This past week I've embarked on a new food adventure. I decided it was time to embrace the low-carb diet. Every pregnancy I have been border-line diabetic. 2 out of 3 pregnancies I've failed the one hour glucose test, but I've passed the 3 hour every time. Although I've never officially had to go on a special diet, I have felt my body be affected differently while pregnant. I'd often feel dizzy and weak as my blood sugar was crashing, forcing me to lay down. This time I want things to be different. After much research, and being married to an educated husband, I am convinced that the sugar in our diet is the cause for most of the disease that plagues America today. It is truly an epidemic. Pastas, breads, rice and potatoes are quickly turned into sugar by our bodies. It was time to remove these foods as my main fillers.
The first few days eating in this new manner was hard. I felt like a drug addict in rehab. My body CRAVED these foods so bad. I'd eat, and my stomach would be full, but my body was still sending hunger signals. I felt full and starving at the same time. I think my body was so used to getting energy from a quick sugar fix, that it just didn't know what to do. It was an adjustment. I wasn't perfect, one night I gave into a bowl of cereal. It tasted SO heavenly! But about an hour later, I wasn't feeling so great.
Although my main motivation is the fact that I'm pregnant, and almost diabetic. Plus my "morning sickness" (not just for the morning), hadn't completely gone away at 17 weeks. I noticed though, that the days that I didn't feed my body right were my worst days. This diet is good for everybody that wants to try it. Once your body adjusts, it is an easy lifestyle to lead. (Well ok, it does involve much more cooking.) But if you plan ahead, and only buy the good stuff, it is so do-able. Eating in this manner will lower your chances, or reverse the affects of heart disease, arthiritis, diabetes, and many other ailments that many suffer from today! I personally feel ok about indulging in carbs and treats every once in a while. But the trick is moderation. Your main source of energy should be from veggies, meats, fruits, dairies, and yes fats. Healthy fats are SO good for you. Drink that olive oil, eat avocados, and peanuts! I've had a few requests for recipes I've tried this week, so I will now share with you our past weeks favorites. I just found these on the internet searching for low carb options. Sorry I don't have the links to all of the recipes to credit the correct website.
Chicken & Asparagus Lemon Stir Fry- the only changes I would make to this is to use olive oil. And to double or triple the asparagus. Or you could try adding other veggies. It needed more veggies. Also it was a bit garlicy for Brad, so if you don't want a super garlic meal, you could cut back on the garlic.
Simple Cucumber Salad (Brad's favorite. This went REALLY well with chicken grilled in italian dressing)
2 large cucumbers
1-2 tsp salt
4 large green onions
2 Tbsp fresh cut up cilantro
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp lemon zest
1/8 tsp pepper
-Slice cucumbers finely. Salt liberally and let sit in colander in sink for 1 hour
-Rinse cucumbers thoroughly. Dry completely
- Slice green onions, finely chop cilantro. Finely zest lemon.
-Combine onions, cilantro, lemon juice, zest, olive oil, and pepper
-Pour over cucumber and stir
Brocolli Cheese Soup ( I didn't have dry mustard or cayenne pepper. It was still REALLY good without it)
2 Tbs Butter
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 1/2 cups water
3 cans chicken broth (4 cups)
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 bunch of broccoli chopped and steamed
1/2 cup red bell pepper finely chopped
8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
-Melt butter in large saucepan. Cook and stir 30 sec. or until bubbly. Add cream, water, broth, salt, mustard, c. pepper; bring to a simmer over high heat, stirring frequently. Add broccoli and red pepper. boil. simmer 5 min on low- stir occasionally. Add cheese.
For Breakfast, I like to make some sort of egg casserole before hand, then in the morning when everyone is trying to get out the door, just stick it in the microwave, eat and go. The one we ate most of this week was this(it lasted my family 3 or 4 days):
Sausage and Egg Breakfast Bites
1 small bunch spinach
1/2 lb. crumpled uncooked sausage
8-10 eggs
cheddar cheese
cottage cheese
-Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
-Slice spinach into thin strips- saute in olive oil over med. heat for several minutes, then add sausage. Saute until sausage is cooked.
