Thank-you

Life is good. I am making a tradition. Weekly public thank-you notes. Enjoy! Love you all.

Gnat: listening ear, juicing, Thursday night. I love you.

Dorthy:"I fell in love with this family. I learned you can fall in love with people." I am so glad you experienced Sondre Lerche. You were and are so needed!

Mom: Kefir. Friday night chat and testimony. I love you.

Camcam and James:You two are too cute for words. Really.

Sara: a text, "We need to pow-wow sometime soon. You keep coming into my mind whenever I pray." Couldn't live without you girl.

K-me: Chocolate muffins and the temple. Both big blessings for my Saturday.

Josh: Murray. Murray. And Murray. Also carne asade fries WITH Gaucamole and sour cream. Yum-o. Smile ; )

Baydon: President Howard W Hunter quote" [the temple]... is holy unto the Lord. It should be holy unto us." Simple and honest testimony. Sanctification!

If I have missed you this week, no worries. You are still in my heart. You will no doubt be mentioned in future thanks. Love you.

Missing the mark. Is your glass half empty or half full?

I've missed the speed skating. In fact, I've missed the last 7 Olympic competition days. Tonight I tuned into the mens figure skating and was reminded of how much I have enjoyed the Olympics in times past. I now resolve to watch more attentively for the next week.

I do have my reservations. My little heart is just a little crushed. I am disappointed on behalf of the athletes who just barely miss the mark. I think competition is healthy and can be the making of many. Even in the making, my instinct is to buffer, to soothe, even shield. I am helpless as a spectator, although those noise makers at basketball games are slightly deceiving-I almost believe they could distract a professional athlete from making a free throw. My head tells me to be a little braver but my heart says enough is enough. Sheesh.

This is a very real thing for me. I shy away from it all. It screams out "lesson on character building" or "what is integrity?" even "what does this say about you?" and then of course, "what can you learn from this?" Still, I shy away.

I've contemplated various reasons why I do shy away. I have two left feet. My attention span is short. I don't have enough will power? Maybe if I was more.... . It must be a defect in my character. But my friends, it's not so much any of those things! I just think it's not for me. Surely if I had a mind to compete, I would find a way to compensate or overcome those set backs.

Perhaps there are those who are made for competing and those who are not. Those who compete are some of my heroes. They bless my life on and off the court. For those of us who do not compete, I hope we are both confident and willing to cheer our friends on. I hope they know how much we need them and love them. I hope too that we all learn to play various roles, to step up to the plate when it's our turn and to cheer our teammates on when they are victorious.

The true Christian is a communicator

"The true christian is a communicator...hearts which are so set upon wrong or worldly ways must first be broken, and this cannot be done without pain. And so it is that speaking the truth in love matters so very much!" Elder Neal A. Maxwell

Hungarian wedding matrix

My student ward is holding an annual Valentine's Day Formal Dinner Dance. I hear it will be quite lovely, table clothes included.
Formals though are a big deal, a girl does not just slip into one on any given day. Nope, there's got to be a reason and HE is usually that reason. We have to have a date. The most incredible element to the above mentioned magical evening is that our reason is included! We have been asked to peruse the ward directory and rate the FIVE BOYS we would most like to go with. FIVE POINTS to the boy who takes our breath away and ONE POINT to the boy who we think would also be great to spend an evening with. The boys rate the girls in the same manner.
This is the kicker-our names and ratings are then entered into a program that matches us up. It's called the Hungarian Algorithm, although I have also heard it called the Hungarian Wedding Matrix. It's purpose is to "find a perfect matching with minimum cost, " it "finds a perfect matching and a potential with equal cost/value which proves the optimality of both." Thank-you wikipedia.
Love it in an all too awkward sort of way! Call me old fashioned, but I think the old school way of boy ask girl is hopelessly romantic and far less risky!
Lest you think I am anti algorithm, I have submitted my names.

Valentine's Day

If you notice a common theme this week and can't quite put your finger on it, it's all about the HEART. I should attribute this to the upcoming holiday(Valentine's Day for all of you who don't have a significant other and who would rather ignore the day altogether), but to be perfectly frank, I associate matters of the heart with scriptural references and the words from modern day prophets. It's just that I have become increasingly sensitive to gentle pull of my heart strings as of late and so I think I might have something to say on the matter.

On matters of the HEART

Excerpts from Truman G Madsens "four essays on love"

"Love is a special way of feeling." Rather, it is a special way of being, of which feelings are a rich and intense part.
"Love is doing what comes naturally." yes, when combined with what comes supernaturally.
"There is love at first sight." More accurately there is sight at first love, a widened world, not just for the eyes but for mind and spirittoo. Only fake love is "blind."

And quoting Parley P. Pratt

"...natural affections are planted in us by the Spirit of God, for a wise purpose; and they are the very mainsprings of life and happiness-they are the cement of all virtuous and heavenly society-they are the essence of charity, or love;and therefore never fail, but endure forever.

...These pure affections are inspired in our bosoms, and interwoven with our nature by an all-wise and benevolent being, who rejoices in the happiness and welfare of his creatures. All his revelations to man, touching this subject, are calculated to approve, encourage, and strengthen those emotions, and to increase and perfect them; that man, enlightened and taught of God, may be more free, more social, cheerful, happy, kind, familiar, and lovely than he was before, that he may fill all the relationships of life, and act in every sphere of usefulness with a greater energy, and with a readier mind, and a more willing heart."

The Dress

Somewhere along the way she fell in love and I missed it. She's known him for well over a year and they are good friends. She's been in love with him since at least last May when I talked to her for Mother's Day and I still missed it. I came home from a mission and even having seen the way that their lives had become dependent on each other, I missed it.

Somewhere along the way my little sister met her Prince Charming and he is taking her to the Portland Temple to be sealed for time and all eternity. The Bekah and Dave McClure household will be established on April 30, 2010.

Tonight for the third time we went to Alyse's Bridal. They say the third times the charm. We have found two perfect dresses. Maybe the fourth time seals the deal. Still, this third trip was different. I did not miss that. She looked stunning in the first one and we thought she may have found it. The second dress was just as I remember it being, simple in a classy sort of way. It was flattering and elegant. And there was something else...I almost missed it. Listening closely and looking deeply, I got it. Bekah. What I saw was reminiscent of her heart.

Depth. Intensity. Little girl dreams. Tender. Brave. Stunning. Full. Timid almost. Believing and faithful. Pure. Wishful.

With few words I told her I saw her. Sigh. Both of our hearts sighed and we shed a few tears. We hugged. Someone offered us tissues. We giggled.

We needed it.

A few dresses later we found the one we think is "THE DRESS."