Touching Shoulders

There's a comforting thought at the close of the day
When I'm weary and lonely and sad;
That sort of grips hold of this poor old heart
And bids it be merry and glad.
It gets in my being, and drives out the blues
And finally thrills through and through,
It's just a sweet memory, that chants this refrain,
"I'm glad I touched shoulders with you."

Did you know you were brave?
Did you know you were strong?
Did you know there was one leaning hard?
Did you know that I waited, and listened and prayed?
And was cheered by your simplest word.
Did you know that I longed for the smile on your face?
For the sound of your voice ringing true,
Did you know I grew stronger and better because
"I had merely touched shoulders with you."

I'm glad that I live, that I battle and strive,
For a place that I know I must fill;
I'm thankful for sorrows, I'll meet with a grin
What fortune may bring, good or ill;
I may not have wealth, I may not be great
But I know I will always be true,
For I have in my life, that courage you gave,
When once, "I touched shoulders with you!"

The author is believed to be: Lawrence Holtzberry, deceased
Mr. Holtzberry was a member of the Lions Club District 13K (Hebron, Ohio)

I heard this poem when I went to Akela's Council staff development meeting this weekend. It was so touching that I had to find the poem and share it.

Conference Story

I am not sure which conference talk yesterday was my favorite so I thought I would take time over the next few blogs to share thoughts about some of the talks that I enjoyed.

I have always loved President Packer's talks.  I thought his story about Gideon and how he chose his army to be particularly good.  Those that drank from the stream by putting their mouth to the water were not ready for an enemy attack.  Those that brought the water to their mouth were on the lookout for an attack.  We need to be on the lookout.  We need to bring the water of the gospel to our mouths and be prepared.  We need to be ready to fight the last great battle.  There will be a time when the only thing between us and the adversary is the Father with his Priesthood.

I loved how so many of the talks told us how to awaken the power of the Priesthood in the home and strengthen our homes.   I feel as if the talks given yesterday have awaken something within me.  I want to become stronger.  I want to be a beacon for my family.  I often think of what a great beacon my mother was for me.  I hope I can become as strong as she was.   As a young mother I realized that my mother had been praying for me all through the years.  I learned that her prayers were strong and often helped me.  I often felt the comfort of her prayers.  I knew that her prayers held great power.  Now that she is gone, I know that she is still praying for me, my brothers and sister, our children and their children.  She will never stop praying for us.  As I look to the beacon that my mother set up for me, I realize that her mother set a light up for her.  When things get dark we just need to remember to head toward the light.  

My Lucky Day

I once read a children's book called "My Lucky Day."  A little pig knocks on a door and to his horror it is answered by a wolf who, upon seeing the little pig, says it is "My lucky day."   He takes the pig in to eat him.  The pig does manage to escape but not until his has had a warm bath to clean him, a large meal to fatten him up, and a massage to tenderize his meat.  The pig leaves refreshed and the wolf is left exhausted.  My question is, who's lucky day was it?  The final page of the book shows the pig checking off wolf from his list of animals that might want to eat him and saying that it was his "lucky day."  

I have reserved this blog for religious thoughts.  So what does a pig story have to do with religion?  

In my minds eye I see Satan standing in the Garden of Eden watching Adam and Eve and saying to himself, "This is my lucky day.  I can destroy God's plan."  Satan, not knowing the mind of God tempts Adam and Eve.  They do end up eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.  But who's lucky day was it?  Yes, Adam and Eve had to leave the Garden of Eden, yes, they became mortal, yes, they could no longer walk and talk with God.  

After the Fall, Eve said, "Were it not for our transgression we never should have had seed, and never should have known good and evil, and the joy of our redemption, and the eternal life which God giveth unto all the obedient."  (Moses 5:11)

Lehi also explained:

"And now, behold, if Adam had not transgressed he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the Garden of Eden.  And all things which were created must have remained in the same state in which they were after they were created...

"And they would have had no children; wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin.

"But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things.

"Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy."  (2 Nephi 2:22-25)

Who's lucky day was it?  Oh, it was OUR lucky day!  Yours and mine!  I am so grateful for the Fall as it has provided me the opportunity to become like my Father in Heaven.

Now one more question about Satan.  Where was Satan when the great plan of happiness was presented?  Was he self absorbed in his own attempt for power?  Was he too busy recruiting spirit children to follow him?  Where did he miss the fact that he was God's plan?

