Again I Say, Rejoice!

It is so nice, when lots of things seem to be completely topsy-turvy, to get an affirmation that you're going in the right direction. It's a reason to rejoice! A quote from this article appeared in my inbox right after I posted my goals for this year.

This is what it said:

"Only one verse of scripture in the entire King James Version of the New Testament suggests what the Savior did to develop himself from age twelve until he began his formal ministry at age thirty: “Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man” (Luke 2:52; see JST, Matt. 3:24–26). In other words, the Savior developed in the same areas indicated on the poll: intellectually (in wisdom and knowledge), physically (in stature), socially (in favor with man), and spiritually (in favor with God).

I am convinced that if we make and keep resolutions in those four areas, we will have a happier and more successful new year this coming year and every year for the rest of our lives." ~Joe J. Christensen, “Resolutions,” Ensign, Dec 1994, 62–67

You'll have to read the article to find out what poll he was referring to. You might even find some other great words of wisdom if you take the time. :o)

What it said to me is that my four 15-minute goals ARE going to make 2009 an incredible year!

We're still fighting winter colds (though we're staying hydrated, trying to get enough rest, and eating healthier), we still have Christmas decorations up (though we did start taking them down yesterday, 15 minutes at a time!), we know we have an extra busy several months ahead of us (though we're excited for the reason - the Savior of the World production), and there are LOTS of long-term to-dos on our list (though 15 minutes at a time we're starting to see progress already!). BUT we're enjoying each other - working AND playing together, learning and adventuring together, praying and growing together - and feeling very blessed.

So, again I say, rejoice!

Adventures I Should Have Blogged

No posts in nearly two months means that LOTS of life here at the Woody Hacienda and Wonderwood Academy has not been documented. There have been way too many adventures between then and now to attempt to even highlight them. I have to be satisfied with a list. Here it is, in chronological order:

October 12, 19, and 26 Angel Choir rehearsals - We're loving the experience!

October 17-19 Trip to San Diego to celebrate Woody's birthday. Of course, it was also an "extended field trip." We had a great time adventuring at Balboa Park, Old Town, the trolley tour, missions, the Point Loma lighthouse, and the Wild Animal Park.

October 23 The girls had their last piano lesson until after the holidays. Life is already starting to get crazy!!

October 25 Aunt Debby hung out with us and then joined us for the annual Trunk or Treat party at church. Jelly and the Doodle dressed as Renaissance witches. (Possibly influenced by our current Middle Ages/Renaissance studies, and the fact that Jelly wanted something a bit more "Halloweenish, but not scary." When Doodle saw the pretty costume, SHE wanted one JUST LIKE IT! To Jelly's credit, rather than being annoyed, she immediately responded that, "No, I don't mind. We can be twins!" I just pray that their close relationship endures the teen years.

October 29 Liahona Field Trip to Griffith Park Observatory - We're studying astronomy and this was our first trip to the observatory since it reopened after a HUGE renovation. It is amazing!

October 31 Our new family Halloween tradition is to let the girls dress up and then we have a family adventure. This year we utilized our membership to the Aquarium of the Pacific and hung out with our aquatic friends. Pumpkin pancakes at IHOP were a tasty treat to top off the holiday. (The girls definitely didn't need more candy - more than sufficient was obtained at the church Trunk or Treat.)

November 1 Woody began rehearsals (as the tenor soloist) for the 5th Annual Messiah Sing-Along, sponsored by the Yorba Linda Arts Alliance. It's a tradition that opens our Christmas season the Sunday after Thanksgiving.

November 4 Civics Field Trip - We voted and then watched the returns come in. You win some, you lose some. Enough said.

November 5 Liahona had our first quilting class at Heritage Park. We got a fabulous intro and mini history of quilting, a hands-on opportunity for kids and grown-ups to use a rotary cutter, and made decisions on what kind of quilts we want to make. We'll get supplies over the holidays, and begin in earnest after the first of the year. Cool.

November 8 and 13 Woody auditioned, was called back, and got the part of Zacharias in the Savior of the World presentation. Our enthusiasm continues to build as we share this experience as a family. His beard is really coming in and it's going to be a busy winter and spring!

November 9, 23, and 30 Angel Choir rehearsals continue as we prepare for a concert in December. Everyone is still enjoying the experience and the girls are getting an awesome musical education. It's a little daunting, but they're loving it!

November 12 Liahona takes a free field trip to Albertson's - with a focus on learning to be "Healthy Eaters". We weren't sure what to expect, but a great time was had by all, and we gots LOTS of free stuff!

November 14 The Primary kids had a special practice for their Sacrament Meeting presentation, "I Am a Child of God." This was Jelly's last. Next year at this time she will have been in the Young Women program for several months already. She is truly growing into a wonderful young lady.

November 15 The Freeway Complex fire burned closer than any we've experienced before. Our bishop's family, as well as two other families in our ward, lost their home. Half the ward was evacuated. Jelly was packed and ready to go. Doodle handled her fears by escaping into one of her favorite movies. Though it's been amazing to see the strength and love of our ward family as people step in to serve each other, I hope we never have that experience again.

