For the fore-see-able future you can find me over at Phat Quarters (http://phatquartersblog.blogspot.com/)
Please come visit me there!
Saturday, June 1, 2013
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
14 Days of Love Notes...
...and one very special family dinner, is what Valentine's Day is all about to me. So this is how our Valentine's Advent works. Each image on the squares one represents something about our family. Each little square on the heart is a pocket {hence the advent part}. So I hve a clothespin that has a bit of velcrow on it and six circles with each family members name on it. Everyday a new person's name is put on the clothespin. That clothes pin is then attached to that days square. This means that everyone else is to write a simple note to that one person, telling him or her why we love them. Simple. The fun things is that come Valentine's Day we all sit down and have a special family dinner. While we are eating each person has a turn reading all thier love notes outloud. We read the love notes that are written to us, not the ones we wrote. The Ewoks get so excited when they hear why we love them. Here are a few of my favorites from this year.
So let me share my pockets with you. I have come to love each one, but a few have special stories I would like to share. We'll start with the simple ones.
Like Day 5:
This little house represents the home that Han Solo and I started when we were sealed {married} for time and eternity in 2001.
Day 7:
This like-wise is our family tree. Han Solo and I are represented by the vintage button and our Ewoks the heart buttons. I need to add a new heart button to this one.
Day 1-3 and Day 10:
Now this is a funny story. See I love the image of our home being a nest. This was the reason I started following Abby's blog, A Feathered Nest, way back when. And sence this is where the idea for this advent came from I felt it would be fun to run with the bird thing. So the large blue bird is Han Solo, the large blue bird with the pink wing is me, and the aorable 3 little pink birds in the nest are our Ewoks. So the funny part is, we were convinced at this point in our lives that our family was done growing. So convinced that we had sold everything baby related and our world started moving on, as did the construction of the advent. But I was one square short and had no clue what to do with it. This was also the time that Disney's, The Princess and A Frog, was a favorite in our home. One of those we will die if we don't watch it at least 3 times a week kinda things. So, while working on other squares and watching it for the hundreth time with the Ewoks I thought, there is you last square. So...Day 10 is our Frog Prince. Not so funny...true...but 1 year and 4 months ago when I was laying down on the ultrasound table and I said to the tech "why does my kid have 3 l...e...g...IT"S A BOY!" it became pretty funny to me. Our lone son is now forever dubed the frog prince who came from a family of birds! Well if I was perfect I would be twinkled by now anyway, so at least it confirms that I am as imperfect as the rest of us.
The rest of the squares are mainly lovey-dovely Valentines stuff and of course I had to throw in the monogram "C" somewhere.
I hope you enjoy it. My next one will be for Halloween or Thanksgiving, both inspired by Pottery Barn. Hopefully they will be done before the little birds fly the coup and our frog prince meets his princess.
hugs & kisses...or maybe it's the other way around...oh, well...
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
A Gift to Me!
So, it's Valentines Day. A day that I actually LOVE! Yes, it is abused, commercialized, overplayed, and quite often all to mushy; but it is also a day to celebrate LOVE and I see nothing wrong with that. This Valentines Day I am giving myself a feel good gift. I am going to do something I have wanted to do for years but have never felt good enough to do, nor have I felt I have the right to dedicate time to it and not to other more "important" things, nor have I been able to put myself out into the world and paint a target on my chest for compliments and things of the darkside. But this year, my loyal five, I am doing it. So here it goes.
3 years ago, I think, Abby of A Feathered Nest, a wonderful lady I have never meet but have stalked over the blogging world, posted an advent calendar for Christmastime. I am in LOVE with advent calendars and I want one for every month {really this is my goal and Han Solos nightmare!}. I took this goal and decided to start with Valentines Day. 2 years later I accomplished this goal and this year we have finally used my lovely advent calendar. Today I am entering it as 'MY peice of work' for a sewing competition I really want to do. The compition is called "Sew-vivor". I don't know how to put a button in a post but you can find the button with a link on my side bar.
