So thankful for the Savior

In spite of my best intentions to write in here more regularly, it just doesn't seem to happen. I guess that I practically need to be "hit over the head" with a prompting to write in here. That happened this morning. Maybe when we're asleep Heavenly Father can get through to us better--we're not listening to all the "clamor" and noise of the world at that time. Last night I went to our stake's Easter devotional. We have an amazing choir director, and some phenomenal musicians who work very hard to put on a great program. They did this again last night, and I was very thankful I could be there. But there was something more that touched me. A good friend of ours has been recently diagnosed with a very tough case of cancer. He was one of the members of this choir. As I picture him standing there, singing about the love and mission of Jesus Christ...and that He truly IS the resurrection and the Life--I felt like I was watching him sing his testimony. He knows that the Savior did live and die for each of us...and that because of Him, we have hope eternally to live forever. I felt hope and peace as I watched him sing--of course, we hope with all our hearts that his doctors will be inspired to give him the best care ever...but we know that because of what the Savior did for all of us, that he is not alone, and that he will be given comfort and strength to get through this hard test. Plus, the promise of eternal life with our Savior and our Heavenly Father is REAL and true--that is what I felt as I watched this good man sing of his love for and gratitude for a loving Savior. Easter is joyful and hopeful, and its message is one of a love beyond our understanding. The Savior came to earth and gave His life--so that we could have the hope of living eternally with our Heavenly Father. I just am so thankful for Him--and for the blessing of knowing that His mission was completely selfless because of His love for us. I pray that I will remember always the Savior--and try to follow Him. May you all be blessed to have a wonderful Easter season.

Blessings in the Fall

Last night I was really having trouble sleeping. It was one of those nights when your mind just races, and you can't do anything to calm yourself. It was then that I "wrote" (in my mind) my blog entry. I felt deeply grateful and wanted to give the credit to my Savior, Jesus Christ. Health has always been something I have kind of taken for granted--I just never was sick. Then 5 years ago I got cancer--we got through that, and now we have been facing some more health challenges as a couple. (It still always surprises me). I have felt richly blessed by the Savior, and wanted to pay tribute to Him tonight. I also want to share my thanks for the tremendous amount of people, both family and friends, who have been an incredible support for us. SO this is what happened. About 10 days ago we were going to the doctor's for Spence to have a colonoscopy. I started getting some cramps and pains in my abdomen. This has happened before to me--we have had it checked out, and nothing could be shown to be wrong...so we just take some advil and wait for a few hours...and the pain passes. Well, this time that did not happen. The pain came and wouldn't go away. We went to the doctor, who ordered a cat scan, but the pain continued. Finally, Spence said that we couldn't wait for the cat scan--that we needed to go into the emergency room, and find out exactly what was wrong. It turned out that I had a twisted bowel, and the possibility was good that it could have cut off blood to my intestine, and have a fatal effect on me. I cannot describe in words how grateful I am to Spence, for listening to the Spirit and being guided by our Father--so that my life was spared. Now I know that sounds pretty dramatic, but I KNOW that Spence was guided on that decision...and I am thankful to be married to a man who takes his relationship with his Heavenly Father seriously. I had emergency surgery on Thursday, Nov. 5th, and got out of the hospital on the 10th. I am actually doing pretty well, but I just felt like I should share this--and bear my witness of the power of prayer, of our need to be in tune with our Father's spirit...and also to keep ourselves ready at all times to be worthy of His guidance. I truly felt like I was preserved. I also felt such a kinship with my Savior last night. I know that He has suffered for all our afflictions, and our sicknesses and our sins.I felt so deeply of His love, and for His incredible compassion for me. I just felt so loved--and have felt that in the days since the surgery. It is amazing how much He has suffered to be a Savior and Redeemer for all--that is love that is impossible to comprehend...but still we can be thankful that He loves each of us so deeply. And that's all I know today--thanks to any and all of you who have helped, loved, prayed and supported. I am thankful for the many people who help to carry my burdens--you are gifts from a loving Father.

Spring Sentiments

Once again--my "best intentions" have gotten the better of me. I intend to do good things--to keep consistent in this blog, etc. WOW--it's amazing how I DON'T do the things I hope to do. So once again, the saddest things in life bring me back to writing in here. I am thankful for my personal journal where I record things more regularly! Yesterday a good friend from our ward, Rob Rivera, passed away. He and his family live in Utah, and have had a tremendous support system up there...but they also have a lot of fans and friends down here in Arizona. Rob was a super nice guy--very friendly, very interested in other people, and a wonderful member of our church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He had converted to the Church, and was one of the best Gospel Doctrine teachers we ever had. He truly believed and lived what he knew to be true...and his testimony and feelings about the Gospel touched each one of us. He was a terrific example to all who knew him--and touched many lives through his life's work as an eye doctor. He has the sweetest family--a beautiful woman (both inside and out) and 3 great kids. He will truly be missed, especially by his family...but the wonderful news of this Easter season is that he will live again. Because of what Jesus Christ did through His atonement, we will ALL live again. What a beautiful hope that gives to all of us. I am so grateful that all of us will be able to see our friend, Rob, again. I invite all who read this to go to #Because He lives, and see a beautiful video, testifying of the reality of Jesus Christ, and what He has done for us. May this message resonate with all of us--and help us to reach out to Him, and to find the peace and comfort and strength that comes through knowing Him.

