10 Things

Today I had to go to Walmart to get my tires rotated and balanced. Here are the handful of things that crossed my mind:

1- Why is it that I can go into a store and almost always take nearly an hour or more, but when you have to do it (because you're waiting for your car) it seems like such a long time?

2- I wandered over to the books, looked through some and read part of some. I've always thought that an author's name should never be bigger than the title of the book. It's egotistical and tells you nothing about the story.

3- Have you ever noticed the treasures and odd ends you can find when your not looking for anything and just browsing? Today I found a Michael Jackson Thriller tote on sale for $2. You better believe I bought it! I'll use it for a while before it makes a grand appearance as a white elephant gift.

4- I started to get hungry but I couldn't really get any groceries since I'm leaving town. I just hate throwing out large amount of good food. It's like money right down the drain.

5- Polygamists are a mystery to me. It's so strange that I'm getting used to them and still sad we didn't have a sighting when my in-laws were in town. It's like seeing something make-believe is really real.

6- I wandered through the seasonal section that was loaded with pool toys. It really made me miss Phoenix- summer nights with good food, friends, and swimming in the backyard. I do hope we have a pool again someday. On the same note, I hope we have friends again someday.

7- I started thinking about all the things I need to get done before I leave tomorrow. Then started getting antsy about aimlessly wandering around Walmart. Time for the stress to settle in!

8- Tried some Pretzel M&M's for the first time. They've got to be my favorite! So, so yummy and 30% healthier than other M&M's (if there is any scenario in which you can classify them as healthy). I hope they don't disappear on me. The other day I saw a Mr. Goodbar in the gas station and I've been craving one ever since- can't find one. I also really miss the chewy Jolly Ranchers. Why is some of the best candy impossible to find?

9- I realized my car also needs a new wiper blade, but they didn't have it. My car has 98,500 miles on it right now. I'm about to take the great big depreciation hit! I'd be more nervous, but I'm gonna drive that thing into the ground, I love it so much.

10- Why do car services always cost more than you plan for? Ugh.

A Little Bit of Heaven

In Primary, when I was very young, we had a lesson on thinking about Jesus during the sacrament. For some reason, I've always remembered it. The teacher stressed that even though it's hard for kids to stay focused on Jesus, it's also very hard for adults to do the same. She said they had to think about work, what's for dinner, keeping kids calm and quiet, changing diapers, running errands, and on and on. I agreed that adults had a lot on their minds, but thought it couldn't possibly be that hard for them to stay concentrated for 10 minutes or so.

Then I grew up and it is as hard as she said it was all those years ago. Only now, we have even more distractions. Phones and electronics keep us entertained (because heaven forbid we go 5 minutes without that). Generally, I've tried to make a good effort towards reverence and thinking about Christ during the sacrament, but I often fail or find my mind wandering.

I remember sometime around my mission I was in some sort of class taking a personal spiritual inventory. One of the questions read, "Do you think about the Savior daily?" Of course I think about the Savior daily! How could there ever be a time in my life where that could escape me? Well- that time is now. I am embarrassed to admit it.

It's amazing how thinking about Christ for 10 minutes is a challenge. It's amazing how thinking about him daily does not come naturally. It's amazing the distractions that consume us somehow take over and keep us from paying attention to the things that are really important without us even realizing it.

Lately this has all come to my attention as, with the recent passing of my grandma, I've been thinking about heaven frequently. A friend of mine lost a child and has posted on her blog, "One of the best ways to have a little bit of Heaven in your home, is to have someone you love in Heaven." I am finding that so true. Since my grandma has left us for heaven it seems as if she's been sharing just a little, tiny glimpse of it with me. I've experienced so much peace and happiness knowing our Heavenly Father's plan and the stage of it she has just now crossed into.

It may not seem like much, but peace is so valuable. I once heard that peace is the only feeling that Satan cannot counter, confuse, construe. Peace is something you can only get from God. In a world where spirituality doesn't come naturally, or daily, or sometimes even often, it can be so easy to lose your way or simply become complacent. I know I am guilty of both. It has been so nice to have even a little peace and remind me of all the blessings that God has in store for us.

"Cousin to cousin we'll always be, Special friends from the same family tree."

My husband has 10 cousins. That's the total for both sides of his family (with the exception of a few love children that we're unaware of). He said he had some interaction with 4 of them growing up but the 4 on his dad's side were so much older than him and the 2 others on his mom's side are still not even teenagers yet. Even though he came from a big Mormon family with 6 kids, he really hasn't had the benefit of having a huge extended family.

I, on the other hand, have 28 cousins on one side, and am the oldest of 17 on the other side. So yeah- I have a whole lot of cousins. Not only do I have a lot of cousins, I actually like them and see them and have relationships with most of them. I would say my husband has a relationship with one, maybe two of his cousins, and they aren't the same ones he played with growing up. He says he always likes going to see my cousins and it's kind of a neat concept to him.

Who wouldn't love them, though? I have great cousins all over the country! I have had the pleasure of seeing most of them this past weekend since my grandma did indeed pass away and we were all gathered for her funeral. Every time we get together I can't but help think how lucky I am to have such an awesome extended family. They really are the greatest and some of my favorite people, and friends for life.