Life in a Northern Town

Monday, September 25, 2017

FAMILY LETTER 09.17.17

Dear Loved Ones,

The big news of the week is: RAIN! Halle-freaking-lujah! Our parched, burned state got drenched by our first winter storm and our first measurable rain since July. I haven’t been this excited for rain since I lived in Tucson, waiting for July’s first monsoon storm. I don’t know how the earth reacts to being dry and on fire and then going straight to snow, but I hope it doesn’t create more disaster.

Our week has been lovely. Everyone is settling into the structure of the school year and things seem to be going pretty well. Monday was a nice day of catching up on chores and babysitting Laney again. Adeline came home nauseated and exhausted after seminary and she slept for 3 hours. I was afraid she had already caught a virus cuz she wore herself out, but she was fine after getting some sleep and a nutritious smoothie or two. That night everyone was home for dinner and Family Home Evening. Taking a cue from Standards Night, we had a lesson straight off the “For the Strength of the Youth” webpage. We talked about Work and Self-Reliance, and then Addie went with me to the Smith’s case lot sale, where we only found 2 cases of stuff we need. We also got a little formal dress at Macy’s for 75% off ($55--neighbor, that’s a GANGA!). I’m glad she isn’t sick!

Tuesday we babysat Laney again and cleaned up the fridge and made soccer and lunch snacks. We had a busy afternoon with Niles’ school open house followed by his soccer practice and squeezing in dinner and baths before 7:30...good times! It started raining a bit that night and we were just over the moon. The fall colors seemed to just burst out this week, too. I hope the winter storm doesn’t make all the leaves fall at once. That always makes me so sad. Fall colors are just my absolute favorite thing, so I like when they last into November. And then I want a big snowfall to cover all the dead ugly stuff and make it sparkle, with a fresh dusting of snow every 3 days to cover the dirt. I don’t ask for much ;)

Wednesday is when our storm really kicked up and James’ soccer practice was cancelled while I was driving him there. So we went home and enjoyed a cozy yummy dinner of chicken tacos before Scouts and YW. Rich held a nice Court of Honor for his scouts who earned a ton of badges over the summer. James and his 11-year-old buddies were welcomed into the troop as well. I was going to slip out and take the little boys home to bed, but Heidi needed help on Family Search because the YW were preparing family names to take to the temple on Saturday. We still all got home and into bed before nine which is a miracle.

Thursday was stormy all day. Niles woke up with a cough and sore throat, so I kept him home. I gave him some Emergen-C and a little morning nap and he was as good as new, back to writing rock songs for his rock band (“Rock Rhino”) by the afternoon. He did some drumming for a while, which he does with one arm tucked inside his shirt like the drummer for Def Leppard, then he was up at the piano workin’ on his melodies while I cooked dinner and Ammon played on the iPad. We made our first fire of the season and everyone was home and cozy except for Adeline, who had to work (I bet the open fire at Cluck felt really good on a cold night!).

Friday was a pretty busy day with celebrating the Jones Twins’ birthday, temple trip prep and a baby shower for the Denniston’s new baby Quinnly in the evening. It is wonderful to have so many happy things to celebrate, though. We all went to bed early because Richard and the girls had to wake up at 3:40am to go to the temple for a 6:30 session. I had planned to go back to sleep until 7 but I couldn’t sleep. I got the boys up at 7 and reported to the soccer fields at 7:45am for James’ game. The wind chill was 28* and we were grossly unprepared for that kind of cold. Luckily James’ coach had sleeping bags on the sidelines and a nice mom lent James a knit hat. Playing kept him warm, but Niles and Ammon were freezing. Grandma and Grandpa Melin came so we snuggled the boys in big quilts and kept warm. We went home and did some chores and enjoyed a roaring fire. Jill called me around 11am to let me know that Grandma Sine had passed away after being so sick for the past few weeks. She turned 95 on August 30th...what an amazing life. We will miss her but we are so happy to think of her reunion with Grandpa after 29 years. Daddy and the girls came home around noon and we went to Niles’ game at 2pm. His age group is so entertaining! Niles even kicked a goal. We had a little rest and then at 6pm we had the Jones family over for a big taco dinner celebrating Rex & Bea’s 7th birthday and our 3rd Friendversary. It was a lovely evening. The 5 big girls went over to Denniston’s for a movie night and our boys crashed hard at 9pm. We are so grateful for good friends and all these great families who host the teenagers!

