Our feast - mostly spiritual but some temporal, too.

Russell M. Nelson –

• “Now is the time to prepare to die – tomorrow may be too late.”
• We need to align our goals with God’s goals.
• “We live to die and we die to live – in another realm.”

Thomas S. Monson –

• “When God speaks and man obeys, that man will ALWAYS be right.”

Joseph B. Wirthlin –

• An unkind word can have long-lasting consequences.
• “Kindness is the essence of greatness.”
• If you criticize others, you weaken the church.  If you strengthen others, you strengthen the church.

Lynn G. Robbins –

• Sacrifice is never convenient.
• Crisis doesn’t create one’s character, it reveals it.

James E. Faust –

• The home should be a place of holiness, where we prepare our children to experience the holiness of the temple.
• “Every moment of our lives should be Holiness to the Lord.” –Brigham Young

David E. Sorensen –

• “Trust in the Lord…lean not unto thy own understanding…He will direct thy paths.”
• “Faith and obedience are still the answers even when things go wrong, perhaps especially when things go wrong.”

Kathleen H. Hughes –

• “You are called to represent the savior…Your hand the same as His hand.” –Henry B. Eyring

Adhemar Damiani –

• Trials are opportunities for our growth – to prepare us to receive God’s glory.
• Ask ourselves, “What does the Lord want me to do in this situation?”
• Jesus Christ has power to give us rest from pain and suffering.

Stephen B. Oveson –

• This life is good but the next one is better.

David A. Bednar –

• 1 NE 1:20 “…the tender mercies of the Lord…” – are real.
• His timing helps us to discern and acknowledge them.
• Psalms 145:9 “The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.”

President Gordon B. Hinckley –

• All mankind is our neighbor and we are to love our neighbor as ourselves.
• Make a habit of attending the temple – it crowds out evil and strengthens family and marriage.
• Be faithful to the commandments of the Lord and He will shower blessings upon you.

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Earlier this week, one of Acadia's friends went to the hospital for an operation.  Thankfully, she is doing well.  She is still in the hospital and will probably come home tomorrow.  I had explained to Cadi that her friend was sick and the doctors were going to make her better.  Then the older brother shared with everyone on the bus how the doctors had cut open his little sister's stomach and she was in so much pain she cried all day long.  Leave it to a boy...

Friday after school, Cadi and I went to the dollar store and picked out: a stuffed animal, coloring book, glitter cryaons, bubbles, a "Get Well Soon" helium balloon, and a card.  We went to the hospital to visit her and bring her these gifts.  Partly to be a good friend and let her know we were thinking of her, and partly to ease Acadia's worries that her friend was in trouble and pain.

Tonight we are taking the family dinner.  I had committed to it awhile ago (the operation had been scheduled weeks in advance, and our compassionate service committee quickly aligned dinners and sitters for the family).  Thanks to Mom's advice months ago for a easy, yummy recipe, I'm making chicken in a pot.  It smells so good!  I think we will all take the meal over to say "Hi".

I think having this experience at such a young age will be beneficial to Acadia.  I hope she is learning compassion and how to be a good friend.  I know she is.  She has made several comments regarding her friend - concern for her, missing her, thinking about her, etc.