Blog Title: EXPLAINED

I have a secret for you: If you think think that "the two most important relationships I will ever have [and our daily story]" refers to my husband Scott and my daughter Sydney, you would be half wrong. I've been pretty generic with my blog posts; very day-to-day as the sub-head to my blog title describes. What I haven't been as obvious about is describing the meaning of the actual blog title: In This Triangle. I've told plenty of stories about Scott and I, but I haven't obviously told any stories about the third person in this triangle.

There are three people in our family right now, so how will my blog title make sense after we have more kids? She is our first, but I don't plan on favoring Sydney over our other kids, and you can't add any more points to a triangle.

So here it is. This is what my blog stands for (as well as my triangle diamond wedding ring), but more importantly, this is what my life represents:

As Scott and I each draw closer to our Heavenly Father, we draw closer to each other, bringing our kids up with us and becoming one with each other and one with God. We're workin' on it ;)

That is who is in this triangle. And the two most important relationships I will ever have are with my Father in Heaven and with my wonderful husband, Scott.
Only through my relationship with God can I truly learn of His love and be given by Him the capacity to love others, like my husband, my kids and EVERYONE.
There's a lot of cool analogies you can make with a relationship triangle like this. See for yourself.

As I go back through my journals and writings, I can see God's hand in my life everywhere, and that is why He is such a big part of our daily story. I always try and write it down when I recognize His hand, which is what brings me to the experience I had yesterday.

The Best Things in Life, Aren't Things  
This is one of many experiences that happen periodically throughout my life; daily even, if I'm good enough to recognize them. When they hit me as a learning experience, I write them down.
Two days ago, I sent this email out to my family:

        1 Peter 2:20----Read it..It's just one verse. it gives me a whole new meaning to the meaning of          patience, which is what I'm studying and trying to be more like! 

It's even better to BE PATIENT WITH THE "UNEXPECTED" than to be patient with something you'd expect to need patience for...ie: you'd expect to need patience as you work through the sufferings or consequences of your own faults, but being patient with sufferings you may receive because you are righteous and "doing well" <<<---you don't expect to have to need patience because you are doing well or good in the world....you wouldn't expect to have to suffer because you are doing good...but to have patience in THOSE times is "acceptable with God."

ok, I know half of you won't look it up so here it is:

1Peter 2:20 For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it ^apatiently? but if, when ye do well, and ^bsuffer for it,ye take it ^cpatiently, this is ^dacceptable with God.

(end email)

One of my sisters wrote back and said: "Still a bit confusing to me. But sounds good."
The next day, that same sister came over so that I could help her with a project that she was working on. While she was there, her child lifted up the mini trampoline to move it in front of our TV and dropped it on the TV stand breaking off a large chunk of wood all the way to the metal rod holding it up. (Thank heavens it wasn't the TV itself!) :)
Almost immediately I felt worse for my sister (and her terrified son) than I did for myself or my stand because I could tell they both felt sincerely bad and worried about fixing it and I felt worse about them feeling bad than about the material "loss."
I just remember not saying anything, just looking at the damage, and then reassuring my crying nephew that "It's OK, accidents happen," as I rubbed his back.
That morning for scripture study, the very thing Scott had been reading about was material possessions and how they don't matter:

(Excerpt from Scott's email to Mel-Yep, that's the sister ;)):

...My scripture study today was interesting and I know that we learn what we need to each day for our situations. I'll just copy and paste one line from it...

 "...These things can be physical, temporal, tangible, or intangible. It is just so important to learn and REALLY believe that things don't matter. "

It is seriously true, things don't matter. I REALLY believe it. Thanks for letting Cole break that stand so I could really learn what I read and studied today and share it with Stephanie. That is what family is for, to be together and know what really matters, and it sure is a stupid TV stand. I hope Cole doesn't feel too bad. I am sure he learned a good lesson to be more careful with things and he won't forget it, I know I didn't when I did dumb things as a little boy, but I sure am grateful for parents that helped me understand that some things are more important than others. It wouldn't be fair for me to not be the same and I hope I can always be that way...

(end excerpt)

This is where the learning came in for me: Remember the scripture study I sent out to my family the day before about patience, and my sister said she was confused about why patience is so powerful in times that you wouldn't expect to have it? Well Melissa is the very one who helped me recognize that I was so being tested on what I had learned by this text she sent me saying "..I still feel horrible. ESP since u were helping me and then ur stuff got ruined." What a great opportunity to be merciful and patient in a time when I was trying to "do well" or help, and "something bad happened to me."

Heavenly Father prepared both Scott and I for this little experience because we choose to draw closer to Him through our daily scripture study, and because of this little experience, we are that much closer to each other and I'm that much closer to my sister and my nephew. Oh, and I can't forget, I'm that much closer to my Heavenly Father too :) I love being taught by Him!!

(I know I promised a post about the surprise date, but that might have to wait again! I'll see if I can get it up before I leave work, if I don't get too many calls between now and then. ;) Thanks for reading!