accidental happiness

This week was filled with accidental happiness.

Snow on our mountains! We got a lot of good rain Thursday and Friday this week - as a consequence, the higher elevations got a lot of snow. . The Superstitions were covered and looked so pretty!

Running into cousins when Julia and I went out to lunch yesterday.  This was not planned!  We went to a restaurant out in Queen Creek that Julia has been to before and told me I needed to try: The Original Chop Shop.  It was so good!  Definitely worth the drive out there.  Plus, when we walked in - Liesel, Louisa and Maybree were there!  So we were able to have an impromptu cousins lunch with them.  So fun!

state of the union

I don't normally watch or listen to The State of the Union address by the President.  However, last night I just so happened to turn the TV on as it was starting (I didn't even know it was taking place yesterday).  So I decided to watch it.

While I don't always agree with what President Trump does, or says, and he's not always my favorite person, he is the President and I have respect for the title and office.  I really liked his closing remarks, and I've been thinking about them all day.

I am thankful for this country.  Even with all the bad things happening, we still live in an amazing place.  We have so many freedoms that we take for granted and don't even think about on a daily basis.  We need to be more aware of what we have and thankful for the freedom and liberty that we are blessed with on a daily basis.  Take a minute to read these words, and think about your blessings.

"When American soldiers set out beneath the dark skies over the English Channel in the early hours of D-Day, 1944, they were just young men of 18 and 19, hurtling on fragile landing craft toward the most momentous battle in the history of war. They did not know if they would survive the hour. They did not know if they would grow old. But they knew that America had to prevail. Their cause was this nation, and generations yet unborn. Why did they do it? They did it for America -- they did it for us. Everything that has come since -- our triumph over communism, our giant leaps of science and discovery, our unrivaled progress toward equality and justice -- all of it is possible thanks to the blood and tears and courage and vision of the Americans who came before. Think of this Capitol -- think of this very Chamber, where lawmakers before you voted to end slavery, to build the railroads and the highways, to defeat fascism, to secure Civil Rights, to face down an evil empire. Here tonight we have legislators from across this magnificent republic.

"You have come from the rocky shores of Maine and the volcanic peaks of Hawaii; from the snowy woods of Wisconsin and the red deserts of Arizona; from the green farms of Kentucky and the golden beaches of California. Together, we represent the most extraordinary nation in all of history. What will we do with this moment? How will we be remembered? I ask the men and women of this Congress: Look at the opportunities before us! Our most thrilling achievements are still ahead. Our most exciting journeys still await. Our biggest victories are still to come. We have not yet begun to dream.

"We must choose whether we are defined by our differences -- or whether we dare to transcend them. We must choose whether we squander our inheritance -- or whether we proudly declare that we are Americans: We do the incredible. We defy the impossible. We conquer the unknown. This is the time to re-ignite the American imagination. This is the time to search for the tallest summit, and set our sights on the brightest star. This is the time to rekindle the bonds of love and loyalty and memory that link us together as citizens, as neighbors, as patriots.

"This is our future -- our fate -- and our choice to make. I am asking you to choose greatness. No matter the trials we face, no matter the challenges to come, we must go forward together. We must keep America first in our hearts. We must keep freedom alive in our souls. And we must always keep faith in America's destiny -- that one nation, under God, must be the hope and the promise and the light and the glory among all the nations of the world! Thank you. God bless you, God bless America, and goodnight."

there is beauty all around

Some thoughts from my scripture study the last couple weeks, quotes I've collected recently, and pictures from today: rainbow after the rain and animals out on a nature walk.  

"Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low, and the crooked path shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth." (Luke 3:5),  When we accept John the Baptist's invitation to repent and change, the Lord can help us straighten our own crooked paths.  

See the salvation of God.

Don't let your eyes or your prejudices deceive you.  "The question is not what you look at, but what you see." -Henry David Thoreau

With celestial sight, trials impossible to change become possible to endure. -Russel M. Nelson

"Disappointment comes to visit on occasion but is never allowed to stay." -Richard Norby

"In the crucible of earthy trials, patiently move forward, and the Savior's healing power will bring you light, understanding, peace and hope...increasing your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ will bring you added strength and greater hope." -Neil L. Andersen

"Here bring your wounded hears, here tell your anguish.  Earth has no sorrow that heav'n cannot heal." (Come Ye Disconsolate)

finding jack

I just finished this book.  It's so good!  You should read it.

You can get it here:  https://www.amazon.com