Today (Sunday) has been a little busier than we prefer but it was a good day. We had a nice high council Sunday with messages about the power of music. The youth performed their song from Standards night again for the ward. We came home and fed the kids and I scrambled to get laundry put away so school clothes would be ready and PE uniforms packed, etc. Grandma Rosalie came to stay with the kids while Richard and I attend an insurance conference in Great Falls. We headed out late this afternoon and had a nice dinner and got settled into our room. It was a beautiful drive and and nice night. Princess Bride is on the SyFy channel! I had good phone visits with Dad Post and Sam tonight. I was glad to hear Dad feeling better today, even though I know he is grieving and missing his mom. Thank heaven we know where she is and families are forever. I sure do love ours. In the quiet tonight I have really felt proud of the things our kids accomplished this week and feel so grateful to be their mom and to be on the mission with Richard--he is an awesome companion. Life is good. We hope yours is, too!

All our love and prayers for a great week…

Love, Jamie and RIch and Family

Sunday, September 10, 2017

FAMILY LETTER 09.10.17

Dear Loved Ones,

It is late Sunday night and I have just finished a chocolate coke I mixed up for myself after I got home from stake Standard Night with my girls. For some reason I was thinking about my Grampy and how he showed me how to make a chocolate coke in his kitchen with the Hershey’s syrup that came in a little can you had to poke holes in to pour the syrup out. It was a yummy treat we would share once in a blue moon. Tonight felt like a good blue moon (even though we’re only having red moons these days).

The week flew by in a blur. I can’t believe that Labor Day was just 6 days ago. It was a mellow day here. The girls made plans with friends; the rest of us did some chores in the morning, then RIch took the little boys to hike at Pine Creek with their friends, the Parks boys, while I stayed home and worked on some ward history stuff. We needed to go shopping in Bozeman for yet more school stuff, so we made a family night of it. We ate at Samurai Sam’s, then saw some awesome classic cars, shopped a bit, and came home to bed.

Tuesday was James’ birthday. We had cinnamon rolls and oj for breakfast, then sent him on his merry way for school. After school was a bit busy getting James’ birthday dinner and cake ready while also getting Niles to soccer practice and welcoming overnight guests--Sister Chelsey Styer, who served here last year as a missionary, came back to visit with her mom. James asked for pepperoni pizza for dinner, so we ate pizza, then opened presents, then The Dixons and The Styers were here for cake and ice cream and all that hullaballoo. James mostly got gifts to prepare him for Boy Scouts. Rich is so excited to finally have a son in scouts with him (well--almost, he’s only 11, but well on his way). He got a new scout manual, a nice big back pack, and a 20* sleeping bag, as well as a history book, and some favorite snacks. Earlier he got a new lego set and some aircraft identification cards from Grandpa and Grandma. It was a pretty good birthday for him.

Wednesday was another mellow day, with soccer practice, homework, a quick dinner, and church meetings. I’ve been having to go up for opening exercises to help all the youth learn a song to perform at standards night, so we did that and then the boys had a special meeting about earning their Eagle Awards and the girls had a spa night. I had a snuggle night with my little guys, freshly bathed and lotioned up with lavender...they are getting so big so fast, these snuggly nights will be history soon :(

Thursday we babysat little Laney Dixon, who is now 6 months old. The kids love when she comes over. Ammon especially is delighted to have someone to play with besides me. He is pretty sweet with her, it’s cute to watch. Addie worked that night and Rich had Stake meetings, so I went and got chicken for dinner from Addie’s restaurant and helped the kids with homework and was heading to bed just as Addie and Daddy were coming home. I stayed up late doing Addie’s hair while she did homework. I didn’t get to bed til late, but neither did she, and she was ready for seminary at 6am. She is so stalwart, it amazes me sometimes. I’m glad to lose a little sleep to be able to catch up with her. Hard to believe I’ve only got 2 and a half years left with her under our roof!

