Memorial Day

This is probably the first time since Adam and I have known each other,we stayed home. We have always tried to visit everyone during the 'long' weekend. When you go to visit so many people in such a short time, it starts to wear down on you. Now that we have a little one, we opted to stay home and enjoy the time as a family (especially now since Adam is working 2 jobs for the time being). We had the opportunity to go to the lake and spend the weekend there, but we had some responsibilities here with our church which also required us to stay close to home. (One of the things I love so much about our church is that we are taught the principle of Service, one of those ways we are allowed to serve is by cleaning the church building twice a year.) Since cleaning the church only takes an hour or so, we didn't think much of it. However, we had several other things we needed to do that were church related. Before we went to the Temple, we took some Temple Prep classes. There was a follow-up class that we needed to do after going through the Temple. It was very interesting. (Temple work is also another way to provide service.) Adam had also requested to receive his Patriarchal Blessing. (Patriarchal blessings are given to worthy members of the Church by ordained patriarchs. Patriarchal blessings include a declaration of a person's lineage in the house of Israel and contain personal counsel from the Lord. As a person studies his or her patriarchal blessing and follows the counsel it contains, it will provide guidance, comfort, and protection.) It was very exciting to hear his blessing. It's exciting to know that we are promised wonderful things from the Lord as long as we do what is asked of us. Since we are not perfect, it makes the Atonement that much more meaningful. (I could go on and on about the Atonement.) After hearing Adam's blessing, I am excited to go through this life and the next with him. I know it will be bumpy as all lives are, but it will DEFINITELY be worth it.

Since we were home, we also decided to join our ward in the Memorial Day Picnic. (our church is divided up in branches and wards. Branches are the equivalent of wards, just smaller and the president of branches does not have all the authority a bishop does over a ward. A bishop is the president over a ward. The groups are decided by physical boundaries. A branch has fewer members who attend church on a regular basis. Once the branch reaches a certain number on a regular basis, it is then called a ward and the president is then ordained a bishop and given the authority of other bishops. Several branches and wards belong to a Stake. A stake also has a presidency and presides over all the wards and branches.) Anyhow, it was very fun to spend time with our Church Family and enjoy in the festivities the ward had planned. It was a great social event and I was very surprised to see how many people showed up on a day predicted to be stormy. The rain did come, but we were able to get the games in before it came.

Good people + good food + good conversations = a fun day!