The Butterfly Effect

Last night our Stake President taught us about the butterfly effect.  We learned that small changes, such as a butterfly flapping its' wings, could have large results around the world, like redirecting a tornado's path in Kansas.  While something like this is very hard to prove, the idea that a small effort on an individual's part could make a big difference for someone is a beautiful thought.  As we learn in the Book of Mormon, "by small and simple things are great things brought to pass" (Alma 37:6).  I hope that we can all have faith that there is much good in this world and that we can do the small and simple things to make good's influence grow and be felt by everyone.  It all could be as easy as a butterly simply flapping its' wings.

Photo Credit:  http://www.boston.com/community/moms/blogs/parent_buzz/Butterfly%20landing%20-%20butterfly.jpg

My New Life

I'm watching this video at the end of a perfect mother's day from my family. I couldn't think of a better message to share with you about what the gospel of Jesus Christ can do for us. My son just got baptized yesterday. It has just really made me think and ponder about what I have as a member of this church. I am happy. And I know it is because I have a testimony of this gospel and the truths and standards it teaches. I hope you enjoy.

The Spirit of God

My little girl was due for her shots this last week. Every time I thought of taking her to get her shots, I felt nauseous. I tried to convince myself I just didn't like that she cried when she was poked. The day before her doctor's appointment, the missionaries even stopped by to give her a blessing to calm my nerves, but the feeling wouldn't leave. When we got to the doctor, I allowed them to give her almost all of the shots until the nurse go to the MMR vaccine. At that point I felt dizzy to the point of fainting. Something just felt wrong. I told the nurse that we were going to wait on that particular vaccine and we went home with me thinking I was totally crazy. I even called to schedule another appointment when we got home because I thought my nerves were just being too jumpy.

Today, I took my little girl to the allergist for her peanut allergy. The doctor suggested we test her for the typical childhood allergies. After they did the scratch test (they make little scratches on their arms and expose them to allergens to see what they are allergic to,) the nurse came in to check her arms. Her mouth dropped open and she immediately demanded if I have given my child the MMR vaccine. With no logical explanation as to why I didn't, I told her it just didn't feel right. She told me that my listening to my mother's intuition I had probably saved my child's life. She is extremely allergic to eggs and the MMR is an egg-based vaccine.

I know that it had nothing to do with mother's intuition and everything to do with the fact that God was watching out for me and my little girl. I am so grateful that the feelings were persistent even though I tried to shake them off and that in the end everything turned out OK. I have been reminded today that God is watching out for all of us and that he communicates to us through the spirit.

Forever Families

I have two friends who have recently lost their fathers unexpectedly. One of them also lost his brother and sister in a car accident three and a half years ago. I used to shun all thoughts of losing anyone in my family- I couldn't even think about losing my husband or my son without freaking out. But, with so much death happening around me, I have realized what a fragile, precious gift life is and that it can be taken away at any moment. I have gained a much greater appreciation for my knowledge that families are can be together forever. My testimony of that knowledge has also been strengthened by those who have experienced these tragedies and have been able to go on living because they have a knowledge that their family will be together again someday. I know that I would be absolutely devastated if my family was temporarily separated, but I am immeasurable comforted by the fact that I have been sealed to my family for eternity and I know that if I live right, I get to be with them forever. "This doctrine brings a brightness of hope into an otherwise dark and dreary world." (Elder Robert D. Hales, "The Eternal Family")

Leap of Faith

As I was reading in the Conference edition of the Ensign, I came across a talk entitled, "Get On With Our Lives" by Elder Steven E. Snow. The full article can be found at lds.org under gospel library if you are interested in reading it in its entirety, but I thought immediately of the change that sometimes seems to be forced upon us. It sometimes seems a bit like this:

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I feel that this change offers so much opportunity for growth and learning. It can be a really difficult thing to undergo change, we feel that we have to keep things the same, have a sense of the norm being good, but how can we truly go from our "natural man" state to becoming like Christ without a hefty dose of CHANGE?

