Marie

I moved!!! Yes, it has been really exciting. I am living in a house with four other girls from my singles ward. It has been quite the adventure. One of my roommates is truly one of the most Christ-like people I have ever met. The very fiber of her being is love and charity for others. I love being around her because she reminds me that I am loved. When I look at her I can see my Savior. She is a great example to me.
It isn't so much that she is splitting the Red Sea but it is in the small things that define her character. I see her character defined when she goes to her meetings faithfully, without one murmur, after 2 or 3 hours of sleep. Or her sitting on my bed as I cry another night. It is when she is called out on the ambulance in the middle of the night and goes without complaining. I see the love of my Savior when she keeps up with my homework so that she can help whenever. Her love shines as she helps everyone else with their homework as well. She literally would give her right kidney for you! It is her funny texts she sends to brighten my day. It is listening and not getting mad when it is my ears that need to be cleaned! Almost every thought she has is about someone else and what she can do to help them.
She truly has been an answer to my prays in this difficult time. I thank my Heavenly Father for her daily. Every person should have a friend like this in their lives.

Tears

It has been a difficult couple of weeks. A lot of change has occurred. All good changes but hard to make all the same. When I woke up this morning I was overfilled with gratitude. I just can't believe how much I have been blessed. I don't know how I deserved these blessings but I am thankful for them. Many tears have been shed lately but today the tears were because of gratitude.
I feel like a rope that has been braided in a certain way. Lately I feel that that braided rope has gotten tighter and tighter. The tighter it got the more organized I felt my life was. But now that rope is so tight, and I was somewhat comfortable with life, that it has quickly started to unravel. I felt the other night that my life was spinning out of control. After praying it hit me, Heavenly Father is braiding me in a different way now. My life isn't spinning out of control because He is in control. I am learning and growing so much. I am learning, slowly but surely, to submit to His will. The less I try and control things the easier it is for Him to mold me. I am becoming more like the Savior. Yes, there has been hard tears to cry (and really good ones too.) But if I look at the overarching picture I see that I haven't been unraveling but rather blossoming.
(P.S As I was writing this post, I went looking on the internet for pictures of ropes unraveling. I found this picture on a blog with a post entitled "Unraveling Rope or Blossoming Tree." I thought it was so appropriate! The link to the original blog with these pictures is
http://www.alligatorboogaloo.com/mengshui/?p=140. One of the comments on this blog says "... or a rooting tree." How beautiful!)

A small bag of tomatoes...and a few peaches too!

Sometimes you will hear me complain about my job. This isn't because I don't love my job but because I get so bored with it at times. I work in a mail room on campus. And I truly do love it. Actually I adore it. Let me explain why I love it so much. The number one reason is the people that are in the building where I work. They are great. I haven't met one yet that I haven't become friends with eventually. It takes me longer to do the routes than the other workers simple because I love these people and talk to them often. I wanted to talk about some of these people and how they have touched my life.
A couple weeks ago a lady from our building asked if we had ever been to the Farmer's Market on campus. We said we had not. This sweet lady then invited us to come and visit her there. So I went to the Market. When I got there I found her. Her and her daughter were selling tomatoes and peaches. She handed me a bag full of peaches for free. She refused to let me pay her. I was so grateful. What a sweet act of kindness that will always be with me.
Last Friday as I did my route another lady waved me into her office. On her desk was a small bag of grape tomatoes. I love grape tomatoes, they are my very favorite type of tomato. This lady is always very kind to me and my coworkers. She knows all of our names and always uses them. She was on the phone, when she gave me the bag of tomatoes, or I would have hugged her. It was so thoughtful of her.
Many others have invited us to parties, given us candy when we walked into their office, or simply just said hi. Their is one lady that keeps a bowl of pretzels on her desk. If it is empty when I walk in she fills it up right away. Another gentlemen in the building always asks about our schooling and boyfriends. And yet the student workers are always gracious to us as well.
I love the people in the building where I work. I am very grateful for my association with them. I will never forget the kindness of a small bag of tomatoes and a few peaches!