In the last few months there have been many ups and downs in our family, as I'm sure there have been in yours. It is not always easy to keep the right perspective, when you or your loved ones are going through tough times. However, it seems even more obvious to me that if we trust in our Father in Heaven, and try to let Him guide our lives, we will be filled with more assurance that in the end things will be all right. That may not be "all right" according to what we initially want--however, if we seek to do the will of our Father, then we will have His spirit to guide us...and to help us choose that "better part," which is always what is right in His sight. It is hard to go through tough times, but if we can encourage each other to build our faith in Jesus Christ, He will give us strength to make it through.

My youngest child, Brady, has received his mission call for our Church. He is going to serve in the Nampa, Idaho mission. He is very excited, and so are we. We thought he might be going a little further away, but it really doesn't matter WHERE he serves--he will be serving our Father's children there, and will hopefully touch the lives of people there. He is such a good young man, and will be a blessing wherever he goes. I am super proud to be his mother.He is a great example and friend to all who know him. I love him a lot.

One last thing--last night I went to the Easter pageant, held each Easter on the temple grounds of our Mesa Arizona temple. It was a beautiful night, and there was such a powerful spirit there as they enacted the events of the life of Jesus Christ. We brought 2 of our friends, and it was so awesome to share that experience with them. I am so thankful for the Gospel--for this weekend when we can hear from inspired leaders and prophets...and for all that I've been blessed with. I truly have so much to be thankful for. Happy Easter to all of you! I send this with so much love. :)

Some Thoughts for the New Year

Well, it is now the middle of February...and the last time I wrote was in December--so much for writing more in my blog. I have been inspired this week by the story of Stefanie Nielsen. She is the mother who was burned like over 80% of her body in a plane crash...and it is the story of her recovery and painful coming back to a very different style of life. She had 4 children at the time of the crash. It is heart wrenching to read of the tremendous pain she went through...and the very difficult task of trying to recover just basic skills. I haven't finished the book, but the thing that has touched me the most is her realization that there was purpose in her having this experience and that she was to share her journey with others. She has kept a blog for years, and it has been the source of inspiring MANY others. It made me realize that there is a purpose for all of us in this life...and that as we go through difficulties and personal adversity, that as we learn from those things, we can be a light to others to help them through their own personal challenges. It made me think of the great blessing that I received to be healed of cancer and to continue living. I need to be more grateful--I also need to realize that for whatever reason Heavenly Father spared my life--I need to be reminded of that often, and seek to know what He would have me do for Him to repay Him for His amazing mercy to me. How can I best serve Him? Who do I need to reach out to to bless the lives of others? It is pretty humbling to think of all I need to do to thank Him for sparing my life, and allowing me to be here with my family and many dear friends. I am able to serve in the Church, and spend time, hopefully helping others along their life paths. I am able to work out, and go on walks...and make cookies with my grandchildren. I am able to laugh and have fun...and have tender, spiritual experiences as well. Maybe we all can take a little time today, and ponder our purposes here on earth--whom we can bless, whose lives we can touch...and ponder the great gift of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, and how we can best follow Him. I am thankful for this new day, and for new days every day that give me a chance to try again, to be better, and to love more deeply. I am thankful for countless people, whose faith has been a beacon for me...and whose love carries me through, when life seems too hard. Happy Day to all of us!

The true meaning of Christmas

Well, I must say I am probably even more behind than usual this Christmas--still shopping, haven't really started baking, and done very little wrapping. However, this morning as I was kind of in that in-between sleep and wakefulness mode, I felt very grateful for the things that have been happening in our lives. I may not have everything DONE by Christmas morning--however, some of the things that have been going on are more important than those things.

Yesterday my husband spent over an hour talking to his cousin, and catching up with him. Yes, he could have been writing Christmas cards or been out shopping, but he felt so good just spending time with someone who is one of his very best friends. What a great use of time!

At the same time, I  was having so much fun, making sugar cookies with my grandson. It has been quite a while since I made sugar cookies--my children outgrew the "fun" of doing that, and so it had been a tradition that had been  stopped for a while. But now I have this very active 3-year-old who LOVES to make sugar cookies. We had so much fun. Even my own son got into it...and helped roll and cut those cookies out. It was so much fun! And it didn't even matter one bit that we cut cookies out of the very middle part of the dough!!

