So, in my church, when you get baptized, you're given the gift of the Holy Ghost through a priesthood blessing. Having the gift of the Holy Ghost means that, as long as you're living righteously, you have it with you all of the time to guide you and reassure you and any endless number of other things.
It comes in quite handy, especially when you think you're losing your mind for leading your life in the direction that you have and then out of nowhere the Holy Ghost says 'Hey, you're doing the right thing.' (it doesn't so much say it, as much as you feel it) It's nice. Some people might call what it does, your conscience. But really, for me at least, it's the Holy Ghost talking to me in its own special way.
The older I get, the more I recognize its presence in my everyday life, from making big decisions, to helping me remember to take something when I'm running out the door. It's simple, it's complex, it's wonderful.
The Holy Ghost can also warn you. Like, say, if your mom is doing her hair and she receives a prompting to go check on you and she does and you're running down the driveway into traffic. Also, you're 2 so that's why she had to go check on you. (This is a true story. I was there.) It warned me this morning, and when I tell you this story you're going to probably laugh (I did), but it also re-solidified my testimony of the Holy Ghost.
Pete and I were going downstairs so he could go potty and we could be on our way for our morning walk. As he was peeing on his regular 'peeing bush' I got a feeling that I should tie an extra poop bag to his leash. (We always keep one tied to the handle. You never know...) I thought that was just me being overly paranoid me and brushed it off. But then as we were walking by the bag dispenser (they put them all over our complex, it's really great!) I thought 'hey this will take 5 seconds.' So I tied an extra one on his leash and we were on our merry way. Pete pooped once before leaving the complex. One bag down, one bag to go. I was thinking 'Woo hoo! At least I don't have to tie another bag on now!' We were halfway through our walk, well into a neighborhood, walking by lovely houses that cost more than my life, when Pete started wandering suspiciously into people's yards. Pete doesn't wander when we walk. We're both pretty much of the same mind, in that, the sooner we get the walk over with, the sooner we get water and A/C. I kept tugging on his leash to get him back onto the sidewalk, but after 3 more houses, that dog had to poop again! I laughed. I laughed hard. I am a big believer that you should clean up after your own dog, ESPECIALLY if it's in someone's yard. I would have felt geniunely terrible if I hadn't had the means to clean up after him in the yard of his innocent BM victims.
I pondered this the rest of the way home. I don't think it was a coincidence I tied an extra bag onto his leash. And while I didn't save someone's life, or was led to make a choice that altered history, I was prompted to tie on an extra poop bag, and I did and I'm glad. If for no other reason, it reminded me that I have the Holy Ghost with me (which is easy to forget, sometimes, in the monotony of everyday life) and what a lucky girl I am for that fact.
The end.