The Great Plan of Happiness

This is the talk I gave at Diane's funeral.  I didn't write it, God did.

Good morning!  I am so thankful to have this opportunity to share with you some of Dane's very core beliefs.

One of these beliefs is referred to as the Great Plan of Happiness.  i some ways I find that ironic as we sit here and mourn the loss of our dear friend.  But, as I explain this Plan, you will see how out of our grief, we can hope for joy and happiness.

We've all made plans.  Sometimes the plan is as simple as making toast.  Other times, creating plans requires time, energy, a pen and paper and a major computer program.  But, in all plans, simple or complex, the goal is to get from Point A to Point B.  There may be a few unexpected detours or delays.  Some of these detours or delays may be from mistakes we make, or from situations over which we have no control.

Each of our plans has crucial decision, or moments or actions that must be accomplished or we won't make it to Point B.  If my plan is to make toast and I forget to plug in the toaster,  I don't make it to Point B.

The examples are endless and I'm sure each of you can share experiences when your plans didn't go quite as expected.  But, I bet most of the time, you persevered and made it to Point B.  

So it is with the Great Plan of Happiness.  Diane would appreciate a children's Primary song to introduce the Plan.

"I lived in heaven a long time ago, it is true,

Lived there and loved there with people I know, so did you.

Then Heavenly Father presented a beautiful plan,

All about earth and eternal salvation for man."

This Plan was created long before any of us were born.  From this song, we learn the joyful news that we knew each other in a pre-mortal world.  We also learn that not only did we know each other but we also knew our Father in Heaven.  Oh how we loved Him and wanted to be just like Him!  And because He is so loving and generous, He created this Great Plan of Happiness so that our Point B would be to return to Him and live with Him eternally.  This is the definition of salvation.  We were so excited for this opportunity.

It was explained to us that there would be detours and delays, some of our own making and some by uncontrollable circumstances.  But, He would give us road maps, GPS units and weather stations in the form of scriptures, faith, teachers, prayers and many others.

However, we also knew that in order to be with our Father we had to return unspotted from the world.  Clean and worthy to enter into and feel comfortable in His presence. 

This is where the Plan takes on it's Greatness.  Knowing that it would be impossible for us to remain clean through out our lives, Heavenly Father gave us His greatest gift.  In John 3:16, we read, "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believest in him would not perish but have everlasting life,"

Jesus Christ is the central figure in the Plan.  It is only through Him that we can return to our Father unspotted and clean.  John 14:6 reads, "And Jesus said unto him, I am the way, the truth and the light, no man cometh unto the Father but by me."

This is what Diane knew down into her very core.  She had a strong relationship with her Savior.  This is what she was most sure about.  This is the knowledge and testimony she taught to the little children for whom she had so much love.  I, myself, am a better mother because she taught me how to teach my own children about Christ.

The Great Plan of Happiness hinges solely upon our willingness to accept Christ as our Savior and to simply follow Him.  We will continue to make mistakes and be hurt by mistakes from others.  But, as we repent and realign our thoughts and actions with our Lord, we will find the peace and happiness the Plan was intended for us to feel.

Sheri Dew said, "The Lord knows the way because He is the way and is our only chance for successfully negotiating mortality.  His Atonement makes available all of the power, peace, light and strength that we need to deal with life's challenges--those ranging from our own mistake and sins to trials over which we have no control be we still feel pain. 

 "There is simply no mortal equivalent.  Not in terms of commitment, power, or love.  He is our only chance.

"Our responsibility is to learn to draw upon the power of the Atonement.  Otherwise we walk through mortality relying solely on our own strength.  and to do that is to invite the frustration of failure and to refuse the most resplendent gift in time or eternity."

As we accept Christ as our Savior and work to create a strong relationship with Him, we will find ourselves choosing what is right with ease.  We will find ourselves serving other with pure hearts, desiring to lift burdens to that they can feel the peace of Christ.  We will find ourselves feeling abundant measures of gratitude.  All of these things will only bring us closer to our Point B.  It truly is a Great Plan.

Temporarily, Diane's spirit is separated from her mortal body.  Because of Christ's supreme sacrifice, Diane and all who have lived and died including ourselves, will one day have our spirits reunited with a beautiful and immortal body.  Never to die again.  Jesus Christ took back His perfect and immortal body as an example of what we would all receive.  We know that Christ was in the image of His Father.  So we know that our Heavenly Father has a perfect and immortal body as well.

