I Want to be Jeanine!

She is the mother of five very small children.

Her kids are delightful and good, but they are children....

meaning they get into stuff, string their toys all around, make a mess when they eat.

But, here's the thing about Jeanine...

she NEVER gets upset.

Nothing bothers her.

She just takes it all in stride.

And, I LOVE her pleasant, happy disposition.

I'm NOT like that at all....

But, I want to be Jeanine.

It's Only a Dream

....but when I woke up, it FELT so real.

I can't describe the feelings of disappointment and let down I felt.

In my dream, I had been asked to tutor two girls....they both failed a portion of the test telling me that we had not reviewed 15 of the specific points on the exam.

I woke up with feelings of sorrow and angst....

Dreams mess with my feelings and disturb my thoughts.

Where is Joseph of the Old Testament when I need him?

Bear One Another's Burdens

It was startling news....

the beautiful young couple with four young children were getting divorced.

The sorrow for the family is heart wrenching.

A Christmas season ruined.

A father in despair.

Children wondering, questioning, fearful, uncertain of their situation.

And I am left to wonder....

How can I help?

They are neighbors, they are friends, they are hurting; what can I DO?

The only real answer that comes to my mind...

Pray for them.

THAT - I can do.

Grandchildren

The name GRANDchildren is appropriate.

They are grand.

And, it's so fun to watch them at their craft...

playing and performing and just being who they are.

I just wish we lived much much closer.

Court Mandated Fair Play

I believe in prayer.

I know that prayers are answered.

Our family just participated in praying for a specific outcome to happen.

Those prayers were answered in a very dramatic fashion.  However, the fulfilling of that outcome is totally reliant upon another person.  Will SHE do as she was ordered by the court to do?  Will SHE comply with the law?

All that remains to be seen.

BUT, here's the thing; our prayers were answered.  My heart is feeling so very grateful.

However, I hate the reason we even had to pray for that specific purpose.

If people would just live Gospel principles; if people would just be FAIR, JUST, KIND.

I grew up in a home of kindness, goodness, and somehow, people in our lives didn't live up to those ideals.

And, so, we find ourselves praying that someone will be fair and just -

Not because they are naturally that way, but because prayers were answered and they were ordered by a court of law to be that way.

And, I hate that scenario.

Finding Peace in the Challenging Times

“The Savior is the source of true peace,” said Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. “Even with the trials of life, because of the Savior’s Atonement and His grace, righteous living will be rewarded with personal peace.” 

I'm looking for that peace right now.

Life is a constant challenge.

Finding peace in the midst of all life's ups and downs, is the great challenge...that will be my goal to feel that 

PEACE of the ATONEMENT.

Downsizing

It's so fun to DOWN SIZE...

And by that I mean..

Buy a SIZE SMALLER IN CLOTHING.

And it finally happened in this house hold.

I'll keep downsizing THINGS,

but I gladly downsized - just every so slightly - my body.

Oh, yes, that's good....let's hear it for downsizing!

I Believe in Evolution

In 2010, RAH and I bought our first IPad.  We used it a lot in China and it was quite a novelty.

When we returned from China, I used it in church as my set of scriptures.

Except for a few men on their phones, people in general weren't using technology to read their scriptures..

Last summer, we went to church in a little town in Utah - Manilla.  It's very small, quaint, farming, rural - and filled with marvelous, good people.  We enjoyed it.

BUT, and here's my point - MANY of the women were using electronic devices for their scriptures and manuals.  MANY of the women were older, like I am, and here they were navigating through this electronic phenomenon.

In three short years, much had changed, and, I loved seeing that evolution.

Long live the elderly and technology!

The Talk in Church

WOW!

 James Ure's talk in church was probably the best talk I've heard in the last six months; it packed a punch and made me think.  

It was not filled with platitudes, but was full of helpful information that was applicable to most people.  

The subject was gratitude and he was philosophizing on why he - personally couldn't be happier.....

He had 3 reasons why he can't be happy all the time.

1. The brain's amygdala keeps us on alert for fear.
2. The media telling us that we need newer, better, brand names...
3. Foreboding joy; when we experience a joyful moment, we think something bad is about to happen.

I so appreciate his talk and his conclusion - gratitude of the here and now is important to overcome those three obstacles.

I liked it.

Now, to go and DO!