Baby It's Cold Outside

We had a wonderful holiday in Arizona and it came and went much to quickly.  We had an awesome time, but we're glad to be back home and ready to embrace this new year.

While we were in Arizona we had plenty of sunshine, but it wasn't quite as warm as I had hoped it would be.  Our day time highs ranged from the 40's to 60's which was 40 to 60 degrees warmer than Pennsylvania when we left. I won't complain, I absolutely loved the sunshine and and I was able to wear several fewer layers while there.

While Oma was here we had a few dustings of snow, but not much to speak of. The few days it did snow we enjoyed watching as the world was transformed and became a winter wonderland. I love a snowy day. The world becomes cleaner and brighter. I like the peace that accompanies the snowfall as the snow absorbs the noise and the world becomes calm and quiet.

(I started this post a week ago, so yesterday was actually a few yesterdays ago.)

This arctic blast has brought cold temperatures and some extreme wind chills. Yesterday we hovered just above and below 0, but the wind chill was close to 20 below. Today is much the same, but the sun is shining which is quite deceptive cause baby it's cold outside.

Yesterday I drove Hannah to Chambersburg so she could spend the weekend with her friends Jackie and Whitney.  We're so glad she has good friends and as parents it's worth it to us to help them get together when possible. They're going to a stake dance tonight so she'll be able to see lots of her friends from there.  The weather here yesterday was extremely cold and grey with a few flurries.  We were a bit concerned about making the drive over since we go through some mountains and Matt wanted me to make sure we were well prepared for any and all contingencies.

The day before as I was walking through the garage I noticed something that I had assumed was safely stored in the trunk, but realized it must have been taken out to make room for all of our luggage when we went to the airport before Christmas. I was glad I noticed it and as I unburied it and brought it in to recharge I was reminded of an experience I had wanted to blog about over a year ago.

Two years ago for Christmas I received a most amazing gift from Oma.  She wasn't sure what she was giving me or why she was giving it to me, but Matt assured her it was at the top of my Christmas wish list and I really, really wanted it. It was a Black and Decker Professional Power Station.  I wanted this gift for many reasons. The #1 reason was that Matt was traveling a lot at the time and I had found myself with a car that wouldn't start several times and when he wasn't in town I would have to call someone to come help me.  I knew with this handy, dandy power station I would be able to jump start the car myself and would feel a bit more "empowered" (play on words intended.)  It wasn't too long after that Christmas that I did indeed need it.  It felt good to get it out of my trunk, open the instruction manual and within a few minutes have my car running.

Flash forward about 9 months.  We've moved to Pittsburgh and one grey morning I drive Hannah to seminary.  I usually walked while Hannah was in class, but this morning it was wet and miserable so I stayed in the car and read instead. It wasn't that cold so I wasn't in need of the heater so I turned off the car, got comfortable in my seat and began to read.  45 minutes later Hannah was finished, I turned the key to start the car and was surprised to hear a click, click, click instead of the car roaring to life. I had accidentally left the headlights on and no longer had enough juice to start the car. No worries, I confidently jumped out of the car, lifted the hood, retrieved my handy, dandy power station from the trunk, hooked it up, got back in the car and couldn't believe that again I was greeted by a click, click, click and not the sound of a purring engine. Puzzled I got out of the car and checked that I had everything connected correctly. I did.  I soon learned that a power station with no power is as good as no power station at all.

I sheepishly knocked on the Robinson's door to ask for help.  Their son Matt came to my rescue and soon we were safely home where I hauled my not so handy, dandy power station in to the house along with it's accompanying manual to see where I had gone wrong.

I love the lessons we learn from life. The following Sunday I was asked to speak in church and I had been given the perfect life lesson to share. I learned a lot from that experience as I "likened it" to life in general.  A few of the thoughts I shared from the owners manual were Save the Instructions.

After reading the manual I learned that "batteries lose energy from self-discharge over time and more rapidly at higher temperatures.  Therefore, batteries need periodic charging to replace energy lost through self discharge." Sounds a lot like my life. We rarely get it all right the first time in life. I'm grateful for the admonition to study the scriptures daily and to become familiar with the current general conference talks.  I know I need to be reminded of many of the same things over and over again. Or sometimes it's just the process of learning line upon line and bit by bit. I had learned how to properly hook the charger up, but I failed to learn the importance of keeping the power station charged. When on occassion I find myself in situations where I'm experiencing "higher than normal temperatures"and challenges I know I need the power and strength that come from living the gospel all that much more. That periodic charging needs to come on a regular and consistent basis so I'm ready whenever the need arises.

I was also reminded of the importance of "Reading All Instructions and Safety Guidelines." It's in our best interest to do all we can to live the gospel and not pick and choose those principles we find convenient, easy to follow or politically correct.  The gospel is given to help us navigate safely through the challenges of life and live that we might have joy. Certain principles that we might feel are limiting or restrictive are there for our safety. Our view of things are often limited to the here and now.  Heavenly Father knows the beginning from the end and all points in between. If our goal is to return and live in with Him, He's made it easy, just follow the instructions. All of them!

One of the first items listed under "Important Safety Instructions" Is to "Dress Properly. Do not wear loose clothing or jewelry. They can be caught in moving parts." I'll let that speak for itself, except I will say modesty is more of a protection from the world than most people will acknowledge.

"STAY ALERT. Watch what you are doing. Use common sense." It is so important to be aware of where we are and what we're doing.  I'm grateful that I can couple my common sense with The Gift of the Holy Ghost. Left to my own devices I can make a mess of some of the simpliest of situations. When I live to have the Holy Ghost as my constant companion I am aware of where I am, where I'm headed and how best to get there.

"CHECK FOR DAMAGED PARTS. Any part that is damaged should be replaced by the manufacturer before further use." I am so grateful for the atonement of Jesus Christ. For the opportunity to partake of the sacrament weekly and look at my life and see what needs to be fixed or replaced, to know that through my Savior all things can be made new and whole.

There are other comparisons I can think of, but I've already been working on this post for weeks so time to wrap it up.

When I walked by that pile in the garage last week and noticed my power station buried under floor mats and what we trimmed from our Christmas tree I had a few additional thoughts.  I had assumed my power station was in my trunk. If the need arose I would have been falsely confident that I could take care of things. It would have been a rude awakening to open the trunk and not find it there. It was only removed temporarily, but if I hadn't noticed it or if it had been buried even deeper, who knows when it would have made its way back into the trunk.  It's amazing how quickly important things can get lost or buried when we think we're only setting them aside for a moment. Sometimes we think we're fully charged, doing all the right things, only to find we don't have as much strength as we thought we did. Sometimes we go through life thinking we're safe and able to handle challenges when they arrive.  Sometimes we take something important out of our life to make room for something else thinking that it's only temporary, I'll put it back soon, or just this once. It gets especially hard to know what goes and what stays when we have multiple good things to choose from.  There's only so much that can fit in my trunk or in my life.  No matter how well I try to make it all fit there is a limit to it's maximum capacity.  I need to be careful what I make room for and what I choose to exclude.  There are some things that should never be left behind.

My Power Station is fully charged and for now safe in my trunk. The key is to remember what it takes to keep it that way and to do it.

P.S. The #2 reason I wanted this handy, dandy power station is so that I can use my fire fly twinkle lights out in the woods if I'm ever asked to do a night hike for girls camp again.