May the 4th Be With You....or Star Wars Day

It is 8:25 p.m. The sun is sinking behind us and the window here in the loft holds a peaceful view of the calm lake and the brilliant light reflected in the windows across the way.  Joggers and walkers pass by and the ducks and swans float on the surface of the water.  It is chilly, but the dramatic clouds that threatened rain all day are gone.

It was our turn to take the bus to Church.  I wore my winter coat and was so happy to have it.  The temperature was in the 40's but the wind made it cold!  The bus route had changed so it was a bit of an adventure....which is always fun.  We still made it in good time....45 minutes with 15 minutes to spare for visiting with the members.

Testimony meeting is always an inspiration and I was touched by all that was said.  People express their faith in Heavenly Father and in His plan for us with such honesty and depth.  We have been in this little branch for nearly 7 months and I marvel that every Fast and Testimony meeting is fresh and new.

Our Sunday School lessons (we have two every other Sunday....the odd Sundays we have Relief Society...our block is only 2 hours long) today were each marvelous.  Our first one was taught by our Fairy Tale prince, who spoke of seeking the truth.  He told a little bit of his conversion story.  He is from Sweden and said that he was successful and trying to be a good person but felt unrest and discontent....he was not happy, and he wanted to be.

He prayed and felt a strong prompting to come to Denmark.  He had felt that before and had ignored it. That time he obeyed and moved to Copenhagen.  There he met the pretty ballerina, and asked others around them what made her so happy.

The lovely thing about their answers were that everyone around her knew exactly what made her happy because she had told them.  They were able to tell him that it was her church and her faith....and they even gave him a little rundown on Mormonism!

Now he is very happy....his zest for life and his happiness are contagious.  He and Christina have been married for around 6 years.

The other lesson was from a YSA...a passionate young man who is in school pursuing his dreams.  He spoke of Moses who never entered the Promised Land.  But before leaving his people, Moses wanted to help them remember God.  That led to a question asking for scriptures that speak of life's purpose and a question about what physical reminders we have in our homes that help us remember God.

That was a very interesting discussion as many had wonderful ideas about what they do in their lives.

It reminded me of keys.  Erin sent me these plastic keys which I attached to the wall.  We have been talking about gratitude in relation to keys, specifically that "Gratitude is the key to happiness."

It has been a lesson I have learned and relearned.  It is difficult to say why it happens,but I know that throughout my life, when I have stopped to thank the Lord for all the blessings that He has sent into my life, my spirits are lifted.  It also happens when I take the time to thank others for their kindness to me.

A few weeks ago I was discouraged and a little homesick.  I went to the loft and sat down, and looked up at those keys.  So I prayed.....and thanked the Lord for everything I could think of that was good in my life.  And like every other time, I began to feel better.

Dinner and a great game of "Nines" at the Thornes rounded out a beautiful day.....well the real toppers for the day were a cute little video of Melissa and Eliza reciting names of simple objects (When we get home, Eliza will know more English than we learned of Danish.) and a Facetime visit with Erin, Melissa, Lia and Carolyn. What a wonderful treat.....Wow!  What a happy happy blessing.



It has been a beautiful day....May the 4th be with you!