Still Riding that Thanksgiving Wave

No, I am not late to the party. Yes, I understand that Thanksgiving is over and Christmas is upon us. Even so, I am still riding the Thanksgiving wave.

Have you had one of those snippets of time where you are completely and absolutely in awe? I had one of those snippets, and it has lasted five days- so far – and it feels so very good. Coincidentally, those days corresponded exactly with this Thanksgiving holiday.

And the reason for the sense of awe? An overwhelming sense of gratitude. Great timing, don’t you think?

Here’s how it went down, and why it impacted me so much: (Yes, highly personal stuff here – probably light on laughs today.)

1. In the wee hours of Wednesday morning, my son and daughter who live in Utah arrived home safely after a long drive. It is always so great to have them all home. I will always worry when they are on the road. They will just have to learn to live with it.
2. Wednesday evening my son proposed to a wonderful young woman, and she said, “Yes.” They are so great together, and will be so good for each other. They have done it right so far, and will be tying the eternal knot in a few months in the Gilbert, Arizona Temple. We are thrilled.
3. Thursday we enjoyed a Thanksgiving dinner with all my siblings and their families. I have two, a brother and a sister who are both so rock-solid that I find strength through them.
4. My daughter and I ran over to the temple on Friday afternoon to do some initiatory for ancestors I have searched out. She is a “Temple Goer” with a capital “T.”
5. On Friday night my almost-missionary son received his endowment, surrounded by people who love him. I could not be prouder of him. There was an indescribable joy sitting with three of my sons, while my wife sat with my daughter and wonderful daughter-in-law. Only one of my kids was not with us, but he was downstairs in the baptistry with my brand-new almost-daughter-in-law, offering the saving ordinance of baptism to some of our ancestors.
6. Saturday, it was back to the temple to witness the sealing of a young man who was baptized under my watch some years ago. This young man was baptized as a teenager – against all odds. His journey has been “Herculean.” Seeing him kneel across from his sweet new wife filled my soul with happiness, and a recognition of how blessed I have been to be a part of his life and journey.
7. And every night we have gathered around a table –all of us – to eat, and laugh, and visit, and just enjoy being together. There was no tension, no rivalry, no criticism. It was beautiful. It is truly satisfying to see your kids turning into strong, righteous, and interesting adults.

It was the kind of weekend you spend you whole life working for. Praying for. Hoping for. To see it all come together was invigorating.

Some of these things can be experienced by any family. But some of them can only happen within the Lord’s Kingdom. The experiences that have both echoes and promises of eternity can only happen when the sealing power of the priesthood is in play. Eternity together has never felt so real, and so attainable. This is what we live for. This is what gives us purpose – both in mortality and eternity.

Invigorating and uplifting, yes. But also very humbling. Because I know that I have no claim on the workings of the Lord.

In one of the great religious discourses of all time, King Benjamin made it crystal clear:

“O how you ought to thank your heavenly King!

“I say unto you, my brethren, that if you should render all the thanks and praise which your whole soul has power to possess, to that God who has created you, and has kept and preserved you, and has caused that ye should rejoice, and has granted that ye should live in peace one with another—

“I say unto you that if ye should serve him who has created you from the beginning, and is preserving you from day to day, by lending you breath, that ye may live and move and do according to your own will, and even supporting you from one moment to another—I say, if ye should serve him with all your whole souls yet ye would be unprofitable servants.” (Mosiah 2:19–21.)

Simply put, God will never be in debt to me.  He will never owe me. I am the one in debt – and always will be the one in debt. If I ever look to the skies and cry out, “You owe me!” then I have either lost my way, or lost my mind.

That leaves me to be grateful. This weekend, I am finding it remarkably easy. I find myself wiping my eyes at the oddest times. I find myself thinking about how sweet it all is.

A long time ago, when my EC was pregnant with our second baby, we had this brief period of ignorance where we wondered of we would be able to love Baby #2 as much as Baby #1. (I know we aren’t alone)  Boy, were we naive! The heart is remarkably elastic, and has the ability to grow and envelope. Our capacity to love increases as new people are introduced to our families and our lives. What was once a family of two is soon to be a family of ten – and we love them all. Even the brand new ones. (Especially the baby one.) You hear that God loves all his children? I get that.

Please don’t mistake my joy for pride. I know that the gentle, righteous nature of my EC has had a huge impact on both me and my kids. I am also fully aware that we have been blessed with spirits that have desired to be obedient. There are plenty of more capable, more faithful parents who struggle mightily with more challenging kids. “There but for the grace of God…” 

I am thankful to my Heavenly Father and my Savior. I am deeply grateful to have been blessed to spend my mortal journey with such  wonderful people. For a few more hours, are all safely gathered in.

As far as the “cost” goes, it is worth it.  All of it. No matter the energy and dedication required, or the inconvenience or reluctance that I sometimes feel, weekends like this remind me that it is worth it. I am trying to soak it in, and share my gratitude with God. I know that the “Trials of Mortality Machine” will re-engage soon enough, but for now, for this small snippet of time, I will enjoy the peace, and the love. I will also feel thankful that I noticed, and thankful that my spirit was sensitive enough to revel in the gratitude.

I do stand all amazed.