My Special Place...

I found "my place" here at the Jerusalem Center. I've been trying to find a place that I can be alone to do scripture study and prayer. Every room has a neat patio overlooking the city, and there are tons of random corners and classrooms everywhere but...no where really struck me as "my spot". But last night, I walked around the outside of the Jerusalem Center (still within the walls) for the first time. The grounds are beautiful. There are balconies, flowerbeds, gardens, etc. I found a little perch off to the side of the building (where no one can really see me, and no one ever walks by) that overlooks the Old City. I sat there for a couple of hours last night...praying, reading, pondering....as I watched the sun go down. It was probably one of the prettiest sunsets I've seen, and I was just totally in my element. It was peaceful, the weather was perfect, the sky was gorgeous, and I just felt so much peace and joy. I felt extremely close to my Heavenly Father and my Savior, and I couldn't really stop smiling even after I came inside. I was just so...content. It's hard to explain, but I just never wanted to leave that spot. I'll probably be spending quite a bit of time out there. :)

So my challenge to all of you....find your own special place and spend some quality time there, alone, praying and listening. You'll have an incredible experience too - I know it. We all need some "me time" in this crazy busy world. It's nice to take a moment to regain an eternal perspective.

...ESPECIALLY when you feel like you're drowning in a sea of homework. We now have five classes instead of the two we've had for the past week...and my workload has doubled or even tripled. There's so much to read and know, and I'm a little (okay a lot) overwhelmed. There are pros and cons of having  all of my friends in all of my classes. It's really great when it comes to studying (if we actually force ourselves to study) but c'mon...we practically live in a clubhouse, with so many options that are so much more fun...we can either be really great influences on each other when it comes to doing homework, or we can...become distractions to each other. My first test is Friday, we'll see how it goes!