You Think You Know Somebody...and Sometimes You Just DO!

I had a lovely birthday yesterday...lovely because my family was around me and lovely because my family and friends remembered me from afar.

I discovered this today...my blog friend Cherry (don't you just love that name!?) figured out that we share a special day. In addition to being my birthday yesterday, it was also her 15th wedding anniversary. Sweet gal that she is, Cherry shared the cake that she baked for her hubby...with me (online anyway) for my b-day! The gesture was twice as sweet when I realized that the cake she had made was identical to the cakes that my mom has made for birthdays over the years.

"Maybe not a coincidence at all..." was Cherry's comment about us sharing an anniversary/birth date. And when I saw the cake I just had to agree...

Have you ever felt like you just knew someone, even though you had only just met? I have. I believe that is because we are all sons and daughters of God, and we knew each other before our earthly journey began. I'm sure I knew Cherry...and I feel that I know her now although we've never even met!

I also feel that the Lord knows me and is aware of me. I have never seen His face, but I have felt His influence in my daily life, and I know that He is real. He shows me, often through the kindness of others, that He cares about what happens in my life. And I have found that things that seem like "coincidences" rarely ever are.

PS: To the two people who gave me the exact same homemade gifts yesterday...I'm flattered that you "know" me so well and love me enough to make something for my special day. I love you, and I'll love using both gifts!!

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Something For Everyone

Let me introduce you to...Russell M. Nelson, an apostle of the Lord, Jesus Christ, as drawn by my 3-year old son during today's session of General Conference. He looks so Muppetish, I love it!

We have really enjoyed listening to/watching General Conference this weekend in our home. The kids have been really well-behaved and attentive during the hours of meetings. And it only took a bag of M&Ms, a bag of Twizzlers, a bag of Dum-dums, a few packs of stickers, a bowl full of crayons, a notebook of paper, and a table full of blocks to keep them happy!

I really loved President Monson's recounting of how hundreds of children in the church did service for others as a birthday present to our beloved prophet. They filled a bowl with "warm-fuzzies" for each good deed and mailed it to him--priceless. Children are certainly prized in the church and by the leaders, and that was evident to me this weekend.

The Lord loves children. And children love the Lord.

Children are so sensitive to the promptings of the Holy Ghost and so quick to follow those promptings. Although the sugar certainly sweetened the deal, I believe that it was the Spirit that touched my children this weekend, making it a sweet experience for all of us.

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