Today our Sunday School lesson was on Daniel and then on Esther. I love the story of Esther but unfortunately her part in the lesson came close to the end and the message of her choice to step up and save her people was not even discussed. She is such an example to me and I wish I could have shared my testimony of her greatness with the other students... I am thinking that I will use her message as the theme for our Stake Relief Society Meeting in February... it would be such a great message for these young sisters. I know they are here, now for a righteous purpose and they need to step up to a very huge responsibility.
I have a new testimony of journals. I have written in my journal off and on over the years. When I have a missionary in the field I write weekly to him and copy it for my journal. It worked pretty well but now I have no missionaries out and won't until Clayton goes. John has started blogging his journal entries and I am so enjoying them. It has motivated me to write on my blog more often as well. I feel his tender spirit and he shares his struggles and his new found joys in raising these three children as a single parent. He is a strength to me. I see three very happy children in his home and I know that his stress and worry is to their benefit. There is a good spirit and growing testimony in that home...
I must say that I am also very proud of all my grandchildren and the fact that they bear their testimonies. Kathryn sent me a copy of her testimony that she bore last month and I was proud to hear so many of our grandchildren bear their testimonies at Donovan's blessing! Laura told me that the children in her ward seldom bore their testimonies but after the Fontanos and Bloomfields bore theirs - many of the ward chiildren got up also... even the little boy that said "boo!"
I am looking at the Christmas tree and its lights. I had to get up just to see before we leave tomorrow for the week. Even without the ornaments it looks beautiful to me. I didn't think I was feeling the Christmas spirit these last few weeks because of the push for Christmas at the store. I have sold many of my little Christmas things or have some at the store to decorate and then coming home to this little place I just didn't think it was going to look very good. Tonight we put up the tree, I brought a couple of things home from the shop and I made a swag to go under the green wooden tree. It still looks a little bare in here but it is fine. I have my Nativities up and other favorite pictures and signs. I forgot that so many of my decorations bring memories with them and although I didn't really get rid of anything that was a gift, I still did sell some things that hold memories and so it is king of sad. I know I'll get over it but I do have to say that I loved the decorating in my houses of the past where every room had a touch of Christmas in it...
Tomorrow we are going to California with the Jensens. We planned this trip last year when we had to sign up for our week with Marriott. At that time, December seemed like a good time to go. We have taken several trips with the Jensens in December. Last year we went to Idaho, several years we went to Salt Lake and Temple Square, one year we went to Disneyland in January... This year it will be Southern California. We are hoping to use our free coupons to Disneyland - the ones we earned when we made our blankets for the needy. We will also enjoy some of the beaches and the coast. Maybe even get to Hollywood or Catalina Island. I am sure we'll play plenty of Hearts...
I better get to bed. It is almost 2:00 am and I have to be up in just a few hours. One of these days my mind will start working in the daytime when I need it instead of in the middle of the night when I don't...
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