A Forever Family

This week I will be in Virginia Beach for a few days for work.  I know many are thinking, "Wow! Tough gig!"  (Sarcastically of course).  Honestly, it is tough.  Don't get me wrong, I like having peace and quiet from my wonderfully crazy chitlins every once and a while, but that's why I get up at 5:30 every morning.  My hotel is right on the beach front.... in fact, my window out looks the ocean, and yet I have no one with whom to enjoy it.  I miss Nikki.  I'm horrible when it comes to ideas for doing dates with my wife, but being here has already given me a few.  Now all I need to do is convince someone to drop 500 bizillion tons of sand near Oklahoma City along with a few sea shells here and there.  I am so grateful that I am sealed to my wife for time and all eternity.  Some that aren't Latter-day Saints might be confused by that phrase.  Over seven and a half years ago, Nikki and I entered into a Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and we were married.  That marriage, however, will not end once we die.  We believe that the marriage we have seals us together forever, or in other words, that in the next life we will still be married.  That also goes for our children.  They and their families (once they get married and have children and so on and so forth) too will be with us forever after this life.  That eternal marriage that I have with Nikki and the fact that I will be with her and my children forever gives me more joy than anything else in this world.  It doesn't make sense to me that God would send us to this existence, to have us form bonds and to fall in love with those around us, only to separate us in the next life.  And even though, I do get to be with Nikki forever, I still hate being away from her for this short time.  If you're reading this Nikmo, I love you and I'll see you soon.

Season of Gratitude

As Thanksgiving is fast approaching, I have been reminded frequently of this very topic, being thankful.  Back in the beginning of October I found out that I wasn't going to be able to take the job I desired in St. Louis.  Everything seemed to line up perfectly, except one thing... my current employer didn't allow me to go.  Interestingly enough I had three different jobs lined up at one time, even in a cruddy economy such as the one that our country is passing through at the moment.  Many would be grateful to have one job that pays anything let alone three, each that pays pretty well.  I was fairly disappointed whenever I found out that I wasn't going to return to the St. Louis area.  Even though, my true home is where my wife and children are, I will always consider that area my other home.  My parents and sister are there, and I have many friends that are still there as well.  I miss them all very much and yearn to be near them again.  On top of that, moving to St. Louis would have meant that I wouldn't have to be separated from Nikki and my little ones for a while.  (As staying in my current work means that I have to leave them for periods of time.)  Anyhow, the point is that I was very frustrated.  The weekend after that news hit, I watched General Conference.  (For those who are not LDS, the Church has a bi-annual conference televised over satellite and internet to all of the world from Salt Lake City where the leaders of the Church give talks about various Gospel related topics.)  The President of the Church, who we consider to be a Prophet, Thomas S. Monson, gave a talk about gratitude.  It was then that I realized how grateful I should be for all that I have.  God reminded me of all that I had and that even though I didn't get what I wanted, that I still had a great job that sustains my family.  A month and a half has passed since then, and week ago I was again reminded of that lesson which President Monson shared.  This time I was taught through an experience I had.  At least once a month, I accompany the full-time missionaries from my ward (Church congregation) to visit different members and investigators of our church.  I found out that they were going to visit a family that speaks Spanish, so desiring to practice my Spanish, I volunteered to go with them.  This small family consisted of a man and his aunt.  They had moved from the west coast into the Oklahoma City area not so long ago.  The man had lost his job and was looking for work.  His aunt's friend who is living in the Oklahoma City area had invited them to stay with her to find work here.  After a couple of weeks with no luck of finding any work, the man became despaired.  Before they moved to Oklahoma, they had converted and were baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  The man yearned to be close to God, so he prayed that he could find the Church here in Oklahoma.  Literally the next day, the full-time missionaries knocked on his aunt's friend's door.  (This was a miracle alone, considering that the missionaries hardly ever knocked doors in that area because the people there generally did not answer their doors.)  After the friend answered the door and was about to send the missionaries away, the aunt saw them and beckoned them to stay.  From there, this man and his aunt found other Mormons in the area that began to help them.  Unfortunately, the aunt's friend kicked the two out of her home because she did not like Mormons.  Thankfully for this little family, a Church member found out their plight and allowed them to move into a run down house which he owned that was vacant within our ward's geographical boundaries.  His only requirement was that they clean it up and take care of it while they stay there.  When they moved into this tiny house, they found it full of trash, dirty diapers, animal remains, and several broken windows.  On top of that the water heater and gas wasn't working, they didn't have any furniture except for a table, a refrigerator and a mattress which was being lent to them, and the car that they owned had broken down due to a bad transmition.  A week after they moved in is when the missionaries and I visited them.  They had done an amazing job on cleaning the house, despite all of the other issues.  As we visited with this man and his aunt, they were thrilled to see us.  As we talked to them, they told us how they came to learn about the Church and how they became converted to restored Gospel of Jesus Christ.  The aunt had just found their scriptures and in those scriptures, she found the pictures of their baptism and the full-time missionaries that had taught them.  She cried out of joy.  During the entire visit, they did not complain one bit about the situation they were in.  In the face of all the adversity that they were going through, these two humble people, were grateful and happy for all that they had.  They knew what was truly important in life, and that no matter what they faced, they had their faith in Jesus Christ, and that they were going to do all they could to be close to Him. 
The missionaries and I presented a spiritual message to them that night, but in reality they taught me the bigger lesson.  It doesn't matter what worldly goods we acquire in this life, where we live, or even what kind of job we have.  What matters is family and our faith in Christ.  Do we complain constantly about every little problem that we are faced with, or do we take on the challenges of life and become stronger?
I am eternally grateful for my wonderful wife and my two beautiful children.  I am grateful for two loving parents and for my brother and sister that miss so much.  I am thankful for Nikki's family and how they love me as if I were blood.  Finally, I am thankful for my Savior and for the privledge of being a member of His Church. 

Beginnings

It's funny how many times my stunning wife has encouraged me to begin a blog.  When I think of a "blogger," I think of an obese 35 year old left wing Obama-maniac, sitting in his parents' basement stuck in front of his computer all day complaining about how Lyndsay Lohan was wrongfully arrested for smoking pot.  That or I think about a beautiful mother typing away at her laptop, discussing the hilarious things that come out of her children's mouths.  Either way, I don't think of myself as a "blogger".  I've decided to do this for lots of reasons.  Written records are very important to me.  For the past two years I've written in a daily journal.  But here, I want to dedicate my words specifically for all to see, especially my children and my family in general.
I'll start by describing who I am.  I am a child of God.  I was created in the image of Him.  Though I am a man of flesh and blood, I have and am a spirit that was with Him before I was in my mother's womb.  I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a Mormon.  I am a husband to the most attractive woman I know.  I am a father to two wonderful children, soon to be three.  I am a son to two loving parents.  I am a brother to a brother and sister that I miss constantly.  All of these titles make me who I am.  I could mention my job, my schooling, my hobbies, and interests, and yes, they are a part of me; however, they mean nothing without God, His church, and my family.