Friday we watched Laney again. We had an adventure and went grocery shopping with two littles. It was crazy at the store because a tour bus full of retired people heading to Yellowstone had stopped for snacks. So there were like 100 old people and me and the babies in line at Albertsons. Pretty fun. NIles had soccer practice and then we had a yummy family dinner--everyone was home and eating together for the first time in a long time! Addie and I had made biscuits and gravy from scratch, and we sliced a yummy ripe honeydew melon. I even made a batch of gluten free biscuits and they turned out great. I was shocked!

Saturday was a marathon of soccer games. Rich ran to the Preparedness Fair in Bozeman in the morning, then met us at the soccer field for James’ 11am and 12:30 games, and Niles’ 2pm game. This was our first soccer day of the season and I was grossly under prepared. I had to take Addie to work at 11:40ish, so I missed the end of James’ first game. I grabbed some lunch and refilled the water bottles because it was scorching hot outside. I fed all our people during James’ 2nd game. Rich brought umbrellas to keep the sun off of us, but I still should have brought sunscreen because the little boys all got sunburned. A storm blew in just as NIles’ game began. The wind whipped up furiously and it rained sporadically for about an hour. About 20 minutes into the game, there was a big lightning strike and everyone ran for cover (the soccer park is on a high, treeless plateau). We headed for the car and noticed a plume of smoke rising from a hill about 3 miles northwest of our neighborhood. Within the next half hour, we counted about 20 emergency vehicles heading out to the fire, and later, several helicopters. Heidi and I had planned to go shopping in Bozeman at 3pm, so we got a good view of the fire from I-90. It was contained within a few hours and burned 200 acres between Fleshman Creek and Orea Creek. We felt so blessed that so many were able to come to our aid and keep our community safe, but we are still so sad for those in harm’s way this week--whether it be the NW fires, the Mexican earthquake, or the fierce hurricanes in the SE. Perilous times, yo. Saturday Night we met the Johnsons and the Parks at the Sport Bar and Grill for dinner. It was SOOOO nice. Two hours of fun conversation and delicious food. I don’t know why we don’t do it more often, but it sure was great to visit with them.

Church was nice today. We got to hear from Jenny Larson, who is preparing to serve a mission, and Rebecca and Dan Smith, who recently moved into the ward. They rent a house right behind us and their 2 boys are the same ages as James and Niles and they have fun together. Their talks were awesome; all the speakers testified of keeping commandments, especially tithing and Sabbath. These commandments really do keep us unspotted from the world if we live them and let them change our hearts from Telestial to Celestial living. I’ve been doing kind of an online book club with friends on social media, studying the conference talks from April and I am feeling so keenly each day how Heavenly Father has prepared me in some way the past few months to hear these talks again and apply them more readily. The over-arching theme or feeling I get is how personal purity and strong faith are the most important things to have in our preparedness kits. Our temporal needs can be met by others but our spiritual needs are between us and the Lord. No one else can fill our lamps for us when the bridegroom arrives, no matter how much they may want to share with us so we can be included. We must do it ourselves, before He comes, and the prophets are practically begging us to be clean and ready by keeping these commandments. It’s a beautiful thing! I am so excited for the next conference, it feels like Christmas!

So, all is well here. Heidi had a good week and fun times with ward friends this weekend. Thank you for your prayers for her, for us. We are being buoyed up and guided and it is a good feeling. We hope and pray all is well with you. We pray for you daily, often by name. Have a good week and remember we love you!

Love,

Jamie, Rich, and Family

Sunday, September 03, 2017

FAMILY LETTER 09.03.17

Dear Loved Ones,

Wow, we have had a roller coaster week! It has been one of hard choices, disappointments, laughs, joys, exhaustion, and adjustment to school standard time. I think the hot dry wind and the thick layer of wildfire smoke have really added to the desolate mood of the week.

Monday we had to part ways with the Sister Cities program. It was really hard after 10 months of work, and it was just one disappointment on top of another for our Heidi-girl. Anyone who takes time to get to know her knows she has the softest heart and best sense of humor L We pray she will find her tribe and thrive this year and realize how cool she is-- without a crusty shell ;) After James’ soccer practice, we went to Mark’s In and Out for family night (“to eat our feelings”, LOL!) (There is nothing on the menu I can eat, so I had a very yummy Cherry Coke and some pickles) and then we went home and had a short lesson and dessert with Grandpa and Grandma Melin. They brought flowers and hugs and made us all feel better. Poor Addie was working through all of that, and was a little teary when I picked her up. She had to make some tough choices about how best to use her time this week (less work, drop a class, get more sleep). But both girls pulled through it and made good choices and five days later, all is well. Addie bore her testimony today of how prayer and Heavenly Father and the Comforter helped her make it through this week. Trials can bring out the best in us.

