ziplocs and the purpose of life.

Don't ask me why, but as I shared a bowl of oatmeal with ammon this morning, my mind wandered to how my mom loved name brand ziploc bags. Especially the fancy zipper ones. She would never buy them growing up because they were a luxury item for her that just wasn't in the budget. So for Christmas (just a month before she died), I sent her a big box filled with name brand ziplocs and saran wrap. She was delighted. When I came to Tahoe at the end of January for her funeral I opened a drawer and saw all of the ziplocs. Of course I cried when I saw them. They were all neatly organized and hardly used. I know her, I know she was conserving them, and could hardly use them. They were not an item she would frivolously use if a no name brand, cheap, fold over baggy would suffice.

As I fondly recalled this memory, I thought of her death and how meaningless ziploc bags were to her in that moment. Ziploc bags would be far from her mind, and of little use to her. We come here to this life for a reason. There is a purpose and things that need to be done. That would be on her mind. Did i do what was necessary? Did I get done what I needed to? There are things that bring us comfort and happiness in life, they have a measure of importance. And I believe that Heavenly Father cares about what we care about. but..... they are not necessary. They aren't needful. It is so easy to get caught up in the unnecessary, and lose sight of the overall picture. In that moment, when I was standing in the kitchen, mourning the loss of my mother, all that is really important was at the forefront of my mind and thoughts. Death has that affect on us doesn't it? In the moment of loss of a loved one it is hard to see importance attached to anything. All life seems to stand still. Like you are looking at it from above, with new eyes. We understand that this life is temporary. It isn't the end all be all. It is a time of learning and growth. Do we know and understand everything? Of course not, but we know enough.

I clicked on this video clip because the add for it had a picture of a woman reading the scriptures that reminded me of my mom. She is the one looking to the side with short dark hair. The video really touched on what I had just been thinking. There is a greater purpose and plan. I have faith in that plan, even if I don't know everything from the end to the beginning. So today, I need to act according to what i know. Not to get so caught up in temporary physical things and activities and spend some thought and energy on why I am truly here. To do all that i do with more purpose and meaning. Every service for my family, and others is a joy. To love, care for, and teach can be done with more intention and purity of thought ( in other words, don't be irritable, negative, complainy, mean to my husband and kids. ha). There are reminders all around us. We don't need to experience a death of a loved one to bring us back to what truly matters. Anyway, here is the video clip below, and here is a link if you want to know more about this purpose that I speak of.

All this because i thought of ziplocs. smile.