More work on the house

This was more of a relaxing week.  I think that's because both Tom and I... and Nathan were still feeling a bit under the weather. Speaking of weather, it was chilly this week... and rainy and foggy.  So it was a great time to stay inside in front of the fire.  And there's a lovely sofa there that may have been used for some napping.

I really had no writing work that had to be accomplished.  I was waiting for a book contract to come through.

Tuesday, Thursday and Friday I went over and worked on the house.  Most of the destruction is finished and we are on to cleaning in preparation for painting.  Although as you clean you see that a door trim is not set properly and so the hero comes in and dismantles the door frame and fixes is.  Or there needs to be caulking in this place or that...  But it almost feels like we are moving ahead.  Tom painted some of the gold fixtures a pewter color and they look much better.  So we took down the elaborate crystal chandelier and dismantled it and painted it.  Now we have to see if we can remember how to put it back together.

Tuesday I took a sister to her dental appointment.  Friday I had volunteered to take the sister missionaries to West Plains for their meeting-- RS was to do the lunch for them-- but they were predicting ice and so I chickened out.  Probably it would have been fine... but... the sister missionaries drove themselves.

I got some books for Christmas and have stayed up late too many nights reading them.  I've finished them all now, and so it's time to get back to work.

Sunday was a busy day for me. I left the house at 6:40am and drove to a ward conference about 1.5 hours away. We had early morning training, then meetings— I taught the Relief Society lesson— then lunch, visits to sisters that needed visiting, then Stake council meeting. I left there a little before 5 pm. It was a long, dark, foggy ride home. I had to travel slower to be safe. But on the trip up and back I got to see a variety of deer including about 6 deer crossing the road and a flock of turkeys wandering on the road.

The lesson spoke about the blessings of the restoration. There are things that we know as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that no other people know. We have priesthood authority in an unbroken line back to the Savior. We know:

• ·         The nature of the godhead— that God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are distinct personages and God and Jesus have bodies and look like us.
• ·         The Book of Mormon as a companion to the Bible and proof the Joseph Smith was a prophet, Jesus Christ is our Savior, and this church is His church.
• ·         The eternal nature of the family- that it is an essential unit on earth and in the eternities.
• ·         That little children are innocent and not accountable for their sins until they are 8 or know right from wrong if they have mental disabilities.
• ·         That those who died without the knowledge of the Gospel can learn it and be saved.
• ·         That as children of God we are His literal children and heirs. We are not mortals having a spiritual experience; we are spirits having a mortal experience. As His children we have the promise to grow up and become like Him if we are faithful.
• ·         Modern revelation— God still speaks to his prophets today to guide and bless us.

    To me it is a source of great joy and hope.