I Feel My Savior's Love in All the World Around Me!

I am remembering a line from Alice in Wonderland -  "so much to do, so little time".

That seems to be my mantra for the last couple weeks because of all that is piling up in front of me.

The hurrieder I go, the behinder I get!  (I don't know where that comes from)
;)
That's just the way things are around here lately.



With all that is going on, my time has been filled and my yard has been suffering.
Last week a friend came and helped relieve some of that stress by helping me wash plates and goblets (I am talking hundreds), and helped weed some of the yard too. (There was still much to do - I have a big yard!)


My home teacher saw a need, sprayed some weeds and called upon the Priesthood and Relief Society members of our ward.  They scheduled a work day in my yard, inviting all who could come.  And they came!  Men and women and youth of our ward and community.  It was awesome!


I was on an emotional overload that day and didn't make it outside,

but I saw people out every window or heard them on every side of the house, and I know they were here.

Thomas and Dana helped me count up how many people came and helped, and we came up with 50 people. . . 50!   They came and went right to work in any area in the yard they saw a need.  Cars were lined up the road in front of the house.  They worked and they left just as quickly as they came. And they left me with a beautifully cleaned yard, having done in 2 1/2 hours what I could not in 2 1/2 weeks.

Every where I look is a testimony of the love of the friends and family that love to serve the Lord and bless the lives of those whom they do serve.  And my life was certainly blessed!

Thank you, everyone who came or babysat for others to come.  THANK YOU!

Because of you
I FEEL MY SAVIOR'S LOVE IN ALL THE WORLD AROUND ME!




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Gloria

Some talented people join to create this beautiful sound ... beautiful message ... beautiful feeling ... 


The Piano Guys, David Archuelette, Peter Hollens - Angels from the Realms of Glory





The Piano Guys are awesome - just keep getting better.  

I found Peter Hollens a few months ago.  I love the song he and his wife, Evonne, performed - What are Words.    FYI - Chris Medina wrote that song, and performs it beautifully too, and his reason for writing is inspiring.  

Of course David Archuelette has a great voice and wonderful songs, including one of my favorites, Glorious (previously shared here).

I wanted to post about "Feed the World" since the Light the World Initiative is 

Jesus Fed the Hungry and So Can You

But those songs I wanted to share don't allow play back on blogger.  So if you wish to hear them just click on the links below.  They will take you to YouTube.

Disclaimer before you do - there is a view the first minute of the 2014 song that is a bit disturbing.

Do they Know it's Christmas ~ Band Aid 1984
Then again, 30 years later, a new group, which included some of the original artists (fun to see those same people just a bit older), joined to perform it again, Band Aid 30 - Do They Know It's Christmas 2014.


And just for fun We are the World - not Christmas, but a great message from a talented group of people.  Then 25 years later another group sings the same song - We are the World 25 For Haiti.  All with the same goal - to help others. It's beautiful to see people come together, and the 2010 recording is a great mix of unique talent and sound.

There are other songs out there that are meant to encourage helping others, like Wavin' Flag.  I shouldn't limit it, but I have to for sake of time and energy spent on more useful things.

Well, I have certainly shared a number of songs today.  Songs have a way of touching the soul that cannot be done so easily in other ways.   I hope you enjoyed a few of them today.

Hopefully we can find ways to help those in need - whatever that need is - like Christ did and continues to do.

UPDATE at 3:25pm
A day or two ago I was asking BJo about one of her friends and the videos he has worked on.  She sent me this one.  It fits todays theme.

(if you wish - click on the video to watch it in a larger size on YouTube)

There is Beauty All Around!

My mom and dad came to visit us the last week of July.  They had their van packed full of tools and wood and more, and their hearts filled with love.  They were anxious to begin the projects that needed to be done.  I knew they were coming and would be working on my windows - framing them in.

My dad measured the windows last time they were here.  He purchased the wood and cut it and painted it before he came.  Then put them up and touched them up.  Anthony caulked around almost every window. I helped paint the touch up on the walls, but that is the extent of my help.  (I'll be doing more of that soon.)

The window project wasn't the only thing he had on his agenda - he brought his weed eater and began to use it everywhere.  He trimmed the trees in the back and the one in the front.   The weather was hot and awful, but he was determined and was going to complete the work he set out to do.  He has always worked hard and accomplished good things and there is no stopping him now.  And my mother was beside him most every minute of the day - helping, taking him cold water, visiting, and just enjoying being together.  I love that about them.

My yard looks so clean!
It has been many years since one person has done so much on his own, in one week in my yard.  My dad is champion!

As I drove to my home after my seminary inservice meeting the day after they left, I felt so pleased and excited to see the clean yard and beautiful windows.

He was going to put up shutters, but my order arrived late and they were definitely not the quality I was hoping for.  I sent them back.  I'll decide later if I want to get another, better brand.  For now, it's lovely just the way it is.

The corner where he trimmed the trees looks so nice.  It really is delightful to see.  I didn't realize how discouraging it was to me until I now see it so clean.  I feel much "lighter" - seems like a strange way to describe it, but it's how I feel.  

  

It looks great everywhere!  Well, we do live on a farm, in a part of the country where weeds are plentiful, so we still have weeds around us, but the yard we live and play in looks great.


