it's all worth it.

Today has been kind of a crazy hectic day.... ( i probably shouldn't be wasting time on a blog post, but you know i feel in the writers mood lately, so whatever )
I have two tests to take in the morning before i drive to Salt Lake and catch my plane to CHINA.
Today i've done nothing but study, and get stuff ready for china (which of course included a mandatory trip to the DI to pick out what i want to wear... 20 bucks worth of whole new wardrobe. couldn't be happier.)

Well, all in all, just think of your craziest hectic-est sort of a day, and then subtract ten--because my day probably wasn't THAT insane!

so long story short, mi'kel + busy day + what mi'kel calls 'stress' (which is 10% real and 90% psychological/self inflicted) = today.

well, that WAS today. it all changed when my friend in the ward Megan called and asked me to go to the temple with her at 7. i haven't been to the Logan temple yet, and i thought of my goals this year... 'attend the temple'... so i said i would love to.

we had her family's names and so we had to get two suits. gotta love the double suit action in the baptistry, i swear those suits hate me and my body, so two suits = ugggggh. BUT you get to actually see the results of your contribution. Today, i helped from start to finish 7 woman be baptized and receive the holy ghost. i love that about the double suits. you don't just get baptized for a woman and then wonder when she will finally get confirmed, cross your fingers for her benefit that it is soon... you start and finish see that she gets the whole package.

Well, now i am definitely rambling and haven't even got to the point of this post.

So, i walked into the small room to get confirmed. (in my second suit)
saw the three older gentleman sitting in their assigned stations and sat nervously in the center of them.
they said the usuals "hello, thank you for coming to the temple, it's good to see you"
and they were about to start with the first name, when the fellow to my right hesitated.
i felt his hands leave my head and i looked up.
he was looking intently on me.
i shared a nervous smile with him.
and he said, i want to tell you about my granddaughter.
(if there is one thing i love, it is stories, and especially stories told by great story tellers and other people's great grandfathers.)
so, i said 'okay' and continued looking up at him.
he told me how he has a nine year old granddaughter who is in primary children's medical center.
she had surgery a few days ago.
wondering where this was going, i asked, 'oh no...is she okay?'
he reassured me she is doing just fine and preceded to tell me that she is a concert pianist.
he said there were over 250 sponsors in a concert hall to help her family with the medical costs of her big surgery.
the main speaker of the night didn't show up.
so, his 9 year old daughter got up in front of the crowd and talked to the sponsors for TWENTY min.
she then went over to the piano and played one of her favorite songs.
after the program was over, Elder Dallin H. Oaks came up to the young girl and told her how wonderfully she had done, wished her luck with her surgery, and shook her hand.

the little girl went home to her mom that night and said:
'Mom, being sick has all been worth it, for the chance to meet an apostle tonight. I looked into his eyes and knew he knew Jesus.'

then the old man coughed a little, put his hands back on my head, and started my confirmations.
i'm not sure why he decided he needed to tell me that story, but i'm so glad he did.
it shed some perspective for me today.
all of the crazies and busies in life, are worth it.
because when this life is finished and you are returned to our heavenly father, looking into the eyes of our older brother and Savior. you will know that you know him and he knows you too, and in that moment it will all be worth it.