Lucky Duckie

My son absolutely loves ducks.  If I'm not mistaken, "duck" was probably his first word as a baby. He had his birthday this past week, and wanted a blue stuffed animal duck as his primary gift.

The only problem is, there are next to zero blue stuffed ducks in the marketplace.  We searched for months, well before Christmas (it was his request then too), and finally found ONE.  Not a single duck more, unless we looked into the rubber duck category.

His grandma actually found this one pictured above and ordered it, and it came just in time for his birthday.  It if would have been left up to me, he would not have received it in time, because I didn't think the odd thing around this ducky's abdomen would have been acceptable to him.  But it suited him just fine, and he loves it.

This morning, as I was preparing for a much awaited dentist appointment, I heard my boys playing with this duck.  They were calling him "Lucky Duckie".  (I realize I'm spelling ducky/duckie two different ways.  I think "Duckie" as more of a personal name... evidence that yes, I'm neurotic sometimes.)  It was fun to hear their squeaky little pretend voices, talking about Lucky Duckie as their friend who had a voice with his own desires and interests to share.  The thought came to me that I should take Lucky Duckie with me to the dentist, so that when I would be stressed out in the chair, perhaps this stuffed animal would help me smile.  I entertained the thought just enough to realize I needed to be more brave.  But it would be my first visit to have this kind of procedure, so I figured I would keep on praying and hopefully the anxiety would leave me.  I'd been nervous for weeks, and finally the day was here.

Needless to say, I walked out without the ducky, wanting to be a "big girl" and went to the appointment, carrying on with my day.  After some tense moments at check-in, the dentist she pointed out in good humor that I was dressed colorfully for the appointment.  I was wearing spring green pants.  I added to her smile by pointing out that I was also wearing green socks with shamrocks on them, for good luck, calling them "lucky socks".  (Going to the dentist has long been a cause of such anxiety, I do all I can to brighten it up.)  After we got started, and after sitting in the chair for about 75 minutes, the dentist went out to take care of some impressions for my tooth, and up in the corner of the room, wouldn't you know it, but I saw this:

It looks like someone wanted me to know that this appointment was lucky, after all.  With a half numb face and tongue, I pointed it out to the dentist, how hard we had looked for a blue ducky for my son, and we all had some good laughs on the nature of toys these days.  She said it belonged to another dentist, but since the hygienist pulled it off the shelf in the corner, I was able to find out that it is a Beany Baby toy.  Never thought to search under that name for my son's toys!

I don't know about you, but I'd say this was a pretty lucky moment.  In fact, more than lucky, I'd call it a miracle, as evidence that Jesus was with me, as were angels, helping this dentist do safe, nearly pain free work.  The entire time I was praying her hands would do perfect work, as though Christ were at the helm.  He knows best what my mouth needs.  If I'm not perfect in my faith, to heal my teeth without intervention from medical professionals, having Him guide her hands was the next best thing.  I'll take the blue ducky as a sign that my impressions were true.  He was indeed there, as I suspected.  Thank you Jesus, thank you Father.  What a gift to know I was not alone in this.    Yes, I call it a sign and a miracle, thank you so much. 

A Magic 8 Ball Miracle

I would be remiss if I didn't testify...

Had to start the post like that.  This is one of those kinds of follow-ups.

My last post I compared a Magic 8 Ball to a Liahona.  The topic of the post came to me when I was reading the verses included.  I study here and there, but often when I blog something, it's because the insight comes strong enough to my heart and mind that my intellect is then connected to the knowledge that I need to share it.  That's what I did with the last post.

It's funny because Magic 8 Balls used to be really popular when I was a kid.  We never owned one though.  To be completely honest I rarely, if ever, think of them, and when I studied Alma 37 and wrote the post, it was probably the first time in years I had thought of one.  I am confident to say that it's probably been well over 12 years that I have not even touched one, if not longer.  [And I remember thinking it would be cool if I posted a picture of one, but I didn't want to take the time to search one out and copy and paste it in here.  Ah well for the picture variety.]

Well last Thursday I had my car into the shop to get our state inspection.  I tried to set it up on Monday, but they were too full of appointments at the shop, so the soonest they could get me in was Thursday.  That day, we had struggled to figure out how to drop the van off and get the kids to school.  Typically we take two cars and drop one off the night before, and retrieve it later.  This time I had to take it in and wait.  All this, after a summer-long of repairs.  We were several days late getting it in as well.

Anyways, I sat down to read, after explaining to the mechanic owner that I'd need to stay and wait.  I hoped he didn't mind.  I pulled out a book to read, called The Emotion Code, by Dr. Bradley Nelson.  This quote at the beginning struck me as so true.