So here is my Valentine's Day Advent Calendar...a knock off of a knock off...but 100% me! {Thank you Abby for the inspiration I always receive from stalking you}
Tomorrow when our newest Chewbabca is not stinky, screaming, and at my feet, I will explain how it works but for now a picture will have to do...for my real work is calling me...litterally. I hope you all enjoy and Happy Valentine's Day!
Monday, January 10, 2011
From Procrastination to NOW
I think that procrastination is part of my genetic code, which enhanced by 3 little girls, one male leach that will have to learn to survive on his own in 10 more weeks (no not my hubbie), a household to run, a preschool to run, dance lessons to teach (which I finally told them, today, I was done till the baby is out MOM), a company to establish with every official and non-official person in the US that FedEx could possibly come up with, and just normal life to maintain, has left this last year of our lives a little chaotic; more so than normal anyway. Well ONE year ago I started this blog as a way for me to bring the balance and focus of my life back to me. It all started here (read if you like), forget about the link if you really could care less =) (Oh, and for all the Heidi's out there reading this...that was SARCASM). Just wanted to note that. Any-who. I chose to do all this because I felt left out and neglected in my own life. I also needed the ability to vent openly about my life and the things that happen around me. So my word last year was ME.
Guess what, it's already 2011 and I need a new word to add onto ME. I just finished my shower, this is where I get all my insight, and a few things crossed my mind. 2010 turned out to be a BIG year for our family. I do not think I saw half of the things coming before they were knocking at my door. Then, I be the spontaneous person I am, instead of looking through the peep hole to prepare myself, I just opened the door to see who was there - BIG MISTAKE, at times. Here is a quick run down.
1. Although we knew we would have to sell our house and move our family across a river to a new state, I do not think we realised what an effect it would have on our girls, our cat (who still hates us for it), and us. I said that it was fine to move from a house to an apartment for a time, but as that time frame keeps extending itself (due to that whole opening the door thing) I have come to realize that it is really hard. I still feel like we have failed in a way although I know that's not true. I feel kinda like a loser and a bad mom when our oldest Ewok tells friends that we have to live in an apartment now. And although I know we did the right thing and are doing the right thing by working harder on eliminating our debt than saving for a house - I often find myself singing "Follow the Prophet, follow the Prophet, follow the Prophet, don't go astray..." (stuck in your head yet) when I am doing bills or really want to go out on a date with Han Solo, or need a new pair house pants because my pair literally has two holes in the yonder regions and that's just not okay. I am however, grateful to have a place to stay that is warm, nice and clean - most of the time.
2. Car troubles, ya gotta love 'em. We own one of our cars and are paying on the other really nice one that the whole family can ride in at once, gotta say it's a perk! But we had to register both said cars in our prior state because our house was not selling and we did not want a ticket. So we did the right thing and registered them. Guess what happened not a month later...YES, we sold our house and moved to a new state. So we paid a butt load of money (in our world) for two months of driving. Then our nice car, the one we all fit in at once, broke down, right before our family trip to California, which we were driving too. Good thing we sold the house and had some money (that was allotted for something completely different). A few grand later and a two months into living in a new state, we find out that here (the new state) they are actually rather particular about new residents registering and licencing their vehicles. We managed to get one done, paid for two new licences, and have now had three notices about our second car - again the nice one - not being registered. (I think it will be done this week however). So my point is that for the years of 2008-2009 we paid a grand total of maybe $250 for our two cars and the regular maintenance they required. In the year of 2010 we paid almost $3000. (Yes there are three zeros there intentionally). Oh, and how can I forget that Han Solo literally lost the engine to his Millennium Falcon (aka his 24 foot FedEx rig), that cost us a pretty penny of $10,000. Which we will be forever in debt for and forever grateful for.
