Small and simple

 On reflection of the happenings of yesterday evening, I had to think about the very small and simple things that show the hand of God. There is a verse in Ether of the Book of Mormon that comes to mind.

Ether 3:5. "Behold, O Lord, thou canst do this. We know that thou are able to show forth great power, which looks small unto the understanding of men."

I had a day and evening where all the little details went right. Small insignificant details by themselves but when put together made a smooth running day and night.  

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I had a nudge to ask Andrew to bring Amber over early so I could take care for her in earlier business hours and let her have a nap at home so I could shift and care for the other girls because of Julia's doctor appointment. This resulted in individual care for each family. Nice because Amber was more clingy than usual. I also asked him to bring me to Costco around 4 pm to buy pizzas for the Young Men Young Women attending the temple. 

When Julia came at 2 pm, she was anxious about her lab work results and felt she wouldn't be back by 4 pm. Jeffrey and I had discussed it earlier and he said he would take over. The early thought to talk it over with him made life smoother later.

When the girls arrived and asked to watch a movie, I felt they needed to play using their imagination - I told them it was their father's idea. So after two hours of playing nicely inside and outside it was okay to leave them watching a movie with their Opa till their mother came home -- instead of parked in front of the TV all day. Little nudges.

Andrew went with me (he drove) to the church to see how many youth were going to the temple. On the way back home to pick up tables, plates, few fixings for chicken sandwiches, etc. Andrew noticed that I needed to get gas. I may have made it -- but maybe not -- if traffic was at a standstill anywhere. We dropped by his house to pick up his Costco card, then got gas.

As we pulled into the Costco parking lot, Andrew said he was going to the temple with me and had already talked to Briona. Nice! Now who is getting the nudges from heaven?

I picked up some chicken pre-cooked and deboned, oranges, one cup water bottles and croissants as Costco didn't have their regular dinner rolls. I had forgotten trash bags, so why not pick them up too? Andrew picked up the pizzas from the food court, and off we went.

We set up tables - Andrew doing the heavy lifting, in the lower parking lot down from the temple. The ground slants.  I cut up the chicken and added it to my chicken curry sandwich mix and cut up the croissants - which by the way makes a flaky mess  --  all in the fresh air. Andrew and I assembled the sandwiches. Walking up by the temple we decided to  move the whole assembly up to the parking area next to the temple (not in front). The ground was even and my flaky croissant crumbs stayed in the lower parking lot.

My tired body and mind told me that if Andrew hadn't come, I would have barely made it in time making sandwiches and setting up water, pizza and oranges for the kids coming out of the temple. As it was we had a few minutes to sit down and continue talking.

Who knows how important it was or was not to have food at 7 pm when the youth all came out, but my tired mommy muscles and mind knew that God had been in all of the details and answered my need to have gas, my need to have Andrew's lifting and carrying muscles and good ideas, my need for companionship doing a job of love for the youth in my ward and taking care of my girls during the day in a good way.

My Heavenly Father answers my prayers and sometimes my thoughts too.