Turn Toward the Light – The Son

Remember when I wrote about turning toward the sun and my obsession with light? 

Well, as I turn toward Him and give my devotion and focus to Him, my heart warms like the sun outside warming my skin in the most delightful way.  When I spend time with Him, when I turn toward the Son, praying, reading and pondering on the scriptures I feel so close to Him that my heart warms.  It’s a weird phenomenon really. 

But likewise, when I pull away…I can do it myself or sadly just too busy to spend time with Him, I feel that withdrawal.  It’s a cold dark place not basking in His life giving light.  Just like the thick inversion outside my window, I can often feel a thick inversion in my heart.  I know this is something that can be completely avoided.  I know how to prevent it like a spiritual inoculation. 

I just have to remember…

I have to remember Him….

I have to let Him in...

How do you avoid the thick inversions of the heart? 

Writers, Reviews and Comments

Source

Not so long ago I fancied myself a writer.  I felt inspired at odd times of the day and words would just flow from my fingertips.  From the inspiring to the snarky, I was in my writer/blogger element.  When life gets hard, creativity seems to take a back seat in my world.  I bagged writing and blogging for a while.  I’m trying to get back in my groove, fake it till you make it, but I don’t really feel like my posts have much substance.  They’re not meaty enough to attract the avid reader/blog follower.  What I have to share is ‘eh’ or at least I think so based on the lack of responses. 

Once upon a time I thought I didn’t care…I write for me.  I record for me.  But the thing is, just as writers are driven by their critiques and reviews, so are bloggers driven by comments.  In the last few months since my disappearance then reemergence in the blogging world, the commenters disappeared.  At one point, I would get 15-20 comments on a post and now mostly it’s a big goose egg.  Is the time of blogging come to an end or are blogs moving in a different direction? 

It was brought to my attention that I might need to move in to the “now”…embracing twitter, Instagram, google+ and facebook to pimp my posts.  But I don’t have time for that…it’s sad really.  Now that I’ve been on my pity pot, please share with me ways that you are able to drive traffic to your blog and encourage comments.

Loved

"As the Father hath loved me, 

so have I loved you:

continue ye in my love."

John 15:9

Turn Toward the Light

Warm sunlight on my skin, turning my face toward the light, I feel the heat on my cheeks and eyelids.  I love the sun.  I'm a worshipper of sorts...with sunscreen, of course.  I can't get enough of it and soak up every bit I can in the spring and summer.  My home has to have lots of windows to let that sweet sunshine in.  It rules me and warms my soul.  I have a sing in my home that says "Live in the Sunshine" because that's important to me.  I should live at the beach, just sayin', all those sweet, warm rays...all...the...time.  But, I live in Idaho, and in the winter that means INVERSION.  It's like living in this dark clouded blanket.  Misty darkness even in the bright of day.  I haven't seen the sun in a week, and I'm feeling it.  There is one beautiful point, though, in all the freezing cold foggy inversion, and that is the beauty it creates on the trees.

This wintery frosty, Christmasy goodness is lingering on in nature.  I don't mind this beauty, but CAUTION, don't slip.

Being a Man About it...

We operated on faith in sending Miguel to Rexburg with a car.  You see, he didn't have parking for it...and was on a waitlist.  We were really worried, I mean if the car got towed, we'd probably have to drive the 4.5 hours to get it out of car jail because it's in our name.  It was a sketchy few days of moving the car around to different places at night so as not to get booted.  He finally got parking!  It's not where he lives, but it is covered parking...

in REXBURG IDAHO.  

Need I say more?  Feeling very blessed and grateful that Miguel was a man about it and took care of business.  

It's really the simple things in life, you know?

What are you grateful for today?

Worth Loving

I'm going to treat most Fridays as the day dedicated to my study and pursuit of Loved.

In my pondering on my oneword and feeling loved, I came across this blogpost that seemed poignant to my feelings by Holleygerth.com called Do You Really Believe You're Worth Loving?

Lovely reminder, enjoy the read.

Learning to Crochet and Snow Balls

A new skill is sometimes hard to develop.  I tend to look at someone who seems to have it all together and then end up not even trying.  I can't decide if I'm a perfectionist or not.  A perfectionist wants to do things perfectly, but do they give up if they can't do it?  I don't know, but I totally wish I knew how to crochet.  Over Christmas, I decided to simplify my decorations, mostly because I couldn't access them and didn't want to, but I started over from scratch with my deco.  One of the things I wanted to do with my tree was a pom pom garland, you know, because all pine trees have snow balls on them.  But anyway, I was inspired by this blogger and her farmhouse perfection at Fairview Farm.