Once we have all been resurrected and have received our perfect and immortal bodies, we will have the opportunity to stand in a final judgement and be accountable for the life we lived.  Did we accept our Savior?  Did we stay true?  Did we use the road maps, GPS units and weather stations Father provided for us to overcome our trials both self-made and those out of our control?  Did we repent?  Did we use the grace that was offered us?  Did we serve others and share this Great Plan?

Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love and cherish each of us.  We are their children.  They would never set us up to fail.  We are all here to make it successfully to Point B.

My heart is full of gratitude that Diane was an active part of my life and that of my family's.  I'm grateful for her example.  I'm mostly grateful for this Great Plan of Happiness, that God created for us all.  Diane is just a step ahead but the destination is the same for us all.

Amen.

My Friend, My Sister

This is a hard post for me to make.  One of the dearest friends I've ever had passed away this week.  It was not unexpected. 

Diane Paul and I became friends when she called me to serve as a counselor in her Relief Society presidency over 10 years ago.  She quickly became more than just someone with whom I served in church, she became a friend and finally my sister.  I'm the oldest in my family, thus I never had a big brother/sister.  Diane filled that role for me.

She taught me how to be a better mother.  I always called her about medical concerns about my children before I called the doctor.  She was a pediatric nurse.  She taught me how to relate to my children.  To be patient with them.  To teach them during play and work.  She showed me how to teach my children to include Christ in their lives.  I'm so grateful for such an example.  I don't think I could ever express it adequately.

The picture above is when my 4th baby Leah was blessed.  My mom and dad were serving a full time mission and couldn't be there for the birth or the blessing.  Diane stepped in and served as my mom.  She came to the hospital the day and the day after the birth and spent the day with me.  Just like my mom would've.  The day of the blessing was especially hard for me because my parents weren't present.  Diane was there to help me get Leah dressed in her blessing gown and just fuss over both of us.  

I have many other memories and pictures of our friendship and her membership in our family.  

There's much more to write but I'm finding tears welling up and I don't want to do that right now.  This will do for now.  I just wanted to honor my dear friend and sister.  I will miss you more than you'll ever know.

I'm not a negative person

It's been three months since I've blogged.  I've thought of blogging but I don't feel as though I have anything to say worthwhile.  I stopped blogging about the time I started feeling the effects of all day morning sickness.  I've been so sick.  I'm sure I've not been as sick as other women, in fact, I know that.  BUT, I'm really sick for me. I have a very low threshold for pain and discomfort.  I'm not a wuss, but I just prefer to be well.  I've been so blessed to have a healthy body most of my life.  

I haven't written because I've felt so sad, negative and despondent that I haven't wanted anyone to know.  I didn't want to bring anyone down or roll their eyes at my constant complaining.  I feel badly for my family because they've had to take the brunt of it.  They've earned a place in heave for sure after this experience.  

I'm usually able to find the good in any "bad" thing.  I've really struggled with that a lot.  I'm not being very successful in my efforts.  I can see good things but I really can't embrace them.  It's so not like me.  

The best part of my day is going to bed because my nausea is alleviated for a few hours.  The worst part is waking up in the morning because I know there's a long day of homeschooling, child rearing and generally being awake that I have to deal with.  I don't think I'm learning much from this experience.  That's frustrating me as well.  I just feel hopeless.  

So, that's enough of my ranting.  Only 23 weeks and 2 days to go.  I can endure anything.  Maybe I should read the scriptures more especially the lines that say "and it came to pass".  

Book Give Away

Many of y'all know that I've been on an Americana Tour this summer with the children.  I have learned so much and my patriotism has swelled.  I don't know what the children have learned or gleaned from the visits to historical sites but I'm grateful that I could take them with me.

So, I was tickled pink to find out that an author has begun to write books about the early years of our country with a fictional slant.  I'm anxious to read them.  There is a book give away for these books.  You can check it out at: 

 http://annebradshaw.blogspot.com/2009/08/give-away-2-epic-historic-romance.html

Thursday

My, oh, my.  It seems like it should be at least Friday.  I'm really not one for hoping days pass quickly.  Although this week just seems like a long one.  I'm just tired I suppose.

Today the family and I are taking a trip for a couple of days down to Baltimore and DC.  Robbie needs to work on some activities for his Weeblos badge and Arrow of Light.  We're very much behind schedule with only about 7 months to finish nearly everything.

