Flashmobs of Kindness April 21

 When I heard about the day of national "Flash Mobs of Kindness," (--it was yesterday, April 21st - Glenn Beck's idea--) I wanted to participate, so I found out the closest Meetup was in Park City for the Peace House (domestic violence victims' sanctuary).  My kids and I made Easter baskets and gathered other supplies and drove over and dropped them off.  It was a good experience for me and my kids, but I wish we could have met the people who received the items.

As I was reading other people's stories online, from around the country, others who had also participated in the Day of Kindness, I found this one:

"...I stopped her and asked if she was unemployed. She said, 'Honey, I've been unemployed for a year and I'm on disability.' She was in a hurry, but then I asked, 'Do you have children?' She sighed and said, 'Yes, I do.' I then pulled out the gift card from my pocket and said, 'This is a $30 Wal-Mart gift card that we would like to bless you with, and we have some bags of groceries if you want them.'The woman looked at the [gift] card, put her hand over her mouth, and as she started to cry asked, 'Are you serious?' Mom and I both said yes, and we held her as she cried for a moment. As we loaded the groceries in her car she told us something that blew Mom and I away. She said, 'I'm suppose to take my youngest daughter down to Texas Children's tomorrow for tests, and I didn't have money to buy the gas for the trip.' Now Mom and I realized why we had been led to get the gift card.

 


 
  Then the lady asked, 'Why are y'all doing this, what church are you from?' I answered, 'Ma'am, we're not with  our church, we were just lead to do to this for you because we're your American brothers and sisters, and Americans take care of Americans.' She again wiped the tears from her eyes and said, 'that's right...that's right.' "

Timpanogos Temple

On Saturday, C.E. and I went to the temple to do baptisms.  There is a peaceful, loving, happy spirit in the temple that is unmatched anywhere else.  I love it there.

C.E. and I submitted one family name, a name of our direct ancestor who lived in Sweden in the 1800s.  What a thrill it was to see C.E. stand in the baptismal font and get baptized for that person (plus for others whom we didn't know).  What a great experience.

I do believe in the life beyond the veil of death.  I believe in angels/spirits/ghosts --the people who have been severed temporarily from their bodies by death, who await the resurrection in the unseen world.  That world is as real as this one.  I wonder if our ancestor was there, watching us with a happy heart in the temple that day.  --Leaping, wanting to say, "Thanks for helping me to do my baptism."

Meanwhile, DH and AJ and the baby went on an outing to the American Fork Target.  They came out with nothing but candy bars.  Men can do that.

More Baptism Day Photos

Here's A.R. with my dear husband's sister and neice at the post-baptism dinner.  It was really fun.  There were more than fifty people there, friends and family of A.J. and his sweet cousin. 

Here's my adorable thirteen year old nephew with the sweet three year old half-brother of my kids (my exhusband's son).  I think it's pretty great that the past is put in the past, all bad feelings are forgiven, and we can have a great baptism and baptism party, with all the exes and in-laws and outlaws and everybody just has fun.

My brother and my stepson.  A.R. just got accepted to BYU.  We are all super proud of him. 

My husband and his son share each other's sense of humor.

Right before the food arrived, these guys were starving and it shows on their faces!

A.J. was baptized by his father, and during the confirmation, he was surrounded with the love of his father, his stepfather, his uncle, and his grandfather.

You can tell that they are having fun.

What kind of inside joke was happening here, I wonder.

Here they are!  The two newest members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

D.H.'s mom

One of my very best friends on earth, and me.

Double 8 year olds.

More grandparents!

Baptism Day

A Double Cousins' Baptism

What a great day today was.  A.J. and his cousin got baptized today.  There were a lot of people there.  It was a peaceful, happy day.  Here are our photos.

Joining the church is a very happy occasion.

Here are my brother and my neice on their way to the baptism.

C.E. and two of her cousins, going a little crazy in the kitchen afterwards.

A.R., me, D.H., Baby H., A.J., and his other half-brother, M.A.

The baby and me.

A.J. with his father and other brother, M.A.

The dinner afterwards.

What a wonderful little eight year old.

These cousins are so lucky to grow up close to each other.

Ready to be baptized.

Smiles

My small, cool dude.

The baby.

Here, he was getting tired and hungry.

Little gripper.

Happy baptism day, A.J.

Stepcousins.

Yummy food.

My former father in law and my current husband met today for the first time.

Here's my husband's brother, his wife, and his tall, tall sons.

Hejda.

And, the handsome husband.