I am grateful for this Chinese proverb.

Good Luck Bad Luck!

There is a Chinese story of a farmer who used an old horse to till his fields. One day, the horse escaped into the hills and when the farmer's neighbors sympathized with the old man over his bad luck, the farmer replied, "Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows?" A week later, the horse returned with a herd of horses from the hills and this time the neighbors congratulated the farmer on his good luck. His reply was, "Good luck? Bad luck? Who knows?"

Then, when the farmer's son was attempting to tame one of the wild horses, he fell off its back and broke his leg. Everyone thought this very bad luck. Not the farmer, whose only reaction was, "Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows?"

Some weeks later, the army marched into the village and conscripted every able-bodied youth they found there. When they saw the farmer's son with his broken leg, they let him off. Now was that good luck or bad luck? Who knows?

I am grateful for one year ago ...

Today is my one year post CCSVI procedure anniversary, and I am feeling great!!! 

 I am also feeling very grateful and happy, so I just might have to celebrate ...

and I don't think the kids will mind if we do.  

Have a wonderful day everyone!!!  

I am grateful for the prayer in my heart.

How I want to be with my Heavenly Father again!  How I want to run up to Him and put my arms around Him and weep.  I want to tell Him how I served Him, that I struggled at times and was not as valiant as I should have been, but how I really tried and that I never forgot how I dearly wanted to be with Him again. 

The words of Alma ring in my ears, "Oh, that I were an angel and could have one wish of my heart, to cry repentance unto every people."  I feel such compassion and love for ALL of God's children because I know what it is like to be as Lot's wife looking too much in the past, to be as Jonah wanting only to run away from his trials, to be as Laman and Lemuel murmuring because things were too hard, to be as Sariah doubting priesthood guidance, to be as the prodigal son straying from the path, to be as the prodigal son's brother jealous and feeling like things are unfair.  But I have felt, through the atonement of Jesus Christ, and through the gift of the Holy Ghost, such a joy that I cannot explain.  I feel an inner light that is so strong and so powerful that I want everyone around me to know how much I, and their Savior, and our Father in Heaven love them.  I want everyone to feel of this redeeming love, and to drink deeply of His everlasting joy.  

I am grateful for light.

I have been drawn to the subject of light lately. I find myself frequently pondering upon the words "sun" and "son," and marveling at their similarities. For example, we look to the sun to provide light, warmth and life. Likewise, we look to our Savior, the Son of God , to provide light (3 Nephi 19:25), warmth (3 Nephi 19:13), and Eternal life (Romans 6:23).

Last fast and testimony meeting, I was thinking about the concept of light with regards to testimonies, and I wondered to myself, "How can someone say I KNOW the Gospel of Jesus Christ is true?" Suddenly the image of the sun entered my mind, and I began to contemplate on how I KNOW the sun is real. I KNOW the sun is real because it rises everyday, but really that fact alone isn't enough. It occurred to me that the sun could rise and set without me even knowing it was there if it wasn't for the warmth and light it provided. Because of this warmth and light that I tangibly feel and see everyday of my life, I can say with perfect knowledge, I KNOW that the sun is real.

Then I began to ponder upon how I KNOW the gospel of Jesus Christ is true, and how I KNOW that Jesus Christ is my Savior. And I discovered that I KNOW these things are true because, just like the sun, the light of Christ powerfully rises within me and radiates in my countenance to all those around me when I choose to follow the Savior's teachings. I am then blessed with the warmth and peace of the Holy Ghost which greater testifies to me of my Savior's existance and His plan. Oppositely, when I do not follow the principles taught by our Savior, I am dark and inwardly it feels like my life is void of the sun. Simply put, when I follow the Son, I feel light. When I choose to stray from the Son, I feel darkness.

So, just as perfectly as I KNOW the sun is real, I KNOW that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is God's true church on earth, and Jesus Christ is my Savior. Mosiah 16:9 "He is the light and the life of the world; yea, a light that is endless, that can never be darkened; yea, and also a life which is endless, that there can be no more death." As a side note, don't you love that the one day we have dedicated to full worship of our Savior is called "Sun"day.