November 16-19 Though the smoke was still in the air, we knew we were safe. After a unique Sacrament Meeting (folks were still evacutated from many areas) Woody traveled to San Francisco on business.

November 23 The Primary Sacrament Meeting Program, having been postponed a week due to the fire, was a resounding success. Both Jelly and Doodle put their whole hearts into singing and their speaking parts. Looking back on past programs, my mama heart was prilled (proud and thrilled) to see the way they have progressed each year to overcome their shyness and fears. Yes, the shyness and fears are still there, but did NOT stop them from sharing their growing testimonies through music and words.

November 27 We have SO much to be thankful for!!!

November 30 5th Annual Messiah Sing-Along. Aunt Debby spent the Thanksgiving holiday with us and joined us for the first seating of the sing-along. The girls and I are Woody's best fans, so we were there for BOTH seatings. We love supporting Daddy and we also love the way this experience helps to usher in the Christmas season with a jubilant spirit.

December The entire Woody family is busy rehearsing for special Christmas concerts, but none is busier than Woody himself!

December 1 Christmas School is in session at Wonderwood Academy. We are participating (along with God daughter, SwimChick) in a special HOAC Co-Op on the Twelve Days of Christmas. More on this later.

December 2 Our baby, the Doodlebug, is nine years old!! This was a year for a family celebration, so she got to plan the entire day's menus. She developed a love for hand sewing when she was tiny, watching her Grandma Joy, and still talks about how she used to "help" put in some of the stitches. Watching Aunt Debby work on her current project revived Doodle's desires for a project that she can do "by herself." So, her special birthday gift was to select a printed cross stitch project. She's making a pillow case with a princess design. So far, she's stitched two of the butterflies and is VERY happy.

December 5 For at least the third year (I need to check on this) we attended the Orange Stake's Creche and Christmas Concert. It was especially fun this year to look for nativities from the countries we have been and will be studying in our Christmas unit at Wonderwood. We'll be adding some of the pictures we took to the girls lap/notebook projects. The concert, featuring the Anaheim Mormon Chorale (where Woody sings tenor), brought even more of a truly tangible spirit to our holiday season.

December 6 In a new joint effort, the Chorale joined with the Yorba Linda Orchestra for a combined concert. We weren't sure just what to expect, and so were VERY pleasantly surprised at the quality of the orchestra's sound. Conditions were less than ideal for the chorale members, but in spite of staging challenges we thoroughly enjoyed yet another wonderful holiday musical experience.

December 7 An amazing testimony meeting set the tone for a special Sabbath. We then basked in the spirit of a quiet afternoon at home, followed by an earlier-than-usual Angel Choir rehearsal. Only one week left before we sing in our stake's Christmas Concert. The day was capped by the First Presidency Christmas Devotional broadcast from Salt Lake. We normally watch it at home, on BYU TV, but since we were already at church, we stayed to share the experience.

There is a place in our family traditions for the secular side of Christmas, but I've been really pleased with the out-of-balance emphasis that we've been able to maintain with the sacred, spiritual, "real reason for the season" so far this year.

Not to worry - the girls have had and will continue to have opportunities for the just-plain-fun parts of the holiday, too. Our tree is up and has lights on it, so far, and our family tradition of holiday movie watching has also begun. (A little later than usual this year, but finally begun.) We're decorating a bit at a time, so there are red and green boxes stacked in a couple of corners. Shopping is almost done, and crafting and baking are on the horizon.

Stay tuned for updates. :o)

Angels in the Choir

Auditions were a couple of weeks ago. You can read all about THAT experience here.

Yes, it's true. As of last night, our entire little family is currently "in rehearsal" for the Anaheim East Stake production of "Savior of the World." We are all members of the Angel Choir. Woody will be auditioning next month for a principle role (at the request of the music director & director). He's already sporting two-week's worth of beard because of their question - "Can you grow a beard?" It has already begun to be a good missionary tool! Questions regarding the facial growth are answered with explanations about the Savior of the World. Awesome.

The rehearsal began with a wonderful devotional, which brought the spirit before we had even sung a note.

Are you ready for Jelly's description of the spirit she felt AFTER we'd sung?

"Mama, I just loved it! I didn't want it to ever stop! It was even better than when I'm playing my DS and it's working and I just want to keep going and going and going!"

Interesting, yes?

Prayers offered by both girls today have included their thanks for the great rehearsal last night.

Amen.

Conference...

...was wonderful!

It just was. Jelly's conference packet was a huge success, especially when it worked out that both Doodle and Jelly won games of conference bingo. :o)

We'll be reviewing these talks now for the six months until the next conference, hopefully soaking it all in to internalize the counsel that was given.

As Doodle says, "It was a great testimony-growing conference!"

The Sacred: Savior of the World

This summer, Woody has been teaching a six-week summer institute class at church titled "Savior of the World." You can actually get links to download audio of the classes here:

Lesson 1

Lesson 2

Lesson 3

Lesson 4

Lessons 5 and 6

I am, naturally, a bit biased, but even those who are not said that the summer institute course was a wonderful blessing in their lives. I most heartily concur. I thoroughly enjoyed ALL the sessions, and was, as Woody also expressed, sad to see them come to an end. But, though the classes have ended, my desire to learn more about and draw closer to our Savior has been reborn.