I'm finding that the Weeblos requirements are quite confusing.  I'm sure that's why we've been so slack this year.  I like checklists and to know exactly what I need to do.  I find the Weeblos book to be all over the place.

With that said, one of the things Robbie needs to do is have a working knowledge/understanding of the government, the history of the flag and the National Anthem.  So, we're taking the kids to Ft. McHenry in Baltimore where the Star Spangled Banner song was written during the war.  We've been there before but the kids were much smaller.  Six years ago in fact.  If you visit Ft. McHenry, you can actually buy a Star Spangled Banner flag and have the park rangers fly it up the flagpole there at the fort.  They will then fill out a certificate saying that your flag has been flown at the fort.  It's a very cool gift idea and heirloom as well.

A Star Spangled Banner flag can be identified by it's 15 stars and stripes.  But, instead of trying to count the stars look at the stripe right under the field of blue.  If it's a red stripe, then you've got a Star Spangled Banner flag.  Cool huh?

After we visit Ft. McHenry, we'll head down to DC to the Smithsonian to go and see the actual Star Spangled Banner flag.  I'm quite excited about that.  After that visit, we'll probably wander the Mall and visit some other museums.  

It's my hope that through little trips like these we'll be able to instill in our children a love for the country that so many have fought and died for.  In our case, we're going to need to live for it in order to return it to the way the Founding Fathers & Mothers envisioned.

My Addiction

OK.  Most of y'all know that I'm a self-reliance addict.  I guess it's better than being addicted to tobacco or alcohol.  

Within the last month, I have added a fourth pressure canner and at least another 100 jars to my arsenal.  

That's it.  That's all I have to write about it.  I know I have issues.  I can admit them.  I just don't think there is such a place as Self-Reliance Anonymous.  I don't think I'd go even if there were.

July 4th, 2009

We had a nice Independence Day. It's wasn't slammed and packed but we did do a couple of nice things. Believe it or not, watching fireworks was not part of it.

We started a new tradition this year. We will be reading the Declaration of Independence on Independence Day. This is in the same vein as reading the Nativity Story on Christmas Eve. This idea was actually suggested on one of the Yahoogroups I belong to. As soon as I read, I knew it had to be part of our family.

I can honestly and ashamedly say that I had never read the entire Declaration of Independence. I was quite amazed and the difficulties outlined by Thomas Jefferson that the colonists had been enduring. What is most unfortunate is the fact that we seem to be in the same boat 233 years later....this time at our own doing. Very sad!

But, I have hope. I have hope in my posterity that as I teach them about our Founding Fathers and what they did to deliver this nation to us all, my posterity will rise up and take it back. I will do my part, but I do believe a lot of it will come with the generation that is being raised now.

Teaching my children hard work and self reliant skills will be the backbone of their success. We all need to reinforce goodness in our children and gratitude and kindness.

One of the "signs of the times" before Christ comes, is that men's hearts will wax cold one toward another. There may be very little I can do to change the course of my country and the leadership that is elected and the selfish decisions that are made and what happens as a consequence BUT I can commit to being kind and full of love and service. I do not have to be part of that "sign". I can also teach my children to do the same thing. The more we all commit to a more loving and service oriented way of life, the more prepared we will be to meet our Savior when He comes.

Moving on. We also went to the Phillies vs. Mets game over in Philadelphia. Last year we went as a family and discovered that the Phillies organization goes to great lengths to honor the armed forces. Sam and I felt that this was so patriotic and fun at the same time. So very "American". We decided that we would continue this as a tradition as part of our Independence Day celebrations.

This year was no different. When we got to our seats which were just under the giant scoreboard, we saw a HUGE flag being held together by dozens of national guardsmen/women. They seemed to have stood there forever. Finally, the announcer directed our attention to this giant flag at which time the military wo/men started to unfurl it. It was gorgeous. The wind caught it a bit and it waved across the ball field. It did take up about half of the ball field. It was beautiful.

While it was unfurled, we stood with hands over our hearts and repeated the Pledge of Allegiance and sang the National Anthem. I spoke and sang as loud as I could. I wanted somehow for the Founding Fathers and Mothers to hear my voice as I committed as passionately as they did when they said, "And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor."

The baseball game was a good one.  Phillies beat the Mets 4-1.  We sat up on the scoreboard porch with a whole bunch of drunks.  At one time there were about 4 security guys and an armed police officer making sure a potential fight didn't actually happen.  Lots of foul language.

It was a beautiful breezy day.  I'm so glad we went.  I love doing stuff like that with my family.