Truth is stranger than fiction, but this is because fiction is obliged to stick to probability; truth is not. -Mark Twain

I read for over an hour, and was astounded at the amazing level of truth and insight the book contained.  To put the first 45 pages briefly, it demonstrated that we are all made of molecules which are 99.9% empty space.  The empty space is what connects us, and our molecules which make up our body and spirit.  However despite this space, we are connected both physically and energetically.  We can transmit information by frequency, or the energy it takes to vibrate the molecules in connection with the air.  The information is truth, which connects us not only to our own being, but also to the space and world, and even universe around us.  It also connects us to God.  This truly makes it possible for us to "feel" God with us, and for God to "be" in connection with us.  My friend calls this "grace", and stresses this as a major point of practicing Christian meditation.  To become still enough to "feel" God through our skin, despite the fact that He possesses an immortal body.  (God is Omnipotent and Omnipresent.)  That's another post though, and probably one I don't have the words or capability to quantify.

This book also discusses muscle testing, and how to do it.  Muscle testing is a tool, similar to dowsing, lie-detector tests, heartbeat monitors or other sensors which utilizes physical elements to discover truth about either physical or otherwise difficult to detect truths.  They rely on science, energy, and vibrations.  The book linked to scientific studies and articles regarding the brain as well, indicating this is all backed up by provable science.  I really appreciated having those studies footnoted.

Well as I was reading, the mechanic came back in and out of the office to record car notes, I suppose.  I looked up at him at the desk at one point, and noticed this, sitting on the desk.

Whaaaaat?????  I just blogged about this!  I asked the owner what it was for.  He said people are always asking him stuff like, "Will my car make it if I drive it to Florida?"  He said he tells them, "I don't know!  Ask the Magic 8 Ball."

So after he left, just for kicks I picked it up and gave it a jiggle, not really thinking too hard.

It told me to "Concentrate and ask again".  Ok.  I laughed.  You've got to be kidding me.  Was I wrong in my post?

Well, I'd been stressed over a bus stop situation at my kids' school.  Long story short, it had stressed me so much that it troubled me for days.  So remembering the post, and remembering the Liahona is NOT a Magic 8 ball, I thought to ask God, "God, could this act as a Liahona?  Could you give me some peace over this bus situation?  Can I use this to get an answer on this, so I can quit stressing?"  I had felt full of confusion.

So despite saying a Magic 8 Ball is NOT a Liahona, I asked God to have an answer to the question I posed.

I looked at it again.

I prayed.  Remembering that muscle testing is a tool, I realized that God can even use things like this to give answers.  He can use ANYTHING to give us answers, we just need to be faithful to accept it as such.  So despite my post, YES, a Magic 8 Ball CAN be a Liahona.  Or at least offer some direction.  "Will Mr. ___ and Dr. ___ move the bus stop to _____?  I really would appreciate it.  I know I have not exhibited any faith in the situation or asked You before.  But please, can you change or soften their hearts so they will change the bus stop to ___?  I am exerting faith now, and would like to be free from this horrible mood that has bothered me and stressed me out now for days."  I flipped it over.

Oh boy!!!  I laughed!  I smiled!  The funk I was in shifted.  I actually believe this was an answer to my prayer, my visualization of where the new bus stop will be.  Granted I have yet to see if it will be changed, or if the school folks will give a crap and actually come out and reconsider the stop.  But I know God heard my prayer here.  So many miracles lined up.

The inspiration about Magic 8 Balls came while reading, several days before.
I couldn't get the car in the shop for 4 more days, on Monday.
The reminder to post came Tuesday morning, and it was posted.
I missed the school bus on Wednesday, causing drama and even tears, as I asked the school administrators to consider (again) moving the stop for the kids' safety. (Ack!)
I had to sit in the office on Thursday, rather than just dropping off the car Wednesday night.
My husband was moody on Thursday morning, adding to my poor mood.
I had to take 4 kids to the bus stop that morning, as a reminder of how much I dislike the drive.
The Emotion Code was my book of choice, and I actually got time to read it.
It cleared up my understanding about tools used to discern and learn truth.
The mechanic walking in the office led my attention to the desk, where the Magic 8 Ball sat.
The AHA moment was had.

This was a miracle.

Walk in LOVE this day.  God is watching and DOES love you and me.

Family History Bus: Miracles in Days

Two days ago I was at church, talking to a sweet friend who was almost like a second mom to me.  I spent many hours at her house growing up, and her daughter spent many hours at mine.  We talked about family history –she's a true expert– and I asked her for help.  She said to give her a call, and I fully intend to.

After talking to her, my family history juices were flowing.  When I got home, I decided to go traipse around a nearby cemetery.  I found information online about a year ago about a leg of my family that the bulk of whose remains were buried in a cemetery just under a mile from where I lived for over 20 years of my life.  So when I got home from church, the urge to go take pictures of headstones was almost enough to make me drop everything and run.  I found this:

I don't know how exactly we're related yet.  But I do know that we are.

And then this one:

Can you read it?  I can't.  But I know it's written in German.  And the cool thing is, it just so happens that my sister (who joined me in my traipsing) is married to a man who speaks German.  COOL!

And then I found this one:

Flanked by an American Flag and a special memorial, this plaque next to the grave marker on the right indicates that this ancestor served in the Revolutionary War.  I appreciate the marker, and the service.

