Friday, November 30, 2012

Too funny!

In My Next Life . . . . . .


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Judy Walter
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We got the news today!!!!

Today we found out what Amy and John's little baby will be in April. I will tell you tomorrow how I shared the news with all the family by texting them, but that is a blog entry in and of itself. So tonight it is late and I will just share with you some photos to give you a hint of what we need to get ready for...
A white tree with pink lights would also work ... Pink Camellia
pinksPink glassAdorable...

Can you guess what we are having for our 4th Grandchild? Yes, another sweet baby girl!
We didn't care at all if it was going to be a boy or girl! We love any of those sweet little spirits that come to earth and are a part of our dear family! So Miss Audrey is on her way and we can hardly wait!
Poor Kai ( our only grandson) will  have to put up with all  his girl cousins when we get together. Some how, I think he will be able to hold his own!
Need to head to bed, Jenny is here doing her Sleep Over tonight,  so I need to be up and ready for her in the morning! Good night dear friends!
This quote is so true!  Happy girls are pretty girls!

Thursday, November 29, 2012

What a great story!

Just read this article today about Dave's Killer Bread. I laughed when I read it because a few months ago in Weight Watchers, I was trying to explain to the ladies what Dave's Killer Bread was and how he got started. I sure could have used this article to get more of the facts to tell them. I actually love the bread myself, the kids think there is too many nuts and seeds in there.
 I read the article HERE:
 
Here is his story...
In and out of jail and prison for 15 of his 49 years, Dave Dahl, a former armed robber and recovering drug addict, is a self-professed " slow learner." The creator of Dave's Killer Bread, he is also living proff that even a slow learner who seems destined for a life of crime can turn his life around.
After a solid start growing up in a family of bakers, Dahl slid into a life of alcohol, drugs, stealing, and dealing. As it turned out, he wasn't a very gifted criminal, beginning a series of in -and-out incarcerations.
It was during the last sentence that he began to see the light. " I was fortunate to suffer in prison, because I got clean, and for the first time in my life I was confident without drugs, " says Dahl, who discovered at that time that he suffered from clinical depression. He also discovered that he was smarter than he realized and a lot more interested in what life had to offer than in his next fix. He began working out and studying health and nutrition with a renewed fervor.
After his 2004 release, clean and sober, Dahl rejoined his family's baking business. His brother Glenn, owner of NatureBake ( www.naturebake.com ), the healthful-bread business started by their father in the 1950s, welcomed him back and encouraged his ideas. Within six months, Dave had designed six varieties of whole-grain, organic bread, four of which were introduced in August 2005 at the Portland Farmer's Market's " Summer Loaf " artisan bread festival to rave reviews.
At the helm of Dave's Killer Bread, Dahl now produces approximately 400,000 loaves of bread a week ( 16 varieties) with names such as " Good Seed" and "Rockin' Rye." It's sold at Costco. Dahl - who now spends a good deal of his time sharing his story of redemption with at-risk youths, business leaders, law enforcement and politicians---says he's in no hurry to grow. "We're going slow; we don't want to grow too fast," he  says.
This time, being a slwo learner has it's benefits. ~ T. Foster Jones



Tuesday, November 27, 2012

My thoughts today!

#Quotesgood reminderdefinitely!

This Lifetrying new things is a good thingLife's testiness

Here is what has been running through my head today! Thanks for listening to me!
Good night dear friends!

Bigger Than Me Day!

For the last few days I have been struggling with a number of things. None that are really critical...yet... they seem like they are. My perspective is narrowed and it seems like everything is hurting my heart lately. I cry at the drop of a hat. (whatever that expression means?) I am homesick for a home that doesn't even exist any more, and only homesick for that home at Christmas time; which seemed happier and safe during the holidays. I am missing my family and friends. I am worried about finances, about my kids, and struggles that they are having. Is any of this new? Not really, just on my mind more lately.
Yes, I have had a few Bigger Than Me Days lately. It really isn't like me but I am praying hard to find the basis of this pain in my heart. Could it be that my Mom passed away at this very time of the year? Is it because my family is more spread out? Is it because we have to make some big purchases soon? It really doesn't matter, everything could be handled if I had my head in the right place. I just sorta honored the Bigger Than Me Day today but realized tonight... I need to work hard to get out of this place. I have tons to be thankful for, incredible friends and family to be thankful for, a job that I LOVE and a FAITH to remind me of where to go in times of need. So I am going to bed and EXPECT it to be a much better day!
Good night dear friends!

"Take an inventory of your life and look specifically for the blessings large and small, you have recieved."
~ Thomas S. Monson

"We have neighbors to BLESS, children to PROTECT, the poor to UPLIFT, and the truth to DEFEND. We have wrongs to MAKE RIGHT, truths to SHARE, and GOOD TO DO in short, we have a life of DEVOTED DISCIPLESHIPto give in demonstrating OUR LOVE of the LORD."   ~ Jeffrey R. Holland

Monday, November 26, 2012

Example of Strength and Faith!