Elder Snow states that there are four simple ways we can prepare for and face change. The first is to follow the words of the prophets. Sometimes it may seem difficult to follow the prophet and their council, but as we do, we find peace and direction. In the primary song, "Follow the Prophet", it simply states, "We can get direction all along our way, if we heed the prophets- follow what they say." The second way is through keeping an eternal perspective. Sometimes much easier said than done. As we focus on the here and now, we lose focus on what is really important. Is moving away from friends as important as working towards eternal things? Or is losing a job, as terrible as it is, as bad as not living with your family forever? Keeping an eternal perspective helps us to focus on where we REALLY are headed. The third way Elder Snow says we can prepare for change is having faith. President Gordon B. Hinckley stated that we should "move forward with faith". We are often counseled that we sometimes don't know where we are headed, but that as we take that "leap of faith" the answers, peace and assurance will come. Even in the bible we learn that faith will guide us. In 2 Corinthians 5:7 Paul teaches the people of Corinth that "...we walk by faith, not by sight." It always reminds me of a clip from an Indiana Jones movie where he comes to a cliff and there isn't a way across. His father says from the other room, "You must believe boy, you must believe"... and then Indie takes his leap of faith to find an invisible path across the cliff. (The clip can be viewed at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-c8_OFwZoY)


It's not easy, but as we take the "leap of faith", we can find the path we didn't see before.

Finally, Elder Snow tells us to BE OF GOOD CHEER! What a great thing! Laughter through our hard times can bring so much joy and love to our homes and our hearts. I know that there are many people in my life, including myself, who are dealing with change right now. I hope that we can all remember that as the changes come, and they inevitably will, that there is a reason and a purpose through the change in our lives.

The Scriptures: the word of God

I have always been a little silly about my scriptures, especially because I've always had a copy with the Old and New Testament, The Book of Mormon, The Doctrine & Covenants, and The Pearl of Great Price. When I started college, I knew that my scriptures from high school seminary were a bit marked up and there wasn't really a meaning in my markings; simply, the more markings, the more I liked the scripture or the more times I had learned from its teachings. My best friend finally suggested we move on to new scriptures together. Well, I did it. I bought new scriptures and I signed up for a scripture study/power of the word institute of religion class at my university. It was such a hard thing for me when I would go to do my personal study of the scriptures to pick up the completely unmarked copy and study. I found myself more often than not turning to my seminary scriptures looking for the comfortable feeling I found there.

As I attended my institute class on scripture study, I was grateful I had purchased the new scriptures. I was grateful that I was able to start over in my marking and create a process of marking that really meant something and aided in my learning from those great pages. I found that as I marked and read and studied, I found greater and deeper meanings from the pages of the books I had read since I was a young girl. I found that I could identify principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ and then ponder upon the applications to my own life. Changing to what I now refer to as my "institute and college" scriptures was a great decision. It opened the doors to new learning and growth in my understanding of Jesus Christ, His atonement, His love, and His plan. I found that this change was something I needed. So often, change is hard. We move places, we end schooling, we find a career, we meet someone who changes our life, we question what we believe, we wonder if mom and dad really did know everything, but no matter what it is, things change. These changes can and often are wonderful opportunities for growth. Moments when we can put our trust and faith in the Lord and know that even though we may not know the outcome, He does.

About two months ago, my husband and I packed up our belongings, put them in storage and moved in with my parents for a couple of months, hoping we would have our own place soon. This was just one of those changes I would face in the coming months. I was unpacking and went to grab my scriptures when I suddenly realized they were no where to be found among the heaps of belongings we had transferred to my parent's home. I was devastated. Were they in the car? At the old apartment? In the storage unit? I worried and prayed and searched for those beloved scriptures that had come to symbolize so much for me. I scoured the car, cleaned every part of the apartment and even went through most of the boxes in our storage unit. I did not find them. I was sure they were accidentally packed away in the far reaches of a box I couldn't get to, or that they would simply show up eventually. Luckily, I had another set I studied from during the month and 1/2 that we were there, but that didn't save me from a few tears.

