Wednesday, November 2, 2011
heartache
the news was on while i was making dinner tonight. the story about the missing 5 year old girl from glendale came on. my sweet 5 year old, ellie watched the entire story right up to the end asking anyone with info to call silent witness. she came into me and asked "mama do you know where that little girl is?" i of course had to tell her noe. she then said "i wish we knew where she was, i just want to get her home safe."
happiness
This looks absolutely amazing! when we moved to casa grande i let myself get lazy. before we moved i was running a 5k or very close to it on my lunch break nearly every day. the last time i ran anything close to that was almost 6 months ago. running became very therapeutic for me, relaxing, and gave me a sense of accomplishment. i decided that this will be my first official back to running race... find something that you love and do it!
happiness
i am grateful that i can find joy in little things! the last few times i made cookies they kept turning out flat and not fluffy like i am used to. i finally realized it was the butter (margarine) i had used. well when we were at the grocery store the other day i found these:
they made all the difference in the world. my cookies turned out nearly perfect. see:
yay for finding joy in simple things!
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
heartaches to happiness
sometime last year i was going through a rough time, struggling with something. i don't remember what it was but a dear friend, a true example of Christianity, surprised me with a beautiful card. i saved it and found it the other day. the words brought tears to me eyes:
If i could sum up
what's on my heart for you
during this crazy time,
it would be one word-
hope.
what you're going through
is really hard and
out of your control-
out of anyone's control-
that is... anyone but God.
He is the author of HOPE,
the giver of HOPE,
and will bring you
the power of HOPE
to help you hang on
and keep believing
that He can change things
for the good.
I want you to know
i'm hanging on to HIS HOPE
and will be here praying for you-
as long as it takes
by His mighty power at work within us,
He is able to accomplish infinitely more
than we would dare to ask or hope.
Ephesians 3:20 NLT
i read just the other day that "the problem isn't the problem, the way you react tp the problem is often the problem"
it was such a simple yet profound statement, i wanted to argue with it but every example i could come up with could be explained away. no matter what we're going through, no matter what heartache we're dealing with, we can turn it into happiness with HOPE! think about it! nothing we experience hasn't been experienced before and nothing we experience can't be overcome with the the help of the Lord. this is such a beautiful realization to me!!!
If i could sum up
what's on my heart for you
during this crazy time,
it would be one word-
hope.
what you're going through
is really hard and
out of your control-
out of anyone's control-
that is... anyone but God.
He is the author of HOPE,
the giver of HOPE,
and will bring you
the power of HOPE
to help you hang on
and keep believing
that He can change things
for the good.
I want you to know
i'm hanging on to HIS HOPE
and will be here praying for you-
as long as it takes
by His mighty power at work within us,
He is able to accomplish infinitely more
than we would dare to ask or hope.
Ephesians 3:20 NLT
i read just the other day that "the problem isn't the problem, the way you react tp the problem is often the problem"
it was such a simple yet profound statement, i wanted to argue with it but every example i could come up with could be explained away. no matter what we're going through, no matter what heartache we're dealing with, we can turn it into happiness with HOPE! think about it! nothing we experience hasn't been experienced before and nothing we experience can't be overcome with the the help of the Lord. this is such a beautiful realization to me!!!
happiness
hopefully all of november will bring "happiness" posts. i try really hard to focus on the positives, all my many blessings. of course some days negativity gets the best of me but especially this month i'm going to try to focus on all the things i'm grateful for. i know that a gratitude journal has been done many, many times and i hope some of you will follow suit and write your own!
last night was such a fun night! we kept it simple and went to our ward chili cook-off/ trunk-or-treat then went to rob's parents' neighborhood and did a little trick-or-treating. watching the girls have fun getting candy and getting compliments on their costumes was such a sweet reminder of how grateful i am to be a mom. i love all 4 of my beautiful daughters!
last night was such a fun night! we kept it simple and went to our ward chili cook-off/ trunk-or-treat then went to rob's parents' neighborhood and did a little trick-or-treating. watching the girls have fun getting candy and getting compliments on their costumes was such a sweet reminder of how grateful i am to be a mom. i love all 4 of my beautiful daughters!
