Day 228, August 14

We're straying from the subject of forget-me-nots because today is a special day.  It is our grandson Brigham's 9th birthday.  I rejoice in this day just as I rejoice in Brigham.  He is full of energy and curiosity, frankness and, most of all, love.

Despite the divorce of his parents, Brigham has stayed strong in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and in his love for his family.  It says much of his character that he has been able to do that.  Last year, on his eighth brithday, he made the choice to be baptized.  Since then, he has only grown stronger and more loving.

So, for today and for every day, I am grateful for Brigham.

Day 227, August 13

Continuing with President Uchtdorf's talk: 

The first petal of the forget-me-not reminds us to "forget not to be patient with yourself."

We are continually reminded to be patient with others.  Just when I feel like I might be getting a handle on that, I am told to "be patient with myself."

The truth is, I am not patient with myself.  I get angry that I keep making the same mistakes, that I can't seem to do the simplest thing right, and so on.  President Uchtdort reminds me that God is fully aware of my weaknesses and loves me anyway.  Who am I to do less than Him?

So, for today, I am grateful for times when I am patient with myself.

Day 226, August 12

Dieter F. Uchtdort, Second Counselor in the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, gave a beautiful talk entitled "Forget Me Not."  He started by saying, "A while ago, I was walking through a beautiful garden with my wife and daughter.  I marveled at the glory and beauty of God's reations.  And then I noticed, among all the glorious blooms, the tiniest flower.  I knew the name of this flower because since I was a child I have had a tender connectionto it.  The flower is called forget-me-not.

"I'm not exactly sure why this tiny flwer has meant so much to me over the years.  It does not attract immedation attention; it is easy to overlooki among larger and more vibrant flowers; yet it is just as beauitful, with its rich color that mirrors that of the bluest skies--perhaps this is one reaons why I like it so much. 

"Tonight I would like to use this little flower as a metaphor.  The five petals of the little forget-me-not flower prompt me to consider five things we would be wise never to forget."

In the next posts, I will explain these five things and hope you will find them as significant as I do.

So, for today, I am grateful for forget-me-nots.

Day 225, August 11

Last Sunday I had the opportunity to attend two different wards (congregations).  In each ward, babies and little children made the noises that babies and little children make.  Babbling, the occasional cry, an infrequent scream.  You know what?  It didn't bother me in the slightest, for I love the sounds of children.

I know that in some churches children are sent to a different part of the building, kept away from the sacred meetings which the adults attend.  I understand the reasonsing, but I don't agree.  When His apostles wanted to send the children away so as not to bother Him, Christ instructed them to let the little children come unto Him.  Christ knew that children are precious and that they need to grow in the gospel just as all of us do.

So, for today, I am grateful for meetings where children are welcome.

Day 224, August 10

Yesterday I wrote about prayer.  Today's post is in that same vein.  We're going back in time to 1846, when the Mormons had been driven from Nauvoo, Illinois..

The mobs, so enraged at the members of the church, drove them from their homes without a chance for the Saints to gather clothing and food.  Refugee camps were set up along the riverbacnk.  Most had only blankets or sage brush for shelter and very little, if anything to eat.  Many were too sick to travel and died along the way.  Bishop Newel K. Whitney purchased some flour and distributed it among the people as best he could, but there was not enough to sustain the many hungry people.

The people prayed to the Lord, asking for His mercy.  He answered their prayers in an unusual way.  On October 9, 1846, when the food had all but run out, several large flocks of quail flew into camp and landed on the ground, even on the tables.  The pioneers caught and cooked the quail, filling empty bellies.

The Lord's answer to His people's prayers was swift and sure on that occasion.  Sometimes, His answers are not so clear, and we must find new eyes with which to see those answers.

So, for today, I am grateful for answers to prayer, in whatever form they appear.

Day 223, August 9

Chances are at one time or another, you've prayed and prayed for something, whether it be to bless a wayward child or for the healing of a family member or friend, only to have those prayers seemingly go unanswered.    I know you have.  And I wonder what I'm doing wrong.  Or if the Lord is even listening to me.  After all, why should he listen to a sinner such as myself?

Then, my wiser self takes over and I realize that of course the Lord is listening, that He listens even to the most lowly of us (me).  But still, I cannot help wondering (sometimes) why that prayer, a righteous desire, goes without the answer I sought.  Maybe the problem lies in that I am trying to tell the Lord what to do. 

Never a good idea.

I then try to make my prayer one of supplication, ending with "not my will but thine be done."  That's hard.  Really, really hard.

So, for today, I am grateful for those times when I can remember that the Lord to be in charge. 

Day 222, August 8

"A home without books is a body without soul."--Cicero

We're back to one of my favorite topics--books.  As I look around me at this moment, I am surrounded by books, books, and more books.  No, I'm not in the family room with its four ceiling-to-floor built-in bookcases.  I'm at my kitchen table.  There are romances, suspenses, church histories, and a devotional.   (I can't possibly read only one book at a time!  Where's the sense in that?)

Books feed me.  They feed my soul.  They feed my mind.  They feed my heart.  They are as necessary as food, water, and air to my well-being.  Without them, I am lost.  Literally.

So, for today, I am grateful for books.