Do you think this ancestor would be pleased to know that their great great great great great ??? grandson is inadvertently recognizing his efforts?  I hope so.

Upon returning home, I stumbled across this during an OCD cleaning rampage:

It's a book 486 pages long of my family history on my dad's side.  This book is priceless.  And it was just sitting on my parents' credenza, as if it had always been there.

Later in the day, I was asking my sister if she still had some family history stuff that my dad had loaned her.  She said she returned it, and it was somewhere at my parents' place.  So I looked for it, but didn't find it.  Until yesterday.

It's a giant scroll of family pedigrees.  I've been waiting to get my hands on this baby for years!!!  And there it was, just like the other book, sitting there, as if it had always been there.

And just 30 minutes ago, before I started writing, I walked into the computer room and came across this:

It's a Germen-to-English/English-to-German translator/glossary.  Very simple and easy to use.  On Sunday, when I came home from the cemetery, I had asked my sister's husb. about translating those tombstones for me.  When I found this book just now, I asked him if it was his, and if he had left it on the chair for me.  He said he hadn't.  But it was sitting there, under my camera (which I had been searching for all day).  Once again, as if it had always been there, just waiting for me to pick up.

I don't consider this a coincidence.  I'm thankful.

Zacharias and the Atonement

After finishing the BoM last week, I've had a hard time getting back started in my studying.  I had lots of ideas on where to pick up with, but for a few days, I've been kind of stagnant.

On Sunday, I wrote over at JenHeadJen about a miracle in my family's life.  Today, I saw another miracle happen.  I was somewhat pondering the idea of asking for "signs".  In Denver Snuffer's "The Second Comforter", he talks about how signs work, in a general sense.  We are warned not to ask for signs, as "a wicked and an adulterous generation seeketh a sign" (Matt. 16:4), but Snuffer points out that once we have sufficient faith and believe, we can ask for signs.  He devotes some time in The Second Comforter to this concept, however, in reading one of his other books (Eighteen Verses), he points out that we should take care when asking for signs, as they may prove to bring a challenge to the seeker.  This was the case, he shows, with Zacharias asking the angel for a sign that his elderly wife will yet bear a son.

Having just read the account in Luke 1, however, I think perhaps there is perhaps more to explore in Zacharias' faith than even what Snuffer warns, regarding signs to the faithful.  It seems as though Zacharias, in speaking with an angel, still doesn't believe the details this message from a holy messenger.

  "And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I ^aknow this? for I am an ^bold man, and my wife well ^cstricken in years."  (Luke 1:18) 

So basically, Zacharias says, "Prove it."  This, he says, moments after the angel said to him, 

"...^aFear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a ^bson, and thou shalt call his name John.
And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth."  (Luke 1:13-14)

Now I'm not going to criticize Zacharias, because I'm no scholar of scriptures, and by no means one to judge.  But I appreciate the opportunity to learn from his experience, to apply to my own "belief".  My interpretation is that for whatever reason, he didn't yet believe.  He had an angel, a messenger of God, telling him to "fear not", "thy prayer is heard", and now you're about to experience a miracle... quite similar to what the patriarch Abraham experienced.  His elderly wife – past menopause, basically – is going to conceive.  I am going to assume that the angel would have understood if Zacharias was just sheerly amazed, and saying, "Seriously?  Really?  Me, a lowly servant, beyond childbearing years, am finally going to have a son?"  

I trust God and His angels are reasonable beings, and it is easy to assume and know that they would have understood amazement at their sheer glory and power.  Even amazement at the thought of such a miracle.  But Zacharias was in the temple.  The holy temple.  There was no need for doubt as to whether or not this angel was of God, and there should have been little room for doubt as to the authenticity of the message.  It seems apparent that Zacharias just did not believe.  How do I know you're not just pulling my leg, Mr. Angel?  Prove it.

And then he left the temple, not being able to speak for many, many months.  Stuck dumb until John would be born.

At the end of Eighteen Verses, there is a talk that was given in Utah, and Snuffer included the full talk as an appendage to the book, although its content is not entirely applicable to the rest of the book.  In the talk, Snuffer expounds on the holy rooms of the temple, and what transpired in them, and how they were a preparatory testament to what would happen with the Savior as he lived out the Atonement.  Oddly enough, not even a week after finishing that book, I picked up Annalee Skarin's Ye are Gods, and picked up where I left off.  And where I picked up at, she began a discussion on the holy rooms of the temple, and what was done there, just as Snuffer did.  Both authors talked about Zacharias, and I thought how interesting, that while I never know each day where my studies will take me, here, a week before we celebrate the death and resurrection of Christ, I am able to be led to study two discussions of the activities done within the temple, Zacharias' qualifications to participate in this holiest of spaces, and how the temple ceremonies of old typified the Atonement of Christ.  

Not only learning this things was cool, but seeing how to apply them to my own life was eye opening.  I'm grateful, not only for the knowledge, but the way the Spirit led me to each account, particularly during the days before we remember these very important events.  

Pretty cool.