Thursday, October 27, 2011
heartache or happiness? you decide
i was cleaning out some drawers yesterday and came across a talk i gave about 3 years ago:
Ether 12: 6 reads, "and now, i, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things i would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith..." having faith in Christ seems like a very basic and simple idea. however, for some of us it doesn't always come so easily. Elder Richard G Scott said, "it is important for us to trust in God and in His willingness to provide help when needed, no matter how challenging the circumstance." when we are going through trials and hardships often times is it is all too easy to blame the Lord, even though most of the time the bulk of the responsibility for our own problems falls on our own shoulders. we should really be thanking the Lord for the opportunity he has given us to grow and learn from our trials. Elder Nelson said, "we will not overcome a trial or challenge until we have received the full benefit of it." when i heard that quote in relief society a few weeks ago i started thinking about the last years of my life and how much i could have benefited from having that knowledge. i got married at 18 and almost immediately after my life took a turn down a road that i wasn't expecting or could have prepared. my husband was verbally and physically abusive to me off and on for years and consequently we separated 3 times, however each time he would ask to come back. being raised in the gospel i didn't want my family to be broken up, so each time he asked to come back i prayed about it and each time i had the distinct impression that i should give things another try. there were many times that i questioned the Lord's plan for me and my girls and why He would want us to endure such heartache. i felt as if i had done everything in my power to keep my little family together and there were several occasions that i wondered what i was supposed to be learning. a little over a year ago things got pretty bad and i knew it was finally time to leave for good. i knew that we had endured the hardship long enough. i thought for sure things would be easier for us, and while they have been in some ways, i could never have imagined the new trials we would have to face. over the past year i had to do as Elder Richard G Scott said "and never doubt the reality of faith." i had to learn how to follow the principles God has established for its use. some of those principles are to simply obey His commandments and live to demonstrate He can trust us, be sensitive to quiet promptings of the Spirit and then act courageously on those promptings. those last two have been difficult for me. i always wanted loud, obvious promptings or answers that required very little faith on my part. i wanted answers given to me without having to work too hard for them. we are counseled to be patient and understanding when God lets us struggle to grow and answers come apiece at a time over an extended period. James 1:3-4 says, "the trying of your faith worketh patience. but let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing." i am definitely working on being patient and trying to understand why the Lord wanted me to struggle for so many years. i think i am starting to understand it a little bit more each day. there are goals that i have accomplished recently that i certainly wouldn't have appreciated as much had i not had to work so hard to achieve them. i went through the Temple last saturday and it was a beautiful, fulfilling, enriching experience. i never imagined i would be going through the Temple as a single woman, but that's the beauty of having a Heavenly Father, we don't have to try to imagine how things are going to play out for us. we just have to have faith that He knows what's best for us and know that as long as we are trying our best to follow His commandments and get a little closer to Him every day, He will take care of the rest. He will bestow upon us greater rewards than we can ever imagine. i can testify of that. my life has changed so much over the past year because of small changes that i made. when we keep the Lord's commandments He blesses us, not only because He wants to but because He promises the He will. Hebrews 11:6 says, "but without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him." i know that if we have faith in Christ through our trials and just as importantly, through easy times, He will bless us. That promise has not and will not ever change, because the Lord's love for us will never change. i know that faith is the foundation for out testimonies; it and all the other principles of the gospel are true. i know that having faith in Christ means sustaining the leaders he appointed to guide us. i know that President Monson is one of those leaders and that if we obey his commands we will not be led astray.
Ether 12: 6 reads, "and now, i, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things i would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith..." having faith in Christ seems like a very basic and simple idea. however, for some of us it doesn't always come so easily. Elder Richard G Scott said, "it is important for us to trust in God and in His willingness to provide help when needed, no matter how challenging the circumstance." when we are going through trials and hardships often times is it is all too easy to blame the Lord, even though most of the time the bulk of the responsibility for our own problems falls on our own shoulders. we should really be thanking the Lord for the opportunity he has given us to grow and learn from our trials. Elder Nelson said, "we will not overcome a trial or challenge until we have received the full benefit of it." when i heard that quote in relief society a few weeks ago i started thinking about the last years of my life and how much i could have benefited from having that knowledge. i got married at 18 and almost immediately after my life took a turn down a road that i wasn't expecting or could have prepared. my husband was verbally and physically abusive to me off and on for years and consequently we separated 3 times, however each time he would ask to come back. being raised in the gospel i didn't want my family to be broken up, so each time he asked to come back i prayed about it and each time i had the distinct impression that i should give things another try. there were many times that i questioned the Lord's plan for me and my girls and why He would want us to endure such heartache. i felt as if i had done everything in my power to keep my little family together and there were several occasions that i wondered what i was supposed to be learning. a little over a year ago things got pretty bad and i knew it was finally time to leave for good. i knew that we had endured the hardship long enough. i thought for sure things would be easier for us, and while they have been in some ways, i could never have imagined the new trials we would have to face. over the past year i had to do as Elder Richard G Scott said "and never doubt the reality of faith." i had to learn how to follow the principles God has established for its use. some of those principles are to simply obey His commandments and live to demonstrate He can trust us, be sensitive to quiet promptings of the Spirit and then act courageously on those promptings. those last two have been difficult for me. i always wanted loud, obvious promptings or answers that required very little faith on my part. i wanted answers given to me without having to work too hard for them. we are counseled to be patient and understanding when God lets us struggle to grow and answers come apiece at a time over an extended period. James 1:3-4 says, "the trying of your faith worketh patience. but let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing." i am definitely working on being patient and trying to understand why the Lord wanted me to struggle for so many years. i think i am starting to understand it a little bit more each day. there are goals that i have accomplished recently that i certainly wouldn't have appreciated as much had i not had to work so hard to achieve them. i went through the Temple last saturday and it was a beautiful, fulfilling, enriching experience. i never imagined i would be going through the Temple as a single woman, but that's the beauty of having a Heavenly Father, we don't have to try to imagine how things are going to play out for us. we just have to have faith that He knows what's best for us and know that as long as we are trying our best to follow His commandments and get a little closer to Him every day, He will take care of the rest. He will bestow upon us greater rewards than we can ever imagine. i can testify of that. my life has changed so much over the past year because of small changes that i made. when we keep the Lord's commandments He blesses us, not only because He wants to but because He promises the He will. Hebrews 11:6 says, "but without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him." i know that if we have faith in Christ through our trials and just as importantly, through easy times, He will bless us. That promise has not and will not ever change, because the Lord's love for us will never change. i know that faith is the foundation for out testimonies; it and all the other principles of the gospel are true. i know that having faith in Christ means sustaining the leaders he appointed to guide us. i know that President Monson is one of those leaders and that if we obey his commands we will not be led astray.
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