A Diamond In The Rough

After today, I believe in miracles. Actually, I have always believed in miracles, for I have witnessed them many times, but today's miracle is the newest addition to my collection.

As written in my last post, we updated our kitchen desk area this weekend. While Alan was painting, it was my job to go through the drawers and toss anything that wasn't needed. While cleaning out one drawer, in the corner I saw what looked at first glance like a cheap gem stone. Upon looking closer, it looked more like a genuine diamond. What? How could that be? It then struck me that the day we moved into our house exactly 25 years ago this month, I lost the diamond in my engagement ring. Could this be that diamond? 

After noticing the diamond missing from my ring 25 years ago, I spent some time over a few days looking for it, but diamonds are very elusive and so hard to see...and it could have been anywhere...from the rental house in Quartz Hill, to the car, to the hospital where Cheryl got her appendix removed, to this house. I knew it was an exercise in futility to even search for it, so I gradually gave up the search. I ended up purchasing a new diamond for the ring.

After finding this new gem, I didn't actually know if this was a real diamond or not, so I looked online to see how to determine whether a diamond is real or fake. One suggested test was to fill a clear glass 3/4 full of water. If the diamond sinks to the bottom, it is real. Excitedly, I proceeded to put this stone to the test. 

Thankfully, it sank to the bottom. Elated, I asked Alan to look at it to see if he thought it was real. We both looked at it under a magnifying glass. It looked real to us and it sparkled under the light we were using. My excitement grew.

Here is a photo I took of it.

A close-up of the stone.

I still need to take it to a jeweler tomorrow to see if it is real, but am very optimistic that it is. 

God blesses us in so many ways. He grants us tender mercies to remind us that He is there and that He cares. I might finally be reunited with the diamond Alan gave me on bended knee so long ago - my personal miracle. My cup runneth over!

UPDATE: I had the stone evaluated today (5/29/18) and it was, indeed, real. Most likely it is my original diamond. So pleased with this outcome! I'm thinking of making it into a pendant.

A Working Holiday

Today is Memorial Day. Because of that, Alan had a 4-day holiday from work. We didn't really have any plans, so I suggested that it might be a great weekend, before the weather gets too hot, to update our kitchen desk area like we have the bathrooms and the hall display case. It was Alan's choice since he is the one who has to do all of the work. He decided to forfeit his free time to work instead. And, yes, it was a lot of work over all four of the days. However, the results were worth it, in my opinion.

This isn't a great picture, but the desk and cabinets were a honey oak to begin with.

A work in progress.

The final result.

Our goal was to have the cabinets match our kitchen cabinets and the desk top to match our granite counter-tops in the kitchen.

I think we achieved our goal. Alan does good work. I'm so grateful that he was so willing to sacrifice his holiday weekend to help beautify our home. Love you, Alan!!!

Update on The Living Christ Challenge

One week ago today, I accepted the challenge from our Relief Society Presidency to memorize "The Living Christ" document. I started memorizing it last Sunday right after church, knowing that it would not be easy. Memorization is difficult, especially for senior citizens like me.  Surprisingly, by Friday I had pretty-much memorized the whole thing. I was amazed by that and very impressed with myself.

One good thing that came from studying and memorizing the document is that my mind was focused the whole week on Jesus Christ. My testimony of Him and my love & appreciation for what He did for me grew tremendously. No one else has had such a positive impact on mankind through all ages of time. I'm grateful to know of Him and to know Him. He truly lives!

Youth Celebration - Jordan River Temple Edition

Whenever a new temple is built or  remodeled on a grand scale, it needs to be dedicated in order for it to be set aside for the work of the Lord. All new meetinghouses and other church buildings are dedicated as well. 

The Jordan River Temple has been under reconstruction for over two years. It was rededicated a week ago today.

In preparation for the reopening and dedication of the temple, the youth in that temple district have been having many activities that were focused on the importance of the temple. Our grandchildren, Ethan & Ella, were involved in many of those activities. I'm so happy about that. Temples and the work done therein are very important to me and bring me much joy. I hope for that excitement about temples to dwell within the hearts of my grandchildren. Life-saving ordinances are performed there that cannot be obtained anywhere else on the earth.

It is customary for the youth to put on a "celebration" through music, drama, and dance the day prior to the dedication. The celebration for the Jordan River Temple was performed at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City. I was pleased to hear that Ethan was involved with that celebration. He performed in the orchestra. They did a great job.

Ethan is playing the oboe. He plays 3 other instruments (piano, saxophone, & clarinet) and wants to learn to play the guitar now - YES! He is amazing. I love that he has a love for music. (Ethan - top right of picture with teal colored tie)

Ella wanted to participate in the celebration too, but, sadly, after one try-out to participate in with the dancers, she found out that she had a conflict with her dance company so she wasn't available on the day of the performance.

Such a beautiful temple!

Challenge Accepted

For the past few months, our Stake has placed a big emphasis on getting closer to Christ by study and by prayer. We are encouraged to learn about Him and become more like Him by striving to emulate his many attributes. 

Today in Relief Society, we were challenged to memorize "The Living Christ". This document was issued by the Church to the world on January 1, 2000 and was signed by all 15 apostles at the time. It is the testimony of the Apostles of the divinity of Christ.

"The Living Christ" is quite long and will take some effort to memorize, but the Relief Society Presidency has divided it into 10 parts and made us some laminated cards to carry with us as an aid. 