3. The Millennium Falcon leads us to number three which is promotes the question of how can one be grateful for having to come up with $10,000 in 3 days? We because it took Han Solo and I to the Temple. I can not be more grateful for the insights, blessings, and inspirations that I have received while in the Temple of the Lord. Want to learn more about that click here. Han Solo and I had decided, after much prayer and talk that our last little Ewok born in May of 2008. I do not do pregnancy well, I do not glow, Han Solo does not like me so much when I am pregnant and quite honestly I don't like me so much pregnant. I am getting old and really what were the chances of us getting a boy, we are 0-3 in that game. So we had sold everything and I had mentally and physical begun to move one from that phase of my life. Here enters the Temple. Now I didn't say I always got the answers I wanted to get when attending the Temple but I do know that I get the answers I need that will most fully bless me and my family. Have you guessed it. Yeah, the answer to our financial problems was given to us in the form of 'Oh, by the way, your family is NOT complete and you need to address that issue, NOW.' Thanks. Here is the TMI moment so close your eyes if you do not want to know details. But the Temple trip was around May 10th I think, we removed the prevenitive measures we were taking on June 1st and I had a positive pregnancy test before July even hit. I guess the 'NOW' part was just as real as the 'your family is not complete' part. Thanks, where is the breathing room in that.
4. For those that do not know we also packed up and moved out of our house and into our apartment in the first two weeks of July, Han Solo's work Hub moved so he had to figure all that out, we registered our eldest Ewok for Kindergarten, and don't forget the cars, the trip, and enter the vomit stage of what the next nine months of my life will be. YEAH!
5. So we are in a new state and all our info and dealing with everything have to be adjusted. I started with medical because all of a sudden this became a necessity. To make this long story short the Health Care provider we had, BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD (take note cause I hate them now!) , for the last 4 years, informed us that the plan were on in our previous state (a whole 47 miles away) does not cover pregnancy's in our new state (apparently popping our a leach here is more expensive than there although I still do all the work and they just catch and hand it over), so I have to "upgrade my coverage." Okay, fine I'll do it...Oh, but that is too easy cause now I am denied coverage for the upgraded plan because, here comes the kicker, of the pre-existing condition of...PREGNANCY. Really people. They were so kind as to offer us a conversion plan which now requires my family to pay $1007 a month to be covered. Really people, we pay $50 more than that for our 3 bedroom apartment. NO worries we are business owners, were rich...NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
6. Lets finish off this grip session (cause I am getting tired of hearing the word diarrhea exploding from my own mouth, or finger tips, however you want to look at it) with the fact that we have had to become our own company "which is an easy process that takes little time." BLA BLA BLA. This would take a year just to explain, trust me.
The point is we were hit hard this year. The housing market stole our wise investment profits, this amazing leach has taken over my body and mood, our "baby" was sent to the wolves roaming the halls of public school, our friends left us behind (except for a select few, and I mean few), the Blazers have not produced the wonder Oden and Roy were destined for, Oregon just lost their first game of the greatest season ever and now will be ranked #3 behind TCU, it is 28 degrees out but we have had NO snow to play in this winter, Han Solo who works his butt off (almost literally but not nearly literally enough) and has a whole $4.57 left in our bank until Thursday, I need to make dinner but can only concentrate on NOT vomiting, and it is only JANUARY 11th.
PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, let me have a better year this year than last. AHHH did I stray? So my word for this year is NOW. I have learned from this last year that there are few things I truly can control. My Ewoks dress themselves, although this is almost a form of public cruelty, I am too fat to bend over and color coordinate the kids dished on the lower shelves, I have not figured out how to make my apartment space function the way our house did...do I need to start all this again...NO. THIS YEAR I WANT TO REGAIN A SENSE OF CONTROL! I am going to do this by focusing on the NOW. Right NOW I need to update the Ewoks chore list and make them follow it again. Right NOW I need to hold FHE and tell the Ewoks our goals for the year, "Clean as you go." Right NOW I need to make a cleaning box to help with that goal. Right NOW I need to finish the sewing projects that are for my new niece who was born this morning. But most importantly RIGHT NOW I need to finish this post and make dinner cause my Ewoks have transformed into Chewbaccas and that's not a good starting point for our night.