We did finally get our own place and as we unpacked every box, my apprehension grew. My scriptures were not there. I again gave myself up to weeping on behalf of my scriptures. They had come to mean so much to me. They had been the tool for much of my gospel growth and learning in the last 6 years. I had taken them to 4 different countries. I was devastated and sat on the floor crying. I finally moved to my knees and asked my Father in Heaven if He could help me find my scriptures that were such a treasure to me. As happens when we pray, He answered, but not in the way I was hoping. I had the feeling come over me that seemed to say, "Change is important. You are changing, your life is changing, and your learning in the gospel also needs to change. It's time to get some new scriptures. There is much more for you to learn." I can't say I heard those words exactly, but I do know that I felt very strongly that it was time for me to change. I am grateful that the Lord sees fit to teach us in ways that are so perfect for us. My scriptures have been a symbol of growth and change for me so many times. I know that they truly do hold the word of God for us and that as we truly study the words within the pages, we will grow, change, and find new life for the new us.

A Great Gift

Life feels like it is speeding up around our house. With growing children we forced to make an increasing number of decisions about activities and education. It can sometimes feel like we're bombarded with options on how we should spend our time and I know that as our family grows the pace of our activities will as well.

However, something that one of our church leaders said in our last General Conference made me refocus on the fact that the complications of extra activities really should not be my main concern. Elder Kevin W. Pearson stated, "In uncertain and difficult times, faith is truly a spiritual gift worthy of our utmost efforts. We can give our children education, lessons, athletics, the arts, and material possessions, but if we do not give them faith in Christ, we have given little." I am grateful for this reminder and hope that children and adults alike can have faith in and partake of the greatest gift we have been given - the Atonement of Jesus Christ and His plan of happiness for us.

And now for my next trick...

In the Book of Mormon there is a story of a prophet named Nephi who had been tied up with cords by his wicked brothers who were going to leave him to die in the wilderness. Nephi prays to the Lord to be delivered from his brothers and asks that he can have "strength that [he] may burst [those] bands with which [he] was bound" (1 Nephi 7:17). Nephi is a righteous man and has some serious faith so the Lord does in fact deliver him. What is interesting however is that he is not given the strength to burst these cords, but the Lord simply loosens the cords from off Nephi's hands and feet and his is free (1 Nephi 7:18).
I think life is like that a lot of times. In faith we will pray for something extraordinary to happen, like having the strength to burst some cords, but what ends up happening is something somewhat less remarkable, cords being loosened. Loosening cords is just as effective as bursting them if the goal is freedom, and perhaps even better because now Nephi has some perfectly good rope to use in the future. The real question is whether or not we recognize the hand of the Lord in those very effective, but somewhat less remarkable blessing we receive in life. Nephi could have rationalized that his brothers were pretty poor knot-tiers and that the cords sort of loosened on their own, but being the righteous man that he was I'm sure he recognized the hand of the Lord instead of just relying on his own strength or good luck. I know that the Lord is involved in every person's life and gives us blessings big and small. I pray that we can recognize those blessings and their divine source.

Grapefruit in Minnesota

Prior to moving to Minnesota, where winter weather is discouragingly cold and dark, I hated grapefruit because they were too sour and bitter. I couldn’t understand why people would eat grapefruit, when any reasonable person would have to heap spoonfuls of sugar on top just to swallow. It was a rare, generous moment when I would even buy them at the grocery store for my husband.

But that all changed on some dark, cold day in the heart of my first Minnesota winter. On that day, I found myself looking at the fruit bowl on our kitchen table and, wonder of wonders, craving the last grapefruit that sat there amidst the bananas and apples. I gobbled it up, and immediately wanted more. It was delicious to me, and like all those crazies before me, I found myself squeezing it at the end to catch every drop of its goodness. It is my unscientific and unconfirmed theory that my summer-starved body was craving whatever sun-enriched nutrients the grapefruit contained. In short, I now eat grapefruit on a regular basis, and can hardly recall what it was like not to know and love its tart, rich taste.

This grapefruit conversion is to me a parable of what I have experienced in other areas of my life. It is an example of something once bitter becoming sweet due to the Lord’s hand in my life. I, like many people, unfortunately have divorced parents, which was a great challenge to me when I was young. I have therefore always identified with the account of Jacob (son of Lehi) in the Book of Mormon. Jacob’s father tells him, “[I]n thy childhood thou hast suffered afflictions and much sorrow. . . . Nevertheless, Jacob . . . thou knowest the greatness of God; and he shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain.” (2 Nephi 2:1-2, p. 56)

I never envisioned my parents getting back together, necessarily, but it always felt to me that something was irretrievably lost. Quite simply, I was torn between two sides, because despite my great love for both of them, it was not possible for me to have Dad in one hand and Mom in the other. I do not wish to diminish the rich blessings I did have when I was young: I have been very blessed to have two parents who love me and who have made great sacrifices for my welfare and benefit. But I must acknowledge that for a long time, there was an uncured sadness wedged in my heart for my broken family. Casting blame, imagining what should have been, and leaving home were some of my coping strategies, none of which cured the hurt.

