A Defying Moment

Have you read these books? If not I think they are all a must read!
And trust me I don't even like to read.
I have come to a conclusion that after reading these three books this year (yes I know I read 3 books in one year...If you don't know me trust me it's a big deal!) everyone needs to have at least one death defying moment. I'm not quite sure why I'm even writing about this, but after reading these especially the last one Heaven Is Here, it really had me reflect on experiences in my life. I think growing up I should have had several near fatal death incidences in which I probably have permanent brain damage from which includes but is not limited to: falling off a tall cement wall in my back yard not once but three times, falling off the rameumptom (a three story supposed to be a tree house but turned into a giant tower in the back yard), always tripping up the stairs most every day in school, having a seizure while driving on the free way, and countless others which would take too long to explain the dozen boxes of band-aids my mother would have to go through in a week just for for me (and I was not a kid that just liked
band-aids).
But I would have to say that during the winter of 2010 when I was driving to Cedar City from St. George by myself and the words running over and over in my mind; "you might just have a brain tumor" (said of course all nonchalant) really changed my perspective on most everything.  Of course in the end I didn't have a brain tumor (although sometimes I wish I did so things could be a little more dramatic then just having to take a pill twice a day for the rest of my life. Who knows, we all could have gone to Disneyland with the make a wish foundation  if things would have turned out differently).
But in all seriousness months before and the month after those words were said to me, I pleaded with God most days to make sure that he knew me. And that what ever crazy adventure which was going on in my brain every week could be resolved. Most times as I would ask this question to Him, He would send some angel in the form of a great roommate or an amazing child I was taking care of at my job, or a phone call would come just after I said "amen".
On the Sunday before I would find out what my brain was doing I went into the Stake Presidents office to renew my recommend. I hadn't seen this Stake President for years and yet he remembered me, where I had received my mission call and who I had been friends with during that time. He had me meet with his counselor to renew my recommend. As he started asking me the temple recommend questions he just stopped mid sentence and said "I feel very impressed to ask you if you have any questions for me." At that moment I wished I had a question for him. Any deep doctrine question would have been awesome to ask, and yet my mind was blank. As we drove home from the church building that day and I was pondering on why he would have been so impressed to ask me that, the thought came to me "your Father in Heaven knows you more than you know yourself, and will always know you, and will always be with you." I was struck with so much love, compassion and gratefulness. I didn't have to have a question to ask that man, I just needed to know that God was aware of me. And is aware of everyone and even the little things that don't matter when all is said and done.
I really came to realize how short life is, I also came to realize that dying is the least of our worries and we should never be scared of it. It was so apparent to me how we need to live so that if we die tomorrow  we will end up where we want to be. Do I do this every day? No! Even though I wish I did.
So have your own death defying moment it will change you for the better, and it will open your eyes.

Yes we do feed our child Slurpee's

Ok maybe he feeds himself Slurpee's