-Whisk eggs in seperate bowl. Stir in greens, sausage, and cheeses.
- Pour into greased 8x8 pan. Bake 20-25 minutes or until cooked through.
This last recipe was one of the most unique breakfast I've ever had. I'm not a HUGE sweet potato fan, but over-all it was pretty good. It felt like a Thanksgiving breakfast. Fun to try something new :)
Cowboy Breakfast Skillet
We also ate Chicken Salad, Chili, Beef Stew, and lots of chicken and vegetables. Whenever I had a sugar cravings, I'd eat fruit. I'm not a fish fan, but for Brad and the kids, this next week we'll stick that in the menu. I'll just cook myself a chicken :) Our carbs for the week were- whole wheat pitas with the chicken salad, the sweet potatoes (better then normal potatoes), a small amount of potatoes in the stew, and maybe I ate a roll with the soup. But I had 1 instead of like 5 :) We feel great! I've never spent so much time at the cutting board. The week's groceries came to around $120, and I over bought a bit. Not bad for a family of 5 (almost 6)!
If cut out the carbs from your life, remember, fat is not the enemy. Sugar is. If you try to go low fat and low carb, you'll starve yourself. The only fat I don't eat is hydrogenated fat, because it really isn't healthy. If you eat fat, your body will stay full longer. The fat in peanuts is awesome. But stop buying JIF! or other peanut butters with hydrogenated oil. Find one that requires stirring. They are right next to all of the other peanut butters in the grocery isle. The natural stuff isn't much different in price. You do have to stir it the first time you use it. But then, it is SO much better tasting, and SO much better for you :)
Sunday, September 14, 2014
Saturday, May 24, 2014
L-Men Days of Future Past
It's 2014, the year of graduation from Optometry school.
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| 11 years ago, C-o-t-t-o-n! WOOD |
A decade really is a short amount of time, from back then until now. Shocking however when Amy told me, "ya think how 2 decades from now we'll probably be grandparents." That's when I realized how time flies, life is short, and maybe, just maybe, Old people really aren't that old
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| 10 years ago I was playing at this hot show |
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| 9 years ago I was collecting bugs in Honduras |
 |
| While Amy graduated High School |
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| 7 years ago Amy and I were dating other people |
 |
| 6 years ago this cake was eaten |
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| 5 years ago this baby opened the mail and announced Houston |
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| 4 years ago we had this real estate agent show us this house. |
 |
| 3 years ago we went to Las Vegas to visit these folks |
 |
| ...with that new baby in the stroller |
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| 2 Years ago I had collected a Spider and a Turtle |
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| Last year I got some new glasses... and a Jonas |
And now we're back to being caught up with today again
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| bless you Isaac |
And now in thinking about the future it'll probably be pretty boring. We move to Louisiana, get a job and a place to live. Here's a picture that Jonas will take in 1 year from now
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| That's right, Amy will be pregnant with a baby girl and we'll have joined the cast of Duck Dynasty. |
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| And later in October of 2015... |
A couple last fun pictures:
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| We'll be living here: This satellite image shows the trailer home (southernmost structure in the middle) and that huge green square is our backyard! |
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| Every single Larson-sided grandchild and as far as we know nobody's pregnant right now. |
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| Front row - Left is Liam, then Jonas, Luke, and Isaac with Stella then Clarissa in the back row. |
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| I told them 3 times, please line up for a photo, but they just don't listen. |
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| And here's my Gandalf Graduation robes. |
Things are great, things are looking up.
Monday, February 17, 2014
Announcing Louisiana
Dear everybody in the world.
My wife and I are announcing that we've chosen to begin our career and raise our family in Shreveport Louisiana!!!
My wife and I are announcing that we've chosen to begin our career and raise our family in Shreveport Louisiana!!!
We were led to Shreveport due to a number of what we are certain were inspired events.
But why Louisiana? I will explain.
There. Done explaining.
Ok Ok, so for the rest of you who are not Cajun food lovers of Crawfish, I'll offer 10 more reasons we chose Shreveport Louisiana.
