my. splendid. experience.: Such A Grateful Heart.

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Such A Grateful Heart.

It is a very long story, our travels home from Xi'an so I won't put it all down, although I wish I weren't too lazy to. But I will just exlain the situation we were in. Because of Spring Festival and the New Year, this time of year is just a rough time to travel to begin with because everyone is booking and traveling home and it's sooo hard to get tickets, especially if you're foreignors because you need to show your passport so you have to do it in person if you are foreign. We had tickets booked from Beijing to Xi'an but we had to get tickets from Xi'an back to Guangzhou then home once we came in to Xi'an. Plans didn't work out as predicted and we didn't get the tickets all the way. We got tickets half way home, to Wuhan and once we got to Wuhan they told us it would be impossible to get tickets for at least a couple of days which was a problem because we had to be back to teach by Monday, and it was Sunday morning that we were in Wuhan.

We were definitley in a bind and we didn't know what exactly we were going to do. I have never prayed so hard in my entire life. I was so scared. I tried to be very composed and act like I knew what I was doing just so we didn't have a bunch of emotional wrecks on our hands, but I really was so worried. We were in a very foreign place, where we didn't speak the language, didn't know our way around the train station. It was dirty, there were so many people and we just had no idea what to do. I was constantly whispering a pleading prayer to my Father in Heaven to help us but mainly to help me to feel some peace. I didn't know what was going to happen, I didn't know if it was going to be alright, but I felt like it would be. And through the incredible love of our Heavenly Father... and with the help of the handful of angels placed in our paths that day... we made it home. We made it home in great timing and safely.

"The tender mercies of the Lord are real. They do not occur randomly or by coincidence."
-Elder David A. Bednar

A friend shared that quote with me. And I love it, especially after our experience coming home from Xi'an.

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A list of my favorites... created in China, inspired by Abby. Made to add to.

snuggling into a warm bed on a cold cold night, soft serve vanilla ice cream, ripples in water, having butterflies (not the animal), being speechless, playing the piano, listening to the piano, photographing life's special moments, smiling, laughing so hard you cry, sneezing, speaking another language not your native tongue to a native speaker, bay windows, pressed flowers, outbursts of song, barefoot on freshly cut grass, overcast days, organization, romances, porch swings, cool breeze on a summer day, coincidences, sunsets, early morning runs, running to not miss the bus, tender mercies, an early start, skype-ing family across the world, reminiscing about old times, memories, stories, etc., dim lights in a dark room, coconut yogurt in china, laying on the sidewalk drying off in the summer time, sunday walks, cleanliness, inside jokes, clean sheets, developing film in a dark room, long hugs...with certain people, swimming at night, coconut bread (in china), bread in China in general, waking up to the rain, being sore after working out, hammocks, screen doors, walking into screen doors, awkward eye-contact, winks, laugh attacks that almost hurt and feel like you've just had an ab work-out, heartfelt talks, constructive criticism, movie quotes, “whatever makes your boat float.”, a warm towel just out of the dryer, saying a phrase, and having you and everyone around you parallel it to a song and burst out in song., Big kitchens that can be the gathering place and the place for many memories to be made, singing, singing LOUD, Singing a song you don't know... making up words as you go., Picniks, temple walks, wind, thunder storms, rain downpours, music, bleach pens, the smell of new born babies, an infants cry, impressions from the Spirit, eating with chopsticks, phase 10, traveling, evening summer hikes, views of the city from a higher point, Korean Air, Parachute... the band, cleaninng to blasting music, bike rides, temple baptisms, temple weddings, wedding receptions, birds chirping, the sound of leaves blowing in the wind, waking up to the weed wacker and/or lawn mower early on a Saturday morning, Freshly made cinnamon rolls, Enjoying a storm from your deck, the way you feel after working out, washed feet, clean socks, Hot Potts, Surprise Birthday Parties...especially when it's not really your birthday, Fresh Flowers , the smell of Lillies, hand pulled noodles, bartering in China, The Muslim Quarter, LOVE , Bullet Trains, smiling at a stranger, getting a smile in return, special places :),inside jokes, cheesecake, laying out feeling the sun on your skin, a harmonized hymn, a good hair day, complimenting someone who needs it, giving to the needy, Yangshuo mountains, muddy bike rides, yangshuo crepe breakfast, chey kelly, stretching, soccer, hanging out with my mom, hanging out with all of my siblings. Watermelon in summertime. Skinny sharpie pens, harmonized hymns, a made bed, words of our Prophets, Conference, rearranging furniture, cleaning parties, a clean home, Buddy the Elf, evening walks, sitting/running/standing in the pouring rain- feeling the water just drench you and drip off your nose, learning to speak a different language, the what if game, bridges, gates, doors, my China kids, Zhongshan,