Today in church, one of the lessons was about How Strong our Faith is? 
 The teacher told us that her
friend from college lost her four year old son last month due to complications of a near drowning accident.  She has been an example of strength and faith for all to see.  This last week, she posted the following statement on her blog:
          “As the past 5 weeks have been challenging for me and my family they have been more beautiful than ever.  I’m not even sure how that is possible, as our hearts are often so heavy.  However, I feel more love, care, strength and companionship from my Heavenly Father than ever before in my life.  I have a burning deep within my soul of gratitude for that which he has done, is doing and will do for me and my family.  My faith and love for him is strengthened more and more each day.”
          “With that said, I would feel so ungrateful to my Eternal Father and my Savior if I didn’t take time to share some of the many things I am grateful for during this sacred holiday of Thanksgiving.”
          “I am grateful for a testimony that my Father in Heaven lives.  That he knows me personally.  That he loves me and will never forsake me.  I have so much gratitude for him that he was selfless enough to allow his beloved son, my Savior Jesus Christ, to come to this Earth and atone for each one of us.  That he loved each one of us enough to sacrifice his only begotten son for each one of us.  I’m amazed and grateful at his strength, that he did not take that bitter cup from my Savior, as in the end it felt too much for him to bear.  I’m sure that was a difficult thing for him to endure, but I’m so grateful that he was strong enough to not take that bitter cup from him as he pleaded for it to be removed.”
          “I am grateful that my Savior, and brother, Jesus Christ was willing to atone and die for me so that I could return to live with my Father in Heaven once again.  To ensure that we could all live with our Eternal Families after we have proven ourselves worthy.  I’m so grateful that he took that bitter cup upon himself for me.  That he endured immense pain and sorrow so that my burdens may be lifted from me.”
          “I am beyond grateful that families are eternal.  What a beautiful blessing and promise that is.  I have a strong conviction in my heart to live my life worthily so that I may one day with loving arms embrace my handsome son again and have my family together again.  I know this day is not far away, it just seems so in this Earthly life.  I look forward to this day!
          “I am grateful for the power of prayer.  Prayer is truly an amazing thing.  What a wonderful opportunity to pour out your heart to your Father and be completely understood.  To be able to commune with him whenever and wherever you are.  It is because of the power of prayer that my family has been strengthened through our loss of our son.  The strength and lifting power that comes from prayer is a beautiful thing.  The power of prayer is real and it is amazing!
          “I am grateful for the companionship of the comforter.  With that I am grateful that I am worthy of his presence, peace, strength and guidance.  I have never felt his presence so strong and so real in my life.  Without his constant companionship I know that this trail would be unbearable. “
          “I am so grateful that my Father in Heaven loves me and my husband so much, that he trust us enough, to give us this difficult trial of losing our son.  That he has so much faith in us that he would allow us to bear this burden and know that we will become better for it.  I know that he will not give us more than we can bear.  I am amazed that he thinks so highly of us that he would entrust us to endure this and know that we will be better because of it.  If he things so highly of us, and loves us so much, then I know that with him, we will be better because of his refiner’s fire.”
          “I am amazed and grateful that my Father in Heaven loves me so much that he would send me one of his chosen angels to raise for 4 precious and wonderful years.  With that I am also grateful that my son would choose me to be his mother on this Earth.  I am so moved by this.  I know that my son is a chosen son of God, and that he has much more important work to do than this Earthly life could allow him.  I am beyond grateful that I was able to have him make me a mother and to be his mother for eternity.”


What an amazing example of courage, strength and faith, my prayers go out to this sweet family and this amazing Mom!
Good night dear friends!

Saturday, November 24, 2012

My NEW favorite Christmas book!!!!!!!

As I have mentioned many times, my favorite season is the Christmas season. Also, one of my favorite authors( Jason Wright), has come out with a new Christmas book sooooooooooooo I had to get it. I read it while getting Thanksgiving dinner ready on Wednesday.
I loved the book, I would highly recommend it for anyone on your Christmas list!  It really makes you stop and think how you go through the Christmas season? Fast and always in a hurry or slow, enjoying each thing and each person who is in your life? And do we really appreciate the blessings of this sacred season...the birth of Christ?
I am really glad I read it before I started putting up Christmas, and with the things I learned from the book...I certainly hope this Christmas is different, more meaningful and cherished!

"Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time."  ~Laura Ingalls Wilder


"May Peace be your gift at Christmas and your blessing all year through!"  ~Author Unknown

I have enough!

Pinned Image

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Let us all give thanks!

