Sundays and Miracles

I love Sundays. I think Sundays are like nuts and certain vegetables--you acquire a taste for them as you get older. At least I have. Besides the obvious reasons (like going to Church and spending time with family), I love having a day to just rest and relax. On every other day, I have a hard time just sitting down if I know there are dishes in the sink, or clothes in the dryer, or the floor needs swept, or the toilets need cleaned, or...you get the point. But on Sundays, I just let them be. And I enjoy the day.

Today has been an extra great Sunday. It all started when we pulled into an almost empty Church parking lot at about 9:02 AM. We have a big congregation and our meeting starts at nine. By the time we arrive, the parking lot is usually full. Not today. Greg and I were thoroughly confused, so I ran in the building to see what was going on. I was kindly "reminded" that our meeting was starting at 9:30 this morning because the youth had a special early morning meeting to commemorate the restoration of the Aaronic Priesthood. Awesome.

We have a serious issue with being on time for Church. It drives Greg and I both crazy. It doesn't matter how early or late we get up, it just seems like we can never make it there on time. I even made a New Year's Resolution this year to be on time for Church, but haven't been very successful. (It's better to try and fail then not try at all, right?) Because we were late last week, we missed the announcement that Church would be starting later today.

Unexpected blessing: WE WERE ON TIME FOR CHURCH TODAY! Like 25 minutes early! WE totally rock, I know. We knew if we went home we would just end up being late, so we took a nice drive up to the Reservoir and showed Garrett where we are going fishing for FHE tomorrow and then headed back to the Church. We were in our seats nice and early--just the way we like it. New Year's Resolution: DONE AND DONE! The best part: we still got out at noon and didn't even have to stay the extra half hour. So, we were on time for Church for once and our meetings were 30 minutes shorter. Best day ever! :)

We had an excellent Sacrament Meeting today. Truly excellent. One of those where you left feeling so good about life and really glad you got your tail out of bed and into the Chapel. I have such a great calling and love teaching the 10 and 11 year old girls in the Primary. There are 17 girls in our class and most of them are active. We usually have a big group, and they are just the best girls and I sincerely look forward to seeing them every week.

The lesson today was on some of the miracles Jesus performed during his earthly ministry. There was such a sweet spirit in the rooom and the girls were excited to share some of the simple miracles they have experienced in their own lives. Their examples were so simple, but so tender, and I was reminded of why we must become like children in order to inherit our Heavenly Father's kindgom.

One girl talked about losing her iPod and how she had searched "forever and everywhere" to find it and finally was really sad, so she decided to pray. After she finished praying, she had the idea to look in her baby sister's room. Sure enough, her iPod was in there, lying underneath a pile of dirty clothes. Another girl talked about how she and her brother had lost their baby lambs and were really worried. They also prayed and were soon guided to find their lost little lambs. One sweet girl talked about how she had got lost at SeaWorld and how scared she had been until she offered a prayer in her heart. She instantly got a warm and peaceful feeling and knew she was going to be okay. She found the Lost and Found station and waited in there until her parents came for her. The tears were rolling off her cheeks and onto her scriptures as she told us about how her dad came running in and was crying as he picked her up and held her.

I couldn't help but think of the desperate prayers I offered in my heart last Summer as I signed the papers and sent my very sick husband off to surgery. I had no idea what the next few hours would bring, but I felt peace in my heart and knew I had to trust in our Heavenly Father. The next few days would bring many miracles for our little family and those who love us. When I returned to Church a few weeks later, I knew it wasn't a coincidence the Primary theme for that month was, "Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and He is a God of Miracles."

Whether it is an iPod, some lambs, a sweet little girl, or a very scared wife, the miracle of it all is that nothing is ever lost to God. Sometimes we get busy and lose Him, but He will never lose us. Our Savior is the Expert at finding and restoring lost things--which is a pretty big comfort to a young mom who tries her hardest, but still can never make it to Church on time. Maybe one day...

And if you've made it through my spiritual ramblings, you deserve to be rewarded with a few less-than-great snapshots of my favorite little miracles.