Guess what, it's already 2011 and I need a new word to add onto ME. I just finished my shower, this is where I get all my insight, and a few things crossed my mind. 2010 turned out to be a BIG year for our family. I do not think I saw half of the things coming before they were knocking at my door. Then, I be the spontaneous person I am, instead of looking through the peep hole to prepare myself, I just opened the door to see who was there - BIG MISTAKE, at times. Here is a quick run down.
1. Although we knew we would have to sell our house and move our family across a river to a new state, I do not think we realised what an effect it would have on our girls, our cat (who still hates us for it), and us. I said that it was fine to move from a house to an apartment for a time, but as that time frame keeps extending itself (due to that whole opening the door thing) I have come to realize that it is really hard. I still feel like we have failed in a way although I know that's not true. I feel kinda like a loser and a bad mom when our oldest Ewok tells friends that we have to live in an apartment now. And although I know we did the right thing and are doing the right thing by working harder on eliminating our debt than saving for a house - I often find myself singing "Follow the Prophet, follow the Prophet, follow the Prophet, don't go astray..." (stuck in your head yet) when I am doing bills or really want to go out on a date with Han Solo, or need a new pair house pants because my pair literally has two holes in the yonder regions and that's just not okay. I am however, grateful to have a place to stay that is warm, nice and clean - most of the time.
2. Car troubles, ya gotta love 'em. We own one of our cars and are paying on the other really nice one that the whole family can ride in at once, gotta say it's a perk! But we had to register both said cars in our prior state because our house was not selling and we did not want a ticket. So we did the right thing and registered them. Guess what happened not a month later...YES, we sold our house and moved to a new state. So we paid a butt load of money (in our world) for two months of driving. Then our nice car, the one we all fit in at once, broke down, right before our family trip to California, which we were driving too. Good thing we sold the house and had some money (that was allotted for something completely different). A few grand later and a two months into living in a new state, we find out that here (the new state) they are actually rather particular about new residents registering and licencing their vehicles. We managed to get one done, paid for two new licences, and have now had three notices about our second car - again the nice one - not being registered. (I think it will be done this week however). So my point is that for the years of 2008-2009 we paid a grand total of maybe $250 for our two cars and the regular maintenance they required. In the year of 2010 we paid almost $3000. (Yes there are three zeros there intentionally). Oh, and how can I forget that Han Solo literally lost the engine to his Millennium Falcon (aka his 24 foot FedEx rig), that cost us a pretty penny of $10,000. Which we will be forever in debt for and forever grateful for.
3. The Millennium Falcon leads us to number three which is promotes the question of how can one be grateful for having to come up with $10,000 in 3 days? We because it took Han Solo and I to the Temple. I can not be more grateful for the insights, blessings, and inspirations that I have received while in the Temple of the Lord. Want to learn more about that click here. Han Solo and I had decided, after much prayer and talk that our last little Ewok born in May of 2008. I do not do pregnancy well, I do not glow, Han Solo does not like me so much when I am pregnant and quite honestly I don't like me so much pregnant. I am getting old and really what were the chances of us getting a boy, we are 0-3 in that game. So we had sold everything and I had mentally and physical begun to move one from that phase of my life. Here enters the Temple. Now I didn't say I always got the answers I wanted to get when attending the Temple but I do know that I get the answers I need that will most fully bless me and my family. Have you guessed it. Yeah, the answer to our financial problems was given to us in the form of 'Oh, by the way, your family is NOT complete and you need to address that issue, NOW.' Thanks. Here is the TMI moment so close your eyes if you do not want to know details. But the Temple trip was around May 10th I think, we removed the prevenitive measures we were taking on June 1st and I had a positive pregnancy test before July even hit. I guess the 'NOW' part was just as real as the 'your family is not complete' part. Thanks, where is the breathing room in that.
