An Early Morning

Today I feel very humbled. It is amazing how quickly I seem to get wrapped up in my own little world and seem to forget that there is a greater work at hand and more important things in life than backyard design, fence options, and other eternally meaningless things. Today I was reminded of how fragile life really is and how everything we have can be taken away in an instant, and what is actually important and valuable in life. I'm grateful that these thoughts came to my mind without a huge traumatic event, just a middle-of-the-night reminder with a call of need.

One of my friends is having a difficult pregnancy, and it got much more complicated this morning as her water broke three months early. As they needed to get to the hospital, I was called to come and stay with their other children who were sound asleep. The whole drive there I felt so foolish for how worked up I get over the little things in life. My selfishness quickly was replaced, though, by the love and concern I have for this family. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve and for the reminder that life is fragile and how I really need to lose mine in service to find it and what happiness really can be.

It's a Wonderful Life

Today I attended the Relief Society Birthday party enrichment and it was so great- great food, great music, great speaker, great friends, great dessert! I am grateful for the opportunity to attend and for it being so well planned, but I am especially grateful today for the message that was discussed. A sister in our ward talked about 'It's a Wonderful Life.' Not the movie particularly (good thing, because I've never seen it), but about how we are here to have joy and how we can have joy in every season of our lives.

She went through the different phases of life- from childhood to the golden years and spoke about how to make the most out of each. For some reason this just really impressed me- we shouldn't always be focusing on how great the future will be or what happened in our past, but living each moment and enjoying the stage of life that we are in. Sometimes I find myself longing for the days when my girls will be at school and I'll finally have few minutes to myself or thinking about the 'good 'ol days' of college, but really I need to just be embracing each day right now. I am really grateful for the season of my life right now- life is crazy, it is hard, but it does bring me so much joy. I know once my girls are grown and off to school I'll probably long for their constant companionship that I enjoy right now.

The speaker also talked about how not all of our lives are joyful- we do have trials and tribulations mixed in of course. I was thinking about this, and the different struggles I've had- and how they really do help show an opposition in all things. It's only by knowing the bitter that we can fully appreciate the sweet, and as I look back I'm grateful for both. I feel blessed this today to hear some motivating words that really applied to me and hopefully will help me have a more wonderful life : ).

Forgiveness

Today was a great, fun-filled day. Our friends, Katie, Megan and Daniel, came up for the day and we just played and played the hours away. There are many things that their visit causes me to be grateful for, but the one that I feel most strongly about is that of forgiveness.

Little Abbie and Megan have been little best friends since they first met. It has been such a blessing to stay close to them and let them continue to play and see each other as they grow. For such best friends though, these almost three-year olds can sometimes sure fight. Abbie is similar in this way with several other of her little friends, but today with Megan I just noticed how they would squabble over this or that and really nothing at all, but then almost instantly forgive the other and move on to the next activity. I think it's that 'childlike' behavior that the Savior asked us to emulate... not the rascally squabbling over who gets what toy, but the immediate and unconditional forgiveness that follows. It is quite sweet actually and I wonder when, in our journey from childhood to adult we begin to save our forgiveness for only those who apologize first or deserve it etc and hold on instead to grudges and bitter attitudes. I feel blessed today for the sweet examples of two of my favorite girls and their quick and constant forgiveness to the other. I am grateful for the forgiveness that comes from my Father in Heaven, and how He probably relates me to these sweet two-year olds as I also squabble in life with little mistake after mistake, and He so quickly forgives. I hope to be more forgiving myself, and think of it as an automatic consequence, not a reward that must be earned from another.

An Early Start

Last night before going to bed I said a prayer that I would be able to wake up early in the morning so I could get a jump start on painting the playroom so I wouldn't have to stress about doing it during the day. Lauren woke up around 3:15am and just needed a little snuggling. I snuggled her and put her back to bed, and feeling very well rested I got right to work painting. I painted for several hours and finished right as the girls were waking up at 8:15. I am very grateful for the small blessing of being able to wake up early to get some work done.

Sometimes the phrase "getting up on the wrong side of the bed" really rings true with me. For me the problem is getting up at the right time... basically enough time before my girls where I can feel rested, and also be ready for my day. Getting a shower and being dressed before the infamous knock on their door can sometimes make or break a day for me. I remember struggling with this in high school. I'd have so many things planned for my day, but somehow would oversleep and it would just throw off everything and it would take me most of the day to get my schedule (and my attitude!) recovered.

The girls have been listening to some primary songs in the car and one that stuck out to me the other day had the lyrics "Early to bed and early to rise, make a man healthy and wealthy and wise." I remembered this not just because it's an annoying round that can't help but get stuck in your head, but because I think that that really is true. Getting a good start on the day can really make you healthier and feel better. I'm not sure I want to get up at 3:15 every morning, but I definitely want to try and get a better start on the day- I feel very blessed for the one I had today and what I was able to accomplish with that time.

Temple Testimony

Today I was so touched by my Sunday School class and their testimonies of the temple. Many of them have only been able to go to the temple a few times, but they all bore strong witness of the spirit that they felt there- even just on the temple grounds- and how they desired to return and serve there more. It was so sweet to me, to see these otherwise rascally fourteen and fifteen year old boys so passionate about the experiences they have each had at different temples. I feel so blessed to listen to their sweet testimonies and for the blessings of the temple itself. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve and interact with these great youth.