Last month, Steve and I went on a little lover's adventure trip to Las Vegas and St. George. I call it our little lover's trip because it was the first time in a very long time that we were able to go anywhere and focus on just the two of us and our relationship. Although Vegas is not my favorite place, the hotel was paid for (thanks, Safeco Insurance) and we were able to see a couple of cool shows (Cirque De Soleil). But, I have to say that the biggest highlight for me was seeing the Donny and Marie show up close and personal and shaking Donny's hand (thanks to my husband pointing to me when Donny began walking on the tables in the audience). Oh my. Be still, my heart. What a fun show. I was most blown away, however, by Marie's performance of Pie Jesu by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber. I was so touched by her beautiful voice and the emotion with which she sang (she dedicates this song to her son who has passed away) that I wanted a personal recording to keep. I found the song on one of the CD's that was being sold in the foyer after the show, so I purchased a copy and played it in the car on our drive to St. George. While the music was playing, I started to read out loud to Steve what Marie had written in the CD notes about each song. She expressed a very powerful testimony of the atonement of Jesus Christ, and many of the things she wrote were hard for me to read out loud because I was crying. What an emotional wreck I've become! That's how much her words spoke to my spirit. One of the things she shared were the words of her mother: "All the doors of oppression and misery would be unlocked if people would just be kinder to each other and remember, as one of the great commandments say: 'Do unto others as ye would have them do unto you.' "Love is the key, Love can unlock all that our world needs." I am finding this to be true more and more each day. Just love. Just forgive. Reach out a hand and lift up another. A few weeks ago I was in a counsellor's office, sitting across from a boy who had hurt my daughter. He is struggling with some hard things, and part of his treatment involved apologizing to our daughter and to us. While he was talking, I was silently fuming inside--I had a lot of anger rolling around. When the mediator turned to us to allow our response, I was so grateful that I held my tongue while Steve talked to this young man. As Steve continued to talk, I calmed down and I felt the overwhelming thought that there was nothing I could do to punish this boy that he hadn't already done himself. He was hurting. He was beating himself up. When it came to my turn to talk, the only words that came to my mind to express to him were words of love. I told him that he was greatly loved by his Father in Heaven and Savior, Jesus Christ. He was one of their masterpieces. I told him that I forgave him and that I loved him and wanted only the best for him. The crazy thing is that while I was speaking these words, I meant it all! The anger, the hurt, the great dislike for this boy was completely gone! I truly wanted only the best for him. I wanted him to know that he was greatly loved. My daughter also told this boy these same things...that she forgave him. The doors of oppression and misery were unlocked that day in that room, in my heart and hopefully in the heart of that young man also.
