"what added more to [her] joy..."

I've been meaning to do this post for a while but I've been thinking of the right way to do it. I'm not sure I've found the right way, but I'm going to try to do this anyway.

The end of June, I went to Idaho and Utah for family reunions of sorts. It was nice to spend time with my family and to reminisce in the halls of my high school. Here are the five of us kids who went to Sugar being the "Student's of the Month."

It was also great to spend time with Bryce's family and see his sweet sister get married in the Logan Temple - my personal favorite :)

The time I spent away from my home in Santa Fe was filled with loved ones. I met up with old friends and was able to do a lot of catching up. Many had good news to share or trials to explain - but either way, there is something special about being with people you love and who love you - regardless of your current situation.

On Sunday, I went to my former ward. Since I had lived in the same ward in Logan for like 7 years, it truly felt like coming home. Many people embraced me as we came into the building. It was so great to see them in one place and get to visit. At the end of sacrament meeting, I saw my next door neighbor sitting in the chapel. We went over to visit with her. (She lived right next to us for the last 5+ years. She is a very sweet and fun woman. She was close to my parents ages and loved to give us good advise about our kids. She seemed like a woman who was very confident and comfortable with her life. She was a member of another faith and was sad that she was out of town for our girls' blessings. I admired her in many ways.) When we started talking to her and asked what brought her to church today, she exclaimed, "I got baptised! I'm a member now." We were thrilled! She explained that she got baptised in November and was loving being in the church - she really was so happy. (She said when Bryce went to Utah to fix our roof so we could sell it, she "wanted to shout it out to him on the rooftop" - but it didn't seem the right time:)

In Sunday School our lesson was on Alma and the sons of Mosiah. The part that has stuck with me for weeks since is this scripture - Alma 17:2
"...Alma did rejoice exceedingly to see his brethren; and what added more to his joy, they were still his brethren in the Lord"

(That is just a part of verse 2 - also verse 3 is really beautiful)

I know that, for me, there can be no greater happiness than I find in serving others and following the commandments of God. There is no greater comfort than that which is found through the atonement of Jesus Christ. There is no greater peace than knowing that someone who knows all (including my heart) is watching out for my best interest - even if I don't know what that is sometimes.

I felt that this scripture explained exactly how I was feeling. There is nothing so sweet as seeing loved ones. Knowing that they have the peace and happiness I have found in the gospel, just makes it that much sweeter.