Rain, Rain, and more Rain

As you can tell from the title of this post, we have had a lot of rain here this week.  It is a nice warm rain but nevertheless, rain.  It really hasn't affected us though because we are generally in the temple and when we get home we just chill a bit.  It is typical Hawaii weather-rains then the sun comes up for a few minutes then it clouds over and rains some more.  It is really nice at night because it tends to put me to sleep.
We are still house sitting for Keith and Debbie so we hear a lot more noise from the street since they are right on the major road through town but the spaciousness of the house and the conveniences out weight the noise.

We were pretty busy in the temple this week despite the rain so that is always good. When it slows down the time seems to do the same.  Always better to be busy than idle-even in the temple. It is always interesting to me how many people come to the temple while here on vacation. We can usually tell since they have to be shown where to go so we talk to them and find out where they are from.  I love it when someone has ties to Utah.  We actually have a couple sisters working in the temple that are from Logan area.  It has been fun to visit with them about an area I am familiar with.

Today I was tempted to stay home from church due to a little stomach issue.  By 7:30 I felt fine so I went.  As always, I was so glad I did.  I don't know how this happens but each week the speakers and the lessons seem to speak to my soul--like the messages were just for me. Today was no different.
One of the speakers (a new couple in the ward) made the analogy of branding and how we need to be branded in the Savior and the things that we are supposed to do to be more Christ-like.  Of course service was brought out along with just persevering through adversity.  He gave an example that was very close to my heart right now.  He said he had a missionary companion whose father died while out on his mission (serving in Arizona).  He was given the option to go home and come back, go home and stay or just stay on his mission.  He thought about it a few minutes and replied "I'm going to stay here and be the best missionary I can be, and do it for my father."  Of course that brought tears to my eyes remembering Michelle's mission when her dad died.  He made the comment that God gives his toughest trials to his toughest children.

Our Relief Society lesson came from Elder Bednar's conference talk where he reverenced the memories of the three recently deceased apostles, Elder Packer, Elder Perry and Elder Scott.  The discussion centered around the wisdom, knowledge, experience and testimony of each of those wonderful men and what we can learn from those men of God even though they are aging.  Then the challenge to us was to think of how one of the past General Authorities have impacted our life.  I guess I would have to say President Hinckley because of his love of temples and temple work. While he was Prophet of the church, temples began to dot the earth. With his vision, we have even more now. Also, I think of him as a very positive person and always with a smile and a great story to remind us of a principle of the gospel that we should be perfecting.

And finally, as usual at this time of year, my thoughts are a little heavy.  It was 12 years ago this week that Carl unexpectedly died due to a fall from our roof, just days after our 33rd wedding anniversary.  I don't think the sting from death of a loved one ever goes away but with time we can be healed and life can be good again. That is where I am at now.  I have the faith and knowledge that we will be together again in the eternities if I live up to my covenants and stay strong in my belief in Heavenly Father and his teachings. In the past 12 years I have also been able to do a great deal of traveling, have learned how to take care of things around my home by myself, have welcomed 12 new grandchildren into the family and two sons-in-law as well. Each of these people have brightened my life and I am so grateful for them as well as my children and those already in the family when Carl died.  I have also remarried, something I didn't see myself doing, but Larry has brought great joy to me over the past eight years and I am so grateful for that.  He is in large measure responsible for my being on this mission today.  I don't know that I would have had the courage to go by myself as a single sister.

It seems that each week my blogs get longer and longer.  They are nearly at the definition of an epistle so I had better quit for this week.