Tapioca pudding...

It's interesting how inspiration or insights come to one who is seeking for some kind of direction in a difficult moment. Whether it's happenstance, divine intervention or just one's own mind seeking to fill a void, I'm not sure, but it's all good no matter the source...

Three recent examples:

* It's amazing what impressions may come while sitting on the toilet. The other day I picked up a book I'm reading about Lincoln, and flipped open to a random page, while doing my business, and my eyes were drawn to this:

"I have been very, very indulgent with my children - chided or praised for it. It is my privilege that my children are free, happy, and unrestrained by parental tyranny. Love is the chain whereby to lock a child to its parents." - Abraham Lincoln.

I DO NEED TO LEARN RIGHT NOW TO LOVE MORE UNCONDITIONALLY...

* Coming up the stairs, there was left a wrinkled up sheet of paper. I don't know where it came from (maybe from a lesson my wife was preparing), but I picked it up with the intent to throw it away, when I looked down at the paper and printed in huge 36 point font Swiss Roman letters was this quote:

"If you judge people, you have no time to love them." - Mother Theresa.

I DO NEED TO LEARN RIGHT NOW TO BE LESS JUDGMENTAL, PARTICULARLY FROM A RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION POINT OF VIEW, IN ORDER TO FIND ROOM TO LOVE...


* I had a very emotional day at church on Sunday. I guess it was obvious to some that observed my emotions very close to the surface. Afterward, a sister (who I am not particularly close to) came up to me to take care of some business. She stopped, stared into my eyes and said: "I don't need to know what's going on, sweetheart, but I promise you it will get better. Just go home and eat some tapioca pudding!" I burst into tears of both grief and laughter and we hugged. (NOTE: Interesting aside - that evening this ward sister (who has never stepped foot in my house after living here more than a decade)brought a huge plate of the best nutty brownies and said "I didn't have any tapioca, so I hope these will do instead..." held my hand for a moment, squeezed it tightly, smiled, and then left.

I NEED TO LEARN TO BE MORE WILLING TO LIFT OTHERS SPONTANEOUSLY AND WITHOUT AN ASSIGNMENT TO DO SO...