Ever on a Learned Path

Though I may read the words, again and again, I've yet to grasp and fully

under-

stand, that which my Father would have me know.....

"The pride of unspiritualized learning is a treacherous thing in human experience. The true teacher maintains his intellectual integrity by ever remaining a learner."

"The source of universe reality is the Infinite. The material things of finite creation are the time-space repercussions of the Paradise Pattern and the Universal Mind of the eternal God. Causation in the physical world, self-consciousness in the intellectual world, and progressing selfhood in the spirit world÷these realities, projected on a universal scale, combined in eternal relatedness, and experienced with perfection of quality and divinity of value÷constitute the reality of the Supreme. But in an ever-changing universe the Original Personality of causation, intelligence, and spirit experience is changeless, absolute. All things, even in an eternal universe of limitless values and divine qualities, may, and oftentimes do, change except the Absolutes and that which has attained the physical status, intellectual embrace, or spiritual identity which is absolute."

"Error (evil) is the penalty of imperfection. The qualities of imperfection or facts of misadaptation are disclosed on the material level by critical observation and by scientific analysis; on the moral level, by human experience. The presence of evil constitutes proof of the inaccuracies of mind and the immaturity of the evolving self. Evil is, therefore, also a measure of imperfection in universe interpretation. The possibility of making mistakes is inherent in the acquisition of wisdom, the scheme of progressing from the partial and temporal to the complete and eternal, from the relative and imperfect to the final and perfected. Error is the shadow of relative incompleteness which must of necessity fall across man's ascending universe path to Paradise perfection. Error (evil) is not an actual universe quality; it is simply the observation of a relativity in the relatedness of the imperfection of the incomplete finite to the ascending levels of the Supreme and Ultimate."

Tomorrow is another day. I will try again.

Growth

Man cannot cause growth, but he can supply favorable conditions. Growth is always unconscious, be it physical, intellectual, or spiritual. Love thus grows; it cannot be created, manufactured, or purchased; it must grow. Evolution is a cosmic technique of growth. Social growth cannot be secured by legislation, and moral growth is not had by improved administration. Man may manufacture a machine, but its real value must be derived from human culture and personal appreciation. Man's sole contribution to growth is the mobilization of the total powers of his personality -- living faith.

Setting Sun

This evening was particularly beautiful, one that must be shared.

Favorite Read

One of my favorite books. It brings me a sense of peace and knowing of my Savior. Incomparable Jesus, by Grant Palmer.

Age and Wisdom

With age, comes wisdom. I contemplate that concept occasionally, most frequently as I near that date when I mark my birth. As I gain a year, one at time, I wait for that moment when I can feel that experience has granted me wisdom. But, this wisdom eludes me. I can not seem to get it right. What I perceive the world expects from me is the ability to get it right. And, to get it right the first time.

I observe the simple, genuine souls that occupy the pews each week in service, I listen to those that I socialize with, those that I converse with in my daily routines and I wonder about this idea, wisdom. I've encountered far more in my short life who age and never find wisdom, than those who seem to have acquired it.

Pop-pop frequently tells me, "the wisest man at the table, is often the quietest." Daddy tells me that "If you've nothing kind to say, then hold your tongue." And, I believe that it is true, "A wise man keeps his own counsel." The Lord tells me, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask God, who give to all men, generously without reproaching, and it will be given him." James 1:5

I'm asking....maybe I lack the ability to hear His words. “7 Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. " Matthew 7: 7-8. My knuckles are bloody and swollen, my knees worn out. I think I'm doing it wrong....

God Country

Attitude of gratitude. I give thanks everyday for what I am blessed with. I pass this farm every morning when I go running. Some days I lack the adage, the verbiage, the semantic skills to express what this sight does for my spirit. Thus, I can only say, thank-you.

Faith and Belief

John asked Jesus, "Master, what is the kingdom of heaven?" And Jesus answered: "The kingdom of heaven consists in these three essentials: first, recognition of the fact of the sovereignty of God; second, belief in the truth of sonship with God; and third, faith in the effectiveness of the supreme human desire to do the will of God -- to be like God. And this is the good news of the gospel: that by faith every mortal may have all these essentials of salvation."

Trust

We place a tremendous amount of trust in those around us. And sometimes we place trust in those that we find, only to late, should never have been granted such a precious thing.

I often include the men and women who help our little ward to function, in my prayers, that they will have the strength and wisdom to make it through each struggle or challenge they may face in positions of leadership they agree to perform. Especially when they must maintain decorum that can at times, be so very stressful and diffucult to keep to themselves.

I am grateful to those in these positions that I can confide in most of them without worry. My trust was recently violated by one that has been in and out of such positions in church. I ask the Lord to help me understand the lesson He has for me today, knowing that information I allowed this individual to have, was inappropriately shared and discussed with whomever seemed willing to listen. And in this persons haste to share, rumors and gossip have negatively impacted me, my children and so many others.

I look to the Lord, my knees worn out with prayer, what is the lesson? How do I amend, repair, soothe those affected by the damage?

