Sabbath Day in Oxford
I'm early today, because that best part of the day is now behind us and because I think I will retire to bed early this evening. We have a busy week coming up.
Twilight began to fall around 2:15. It took another hour or so after that to darken into night, but it seemed that the sunlight definitely dims earlier and earlier. Depression is not uncommon with these long dark days.
The best part of our Sabbath in many ways is that we attended two sacrament meetings and partook of the sacrament twice. Both wards are lovely, the young men who bless and pass are reverent, the music is exceptional, and the speakers are generally outstanding. I say "generally" because SK and I were the speakers in the 1st Ward.
The Bishop was kind enough to let us choose our own topic. SK was smart. He reworked the talk he gave in the 2nd Ward a few weeks ago, and then gave it. I enjoyed it as much as if I had never heard it. He loves to speak about agency. His talk was better than the last time. And it was good the first time.
I chose a new topic and thoroughly enjoyed reading about it. The Bishop told us to take about 10 to 12 minutes each. Honestly, we probably would have been happy to take a few minutes more. It's funny how you study and ponder and then write...and in my case (and SK's) then you edit and cut.
I have to tell you that it is challenging to address people who live in the upper echelons of academia. Although there is absolutely no sense of superiority in this ward. People are very kind. The bottom line is that I took comfort in knowing that the spirit is the one who teaches.
SK spoke about agency, and drilled home the point (in case you have never heard him say this --- and he says it often) "Everything is a choice." He is basically saying that our response to anything and everything in life is our choice.
I spoke about something I have pondered for the last year. In 1 Nephi 18, Nephi tells about building a ship and setting sail to the promised land. His brothers become angry with him, and tie him so tightly that he couldn't move. He remained tied up as the sea raged and the storms thundered - for four days. When his brothers finally loosed him, his ankles and wrists were swollen and caused him much pain. His terse comment was that he praised the Lord all the day long, and he did not murmur. I understand that Nephi is on a much higher plane than I am, but how and why was he able to do that? I'd love to hear your thoughts. To put it briefly, I wonder if it was because it was vital that he have the spirit to lead his people and to steer the ship. Giving way to anger would have made that very difficult.
We keep finding amazing connections. We met a beautiful young woman today who studied here last year. I have seen her name and her picture. I found out today that she is from Sweden, and her brother married Cecilia - one of our most delightful YSAs from Denmark. It's amazing how that happens in the church. You get halfway around the world, and you can make connections within minutes of meeting.
A member of our ward, Dan, who teaches at Oxford is 47 and grew up in Colorado Springs. We met his parents, and I had a brief moment where I could easily picture his mother 46 years ago. I am positive we were in the same ward when we lived there from 1972 to 1974, which would mean our son Derek probably spent some time taking toys away from Dan in the nursery - or vice versa.
Twilight began to fall around 2:15. It took another hour or so after that to darken into night, but it seemed that the sunlight definitely dims earlier and earlier. Depression is not uncommon with these long dark days.
The best part of our Sabbath in many ways is that we attended two sacrament meetings and partook of the sacrament twice. Both wards are lovely, the young men who bless and pass are reverent, the music is exceptional, and the speakers are generally outstanding. I say "generally" because SK and I were the speakers in the 1st Ward.
The Bishop was kind enough to let us choose our own topic. SK was smart. He reworked the talk he gave in the 2nd Ward a few weeks ago, and then gave it. I enjoyed it as much as if I had never heard it. He loves to speak about agency. His talk was better than the last time. And it was good the first time.
I chose a new topic and thoroughly enjoyed reading about it. The Bishop told us to take about 10 to 12 minutes each. Honestly, we probably would have been happy to take a few minutes more. It's funny how you study and ponder and then write...and in my case (and SK's) then you edit and cut.
I have to tell you that it is challenging to address people who live in the upper echelons of academia. Although there is absolutely no sense of superiority in this ward. People are very kind. The bottom line is that I took comfort in knowing that the spirit is the one who teaches.
SK spoke about agency, and drilled home the point (in case you have never heard him say this --- and he says it often) "Everything is a choice." He is basically saying that our response to anything and everything in life is our choice.
I spoke about something I have pondered for the last year. In 1 Nephi 18, Nephi tells about building a ship and setting sail to the promised land. His brothers become angry with him, and tie him so tightly that he couldn't move. He remained tied up as the sea raged and the storms thundered - for four days. When his brothers finally loosed him, his ankles and wrists were swollen and caused him much pain. His terse comment was that he praised the Lord all the day long, and he did not murmur. I understand that Nephi is on a much higher plane than I am, but how and why was he able to do that? I'd love to hear your thoughts. To put it briefly, I wonder if it was because it was vital that he have the spirit to lead his people and to steer the ship. Giving way to anger would have made that very difficult.
We keep finding amazing connections. We met a beautiful young woman today who studied here last year. I have seen her name and her picture. I found out today that she is from Sweden, and her brother married Cecilia - one of our most delightful YSAs from Denmark. It's amazing how that happens in the church. You get halfway around the world, and you can make connections within minutes of meeting.
A member of our ward, Dan, who teaches at Oxford is 47 and grew up in Colorado Springs. We met his parents, and I had a brief moment where I could easily picture his mother 46 years ago. I am positive we were in the same ward when we lived there from 1972 to 1974, which would mean our son Derek probably spent some time taking toys away from Dan in the nursery - or vice versa.
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