Ten Thousand

Somehow I have surpassed 10,000 page views on the blog.  I believe the exact number as I begin this post is 10,021.  This is blog post number 642 for me.  This means that on average 15 people read each post.  That is a fun little figure that I never really considered when I started this blog.  Thank you to all who read.  I hope that somehow it is uplifting in some small way.  I am sure that many of my ramblings are boring and mean nothing to many of you but I do hope that at some point something that I share will touch someones heart. 

The reality is that this is my journal and I write in it daily.  Some days are more interesting then others and I have to say this format of journaling has made me reflect more fully on the day.  It has caused me to pause and think about things.  I don't simply give the same report over and over again.  Oh, I used to, I have kept a daily journal for nearly 18 years now and I am sorry to say that many of those entries over the years consisted of the same things over and over again.  I usually began with the following:  "Wow, I am tired".  It might seem that I have lived life completely void of energy.  This is not the case.  For many entries I was just trying to write something out of habit and really didn't put much thought into it.  It is one of the last things I do each day and so I usually am pretty tired and sometimes it is just one more thing. 

Well, it isn't just one more thing, it is actually an act of faith.  I am told to keep a record of my life.  This is that record.  I don't know why, I am just told to do it.  So I trust in the Lord that this record will be of worth to someone.  I would hope that my children are strengthened by it.  I would hope that they will feel of my love for them and for the Lord.  I hope that through the things I share they will know that I have a testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, that I know Christ lives and that he is our Savior.  I know that Joseph Smith is the Prophet of the restoration and that we have a living Prophet on the earth in our day.  Today that Prophet is Thomas S. Monson.  I love him and his counselors and the other Apostles.  I know that they are called of God and I am strengthened as I listen to them and follow their counsel.  The Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ and a great blessing in my life.  I know it is the word of God and am so blessed to have it and the other scriptures as well.  I love the Lord and I love to serve Him.  That happens in many ways and can be as simple as a kind word to lift another.  There are great blessings that come into our life as we serve and love those around us.  I have a great love for the Temple.  It is The House of the Lord.  It is his classroom and we draw nearer to God as we serve there. 

Sometimes we go through life facing challenges and we cling to the things we are taught in the gospel.  There are things we have been told to do each day and they may get old, we may not see the blessings coming from saying our prayers, reading our scriptures, attending our meetings or serving in the church but I know that the blessings ore there.  And when we are down trodden or broken hearted, when our cup is empty and the burdens of life and of this world are weighing us down and we find ourselves in the depths of sorrow, when we think all is lost we find that the Savior is there.  He is watching over us and is mindful of our suffering.  He will ease our burdens and calm our troubled hearts.  I have felt his love for me many times and I know that each of us are known to Him and are loved by Him.  That love can be manifested in many ways, sometimes it is through the kindness of others who He sends to rescue us from the storm.  I am so grateful for those who hear the word of the Lord and act on it.  I hope to do the same.