4. For those that do not know we also packed up and moved out of our house and into our apartment in the first two weeks of July, Han Solo's work Hub moved so he had to figure all that out, we registered our eldest Ewok for Kindergarten, and don't forget the cars, the trip, and enter the vomit stage of what the next nine months of my life will be. YEAH!
5. So we are in a new state and all our info and dealing with everything have to be adjusted. I started with medical because all of a sudden this became a necessity. To make this long story short the Health Care provider we had, BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD (take note cause I hate them now!) , for the last 4 years, informed us that the plan were on in our previous state (a whole 47 miles away) does not cover pregnancy's in our new state (apparently popping our a leach here is more expensive than there although I still do all the work and they just catch and hand it over), so I have to "upgrade my coverage." Okay, fine I'll do it...Oh, but that is too easy cause now I am denied coverage for the upgraded plan because, here comes the kicker, of the pre-existing condition of...PREGNANCY. Really people. They were so kind as to offer us a conversion plan which now requires my family to pay $1007 a month to be covered. Really people, we pay $50 more than that for our 3 bedroom apartment. NO worries we are business owners, were rich...NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
6. Lets finish off this grip session (cause I am getting tired of hearing the word diarrhea exploding from my own mouth, or finger tips, however you want to look at it) with the fact that we have had to become our own company "which is an easy process that takes little time." BLA BLA BLA. This would take a year just to explain, trust me.
The point is we were hit hard this year. The housing market stole our wise investment profits, this amazing leach has taken over my body and mood, our "baby" was sent to the wolves roaming the halls of public school, our friends left us behind (except for a select few, and I mean few), the Blazers have not produced the wonder Oden and Roy were destined for, Oregon just lost their first game of the greatest season ever and now will be ranked #3 behind TCU, it is 28 degrees out but we have had NO snow to play in this winter, Han Solo who works his butt off (almost literally but not nearly literally enough) and has a whole $4.57 left in our bank until Thursday, I need to make dinner but can only concentrate on NOT vomiting, and it is only JANUARY 11th.
PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, let me have a better year this year than last. AHHH did I stray? So my word for this year is NOW. I have learned from this last year that there are few things I truly can control. My Ewoks dress themselves, although this is almost a form of public cruelty, I am too fat to bend over and color coordinate the kids dished on the lower shelves, I have not figured out how to make my apartment space function the way our house did...do I need to start all this again...NO. THIS YEAR I WANT TO REGAIN A SENSE OF CONTROL! I am going to do this by focusing on the NOW. Right NOW I need to update the Ewoks chore list and make them follow it again. Right NOW I need to hold FHE and tell the Ewoks our goals for the year, "Clean as you go." Right NOW I need to make a cleaning box to help with that goal. Right NOW I need to finish the sewing projects that are for my new niece who was born this morning. But most importantly RIGHT NOW I need to finish this post and make dinner cause my Ewoks have transformed into Chewbaccas and that's not a good starting point for our night.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
A Note about the NOTs
So once again it has been a while. Have I not had any rants and raves? Ahhh...as that hilarious commercial says...did the piggy cry WEEEEEEEEEEEE all the way home? OF COURSE. I just have not had the time, energy, or desire, really to get on the computer and document any of it.
