4.15.2008

cupcakes & gratitude


i spent the majority of this afternoon feeling slightly off.

i was just feelin' overwhelmed by the trials of life, and the heartache & struggles that myself, friends & family, & fellow-humankind go through. there is so much hardship in the world; so many bad things that happen to good people.

my heart was heavy & hurting.

and on top of all that...i was *st-ressed to the max* about these dang cupcakes that i had to make for activity day. nothing earth shattering, just the usual angie drama...wanting everything to match & be aesthetically pleasing: 'cause i'm obsessive like that.

well, after much hurry & crazy-ish moments, the cupcakes have been baked & activity day has come & gone.

for our lil "lesson" we focused on President Monson's recent messages at conference. each of our girls read something that was meaningful to them.

one of the cute girlies read this amazing quote by the newly sustained Prophet of my church:

"Mortality is a period of testing, a time to prove ourselves worthy to return to the presence of our Heavenly Father. In order to be tested, we must sometimes face challenges and difficulties. At times there appears to be no light at the tunnel’s end—no dawn to break the night’s darkness. We feel surrounded by the pain of broken hearts, the disappointment of shattered dreams, and the despair of vanished hopes. We join in uttering the biblical plea “Is there no balm in Gilead?”

We are inclined to view our own personal misfortunes through the distorted prism of pessimism. We feel abandoned, heartbroken, alone. If you find yourself in such a situation, I plead with you to turn to our Heavenly Father in faith. He will lift you and guide you. He will not always take your afflictions from you, but He will comfort and lead you with love through whatever storm you face.

With all my heart and the fervency of my soul, I lift my voice in testimony today as a special witness and declare that God does live. Jesus is His Son, the Only Begotten of the Father in the flesh. He is our Redeemer; He is our Mediator with the Father. He loves us with a love we cannot fully comprehend, and because He loves us, He gave His life for us. My gratitude to Him is beyond expression."

***

and as she was reciting that in her adorable little 10-year-old voice, I felt a calming peace come over me. a clarity and freshness eased my mind & mismatching cupcakes certainly didn't seem all that important, afterall.

i believe President Monson's words. i know with every ounce of my heart that there is a mindful God in heaven who is our cheerleader & friend. i believe in a Savior, Jesus Christ who overcame not only sin, but disappointment, grief, depression, and any pain we might be facing.

tonight my heart is heavy with gratitude.
gratitude for life & experiences that help us to "make weak things become strong."

***

have a
happy happy happy
tuesday!

17 comments:

Unknown said...

Ok, 1st of all the cupcakes look heavenly and especially if that is strawberry icing. YUMMY!

Second all I can relate to the crisis of the world and how Bad things come to good people, that would be me but, then I find myself to be very positive, which is just so amazing!

You are fun, happy, faith filled, well liked, energetic, smart, creative, sweet, charming, and thanks for that! I am sure all would agree!

Amy said...

Hey Angie! I'm one of the twins from high school that ran into you at the scrapbook store the other day..remember? Anyway, I told you how I love checking out your blog, but I had to finally comment on this one. You are so thoughtful and express yourself very well. I truly needed this inspiring reminder today! My eyes welled up as I read...again, thanks!

runningfan said...

Ang, you rock. It sounds like we both needed a pick-me-up this week. I'm glad you found yours! Here's hoping that light at the end of your tunnel shines brightly and soon! Love ya.

Jenningsclan said...

Hi Angie!!.. very well put. I needed that! Oh by the way..Cassidy chomped down her cupcake right in front of me and I guess it was so dang good that she did not even offer me a bite :) that's okay though b/c I think she was trying to hurry and eat it before her little brother and sister woke up from their naps wanting to eat it for her. Love ya!

Mark Dixon said...

Angie:

What a heart-warming post! I am so grateful to see that both you and Heidi, when the chips were down, received solace from the inspired words of prophets and felt the calm peace that comes only from the Savior.

We are truly blessed.

Dad

Unknown said...

And that, my adorable little blogger, is why you are so inspiring and your blog will never get old. Thanks for the upliftingness...we can all use some dat!

The Wizzle said...

Oh, how I love this song. Makes me cry, every time! And I think your cupcakes look great, but that's coming from the Queen of Close Enough, so take it for what it's worth. :)

cori said...

angie. let it be...

you are my hero.

let it be...

known.

i needed this today, and everyday. i love you lots.

thank you. and thank that cutie 10 year old too.

and i want to lick my monitor right now.

my fav. colors are brown and pink. angieinpink that is.

cori said...

and have you seen across the universe?

oh my. i love the scene.

all you need is love...

he is a HUNK! and he can sing girl!

Marilyn said...

I'm sending you a warm, big hug through cyberspace. It's so cool that our prayers can be answered-even through 10 year olds! Love ya and love this post.

Unknown said...

I loved this talk. How true it is, we all need to slow down a bit and just enjoy life and realize that we can't be perfect and are NOT expected to be. Your cupcakes are making me so hungry, they look great! Thanks for this great post!

Kaelene said...

Once again your post has made me cry and feel truly blessed at the same time! It is amazing to know that Heavenly Father loves us so much to give us a prophet and His Son, Jesus Christ, to help us keep in focus the things that really matter! And fabulous friends to help us remember, in our times of trouble!
Thank you for being you and for sharing so much of yourself with all of us!
Your cupcakes look beautiful, by the way!

Brimley Family said...

Cute Cupcakes! I just got onto your blog to see what you guys were up to and I just wanted to say thanks so much for posting that quote by President Monson. It certainley has lifted my spirits. Chloe is getting to be such a big girl! She is such a cutie! Can you believe how quickley they grow up?!

Coree Adams said...

You know what dearest friend of mine? It seems either we are ALWAYS on the same page or you are inspired to post for me. I needed that so bad! Thank you for sharing that awesome and super inspiring quote from our Prophet. I need to print that and put it up in every single room in our place of residence. Love you Ang. Let's play.

Laurie said...

Wow, beautiful quote. It brought tears to my eyes and gave me a push to keep moving on. Thanks!

Sassy said...

WOW! I needed to read that quote today....so needed it....I have been in a real slump as of late and not diggin' it. I need happy! So thankful for a prophet who leads and guides us and snaps us back into reality. This week life has totally sucked, my friends son was killed, my mom IS really sick, midterm grades due, etc. etc. Angie, you always put a smile on my face. THANKS ♥YA!

ForeverSarahLee said...

Kinda went along with my last quote. But seriously Ang... I needed that. It felt so good to read that passage here.

You are such a kind and wonderful person. I'm sure you have faults, like all of us do, but you contain your oh so much better than I. I truly do wish to always be a little more like you. More thoughtful, more considerate, more peppy & bright. You are my hero Mrs. Dunn. Lol! Thank you so much for being such a cute friend. I am grateful to have YOU to remind me how great life is an certainly can be!! :0)

Luv ya girl!