Be Still and Know

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New Years and Resolutions are upon us.  You can't not see reminders of it all over the internet and social media.  Weight loss goals, financial goals, fitness goals, educational goals.  I like, everyone else, want to start fresh at the beginning of the year.  Over the past several years, I have participated in one word or one little word resolutions.  It's a much simpler way of doing things, focusing on that one word in all aspects of my life.   Words can be very powerful, especially as we ponderize and internalize.

I have chosen words that I really needed at the time and learned much from over the past years.  Some examples of words I have chosen in the past are:

Simplify
Gratitude
Brave
Loved

This year a scripture keeps resonating with me, and I can't quite keep it to one word.  Psalms 46:10

"Be still and know that I am God."  

I almost feel as if this simple scripture encapsulates every one word I have used in the past.

2016 is a year of spiritual growth for me.  While, yes, I have some fitness and weight goals, too, 'Be Still and Know that I am God" sits first and foremost in my mind and heart.

What is your one word or goal for the year?

 

Advent and Uplift

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There are some really great things going on in the internet world.  One of the things I like to participate in is an advent during the Christmas season.  It enhances my current scripture study and really brings my focus around to Christ.  I love feeling the sweet spirit of love and comfort in my heart and this advent thing really helps. 

In years past, I have used our 24 Days of Christmas book of scriptures, stories and songs.  I have also read from the Book of Luke.  There are exactly 24 chapters...read one per day leading through Christmas eve.

This year I found a printable advent on Facebook.  It suggested actually writing out the scriptures.  And has been an interesting process.  As I have written, I actually ponder more fully on the Words.  It has been fun to change things up just a bit.

In addition to this, I have been working on listing my 1000 gifts.  Ann Voskamp, author of One Thousand Gifts and her blog called A Holy Experience shared this prompt for listing your gifts.  Sometimes I have to really think and ponder, and that's a good thing.

I've also found this really cool LDS Blog, She Teaches Fearlessly that has been posting daily Advent inspiration.  Who can't use a daily vitamin like that?

What have you been doing this Christmas season to feel closer to Christ?

Loved

"As the Father hath loved me, 

so have I loved you:

continue ye in my love."

John 15:9

Last email {Miguel's Missionary Moment}

I've been absent here...sorry about that.  I got a very short email home from my Missionary this morning.  It was 2 John 1:12 and that reads, "Having many things to write unto you, I would not write with paper and ink: but I trust to come unto you, and speak face to face, that our joy may be full."

We see him in 34 hours, but who's counting....

Turns out I was just really sad...

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The other day I was diagnosed with moderate depression.  I was shocked.  But then again, not so much.  I went to the doctor to have my hormone levels checked since I am getting to that age of changing hormones.  Weeks of crying at the drop of a pin, loss of interest in things I used to love (like blogging), not able to do much besides lay on the couch curled up like a ball apparently are all indicators of depression.  The funny thing is, I didn't think I was sad.  He said that months sometimes years of stress can catch up with you, and the strongest coping person can sometimes succumb.

I didn't think I'd been stressed particularly, but then I thought back over the last few years...TJ left for the Air Force and Miguel left for his mission.  Both of which were very hard on me...For someone who has been used to mothering three for so long, I suddenly had to reevaluate who I am besides a mom because then there was one (Ladybug...love that girl).  I had my back issue last summer and then the surgery in September.  Being in constant pain, I remember understanding why someone would commit suicide in a similar situation.  Not that I would, but I could empathize because quality of life is all but diminished and waking up in the morning thinking, "Is this all there is?" while life goes on around you and without you, can be quite depressing.  Then the holidays came, and as hard as I tried to embrace a minimalist Christmas this year, I was still overwhelmed.  Then the weather, oh the weather!  For over a month, we were smothered under a blanket of inversion.  At times I felt like I was going to suffocate beneath this foggy darkness that I just couldn't rid myself of, there was no escaping it, and I so desperately missed the sun.

Being called to be the Youth Leader was a blessing with excitement and also stress because therein lies a lot of responsibility and expectations.  But the kicker, the one that broke the camel's back, so to speak, was when I learned my parents wanted to move 12 hours away to Las Vegas.  Poof!  A light went out, I broke, I felt like I had nothing left to give.  I was not worthy, worthwhile, why me?