You'll see in the next two photos that there is some smoke rising to the south of our house.  That was last Saturday, 7:30 am.  No worries for our property, but I'm so sad for everything it destroyed where ever it was.   It just kept traveling eastward and up Saddle Mt along it's way. It seems that every summer for the past several summers, we've had fires around us to keep our air filled with smoke.  It is common now, but it wasn't always that way.  This is as close as it's ever been to us.  So much destruction taking place - wish we could control it.

No matter what else is going on around us, when I walk out on my deck, to the south, and then turn around, I see this corner that brightens my day.  The trimmed trees and shrubs, the weeded area around the border and fence.  This is the way I feel wherever I look in my yard.  There is beauty all around!

The phrase "a picture tells a thousand words" might fit here, but there is only one word that comes to mind - LOVE!  
Well maybe a few words.   MY DAD!  MY MOM!  TERRY!  HEAVENLY FATHER AND JESUS CHRIST!   GRATITUDE!  My heart is full!

I know my parents love me.  I am grateful for them and for their kindnesses to me and my children and grandchildren.  My children and grandchildren love them.  We enjoyed having them with us.


I am so grateful for Terry and for all that he did for us.  He was a good provider and father and husband.  I am grateful for this area that we homesteaded - he is here among the beauty.


I am grateful for my Heavenly Father and for my Savior.  I love Them, and I know They love me.  I could not endure without Them.  All that I have is because of Them.   "I feel my Savior's love, in all the world around me" - but especially in my little part of the world.

SURPRISE!

I have wanted to post about this, but I couldn't ever find the right words to say.  I'm afraid that I will not say it the right way, or leave something important unsaid.
However, now I am beginning to fear that there is too much left unsaid and that is worse, so here is my attempt to share what took place at our house on one splendid weekend in April. (15th-16th)



I received a call from my parents saying that they had heard about my brother telling me he would paint our exterior house walls.  He had visited several weeks earlier and offered to do it - I agreed, telling him I'd much rather pay him than someone else.

My problem was that I would need to get it prepared and I was not certain how I was going to accomplish that task, but I don't recall sharing those concerns with him.  Well, my parents asked if they could come and look at things and help me get an idea of what needed done.  That visit sounded wonderful, and of course I agreed.

They came Thursday evening (14th April) and seemed almost in a hurry to get things started.  I tried to get the doors I wanted to have replaced before painting, but there were some unforeseen problems with that and I didn't get it done.

After seminary Friday morning I was feeling a bit stressed that I hadn't gotten things done for them and yet I was still in my "I just don't care" frame of mind.  I'm embarrassed to admit that has been my frame of mind for a few months now.

Well, I was outside with my parents when Brian, my brother from Wenatchee, walks out of the house to the back, where we were.  A couple steps behind him is Thaoe, my brother from Moses Lake.  Something was up!

I learned that they were there to work on my house that weekend.

SURPRISE!

Then I learned that they weren't alone.  Soon there would be more coming to help - My sister, LeeAnn, and her husband, Brian.  There were nieces and nephews with their families coming.  And my children who lived in the area would be there as well.

I was overwhelmed!

I wasn't prepared.   I had no idea!

But guess what?  No problem - they were!

Brian had talked with Thomas and they had been planning this thing for a couple weeks.  They were going to scrape and caulk and tape and prepare for painting.  We had several people Friday and more came on Saturday.

I was concerned about food and paper plates and .....   

No worries!  They had taken care of that too.

Thomas had asked me if I would want to grab some hot dogs and hamburger patties for when my parents would come.  I said that would be good and we could invite other family members over too.  But, as I have said before, I was in an "I don't care" mood and I never did do it.  Whatever!

Well, not to worry.  Thomas told Brian and Brian told LeeAnn, and LeeAnn took care of it for me.  I happened to find out about that when I saw a piece of paper she had with my name written beside those items.  So, promptly I paid for those items that I had neglected to purchase.  MY BAD!  But they had my back! They were watching out for me!

And my dad also mowed the lawn.

BrittanyJo had done some cleaning inside the house, and changed sheets on the spare bed.  She has always helped out with things so why would I wonder what she was up to?
I never suspected a thing.  This was indeed a surprise.

And - everyone else knew about it but me.  However, I began to hear about times when people thought they had said something that gave it away.  I guess it should have, and I could see that it should have as I thought about it after the fact, but I have been brain dead and this is proof that I still am - it never did make me suspicious at all.   OH BOTHER!    I didn't know my kids could keep secrets so well.  But, then again, they didn't think it was that well kept, so again - MY BAD!

But,

WHAT A WONDERFUL SURPRISE!

I don't recall a time when my parents and siblings have gotten together to do such a service for someone, but then, there has never been a situation like this up to this time either.  I am sorry that the circumstances are what they are, and I wish they weren't, but I am so grateful for loving family.  They saw a way to help and they came to my rescue.  It wasn't just a good idea -  they acted on that good idea and it became a good deed.  This was no easy task and there were aching bodies the next few days.  I thought I had hired Brian, but somewhere along the line, he decided payment for this task was not acceptable.

I am so grateful for each one who helped make this the wonderful weekend it was. Surely the Lord is pleased and can say to them - Well done, thou good and faithful servants..., in as much as you have done it unto the least of these, ye have done it unto Me!

I see love in the color of my house, even though it is called Dusty Lead.  :)  Maybe it should be Lovely Lead or Dusty Love or ???

I loved the color when we chose it, but I love it even more now.

THANK YOU MY DEAR FAMILY!

This fact remains -

YOU ARE ALL AWESOME!


PS - we had almost 50 people here, but half of those were little children.  Still impressive!
LOVE IT!