We celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary. After a volleyball tournament (our girls took
1st).
I hurried home and
Brant took me (the old ball and chain aka Cannon ball) out to dinner with some
friends. We had a great time. Sunday he shared his testimony, which I
enjoyed.
Life has been so busy and because our anniversary fell on a
Monday we took out our wedding books and told the kids dating stories and then
exchanged gifts. We had a good laugh
about how we both picked food and how well we know each other. Brant and I go
together perfect like Oreos and milk. He
must know me so well getting me this delicious fruity drink. Brant and I take turns on our anniversary’s
he does the odd years and I do even. So
to celebrate his favorite number he was lucky enough to win ski lift passes and
we experienced Skiing for the first time.
The night before I was so apprehensive I was checking Youtube for
instructions and Brant was reassuring me that everything was going to be fine.
When we started out it was hard, I couldn’t get my skis to work together and I
was frustrated. I was watching this
couple (we called them Red Pants) He was patiently teaching her what he
obviously knew well how to do and she caught on so quickly. Brant couldn’t do this so we were both
figuring it out as we went. After about
the tenth fall on the bunny hill he asked if this was the worst anniversary
date ever, I said well it isn’t the best.
We stayed at it and eventually got the hang of it, by the end we didn’t
want it to end! We had a great time.
On the ski lift Brant said “You are really doing a great
job”. He talked about how skiing was
just like me, I get so nervous about changes. I approach new things with apprehension and
need a lot of reassurance but I end up being better at it than I thought. He really knows me so well. He handled skiing just like he does life too,
“that sounds fun, it can’t be that tough lots of people can do it, so can I”. At the first he gets frustrated until he
figures it out, he does great and even when it is harder than he thought he
still wants to continue. In the end he
doesn’t seem to remember the struggle, the crashes, or the falls. He keeps his focus on the fun!
Skiing parallels marriage, at least ours. I was so scared to get married so much doubt
in my abilities to be a good wife and I still need reassurance that I’m good
enough. It has been much better than I
expected! We have had our share of
crashes and we are figuring it out as we go. There is no one I’d rather be on
this adventure with! Thank you for 13
wonderful years. We have Rocked the Bunny hill.
One of the most amazing stories of love enduring has to be
about my grandma and grandpa Johnson.
They are not actually my grandparents but when I came to live with my
aunt and uncle in Kanab they took me in as their own. They were married nearly 72 years. Grandma J passed away and my heart just ached
for Grandpa. I thought of this quote “As I held her hand and saw mortal life
drain from her fingers, I confess I was overcome. Before I married her, she had
been the girl of my dreams, to use the words of a song then popular. She was my
dear companion for more than two-thirds of a century, my equal before the Lord,
really my superior. And now in my old
age, she has again become the girl of my dreams.”—President
Hinckley. That is deep, powerful and
real Love.
I taught a lesson today. I had a few of the girls share a time when
they felt loved. It was interesting that
it was when they were having a tough day and someone noticed it and did
something. One named a service preformed,
another named a time with physical affection and I couldn’t help but think of
sacrifices (in whatever form) that confirmed the love. I’m sure we have been told “I love you” long
before the experiences happened which confirmed the reality of that love. I think the secret is having and recognizing
those reconfirmations of Love. I’m
talking about genuine love. So much of
the world seems to shout IF you really Love me THEN you’ll do this. The THIS they request isn’t true love and
means they will withdraw their love. I
think it has made me resist feelings of love because with THIS love it is just obligation. I guess it struck me this week the scripture
IF you love me (then) keep my commandments.
I wrestled with this as obligatory.
But His love is not contingent, He will love us keeping or breaking the
commandments but His plea is for us to love Him, He will recognize our efforts
to express love in obeying the commandments and His love will be reconfirmed
through the spirit. When you are in love
you think you can do anything (that whole love conquers all feeling). I felt it on a ski lift, conquering a
mountain. I felt it at a funeral. And I felt that reconfirmation in
church. I felt it with the Johnson's.
I have moments of going through
the motions (obligation) but I’m grateful in our 13 years I have felt more
reconfirming moments than obligatory moments.
There is a power in the security of love that makes us better than we
are. I feel lucky to be really loved.
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