The Beauty of Nature

So I'd like to start to day with the reminder of goal number 1. I need to finish before I can start over.

Well, I usually read during sacrament (no offense to my ward... it's just hard to concentrate on people I don't know....)

This great day I started reading in sunday school. I listened too... I promise. It was a good lesson on being a law biding citizen. ANYWAYS... I open my scriptures to Alma 38. I was so excited cause I KNEW that I would finish Alma today (which by the way... has taken me 3 months!!!!). So I start to read... and about 4 versus in I stop.. Cause I have all these things going through my mind and I just can't concentrate!! It was ridiculous! I had so many things going through my mind that I just wanted to go away.

So I had to get my thoughts straight.. Usually when I do that, i randomly open my scriptures and read whatever is there. Well, I open my BoM and it opens to the Index... in the J's to be exact.

But it wasn't where I opened it to that I noticed... It was what I had placed in there...

You see.. a few weeks back, I was up at the institute building and my roommate was there too. We had an hour before our class so we were walking around outside. It was a nice day. And the leaves outside were gorgeous. We had walked passed a tree when she said "look!!! That is like the most perfect leaf EVER!" So she picked it off the tree. She found a few more pretty leaves and soon she a had a collection. I looked in at the tree and though "Fall leaves are so pretty...."

When something caught my eye.... a leaf. But not just any leaf... this was a very special leaf..

It was in the shape of a heart.

So I plucked it off the tree. Just the one. And I held on to it carefully. I stuck it in my scriptures in a random page... and that was the last of it.

I had completely forgotten about it. Until today.

When I opened to that page and saw that most perfect heart shaped leaf... it made me think...

"It's moments like this that remind me that God loves me."

I don't know how many of you know this... but Colette and I have a pinecone that hangs from our ceiling. You may think it's dumb... but it really truly is... the best thing I've ever owned. It's the perfect Pinecone... and every day it reminds me that God loves me.

Also... about two months ago... Colette came across a rock on the ground... a heart shaped rock.

You may think it's stupid... But I appreciate the daily reminders I get from my Heavenly Father.

People need to start slowing down their fast track lives... and just take a look around. The signs of God are all around us.

THE SNOW! After church today... we had a linger longer.. But I decided I didn't really want to go. My roommates wanted to stay. So my first thought was "yes! snow!" I told them I was going to head home.. they insisted they drive me home. I told them I was fine. And after about 5 minutes of back and forth 'arguing'... I started my walk home.. Oh how perfect it was. And not nearly as cold as expected.

It was perfect. And I loved every bit of it.

God Loves Me. And He reminds me every day.