Tuesday was Niles’ first soccer practice, and as usual he was greeted by a gaggle of adoring lady friends who are on his team. He wanted me to drop him off (not stay and watch—he is a big boy now), but right after I left, he got a gnarly bloody nose—the first of many for our family this week. The smoke from the fires is wreaking havoc on our noses, throats, and lungs, but we know it is much worse NW of us. Niles is such a little joy bubble. He is just so good at everything and so determined and passionate and funny. He rocked at TBall and he looks pretty good on the soccer field (like I know anything—hahaha! We are so non- athletic and non-competitive, Niles is blazing new trails for our family!). He is also passionate about music. He tries everything—the piano, the ukulele, the drums, bells, triangle, tambourine, guitar. We may have to start him on some lessons when soccer is over.

On Wednesday, Ammon and I enjoyed a park playdate/picnic with our Johnson friends. It felt just like summer (we got sunburned!) and the boys had a ball while I caught up with Naomi—good for the soul! It was also James’ soccer practice back to back with Scouts and Youth activities. James was the only 11 year old there, so he and his leader joined the combined youth activity, playing Cops and Robbers through our whole town. It sounded like quite the adventure, and exactly the fun release my kids needed after the stress of starting school.

Thursday I worked super hard in the kitchen—I was on my feet for 10 hours straight! I made some dilly beans, grated and froze a bunch of zucchini, blanched and froze chard and spinach, and cooked a yummy Italian dinner from scratch (green salad and gnocchi soup) because our cute friends Emily Schwendiman and Lauren Ney came up from BYU for a visit. They were missionaries here a while back and it was so fun to catch up with them! They took pictures, but I forgot to—I will have to get one from them.

Friday was a nice peaceful laundry day at home, but Rich was neck-deep at the office still catching up from his Utah trip. Addie had to work and Heidi went up to Clyde Park to stay with a friend, so it was just me and the fellas again. The boys watched a movie and I crashed super early (8:30), which allowed me to wake up ridiculously early on Saturday morning (4:30). I was able to study conference, Book of Mormon, 1 Peter, and attend a 7am Bible Study at the coffeehouse with my sweet Jesus loving friends. I was able to take a nice lavender soak at 5am and watch the red sun rise in the smoke and think about Grampy who died 7 years ago Saturday. The scriptures we read in Bible study were a message to me, so much that I got teary (1Peter 2:20-25—which remind me a lot of the Liberty Jail messages in D&C). I went home and did some chores with the fam and then took Ammon to a sweet baptism for Payden Prosser and his cousin. The whole Barnes family was there and it was really sweet. The grandpa, Erin Barnes, played “When I Am Baptized” on his guitar and his grandchildren gathered around him and sang. It wrecked me big time! Grandpas are so special! Addie worked all day (12-9) and when I picked her up she was so excited to have given her Labor Day hours to a co-worker. I’m so glad that worked out, poor girl has had pretty much no friend time since camp, so I hope she and her friends do something fun tomorrow. Heidi also made plans with a nice new friend, so things are already looking brighter this week than last.

Fast Meeting was lovely today—definitely a theme of “God is aware of us and loves us.” Grandpa and Grandma sat with us, and they came over this evening to celebrate James’ Birthday. He chose a tortellini dinner, so we had that with 2 sauce choices and 2 salads (veg and fruit), and a Mud Pie ice cream cake. We talked on the phone with Uncle Mark in Colorado for a minute, then we hurried off to another missionary fireside. This is the last one for a while, from Keaton Segil, who served in the Johannesburg South Africa Mission. Such a nice way to spend a Sunday evening with our ward family. Africa is a special place!

So all is well here. Nothing exciting, just “anxiously engaged” in some good causes, staying busy doing good things, but not too busy. We appreciate everyone who prayed with/for our family this week. I know things are going to be okay and go according to our Heavenly Father’s will. We are so grateful to be parents to this band of funny, unique, hilarious, creative characters. Life is good. I wanted to close with this quote from our Relief Society lesson from Spencer W. Kimball (“Tragedy or Destiny?”).

