True Love

"I will encircle thee in the arms of my love." D&C 6:20

I miss my dad the most when I feel the closest to him. That is also when I am most at peace with my emotions. The love I share with him makes my dad seem very nearby. Despite everything that is going on around me, and the many things I busy myself with, these experiences with my dad are most often on my mind.

It's all still so tender and I'm hesitant to share the details of how I feel with anyone. I believe pondering these things in my heart keeps the experiences sacred. But I am just not motivated to blog about anything else right now. Even though we have a lot of exciting things going on; like Spring Break and remodeling the bathroom. (It's all gutted at the moment.) I'll post some before and after pics later. But for now, I'm blogging for myself.

My mom and dad really love each other. They are an amazing example. My mom is still praying for my dad. She is asking Heavenly Father to help Dad be successful and feel confident in whatever his new calling is or whatever new task he has. How sweet is that?! I love how selfless she is trying to be. "At the heart of the message of the Savior of the world is a single, glorious, wonderful, still largely untried concept. In its simplest terms the message is that we should seek to overcome the selfishness we all seem to be born with, that we should overcome human nature and think of others before self." (James E. Faust, "A Pattern of Love," Ensign, Dec 1999.)

What is true love? I believe the answer is a little different for each individual case. But I know it is good, and that good things are from God. The fruits will testify of its goodness, but only after the hard work of the sowing and planting. "Every person who comes to earth is a spirit son or daughter of God. Since all love emanates from God, we are born with the capacity and desire to love and to be loved. One of the strongest connections we have with our premortal life is how much our Father and Jesus loved us and how much we loved Them. Even though a veil was drawn over our memory, whenever we sense true love, it awakens a longing that cannot be denied." (John H. Groberg, "The Power of God's Love," Ensign, Nov 2004.)

Do you sense true love? I do. I have felt that longing awaken inside my soul. And I'm not talking about the romantic Austen novel type love. Just pure love. I have felt that love for a person I hardly knew. Have you? Perhaps they've just stood to bear their testimony, or opened their heart to you to vulnerably share a struggle they've had, or helped you when they saw you with your hands full, or simply spoke with genuine, tangible sincerity. And the veil grew thin, and the love poured in, and you felt "I love everyone!" If you can feel pure love for a near stranger then how much stronger is that love for someone you share everyday with? True love is connected to the other side. It is connected to deity. It emanates from our Heavenly Father.

My mom and dad really love each other. When I sense it, it awakens a longing that cannot be denied. A longing that is answered in selflessness; for the more I give, the more I have. I am truly blessed.

Celebrations

Here are a few things that I've gotten excited about over the past few weeks:

1. being "overweight" instead of "obese" on my Wii Fit! LOL :) Hey it's still a milestone and I'm really excited to be making any progress at all . . . although it did sound funny when I told Ben, "Yay! I'm overweight!"
2. being so very very close to a second milestone: my pre-baby weight range. Just 5 pounds more.
3. doing temple work with family, friends, independently . . . just being in the temple makes me feel close to my dad so I try to go often and I'm loving it.
4. going out to eat with Benny Boo-boo last month. I love date nights. We had one in January and one in February. That's a lot for us. I hope we can keep it up. ;-)
5. getting my 8 x 10 picture of Dad's last temple trip in the mail! Woohoo! What a memory . . . I can't wait to get it framed and on the wall so I can see it everyday.
6. walking 20 miles my first week of owning a treadmill. I've exercised 5-6 days a week since I got that thing and its fabulous.
7. cleaning out the Nursery closet on my day off and updating the bulletin board with photos and all.
8. watching Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs in the school gym with my wonderful girls. I just love having Mommy/Daughter moments like that.
9. getting the laundry done including folding it and putting it away! Wow. That's all I can say. Wow.