the counsel of a prophet. I am grateful for your friendship, and your long suffering and encouragement. My life is blessed by your sisterhood, all of you! I hope this talk helps you evaluate your feelings, and school yourself, lest you be schooled by someone else. :)

PS-Pray to prepare yourselves for the upcoming feast! General Conference Saturday and Sunday!

An Easiness and a Willingness to Believe.

I logged on to Blogger this morning to check the traffic on this blog, only to see that the blog I posted yesterday didn't post! Also, it was gone forever everywhere! Dang it!

So, I started off by saying that we only have 4 more Mondays until April Conference (yea!) and that meant that we probably have 5 to post from October Conference. I'm assuming the new conference talks won't be available online the day after--but I've been wrong before, so we'll see! That means we have 4 weeks and more than 4 talks to choose from! I'm going to start getting really selective, so if you have a favorite we haven't talked about yet, leave a comment!

Our talk this week is "An Easiness and Willingness to Believe," by Elder Michael T. Ringwood. Since I've had an additional day to think about this ;) I have more to say now. Elder Ringwood's title is referencing the Lamanites that converted in Helaman. The scriptures say that the Spirit poured out upon the Lamanites because of their willingness to believe. I think the willingness to believe is both a gift of the Spirit and the fruits of obeying the law. Its a cycle that increases our ability to feel the Spirit--when we want to believe, the Spirit pours out. The presence of the Spirit strengthens our ability to recognize truth, to desire truth, and our willingness to obey. We then receive a greater outpouring of Spirit that builds and teaches and refines us, ultimately sanctifying us and preparing us to live a celestial law. I especially appreciate Elder Ringwood's observance that times of intense change or trial can be the times in our lives when we are most willing to believe. I hope they are. I've learned to try to look at my trials as an opportunity to see how the Lord blesses me, a time to stretch and grow, and to show Him I trust Him. This allows the Spirit to comfort me and boost my confidence.

Have a good week!