By dividing this into smaller portions, it should be easier to conquer. This is the document:

Truthfully, I have tried to memorize it before, but gave up before I could even get the 1st paragraph down. Yet, I am determined to memorize this. My desire to be successful is at a fever pitch. Because of this, I know I will be able to do it. I have been working on it today and I am half way through the second card. Not bad for an old lady like me, right?

I am excited about this challenge and have faith that I can memorize it. With God, all things are possible, right? Wish me luck!!!

A Virtuous Woman

Yesterday I had the opportunity of teaching Relief Society to all of the sisters in our ward. It was Mother's Day, and to make it special for all the sisters, the Priesthood took over Primary so those sisters could join us in Relief Society. The Young Women leaders and the Young Women also joined us. The Relief Society room was completely full. I loved it. I felt a real closeness with the sisters as I taught the lesson. I wish we could all be together like that every single week!!!

As a Stake, we have been studying one Christ-like attribute each month as listed in "Preach My Gospel." This month, the attribute is virtue. 

In Proverbs 31:10 we read: "Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies." 

During my lesson, we talked about virtue and how it is a pattern of thought or behavior based on high moral standards. A woman of virtue will be set apart from the world because of her high moral values. That's why her price is far above rubies.

Jane shared a story with me that I shared with the class. When her son Ben was growing up he played on lots of basketball teams - school and travel teams. One time, while in St. George for a tournament, Jane and Ben saw a familiar young man come out of the locker room wearing a ruby necklace. Curiosity got the best of Jane so she asked him what the significance of the ruby necklace was, if any. He said that at some point in age his father gives each of the boys in the family a ruby necklace to wear to remind them to look for a virtuous woman. When he finds her at marriageable age, he can marry her and give her the necklace.

I love that story. I wish I had thought of doing something like that for my sons when they were younger. Not only does the necklace remind them to look for a virtuous woman, but also to stay virtuous themselves so that they will be worthy of that virtuous woman. 

I decided that I needed a ruby necklace to wear as a reminder to always remain virtuous and to remind me of my worth, so I ordered one for myself as a gift from Alan for Mother's Day (sneaky). I wear a CTR ring on my right hand to remind me to choose the right and now I have a ruby necklace around my neck as a reminder of my worth. It makes me happy to wear it. I will strive to be the virtuous woman that God wants me to be.

Back Saga Continued

Yesterday I went to see Dr. Bae in Santa Monica for a second opinion on the condition of my back and possible solutions to the problem. Dr. Bae was recommended to me from a friend at the temple, Sister Charlotte Thompson. Dr. Bae did surgery on her back a few years ago and it wasn't as invasive as the type of surgery that Dr. Misra is recommending for me. I was hoping that Dr. Bae would have a different suggestion than the surgery Dr. Misra recommended. That was not to be! Dr. Bae basically recommended the exact same surgery if I were to have surgery, but he suggests that I not have surgery at all. The reason for this is because if he did the 4 disc fusion, in about 5 years I would need another fusion above those 4 discs. Then, 5 years later I would need another fusion above those other discs and the problem would continue like that all the way up my spine, with each fusion being less effective than the last. Quite the dilemma I'm in. 

In some ways, I feel like this recommendation from Dr. Bae is a life sentence of living with the pain, but I'm determined not to get discouraged or let it get me down. I'm going to try to stay positive and look at this as a learning experience. God doesn't give us more than what we can handle. I know that to be true. I can do this!

Here is my game plan for now: I am not going to have surgery. I am going to continue with the acupuncture treatments along with occasional therapeutic massages to keep my muscles loose. I am going to exercise regularly to strengthen my core, which should help my back. I've been doing that for years and will continue to do so. I will lose weight to relieve stress on my back. Hopefully these actions will benefit me enough that I can have a fairly normal lifestyle. I may have to rely on pain pills, but not the narcotic kind. I definitely don't want to get dependent on those! I HATE pain pills, but I also hate back pain.

With regard to weight loss, I have found out why it has been so difficult to lose weight recently. A week ago, I had a physical at Joshua Medical Center. This was in follow-up to last year's physical when the PA, Kay Roberts, discovered through a blood test that my thyroid levels were quite low. He said they would keep an eye on it and that I was to come back in a year to be tested again. This time the thyroid level was even lower so I am currently taking Levothyroxine, a thyroid pill to bring my numbers up to a normal level. I will return in 6 weeks for a follow-up blood test to see if the pills are working.

One purpose of the thyroid gland is to regulate the metabolism. My hope is that by getting my thyroid back to normal it will improve my chances of losing weight. My fingers are crossed!

Package Dilemma

I have a history of problems occurring after ordering packages online. One time, I received a used computer instead of a used waffle iron. Another time, my blog book I had ordered was removed from the box and a random manuscript was inserted in its place. The box was then resealed and left on my front porch. Lastly, I ordered a kitchen utensil and received a whole set of pots and pans instead. However, never before yesterday have I ever received a package like this one. 

It felt a little light as I retrieved it from the mailbox and carried it into the house. Boy, was that an understatement. I was completely surprised when I opened it and found out that....

...it was completely empty. How does that even happen?

I went to the Amazon site and requested a refund after explaining the problem. A free refund was granted. All they asked was that I return the original product using the return label supplied. Since I hadn't received the product, how was I supposed to return it? Was I supposed to stick the label on the empty envelope and mail it back? Crazy!

Well, today I finally found a "contact us" button to push at Amazon so I could chat with a representative. Fortunately, he straightened everything out. We should be getting a replacement package in a couple of days. I sure hope it doesn't arrive empty.