Family

It is one of our "motto's" so to speak. Families are Forever. And there are times when that thought brings such peace and comfort to me. Especially on such trying days as today.

I could not make it without the unconditional, non judgemental love and acceptance of family. Today, as I say my prayers, I thank the Lord for those in my life that are family. My tears of frustration and bewilderment overcame me and the children hugged me, my dear husband soothed my fears and God gave me a gentle reminder that he could see the intentions of my heart. Family is, the most important thing that we have been gifted on this earth. I only hope that I can be a true help to my own family first, and to those that need help keeping their families together.

Inspiration

Sunrise never ceases to amaze me, especially from my own window.

A Living Prayer

One of my favorite songs....

My Quiet Prayer

Christ be with me,
Christ within me,
Christ behind me,
Christ before me,
Christ beside me,
Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me.

Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, and in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

I wish that I could post the music, it calms me and reminds me daily what my focus should be.

The Adversary's Plan

Growing up can be confusing. I watch my little ones and hope that the obstacles I faced will not be similar obstacles in their own lives. I hope they pick new obstacles, for none of us can really hope to grow without conflict.

"And it must needs be that the devil should tempt the children of men, or they could not be agents unto themselves; for if they never should have bitter they could not know the sweet— "D&C 29:39

"In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: God also hath set the one over against the other, to the end that man should find nothing after him." Ecclesiastes 7:14

I was privileged to enjoy an afternoon with a good friend. She shared with me the happenings in her life; the good, the bad, the ugly. The argument with her sister seem to give her the most trouble and concern. This prompted a discussion about the challenges we face as our children grow and become adolescents and adults. She expressed concern that her sister was holding on to tight, increasing her "grip", as her teens entered into early adulthood. I wondered aloud if this could be her sisters fear of letting go. She responded that she felt it was more than that, she felt that her sister wanted control over her kids and that she justified it by saying that their eternal salvation was at stake.

That's a hard one to discuss with a parent. I didn't have an answer. I offered that we could venture back to college and ask our favorite professor....(she and I met in college and have the same degree.) She smiled. She knows this gentleman in her personal life. Fortuitous thing. He is in the Stake Presidency and in fact, she had inquired of him if he had any advice. He is a tremendous, insightful individual and he is a therapist and a teaches at the University level.

I was curious what he had to say and she relayed this story. He was working with a couple some years ago in private practice. This couple was having problems with one of their teenage sons. They had taken very invasive action. They restricted his coming and going, monitored his friends, supervised many of his activities and didn't allow him a lot of unsupervised time. I commented at this point in the story and said it sounded more like a steel straight jacket. My friend laughed and said that I needed to hear what the therapist/professor suggested. These parents, like many of us, were concerned for this child's eternal salvation. He ask them to consider one thing, what would the adversary do? What was the adversary's plan?

I smiled at this point, I knew the end of the story. The parents finally understood that they needed to allow the walls to come down. They needed to be more flexible, for the adversary's plan in the pre-exsistence was to make all the choices and decisions for us. "Leave all the glory to me", he said. The Lord saw different, "let them decide, and leave all the glory to them."

I can't anticipate what troubles my children will face, but I pray that I can be strong and flexible and be their lighthouse. I know they will make decisions that I do not like. Some may even frighten and worry me, but I have to believe that I have lead them well and given them the right tools to make the best decisions. The Lord has given us free agency, I have to trust Him.

I'll keep praying. And, I try to remember that backseat driver....

The Lord's Plan

What a wonderful weekend to celebrate our countries birthday. We spent the morning in services. Today is fast Sunday, so Sacrament Meeting was filled with heartfelt expressions gratitude from the ward.

After church we met at Great Gran's for afternoon dinner. At 94, she gets to choose the location of our gathering. Being that Rose, her ever present neighbor, is out of town, she can't drive herself, so we drive to her. The valley is so green this year and the weather has been so mild. We are all thankful that the combination has made growing conditions perfect. It seemed that as we celebrated Friday night, the relief could be felt throughout the crowd, and it makes the drive to Parker just gorgeous.

We got into a heartfelt discussion about how lucky we all are, after dinner. Robert ask Gran what she was most grateful for at 94. In her spitfire fashion she said, "A whole lot, but most especially that I can still get to the bathroom in the morning." We all love Gran. You never wonder what she's thinking. She just says it out loud. But, after we all settled down she piped up again, "Robert," she said "today I'm grateful for the Lord's plan for me. And I'm glad it isn't your plan." Robert laughed and said that he didn't think he could be as insightful as the Lord. Gran looked at him and said, "No, Robert. What I mean is, your plan is different from my plan. And mine is different from Sarah's. In his wisdom, He's made each of us unique. And each of our earthly plans unique. He doesn't make mistakes, Robert." I patted her hand and said, "Gran, I wish He'd write them down for us." She chuckled and talked for a few more minutes and then we got into stories of growing up. But, I can't help thinking, my Great Gran is the smartest woman I know.