I am humbled to report, as I now reflect on it, that I feel none of that old ache – that indeed it has been swallowed up through the power of Christ’s atonement. Without going into all the details (though truly God was there in all the minute details), let me mention a few things that I have learned.

First, there is a fine line between faith in Jesus Christ and the works we must do to prove our faith. It was not enough for me to hurl my burden at Christ in tearful prayer, vigorously asserting that “I have faith,” and expect Him to take it away. True, “all things are possible to him that believeth” (Mark 9:23), and it is by faith that you are “made whole” (Matthew 9:22). And there is always comfort on the other side of a faithful prayer. But I was never truly relieved from the burden I bore until I learned to share a yoke with Christ Himself. It has primarily been while losing myself in the course of service, including church service and a full-time mission, that I have found the most peace and reassurance through Christ. And just so you don’t worry: this yoke of obedience and discipleship is “easy,” and the burden “light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

Second, it is a simple truth that God, who is Master of the universe and Father to our souls, will “not suffer [us] to be tempted above that [we] are able to bear; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that [we] may be able to bear it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13) I have never doubted, nor been given reason to doubt, that God knew my suffering, expected me to be faithful in spite of it all, and made it possible for me to bear my burden without disintegrating into despair and rebellion.

And third, the most wonderful, delicious fruits are borne of adversity, if we endure it well! Jacob’s father taught him that “it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things” so that we might know the bitter from the sweet. (2 Nephi 2: 11-15) And do we not all know the taste of bitterness?! But Christ’s miracle – which hopefully gives new life to our sometimes sad, sleepy, or stony hearts – is that joy is borne of bitterness, life springs out of barrenness, and weakness becomes strength. It happens in many ways. In my life, my family has been made whole in ways I never thought possible, as have I. Where there was anger and resentment, there have been new beginnings and feelings of peace, understanding, and hope.

I am forever grateful for Christ, grateful that He drank of the bitter cup and did not shrink. I marvel that, as grapefruit is delicious to me because it allows me to taste sunshine in the middle of winter, so are the fruits of my childhood heartache delicious to me because they have resulted in my conversion to the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is this fruit, which is "desirable above all other fruit," that most often is found in the midst of our longest, most bitter winters. (1 Nephi 8:12)

Saved by Angels

A few weeks ago, our stake presidency came to our ward and held a special hour and a half meeting. They wanted to set some goals for the new year. I've always been a little bit of a rebel when it comes to setting goals -- it isn't that I am against them, it's that I want to make my own goals, not have someone else tell me what I should do. But that morning when I woke up, my kids and my husband were sick, so I headed off to church by myself with my note pad. I told my husband that if I had to sit through it alone, I was going to take notes and report.

I admit that I didn't go with the best attitude. But going that day and listening to truly inspired men, saved my little boy's life today, literally.

The stake president spoke on "Concerns, Commitments, and Promises." He expressed his concerns for us and all the hardships that are going on in the world today. It was a beautiful talk and warmth filled my heart as he continued to tell us that the stake would like to set some goals for us for the coming year. Usually this would make me a little irritated, but in my heart I knew that whatever he was going to say, I was going to do. He asked us to do three things this year.
1. Make a commitment to get rid of "our favorite sin."
2. Attend the temple more often then we did last year.
3. Study the Doctrine and Covenants (Latter Day scriptures, a companion to the Book of Mormon)
Then the best part of the whole talk -- he gave us promises. He told us that if we did this things, that wonderful things would happen to us this year. As he gave us several promises, the spirit testified very strongly to me that what he was saying was true. I felt like he was talking right to me when he said that if we did these goals we would:
-Have miracles in our homes.
-Our children would come to a greater understanding of the gospel.
and my favorite:
-"Angels will be called and set apart" to help us individually and bless us and our homes with peace, comfort and strength.
The stake President made many other promises as well, but these were the ones that stood out to me the most. I NEEDED these blessings! I have a 3 year old who has some problems, he doesn't really talk well, and he has a hard time understanding what we say to him. He ignores me a lot too and I find myself yelling a lot just to get his attention and I hate yelling. If anyone needed these blessings it was us.

