Closing the chapter

It took a lot longer that I thought it would. Our house sold in Blackfoot, Idaho.

It has been close to a year that it has been on the market. Our realtor finally approached us with an idea. Her sons-in-law remodeled it. We got less that we were asking, but not by much.  The pictures are beautiful. It is my house only better, but not my house any longer.

So weird.

I am grateful to have it sold.

I am sad to close that wonderful chapter in our life.

We have already moved on.

We are in the middle of building a new chapter and a new life here in California. 

We will no longer have to worry about a mortgage and rent, two sets of utilities, and empty house just gathering dust. Houses are meant to be lived in. Houses are meant to be loved.

Closing the chapter. 

It's a bit anti-climactic.  

Scripture

Chronicles is a fast rehash of Kings. I was reluctant to go back to previous stories. So, I waited until Ezra.

The story from Ezra that I remember most in the political intrigue of the Samaratains. The beginning of the centuries long hostility - the end result played out in the New Testament.

But there was a little verse that caught my attention. I read it several times.

There are steps here to follow.

1. Prepare your heart.

2. Seek the Law of the Lord

3. Do the Law of the Lord - be obedient.

4. Teach the Law of the Lord in Israel.

There are several ways to prepare my heart. Most of them have to do with attitude, humility and repentance. If I can focus on my attitude, the humility and repentance follow naturally. So I need to beware the days of bad attitude.

Seek the Law of the Lord: temple attendance, church attendance and scripture reading are vital. I am looking forward to General Conference next month. And I must combine the previous with pondering. Thinking deeply about what I read, hear and feel.

Be obedient. Get out and do my visiting teaching, reach out to those that need help, seek and listen for  daily promptings. Truely, I can focus a lot more on the daily aspect of promptings.

Teach the Law. I am reminded of my patriarchal blessing. I was promised I would be a teacher - something that terrified my teenage self those many decades ago. I got to a point where I felt confident, and then we moved to California where the majority of the ward is inhabited by lawyers, judges and professors. Truely, they are brilliant people. I have the opportunity to teach Relief Society this week; the Atonement and Resurrection. I am a bit worried that I will cry and loose any hope of the sisters being able to understand me. I am formulating a plan. Always good.

The take away? Focus on my attitude and seek daily promptings. The small things need more attention.

Recent graduations

One of the benefits of moving around is I I have friends in different places.

Social media has helped me keep track (in a Facebook stalker kind of way). I watch people grow up, see important moments, and sometimes hear testimonies from old friends.

Recently, I have read on Facebook of the passing of friends. A good man passed surrounded by his family, leaving a wife, children and grandchildren. He has been sick for a long time. He was a happy man full of love for his family and the gospel. That he was allowed to tarry for so long was miraculous.

A good friend and neighbor just passed in Idaho. He was full of live and love also. He appeared to be fully healthy when we left seven months ago. I heard of his recent diagnosis less than a month ago. He passed just last week. The speed of his decline was shocking. He also left a wife, children and grandchildren. He was just 16 years older than I am. So young to go, his life still full of plans for the future. 

And today, I heard of the passing of an old friend. She was my visiting teaching companion back when I was first married and shared wisdom and courage with me. She is close to my age, if not younger. She had been battling cancer for a year, but I thought she was getting better. She left a husband and children. I'm not sure if she lived long enough to be given the blessing of grandchildren. She faced her illness with grace.

This news gives me pause. Life is so fleeting. More of my friends are graduating and moving on. I know more and more people beyond the veil. 

I look at how I spend my time that I am allowed here. In some things I am engaged and serving, in others I hide out in my home and keep to my self.

A reminder to make my time here count.

3.14

Pi day. A good reason to make pie.

I made pudding. I wasn't feeling the crust, but I was reminded it isn't pie unless it is a crust.

So a quick 30 minutes later, we ended up with this.

All my boys were happy. And that is a beautiful thing.

50

Some good things about 50.

I got to talk to some of my favorite people.

My sweetheart took me out for crab.

It was fabulous.

Sweet love notes from friends.

A delicous red velvet cake.

And now it's over. And that is good too.

Track

The first track meet of the season.

Two days ago they told him he would be running varsity. He was totally freaked out. he didn't think he could run with the fast kids.

I was pretty excited. Craig was happy for him. We had more confidence in him than he did.

Today he ran a 5:13 mile. His personal best. He hung in there with the fast varsity kids. His goal was under 5:10. Pretty darn close.

He ran a 2:21 for the 800. He ran past two of his varsity teammates. Wo! 

Being able to run year round has been amazing.

Scripture

We talked about prayers in Sunday school. About how we can receive answers and if God does answer. 

I thought about the many scriptures that say we must seek and then we will find. And how that implies time. It takes time to seek. 

Sometimes the seeking takes years. At least I can think of times in my life where that has been the case. 

But in the seeking I have found clues or encouragement to keep going. Partial answers to keep my faith active until I had grown enough to get more. 

In our instant access and gratification culture we must swim against the current and develop patience and wait upon the Lord. But we have His sure promise that He will be found. 

I posted this for the highlighted portion. And we all know the end of the story. Hence the important lesson that once we have found Him, we must choose Him everyday and not be cast off forever.