I'm so glad I went to the doctor, even though it wasn't what I thought.  Going to the doctor gave me answers and choices.  I could go the medicated route or I could make an attitude adjustment.  I decided to adjust my behaviors and attitude.  I needed to get back to working out since I hadn't been able to run in so long.  I needed to enjoy all those natural, happy endorphins, watch what kinds of food I eat and diligently fill my soul with the Word.  Because, quite frankly, I should be the happiest person ever!  I have awesome kids, a loving husband, a good job, a cute house, the gospel of Jesus Christ in my life.  Turns out I was just really sad, and an attitude change and faith in Jesus Christ will bring healing to my life.  I am stronger than depression and this is, yet, another opportunity for bravery.

And now you understand why I quit blogging, but then didn't...

Updates and UGA {Miguel's Missionary Moment}

February 10, 2014

"Hey

"This week has been pretty awesome. We got back in contact with Dorsey!  He called us and said he is ready to change and how much he wants it and how while we weren't visiting him he had been trying to apply the things we taught him and how well it went. We went over last night and read 2 Nephi 4 with him and he really had his first true connection with the scriptures. We talked about how even Nephi a prophet had struggles, but he didn't get down he just continued to follow God and trust him. It was a great lesson.

We also have been teaching a guy named Westly, and we challenged him last time about baptism, and he said he would pray about it. Then he called last night at like 10:15 and said he didn't want to get baptized because of things he likes to do and we don't do. But then he said he should probably get baptized in our church and how its on him not us for him choosing not to. I challenged him to read Mosiah chapter 3, and at 11:00 pm last night, he called and woke us up and asked how soon he could get baptized. We said the 22nd, and we are going to talk more about it with him on Tuesday!

We also found a family of 3, Montine, Zyon, and Ndya. They are pretty sweet. Zyon is 13 and he was super engaged in our lesson, and I think if he keeps interested he will bring his 11 year old sister and his great grandma, Montine, with him. We had a great lesson with all three of them, and we are going back on Tuesday, We will be extending a baptismal date to them. We are also teaching Laura still and she has been doing really well. She said every time she reads the Book of Mormon it rings true to her and we are hoping to extend a date this week to her, as well!

HMMMMMMMM what else?!?!?! Oh today we are going on a full tour of UGA's Stadium.  A member is on the grounds crew, and he is taking us through everything even the locker rooms it is gonna be so sick!!!!! but yeah thats about it! 

Hamer Out

Mosiah 5:12 "I say unto you, I would that ye should remember to retain the name written always in your hearts, that ye are not found on the left hand of God, but that ye hear and know the voice by which ye shall be called, and also, the name by which he shall call you."

Holy Tabbs Review

A few weeks ago I was contacted by HolyTabbs asking if I was interested in reviewing their product.  I am always interested in trying new products, especially where the Gospel is concerned.  My obvious answer was "yes".

HolyTabbs is a companion scripture study tool that goes along with Preach My Gospel.  They have researched hundreds of scriptures that go along with the topcis of study.  It is taking e a while to mark and tab all the scriptures.  As I am doing this, I am studying, too.  My favorite topic of study to mark and tab has been the attributes of Christ.

My only drawback I have found with the system, has been those little tiny tabs.  In truth, I feel all thumbs.  Plus, I can't seem to line them up as nicely as HolyTabbs has done.  Although they do suggest drawing guidelines down the side of your scriptures, which I didn't want to do.  So I guess, if I had followed their directions, I would be more pleased with their alignment.  One thing I have found that is nice are the tabs are removable if you are careful.  I tried because of misalignment, and it peeled right up and I was able to replace it correctly.

HolyTabbs also sent a set for my Missionary to review.  To be honest, this system would have been so helpful to him at the beginning of his mission.  Miguel is on the countdown to come home.  He has five months left!  Miguel promised to share his thoughts on HolyTabbs as soon as he has a chance to implement them into his Gospel Study.

If you have a missionary heading out or if you are interested in this Gospel Study that coincides with Preach My Gospel, then I definitely recommend you checking out the HollyTabbs system.

**Per FTC regulations, I am stating that this is a Sponsored post. 

 I was sent this item in exchange for my honest review.**

Hold to the Rod {Miguel's Missionary Moment}

Source:  Elder Jones

January 20, 2014

"Hey!

Tough week! For real! 

We have had a lot of disappointments this week but that usually means we are doing something right! Satan is just trying to salt my game!!! But really we had that guy, Cedric, who came to church and had read like 50% of the Book of Mormon, and we taught him. It went well and we were going back 2 days later and he missed the appointment and called the member we were with and said he couldn't take two 20 year olds seriously.  He didn't think he could learn from us!!! Well that hurt my feelings! The Lord says you should be submissive as a child, and that he will call upon the weak to thrash the earth with his word! So that's my venting it made me sad. Then we had to drop Dorsey because he wasn't progressing, and it seemed like no matter what we said he just ignored it even when the spirit was there! So there are my sad things this week. Other than that this week has been pretty long.  