This blog has always been for me a place for honesty without the fear of offending anyone, cause only a few dear friends even know about it. Well in light of that I just want to put it on record that I am NOT happy in my new town. I do NOT like living in an apartment with three young girls a cat and a handsome man with rather large feet. I do NOT like my current state of being (prego and fat), I do not like the idea of having to fit another person (little or not) into the apartment. I do NOT like that we are no closer to getting out of debt as the car did not pass inspection in our new state, I have to pay for a ob to look at me and say hey you are still pregant and you are getting fat (Have I mentioned that I feel and look fat), our middle ewok has gotten a huge bacterial infection that we have to pay for, our tax refund was rejected, I have been rejected from my own insurance company because now that I am in a new state my pregancy becomes a pre-existing condition with the new state division of my SAME insurance company (Blue Cross Blue Sheild in case anyone wants someone new to hate) and we have to incorporate our business which will cost money, of course. Did I mention its almost time to pay taxes. I do NOT like the fact that I have no friends in walking distance and litteraly know 5 people in this entire city. On the upside I DO LOVE that my two dearest friends still make an effort to come see me. THANK YOU NANCY FOR THE DRIVE AND ANDREA FOR PUTTING UP WITH THIS IN PERSON. I do NOT like the fact that I can not be close to JoLynn to help with the boys and normal girl coaching. I do NOT like the fact that we rarley and I mean rarley see gary for more than an hour of the day.
You know what is really sad. I am so depressed about, I was going to erase that and say something different because depressed is a strong word I thought I had conqured this last year, but the honesty thing right, things that are around me right now that I haven't even had the desire to go look at eye candy at Craft Wearhouse or the local quilt store I found. I have not been in a JoAnns in months and my room of joy is a messy blunder. I feel like I am back to square one....Okay even capturing all this has made me gloomy. I am done now, maybe I will work on my room for a bit.
This blog has always been for me a place for honesty without the fear of offending anyone, cause only a few dear friends even know about it. Well in light of that I just want to put it on record that I am NOT happy in my new town. I do NOT like living in an apartment with three young girls a cat and a handsome man with rather large feet. I do NOT like my current state of being (prego and fat), I do not like the idea of having to fit another person (little or not) into the apartment. I do NOT like that we are no closer to getting out of debt as the car did not pass inspection in our new state, I have to pay for a ob to look at me and say hey you are still pregant and you are getting fat (Have I mentioned that I feel and look fat), our middle ewok has gotten a huge bacterial infection that we have to pay for, our tax refund was rejected, I have been rejected from my own insurance company because now that I am in a new state my pregancy becomes a pre-existing condition with the new state division of my SAME insurance company (Blue Cross Blue Sheild in case anyone wants someone new to hate) and we have to incorporate our business which will cost money, of course. Did I mention its almost time to pay taxes. I do NOT like the fact that I have no friends in walking distance and litteraly know 5 people in this entire city. On the upside I DO LOVE that my two dearest friends still make an effort to come see me. THANK YOU NANCY FOR THE DRIVE AND ANDREA FOR PUTTING UP WITH THIS IN PERSON. I do NOT like the fact that I can not be close to JoLynn to help with the boys and normal girl coaching. I do NOT like the fact that we rarley and I mean rarley see gary for more than an hour of the day.
You know what is really sad. I am so depressed about, I was going to erase that and say something different because depressed is a strong word I thought I had conqured this last year, but the honesty thing right, things that are around me right now that I haven't even had the desire to go look at eye candy at Craft Wearhouse or the local quilt store I found. I have not been in a JoAnns in months and my room of joy is a messy blunder. I feel like I am back to square one....Okay even capturing all this has made me gloomy. I am done now, maybe I will work on my room for a bit.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Okay, it has been a while. The one thing that I have noticed is that when things get really hard, there is always something eles or someone eles that needs an extra hand too! Why is that? Well, I'll give you the gospel answer; you will find joy and peace in serving others.
