Sunday Night Thoughts

A beautiful weekend ends with peace of the Sabbath and the hope of a warm week ahead. I can handle winter. Snow photos and Christmas warmth are among the positives, but it's the promise of spring that helps me through the darkest days. It's knowing that the days will grow longer once again. The snow will melt. We've now had three days of great mid-March weather here along the Wasatch Front and it's left me feeling much more positive about myself and the planet. I'm not unaware of problems and challenge close to home and throughout the world, but I'm grateful for many blessings:

health, home, healing
St. Patrick's day, St. George and St. Paul
meals, memories, music, Mohos
infants, information, initiative
family, friends, foundations
change, courage, commitment
light, love and learning

There's also this. One of the guys I always look forward to seeing at Church wasn't just friendly today, he actually clapped me on the back and put his hand on my shoulder. Not once but several times. Just remembering that fills me with an inner warmth to match today's sunny weather.

I'm also encouraged by the words of Joseph Smith that Sarah highlighed in her blog entry a few hours ago:

"If I esteem mankind to be in error, shall I bear them down? No. I will lift them up, and in their own way too, if I cannot persuade them my way is better; and I will not seek to compel any man to believe as I do...We will ... cultivate peace and friendship with all, mind our own business, and come off with flying colors, respected, because, in respecting others, we respect ourselves."

Evan Stephens tithing slip protest

This past Sunday's tithing slip fell out of my wallet today and I noticed that there's a blank on the very bottom for "other". What if all the tithe paying Moho's decided that on a certain Sunday we'd all donate to "other" and specify something like the "Evan Stephens fund"? (Stephens may have been a Moho. Quinn says yes. The Brethren say no.)

Just what would this accomplish, you ask? It's a good question that deserves a good answer. One I don't have at the moment. Besides, maybe there's a better way to show our solidarity. Maybe we're already doing it by blogging. I guess we could create our own Moho Temple day or night sometime. Or perhaps something more inclusive, like the uniform thing again or the Matis and Scott & Sarah gatherings in Utah, but something anyone anywhere could participate in. Yes, blogging and Facebooking work well for that. Just some random thoughts.

Brother Stephens wrote more than 80 hymns, 18 of which are in the current English hymbook. Here's an excerpt from one of my favorites:

Purify our hearts, Our Savior
Let us go not far astray
That we may be counted worthy
Of thy Spirit day by day
When temptations are before us
Give us strength to overcome
Always guard us in our wanderings
Till we leave our earthly home

(#183, In Remembrance of Thy Suffering)