“No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude and humility. All that we suffer and all that we endure, especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable, more worthy to be called the children of God … and it is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here to acquire and which will make us more like our Father and Mother in heaven. …” (Orson F. Whitney).

I noticed this week more than ever how much more focused and energetic I am when I am challenged. I’m sure Heavenly Father would like to let me rest, but He knows how quickly I lose focus when I am not toe to toe with the adversary. Okay then. Bring it.

All our love and prayers for a happy week—

Love, Rich and Jamie and Family

Cutest Nerd Ever-- Heidi on 8/28

Niles

Smoky Sunset

Smoky Sunrise on Saturday

James opening gifts Sunday night 9/3

Heidi and Addie at James' fiesta 9/3

Click HERE to watch James' Happy Birthday song

Sunday, August 27, 2017

FAMILY LETTER 08.27.17

Dear Loved Ones,

This week is a double-letter since I missed last week while we were camping. The days before our camp out were spent on school and trip preparations. Monday the 14^th was registration day and that night we went to Bozeman Costco and Target for school supplies. Tuesday the 15^th James had a physical and Addie needed to spend some of her own cash on extra school clothes so we went to Bozeman again and looked in 5 stores before we found converse high tops (what?!). Wednesday and Thursday we worked around the house and prepped food and supplies for our trip. We left here at 4pm Friday, stopped in Bozeman for dinner, and headed down to our cabin in Island Park. We got there around 8pm and had a cozy night playing Yahtzee and watching movies. Saturday we woke up and collected some rocks to paint and did some water colors and bike rides. Then we drove out to Big Spring to explore and went swimming at the dock. We came home and got dry and resumed activities like art and bike riding and dinner prepping. Addie took the boys on a bike ride to meet up with some of our Livingston friends who have a cabin down the road. They came back with some of those kids and we grilled brats and had a campfire (until they came and told us there was a fire ban—oops!). I did write a letter last Sunday to one of our missionaries that captures our trip really well, so I will share a bit and go from there.

August 20^th: “I am sitting outside amongst the pine trees watching the sunset over Henry’s Fork of the Snake River in Island Park Idaho. We rented a cool “tiny house” cabin for the weekend and it has been so awesome. Sometimes it is nice to have a little forced togetherness with teenagers ;) It is so peaceful-- we have enjoyed walks, bike rides, river swimming and floating (in perfectly clear spring water--so fascinating watching the fish and plants pass by), painting, writing, grilling, s'mores, singing, dancing, napping, and even a sacrament meeting this morning with about 400 other campers. It was great….
We had a very sweet family night just now. We chose a new family theme for 2017-18 school year. We chose “We Can Do Hard Things” based on Elaine Dalton's 2010 conference talk, and then Richard gave each of the children a Father's blessing. The spirit was powerful and I am so grateful. My family of origin was not a stable one most of the time, so times like these are answers to fervent prayers I said as a youth, a missionary, and a young adult to please give me a partner who had a matching vision of a celestial family and would give his life to make it happen. I waited a long time, but my prayers were answered so fully, sometimes I have to pinch myself because I can't believe how good my husband is and how wonderful our life is. Of course we have had hard times and challenges, but they haven't come between us--they have bound us together and made us stronger. I painted a little sign for our home before we got married and it says, “Love is what you go through together. --Jeffrey R. Holland” and I know that it is true. I am feeling immensely blessed tonight...
The sunset [was brilliant over the pine trees tonight]. I'm listening to the Churchtastic music mix we made for you and it makes my heart overflow. I just peeled a tangerine for Ammon and I love that smell. All my senses are so happy right now. I am indeed glad that I live in this beautiful world Heavenly Father created for me. For us. And for my hubs and the beautiful people we made. Life is sweet."