10. It's beautiful
9. The climate. Average snowy days per year = .8 (ancient chinese proverb: "happy wife = happy life.")
8. Cost of Living is 15% lower that the average city in the USA while the optometry salary offered to us is 50% higher than the average optometrist in the USA. This means
It means that we'll have the means to raise our family. And have enough left over to be able to serve in health focused humanitarian projects.
7. Karl Malone
He's from Northern Louisiana and played college ball at LA Tech whose campus is 1 hour east of Shreveport. Also did you forget that "The Utah Jazz" orgininally was called "The New Orleans Jazz."
6. Crime is low. As in non-existent in the place we plan on living. For example, there was 1 robbery in 2001. No rapes, no murders, and all the smaller crimes are actually decreasing over the past few years.
5. Country. With the land being relatively cheap and open forests, fields and trails bordering your backyard there's no limit to what you can do outdoors.
4. Empty house. When you combine low crime, good weather, and wide open country you get a place to let a house full of boys to roam free, exercise, explore, and get their wiggles out, granting mom some sanity in the home. We understand that our children all are genetically exposed to nintendo syndrome (from brad's genes) and intense tendencies to watch movies all day (from Amy's genes.) We feel we must prepare a home to counteract the symptoms of these diseases.
3. The South
You may have heard rumors. Southern hospitality really does exist.
Folks in the south are simply more friendly. They will get in your business and they will share with you their own business. It's the most religious place I've ever been and that definitely includes Utah. The Mormons in Salt Lake City have a lot to learn on how to take religion public and share the word of Jesus with anyone who just happens to sit down beside ya. It's a culture that is not going to last very much longer in the United States but so long as it does I want my boys to experience it. Also, remember to always respond properly to "how d'ya do?" the next time B'rer rabbit goes hopping by.
2. We've asked God where we should live and He has pushed us and pushed us towards Louisiana over the past year. In our hearts we feel so warmly towards Shreveport and every other place just feels wrong. Although we think we know best and we try and make lists of reasons why we should live in Texas, Louisiana, or Utah, the TRUTH is that only God really knows which location will be most beneficial to our family. Only He sees the big picture and knows what will be best for everyone. The 2nd Coming of our Savior is approaching and I plan on a future full of change, war, and destruction. We can't predict where safety lies and so we must trust in the Lord and immediately follow His Counsels wherever he leads us.
1. We've received a mission call!
Amy and I have both received a mission call in the mail from church headquarters. The prophet has invited us to serve as proselyting missionaries in the Jackson, Mississippi mission. This includes Shreveport, Louisiana.
I wanted to put it that way so that all of my Utah family members could understand. We send out our sons and daughters into the mission field without questioning why England? Why Honduras? Why Canada? We just do it because we know that those places NEED MISSIONARIES! Think about it, we sacrifice 18 mo to 2 years of our children's lives for the benefit of people we don't know who live far away. And then after the assignment is complete we get our kids back and quickly forget about the entire purpose why they left. Why do we forget about those people in need of the Gospel? Why do we forget how badly the world needs missionaries? Although there is much work to do among the saints in Utah there is far greater work to be done outside of church headquarters. For many generations the general membership of the saints in Utah have been growing and enjoying building families in one place. But change is coming. Worldwide change is coming and the Lord is preparing for his second coming. Amy and I are among many others who have felt this call to depart from the usual life plan which our parents and grandparents have enjoyed. There is an urgency to follow God and depart which hasn't been felt in our family for a couple hundred years. Our pioneer ancestors however are with us, and they understand us. They left Scotland, England, Sweeden and Denmark to follow the Lord. Their families did not want them to take the grandbabies away either.
The Book of Mormon was brought back for our day and it starts out with a story of a family packing up and leaving their hometown to follow the Lord to a new land.
The House of Israel is being gathered, not to one nation nor one land anymore but throughout the world and there are many pockets of the world in need of hunters and fishermen to find those who are lost. Shreveport, LA is one of the farthest cities in the US from an operating temple. Amy and I plan on getting a temple built nearby in the next 10 years.
If you haven't felt it, then let me say it. We Are Excited! This is the same excitement that comes from your 19 year old child when he opens that mission call and receives a formal invitation to serve. No we haven't really received a letter in the mail, but our calling is just as certain and just as divine.
