Easter!

We had quite the busy Easter today! We went to Sioux City for a regional broadcast and to meet with the patriarch for Lee's patriarchal blessing. I'm THRILLED to announce that we actually made it to the church EARLY!!! Apparently getting nearly everything organized the night before is going to work out for us.

Lee's blessing was amazing. I'm very lucky to be married to him. I'm very thankful to Sis. Wilkensen for watching kids she's never seen before on an Easter Sunday so that I could be there for his blessing. We also ran into Pres. Faldmo and got temple recommends too! The conference was over at 12pm and we didn't leave until about 1:45. Luckily, the kids held it together for Sis. Wilkensen right up to the end and only screamed for a couple minutes before we returned to retrieve them.

I usually don't say much on the spiritual front on my blog, but today I'm going to. I'm very thankful for the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. I'm thankful that I don't have to wander the world looking for spiritual peace and all the answers to the mysteries of life. I have that in my life already. More than anything, I'm thankful for the atoning sacrifice of Christ and all that it means for me. Without it, there wouldn't be anything to hope for. I know that when we follow His commandments to the best of our abilities, He deeply blesses our lives and makes up the difference. I have a first-hand knowledge of the blessings to be obtained from obedience in my life. I've had a lot of obedience, and a lot of disobedience, and I am thankful that I am able to see the difference in my life. The doctrines of Christ provide sure footing in a random world and I am so thankful to have it. Since I was not raised Christian and my first associations with the Bible were mostly from a Mormon perspective, I am very thankful for the clarity that the Book of Mormon and modern revelation lends to the words of the Bible. Many years after becoming LDS, my former mother-in-law gave me a Bible from a Christian bookstore that had lots of annotations and revisions by the latest and greatest of Christian scholars. The thing that stood out to me was how much of these annotations essentially said "we have no idea what this part is referring to". These plain doctrines in the Bible didn't fit in with traditional Christian ideology and thus confounded even the most knowledgeable scholars. When I read the sections, the meanings were clear and simple to me because of my knowledge of Christian doctrines that are apparently unique to the LDS faith. I'm thankful that the clear path of Christ is available for all of us to follow and incorporate into our personal lives. Above all, I'm thankful for personal revelation, the ability to repent, and communication with the Lord through constant prayer.

We had a great time today full of candy and bunny stories, but it was also humbling for me to be present for the restored Priesthood in action through the patriarch. It is a bit overwhelming to consider all of the responsibilities we have in this world and all the blessings that are available if we just live in service to one another. Our service can bless others and come around again to bless us. To all my sister Vermillionaires, I love you all and I'm so thankful to have you ladies in my life. To everyone else, I love you guys too, but these girls out here are extra special and I just don't tell them that enough :) (Don't worry, I have enough love to go around!!)