The next morning we cleaned up our cabin and headed south to the path of totality in Rexburg, Idaho (about 40 miles from the cabin). From the time we pulled on to highway 20 everything was busy and magical. There was definitely excitement in the air, though I was not prepared at all for the awesomeness that was to follow. It is hard to put into words how truly awesome a total eclipse is, and I admit to be being a doubter—this whole trip was Rich’s idea. I am attaching an essay that captures many of my feelings at the experience. Aside from all the symbolism, I was amazed at how light everything was right up to the last sliver of sun, and I was kinda disturbed by how cold it got and how fast. It hit me how dependent we are on the sun. And then of course my mind formed an allegory for The Son. I was also shocked at the emotion we all felt. It was kind of primal and uncontrollable—everyone whooped and hollered when the sun disappeared and the corona blazed in a ring around the moon. But two minutes later when the sun reappeared, our kids simultaneously and spontaneously burst into song: “Here comes the sun/ Here comes the sun and I say/ It’s alright/ dadoodedadoodedadoodedadoodledoodle…” Pure delight. I’m so glad we went!

After the eclipse was mostly done, we drove into town and met my brother Michael and our friends Kurt and Debbie for lunch at Café Rio, then went over to Michael’s to spend some time with his cute family. I love Rexburg! Rich headed south to spend a few days in SLC and see Depeche Mode. The kids and I headed out of town at 3:30 and got stuck in traffic near Ashton around 4pm. Little did we know, we would spend the next 4 hours driving up the hill to Island Park—41 miles in 4 hours. As soon as we passed Ponds Lodge, it was smooth sailing all the way home. I was amazed at how good our kids were! Even after that torturous traffic jam, everyone was still in good spirits and agreed it was totally worth it. They are the coolest.

Tuesday 8/22 we spent the day preparing for school. Mostly we were at the middle school with James, practicing his locker combo and walking to classes. It’s hard to believe my “sweet baby James” is going to middle school with all those gnarly pubescent kids—but it’s happening and he seems pretty happy so far. James started school Wednesday, and the rest of the kids started Thursday. We woke up at 5:45 to get Addie to seminary, read scriptures, have breakfast, and drive kids to 3 schools. Richard got home from Utah about the same time the kids got home from school. It was a busy day and night, and so was Friday, but we survived back to school (including dental appointments, sports physicals, parent meetings, etc).

This weekend we enjoyed stake conference with Elder LeGrand Curtis. Rich and I went to the meeting Saturday night. I loved how he tied all the speakers’ messages together by explaining the First Presidency’s initiative to strengthen the faith of the members, which began back in 2012-ish. I think it is interesting and simple and so very cool that the answer to their prayers about how to increase faith was to Keep the Sabbath Holy (Exodus 31-as a SIGN of our relationship and commitment to God)—to prepare for and revere the sacrament (D&C 59-to keep ourselves UNSPOTTED from the world—yay that, I am so tired of The World!), and DELIGHT in the Sabbath (Isaiah 58)—a day to do things HIS way, not OUR way, and to strengthen the feeble knees, to lift up the hands that hang down, and to “find our families” as we spend time together on that holy day. If you stop and think about how powerful it is just to keep that one commandment “in totality”—we truly will keep ourselves unspotted. We will be clean, we will be rested, we will have discernment, we will keep our families united and happy, we will have personal revelation and increased closeness and trust in God…totally inspired direction on how to survive the last days of deception, distraction, and destruction. Personal purity and communion with God and companionship of the Spirit. His message today was along the same lines—encouraging us to be steadfast and immoveable in keeping covenants, nurturing testimony, partaking of the power of the Book of Mormon each day. All simple, doable things that have potent promises attached.

We enjoyed a quiet afternoon here as a family, Addie made us a creole dinner of gumbo and beignets—totally gourmet and DELICIOUS! We facetimed with Aunt Dana as she is riding out hurricane Harvey in Texas. We enjoyed a missionary fireside with siblings Terin Bowden (Texas Lubbock) and Will Bowden (Portugal Lisbon) tonight, and everyone went to sleep fairly early. I’m excited to get back in to the groove of the school year!

We hope all is well with you, our beloved friends and family. We have had some great times together lately and wish we could share them with you. We hope life is just as sweet for you and hope you know we love and miss you. Have a great week, keep in touch!

Love,

Jamie, Richard, and Family

***

photo by our friend Mitch McClellan in Rexburg

Thoughts on the Eclipse by Rob Eaton (from facebook)

I had read all the hype, and I had a hard time imagining there was any way a total solar eclipse could live up to so much promotion and praise. One account was so effusive that even my young nephew dismissed it by saying, “It had too many superlatives.” Surely nothing could be that good.