And remember airplanes. Both Delta and United airlines fly directly to Shreveport, LA anytime for about $320.00 bucks round-trip.
So no tiring driving trips to Dallas or Austin through NYC or Long Beach. It's fast and direct and cheap. No rental car needed either. And if things go as planned we'll have a nice mobile home available for any visitors. Y'all are welcome anytime for some nice warm southern comfort food with the family.
Family, and friends, we LOVE you and wish you all the best in deciding with the Lord where your own future lies. He's always there to guide us and our purpose on Earth is to choose to follow Him or fall by the wayside.
Friday, January 10, 2014
January 2014
Update...
Brad is done with 1 week of school. He reports spending 30% more time away from the family but learning 60% less. He is happy it will only last 13 more weeks.
Amy is super mommy. Handing 3 kids all alone. Plus she's setting up the apartment and establishing a comfortable and functioning living condition as well as handling all finances and everything else. All without WiFi mind you.
Isaac is having a hard time adjusting to ANOTHER new place to live. He doesn't like bathroom fans, (too loud and scary). He is smarter and even more amazing but he also can't help pushing Luke's buttons.
Luke is evolving like crazy. He not only follows and copies Isaac but he is being more and more successful and forming his own opinions and conversations. He is really most impressive when he starts to talk your ear off. He face planted into the TV stand and has a scarred and bruised face. He likes to see Isaac get in trouble and he just may over react to bullying just to get Isaac into more trouble.
Jonas has learned to cry and scream. However in the middle of the day, if he's very very well rested and fed then he turns back into the perfect angel baby who just wants to gurgle and smile at you for hours and hours. He regularly sits in his bumbo chair, bouncer, and high chair.
Amy was called as the 2nd counselor in the Primary presidency.
Brad was called as Youth Sunday School teacher.
We both give talks next month in Sacrament meeting.
Brad's (my) lesson for next week is about how to recognize Heavenly Father's hand in your life.
So what's the difference between the spiritual gift of discernment of spirits and being quick to observe?
Which is the greatest attribute?
Answer.
Mormon was "quick to observe" as a child. Observe both means obedience and the ability to see.
This attribute enables Mormon to compile the Book of Mormon. Amazing.
With this gift he was able to quickly identify and calculate all of the things that the Lord was accomplishing in the world around him. He saw the Lord's hand in all things and drew connections. He was able to easily discover grand conclusions into the attributes of God and he learned how our God works with his children on earth. The definition involving obedience an vision are not two definitions but one. One with this gift is rewarded by his knowledge to gain a greater testimony of the greatness of God. This will make them QUICK to obedience to God's commandment and anytime you become more like God you come close to Him and therefore appreciate his view. If I am outside and God is inside then literally coming unto Him will allow me the view inside the house. Being gifted to observe means then that you see as God sees and therefore you see all that God has done in your life, the lives of others, and all throughout the creation of all the world around you.
The gift of discerning spirits is not just the ability to discern what is good and what is bad. It includes what is a good spirit and what is a bad spirit. This is a good talent to have because we are truly surrounded by spirits all the time. However, this is not the greatness of the gift. In a much deeper use of the gift of discernment of spirit you gain the potential to discern the evil intentions and designs of the spirits of the living. You will be able to see the intentions of the spirit of those who are around you. This will enable you to not be fooled or deceived by them. You will also be quick to identify the evil intentions in your own spirit by which many are deceived. Lying to yourself will not be so easy. But pushing even further into the abilities of this gift is the very tricky subtle ability of spotting the goodness of others. Seeing their hidden talents and goodness can enable you to turn them in a direction in which they themselves can discover these hidden premortal characteristics. And this gift can finally be used to detect the goodness in yourself. You can discover the purpose of your life, and the abilities and talents you exercised in the premortal existence which were meant to aid you in accomplishing your duties here on earth.
And so as the gift of being quick to observe enables one to see all that God is doing on the earth, the gift of discernment enables one to see all of the hidden and subtle things that only God knows about his children.
The gift of discernment is greater.
We should all first strive to gain this first gift of being able to observe. And after that, if inspired we might ask for the gift of discernment and if granted we might begin to perform a great and marvelous work in serving the children of men.
