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You may have been or are wondering if I'm not thankful this week. I am. It's just that the echo of last week's post has sounded so pompous to me that I am a little hesitant here............. I did not mean to sound arrogant at all last week. In fact, I am humbled at our Father's generosity--in that I feel I really haven't done anything to merit such a gift, and yet, in love and mercy He gave it and has magnified it. I pray I can use it to praise and glorify Him all my days...........
Now, for this week..........I am so thankful for temples!! Gorgeous, hallowed temples............we were in one Thursday night--Manti. Roger's ancestors helped build that temple and I have never felt so "at home" in any other. After passing the recommend desk you find a long hallway ahead of you with offices on both sides. As I walk down that hallway I experience that "home feeling" as I rarely do anywhere else on earth. Something calls to me, "I'm coming......I'm coming home...." If I could live anywhere I chose, I would choose the Manti temple. There are times I want to just sit at a table with my scriptures, or sit in one of the "back" rooms (that you see only when you have emergencies or stay to do sealings between sessions) and ponder or nap. I think it's so easy to nap in the temple because there is such a feeling of peace. I am seldom "worried" while in the temple. (I do think about things that concern me.....wondering what He would have me do.) The peace and calm are so prevalent that the "worry" seems to just seep away and I am assured that all will be well if I trust in the Lord. My finite mind can hardly wrap itself around such a concept, but I know it's true.........
I am thankful for Houses of the Lord available to us on earth........and that His invitation is always, "Come unto me...".
These are the only pictures I could find quickly--taken the night before Lisa's wedding............
Today I am thankful that I can play the piano. Now, mind you, I'm not one of those exceptionally gifted musicians and I can tell by the size of my hands that Father in Heaven never intended for me to be the concert variety. But! He did give me a gift. I say that because I was a lousy student. I hated practicing scales--hence, my fingering is usually unorthodox and different every time I play the piece. I remember starting out at the piano in the "back room" where one of my older sisters would place the half-high chair at the piano and my love affair began............you see, while I detested scales, I loved the sound of the piano and that I could "make" music! My "formal" lessons began sometime around the 4th grade with the high school music teacher who did not know how to play the piano himself. A good man, and he tried, but the one thing he taught me--that I remember--is how to figure tempo using a clock with a second hand. My lessons lasted more than a year but less than two. I remember only one recital in which I played the piano. I played Jean Sibelius' "Finlandia". And as I remember, I got stumped halfway through. It has always been difficult for me to memorize! Not much to go on...........but even so, I was the "class accompanist". I played for our 4th grade class when we sang, "Utah, We Love Thee!" and for our 7th and 8th grade chorus classes. I played for the high school choir and in the stage band. I accompanied the Jr. Sunday School in the old Marion Ward starting at about age 12 and continuing till I graduated from high school--I think............it seemed like forever............but I loved it!! I tried playing the organ for sacrament meetings, but there were times I made so many mistakes--because I was extremely nervous--that the bishop asked me to wait till I was older. I never did get very good at it. Then I "took off" for a few years while I went to college--and there were lots of people who could play better than I could. I got married and we started our family. We moved "home" and I was called to play in Primary. I remember being surprised that I needed to practice! I couldn't just sit down and go! It was then I decided that I would never say no to an opportunity to accompany someone or play in church. I had heard about Sis. Jessie Evans Smith having the chance to sing with the New York Opera..........she turned it down and came to Utah where she sang with the Tabernacle Choir and figured she had had a greater experience than had she stayed in New York.......something about furthering the work of the Lord through music..........I thought I might be able to do the same thing though on a significantly smaller scale. Since that time, the Lord has magnified the gift He gave me many-fold. You see, I never really worked at developing it. I hope I have used it as He wanted, and I hope I won't be too sorry that I didn't try harder to make it better. I have considered it an outright gift. And I'm so thankful!!! It has been a blessing to me my whole life. And hopefully, it has blessed the lives of others as well. I know it has been wonderful for our family. We have spent countless hours around the piano singing together--many times with several friends as well. So tonight I'm thankful for the ability to make music at the piano.............
I'm a little hesitant to start this............"Thankful Thursday" sounds somewhat corny, but I'm also hoping it will remind me that "today I need to express some gratitude". So here goes............
Today I am thankful for my wonderful husband. He is away from home right now, working hard to support our family. As a beekeeper he works harder than he probably should.......and his worn out "bionic" body attests to that. But I'm especially thankful today because he is encouraging me in one of those way-out extra-optional tasks I have taken on. Let me explain: I love to sew--quilting being at the top of the list, or near it. I belong to our local quilt guild. We have a quilt show every year in conjunction with the Snow Goose Festival here--this being our tenth year. There was risk this year that it might "die" for want of a "leader". Roger encouraged me to volunteer. I did--and I've had lots of wonderful help. We have done much planning, writing letters to possible vendors and friends who will do "trunk shows". Yesterday I received a call telling me that the dates have been changed!!!!! AND!!! they had scheduled the building out from under us! PANIC!!!!!!! My first call was to my dear, supportive husband. Near tears, I explained our dilemma. He has been a voice of calm reassurance and reason reigning in my tendency to be angry and possibly saying something I would later regret. He has called several times in the past 24 hours to see how I'm doing as I consider the possibilities. The foundation of my calm--if I can call it that--is his confidence that "it will all work out". And I know if it comes to hauling chairs, tables, quilt stands........whatever..........he will be first in line to help me. So today my heart is full of thanks for my husband and his sterling qualities!
