Storm Clouds Make Beautiful Rainbow Skies!

 

When I walked out of work today I looked up and saw the cloud on the top left of this collage. It was such an amazing cloud that I had to stop and take a photo. In fact the sky was so beautiful I swung by the soccer fields near my work so I could take more photos of the beautiful sky. I always wonder if people think I am crazy pointing my phone at the sky. Ha ha

As the day rolled on, I saw the beautiful storm clouds move in. I didn't use to think of them as beautiful. In fact the loss of sunlight used to make me gloomy and grumpy. Thankfully events in my life a few years back taught me to look for the joy and the magic in all things. Including storm clouds. Over the last 4 years or so I have come to LOVE storm clouds. They are so fascinating and have the most beautiful shapes and textures.

The best part of my day came when I realized that those beautiful clouds, turned storm clouds, became that most beautiful sunset. I was driving home and I was dying to get there and capture the constantly changing and evolving sky. I was thankful to catch the end of it. These beautiful clouds reminded me of the blessings that can come from the storm clouds in our life. Without those clouds the sunset would not have been so beautiful! Yesterday those literal storm clouds brought about answers to a prayer in my life. No! Not a prayer for rain like you might think. 

I had been praying for the last few weeks for help to find my sunglasses. I had looked everywhere I could think of and they were nowhere to be found. They aren't special or expensive sunglasses, but I liked them and when I gave up and went to purchase another pair I was sad to see that I didn't like any of those. I decided to put the task on hold and take a look another day.

Last night the ladies at our church had a garden party in one of the church member's backyard. When I was about to get ready and go, it started to rain and I kept waiting for them to cancel the garden party. They didn't. I went, and as I walked out the door I decided to grab my rain jacket just to be safe. When I got there and I folded my arms as they said the blessing on the food, I noticed and odd shape in my chest pocket. The very rain that I had been cursing because I was worried it would ruin the party was the answer to my prayer to find my sunglasses. Without that rain I never would have thought to check that pocket for those glasses. Without an event with a prayer on the food I still might have missed that the sunglasses were there. My prayer was answered and the garden party had just a little rain right at the beginning. The rest of the evening was lovely.

I'm so grateful that the Lord 

knows what he's doing 

when he sends me rain clouds! 

Sermons from a Sunday

Birthday Lesson's

for a Granddaughter

Today is the 135th birthday of my Great Grandpa, Ezra Kunz. While I was sitting in church today my Family Search App sent me a notification about his birthday. That reminder made me so happy. I sent it on to my son and got a smile from him as well. I did know my grandpa, but I don't really remember him since he passed away when I was only five. After a moment of happiness, remembering what I know about him, the Lord took the opportunity to teach me a sermon through my grandpa. 

You see I have been struggling lately. Not terribly, but I have been a bit frustrated and impatient with paying off my husband's surgery from 6 months ago while paying for the medical expenses of my son's broken arm back in May. I've grown accustomed to having a little extra and these things have made our finances tighter than I would like. Because of all this I feel like I can't live the grand life I want to live and give to my children. It's left me frustrated.

Grandpa Kunz lived during the depression and there are many stories of how my grandfather struggled to provide for his family. One of those stories, told by my Great Aunt Thekla is her recollection of gathering weeds with her mother from a field near their home. They were gathered in order to make a stew for the family supper. As I sat in church thinking of my grumblings of feeling like a "poor pauper" I realized that I was more rich than I realized. I also realized that no matter what you are lacking in wealth and influence in worldly ways, you make up for with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

My grandpa may have truly been a "poor pauper" but his examples and influencial stories live on. He lived a long and decent life. He and my grandma had been married for 75 years when he died. They raised a good family and he had a wonderful testimony of paying tithing to the Lord. A testimony that had helped my testimony of tithing to grow.

I was also blessed by an unspoken sermon this morning in church. My friend was speaking in church and her 4-year-old daughter wanted to be on the stand with her mom. She was very unhappy with her dad for telling her she couldn't go up on the stand. As she was laying unhappily in the isle a mother and her young son from the other side of the chapel discretely slid across the large row of pews in the middle of the chapel so they could sit across the isle from the young girl. I saw as the mother, who was new to our ward (congregation), encouraged her son as he shared some of his crackers with the little girl. The young girl then began sharing her snacks with the boy. My heart was warmed as I watch these young children serve and lift up one another. What a blessing it is so be taught the gospel of Jesus Christ in church and from my family.   

Truly I am rich in Christ!