Thanksgiving

I just had to write a few quick thoughts about being with my extended family for Thanksgiving and share a few of te blessings that I have and am thankful for.

I have been so deeply blessed with a family. I understand that there are those who have not been raised in a loving home and this makes me truely sad. My family helps me to feel the love of God for me. If my parents, Aunts, Uncles, Grandmother and Grandfather can love me as much as they do then I think that God's love for us will burn so much brighter even than theirs.

I am thankful for my family. I am thankful that despite my never ending weaknesses and shortsightedness God still has a profound place for me and all his other children in his heart. I realize as Nephi did in the book of Mormon that I don't know the meaning of all things, or anything for that matter, but I do know that God loves his children. When I feel hopeless and lost I remember that I know he loves his children and I can't be as lost or hopeless as I think I am.

The Blessing of Family

I have been pensive about immediate family recently. I am the oldest of seven and I have had the opportunity to watch my younger brothers and sisters mature and grow. Every time that I spend time with them I realize that our bond is deeper than I can comprehend in many ways. In my religion we believe that only our relationships and knowledge are things that we have in this life that can carry on to the next. I am so grateful that I have been blessed with my family as I have been. They are a source of inspiration and understanding for me. I know that my parents love me deeply and I knowing that helps me to see how much God, our Heavenly Father loves us. His love for us must surely make our earthly love with parents, siblings, spouses and others look like a dim light compared to a super nova. My explanations of God's unblemished love does fills no definition of it and is inadequate in every sense. Still, his love for us is unchanged and I feel it around me. There is no greater blessing.

Transcending Love

Well, I'm not sure anyone will ever read this blog. Sometimes I hope that people don't read this because I actually am going to share some feelings that mean a lot to me. Basically I've decided that God plays too much of a role in my life to not share how much his prescence means to me. I'll make this entry short. I was watching this movie today that was just powerful and had some definately religious overtones. At one point in the movie one of the characters dies and is telling the others as he is fighting through the pain that he sees a light. I know, its somewhat cliche, but it didn't strike me as such at the time. All the other characters in this movie struggled with his death, yet it actually served to strengthen their faith rather than destroy it. I have three friends that just lost loved ones and I know they try to hide it, but they are struggling emensely. What just hit me after this movie is that God takes nothing aways that he will not someday, not long in the future return better than it was before he took it. What deep transcending love he has for us. If only we could see beyond our limited sight and realize that this is all part of the process that makes us worthy of all he gives us. This is magnificent blessing and one that cannot be repaid. I don't understand death really, I just know that God makes everything right that seems wrong and gives so much more than we think he takes.