The direction Woody was given for this summer institute was to use the script for the Savior of the World production as a foundation, and then to provide a historical and spiritual background in order to help prepare the members of our stake to participate in the presentation of the production during the spring of 2009. You can download that script, and even the score and accompaniment and choir rehearsal tracks here.

If I had to come up with just one word to summarize, that word would be JOY!

My personal testimony and love for the Savior has grown so much. I do KNOW (through a personal witness of the Spirit) that Jesus' part in the Plan of Salvation makes it possible for us to have hope! There is so much in this world that causes us grief and pain, but it doesn't have to end there.

For example, how can we get through heart-rending grief? There are so many of our own family and friends that are suffering and have heartaches that seem beyond bearing. We can, here and now, have a personal manifestation of the Spirit that will bear record to us of the truthfulness of our Heavenly Father's Plan of Salvation.
That personal testimony of a loving Father's awareness of each of His children, and of a blessed reunion in a heavenly hereafter can not only give us peace, but JOY! Instead of being distraught, we can be eagerly awaiting that reunion!

In the summer institute lessons, we discussed the fact that Mary always kept things and "pondered" them in her heart as she witnessed and experienced events in the life of her Son. What an amazing example that we should follow! Like Mary, we can also come to a real understanding of these life lessons.

As we learned of the time Jesus spent with his disciples before His Ascension, some other things spoke to my heart.
- Charity is not a single act, it is a state of being.
- It doesn't matter what others do, our purpose in life should be to focus on our personal mission.

I'm taking these verses as MY mission:

Doctrine and Covenants, Section 88 verses 118-120, 123-126:

118 And as all have not faith, seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith.
119 Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God;
120 That your incomings may be in the name of the Lord; that your outgoings may be in the name of the Lord; that all your salutations may be in the name of the Lord, with uplifted hands unto the Most High.
123 See that ye love one another; cease to be covetous; learn to impart one to another as the gospel requires.
124 Cease to be idle; cease to be unclean; cease to find fault one with another; cease to sleep longer than is needful; retire to thy bed early, that ye may not be weary; arise early, that your bodies and your minds may be invigorated.
125 And above all things, clothe yourselves with the bond of charity, as with a mantle, which is the bond of perfectness and peace.
126 Pray always, that ye may not faint, until I come. Behold, and lo, I will come quickly, and receive you unto myself. Amen.

Though I'm not (after three years) teaching monthly lessons in Relief Society anymore, I had the opportunity to substitute teach today. The topic was "Testimony," and was based on a talk given by Elder Dallin H. Oaks, in conference this past April 2008. I closed the lesson by sharing my testimony, and I'd like to do that again now.

I know that our Heavenly Father’s Plan is in place because of His love for each one of us, His children. I know that our Savior, Jesus Christ, is our elder brother, and that the Atonement assures us the opportunity for eternal life. I know that the Prophet Joseph Smith saw the Father and the Son, and restored the fullness of the gospel. I know that we have a prophet now, President Thomas S. Monson, who leads and guides us on our journey toward life with that same Father and Son. I testify of these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

What does all this mean? The absolute bottom line is LOVE - sharing it, showing it, living it!

“I Stand All Amazed.”

Truly, “I stand all amazed.”

It was a weekend like no other. We were spiritually fed and indeed, my cup runneth over.

Last month at our stake leadership training, I was given a new journal with the admonition to use it to record “things of the spirit” – notes taken while listening to a talk in sacrament meeting, participating in a class lesson in Sunday School or Relief Society, studying the scriptures, or whenever an inspirational thought occurs. On the cover, it says, “Allow the spirit within you to illuminate your path.”

I broke in the little book as I soaked up the words of wisdom and counsel given to us by inspired leaders in the 178th Annual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints held last weekend (Apr. 5-6, 2008). I’ve always enjoyed conference (well, maybe not ALWAYS) but this one stands out because the messages from the first to the last were ALL amazing.

The highlight of the conference, though, without a doubt, was being allowed to be a witness as the prophetic mantle descended upon our new prophet and president of the church, Thomas S. Monson. Sharing the experience with Woody made it even more a memory I will treasure always. As Pres. Monson spoke of the on-going battle between good and evil, I have no doubt but that it was a prophetic utterance when he said that we need not despair because we WILL win the war because our God is a God of light and hope!

As the mantle settled on him, I heard it in his voice, and I felt it in my spirit.

“I believe we’re all the more determined to live the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ.” ~ Pres. Monson

I believe he’s right, and I will follow him. Paraphrasing the words of our new prophet, “Together we shall move forward doing His work… according to His will, and by His inspiration.”

Together, Woody and I will guide our daughters as we all move forward. Our path is illuminated by the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

We may stumble occasionally, but we WILL keep moving forward because we won't forget that witness of the spirit.

I do, I do... I stand ALL amazed.