Sunday, August 5, 2012

A boy and a booger

Recently Grandma and NHL found a giant booger on the wall.  They were unable to discern the culprit and so NHL declared that there would be no swimming until the guilty party came forward.  WG6 fessed up.

Immediately after swimming WG6 stepped out of the pool and said, "Mom, that really wasn't my booger on the wall."

Little stinker.

Charity Never Faileth

When my wife and I bought our first house there was also a guesthouse on the property.  My plan was to remodel the guesthouse over the Christmas Holiday and rent it out immediately.  My wife's family chipped in a significant portion of manual labor to help us get the job done.  We saw them everyday, much to my relief. 

You see, I was in over my head.  Way over my head.  I was feeling overwhelmed.  During this time my Father-in-law said something which has always stuck with me, "What time do you want us back tomorrow?"  He didn't ask, "Do you want us back tomorrow?"  He didn't make me ask him to come back, he just asked me what time he should be there.  It was a great comfort to me to know he was going to be there, that he was planning to be there.  He didn't know it, but he taught me a very powerful lesson about how service should be given and I've never forgotten it.

I'm grateful for my Father-in-law.

Personal Revelation

When Mom died in February NHL and I started talking about moving back to where we had family.  The move to Waco was supposed to be an adventure and an opportunity to get back into manufacturing, which I felt I was good at.  I think it has ended up being both of those things.

But we have three young boys who have grandparents and a big sister in Tucson and after Mom passed it just seemed more important to be where they were.  So we began to fast and pray each Sunday.  We wanted to understand God's will regarding the move.  After a few weeks NHL was there.  She believed that God had answered her prayer and that we should move.  To me however, it felt that my prayers had gone unanswered.

Month passed.  NHL and the boys travelled home for Summer vacation.  While they were gone I received an e-mail from the agent who manages the home we were renting.  He was telling us that the folks who owned the home wanted to move back to Texas and we would have to be out by the end of July.

The need for a little guidance was suddenly more pressing.  If we moved locally we'd surely have to sign a lease for another year.  We didn't want to wait that long.  So, I went to the Temple in Dallas.  After the session I sat in the Celestial room and I prayed.  I asked Heavenly Father what I should do....nothing.  Then I felt prompted to say, "Heavenly Father, I'm going to pack up my family and move back to Tucson, will you please let me know if you'll bless that effort?"  Immediately I was overcome with emotion and a certainty that God would bless us if we moved.

When I left the Dallas Temple I began to remember guidance from our scriptures.  Doctrine and Covenants 9:7-8 reads, "You must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right.”  I had not made up my mind.  I was asking God to make the decision and I was getting nowhere.  So, not only did God answer my prayer, he also deeply rooted the process for making decisions in my mind.

I called NHL and shared my experience with her.  We spoke with her parents and made arrangements to move in with them and move back to Tucson.  My work asked me to stay on another month to help with the transition and so as of now I'm here and they're there.  I miss them very much.

Interestingly enough, a week after we'd made arrangements to move back to Tucson we received a call from the property manager stating that the owners had changed their minds and we could stay.  If we had never been pressed to make the decision we would not have made it until I found work there.

I find I'm excited about our return.