The Power of Choice

It is Super Bowl Sunday. Even as a disinterested party, you can't help knowing that fact as there are shelves dedicated to it at stores for the past month and even the recipe website I subscribe to sends "Super Bowl" recipes for weeks in advance. Prior to the game, Mikayla said she didn't know anyone up at BYU-I who wasn't planning on watching, and she and Tessia were having trouble figuring out somewhere to go. I encouraged her to check the buildings on campus, but she thinks they are locked on Sundays. Of course her friends and associates are only a handful of the students up there and it is easy to feel "alone" sometimes when you are trying to choose the "best" things. I was sitting here thinking that it is sad that a single event can get such hold on so many people to make them rationalize the Lord's day. It is easy for me to shake my head, but only easy, I suppose, because that particular thing has never interested me, which makes it easy for it not to become a "weakness"; I do have plenty of my own. It made me start pondering my observance of the Sabbath Day and recognize my own temptations, like getting caught up in the "good" things to do during the day like writing my grown children and updating the family blog, but to an extent where I leave little time for studying and praying and pondering and teaching my children here at home. It can be a weakness for me to rationalize that the Sabbath Day is over when I put on my pajamas at night and want to reach for that really great book on my nightstand, that is entertainment not devotion, so I have to be sure to always have a "Sunday" book in my pile, lest I fall into that trap--and trap it is, because although I am sure spending the day in ways that are not devoted to our Heavenly Father is hurtful to him, really it is more painful to us when we deprive ourselves of devotion and peace and progression that can be so uniquely powerful when we are really striving to put away the things of the world, like we can do more completely on the Sabbath than any other day. I need to be so much more diligent and effective. What a blessing and reprieve it can be for us when we really use His day as the Lord has asked us to. So whether watching the Super Bowl or simply not living up to the potential of the day, both are limiting and my weaknesses aren't just once a year. I guess it's all about true discipleship and is the same with all commandments. I love what Cecil B. DeMil said, "If man will not be ruled by God, he will certainly be ruled by tyrants—and there is no tyranny more imperious or more devastating than man's own selfishness, without the law. We cannot break the Ten Commandments. We can only break ourselves against them— or else, by keeping them, rise through them to the fullness of freedom under God. God means us to be free. With divine daring, He gave us the power of choice." (--Cecil B. DeMille-- Full speech @: (theboard.byu.edu/...) So eloquent and so profound even without the fullness of the gospel. Oh to be so wise, with it.

On more trivial concerns, I have been experimenting with graphic design in my Publisher program for the past few months and keep running into particular concepts that I don't understand. Mikayla has always been my go-to girl, but she's not always at my beck and call anymore so I have had to resort to using the Microsoft Office Help Community where you can post questions and other users try to help you solve technical issues or problems. I've used Publisher for a long time now--since the inception of our family newsletter-- and thought I was pretty familiar with it, but there is nothing quite like the feeling you get as a a computer novice talking to a computer expert. I am having to learn a whole new language just to communicate. Jordan and Mikayla both know what that feels like. Yikes! I wish there was some manual that explained everything. There was with the first version of Publisher that I had, but with these later versions it seems like it's all trial by fire--a little frustrating, but symbolic of life, sometimes. I'll keep asking questions and who knows, maybe I'll figure some things out and make Mikayla proud!=) I'll just keep pushing through and hopefully learning.

Fred and I went on a date Friday night to look around at land in Middleton--just dreaming. Fred didn't find anything that grabbed hold of his heart but I did! Of course it already had a gorgeous, almost mansion on it  but there was farmland in the same area that maybe someone would want to sell someday.=) That's down the road a bit financially, but I am starting to envision my grown children marrying and having their own families and we need to have a place for them all to come home to.  It's no fun to visit when there is no comfortable place to call your own. 

Fred and I had to divide and conquer in order to get to all of our meetings this morning. He went to ward missionary correlation and I went to the Branch correlation. Fred loves efficiency and I love being with the youth, so it all worked out. I was so impressed with the diversity of strengths in my meeting. Pres. Quenzer was presiding so the meeting was succinct, Pres. Walker was supporting so there was an infusion of the Spirit, Bishop Lewis was contributing to spark our motivation, and my friend Kyle conducted which brought humility. It was a great teaming and I thrive being in that environment, surrounded by all those people that I love and bolstered by the strength and testimonies of the young adults. Last week we went to a reception, and Bishop Lewis came bounding over when he saw us in line. I'm used to him bounding; when I served with him in the Stake YW he was always brimming with positive energy, ready to shower praise and sincere compliments for our efforts. I haven't worked with him that closely for awhile, but he is still bounding up, but now it is to shower us with his gratitude for Mikayla. His has an infectious personality, the kind that makes you feel better about yourself just from being around him. I've never been that kind of person, but I'd like to be.

I've been thinking about how Jordan has been so grateful lately for the blessing of knocking on doors, because of the opportunity it affords him to get to know his companions. I guess if we all spent more time walking and talking with people we would learn to love them so much more. I glean perspective from those little insights.

Quote of the week: " …there is nothing you can want, there is nothing you can ask for, there is nothing you can need in time or in eternity, there is nothing living, nothing dying, there is nothing in this world, nothing in the next world, there is nothing now, nothing at the resurrection-morning, nothing in heaven which is not contained in this text — "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. -Charles Spurgeon-