Tonight we had the great opportunity to take a friend to see the temple lights at the Mesa Arizona Temple. They are absolutely breath-taking, and it was a beautiful night (a little chilly for us desert rats) to walk around the grounds. We also got to hear some of our favorite men sing in a men's quartet...and they were so good!! What a fun night. NO, we weren't home, wrapping gifts...but we were enjoying time together, and deepening a friendship. It was an awesome evening.

Last night some of our kids were over--after eating dinner and making cookies, we just talked and laughed. It was good to be together. These are the things that I need to focus on. Yes, I know I'll get frazzled in the next few days, and feel overwhelmed and under accomplished...but hopefully I can remember the sweet feelings of some of these very simple experiences, and find joy in them...and realize those memories are what really make Christmas. Good luck to all of you in your preparations--may you feel peace and joy and may you have time with loved ones.

Fabulous Weekend for Phoenix, Arizona

Wow--can't believe it's been since May when I wrote! That is pretty bad...but this weekend was so memorable that I needed to write about it. I know that many of my posts are about my feelings about the Gospel and my religion--but I guess those are some of the most meaningful things to me...so I guess that is what I SHOULD write about! My family is doing pretty well. Since May we have added a new member to our family--cute little Ruby Johnson, born to our daughter, Emily, and her husband, Michael. She is just precious--there is nothing like a baby to help you "reconnect" to heaven--there is something so sweet about a newborn...and now, as she is starting to smile and respond, it is even more fun to have her around. We are so grateful she arrived here safe and sound. :) We love our precious grandchildren. :)

Well, now let me write about the events of this weekend. The Phoenix Arizona temple was dedicated this weekend, and is now ready to be opened and to be used. It has been an amazing fall for us--we went to the open house several times, with several different people. Each time was very meaningful and special to us. We are so thankful we could share that experience with people not of our same faith--the temple means so much to us, and it is so nice to share it with people who don't get to normally go into it. We loved doing that. After 3 weeks of open houses there, it was ready for a final cleaning and then to be dedicated. That is what this weekend was about.

For weeks, even months before a temple is dedicated, the teenagers in that temple district participate in learning dances and songs for a big cultural celebration that is held the Saturday night before a temple is dedicated. So many people are involved--and thousands of hours of service are given to teach dances, to coordinate huge numbers of youth and to make costumes for all the youth involved. It is a huge undertaking--and the final result was last night, where 4300 youth between the ages of 12 and 18 performed in a football stadium. There were songs and narrations about the history of Phoenix, and the Church's influence in that history--and it was all coordinated. It was an amazing show--and the enthusiasm and love of the youth was evident as you watched their faces as they performed. It was spectacular. I believe it is shown on U-Tube--if you want, you should watch part or all of it--it was great! After the performance, many of the performers gathered around where our church leaders were sitting--our president, whom we revere as a prophet of God, was right there, and it was wonderful to see how the youth just wanted to be where he was. It was so heartwarming. :)

Then today in 3 different sessions the temple was dedicated. As part of each service, there were probably 4 or 5 speakers--different ones at each session, beautiful music performed by 3 different choirs, composed of people chosen from the different areas in the temple district. One of those choirs was led by our dear cousin, Becky Allen, which made it even more special for us. A dedicatory prayer was read in each session, dedicating the temple to the work that it is designed to do. The Spirit was so strong in each session--I went to 2 of the 3 sessions. Each speaker talked about something different, but each talk had to do with the blessing of having this temple here and how we need to rededicate ourselves to going to the temple...just as the temple was dedicated for the work that goes on within its walls. It was an amazing experience, and I was just so grateful to be there.

I have a very special feeling towards this Phoenix Temple. We lived for our first 5 years of marriage on the west side, so many of the people who have been involved in all the activities getting ready for it are very close and dear friends and family to us. Plus Spence's family has been in Phoenix for several generations, and his granddad, JR Price, was one of the first leaders of the church here in Phoenix. He was very instrumental in its growth and progress...and so this temple is very dear to the hearts of our Price family. I felt quite emotional as I listened to some of the talks, and thought of what this all means to us--it makes me very grateful for the tremendous heritage I inherited when I married into this Price family...and just so very grateful for SO MANY good people who have sacrificed so much of their time and energy and talents to making this temple a reality. I am especially thankful to my Father in Heaven for blessing us here in the Valley with another temple--and I hope to rededicate MY life to serving in the temple, and doing all I can to build the kingdom of God here in the Phoenix area. I am so grateful for my membership in the Church, and for the blessings it has brought into my life, ever since I joined so many years ago.