Elder Bednar talks about how you have to be chosen if you are to receive the first gift. He calls it the ability to recognize the Lord's "tender mercies." You cannot be chosen until you have chosen the Lord and your heart is no longer on the things of this world.
What is the latest example of proof that the Lord's hand has influence your life?
Hopefully you don't have to think back more than 1 or 2 days to identify it. Elder Eyering set the example for us by writing down EVERY DAY of his life what evidence he saw that the Lord was blessing his family.
Here's my latest evidence of the Lord's hand.
I participated in a lottery in order to decide which day I would give my Grand Rounds presentation. It will officially be the grand and final project that will complete my formal education. It is hard and difficult but yet culminates in perfect freedom once the task is complete.
I drew the number 7.
7 weeks after the first Tuesday in February will be my date of presentation.
I looked it up and read, March 25th. It made me laugh. That is a very ironic date for me personally.
It is the same day that I finally took Amy out on a date. It is the same day that I proposed to her a couple years later. And of course it is the same day that the Ring of Power was destroyed.
I immediately laughed to myself. "Oh man." So Grand Rounds is like the wicked ring of power and when it's over then I'm freed from Sauron the evil Optometry school.
If this seems irreverent to you then you have to realize that God doesn't only exist in church. God knows me and knows that the Lord of the Rings is one of my favorite stories and so if I receive an ironic timely "coincidence" like this then I must properly apply it as a special note that my Heavenly Father is not only mindful of me but that he knows me personally, so well that he knows what will make me laugh. He knows what will catch my attention. I now have a greater testimony that Heavenly father knows his children. He knows their joys, and what makes them laugh. I'm not saying that Heavenly Father told a joke which He thought was funny, but which He knew that I would think to be funny, and He would then be able to observe my joy. And even if this joy is small and brief, only a quick laugh at an ironic coincidence is not too insignificant to God. Therefore if He in all His greatness spends time just to make me laugh then how great must be His love for me?
As you look for signs that God is involved in your life, don't look to Lord of the Ring references. If you like Calvin and Hobbes, or the Cowboys, or Mozart, or Hello Kitty, then be on the look out for anything that you know will strike you and grab your attention.
"Faithfulness, obedience, and humility invite tender mercies into our lives, and it is often the Lord’s timing that enables us to recognize and treasure these important blessings."
Brad is done with 1 week of school. He reports spending 30% more time away from the family but learning 60% less. He is happy it will only last 13 more weeks.
Amy is super mommy. Handing 3 kids all alone. Plus she's setting up the apartment and establishing a comfortable and functioning living condition as well as handling all finances and everything else. All without WiFi mind you.
Isaac is having a hard time adjusting to ANOTHER new place to live. He doesn't like bathroom fans, (too loud and scary). He is smarter and even more amazing but he also can't help pushing Luke's buttons.
Luke is evolving like crazy. He not only follows and copies Isaac but he is being more and more successful and forming his own opinions and conversations. He is really most impressive when he starts to talk your ear off. He face planted into the TV stand and has a scarred and bruised face. He likes to see Isaac get in trouble and he just may over react to bullying just to get Isaac into more trouble.
Jonas has learned to cry and scream. However in the middle of the day, if he's very very well rested and fed then he turns back into the perfect angel baby who just wants to gurgle and smile at you for hours and hours. He regularly sits in his bumbo chair, bouncer, and high chair.
Amy was called as the 2nd counselor in the Primary presidency.
Brad was called as Youth Sunday School teacher.
We both give talks next month in Sacrament meeting.
Brad's (my) lesson for next week is about how to recognize Heavenly Father's hand in your life.
So what's the difference between the spiritual gift of discernment of spirits and being quick to observe?
Which is the greatest attribute?
Answer.
Mormon was "quick to observe" as a child. Observe both means obedience and the ability to see.
This attribute enables Mormon to compile the Book of Mormon. Amazing.
