Tuesday, October 27: Day 138

What a super cute idea, Heidi!
My friend, Heidi, sent out Halloween cards and a letter updating on the past year a lot like people send out at Christmas. I love the idea of doing it at Halloween though! I might steal the concept of this idea and do one at St. Patrick's Day because that's a holiday that Thy and I really make a big deal out of. Christmas time is so jam-packed I've never made time to do something like that. Totally loved the "Fortunately, Unforunately" pattern, Heidi. You are so clever and fun! Anyway, it inspired me to be better about sending a yearly hello to all of the friends and family who mean so much.

You know the quote, "No man is an island"? I've been thinking about that a lot lately. I think about all of the millions of moments when my life has been shaped by someone saying or doing something for me that encouraged me to be better and/or made me smile when I may not have otherwise. It also reminds me of the talk by Elder Eyring "O Remember, Remember" where he talked about how he wrote down the evidence of what God had done for him or one of his family members that day. (I can't get the video clip to embed from youtube, but here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DF01BQAcj8E) So many times those acts of kindness from others for me have been answers to prayers and gives evidence to me that God is in the details of our lives. It also encourages me to be better at doing the same for others. It's usually through another person that God answers our prayers. One of my favorite quotes is from C.S. Lewis:

“It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you can talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree, helping each other to one or other of these destinations. It is in the light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with the awe and the circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all our dealing with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics. There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations—these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit—immortal horrors or everlasting splendours…Next to the Blessed Sacrament itself, your neighbor is the holiest object presented to your senses. If he is your Christian neighbor, he is holy in almost the same way, for in him also Christ…the glorifier and the glorified, Glory Himself, is truly hidden.”
(C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory, 39-40)

I love that. "All day long we are, in some degree, helping each other to one or other of these destinations." When we were reading in seminary about Nephi dying, I had them write down a few things they want to be known for when they die, or something they want on their epitaph. One of the things I want to be known for when I die is that I was someone who helped everyone I interacted with to be better, or happier than before. If I died today I really don't think that would be mentioned but hopefully I have lots of time to do work on it.