Sister Fletcher

A few weeks ago at church I realized that Sister Fletcher was always sitting behind us and she was always commenting on how cute the children looked and she was bringing gum and candy for them each week. That particular day, Bishop Olsen gave a wonderful talk about how we need to listen to the spirit and follow the prompting that we are given and realize that they are callings from our Heavenly Father. He also challenged us to invite someone over each month to have dinner with our family, we could share one of the 90 meals that we have in a month. So that day for our family meeting I told the kids that I wanted to take Sister Fletcher some cinnamon rolls and the kids could write her a note or something. Averi made her a little paper box with some origami things inside, Maggie wrote her a note, and Briggs made her a snowflake with a robot in it. We got everything ready and Briggs was determined that we were going to walk to her house. It has been really, really, cold lately and I really didn't want to walk and it was starting to snow. I told him we were going to drive. Next thing I know he is out in the van with the umbrella up in the car and he is trying to get out. I was kind of upset and took the umbrella down and told him again that we were going to drive. He got mad and went inside. I followed him in and told him that we would love him to come for a ride with us. I pulled out of the driveway and waited for a few minutes and he came running out to join us. The kids all got out and went up to her door, she opened that door with the biggest smile! The spirit was very strong that I started crying and then I looked over at Todd and he was crying too. The kids hopped in the car and we talked a little bit about how we felt and then we went home. A few days later we got a note in the mail that said.
 On the front it said, Thank you, the love of God is revealed in every act of kindness! Inside it said, Dear Amy and children, you can't know how grateful I am to you and your darling little children. With their smiling sweet faces standing on my porch Sunday. I've been so depressed through these holidays. But when I opened the door and saw that, I felt so wonderful that I snapped me out of the down feeling I was carrying around. Thank God in Heaven for family's like yours. Thank you so very much for the cards and delicious cinnamon rolls, they were really good. Love Evelyn Fletcher.
When I read this card it was confirmed to me that we really needed to go and see her. I am so thankful for a loving Heavenly Father who guides us when we want guidance. I just broke down in tears of gratitude and thankfulness that we are trying to do what Heavenly Father wants us to do. The story does not end here. At the beginning of this month on fast Sunday I got up to bear my testimony about Leah and how grateful I am for the spirit in my life and how I want to do what Heavenly Father wants me to do. As I was talking Briggs was walking up to share his testimony. I was not even prepared for what he was about to share. He started out by saying that last Sunday our family took some cinnamon rolls to Sister Fletcher's house because she always gives them gum on Sunday at church. Then he stopped for a few minutes and you could feel the spirit touching his heart and the tears started to well up in his eyes and he said that he felt so good going to her house and he knew that Heavenly Father wanted us to go to her house, and then he said that he knew that the church was true. I am so thankful that he feels those feelings and that he understands them and recognizes that they come from Heavenly Father. His testimony strengthens mine and I am so grateful for wonderful children who want to do what is right. We had sister Fletcher over for dinner today and it was such a fun time. We ate dinner and played Bingo, she hugged the kids and praised them for all the good that they do. We have a good friend in Sister Fletcher. I am grateful for the part that she plays in our life right now.

Look up

The reason I decided to start this blog is a place for me to share my thoughts and feelings about life. So many times I forget to LOOK UP! I am a member of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints. Just a few weeks ago we had the opportunity to listen to our prophet and some of his apostles. There was one talk that really struck me, I need to go back and find his name. He had just been called to a new position in the church and was only one week into his calling. He was in the elevator and was feeling overwhelmed by all that he needed to do. He was going down and the elevator stopped and someone walked in. He didn't even look up to see who it was, he was so deep in thought. Then he heard his voice and it was our Prophet, Thomas S. Monson who told him to LOOK UP! I realized that I needed to do the same in my own life. That I need to take time to LOOK UP! and recognize what Heavenly Father has done for me and what he continues to do for me.

Thank you for taking her for French Toast!

