One Year Older and Hopefully Wiser Too

Random Internet Image that Popped Up when I Googled Birthday Cake
(and it looks delicious)

Today is my 32nd birthday.  I rung it in last night with a text message from my brother at 12:02 (I was still awake), a quick chat with Julianne, and then a couple of other texts from my Mom and my Dad.  I also went to a BBQ restaurant with some friends and enjoyed a delicious chocolate bundt cake that Julianne thoughtfully had delivered to me (I would have taken a picture, but my phone is ghetto and doesn't take nice pictures).  So far 32 doesn't feel too bizarre, though the two rather than the one at the end reminds me that I am definitely in my early thirties now and no longer very close to my twenties.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who found this week to be unique.  The events in Boston and Waco captivated all of us and hopefully reminded us of just how precious life is and of how lucky we are to live in this land where most of the time we feel safe and secure thanks to the work of our military and law enforcement officers, and especially the blessings of heaven.  I found myself thinking about a good friend of mine who works for one of the agencies in counterterrorism.  I thought of the comfort and peace of mind that he sacrifices by spending each day uncovering and preventing attacks on us so that we can enjoy comfort and peace of mind.  I thought about my brother-in-law John, who has devoted his life and career to protecting the freedoms that I often give too little thought to.  I don't know, and perhaps (hopefully) will never know what a war zone is really like.  I don't know how or why I have been so blessed, but I pray I never forget.

This week I also ended up making a visit to the doctor to get something checked on that had been bothering me.  Everything is ok, but while checking my vitals, the PA informed me that my blood pressure was high again (as it was in December).  She told me that I need to start making some changes to bring that down.  That message was a jolt, but it probably shouldn't have been.  Even though I am blessed with the Word of Wisdom, I know that I haven't always done a good enough job of taking care of my health.  As with all aspects of life, it is easy to make excuses, to say "I was too busy" and "I didn't have enough time," when what we really need to do is go to work and make the changes that are needed.  I am hoping that in this, my thirty-third year, I will begin to be wiser and more proactive about caring for the tabernacle the Lord has given me so that I can do whatever work He has called me to do.

Among the charges that Abinadi levied against the priests of Noah was that they had "not applied [their] hearts to understanding; therefore, [they had] not been wise" (Mosiah 12:27).  Each of us has areas where we perhaps have not applied our hearts to understanding and have not been wise.  Let us seek out those areas where we know that we need to improve and then begin to make the simple decisions to improve.  Usually the changes are not hard, they just require consistent effort and commitment.  May we give such an effort and such commitment that we might grow in wisdom.

Brett

(Looking at my blog, I can't help but note the irony of the picture that goes with it).