April's Blessings

April is one of my favorite months because it starts with General Conference along with Easter Sunday; sometimes even in the same weekend.   

       Easter decorations - some colored 
eggs hanging on branches 

                                                                                                                         

April  is dressed in lots of beautifully colored fresh flowers coming up everywhere and new grass and bushes with lots of flower buds and more buds on the tree branches that pop into blossoms and beautiful shiny leaves.  

The Flower fields are amazing!

I love the intermittent sunshine and rain and sometimes even snowflakes that fall but oft times melt before they hit the ground, and the cool crisp winds that float on warm wisps of sunshine and hit you both at the same time bringing both a shudder and a radiant smile.                           

                                😉 

I love hearing the buzzing of the bees and the twittering of the birds as they excitedly tell the world, all at the same time, of the happenings of the past winter and the excitements that are ahead as they busily gather bits of straw, twigs and anything that might add softness to the nests they are building for their soon to arrive babies.  

 I love walking along the ponds and canals hearing the muttering of mother ducks, geese and

swans as they brood over their nests waiting patiently for their eggs to hatch to reveal the little ducklings, goslings and cygnets 

goslings

   

  who chirp and cheep gleefully once they are finally   free of their confining shells.

      Everything is fresh and new and exciting and the             feeling of a new start is all around.  

  

What a great and beautiful blessing that is, to be able    to start anew, to repent, to remove and free ourselves from the old confining habits. 

  

Once we feel those heavy burdens lifted we can take on better habits and attitudes, we can love others  more,  serve one another, care more about the needs and comforts of those around us than we care about  ourselves.  

Our Savior, Jesus Christ showed us how to treat each other in order to achieve greater happiness and joy.  

President Nelson is urging us to follow Him, to go to the temple, to hear Him and make the effort that is necessary to find that joy.  He has asked us to let God prevail in our everyday lives so that we will obtain that joy.  Let's be found doing good for others at all times, let's show our Lord that we want Him to be with us every day, and that we are willing to make every effort to stay close to Him.

We are grateful for the this time when we can recognize all the beauty we are surrounded in and give thanks to our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ for the numberless blessing we are given.  May we do our best to truly love our brothers and sisters and help one another prepare to return to our Heavenly home.