I can see that is has been a long time since my last entry and I do need to write about a few events that have touched my heart. This past summer I had the opportunity to help Leah Teters plan her wedding. She got engaged to Josh Young on her 20th birthday, which was August 13, 2012. She got married in the Salt Lake Temple on November 15, 2012. I had the opportunity of helping her with many things, decorations, cake, colors, deciding on a place to have the reception, how much ice cream, what toppings to go on the ice cream, what kind of flowers, etc. But the experiences that I have treasured in my heart was to be in the temple with her. She invited me to be her escort through the Draper Utah temple on November 1, 2012. I have never done that before and was not sure what to expect. I had a few minutes to myself as she was finishing up her own endowment before the session and I had a little voice that said to me, Thanks for taking her to get French Toast!!! I had kind of forgotten about that. About 4 years earlier I was the YW President in our ward and I was really worried about Leah and not sure what I could do to help her, the thoughts and impressions kept coming to go and get her and tell her that I was going to take her to breakfast. I kept fighting that feeling and was worried about what I would say and what her reaction would be. But I went through with the thought and we went to breakfast. Leah did not say much, but she did come with me and she loves the french toast sticks from Sonic. We talked and I just listened to what was going on in her life. A few years later she moved in with us for a few years and then she moved out. We had some hard times with her. She struggled with many different things. I picked her up one day after I found out she was drinking, she was cutting herself, we went to the emergency room one time because she was trying to take all her pills. There was a lot of scary hard things that we had to deal with. My hope for her was that someday she would be able to go to the temple, but I was not sure if that would happen.  I think I had put all those things far back in my mind. Then a few years pass, and she asks me to help her with her temple wedding. I have no idea if me going to get her for French Toast was a life changing event, but Heavenly Father wanted me to go and I did. I had a lot of tender experiences helping Leah. Another day I remember thinking that I needed to remember the hard things that we experienced with her and that I might experience some of those things with my own children and that I should never forget that she figured it out and that I never stopped loving her. It was a beautiful day to be in the temple with her. Leah is an amazing woman who has a lot of talents and who will be a great mother someday. I am grateful that she invited us into her life. I am so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who guided me many times when I had questions about what to do in the many situations that we found ourselves in with Leah.

Out of the Mouth of Babes

I have been thinking for some time that I really need to start writing things down. I just don't take the time to do that much any more. I think i started this blog a year ago when I heard a conference talk that touched my soul. I need to take more time to "LOOK UP". Well I won't be able to sleep tonight if I do not write down a little of what happened today. We started off the morning wonderful by going to the Brigham City Temple dedication. Todd, Averi and I went. It was just down at the Stake Center, but it was very nice. The new Temple President spoke ant something touche my heart as he was speaking. I need my home to be more like the temple. I need my home to be a refuge from the crazy world that we are living in right now. I need my home to be a safe, comfortable, happy place that my kids want to come. I think I have a lot of work to do, but I know who can help me to get it there. He also spoke about how going to the Temple on a regular basis can give us strength and power to do the things that we know we need to do. I need to figure out a way to get to the temple more often and on a regular basis. I know that my spirit needs to be there. I have been longing to be in the house of the Lord for quite some time. I have been a little distant from my Heavenly Father lately and I know that I am the only one who can get myself back to where I want to be. We came home from the dedication and cleaned up the house a little, had dinner for Averi's 10th Birthday. Then we decided to do our "Family Meeting". We have been doing family meetings for about a year or longer and they are a lot of fun. We let the kids take turns conducting and we usually go over the events of the coming week and have a little lesson. I didn't have a lesson ready and neither did Todd. So, Maggie and Briggs said that they would do something. Maggie has a little Book Of Mormon that my mom gave all the kids it has pictures from the B of M and a little summary of what is taking place. She wants to sing a song about every picture. She has always loved singing the "Armies of Helaman" song, that is one of her favorites, and of course we sang, "I love to see the Temple." Then it was time for Briggs to do his lesson. He came over with a whole bunch of papers and asked us to put the puzzle together. He also said that he messed up on one side and he was not sure which side was which. Maggie and Averi were trying to put it together and were having a hard time. I layed down on the floor and tried to help. We got a little of it together and then Todd and I both knew that we were never going to get it all put together. So we asked him to explain what all of this meant. I was not prepared for what was going to come out of his mouth. He said, "Sometimes life can be really hard, and we are not sure how to put all of the pieces together in our lives. We need to remember that Heavenly Father can help us to know how to put all the pieces together. Sometimes pieces are missing and that is okay, we don't have to have them all at once. Sometimes we have to wait until we are ready to put them in the puzzle." by then end of his lesson the tears were just flowing, just as they are now. I am so grateful to have such amazing children. They amaze me sometimes. I need to take more time to write things down and this is my attempt to do so. Briggs somehow knew what I needed to hear today and I am grateful to a Heavenly Father who gave me some answers that I needed and taught me through a child. I have not taken the time I have needed to lately to be close to my Heavenly Father, and I can tell that I am not as kind or loving as I am when I am doing the things that he wants me to. So, I will be better and try to write things down that help me to Look UP! Until tomorrow. Goodnight!