Maddie and Mermaids/Patience

The kids have started school (at some point I will talk about the first day :-) But she really wanted to have school lunch.  She was just so excited to be in kindergarten that she wanted to do everything she had seen her siblings do.  Finally I told her that if she would clean her room she could have school lunch.  Later when I went to check on her she had cleaned everything.  I had never seen her do such a good job before.  She was delighted to have school lunch and can't wait to do it again.

 Our family did a good job getting marbles in our marble jar so they earned the Family Bingo Night at the YMCA with a special guest.  What a delight and surprise to discover that the special guest was a mermaid.  Maddie danced up and down "Mermids are real, mermaids are real, mermaids are real!"  Samantha and her had a delight getting a gold coin and following the mermaid as she swam around the pool.

Patience

By Elder Neal A. Maxwell

"Patience is not indifference. Actually, it is caring very much, but being willing, nevertheless, to submit both to the Lord and to what the scriptures call the “process of time.”

Patience is tied very closely to faith in our Heavenly Father. Actually, when we are unduly impatient, we are suggesting that we know what is best—better than does God. Or, at least, we are asserting that our timetable is better than his. Either way we are questioning the reality of God’s omniscience,"

As I continue to study patience I am amazed at how impatient I am about some things. Recently my neighbor's mother very graciously gave us her old mixer. It was amazing and such a blessing. Just that morning my hand held mixer had died (It was only 20 years old.) And my other mixer couldn't do much for a family of 7. What a delight I immediately attributed it to a miracle from the Lord. Well then I realized it needed a tune up but that sent me all over the internet looking for my ultimate desire a Bosch Mixer. I found some on Craigslist that were a good price, but they still cost money, money I wasn't planning on spending. For 3 days I was on pins and needles trying to decide if I should get one of these machines. Then in my scripture study I read again about patience. How I needed to allow the Lord time to work. I talked to Derek and he suggested we give the free mixer a chance. He helped me tune it up (thank goodness for YouTube.) And I again learned to be patient. Sometimes I say I am having patience when in reality I only waited 3 min. But I do have trust in my Heavenly Father and I will continue to wait and trust His plan.

"There is also a dimension of patience which links it to a special reverence for life. Patience is a willingness, in a sense, to watch the unfolding purposes of God with a sense of wonder and awe—rather than pacing up and down within the cell of our circumstance."

Elder Maxwell always has an amazing gift of eloquence and imagery. What a beautiful picture to ponder.