Today I am setting the table with two extra places for missionaries to have dinner inside our home. They haven’t been allowed inside for dinners until recently. I feel very happy that we can entertain them, and I was so excited, I prepared dinner early. I definitely have a soft spot for missionaries and their message.
I believe we’re here to figure out how to live a life filled with miracles (Alma 37:41) and joy (2 Nephi 2:25). I believe that our journeys of faith are perfectly designed, including the people we meet and the people who teach us. I believe that Jesus Christ helps us live, breathe, find peace, summon faith, find forgiveness, grow, become whole, and come home again. I am thankful for the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, but most of all, I am thankful for Jesus.
There’s just a random collection of things to share this week.
Reading: Simple Justice by Richard Kluger (history about Brown v. Board of Education) and Miss Buncle novels (fun)
Eating: corn on the cob and every fruit
Thinking about: my next writing project (Which project do I choose? How long will I spend each day working on it? Who is my audience? How will I find the solitude to do it?)
Looking back over the month of June: We got through all the doctor checkup appointments and wisdom teeth extractions. I hiked more than I have in years. We finished and ordered 50 copies of my dad’s book.
Watching: a broad variety of things, mostly with Mark, who is also a cinephile. If you like biography, the Garth Brooks documentary on Netflix was interesting and inspiring. For kids, we liked Luca and The Mysterious Benedict Society on Disney+. Richard and I enjoyed The Terminal with Tom Hanks.
Listening to: Elmer Bernstein’s To Kill a Mockingbird soundtrack; Josh Groban (His duet, BothSides Now, with Sara Bareilles is really good, but it’s impossible for me to sing along); silence.
Relieved about: the dogs behind our house are gone.
The sounds of their panting and long-nailed feet as they scrambled down rotten deck stairs when they heard me open the back door were nightmarish. But the barking was terrifying.
Wondering: if this blog is worth anyone’s time.
Inspired by: the people of Ammon in the Book of Mormon (Alma 26; 27:10, 29-30) What acts of courage are required of me? Also, Doctrine and Covenants 67 is a beautiful formula and foundation for staying true to the faith: trust the Creator, don’t focus on flaws of leaders, don’t fear, don’t be prideful and jealous. God will reveal himself to you as you are humble. Continue in patience.
Richard is on the 9th or 10th day of his bout with COVID-19. We don’t know where he was exposed. The illness has a new character each day, but his oxygen levels have been fine, so I am grateful for that. He has stayed isolated from us, and no one else at home has tested positive. The worry I have felt is a small thing compared to what others have gone through with this illness so I hesitate to even mention it. I will say that although Richard’s case can be termed as “mild” and he has not complained, this is a different kind of illness and unpleasant at best.
What is helping us get through quarantine? Entertainment. Empathy from an employee of the attendance office at the high school. Dedicated teachers who make education happen. Surprises left on our porch from friends. Sunsets. For me, it helps to have routines I can do without thinking and something to look forward to each day. On Tuesday, it was the arrival of our 2020 photo book. I wrote before that creating this album helped me see that 2020 was a great year for the Ross family. God gives us eyes to see sometimes.
Today, here is hope in the form of dance. Covid has unleashed new ways to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. The dancers in this video are missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and this is a tribute to a sister missionary who passed away recently. It’s also an expression of their testimonies. Whether you like the style of dance or not, I think it’s a beautiful way to share hope.
I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up.
This December, my Advent theme is Hope. It’s my plan to share something each day leading up to Christmas.
For behold the field is white and already to harvest; and lo, he that thrusteth in his sickle with his might, the same layeth up in store that he perisheth not, but bringeth salvation to his soul; And faith, hope, charity and love, with an eye single to the glory of God, qualify him for the work.
Doctrine and Covenants 4:4-5
This is a mural in the Provo Missionary Training Center. We went on a tour of the new building in 2017 and this piece of art was what I remember. It depicts Nephi returning to Jerusalem for the plates of brass, something that would require all of his faith and strength. I think I loved it because it captures a moment of courage, when hope turns to acts of faith.
Daniel has been asked to speak in church on Sunday, Oct 11 at 9 am, Utah time. Church is now live-streamed via YouTube, so as different and new as this seems, I am inviting you to tune in to our sacrament meeting tomorrow. (Link to the channel included beneath picture)
Daniel will be giving a brief report on his mission and a gospel message.
Mark will be speaking, too.
I don’t know how long this link will work, but this was the meeting: (link no longer works)
My friend’s son is serving a mission in Tennessee, and with Covid restrictions, he does a lot of phone calls and video calls. It is working! The missionaries are able to contact more people in a day via phone than the traditional method of knocking on doors. Therefore, they are reaching and inviting more people to learn of Christ.
When someone answers the phone, the missionary introduces himself and asks, “Would you be willing to answer a one-question survey?” If the answer is no, the missionary says, “Thank you for your time, may we leave you with a short message?” If allowed, he shares a brief scripture and testimony of Christ.
