When Ron was told that his job was coming to an end about 1 1/2 years ago, we began attending the temple on a weekly basis. It was the highlight of our week because for a few hours we were able to forget the pressing problems that weighed so heavily upon us. "How would we meet our financial obligations? When would a new job open up?" We always felt great peace as we walked through the temple doors and were able to put our problems behind us. We also felt a tangible feeling of Heavenly Father's great love for us. No wonder we enjoyed going to the temple every week!
One particular temple session stands out from the rest. We had been attending the temple for a few months when one of the officiators said something that I will never forget. He was giving the prayer and he said, "We ask that those attending the temple will feel joy."
This was an emotion I had not felt in months! Peace, yes. Love from our Heavenly Father--yes. Joy? No. Soon after entering the Celestial Room, I sat in a comfortable arm chair and began praying once again. Praying for our family. Praying for Ron in his search for employment. Praying that I might have greater faith. Suddenly, I was filled with such an overwhelming feeling of joy--it was indescribable! I don't know if I have ever felt such great joy in my entire life. It surpassed even the feelings on my wedding day and the birth of my children. It was joy that was felt in ever fiber of my being and brought tears of gratitude to my eyes. As I soaked up those nearly forgotten feeling of joy, I thanked Heavenly Father that the prayer of a humble temple worker was answered. I felt like that particular prayer was given for me--that I could have joy even during the trials and tribulations of life. That feeling of joy stayed with me for the remainder of the day. How grateful I am for the reminder that in this life, we can have joy and experience peace, even when our lives seem to be falling apart.
Showing posts with label tender mercies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tender mercies. Show all posts
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Smoke Gets in My Eyes
When Christie and Heather were very young, we had a neighbor who became our "Stockton Grandma." Sister Holsworth lived a couple of houses down the street. She had a cat named "Baby Girl" and a dog whose name I don't remember. We didn't have pets yet and Christie absolutely loved visiting Sister Holsworth's home and playing with her pets. There were a couple of mornings when the doorbell would ring--very early in the morning I might add--and there was Sister Holworth standing on the doorstep with Christie beside her. Sometimes Christie would still be wearing her nightgown, her bare little feet curled from touching the cold concrete. She had slipped out of the house to visit her special friends. I would thank Sister Holsworth for bringing her back home and try to help Christie understand that we didn't visit people before breakfast. I'm sure Sister Holsworth wondered what kind of parent I was at times.
We had Sister Holsworth over for dinner occasionally. We sat near her at church. At least twice we had her over for our Christmas Eve festivities--a special dinner and acting out the nativity. We were not only neighbors, but became good friends.
When Heather was about a year old and Christie was about five, Sister Holsworth asked me to drive her to the Sacramento airport. She said we could take her car. I'm sure she suspected that we didn't have a lot of money to pay for an extra tank of gas. I was a little nervous about driving to Sacramento with two little girls--the trip up wouldn't be so bad but returning home without an extra adult was going to be a little trickier. Yet, Sister Holsworth was my friend and I was happy to help out.
The appointed day came. Her car was unusual. It looked like a car but it had only one long bench seat with a covered cab in back. It was a mixture of a car and a truck. There were only three seat belts in the car and four passengers. This was before the very strict seat belt laws so I sat in the driver's seat, Heather was strapped into her car seat which was in the middle, and Sister Holsworth held Christie on her lap.
Soon after I entered Highway 5 I noticed the car seemed sluggish. I pushed down on the accelerator. Nothing happened. In fact, we started going even slower.
"Something's wrong, " I said. "We are losing power." I carefully pulled over to the shoulder of the road. As soon as I stopped, thick, dark smoke filled the cab. I literally could not see the other passengers in the car! Flames were shooting out of the hood. The car was on fire!
Sister Holsworth opened her door and pushed Christie off her lap. She fell in a heap on the ground and began crying. Meanwhile, I was trying to unbuckle Heather from her car seat. I was struggling to undo the latch as we were breathing in smoke. Sister Holsworth was finally able to free Heather and I grabbed her and exited the other door. Before our eyes her car was in flames. A truck driver going the opposite direction on Highway 5 stopped, ran across all the lanes of the freeway with a fire extinguisher in an attempt to put the fire out. It was too late. The car was a total loss.
After the CHP arrived, he placed us safely in his car and then called Ron at work to come and pick us up. Sister Holsworth never did make it to the airport that day. I don't know if she ever found out why her car suddenly caught on fire either. The situation caused a few nightmares, but I was extremely grateful that we were all safe. I was also very grateful that Sister Holsworth--with her arthritic hands was able to get Heather out of her car seat when my own nerves made it practically impossible.
