May 2008

Since last month was “write a poem month”, I decided to see what May was. Lots of things happen in May. For example it is ‘Military Appreciation Month’,’ National Bike Month’, ‘National Hamburger Month’, ‘National Historic Preservation Month’, and ‘National Salad Month’. Also—May 4-10 is National pet week. Not only that, it is “Be kind to animals week”
My cat Maggie is now thirteen years old. I’m considering changing her name to Lassie. While packing for my last trip I was in the closet deciding what to take. The dryer was going. The TV news was on; and Maggie was MEOWMEOWMEOWMEOWING. MAJOR STRESS!! I went out into the other room to see what she needed. Sure enough my cell phone had been ringing. I had a call from a strange New Mexico number. My daughter had lost her cell phone and all her numbers. She needed to talk to her dad. If I had not listened to “Lassie” I wouldn’t have been able to help. Once she had accomplished her duty, Maggie got into her bed and promptly went to sleep.
How often in life do we succumb to major stress and ignore the promptings of the Lassies in our lives?
Have you ever had a prompting you couldn’t explain? Was it a prompting from the Holy Spirit?
In the April conference Gerald Lund said, “Today I should like to speak on the importance of opening our hearts to the Holy Spirit.
After baptism we are confirmed and given the Holy Ghost. This is a supernal gift. The Holy Ghost comforts, teaches, warns, enlightens, and inspires us. Nephi put it very simply: “If ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do. We need the help of the Holy Ghost if we are to make our way safely through what the Apostle Paul called the “perilous times” in which we now live. Isn’t that something we all seek,—to be visited by the Holy Ghost, to have the Lord draw closer to us, to find joy and consolation in our lives. The heart is a tender place. It is sensitive to many influences, both positive and negative. It can be hurt by others. It can be deadened by sin. It can be softened by love. Early in our lives, we learn to guard our hearts. It is like we erect a fence around our hearts with a gate in it. No one can enter that gate unless we allow him or her to. Let us make it a part of our everyday striving to open our hearts to the Spirit. Since we are the guardians of our hearts, we can choose to do so. We choose what we let in or hold out. Fortunately the Lord is anxious to help us choose wisely.
My wish this month for you is to open your heart for inspiration whether it be from the Holy Ghost or from a Lassie in your life.
Much love
Wendy Hauer
So give that hamburger to your pet and have a salad while riding your bike and have a great May!