In 1 Nephi 8, in the vision of the tree of life there are two groups one hung on to the rod of iron continually and stead fast, and the other clung to the rod but fell away after they tasted of the tree! We always have to be using the scriptures not just when we have doubts or trials but when we do not! I thought that was cool!!!"

Hamer out

 

Come Unto Christ

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"Come Unto Christ" is the theme this year in leading the youth at church.  Come is an action word.  Come unto Christ is an invitation to move towards Him.  He is waiting with open arms for us to take those first faith filled steps in His direction.  But, how can we do that?  How can we Come Unto Christ?  I believe it is in worshipping Him, prayers, scriptures study and trying to emulate His behaviors to our fellow men.  Loving words, smiles, kindness, service...As we study His life, we can know Him and become like Him and Come Unto Him....we can be perfected in Him through his Grace.

I'm grateful for this theme.  As I start my day, I think about how can I come unto Him today? Then I try to reevaluate in the evening...What did I do today to Come Unto Christ?

Take time to reflect on what you can do to Come Unto Christ, 

today and every day.

A Little More on Gratitude

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Read Part 1 here...

"Isaiah 11:6 says, “And a little child shall lead them…”  I am reminded of the prayers of my own children when they were young.  They would often say things like, “Thank you for our matchbox cars, for bugs, milkshakes and butterflies.”  Their young, innocent spirits still could recognize all the God given gifts in the world around them.  As an adult, I have found that my prayers of thanksgiving often become rote, maybe saying things like, “Thank you for our many blessings” but never actually spending the time naming them one by one.  Perhaps a meaningful mother’s prayer could include gratitude for the car noises her young son makes or for butterfly kisses from her daughter.  In the book One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp, Ann reflects on an epiphany she has.  She is a farmers wife and a homeschooling mama.  She works all day long.  Standing before her 3^rd sink of dishes of the day she is feeling tired and despondent.  In that moment, the sun reflects on the bubbles in the sink and she sees the rainbows and a display of bright colors.  She realizes that even in the mundane task of washing dishes that the Father blesses us and she gave thanks. 

Elder Wirthlin states that “Our minds have a marvelous capacity to notice the unusual.  However the opposite is true as well:  The more often we see the things around us-even the beautiful and wonderful things – the more they become invisible to us.  Because we see things so often, we see them less and less.”  End of quote.    Robert Louis Stevenson wrote, “The man who forgets to be thankful has fallen asleep in life.” End of quote.  The opposite of Thanksgiving is ingratitude or apathy.  Apathy to our blessings creates greed, resentment, jealousy, covetous living, dissatisfaction, depression and as some prophets have said is a very serious sin.  Apathy is like a cancer eating away at our soul.  When we can’t open our eyes to our God given blessings, not expressing thanks, then we are living empty lives not filled with the capacity for true joy.  An Author wrote "Both abundance and lack of abundance exist simultaneously in our lives, as parallel realities.  It is always our conscious choice which secret garden we will tend...When we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that's present-love, health, family, friends, work, the joys of nature, and personal pursuits that bring us happiness-the wasteland of illusion falls away and we experience heaven on earth." End of quote.   

Let us not forget to thank the Lord daily.  As a popular hymn tells us, “When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed, when you are discouraged, thinking all is lost, count your many blessings name them one by one  and it will surprise you what the Lord has done.  Are you ever burdened with a load of care? Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?  Count your many blessings every doubt will fly, and you will be singing as the days go by.  When you look at others with their lands and gold, Think that Christ has promised you his wealth untold.  Count your many blessing money cannot buy, your reward in heaven nor your home on high.  So amid the conflict, whether great or small do not be discouraged, God is over all.  Count your many blessing, angels will attend, help and comfort gives you to your journey’s end. “ Alma 34:38 says “…Humble yourselves even to the dust, and worship God, in whatsoever place ye may be in, in spirit and in truth and that ye live in thanksgiving daily, for the many mercies and blessing which he doth bestow upon you. “  The Lord makes us a promise in D&C 78:19 , “And he who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more.”

Some ways that we can show gratitude to our Heavenly Father besides the obvious Thanksgiving in prayer are.

• Choosing not to complain
• Being good stewards of our possisions and people
• Writing Thank you notes and expressing gratitude to others
• Enjoying the little moments and not letting them slip by unnoticed
• And Making lists

To be continued....................