So when I got home I reported to my husband and stressed how important it was to me to follow the words and advice of our Stake President. We sat down and set our goals.

It has been only two weeks of working on our goals. We have had a good attitude about making our changes and have really put our hearts into it.

A few days ago my husband and I took our boys (Sammy, 3 years; and Nephi, 19 mo) on the college shuttle bus for the first time. The kids thought it was great fun and behaved really well. Sammy especially had a blast. Then today happened.

Today, while my husband was in class, I decided to brave the snow and ice and take the boys to Wal-Mart to pick up a few grocery items. Honestly, I have a hard time taking the kids out by myself because of Sammy's issues, he misbehaves a lot in public -- but it went well today... until we got home. I pulled into the parking lot, and got Nephi out first. Then I walked over to the other side, holding Nephi on one hip, I let Sammy out. I have to hold on to both kids because they are always wanting to run away from me. So I had Nephi and Sammy in my arms and I started hauling them into the house. Then the shuttle pulled up in the parking lot.

Sammy saw the bus and twisted out of my arm and starting running for it all excited. I threw Nephi through the doorway and ran after Sammy. I knew exactly where he was heading and it made me sick. I couldn't catch him because he was just too fast and there was so much ice and snow. I was yelling for him to stop, I could see the shuttle driver didn't see him and kept driving. Sammy was at least 15-20 feet ahead of me running, and I was closing in too slowly. I was screaming for him to stop and I was panicking because the shuttle wasn't stopping either, for a split second I thought I was going to watch my baby killed. Then the miracle happened. It was like Sam had run straight into an invisible wall and stopped suddenly just as the bus sped past him... just inches away. I grabbed him up quickly. Terror quickly turned to relief and then anger -- I told him he was grounded for the rest of his life. As soon as I got him in the house and put him in his room, I realized the miracle for what it was and I started to cry. I couldn't stop, I was shaking so hard. When I calmed down, my thoughts cleared and I gave thanks to my Father in Heaven for watching over us.

I know without a doubt an angel saved my baby today. I know that someone was there watching over us, protecting us... standing between Sammy and the bus. Not just because my husband and I have faith... but because we acted. We followed the words of our church leaders, we acted with faith, knowing and hoping for those promises. And we were greatly blessed. I am so thankful that we have a Heavenly Father who loves us so much that he would send us latter day Prophets, and other inspired men, women, and even angels to guide us and lead us to be more like Him. It is a comfort to know he has a plan for us, and as long as we are faithful and act in righteousness, we will return and live with him someday.

"I testify of angels, both the heavenly and the mortal kind. In doing so I am testifying that God never leaves us alone, never leaves us unaided in the challenges that we face. '[N]or will he, so long as time shall last, or the earth shall stand, or there shall be one man [or woman or child] upon the face thereof to be saved.' On occasions, global or personal, we may feel we are distanced from God, shut out from heaven, lost, alone in dark and dreary places. Often enough that distress can be of our own making, but even then the Father of us all is watching and assisting. And always there are those angels who come and go all around us, seen and unseen, known and unknown, mortal and immortal.
"May we all believe more readily in, and have more gratitude for, the Lord’s promise as contained in one of President [Thomas S.] Monson’s favorite scriptures: 'I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, … my Spirit shall be in your [heart], and mine angels round about you, to bear you up.' In the process of praying for those angels to attend us, may we all try to be a little more angelic ourselves—with a kind word, a strong arm, a declaration of faith and 'the covenant wherewith [we] have covenanted'."
-Jeffery R. Holland, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Nov 2008.

Testimony

This Saturday and Sunday, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints will hold its 178th Semiannual General Conference where those who listen will be taught gospel and life truths by the leaders of the church. For any who are questioning our stands, this is an ideal time to see for yourselves what members of the church truly believe. There will be many that will bare testimony of the truths of our doctrines - but how can one know for themselves if what is being taught is correct?

