Category: Sacred Sundays

Sacred Sundays

Sacred Sundays – Daddy’s Girl…

Wendy

….has never been a label that fit me!   

I hated daddy daughter parties and when we were asked to dance with our parents at the end of the year dance recitals at school, I was mortified.

He loved the mountains, riding horses and raising sheep.  Everything I did not appreciate as a child.  I never followed him to auctions.   I was afraid of animals and got bucked off  (in his opinion, I fell off) of every horse I rode. 

They called him Rip.  Some believed it was because he could rip you apart.  This was a card he played well when I started dating.  He never really said much to my dates.  The only guy I dated whom he liked, smelled like cows (a hazard of working at a dairy).  And his way of telling my boyfriend it was late and time to go home was walking through the living room in his tightie-whities.   
He seemed larger than life and far different from me…but there are some memories of him that I hold very dear.   


Snuggling with him in his orange rocking chair.  Rubbing his crew cut, because it felt so cool.   Him pulling the peach fuzz on my arms…because it made him laugh?!?!  His snort every time he laughed.


His pile of never worn Levi’s (501) because the current pair was perfectly fine.  He was so hard to buy for…I usually resorted to a screw driver or a bottle of Skin Bracer.   He got along just fine without us spending all our money or his.  Any one of the old run down cars in his fields was better than any new car you could buy.  And so we usually did not have a car … just his cattle truck. The one that rattled loudly as he drove through the church parking lot to see if we were at church.  And the one that usually smelled like ether because all the junk on the passenger side of the floor shifted and set off a can of starting fluid.  


He loved his grand babies.  No one was better than he was at getting them to smile and laugh.   It was watching him with them that made me realize how much he loved me too.   

I miss him…I wish I would have known better how to be a Daddy’s Girl … but I know he is aware of me and is watching over my  life with boys and life on the farm He is laughing…how my whole world smells like cows and my car floors are piled high with junk…on a daily basis he is giving a snort and a laugh…all the approval this newly established Daddy’s girl needs.

Sacred Sundays, Uncategorized

Sacred Sundays – Rconciled 

Wendy

Today I am pondering 2 Corinthians 5:

18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;

19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

I find it interesting that reconciliation is a ministry and that God has committed unto us the word of reconciliation.  I want to better understand how?   
This is how Safari defines reconcile:   

rec·on·cile  (ˈrekənˌsīl/). verb

  • restore friendly relations between.

synonyms: settle one’s differences, make (one’s) peace, make up, kiss and make up, bury the hatchet, declare a truce.

  • cause to coexist in harmony; make or show to be compatible.

synonyms: make compatible, harmonize, square, make congruent, balance; rare syncretize.

  • make (one account) consistent with another, especially by allowing for transactions begun but not yet completed.

When I hear or read the word reconcile, I tend think of the third meaning…Every month I reconcile my checkbook. Occasionally, I hear of two people reconciling their differences.   However, when it comes to my relationship with my Heavenly Father, my mind typically does not settle on the need for reconciliation.  (Mind you, I am not saying there is no need…I just would not use the word as part of the description.). But here it is written in the scripture and I am not sure how I feel about it.   

As I contemplate my feeling about the word of reconciliation…I find it actually has a negative connotation for me.   Perhaps, I have spent too many hours looking for a missing penny?!? Or maybe I do not fully trust a reconciliation when there are so many reasons to mistrust?!?  And in this realization I see the ministry.   

This is not about what I need to do to live in the presence of God. The ministry happens in The Atonement.  

He will restore relationships…if I let him.  He will always trust in me and my worth.   He will cause me to trust in Him, in others, and myself…if I ask him.  

Because he is always seeking after the one, and has paid the required ransom, He will. balance the accounts….if I let him.  He will make my actions consistent with his commandments.  His sacrifice will make up the difference when I am found lacking…If I ask him.

Ultimately, if I continue to receive the ministry and trust in God’s commitment to the word…reconciliation, I will be found worthy to coexist in harmony with my Heavenly Father.  Not because of my actions, but because of His.  His ministry and great commitment to the word…reconciliation.

Sacred Sundays

Sacred Sundays – My Mom

Wendy

I cannot recall a single childhood memory of snuggling with or hugging my mom…not a single memory!   The images did not develop.  Still I know the moments were there and my mom was, and still is, a constant presence in my life…guiding, coaching, and cheering me on!

