"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes." -Marcel Proust

No, not eyeballs this time =). TODAY I AM GRATEFUL FOR SAFE EXPRESSION OF SPIRITUALITY. From the start this post appears to be deeper than most. However, this is about the same as most of mine, if you look closer. Tonight I had the opportunity to go visit with some sweet gals. It was so fabulous, since we could all connect on experiences as women & mothers & wives. Like a watermelon, there is a sweetest spot, the heart of the experience-and that was our connections spiritually! It was fantastic to know that our associations could be tended to by the Holy Spirit. Even better, that it was safe to open up with one another. Luke 1:38-"And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word..." This scripture has been with me all night. As we all had the opportunities to gather in His name, I not only felt that I was present to render service, but also as a handmaid at His feet to receive any and all He would bestow upon me. This evening has lifted my spirits which have been downtrodden. There's an essence of unity that I witnessed tonight...and I can't WAIT for tomorrow night to hopefully feel this way again! So this will seem like a plug, yet one of this nature could NEVER be classified as shameless: Our very first ever Thursday night Conference Talk Club meets tomorrow at Sarah Evans' house from 6-8pm. It's like a book club only BETTER! If you'd like to participate, we'll be going over "The Way" on page 34 of the November 2008 Ensign. Bring your magazine, scriptures & own mug as we'll be enjoying each other's spiritual input as well as cider and (yep) HOT CHOCOLATE!!! I find forums likes this and church as so essential to my spiritual diet. Without water we die of thirst. Through these safe places for spirituality to be expressed as well as for it to be strengthened via learning, I feel quenched. How blessed we are to live in a promised land, where we can be free to worship Heavenly Father. Where we don't have to hide our religion. Where we can openly discuss spiritual matters and not fear others. We are a fortunate people. We should be more careful to not take this blessing for granted. We should be more grateful---and since its one of our 6 "be's" AND its November, what better time to start showing our appreciation for these blessings and utilizing the resources that they are for building the kingdom of God? Thank you for being in this together with me. You enrich and fortify my testimony with your own. Just like a strong body needs Flinstones vitamins, I need the positive spiritual influence of each one of you! I love a certain hymn, but maybe when we look at our valiant brothers and sisters surrounding us, who all made the right decision in order to get here in this mortal state, maybe we should sing it like this, "As children in Zion, we'll all work together..." Let's come together, preserve and relish our ability to continue in our spiritual growth... Considering the timing, we all need this more now than ever!