Seeing good in a challenging experience

If you look closely at this photo, you will see that my husband's ear is bandaged. He has skin cancer and had to have part of his ear removed. When he came home from his surgery, I reacted to the medication they put on his incision and ended up living the next week in our garage and trailer. 

Though this was a challenging situation for us, it was also a good time. One of the special moments you see in this photo of my husband and little granddaughter as we spent a morning together. We were also able to enjoy having meals together out on our patio. It was so pleasant to sit together enjoying a soft warm evening as I listened to my husband read a fun story, instead of being inside like we usually are in the evenings. Now that I had to maintain a "social distance" from my husband, I came to appreciate far more how little things like a hug added to my life. 

Thinking About Why God Says "NO"

I've been thinking about this old poem, "And God said, No". It has brought thoughts to my mind about all the time I have spent ill and in bed. At first, I wondered why my pleas to be made well were not answered. As I've grown older, I have seen how my struggles have strengthened my character, helped me gain confidence in my abilities, deepened my relationship with my husband, and built a strong faith in God. Would I trade my hard earned lessons for a life of ease?

"Dirty Windows"

As my eyesight dimmed, I thought of this funny video. It is about a woman who judges her neighbor, only to find that it was her own dirty window that was at fault.  I've felt as if I have been looking at life through "dirty windows".  After my eye surgery, I left my blurry, dull, yellow-gray existence behind me, waking the next morning to a world filled with stunning beauty. This emotional experience has reminded me to look for the good, to clean my own negative "dirty windows", so I that can not only see the the outer beauty, but the inner beauty in the people around me.

Looking through Windows - https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2012-01-004-looking-through-windows?lang=eng

 Read President Monson's full address, "Charity Never Faileth".

My Remarkable Life

“No matter our age, circumstances, or abilities, each one of us can create something remarkable of his life,” Elder Wirthlin declared during April 2006 General Conference. Even me? Mentally I began to list my considerable health problems and all the limits they imposed, then I stopped — Even Me!
Slowly, I began to realize that I was allowing my health restrictions to imprison my soul. Where was my joy in living?

As I prayed for help in living a more meaningful life, I felt strongly that I needed to simplify my life by removing all unnecessary things and activities. This certainly didn’t seem to me to be the way to an abundant life!

I asked the Lord for faith, then, resignedly, began to eliminate non-essentials. Despairing, I could only see a bleak, barren existence stretching out before me. Maybe I needed to learn patience and endurance. It seemed so obvious to me that having better health and being able to do more would bring me happiness.

When is Humor Funny?

I love humor. A lot of patience sprinkled with humor makes life fun! 

A friend sent me a link to a couple of songs from the Broadway smash hit, the musical Book of Mormon. I had to admit that the tunes were catchy and well sung. I also had to agree with her statement, "I would say that though the jabs were made so funny one had to laugh, it was also insulting if you were a Mormon."

My question is whether it is ever ok to "put down", "jab", or insult other people? Should we embrace entertainment derived from hurting others? Think of all the "Dumb Blond", "Pollock", "Fat", "Jewish", etc, etc. jokes. Are they really funny?