A Fabulous Sunday

We made reservations today for our February 2008 trip. What words are there to describe how happy I am? Why even try? Imagine your happiest past memory...it's that feeling. And I'm not even there yet.

Today was a GOOD day at church (I posted not too long ago about one of those not-so-good Sundays). My heart was full to bursting, not because I wasn't busy or didn't have a million things to do. I think I just decided it would be a good day, and the Lord made up the difference. We didn't have many people there today but that most important of all, the Spirit, was there and that was enough.

I had some unexpected and very lovely gifts for Hunter (one from my great-aunt Lucille, the other from my third cousin once removed, Joan, in England) that I have yet to write thank-you notes for. I plan on writing letters, actually, and asking questions and getting some genealogical information from them while simultaneously expressing my gratitude for some snazzy clothes for H.D.L.

I received a couple of insights (inspirations?) at church today. First, I realized that living gospel principles makes life easier in a simple, but miraculous way. Two examples:

1. Paying tithing. Even if your income doesn't change, once you start paying tithing, your budget magically works and there's enough to go around. Much different from when you don't pay tithing and you never seem to be able to meet your needs.
2. Prayer, scripture study, feeling the Lord's love daily: I didn't have a simple name for this. But it's that gospel living that, when done every day, seems to make your time stretch to allow you to fulfill all of your duties, makes you more cheery, seems to help your kids be better-behaved and more loveable, inspires you to be more of service (and gives you the time to do it!). Again, much different from when we ignore that part of our lives and then proceed to stumble through our days, busy but never getting anything done and feeling more and more selfish with ourselves and our time.
3. An investigator visiting our ward today (for the second time) said that she learned that love isn't worth much until you give it away. Love IS a verb.

Last week? Or the week before? I went to dinner with a couple of friends. Food was fantastic, I recommend the Hearthstone to all of my Muskegon County friends. Anyway, our server received a nice, healthy tip from yours truly because he proclaimed The Smiths to be the Best Band to Come Out of the Eighties. Their music was beautiful; I just wish it was a little more uplifting. It tends to be a bit on the depressing side. "Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want" is just lovely.

"As Dumbledore explains, the real master of Death accepts that he must die, and that there are much worse things in the land of the living." - J.K. Rowling