"I don't want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautifully, tailored clothes, my hair expertly coiffed, and with long, perfectly manicured fingernails. I want to drive up in a station wagon that has mud on the wheels from taking kids to scout camp. I want to be there with a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt from making sandwiches for a sick neighbors children. I want to be there with a little dirt under my fingernails from helping to weed someone's garden. I want to be there with children's sticky kisses on my cheeks and the tears of a friend on my shoulder. I want the Lord to know I was really here and that I really lived."

— Marjorie Pay Hinckley


"None of us come to this earth to gain our worth; we brought it with us."

--Sheri L. Dew

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Random Stuff




Grace and I hang out with some friends whose husband and daddy works with ours at the same time. So, we hang out a lot because we are women and for some reason a 16 month old and 6 month old don't fulfill our need for conversation :) Anyway, Joesph is 6 months old and loves Grace. She just has to look at him and he is busting up. And as he gets older you can see he is trying to do what she does. We took some pictures of them playing the piano and it was so cute!

Life is getting a lot better around here, for me mostly. I am not as tired so my house stays mostly clean (it would be clean all the time but Grace thinks it a crime to have books on shelves, toys in buckets and clothing in drawers!) So, you can come visit my house now, anytime you want :)

Today in Gospel Doctrine I taught the lesson and it was on the pride cycle. We all know it, probably too well. Grant and I were reading in a totally unrelated place in the Doctrine and Covenants about the law of consecration and I asked him this question, "Grant, if we were living the law of consecration today do you think we would be giving to the Bishop's Storehouse or taking?" And do you know what he said? He said that we would be giving. Now, you other mothers who stay home while your husband goes to school everyday all day and works and you pay out $3000+ a semester for school and other things would probably agree with me when I said, "No way, I would be taking." Well, I posed this question to my class to illustrate how we like the Nephites get carried away with wanting and seeking after riches and the 'things' of the world and they totally agreed with Grant (I did too after we talked more, don't worry) But Grant said that no matter what we earn and have to spend, the Lord would probably ask us where we could cut back. And as much as I would like to say there is no where we could cut back, we could, and then we could contribute. The first counselor in the Bishopric also mentioned that we can contribute with more than just money or monetary things, but with our talents and our willingness to serve. He mentioned an old lady, pretty much bedridden, who made a difference in other peoples lives by sending notes in the mail. It made me realize that no matter our situation, wealth or poverty, sickness or health, there is always somewhere we can give, and give more. Wow, that was what I learned at church today. (my dad always used to ask us at the dinner table, "What did you learn at church today?" and smart aleck comments like, that the bishop falls asleep during sacrament meeting, were not welcome :( ) Comments welcome!

3 comments:

Carrie said...

So Cute! I LOVE watching little kids play together. Seriously, nothing makes me happier!

Joy said...

Cute kids! I like what you said about giving. We're in the same boat with you with not having much, but there is always something to give.

Sheena said...

Thanks for sharing, Christine. You have such a great attitude and I'll bet the lesson you gave really helped people think.