Remembering the Lord's Love

I wrote this post for something else but then I decided to share some of it here. A few weeks ago in Sunday school we talked about the fall of Adam and Eve (the perspective shared by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints). I believe their decision was an essential part of God's plan. Their choice in the garden gave us the opportunity to come to earth. However, a consequence of the fall is that we live in a fallen world. Life will be hard every day, you know "by the sweat of your brow..." meaning that we have to work!

"As descendants of Adam and Eve, we inherit a fallen condition during mortality...We are also placed in a state of opposition, in which we are tested by the difficulties of life and the temptations of the adversary."
Here is the link if you want to read more

I've been thinking a lot about the fall since that discussion. Take a look at the gospel principle book and notice the significance of the order of the chapters. It starts with the basics about God and Jesus Christ (our foundation) leading up to the creation and the fall (see chapter 6). The next several chapters discuss things that help us overcome the fall and find peace in this fallen world: the Holy Ghost, prayer, prophets, scriptures, the atonement, priesthood, and more.

Anyway, I'm trying really hard to focus on my blessings more and to look for the good instead of focusing on all the things that are hard for me right now. Life is full of challenges and we do have to work but we have to remember God loves us and He hasn't left us alone. I know we can find peace even in a fallen world. One last quote to think about:

"Life often feels like a great pile of obligations, frustrations, and disappointments. But the Lord is there, always the same, His arms still outstretched. When we feel overwhelmed, we have to remember the peace He has spoken to us on previous occasions. His peace brings comfort and strength; the world cannot give that to us."
Kathleen Hughes, Remembering the Lord's Love

Window with a View

I don't know if I've mentioned it before but I love the view I have from my desk at work! One entire side of the room is windows and it looks out onto a field with Timpanogos in the background. That alone is beautiful! However, what I saw today was simply breathtaking. I don't know if my description will do it justice but I'll give it a go.

The last several days I've noticed large flocks of geese in the field. Last week I watched a flock land in a spectacular spiral pattern reminiscent of a tornado. It was amazing to watch! I actually stopped to watch even though it was only about 10 degrees outside...brrr! I had never seen anything like it as they landed 2 or 3 at a time and the others kept circling while they waited.

Today there was another large flock of geese that looked like they were sleeping. They were nestled together in a way that made the field look black instead of the snow covered white it actually is. As I was looking at them I saw about 4 deer bound out of the brush and run right through the flock. The geese started honking and flew up into the sky all at once. I'm talking hundreds of birds here! I watched them circle in the air several times as they formed into "flying v's" and then took off. Like I said, it was breathtaking!

Here is a fuzzy picture (sorry, my phone doesn't zoom very well) of a small group that returned and settled in again.

They were still there when I left work about an hour after I took this picture. Anyway, I wanted to share the moment with you. Ok, maybe it's mostly for me so I'll remember it because I don't think I'll ever see anything like it again. I'm sad I didn't catch it on video.