Miracles Along the Way: Our 4 Minutes

On Saturday morning I had just finished cleaning the house from top to bottom in preparation for General Conference.  I wanted everything to be just right so we could sit and listen in peace to our prophet and other general authorities speak to us via television.  It was an hour before start time, and I decided I wanted to go for a run by myself to clear my mind.  (I hardly ever go anywhere by myself.)

Before I started my run, I asked for safety over my children because Abe was out of town.  I also asked for God's blessings on my run.

Oh my goodness it felt so good to be free in the outdoors for just a moment without any other voices demanding my attention.  I ran on the sidewalk which bordered the ocean.  I was shocked at what I saw… at least 8 dolphins dipped in and out of the waters!!  I had never seen such a thing in the wild before.  I stopped just for a moment to watch them.  I looked around to tell somebody, but nobody else was nearby.  Instead I thanked God for truly blessing my run.  I felt God speak to my heart that this was a good thing… spending a short time alone to strengthen my spirit.  I arrived home strengthened and ready for conference.

In preparation for conference, this is how I found Jackson… I asked him what he was doing.  All he said was, "King Benjamin Mom."   (From Mosiah 4:6-8)

All the other children had followed suit…

 Jordan peeled oranges for himself and for Juliana in his tent.

Mariah set up a huge bunch of bananas in her tent to share with Jayden :-)

Tyson cut and created his own fruit and displayed it pretty just as I would have wanted to have done it.  This truly was part of the blessing on my run.  God knew I needed a short time alone, and HE inspired the hearts of my children to be agents unto themselves.

This morning, I decided to take another 25 minute run alone.  I made sure all the children were safe before I left.  I asked God to bless my run again… In my mind I thought, "I'm not sure how HE can top Saturday's run- I'm sure I will not see 8 dolphins again!"

Over the weekend I began to struggle with congestion in my chest, but I started running anyway and felt good.  I smiled at people as I ran.  On the way back, I got REALLY tired, and my chest started to wheeze just a bit.  I was trying really hard to keep up my pace even though I was feeling completely exhausted.  As I ran, something miraculous happened…

I do not exaggerate… EVERYONE I passed cheered me on!!!  The guys digging dirt yelled out, "You're pace is good!  Keep it up!"  Bikers and other walkers said, "Lookin' strong!"  "You're doing great!" "Good job!!"  Even people driving by started to honk!!!  I felt like I was running a race!!  

I pushed through the pain and thanked God for sending so many cheerleaders when I needed them most.  

This is the image of me… beat!  The picture doesn't do justice for how red my face really was. :-)

Bishop Gary E. Stevenson gave a talk in General Conference yesterday entitled "Your Four Minutes."  Please read/listen to it!!  I have been thinking about my life as my 4 minutes as he suggested.  This run gave me confidence that my "4 minutes" of life is aided every step of the way by a loving Heavenly Father who sends cheerleaders and miraculous experiences along the way to help us finish the race… and return to HIM with success.