I could handle the basic crochet chain and a hot glue gun.  It's not perfect, in fact it's a bit like a Monet...it looks better from far off.  But it was fun...I'd like to learn more than the basic chain stitch, I found the whole thing of it, yarn and hook, very therapeutic.  I need to give up on my expectations of something needing to be perfect and just do it.  I may very well find a new hobby.

Do you struggle with perfectionism?

What are your hobbies?

'Tis the Season...For Weddings? and Advice

Source

It seems I am getting invitations to weddings left and right this past month.  College students getting married between semesters, I guess.  'Tis the season....Bright eyed brides and grooms staring lovingly into each other's eyes.  Their lives spread out in front of them, blue skies ahead!  But once that shiny newness wears off, the dress hung up and gifts put away, life gets real, you know?  I mean it is normal to have arguments and get irritated and want to quit from time to time.  Sometimes I think the most valuable gift we could give a newlywed is advice.  Really, sound, time-proven advice would be priceless.  If I could tie it up in a nice pretty package with a ribbon on top, this is what it would look like, but since I can't here are ten tips I would pass on to newlyweds if asked.  It has worked for me, and so far I have survived almost 26 years of marriage.  Yes, I said survived, because sometimes it is bliss and sometimes you have to just muddle through the rough patches.

1. Always keep Christ in your marriage.  Stay equally yoked in your religious beliefs.
2. Kill him/her with kindness even when you don't want to be nice
3. Relationships are more important than being right
4. Don't run home to mommy every time you have an argument.  In fact, unless there is abuse, keep disagreements private between you and your spouse.
5. Always hug each other when you come home.
6. Laugh together, often.
7. Persevere, press on
8. When you have rough patches, remember what you loved about each other
9. Share a hobby or interest
10. Date!  Fall in love all over again.

There you have it, my unsolicited, possibly unwanted marriage advice.  Here is some other advice I've blogged about in the past.

What advice would you add to this list?

Sacred Sundays

"Temple. 

One other word
 is equal in importance 

to a Latter-day Saint. 

Home. 

Put the words holy temple 
and home together, 

and you have described 
the house of the Lord!"

~Boyd K. Packer~

And then there were two...

I sit here in the passenger seat watching endless snow covered fields and farms pass by. Safely enclosed in my 70 degree car I note the temperature outside is a balmy 5 degrees. We are heading to Rexburg, Idaho, to get Miguel set up at BYU - Idaho. Three cars we are....Miguel, his Fiancé and our car.

He has only been home for six months and he is leaving again...and we realized that he very well may have moved out for the last time. He's getting married between semesters in April leaving just TJ and Ladybug left.  Another letting go moment.

Sometimes the pain of being a mother just hurts too much.  I've been known to say I want to quit, I don't want to be a mom anymore, but, really, I wouldn't trade it for the world.  Besides, he'll have to come home and visit to warm up. BRRRRRR!

Coming at ya from somewhere on I-86...


 

Goals, but not really

Source

The end of my vacay is coming WAY too fast.  I mean I've only been off of work since 2014.  Ahem, but seriously, I have to go back too soon and I don't wanna.  On another note, Here is a list of top 10 things (Not goals) I would like to accomplish in 2015...If I say they are goals, then it probably won't happen, because I feel like goals set me up for failure.  But that One Word I am embarking on this year Loved can fit into each of these.  I Love my body when I eat healthier, do yoga and run.  (See where I am going with this?)  I feel love for my home when I organize it, etc, etc, etc...And here you go:

1. Eat Healthier
2. Do more Yoga for my Back.  
3. Run a 5K (again)
4. Spend more time in my scriptures
5. Craft/journal more
6. Make more home cooked meals (See #1)
7. Organize my home
8. Rejuvenate my Blog after quitting
9. See Miguel get married (see this post)
10. Quit my job...I mean did you look at these things I want to accomplish?  There is no way I can do them all without quitting my job.  

Broncos Love Fiestas

I saw that on a shirt, Broncos Love Fiestas, while sitting on my couch watching the Fiesta Bowl on TV whilst being in possession of 3 tickets to the Bowl Game in Arizona.  It's really a sad thing when weather interferes with your plans. I mean it's January, come on already.  Snow?  Seriously?

But just because we ate the cost of the tickets didn't mean we didn't have a dang fun tailgating party and tailgating parties are always the best when the team you love wins.  So, I sit on my couch wrapped in a furry blanket that makes me feel like a cat, feeling grateful, and all purry for my family and the safety they were afforded in staying home.

Go Orange

Go Big Blue

Fight, Fight BSU

See you Later 2014!  Happy New Year!