If I had not lived plop in the middle of the zone of totality in Rexburg, Idaho, I don’t know that I would have traveled far to see it. When I mentioned it to my brother a month ago, remarkably enough, he hadn’t even heard about it yet. But before I could even say anything about it, he said, “It seems like every eclipse that comes along is supposed to be the only time in the next 57 years you’ll be able to see something like it.” He hadn’t been that impressed with what he’d seen in the past, so he wasn’t interested in driving a couple of hours north to reach the zone of totality for this eclipse.

I don’t fault him. If I were him, I might well have looked at a map and figured, “I’ll just stay here and see 75% of the eclipse and get 75% of the benefits. Why go all that way just to see the sun all the way covered?”

But with solar eclipses, I learned vividly and personally today, there is a world of difference between even 98% of an eclipse and 100%. We watched with interest and amusement during the partial phases of the eclipse, but right up until a few moments before we witnessed the total eclipse, it seemed like not much more than a pleasant astronomical quirk visible only with special protective glasses.

But as the moon began to totally cover the sun and we witnessed the diamond ring and the corona visible only with a total solar eclipse, I was absolutely blown away. I thought I would remain calm, but I couldn’t keep the emotions I felt inside. And neither could most of the people around me. As one writer had predicted, it was as if it touched something deeply primal within us. No photograph or video I’ve seen of this spectacular phenomenon does justice to it. It is simply the most amazing thing I have ever seen.

Afterwards, my nephew volunteered to his mother: "Now I know why they used so many superlatives."Despite all the hype, we discovered a total solar eclipse had not been overrated.

As a follower of Jesus Christ, this experience has reminded me of three important lessons. First, heaven is not overhyped; eternal life will be worth every sacrifice we could possible make to partake of it.

In one of my otherwise favorite songs by Train, the singer asks of a friend returning from some kind of cosmic journey, “Did you make it to the Milky Way to see the lights all faded and that heaven is overrated?” Just as my brother assumed a total eclipse had been oversold, much of the world today has come to believe heaven is not real or that it can’t be all that. They doubt the reality of an eternal existence with God so exquisite that Peter described it as becoming “partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4). I believe that one day, everyone will be as convinced of the desirability of eternal life with God as those who witnessed the total eclipse today were of its stunning glory.

Second, I was reminded that there is a dramatic difference between the blessings that come from sort of following the gospel of Jesus Christ—being in the zone of partiality—and striving to following Him and His teachings with all our hearts—the zone of totality. One of the reasons my brother and I underestimated how rewarding the total eclipse would be is that we based our estimates on what we’d witnessed in prior partial eclipses. But a total eclipse isn’t just twice as beautiful as an eclipse where the moon covers half the son; it is exponentially better.

And so are the blessings that come from living in the zone of spiritual totality. I’m not talking about a place where we are perfect, and I’m certainly not talking about a condition we achieve through our own efforts alone. But I am referring to a state of mind and heart where we jump in with our whole souls, holding nothing back but relying on Christ to realize our divine potential. The blessings of spiritual coronas and diamond rings come not to those who merely go through the motions and occasional effort it takes to reach the zone of partiality; they come to those who yield their hearts and souls to God in the zone of spiritual totality.

Finally, now that I know what a rare and exquisite experience a total solar eclipse is, I regret terribly the fact that I didn’t try to persuade my brother and his family and all my siblings and children who lived elsewhere to join us. What a terrible waste it was to have a home located in the heart of the zone of totality with only 5 guests. I wish I’d been more like some of our neighbors, who had family members and friends stuffed into every bed and couch and spilling over onto their lawns.

For those of us who have lived the gospel of Jesus Christ enough to know just how exquisite its blessings are, there is a special responsibility to find ways to help others come to understand or even consider the possibility that it will be eternally worth the sacrifice to come to the zone of spiritual totality.

For me, in some small way, glimpsing the silvery brilliance of the corona today felt like a symbolic foreshadowing of what it might be like to dwell eternally in the presence of God—in a place with “no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof” (Rev. 21:23). Even more than I will strive to persuade my loved ones and friends to go witness the next total solar eclipse visible in the United States in 2024, I feel inspired to do all I can to help others know that heaven is real and that moving to the zone of spiritual totality is eternally worth it. We cannot use enough superlatives to describe it.