History in the Making
September 14, 2020
My kids are all at school full time. After 18 years of mothering, it’s the first in a new season of independence for all of us. It’s Monday morning and I have spent some time this morning gathering: gathering my thoughts, gathering my task list, gathering my breakfast, gathering my peace. I am grateful for this time to reflect and prepare for the week.
I vacillate in wanting to write publicly. It fulfills a deep purpose in my heart to share my faith and testimony of Jesus Christ. It also serves to witness of the living history. I also feel fear at the vulnerability.
Sunset the day after the SLC Hurricane strength storms.
Last week (and continuing this week) California and Oregon are on fire. Millions of people have been evacuated and the latest count I believe 500 million acres have burnt. Idaho was under a blanket of snow and Utah had Hurricane-force winds rip through SLC and northern Utah. Over 1,000 trees were ripped up out for the ground. Schools were canceled, included the University of Utah, SLCC and Salt Lake City school district had to push its open date back an additional week, not starting until today. My sister in law’s house was out of power for 5 days. Friends in Willard just received their power this morning after six days.
My 17-year-old has been quarantined for two weeks for possible exposure to COVID at school. She is on day 13 out of 14 and can go back to school on Wednesday. We are grateful for every day that they can attend school in person. (Right now there are five confirmed cases at their highschool. If that number rises to 15 they have to close the school. A neighboring high school has 25 cases and went to half capacity at school). The school is giving all students free lunch and breakfast through December from a special government grant.
Between the change in barometric pressure because of the storms and the ash in the air from the Mountain West’s blaze have wreaked havoc on my poor husband’s brain injury. He is a new state of remembering acute chronic pain. (Translated, really bad, all the time headache mixed with bouts of migraines.)
Walking our 12-week old puppy at sunset.
Right now we are living through an unprecedented time of vilification. Right and left, are at each other’s throats, and now community members are taking to the stage of social media to point fingers, name-calling, and ostracize people who think differently. The presidential election is 6 weeks away, and with either outcome, I fear for our nation’s security. The Black Lives Matter movement continues to gain traction, and there are more players behind the scenes that are calling to defund the police. Riots and anarchists continue to loot, pillage, and scatter democratic run cities. COVID 19 cases are coming down nationally. With preventative measures to stop the spread of the disease through wearing masks, we have a whole new crop of conspiracies of control and manipulation on our citizens. Any topic of controversy can be proven and disproven simultaneously and rigorously by scrolling social media.
Kuma heading up to his first hike.
It is all in God’s hands. From the tiniest puppy bite on my right thumb to the most powerful position in the entire world up for election, all of it is seen and witnessed by Heavenly Father. I feel him whispering when I sit still enough to hear him. This morning in meditation I reached up to my Heavenly Mother aching for an embrace, a remembering of her nurturing safety and support. I imagined my arms stretching upwards as I arose through the cloud and into her arms, I was washed with a feeling of relief. The feeling after being alone at 14 in the Denver airport and nearly missing my flight after the gates were changed twice, I called my mom and immediately broke into tears. Her safety made the walls of my insecurity and fear wash away and I felt seen. The same thing happened this morning as I reached out to my mother in heaven. Washed in a bath of tears, my heart was calmed.
Sarah and Jonny up Neff’s Canyon
Earth is crying out for us to remember.
Heavenly Father is whispering for us to remember.
In the middle of the chaos and the fear; news anchors clamoring for ratings, politicians vying for power, and forces beyond our comprehension who are playing a dangerous game of chess to gain power over the citizens, we can find peace in all places, and in all things. And freedom. He can deliver us from any and all of our enemies.
Evidence of God’s love at our footsteps.
Alma 58:
9 ….therefore we were grieved and also filled with fear, lest by any means the judgments of God should come upon our land, to our overthrow and utter destruction.
10 Therefore we did pour out our souls in prayer to God, that he would strengthen us and deliver us out of the hands of our enemies, yea, and also give us strength that we might retain our cities, and our lands, and our possessions, for the support of our people.
11 Yea, and it came to pass that the Lord our God did visit us with assurances that he would deliver us; yea, insomuch that he did speak peace to our souls, and did grant unto us great faith, and did cause us that we should hope for our deliverance in him.
33 But behold, we trust in our God who has given us victory over those lands, insomuch that we have obtained those cities and those lands, which were our own.
Saturday morning hike with my son.
Right now, the turbulence around me has not changed, but my heart is full. I feel peace and strength in my Savior and Lord Jesus Christ. I don’t know the how of His outcome, or even what next week will look like. If you are like me, in moments of mental weakness, it can feel scary and chaotic. But I am reminded of whose I am. I am reminded of the promises of how and who wins the battle. This fight for souls is not new, its been happening for millennia here on earth, and beyond time before we made our mortal sojourn to earth. Oh, if we could only remember the battle for souls. We conquer through Jesus Christ, and by and because of him. Regardless of my physical weakness, my mortal limitations, and emotional deficiencies, he makes up the rest as I walk in courage daily.
Here is today’s to-do to stay grounded.
- Create before you produce or consume
- Be still: visualize connecting to Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother
- Cast out the devil and his minions
- Send someone a love note or text
- Take your vitamins and medicine
