My Letter to the Devil

Dear Satan,

You might be feeling pretty smug right now....

1 in 4 high school seniors smoke on a regular basis,
66% of high school students have had sexual intercourse, 
more and more couples live together outside of marriage,
television, movies, and radio shows continue to lower decency standards,
incivility is at an all-time high,

So, it would appear you might be winning the war; and war it is.

Today, I went to the temple, and
I realized that there are still some places and people that you 
CANNOT TOUCH!

I was by an elderly lady; her white dress was yellowed with age, the long sleeves were fraying.  She has spent a lot of years living a life of service.  I do not know her, but her goodness and love shown on her countenance.  And, there were many more just like she is.

I spent some time this week with Allen's aunt; she is a saint.  She is 80 years old, so innocent in many ways, so pure and good; her entire life is one of service and goodness.  She is just about the happiest person I have ever known.  Her life is totally devoted to her family and her God.  Oh, she is so pleasant to be around.  You do not have hold on her joyful heart.

Allen's sister was here for a couple of days.  She is so good and so perfect; the gospel is her whole life.  She is happy, fulfilled, and now, newly in love.  She has found a man her equal who also loves God and the Gospel.  They are so devoted to each other.  She is really nearly perfect.  You do not have even a speck of space in her heart.

You have no influence on those people.  

You lost that war long ago with people like the old lady in the temple, Eunice, Donna, and so many more just like them, including the young people in my neighborhood.

Oh, you are winning some of the people out in the big wide world, but as for me, I find great joy being with people whose lives you have no influence over.

Sometimes you get me...I feel filled with guilt, grief, sorrow, sadness, despair.

And, then I realize that is just what you want me to feel.  I am giving in to the feelings you want to use to destroy my equilibrium.

So, I'm writing to let you know that you don't have everyone, and as for me, I'll keep fighting to keep you away from me too.

LGH

Finding Joy in Daily Life

In a ward in Alexandria, Virginia, the speakers' talks were on guilt and how it can be healthy or destructive. At times, I thought they were both speaking only to me; it was as if they were focused right on me and no one else. Both speakers were lawyers and they were organized, spritual, and helpful. At the end of Hannah Smith's talk, she reminded us all that we are here to have JOY each day. Of course, I've heard that so many times in all kinds of church meetings, but it really resonated with me that day. I made a decision that I would find JOY each day. And, I have tried to do that since that day long ago...well, okay three weeks!

So, let me tell you about JOY Friday, Nov 15; we were having some very dear friends for dinner - Jim & Hermoine Erickson, Al & Ellen Hale - and I was in the kitchen fixing a salad. I love our kitchen: it's clean, very well organized, and has lots of workable space. (Sometimes I think of the kitchen where my mother fixed her fabulous meals and I want to weep because she had such a tiny space to work with and yet, her meals were so delicious with so many choices.) I realized while putting that shrimp/lime jello salad together that I was grateful for so many things, and I felt absolute JOY. It was a wonderful moment.

Later that night, seated around the table enjoying a marvelous meal prepared by Allen, with our dear friends, we were having such a great time - oh, the stories - I felt JOY again. We laughed so hard and I loved being in their presence; good, positive, hard-working people whom I love very much. It was definitely a day of JOY.

Just as a side note, one of the very funny stories was about a friend of Al's who was very close to dying with heart trouble when he was given a new heart belonging to a young woman. At the class reunion, Al asked the man's wife how he was doing, and she said, "Really well." Al said, "Have you moticed anything different about him?" And, the wife said, "Well, yes. Whenever we're shopping, he always want to stop and look at purses and shoes!" We all had a good laugh over that. Jim Erickson then said that his oldest son isn't married and the first thing he asks a girl is how many pairs of shoes she has...if it's close to 200, he's not interested.