The Inspiration

Life with Almonds : The Inspiration

Life with Almonds came about via my wonderful husband, Matthew. He and I had been discussing the various church lessons of the day (May 27, 2012). I had attended the Young Women's lesson up in Rexburg, Idaho where we were visiting for the holiday weekend. The subject turned out to be very enlightening...

The teacher of the lesson used a visual aid to begin the lesson. She pulled out a tiny little, one-serving size Hershey's bar and said "if you want this now, you can have it! You don't have to work hard for it at all. It will taste great and you won't even have to wait for it or anything. Go ahead".

A few hungry girls looked eagerly at the candy bar, but became even more interested as the teacher brought out an even larger chocolate bar,  continuing to explain, "But....if you're willing to wait, willing to work hard listening to and participating in the rest of the lesson, your reward will be exponentially greater. Yes it will take some work, and yes you will have to wait, but you will have something much greater and much sweeter."

The GIANT bar of chocolate seemed much more appealing to the girls after the comparison. And, the lesson commenced...

The topic of the lesson was on Eternal Marriage, a blessing that comes to couples who are worthy to be sealed for time and all eternity in the Lord's temple. The teacher explained that when a worthy couple attains Eternal Marriage, we believe that the couple's marriage stands through time and all eternity. Yet, comparable to this blessing are the words of the civil marriage vow--"til' death do we part". How sad that a happy couple married civilly, willing and able to commit wholly to marriage in this life, can not expect that marriage to last in the afterlife. All should know about the blessing of Eternal Marriage.


The lesson of the chocolate bars hit home with the girls and with me. Just as the small snack size candy bar, civil marriage comes easily and without much effort, it is short lived and is over too quickly. Yet, if one is willing to wait and work hard,preparing oneself for the day when they can be sealed for time and all eternity to the right person, they receive of the much greater blessing of the GIANT candy bar, everlasting and exponentially sweeter!

I have already made the commitment to my husband to endure to the end and one day enjoy the blessings of Eternal Marriage as our marriage continues into the eternities. We were sealed in the Salt Lake City, Utah Temple for "time and all eternity" but that wonderful promise does still take a lot of work. Eternal Marriage is no picnic. There's going to be trials. There's going to be bumps in the road. But, those bumps just make life sweeter just as those almonds make the chocolate more enjoyable!


Thanks to my husband's insights, I have realized that Life is truly like Chocolate, made sweeter by the almonds.

Thanks to Life. Thanks to Love.

And thanks for the Almonds.