If the person has time for a one-question survey, the missionary asks,
“If you could have one question answered by God, what would you ask?”
This really good question has opened up many conversations, connections, and Christ-focused change.
I have been thinking about this question, and still can’t come up with what I would say. I have so many questions, and I look for answers every day. Today my questions circle around a theme, “What needs to be done so people stop hating one another?”
As I write this, I realize the question I should be asking is, “How can I show greater mercy and kindness to the people I interact with today?” (See, our Father in Heaven is answering our questions all the time, within our thoughts and ideas and study.)
Also, I think this week I will re-read the Sermon on the Mount.
I have done some work in the family’s bedrooms this week, and this video speaks to the feelings I have as I watch my children’s rooms change as they grow and leave home.
Seven months ago, before the pandemic impacted our lives, I had an idea to create an emotional tool kit, with physical objects to inspire and comfort. I wrote down a list on a post-it note, and began to move the note in my day planner, putting it off for another time. Maybe I was in denial. “Oh, I won’t need this,” or, “If I make it, something will happen that will make me need this.”
Then came new levels of isolation, earthquakes, uncertainty about the evacuation of missionaries, challenges from distance learning in schools, canceled plans, discomfort and disfigurement from abdominal surgery, and the secluded hospital stay. And so on.
I have been comforted, even without my little tool kit, no doubt about that. Still, this week, I remembered that I hadn’t compiled it, and decided it was time. It wasn’t difficult. I gathered things into an old hat box and slid it beneath my bed. Who knows if I will ever use it as I envision I might. If nothing else, it is a time capsule, and a reminder of my faith that comfort can be found in Christ, always.
The objects are small and have personal meaning. Some things are soft; others spur memories; on the bottom of the box are the scripture notes I have taken this year, which follow my 2020 spiritual journey even better than my journal. I tucked in a Michael Buble album that I love.
At times, everyone needs reminders that things are going to be okay.
If you are doing well, share your energy with others. If you are doing poorly, consider handling some physical reminders that Heavenly Father loves you and sent His Son for you. Allow the Spirit to bring joyful things to your remembrance. (John 14:26)
These weeks have not been easy. The not knowing, the not-so-good news, the waiting, painful conversations with people who heard Daniel was home when he was not, the constant school emails, and the work stress were rough. Things were complicated in Chile. Daniel helped print four different release certificates for himself in the mission office as his evacuation date moved several times. I prayed for peace constantly. One night, out of words to pray, I lay in bed praying the words to “Bring Him Home,” which was one of my more effective prayers.
Neither Richard nor I slept well the night before Daniel’s flight, and Richard tracked that plane constantly throughout the day. I kept busy, but felt my chest tighten as the day progressed. We drove to the airport together, two nervous wrecks. No, we didn’t think he would come home sick or harmed, but we were embarking into an unknown. Daniel arrived, full of light and reassurance. That night, I had my best sleep in years.
It’s not that we lacked faith. It’s that faith sometimes needs to be tested. Would we complain? Would we push our needs ahead of others who were suffering in different ways? Would we keep turning to God? Would we be overly dramatic about circumstances? Would we neglect the needs of our other children as we hyper-focused on our worries about international travel for Daniel? Would we stop acknowledging the blessings that flowed because Daniel was serving a mission? Would we forget hope? Would we neglect the little things like family prayer and scripture study in this sickly, dense fog?
There is much more to live before the resolution of this story. I don’t want to forget the comfort that only came through prayer. I don’t want to forget the light in Daniel’s missionary face. I don’t want to forget that there was a continual flow of understanding and concrete instructions as I read the Book of Mormon each day, pen in hand. These have been precious, soul-expanding days leading up to his return. Now that he is home, I am giving myself permission to breathe, rejoice, rest, and just look at Daniel’s face, in line with the rest of our children, all gathered together again.
Did you ever look through a kaleidoscope? That’s what life feels like right now. We get used to looking at a beautiful pattern through the lens, but it’s only temporary; the world rotates, and little pieces of our lives shuffle to different places. For a time, there is a grating noise, and some resistance to rotating the scope. It feels chaotic and uncomfortable, but another pattern emerges from the shuffling of pieces. Beauty and order always find a way. There are beautiful patterns emerging from this time of upheaval. We don’t know how our little pieces will rearrange themselves, but they will, all under the direction of a loving Heavenly Father. We love you and we are proud of you. I choose to celebrate who you are, and not focus on the “change of plans” so much. Coming home a little early will not change the impact you have had on people in Chile. It will not change who you are, and who you have become. Your love for the gospel is needed here, and the Lord will use you, wherever you are. I feel gratitude to the members in Chile for their loving care of you. My heart goes out to your president and his family. I pray for everyone. I am filled with hope and peace, and it will all work out. A silver lining for me is that I will have you around again to talk to. We’ll enjoy the next pattern in the kaleidoscope soon. Love, Mom