And so in the Spirit of Thanksgiving--thank you, Sister Holsworth. Wherever you are.
We had Sister Holsworth over for dinner occasionally. We sat near her at church. At least twice we had her over for our Christmas Eve festivities--a special dinner and acting out the nativity. We were not only neighbors, but became good friends.
When Heather was about a year old and Christie was about five, Sister Holsworth asked me to drive her to the Sacramento airport. She said we could take her car. I'm sure she suspected that we didn't have a lot of money to pay for an extra tank of gas. I was a little nervous about driving to Sacramento with two little girls--the trip up wouldn't be so bad but returning home without an extra adult was going to be a little trickier. Yet, Sister Holsworth was my friend and I was happy to help out.
The appointed day came. Her car was unusual. It looked like a car but it had only one long bench seat with a covered cab in back. It was a mixture of a car and a truck. There were only three seat belts in the car and four passengers. This was before the very strict seat belt laws so I sat in the driver's seat, Heather was strapped into her car seat which was in the middle, and Sister Holsworth held Christie on her lap.
Soon after I entered Highway 5 I noticed the car seemed sluggish. I pushed down on the accelerator. Nothing happened. In fact, we started going even slower.
"Something's wrong, " I said. "We are losing power." I carefully pulled over to the shoulder of the road. As soon as I stopped, thick, dark smoke filled the cab. I literally could not see the other passengers in the car! Flames were shooting out of the hood. The car was on fire!
Sister Holsworth opened her door and pushed Christie off her lap. She fell in a heap on the ground and began crying. Meanwhile, I was trying to unbuckle Heather from her car seat. I was struggling to undo the latch as we were breathing in smoke. Sister Holsworth was finally able to free Heather and I grabbed her and exited the other door. Before our eyes her car was in flames. A truck driver going the opposite direction on Highway 5 stopped, ran across all the lanes of the freeway with a fire extinguisher in an attempt to put the fire out. It was too late. The car was a total loss.
After the CHP arrived, he placed us safely in his car and then called Ron at work to come and pick us up. Sister Holsworth never did make it to the airport that day. I don't know if she ever found out why her car suddenly caught on fire either. The situation caused a few nightmares, but I was extremely grateful that we were all safe. I was also very grateful that Sister Holsworth--with her arthritic hands was able to get Heather out of her car seat when my own nerves made it practically impossible.
And so in the Spirit of Thanksgiving--thank you, Sister Holsworth. Wherever you are.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Tender Mercies
A couple of weeks ago, I was reminded of a powerful talk given by Elder Bednar about the tender mercies of the Lord. A few days ago I recalled another powerful talk by Pres. Eyering where he shares with us how he looks each day for evidences of the Lord's love for him. As I have thought about these talks, I have recalled how I too, have seen the love my Heavenly Father has for my family and I.
Wednesday's are my errand running days. Last Wednesday I ran to Target, the post office, and then the grocery store. I had lists and coupons in my daily planner. When I opened my planner at the grocery store, I realized that my plastic page marker was missing. Somewhere it had fallen out. It could have happened at Target, it could be in the car, or it could be in a couple of different parking lots. I said a quick prayer that I might find it and then continued shopping.
As I left the grocery store, I said another quick prayer that I might find my page marker. I scanned the concrete parking lot, trying to retrace my steps. As I was halfway to the car, I saw something reflect the sunlight. It was the plastic page marker! I know this is a tiny thing and not terribly important, but it was a reminder to me of the Lord's great love for me.
As I drove home, my mind wandered back several months. I was under a great deal of stress. It was another Wednesday--another errand day. My first errand was to Costco. After quickly loading those items into my car, I drove off to the grocery store. When I arrived, I realized my planner was missing! It wasn't in the car or the trunk. With a sinking feeling I realized I probably left it in the Costco shopping cart.
This planner is my life! Not only do I record my daily tasks, but also list my monthly and yearly goals. It also holds library book receipts, menu planning ideas, books and movies I want to read and watch someday, gift ideas, and even Kaiser, bank, and Social Security information. I was already feeling greatly stressed and the thought of losing this planner was almost more than I could take. I remember praying that I would find it. As I drove back to Costco a few miles away, a peaceful feeling came over me. I knew it would be OK.
