We have been given a life full of choices. President Monson often framed the doctrine of choice around the three “R’s”.

1. The Right of Choice: Heavenly Father gave us agency which is central to the plan of salvation.
2. The Responsibility of Choice: Because we are free to choose, we are also accountable for our actions and must use tools like prayer and scripture to guide our decisions. Every man is given the Spirit of Christ, that he may know good from evil.
3. The Results of Choice: Every decision has consequences. While the wrong choices lead to captivity and misery, obedience and righteous choices yield peace, joy and eternal progression.

We are deciding on what order we need to be doing things right now. We know that we will go on another mission but the arduous task of the medical evaluation stands before us. For me, my doctor retired when we left Alberta. That means finding a new doctor and that is no mean feat. As I phoned around central Alberta, no clinics were accepting new patients. After being brought to tears, I had to remind myself that God knows what I need and He will supply. Last week, I tried anew to find a clinic and found one in Red Deer on the north side. Erik and I loaded ourselves into the car and headed to this clinic. The doctor that I saw was doing walk-in appointments and I was able to procure new prescriptions and the opportunity to make another appointment for a “Meet & Greet”. Erik went to Canadian Tire to get hot tub supplies and then came to pick me up.

My stress levels dropped immensely after this appointment and I expressed gratitude for being able to find a clinic. Erik’s doctor is in Airdrie and that will take him 1-1/2 hours to get there. This is one of those cases where I know sacrifice and constant trying will yield blessings in the long run.

After serving a temple mission, we are missing our time in the temple. We are not close to a temple and need to sacrifice time to make the commitment to attend. On Thursday, we made an appointment for the 11:30 am session at the Calgary temple. It felt like coming home! We met up with people that we knew. Peter Walton was celebrating his 80th birthday by spending time in the temple for his ancestors. Being able to visit with June Stanford and catch up on the latest happenings was delightful. We were able to go out for lunch with President and Sister Olson from the temple presidency. What a lovely time to hear what each other’s families are up to and to share temple experiences!

On Saturday, we were back in Calgary to visit our daughter, Kaitlin and her family. Our grandson, Finn is celebrating his 6th birthday soon and we were able to take gifts for him. It was so fun to go to the park with Finn and Ainsley and play some T-Ball. Ainsley is a really good runner and she was willing to chase after the ball when Finn hit it.

We are trying to decide what to do about an RV. We are needing to do repairs and upkeep at the cottage. Thus it is with every property; they all need work. Erik is determined to get us more organized at the cottage. For instance, our spices are out of control. Combining two households did not help. I took a page from my friend Deb Allred and told Erik that he needed to check expiry dates on everything which will determine what gets the toss.

The tent caterpillars are roaming everywhere and they are trying to get into buildings as well as certain trees. I’m not a fan but I believe that these creatures serve some sort of purpose. They usually have a ten year cycle but birds are great at eating them. Speaking of birds: we have a crazy robin here that runs into our windows constantly and poops everywhere. Personally, I feel like this bird may have fallen out of his nest and has brain damage. I do think that he can do us a great service by munching all these caterpillars.

Sunday was a fun experience at church. Erik and I were called to work in the Primary. What is the most fun and best calling at church? Do-do-do….the NURSERY! We headed there and found only three little darlings in the nursery. It didn’t take long and I struck up a wonderful conversation with the two boys who are three years old. James told me so much information with such earnestness. I think that he was so excited to find someone to sit and listen to him and was willing to answer my questions. I am totally enamored with this child; he is so fascinating! His mind is full and he’s always thinking. Erik helped with snack time and then it was singing time. Years ago when I was the Nursery Leader, nursery lasted two hours. Now it is only 50 minutes and there is a lot to fit in in that short time.

A week full of driving, sorting, trying to make decisions and get back into some sort of a groove. We got to see three of our little grandchildren and that is certainly a blessing. The regular June weather of plenty of rain makes it a little dreary but you have to make the best of it when you can.

When I think of Hannah in the Old Testament. She endured so much and eventually was blessed with a child. Her choice was to dedicate his life to the Lord after he was weaned. That choice lead to him becoming one of Israel’s greatest prophets and first king. The moral is that we ourselves need to have deep trust in the Lord, experience Divine intervention and receive remarkable redemption. We all have trials and hardships; thus is our earthly probation. How we choose to navigate this life will determine our blessings. Stay blessed, my friends.