With this gift he was able to quickly identify and calculate all of the things that the Lord was accomplishing in the world around him. He saw the Lord's hand in all things and drew connections. He was able to easily discover grand conclusions into the attributes of God and he learned how our God works with his children on earth. The definition involving obedience an vision are not two definitions but one. One with this gift is rewarded by his knowledge to gain a greater testimony of the greatness of God. This will make them QUICK to obedience to God's commandment and anytime you become more like God you come close to Him and therefore appreciate his view. If I am outside and God is inside then literally coming unto Him will allow me the view inside the house. Being gifted to observe means then that you see as God sees and therefore you see all that God has done in your life, the lives of others, and all throughout the creation of all the world around you.
The gift of discerning spirits is not just the ability to discern what is good and what is bad. It includes what is a good spirit and what is a bad spirit. This is a good talent to have because we are truly surrounded by spirits all the time. However, this is not the greatness of the gift. In a much deeper use of the gift of discernment of spirit you gain the potential to discern the evil intentions and designs of the spirits of the living. You will be able to see the intentions of the spirit of those who are around you. This will enable you to not be fooled or deceived by them. You will also be quick to identify the evil intentions in your own spirit by which many are deceived. Lying to yourself will not be so easy. But pushing even further into the abilities of this gift is the very tricky subtle ability of spotting the goodness of others. Seeing their hidden talents and goodness can enable you to turn them in a direction in which they themselves can discover these hidden premortal characteristics. And this gift can finally be used to detect the goodness in yourself. You can discover the purpose of your life, and the abilities and talents you exercised in the premortal existence which were meant to aid you in accomplishing your duties here on earth.
And so as the gift of being quick to observe enables one to see all that God is doing on the earth, the gift of discernment enables one to see all of the hidden and subtle things that only God knows about his children.
The gift of discernment is greater.
We should all first strive to gain this first gift of being able to observe. And after that, if inspired we might ask for the gift of discernment and if granted we might begin to perform a great and marvelous work in serving the children of men.
Elder Bednar talks about how you have to be chosen if you are to receive the first gift. He calls it the ability to recognize the Lord's "tender mercies." You cannot be chosen until you have chosen the Lord and your heart is no longer on the things of this world.
What is the latest example of proof that the Lord's hand has influence your life?
Hopefully you don't have to think back more than 1 or 2 days to identify it. Elder Eyering set the example for us by writing down EVERY DAY of his life what evidence he saw that the Lord was blessing his family.
Here's my latest evidence of the Lord's hand.
I participated in a lottery in order to decide which day I would give my Grand Rounds presentation. It will officially be the grand and final project that will complete my formal education. It is hard and difficult but yet culminates in perfect freedom once the task is complete.
I drew the number 7.
7 weeks after the first Tuesday in February will be my date of presentation.
I looked it up and read, March 25th. It made me laugh. That is a very ironic date for me personally.
It is the same day that I finally took Amy out on a date. It is the same day that I proposed to her a couple years later. And of course it is the same day that the Ring of Power was destroyed.
I immediately laughed to myself. "Oh man." So Grand Rounds is like the wicked ring of power and when it's over then I'm freed from Sauron the evil Optometry school.
If this seems irreverent to you then you have to realize that God doesn't only exist in church. God knows me and knows that the Lord of the Rings is one of my favorite stories and so if I receive an ironic timely "coincidence" like this then I must properly apply it as a special note that my Heavenly Father is not only mindful of me but that he knows me personally, so well that he knows what will make me laugh. He knows what will catch my attention. I now have a greater testimony that Heavenly father knows his children. He knows their joys, and what makes them laugh. I'm not saying that Heavenly Father told a joke which He thought was funny, but which He knew that I would think to be funny, and He would then be able to observe my joy. And even if this joy is small and brief, only a quick laugh at an ironic coincidence is not too insignificant to God. Therefore if He in all His greatness spends time just to make me laugh then how great must be His love for me?
As you look for signs that God is involved in your life, don't look to Lord of the Ring references. If you like Calvin and Hobbes, or the Cowboys, or Mozart, or Hello Kitty, then be on the look out for anything that you know will strike you and grab your attention.
"Faithfulness, obedience, and humility invite tender mercies into our lives, and it is often the Lord’s timing that enables us to recognize and treasure these important blessings."
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