I am abandoning my post!

I am abandoning my blog; it is obvious that absolutely no one is reading it except for myself. The fact no one cares enough about me or my musings to read them bothers me; blogging takes time and I thought it was a good way to keep in touch with family members in other parts of the country. However, it isn't working and I have decided its not worth the amount of time it takes.

I'm finished!

Well, I finished the Book of Mormon today, 41 days ahead of schedule! Now, I will get back to work on the Book of Mormon seminary lessons that I had been studying but have slacked on for the last week. I am so grateful for my testimony of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, and the things I have learned by reading and studying this book :) Woo hoo! I'm on a roll! Best wishes to each of you who has also taken the Book of Mormon challenge; may you too be victorious!!

I also am nearly ready to file my taxes. That's not nearly as exciting or fun, but it is quite necessary.... I'll be glad to get it completed. Part of my holdup is that I had completed all of my deductibles through June of last year, but now I can't remember where I put the summary sheet, and I'm reluctant to do all of that work again :p

I'm thinning down my book collection again, to make more room, and so I can organize my utility closet onto 2 of the book cases. Jay and Amanda are taking bets as to whether I can slim down my collection by half....

Hooray for Rain!

It rained this afternoon--wonderful, light, soaking rain that we so badly need here :) I am grateful to Almighty God for His great mercies to us all! I am still persisting in the Book of Mormon challenge. I am reading ahead, because this is one of my favorite parts of the Book of Mormon. When we get to the wars I will slow down, for I find the death and destruction very depressing, so I want to be far enough ahead that I can afford to slow down in those places.

Right now I am reading one of Jacob's sermons. Jacob was Nephi's younger brother, and like Nephi, he was humble and dedicated to serving the Lord. I never tire of rereading the Book of Mormon!

I remember the very first time that I read it, how skeptical I was (I was 20 then, and thought that I knew nearly everything), and how many doubts and questions would come up. Why was it written this way? Why is so much of Isaiah quoted? Why, why, why?

Now I am older, and much less "smart" than I was (or thought that I was) then. Over the years, as I have made mistakes, I have learned that there are very good reasons for so many of those "whys", that the remaining "whys" no longer trouble me. I have seen for myself that when I am trying my hardest to love God with all of my heart, mind and strength, and to love my neighbor as myself, that my testimony grows and it is much easier to feel the promptings of the Holy Ghost. But when I grow complacent or procrastinate doing what is right, how quickly the trickle of faults becomes an avalanche of problems and shortcomings! How quickly I forget, stumble and fall! Then I too, like Nephi, feel to exclaim, "O wretched [wo]man that I am!"

But I refuse to be discouraged. I know that is why Jesus died for us; that we might press forward with faith, secure and confident that all He asks of us is for each of us to do our best, and He will make up the difference. Sometimes it feels almost like a dance: I go two steps forward, then one step back. If I look down at my feet, it will seem as if I'm not getting anywhere, but when I look at where I have been, I realize that I have made progress, bit by bit, line upon line, and that gives me courage to persist. I wish the same for each of you that may be reading this!

This is one way to make sure I update my blog:)

Today I had my monthly treatment, and tonight I am grateful that I am still feeling good!! Hopefully, tomorrow will also be good, but even if it is, I'm gonna take it easy. The weather here has been gorgeous, mild and breezy, but my heart sorrows for those killed and injured in all of the tornadoes last night in the midwestern states.

I've done my reading, now it is time to sleep! I'm glad that this time, my graph updated itself ...don't ask me why it didn't yesterday :p

OOPS My Mistake!

I thought the graph would automatically update but I was wrong! So here is my progress through today:

Book of Mormon Challenge

President Hinckley, my beloved prophet, recently passed away at age 97, living a full active life until the very final moments. I have joined a challenge to honor this tremendous man by reading the Book of Mormon in 97 days, and I encourage each of you to do so, also! You can learn more about this terrific way to honor him and gain spiritual blessings for yourself at this free website:

http://www.hinckleychallenge.com/index.php?sentPage=/index.php

And here is a chart of my progress: