Using all we have been given

I'm sorry to be posting so sporadically over the past couple of months. I have been a little bit more thoughtful lately (at least in my mind) and instead of writing it all out or typing it all up I have just been spending time in my mind and being mindful. It's been a good thing.  But I learned a little lesson this morning I thought I would share.

Rebecca has a cute little pink Osh Kosh B'Gosh (I just love saying that) winter coat we got from a friend before she was even born. She's been wearing it all winter, or at least when we head out into the bitter cold.  Today I was zipping up her coat before we headed out to pick up brother from his playschool group and as I zipped the coat up all the way I noticed there was a nifty extra piece of fabric at the top of the zipper to fold over once the coat is zipped.  I thought that was so ingenious. I used to hate when the zipper hurt(s) my chin so I was glad I could keep Rebecca's chin pain-free. Remember how she has been wearing this coat for months?  And I just noticed this today?  Not so ingenious.

We went and picked up our favorite brother and as we were hanging our coats back up after we made it back home I had a thought that maybe Rebecca could have had a more pleasant winter thus far had I put the zipper cover to good use a little sooner.  Now for the life lesson...And maybe if I can use all the tools I've been given, my life would be a lot more pleasant as well.  I began to ask myself questions and the thoughts just kept coming:

I love reading my scriptures but often feel I need to approach it better when I read each day - truly seeking to know how I can spend that time drawing nearer to the Spirit and to the Lord.  Do I pray as fervently as I could?  Do I wait for revelation to come or am I too impatient to stay on my knees? Do I sometimes forget to pray in the hard moments in my day when I could use some divine assistance?  Do I forget to be thankful?  Do I get overly concerned about how my kids may or may not behave during church and miss out on something wonderful that I could have been learning through the Spirit?

I have a feeling this little piece of fabric on Rebecca's coat will come in handy - not just to keep her chin from getting rubbed but I think it will remind me of this simple, yet powerful, teaching I needed to learn today.