DOWN TIME

I brought my mom to Lakeview hospital this morning for a routine hysterectamy. This is the first major surgery anyone in our family has ever had. Anthony and Pe'e gave her a blessing last night as we had to be at the hospital this morning by 6 am. It's been 7 hours since the successful surgery and mom is now sleeping off the anesthesia.

I am sitting on the couch next to her bed. It's been nice and quiet and quite uneventful. The only things I brought with me this morning to keep me company were a pillow and my scriptures. I read for about an hour, which I haven't done in who knows how long. It was almost like reading for the first time, especially because I was reading from my new set of scriptures. The old set I've had for almost 10 years. My dad bought them for me when he came to visit me in college one year. The pages are thinned and colored. With that set I memorized verses, visualized passages when I couldn't remember references, margined with thoughts and feelings while in the mtc, and it was this big blue set of scriptures that I used while bearing testimony to the many baptist preachers of Mississippi. It's sentimental value to me is indescribable, but with all the markings and all the colors, it was almost impossible to write new experiences and new feelings.

One day I told Anthony that if he ever wanted to buy me a gift - for whatever reason, he could buy me a new set of scriptures. Of all days, I never expected it to come on Valentines day. My sweetheart gave me a new set of scriptures to be filled with new experiences and new colors. I can't help but think of Elder Oaks when he said that when it comes to the Book of Mormon, it's not the book that changes, but the reader. I feel that true in my life right now. Instead of reading as a missionary or single adult, I am now reading as a mother and as a wife. The familiar passages have new meaning to me in this chapter of my life. It reassures my testimony of the gospel and of Christ and I'm grateful for it.

It's been a while since I've been able to sit for hours and read or meditate. As I watch my mom sleeping I am grateful for the truth of eternal families and though dad isn't here physically he sees and loves her from the other side. I rarely blog about spiritual things or experiences, but I just had to today. I am so grateful for the scriptures and I just had to share that.