Week 51.

Another week full of (car) challenges. And blessings, car and otherwise. But the greatest blessing of my week came on Tuesday as I addressed and wrote my Christmas cards. It is one of my favorite activities of the whole year. I love the whole process. Finding the cards, writing the letter, buying the stamps and a new pen for addressing. David suggested once that he could quickly print some labels for me and "save me a step." I was horrified. I love, deeply, going down my list. At each name I remember, and thank heaven, for the blessing each person is in my life. Name them one by one. It is like a little reunion for me, me doing all the lines, remembering the last time we were together.

On Saturday night, we had a candlelight dinner at my parents' house. My brother Matt shared this quote from Elder Holland:

My beloved brothers and sisters, I testify of angels, both the heavenly and the mortal kind. In doing so I am testifying that God never leaves us alone, never leaves us unaided in the challenges that we face. “[N]or will he, so long as time shall last, or the earth shall stand, or there shall be one man [or woman or child] upon the face thereof to be saved.” On occasions, global or personal, we may feel we are distanced from God, shut out from heaven, lost, alone in dark and dreary places. Often enough that distress can be of our own making, but even then the Father of us all is watching and assisting. And always there are those angels who come and go all around us, seen and unseen, known and unknown, mortal and immortal.

It reminded me of my Christmas card list. Of the angels, seen and known and mortal, that have blessed my life in countless ways, especially when I was in "dark and dreary places." I was so grateful this week for that list, for the love that it represents, for the kindnesses unrecorded and innumerable, and for the undeniable ministering of angels.