Miracles...

Miracles are a funny and personal thing. I recently heard a story on the radio about the process the Catholic Church goes through to validate miracles, this concept intrigued me. As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I have been encouraged to look for "the hand of God" in my daily life. Those events that I consider little miracles in my life would never pass the vetting process, these are the small things- finding my keys when I am late, getting an email from my missionary brother letting us know he is still okay, or the kindness of the American Airlines employee when I am stressed, tired, and 7 months pregnant. These are the things that I consider miracles in my daily life. There are also the bigger things: the job that didn't disappear when the economy wasn't so hot, the generosity of family members while we were in school and struggling, the friends and family we have been so fortunate to have, and the baby on the way- but even these things wouldn't make it through the vetting process to be considered a miracle. Listening to the story made me a bit sad, maybe it is selfish of me to think that those small things in my life should be considered miracles- but to me, these are miracles. It is so comforting to know that a loving Heavenly Father is aware of our situations, our needs, and our limits, and so comforting to know that even in the craziness of life if we stop and take minute we can recognize not only the hand of God in our lives, but also feel the love our Heavenly Father has for each of us.

As I thought more about the idea of miracles and being grateful for those miracles in our lives, I was reminded of a conference address several years ago, here's a snippet..