...sacrifice...

So tonight was my last night of having to go up to the U for class..YAY!!! At least until August. Then it starts all over again. But, thats not the point of this post. Another girl and I were talking during our 10 minute break during our 5 hour class (ridiculous I know) and she asked me what my husband did. For such a simple question there came a fairly intense conversation. I told her he went to school and worked early early in the morning. Then she said something interesting. She asked me if that was hard for us. Naturally I said no but then she asked why. Thats when I started to think and after our discussion I've concluded the following.

In reality sometimes it is hard for us. Matt works from 4 am-8 am and goes to school full time and does homework throughout the day (darn mechanical engineering...) Then I go to work from 8 am-5 pm, go to school, and do homework in the evenings. Then we try to go to bed early so Matt can get up before the butt crack of dawn. So, yes even as I type this I think to myself "Yeah. It is hard. But, it's what we do. And it works." There are times where we barely have any time to spend together and often times when we do, we're exhausted. But, we're together so it's worth it.

Why is it worth it though? I've decided it's because we sacrifice. We give up this and that to prepare for our future and even though we might not necessarily get too much time together it makes the time we do have sacred.

Now this isn't to toot my own horn or anything but the conversation I had with her really made me think about how grateful I am for what I have.

Now think about this....

Have you ever gone on a vacation that you've had to scrimp and save for? What was that vacation like? Probably rocked. Do you think you would have appreciated it as much if you didn't have to give up a little here and there for it?

What about those with kids? How much personal time do you give up to spend with them? How many times have you passed up buying a new pair of shoes to buy them new shoes because their little feet don't seem to stop growing?

What about school? It's hard work, takes time, and you have to give up hard earned money for it. How much does your education mean to you?

Or what about girl scout cookies? You sacrifice calories and time to do an extra a workout but, think about how good those little bits of heaven taste.

All in all the things we sacrifice for we appreciate the most. And when we sacrifice together it brings us closer to one another.

"Today we are not likely to be asked to make such a big sacrifice as giving up our lives, but we can see many examples of Saints who make painful sacrifices to keep their faith and testimonies alive. Let us make the sacrifice of small things."

Won Yong Ko-Sacrifice is a Joy and a Blessing