Sure enough, I drove into the parking lot and approached where I left the shopping cart. There was my planner--totally intact and untouched. How grateful I was for the tender mercies I experienced that day!
A few weeks ago, Ron's sleep apnea machine broke. It broke on a night when he was home. He called Kaiser the next morning and he was told that they would not pay for the cost of replacing his machine. He called the medical supply company next to see if it was still under warranty. The person who would know was not at work yet. It wasn't until we arrived at the Sacramento Temple an hour later that Ron received his answer. The warranty had just expired--10 days earlier. We were sick. But the woman did a little more research and realized that the warranty on this particular machine had actually been lengthened. The medical supply company would replace it for free! We could see again the love of our Heavenly Father has for us.
I think as we begin to really pay attention, that we will notice many seemingly small events--a friend or relative who calls when you really need to talk, a particular hymn that is sung in Sacrament meeting that has a message that touches your heart, or a beautiful sunset that reminds us that there is a greater power than all the confusion that is going on in the world--and we may come to know and appreciate that Heavenly Father truly loves us and blesses us with many tender mercies.
Wednesday's are my errand running days. Last Wednesday I ran to Target, the post office, and then the grocery store. I had lists and coupons in my daily planner. When I opened my planner at the grocery store, I realized that my plastic page marker was missing. Somewhere it had fallen out. It could have happened at Target, it could be in the car, or it could be in a couple of different parking lots. I said a quick prayer that I might find it and then continued shopping.
As I left the grocery store, I said another quick prayer that I might find my page marker. I scanned the concrete parking lot, trying to retrace my steps. As I was halfway to the car, I saw something reflect the sunlight. It was the plastic page marker! I know this is a tiny thing and not terribly important, but it was a reminder to me of the Lord's great love for me.
As I drove home, my mind wandered back several months. I was under a great deal of stress. It was another Wednesday--another errand day. My first errand was to Costco. After quickly loading those items into my car, I drove off to the grocery store. When I arrived, I realized my planner was missing! It wasn't in the car or the trunk. With a sinking feeling I realized I probably left it in the Costco shopping cart.
This planner is my life! Not only do I record my daily tasks, but also list my monthly and yearly goals. It also holds library book receipts, menu planning ideas, books and movies I want to read and watch someday, gift ideas, and even Kaiser, bank, and Social Security information. I was already feeling greatly stressed and the thought of losing this planner was almost more than I could take. I remember praying that I would find it. As I drove back to Costco a few miles away, a peaceful feeling came over me. I knew it would be OK.
Sure enough, I drove into the parking lot and approached where I left the shopping cart. There was my planner--totally intact and untouched. How grateful I was for the tender mercies I experienced that day!
A few weeks ago, Ron's sleep apnea machine broke. It broke on a night when he was home. He called Kaiser the next morning and he was told that they would not pay for the cost of replacing his machine. He called the medical supply company next to see if it was still under warranty. The person who would know was not at work yet. It wasn't until we arrived at the Sacramento Temple an hour later that Ron received his answer. The warranty had just expired--10 days earlier. We were sick. But the woman did a little more research and realized that the warranty on this particular machine had actually been lengthened. The medical supply company would replace it for free! We could see again the love of our Heavenly Father has for us.
I think as we begin to really pay attention, that we will notice many seemingly small events--a friend or relative who calls when you really need to talk, a particular hymn that is sung in Sacrament meeting that has a message that touches your heart, or a beautiful sunset that reminds us that there is a greater power than all the confusion that is going on in the world--and we may come to know and appreciate that Heavenly Father truly loves us and blesses us with many tender mercies.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
When You Least Expect It
For nearly a year, our family has been experiencing stress. Last October 2008, rumors began circulating at my husband's place of employment about pending job cuts. Ron was told that about eight jobs at his level would be eliminated. We began fasting, praying, and attending the temple, pleading to our Heavenly Father that he would be safe. We also cut back on our expenses, built up our savings and food storage and looked at each purchase very carefully. We asked, "Is this a need or a want?" If it was a need, we would get it. If it was a want, we didn't. Last Christmas there was very little under the tree compared to previous years. We could not justify spending money we might need to live on later.
Ron began searching for a new job "just in case." He had his first interview in January. The next day, one of his bosses called him into his office and told him that he knew he was concerned. "It's not you," he was told. We rejoiced. We went out to dinner for the first time in months and our prayers became ones of gratitude.