Life's Lesson in Death

I have learned something about death that I didn't know before.  My Mother passed away on Sunday, December 20, 2009.  My sister and I were at her bedside when she passed away.  We had been taking turns spending the night with her.  We knew that it was just a matter of days until she passed away.  My daughter Melanie and I stayed with her on Friday night.  There was a very strong spirit in the room.  I really felt that my Grandmother Fanny and my Father were near waiting for my Mother to pass through the veil.  On Saturday my sister stayed with my Mother.  Then on Sunday morning my sister called to tell me I needed to come.  She felt that it was only a matter of minutes until Mom was to leave this earth life.  I got dressed for church because I knew one thing.  Mom would want me to go to church and give the Relief Society lesson that I was to give that day.  My sister and I watched my Mother take her last breaths.  So here is the lesson I learned.  

Death is a holy and sacred experience.  It is every bit as sacred as when you watch the birth of a baby.  There is something special about watching a spirit pass through the veil and feeling our Heavenly Father's presence.  I knew that God was near.  I knew that my Father, a brother, grandparents, and a long list of relatives that we had been doing genealogy work for were near.  While my sister and I were feeling a lose for the Mother we love, we knew that Mother was joyfully meeting with her family on the other side of the veil.  I will always be grateful for this holy time that I had with my Mother.

The Thick of Thin Things

I heard a quote from the Ensign a couple of times at church today.  The quote from President Thomas S. Monson says:

"We become so caught up in the busyness of our lives.  Were we to step back, however, and take a good look at what we're doing, we may find that we have immersed ourselves in the "thick of thin things."  In other words, too often we spend most of our time taking care of the things which do not really matter much at all in the grand scheme of things, neglecting those more important causes."

I was intrigued by the quote because I had planned on giving a quote in my Relief Society lesson by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf that said:  

"A wise man once distinguished between the noble art of getting things done and a nobler art of leaving things undone.  True wisdom in life consists of the elimination of non-essentials.  What are the non-essential things that clutter your days and steal your time?  What are the habits you may have developed that do not serve a useful purpose?  What are the unfinished or unstarted things that could add vigor, meaning, and joy to your life?" 

Gratitude

Last year I posted a gratitude for every day in November.  I would be very ungrateful if I did not make at least one post.

I am grateful for:

• The beauty of nature.  I took my mother for a ride.  We saw a large herd of antelope grazing in a field. The buck began moving his herd through the field and I thought he was nervous about us watching him when I saw another buck trying to find a way through the fence.   Ah ha.  Just protecting his herd from another male. 
  
• My Family.  How I enjoy seeing my children and knowing that they are doing those things that will bring them eternal happiness.  
  
• My Grandchildren.  How precious each of them are.  My mother lived so far from her grandparents that she only remembers seeing her grandfather once.  She was too scared to even talk to him. She never had the chance to talk to him on a phone.   How sad is that?  I can see or talk my grandchildren every day through the use of telephone, blogs, skype, and Facebook.  How cool is it to be a couple of hundred miles apart and still be able to talk to each other?  
• My membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  I love learning about my Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ.  To know that they love me.  That they answer prayers.  Which reminds me of another gratitude.
• I am thankful that God answers prayers.  We had one answered this past week.  We started our day with family prayer and prayed that we would be protected and return home to our family safe that evening.  Our school went by bus to a nearby high school to watch the Wizard of Oz.  The bus I was on pulled up the the stop sign that enters the main highway from our small town.  The driver hesitated and then pulled on to the highway in front of a large water truck.  The driver of the truck had to slam on his brakes to keep from hitting us.  He came within a couple of feet of our bus.  While our driver seem unconcerned the rest of the adults on the bus were terrified!  Worst part was that on the way home from the play our bus driver pulled out in front of another large truck when she reached the highway.  I am thankful for answered prayers.

Showing Mercy

President Joseph Smith said, "If you would have God have mercy on you, have mercy on one another....  We are full of selfishness; the devil flatters us that we are very righteous, when we are feeding on the faults of other."  

"...Search yourselves--the tongue is an unruly member--hold your tongues about things of no moment--a little tale will set the world on fire."

OK, so I have been having some devil flattering going on in my life.  I have had a hard time holding my tongue.  I have had that self-righteous feeling and I don't like it.  I have had to really examine myself to see what my problem is.  I finally figured it out.  I am jealous.  My 'friend' knows how to maximize her resources and I either don't know how or I want to make myself a martyr by doing everything myself.  I need to get over it and learn from her instead of criticize her for being able to delegate authority.    

Get over it Mary!