So these memories are a tribute to her!

I remember her noting that she was largest with me when I mentioned how fat she looked in this photo taken 3 weeks before I was born:

And that I was her biggest baby.


She taught me to be humble, to forgive and not take things too personally.
Perhaps my earliest memory is of her taking my cousin, my younger brother and me to the church to take our picture with our Raggedy Ann’s.  I can vividly recall her lining us up against the church wall and my 3 year old self squinting into the sun!


She taught me to appreciate gifts from others, to take care of my belongings, and to capture specials moments.
I remember her taking us visiting or having visitors squeeze into our tiny kitchen. We kids would play while our moms would visit.   Occasionally, the children would try to listen in, but we would be given a pat and told to go play.   

She taught me to be a loyal friend, to relax and enjoy time with friends and family, and to keep confidences.

I remember becoming a hormonal teenager and her taking me dragging main, on long car rides and to the Wagon Wheel to have a Coke…anything to improve my mood.

She taught me things are never as bad as they seem, nothing tastes better than a fountain Coke with crushed ice, and to show up and be there for others.

I remember her having a phone conversation with her sister, Dixie, every morning. One time while she was on the phone my little brother and I were taking punches at each other and using her as our shield…we finally stopped when we noticed she was crying.   

She taught me to value and build family relationships, that it is ok to show vulnerability,  and to love unconditionally.

She made sure all my needs were met and went out of her way to help me realize my wants.   I miss her, but know she is and always will be present…guiding, coaching, and cheering me on!


Happy Mother’s Day!

Sacred Sundays

Sacred Sundays – Forever

Wendy

Some days are just too hectic.   These days are jam-packed with coming and going but little time for reflection.  Starting with Easter, last week was filled with those days.     At church I managed to record three comments:

He is risen

We shall overcome

We are loved

I wish I knew more.   I wish I had taken the time to write…to reflect.

Here is what I do know.  The comments were written in response to this video and the testimonies that followed.

When I think of Those Days, the miraculous events, I wonder…Do I fully appreciate? 

Moroni 7: 28 For he hath answered the ends of the law, and he claimeth all those who have faith in him; and they who have faith in him will cleave unto every good thing; wherefore he advocateth the cause of the children of men; and he dwelleth eternally in the heavens.

Do I cleave unto good things?   Do I trust in my Advocate?   Will my faith carry me through Forever?


Happy Easter my friends.

He is risen!

And we shall overcome…for we are loved!

Sacred Sundays

Sacred Sundays – A Lesson in Perfection turned Eulogy

Wendy

One cannot engage in a scriptural study of Jesus Christ without encountering his words in Matthew 5: 48 and 3 Nephi 12: 48.  

Therefore I would that ye should be perfect even as I, or your Father who is in heaven is perfect.  3 Nephi 12: 48

I know I am not the only one who is overwhelmed by this command.   

I see going from this:

To this:

Source: http://weddingsparrow.com/article/spring-bridal-inspiration-baby-lamb/

And I wonder: How do I get there?   

I am learning it is a process.   

We begin by learning about Him. “It is impossible for [us] to be saved in ignorance.” The more we know about the Savior’s ministry and mission–the more we understand His doctrine and what He did for us–the more we know that He can provide the power that we need for our lives.   Russell M. Nelson

I am learning not to compare, but to put things in perspective.   

“Perspective is a giver. Comparison takes. Perspective is generous. Comparison pares down the loveliness of your life until it appears a thin shred of its former glory. Perspective carries us through life laughing. Comparison evokes cursing and frowns and grumbling.”

Excerpt From: Merrick, Kate. “And Still She Laughs.” HarperCollinsPublishers, 2017-02-10. iBooks. 

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Check out this book on the iBooks Store: https://itun.es/us/v8_peb.l


I am learning to be humble.


I am learning…life gives us interruptions… the unexpected.   In those moments you drop everything.  You run to the rescue.  You pray.  You hold on to hope.  You comfort.  You mourn.  


You learn to continue in faith.  

Goodbye Fluffy.  You were perfect in your own straggly, scrawny little way.    Thank you for blessing our lives with laughter and lessons.  We will miss you!