A dose of Perspective!!

I just got done reading this book, which is the second book within this particular series. Throughout the book I enjoyed it, it entertained me for the most part. My nose wasnt in it every second, but it was interesting enough to keep me going. But by the time I finished it, I was so grateful I read it and in the end turned out LOVING it. Before you run off and read it, and end up not liking it as much as I did, let me explain why this book had great meaning to me!

The past month Kameron and I have had many trials. To some it may seem small and insignificant, but to me it has been a very stressful time. As a rant post I did before, you may have read the many things that have happened to us. It started out with miscarrying a baby (no one really knew, but I am seriously fine about it now, no worries), the washing machine breaking, cell phone in bath water, two root canals, passing sickness back and forth from the three of us over and over again, Porter giving me a million heart attacks in one day, and the latest is car trouble that would cost us about $4000 to repair. And all this on top of Kameron being worn out at the academy everyday, and although there is an end in sight..it seemed like everything was falling apart a month before it should have. I am not saying this for people to feel sorry for me...please dont. Everyone has trials in life so who am I to think I should be exempt. So in the midst of my self wallowing my wonferdul sister in law Nicole, who always has great books for me to read let me borrow this set to read and I didnt really have any expectations to really loving them.

Getting to the point, these books are really sad! Its about a young couple that fall in love and one is very inactive in the church, and through lots of trials was brought back to the gospel and they started their life together. In this second book "A Time To Dance" is continueing this young couples story and the many trials they face with their children. As I am reading I get to the point where I am a little irritated with the author that it seemed like one thing after another kept happening to them, and it got a little old. Then Alex the husband would ALWAYS get these great inspirations that would always end up with some dramatic event that the spirit had led them to. I dont know anyone who has had so many revelations in such a short time. But I kept reading, and as I read it made me sympathize because I was thinking..."I have had one thing after another happening to me too!!". Then as I neared the end, I got to a part during their battle with their son's leukemia, that popped out at me and made everything quite obvious!! This is a glimpse of what hit me like a ton of bricks:

While stuggling with the horrible trial of her child's leukemia, Jane the wife said "I realize now that I had no comprehension of trial and stuggle. What is a trial to a normal woman, Alex? Having a washing machine break down when the laundry piles are deep? A car repair that you cant afford? A kid with the flu? Still, trials are relative arent they?"

All of those trials have been what I have been whining about for the past month, when even though these characters are fictional, there really are people out there with FAR worse stuggles than me. The many ugly sicknesses, poverty, and loss. I now have a deeper and softer gratitude for all that I am blessed with! A great husband, a beautiful little boy, the gospel, a roof over our heads, food on the table, our health, seeing Porter smile and jump in his crib every morning when I go to get him out, the kindness of a friend, and even though we may not have a lot, we have enough, and are blessed without measure for the unmaterialistic things in this life. And I am grateful for that. Sometimes when things are going good, you can lose sight of whats really important and take the simple things for granted. I feel silly that a simple book has affected me so much, but I now stand corrected about getting annoyed with Alex always recieving "inspiration" every other chapter. I may not have had a HUGE dramatic revelation such as the ones in the book, but I now notice the simple tender mercies the Lord does bless us with. I believe everything happens for a reason and I am grateful for this little hand that God has given me to understand and put into perspective that my life is great, and I should NEVER complain or whoa is me!! In the last General Conference I forget who said this, but I have taken the challenge. He told of his wife who was told to say a prayer to only thank our Father in Heaven for our blessings, and not ask for blessings. A prayer of gratitude. When I pondered on my prayers its always praying for blessing for loved ones or even for comfort in time of need. I then realized that I probably didnt thank our Heavenly Father nearly enough. I am grateful for the trials I have had, because they are usually disguised blessings and am grateful for a compassionate Savior who forgives all of our simple weaknesses, and finds a way to make us stonger. He never said this life would be easy, He just said it would be worth it!!!