One of our Apostles, Elder Dallin H. Oaks taught about the idea of gaining a testimony at our last General Conference. While it is a little lengthy, I love how he eloquently explains about the process by which this fundamental knowledge can be gained. Elder Oaks said,

"What do we mean when we testify and say that we know the gospel is true? Contrast that kind of knowledge with “I know it is cold outside” or “I know I love my wife.” These are three different kinds of knowledge, each learned in a different way. Knowledge of outside temperature can be verified by scientific proof. Knowledge that we love our spouse is personal and subjective. While not capable of scientific proof, it is still important. The idea that all important knowledge is based on scientific evidence is simply untrue.

While there are some “evidences” for gospel truths (for example, see Psalm 19:1; Helaman 8:24), scientific methods will not yield spiritual knowledge. This is what Jesus taught in response to Simon Peter’s testimony that He was the Christ: “Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 16:17). The Apostle Paul explained this. In a letter to the Corinthian Saints, he said, “The things of God knoweth no man, but [by]
the Spirit of God” (1 Corinthians 2:11; see also John 14:17). In contrast, we know the things of man by the ways of man, but “the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14).

The Book of Mormon teaches that God will manifest the truth of spiritual things unto us by the power of the Holy Ghost (see Moroni 10:4–5). In modern revelation God promises us that we will receive “knowledge” by His telling us in our mind and in our heart “by the Holy Ghost” (D&C 8:1–2).

One of the greatest things about our Heavenly Father’s plan for His children is that each of us can know the truth of that plan for ourselves. That revealed knowledge does not come from books, from scientific proof, or from intellectual pondering. As with the Apostle Peter, we can receive that knowledge directly from our Heavenly
Father through the witness of the Holy Ghost.

When we know spiritual truths by spiritual means, we can be just as sure of that knowledge as scholars and scientists are of the different kinds of knowledge they have acquired by different methods."

I love these ideas because I have felt and deeply know this knowledge of the gospel, just as well as I have learned and proven scientific principles in the classroom. We challenge all to put these ideas to the test and watch General Conference this weekend. Those who do will come away from the experience strengthened with a greater desire to do good around them.

General Conference broadcasts will be shown at LDS stake centers, in many locations on television, and watched online at www.lds.org (times and details can also be found at this site).

A Child's Faith

I have always tried hard not to burden the Lord with trivial problems. Sometimes, things just aren't important enough to pray about, I have often thought. How wrong I was! Yesterday, I learned a great lesson about the character of a loving Father in Heaven from my little boy, Sam.

Sam is almost 3 years old and is speeched delayed. About 80% of the time I have no idea what he wants. But one thing I do know, is that Sammy loves Thomas the Train. He loves everything about them! His favorite Thomas toys are the little take-along trains. They are just the right size to fit in his little hands. Yesterday, I let Sammy choose two of his trains to take with us to visit a few of our neighbors. Unfortunately, it didn't take long for Sammy to lose his trains on the playground. I was a little upset, because those toys aren't cheap, and after about an hour of combing the playground we only found one train.

It was getting dark and I had given up. I put the boys (I have a 16 mo. old too) in the wagon to walk home, and Sammy started to whimper a little for his lost train. I was halfway to our apartment when I stopped and thought, "It won't hurt to take one last look." Before I turned around, I paused and thought, "I guess a little prayer won't hurt either." So I went and stood by Sam and bowed my head (only after checking around to make sure no one was watching) and I said a quick prayer in behalf of my little son who has no voice for himself. It went something like this: "Father in Heaven, I know that this may seem very petty and trivial, but Sammy lost his little train. I know it isn't a big deal to us, but it means a lot to him. Please, Father, help us find his little train, and bless Sammy for his perfect faith. Amen."

We started back to the playground. Then to my utter amazement, when we got to the gate, there was his little train, sitting there as if waiting just for us! Tears of gratitude welled up in my eyes as I realized that finding Sammy's train wasn't a trivial thing to pray for after all. Why? Because it mattered to Sam, and if it matters to him, then it mattered to the Lord.

What a loving Father in Heaven! How blessed that we are to know that no matter what, he will be there for us, to help us, comfort us, and heal us, when we need him. Thanks to my little son, with his perfect faith, I know my Father in Heaven a little bit more. If it matter's to us, it matters to Him.