**Originally published on 11/27/2012**

Exclusion and Seasons

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Feelings of  exclusion as opposed to inclusion, whether purposeful or not, can be quite detrimental to my psyche, no doubt.  I've found lately that I don't  quite know where I fit in.  I mean with both of my boys out of the house and out of state and my one VERY special and QUIET daughter living at home, the dynamics that were my life and my roles are changing.

I belong to a Church that preaches and respects the divinity of motherhood for which I am most grateful and thoroughly believe.  But...I'm still a mother, yet the demands and needs of mine are vastly different from what they were say, ten years ago, and sometimes I just don't fit...

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Often times when I go to Women's Conferences or Church activities so much is focused on raising little ones, as it should be, but there is a group of us that are sort of lost and neglected.  I suppose I can relate to those women who don't yet have children; we can relate on a certain level, and that is the feeling of not belonging or the lack of inclusion.  I am happy in my new phase, don't get me wrong, but a little guidance in how to make that transition smoother would be much appreciated.

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For instance, I love the quieter, unhurried pace that I now experience.  But at the same time, I miss the energy that it and my boys brought as well.  A dichotomy?  Yes!  I am a Pandora's box of emotions where these dichotomies are concerned.   My house is almost always tidy and clean.  I dreamed of these days, but now in my afternoons when I come home from work, I need to find other hobbies.  As if cleaning were a hobby!

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To clear things up, I'm not complaining.  My glass is half full, trying to find the rainbows type of thing, but a little help, suggestions and guidance on what the heck to do with the rest of my life would be most welcome.  I find comfort in the words in Ecclesiastes 3:1-12:

"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:  A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;  A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;  A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;  A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;  A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;  A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;  A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.  What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth?  I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it.  He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.  I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life."

How do you handle the changing seasons of life?  

When Someone is Suffering...

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We've all been there, and offered to give help and serve those in need..."If you need anything...Just give me a call."  But the thing is, when you are the one suffering, you really don't want to put someone out...and sometimes you are in so much pain...just the very act of thinking about what you need becomes painful.

After having experienced what I have over the last few months, I wanted to share some thoughts and ideas I have learned about helping and serving those who don't ask.  No longer will I say, "If you need anything...." Because now I know specifics I can focus on...

• an offer of a ride to an appointment - there were a few times my husband went to work late to drive me to therapy appointments.  But there were also a few times, I had to do it myself.  This meant not being able to take the medication that helped to control my pain.  
• Meals are nice, but really my husband and daughter had it covered.  He's picky and I have food allergies...but dropping by a treat says "Hey I was thinking of you"
• Offer to run to the store and pick up some things
• Texts 
• Phone calls 
• prayers and fasting
• Play Words with Friends or another game just to keep them involved.
• I was incredibly lonely...I would have loved it if someone came over to watch a movie or just talk

I know I'm not the only one who has gone through a trial like this.  

What things have you learned about service?

Mosiah 2:17  "And behold, I tell you these things that you may learn wisdom;

that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings

ye are only in the service of your God."

Bloom Where You're Planted

Our theme for the Girl's Camp is  "Bloom Where You're Planted".  I recently noticed this pansy growing between the cracks of my concrete out front of my house.  My mind began to buzz with ideas.  This is a spiritual thought and handout I came up with for our girls...

For your weekend, I hope you can find opportunities to Bloom.

I'm linking up at 30 Handmade Days

 

Craving Community

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I am at a point in my life where I crave community; a gathering together with my Sisters and friends in the Gospel outside of our Sunday worship.  Relationships outside of friendly banter in the halls on Sunday.  For an introvert, homebody like myself, that is an incredible feat.  I have been making more of an effort to put myself out there and get involved in group gatherings.  Every single time I second guess my resolve.  I think, "I'd love to just stay home" or "No one will miss me", "What do I have to contribute?", or "It's just one more thing"...

When these thoughts creep into my mind, I strengthen my resolve to go.  I don't think Satan wants me there because he is trying really hard to keep me from attending.  He doesn't want my heart and spirit edified through these amazing women.  He wants me to stay home, be lazy and just give up.  And you know what?  I don't want to please that guy...and you know what else?  Even when I have to force myself to participate, I have never regretted it. I never regret participating.

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I am grateful for the online communities I have found as well.  (in) Courage and MMB They help to provide me with a daily dose of uplift and an online sisterhood.

Matthew 18:19-20 "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."

What do you do to add more community to your life?