Less than six weeks later, Ron was told a different story. His job would be eliminated the end of June. There would be no severance. He could choose to be put on paid administrative leave with benefits so he could begin looking full time. He took them up on that and beginning in April, Ron only went into work once a week. Unemployment in our part of the country stood close to 15%. It was not pretty.
I had many sleepless nights. I would lay awake worrying. We turned increasingly to Heavenly Father--pleading for His help. Our daughter, Emily began praying that her dad would have a job by June 30. We fasted frequently and went to the temple nearly every week. As I began spending more time searching the scriptures and earnestly praying, my faith slowly increased. I began to pray with greater conviction, "thy will be done. I know thou knows our needs. Please help me feel of thy love." I always did.
For Mother's Day this year, Christie gave me Hilary Weeks CD, If I Only Had Today. As I listened to her music over and over in the car, one song in particular brought me hope. I had Ron and Emily listen to the lyrics and said, "This will be our song someday!"
Let me share with you part of the lyrics. The song is called, "When You Least Expect It."
I've quit counting the hours I've prayed for answers,
But I can't help wondering how long I will have to wait.
And why is Heaven silent while I'm running out of words
I keep on knocking but nobody hears me standing at the door.
Then through the shadows
Beyond the doubt
Heaven sends the answer.
I can't believe it
But I can feel it
Deep inside of my heart.
And that's when it happens
When you least expect it
And you know God has heard every prayer.
That's when it happens
Love breaks through the darkness
And Heaven surprised you
When you least expect it.
That's what happened to us. After two months of true unemployment, a surprising job offer came. Ron had interviewed with a college in July. He was told he was not a finalist the beginning of August. The job was nearly forgotten and then the end of August I received a phone call from the office of the college president. He wanted to interview Ron later that week. The interview went well but Ron was concerned that he had not answered a couple of the questions as well as he could have. Soon after returning home, he e-mailed the college president a thank you note and clarified a couple of his answers. Less than 15 minutes after sending off that e-mail, the college president called and offered him the job. Ron started the following week. Truly, Heavenly Father has heard EVERY one of our prayers. He has heard the prayers of our extended family and friends as well. We know that this is our miracle and we are very, very grateful.
Ron began searching for a new job "just in case." He had his first interview in January. The next day, one of his bosses called him into his office and told him that he knew he was concerned. "It's not you," he was told. We rejoiced. We went out to dinner for the first time in months and our prayers became ones of gratitude.
Less than six weeks later, Ron was told a different story. His job would be eliminated the end of June. There would be no severance. He could choose to be put on paid administrative leave with benefits so he could begin looking full time. He took them up on that and beginning in April, Ron only went into work once a week. Unemployment in our part of the country stood close to 15%. It was not pretty.
I had many sleepless nights. I would lay awake worrying. We turned increasingly to Heavenly Father--pleading for His help. Our daughter, Emily began praying that her dad would have a job by June 30. We fasted frequently and went to the temple nearly every week. As I began spending more time searching the scriptures and earnestly praying, my faith slowly increased. I began to pray with greater conviction, "thy will be done. I know thou knows our needs. Please help me feel of thy love." I always did.
For Mother's Day this year, Christie gave me Hilary Weeks CD, If I Only Had Today. As I listened to her music over and over in the car, one song in particular brought me hope. I had Ron and Emily listen to the lyrics and said, "This will be our song someday!"
Let me share with you part of the lyrics. The song is called, "When You Least Expect It."
I've quit counting the hours I've prayed for answers,
But I can't help wondering how long I will have to wait.
And why is Heaven silent while I'm running out of words
I keep on knocking but nobody hears me standing at the door.
Then through the shadows
Beyond the doubt
Heaven sends the answer.
I can't believe it
But I can feel it
Deep inside of my heart.
And that's when it happens
When you least expect it
And you know God has heard every prayer.
That's when it happens
Love breaks through the darkness
And Heaven surprised you
When you least expect it.
That's what happened to us. After two months of true unemployment, a surprising job offer came. Ron had interviewed with a college in July. He was told he was not a finalist the beginning of August. The job was nearly forgotten and then the end of August I received a phone call from the office of the college president. He wanted to interview Ron later that week. The interview went well but Ron was concerned that he had not answered a couple of the questions as well as he could have. Soon after returning home, he e-mailed the college president a thank you note and clarified a couple of his answers. Less than 15 minutes after sending off that e-mail, the college president called and offered him the job. Ron started the following week. Truly, Heavenly Father has heard EVERY one of our prayers. He has heard the prayers of our extended family and friends as well. We know that this is our miracle and we are very, very grateful.
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