I know, I know, ya gotta love "Sunday School Answers" BUT, for me this is true. If I am having a very hard time I really do spiritually enjoy serving my friends and family. Sadly my family actually...probably...most-likely gets the short end of the stick, but others do not. I have now move from a house I thought I was not attached too, to an apartment I pray to love. Funny how things work. In the last few weeks before moving a dearest friend also was setting out on a move. Much bigger, grander and more life altering than mine. I miss her and yet I have not called her. I feel very guilty about that. I was overwhelmed as she was leaving and yet her faith and challenges provided a sense of reality for me. She litterally sold everything, EVERYTHING, she owed that would not fit in her car. It tore her up, I could see it although she would not admit it. Her and her husband crossed the country to live with his failing mother. Yes, they were going to help his mother but also it was because they could not make it on thier own right now. There was little work and even less support. Sometimes I felt like I supported them a lot, maybe too much, but in reality, they supported me. They gave back so much love and kindness. My children loved them, I love them, and I miss them as local friends. I MISS SERVING THEM TOO!
My mom recently gave my girls a new book "Service," written by Janeen Brady. In this sweet story the mom teaches her children that through service you learn to love those you serve. It is so very true! I am glad that I enjoy service, even if it comes at the most in-oppertune times in my life. I am grateful that I have come to love so many by serving them.
I am not sure why I am rambling on about this, but perhapse it is because my kids are not adjusting to our new home as well as I would have hoped. There are still so many boxes and things to find a place for (the dumpster and goodwill have been the two most common places). I litterally just went grocery shopping for the first time in almost 3 weeks, for anything (unless you count Mc Donalds and Taco Bell as a grocery store) and I am feeling depressed, lonely, and at odds with my life. What I think it all means is that I am about to meet someone who needs more love and service than I do. So I guess reallly this is a little reminder not to me: Lady, DO NOT complain, you need this, find peace and joy through serivce, and learn to love someone new.
"And behold, I tell you these things that ye 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." (Mosiah 2:17)
I know, I know, ya gotta love "Sunday School Answers" BUT, for me this is true. If I am having a very hard time I really do spiritually enjoy serving my friends and family. Sadly my family actually...probably...most-likely gets the short end of the stick, but others do not. I have now move from a house I thought I was not attached too, to an apartment I pray to love. Funny how things work. In the last few weeks before moving a dearest friend also was setting out on a move. Much bigger, grander and more life altering than mine. I miss her and yet I have not called her. I feel very guilty about that. I was overwhelmed as she was leaving and yet her faith and challenges provided a sense of reality for me. She litterally sold everything, EVERYTHING, she owed that would not fit in her car. It tore her up, I could see it although she would not admit it. Her and her husband crossed the country to live with his failing mother. Yes, they were going to help his mother but also it was because they could not make it on thier own right now. There was little work and even less support. Sometimes I felt like I supported them a lot, maybe too much, but in reality, they supported me. They gave back so much love and kindness. My children loved them, I love them, and I miss them as local friends. I MISS SERVING THEM TOO!
My mom recently gave my girls a new book "Service," written by Janeen Brady. In this sweet story the mom teaches her children that through service you learn to love those you serve. It is so very true! I am glad that I enjoy service, even if it comes at the most in-oppertune times in my life. I am grateful that I have come to love so many by serving them.
I am not sure why I am rambling on about this, but perhapse it is because my kids are not adjusting to our new home as well as I would have hoped. There are still so many boxes and things to find a place for (the dumpster and goodwill have been the two most common places). I litterally just went grocery shopping for the first time in almost 3 weeks, for anything (unless you count Mc Donalds and Taco Bell as a grocery store) and I am feeling depressed, lonely, and at odds with my life. What I think it all means is that I am about to meet someone who needs more love and service than I do. So I guess reallly this is a little reminder not to me: Lady, DO NOT complain, you need this, find peace and joy through serivce, and learn to love someone new.
"And behold, I tell you these things that ye 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." (Mosiah 2:17)
Friday, June 11, 2010
"Life is made of moments, small pieces of silver amidst long stretches of tedium. It would be wonderful if they came to us unsummoned, but particularly in lives as busy as the ones most of us lead now, that won't happen. We have to teach ourselves now to live, really live...to love the journey, not the destination." ANNA QUINDLEN
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