Happy Easter!

"In our hour of deepest sorrow, we can receive profound peace from the words of the angel that first Easter morning: ‘He is not here: for he is risen.'"
~Thomas S. Monson
President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Tulips.
Thanksgiving Point Tulip Festival. 2007.

Today was a great day! Taught Gospel Doctrine (Sunday School class) all about the miracle of Christ healing the blind man in John Chapter 9 in the New Testament. What a beautiful chapter with so much to glean and learn. And then Easter dinner at Mom's with cousins. So fun. :) I love my family and I love laughing until I cry! (Even if it does hurt.)

In class, we talked a lot about why God allowed Christ to perform miracles then and still, yet today. Often these type of faith-building experiences are not just for our benefit, but for the benefit of those with whom we share. God performs miracles so that we can, with a surety, know that that He exists and then He expects us to share. I felt that way when Amber was in the hospital. I had a distinct impression that this experience was not solely for her learning and growth; on the contrary, actually. It was for us. And the miracle did not occur until all had been done to save her, until her doctors sat across from us and said, "We've done all we can. Now we are just waiting for her miracle." Amber lived and there is no way I will ever be able to deny the hand of God in her healing. There is no doubt in my mind. And I am prepared to share that and defend it, if I need to, for as long as I live.

The blind man, whom Christ healed, as is recorded in John, is questioned several times by the Pharisees and Jews with increasing skepticism: How were thine eyes opened? I believe the blind man was given his sight not just for his sake, not just for the convenience and blessing of seeing, but he was given an experience so miraculous, one that was undeniable, so that he could share the miracle. So that he could simply testify of Christ. He could not deny who healed him and how. "If this man were not of God, he could do nothing," he testified.

He boldly, yet very simply, states that Christ healed him by anointing his eyes with clay and then he could see. Each time he is questioned again he shares the same experience, gradually becoming more bold in his testimony. Would that we all would be so faithful, valiant, and fearless in sharing what we know to be true in our lives.

I believe in miracles. And I believe they occur to benefit us, but also to remind us that God is real. That Christ is His son. That they love us. And that together, they watch over us and are mindful of every little thing (and big thing) in our lives. God lives. Christ lives.

I love Easter. I just keep thinking about all that Easter means and visions of The Passion Play in Oberammergau just keep popping into my mind. What a phenomenal portrayal of the life of Christ and most especially, the week leading up to his crucifixion and his resurrection.

I love Easter. I love the sense of renewal it brings. Tomorrow, I'm going to get some Spring cleaning done. I'm also headed to the Thanksgiving Point Tulip Festival, where I hope to get more tulip pictures like the one above. I'm also extremely excited to be going to the Carl Heinrich Bloch exhibit at the BYU Museum of Art. I'm sure I'll have a whole post about that coming up. Hooray for a day off from work!

Happy Easter, my lovelies.

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Random Thoughts.

"I am determined to be cheerful and happy in whatever situation I may find myself.
For I have learned that the greater part of our misery or unhappiness is determined not by our circumstance but by our disposition."
~Martha Washington

In case you've missed me, I'll just throw in this picture, yet another from a self-portrait (thanks to the mirror) session.

So let's see...

The past several weeks have been very busy. April is my favorite month and I can't believe I haven't blogged at all. I can't say I'll make up for a month's worth of not posting, but I'll try to put a little something up.

So, can I just toot my own horn for a moment? For the past two months, I've been VERY diligent in my workout routine and I'm pretty excited about that. Consistency is the hardest part right? I made a goal to workout a minimum of 3x/wk and I've been successful. Now that might not seem like much to you who have more discretionary time than I do, but three or four times a week for 45 minutes is a true success in my life. I definitely feel better, but am trying not to get too disappointed that all this focus on exercise and eating better hasn't shown up in decreasing numbers on the scale. I'll keep at it, but routine and consistency are making me feel good. And I know my muscles vs. fat ratio is moving in the right direction and that feels good.

I am contemplating taking up jogging/running. Whenever I walk, I almost always throw a minute (okay, 30 seconds) of jogging in. But I'm just thinking that maybe that wold kickstart some even better fat burning. I love my Curves workout with it's variety and the combined cardio/strength training, but I'm going to start walking again more often now that it should be Spring and a little less chilly outside. So that just has me thinking about gradually introducing running. I think it would be a good stress reliever as well. And heaven knows that I've been looking for a better way to relieve my stress and anxiety.

I've even toyed with signing up for ballet classes again. That would actually be kind of hilarious, considering that I never was very good with the whole flexibility piece. And I haven't slipped on a pair of ballet shoes in over fifteen years. But who's counting? It's never too late.

This week I turned 33. I had a really great week. Dinner with friends at the Bombay House. Yum, I'm drooling just thinking about Chicken Tikka Masala and Lamb Coconut Kurma. Yum. A couple of birthday lunches with friends. A birthDAY dinner with Mom and another birthday dinner and breakfast with friends. I've eaten out a LOT this week--maybe that's why I haven't seen the scale move. :) But all in all, it's been a really nice birthday week, preceding Easter.

I've got lots more thoughts to share and things to catch up on. I still haven't shared about my Grandpa's 90th birthday celebration with my whole family in Las Vegas or my unexpected individual tour behind the Salt Lake Tabernacle organ. And I've got lots more cloud pictures to show you. You know it. :) Be on the edge of your seats.
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