Most of today was spent during a few little errands and also cooking in the kitchen while listening to Christmas songs on the radio. Oh I know it's not even Thanksgiving yet, but you have to understand that I am one of the people who listens to Christmas music all year long. I love the spirit of Christmas and truly wish that we could celebrate it all year long.
I have been so teary eyed lately, why? Maybe because Thanksgiving and Christmas time was always a happy time in our home, it was usually a safer time for me as a child because there were so many people around me... I was more protected, that was a blessing in disguise Maybe it's because I miss my kids so bad, having some of them far away from me and not coming home for Thanksgiving, is tough on a Mother's heart. Maybe it's because I am missing my Mom, my Grandma Johnny and my Aunt Ina while cooking today. Some of the best times were in the kitchen with them. They loved to cook, I have never been quite the cooks that they were. Yes, those were good times, happy times and safe times. But cooking all day in my kitchen alone, was just tough and for some reason I can't stop the tears from coming so freely. I know that I am very blessed and for that I am grateful. I am grateful for each one of you in my life and in the life of my family, thank you for everything!
Happy Thanksgiving! Good night dear friends, hope you enjoy this video! 
This is beautiful, take time to watch it right before Thanksgiving, you will be glad you did.
Watch it here:

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Boy with Cancer, wants to celebrate Christmas early!

What an incredible story, and I hope by the time you finish reading it that you will be picking out a Christmas card to send Nathan, plus add him and his family to your prayers...I know they could use both.

Wright Words: Inspirational young cancer patient celebrates Christmas early

Published: Tuesday, Nov. 20 2012 5:00 a.m. MST
While most of us are enjoying Thanksgiving week and stretching out for the sprint to Dec. 25, young Nathan Norman of Rustburg, Va., has been celebrating Christmas since September.
His journey to an early Christmas in 2012 began with a misdiagnosis on Christmas Eve, 2007. Darting eyes and seizures were attributed to benign paroxysmal vertigo of childhood, a type of migraine and vertigo disorder. He had not yet celebrated his first birthday.
Nathan’s mother, Dawn, recalls their relief that test results didn’t suggest anything worse. Her doctor’s words still ring in her ears. “I would have hated to bring you the news on Christmas Eve that your child has a tumor.”
The year ahead was a swift, steady stream of stress and seizures, but tests repeatedly came back clear and clean for anything more troubling. That would change on Jan. 14, 2009, when an MRI discovered an astrocytoma brain tumor in his fourth ventricle.
Many of us might have clung to blame and hard feelings, but the Norman family believed then and now that those dangerous emotions wouldn’t have served as a life preserver. Instead, they would have become a heavy anchor in angry waters. “It’s all in God’s timing,” said Dawn, who is Baptist.
The family was referred to Dr. Gerald Grant at Duke University’s renowned medical center. Dr. Grant’s team operated immediately and found the tumor had fingered into his brain stem. Despite their best efforts, they had no choice but to leave approximately 45 percent of the tumor in place.
Post-op treatments began, and Nathan fought on with the certainty that every new day was a gift from God. He had no fear, just faith. When asked to describe her son during this difficult time, Nathan’s mother chose three simple words: “faith, love, joy.”
When a spinal scan in 2011 revealed the cancer had moved south, Nathan’s parents explained that even though God hadn’t removed the tumor, heaven was using Nathan to touch lives and inspire people. With new challenges, Nathan and his team moved on once again with no fear, just faith.
This fall, the cancer began progressing yet again, and a heavy blend of medications has presented new and extremely challenging side effects. While returning from a round of treatments at Duke on Sept. 12, Nathan leaned forward and asked, “Daddy, can we put the Christmas tree up early? The lights might make me feel better.”
Nathan’s father couldn’t say yes fast enough.
Word of the Norman family’s early Christmas spread faster than a Pinterest recipe, and soon many in their neighborhood had put up their decorations, too. One generous business even left a giant sleigh in their front yard.
To add to their prefab celebration, friends and family began sending early Christmas cards, and, after an appearance on local television station WSET, the effort snowballed into a blizzard. Nathan had barely opened the first batch when cards began drifting into his mailbox from well beyond their small town of Rustburg. It’s easy to picture the excitement of this little believer as he digs into piles of cards and letters from others who’ve joined their long adventure to Dec. 25.
As Nathan prepares for the magic of December, his family looks to the future with remarkably clear eyes. They accept that he may not pass these calendar mile markers again. They know that this Thanksgiving could be his last and that this Christmas Eve could be their final together in this earthly life. But they forge forward with no fear, just faith.
When I asked Dawn how they communicate this blue-gray reality to their tender son, she explained that not everyone receives their healing on earth, but that all receive the ultimate healing in heaven. She added, “Nathan is not a victim. Whether God chooses to heal him on earth or in heaven, Nathan wins.”
I do not know if those words brought tears to Nathan’s eyes, but they did mine.
As I sat in my small office this week, I was overcome at the difficulty of reshaping such a massive, moving story into so few words in a weekly column that has firm limits and boundaries. I've found that Nathan Norman’s story is much bigger than a newspaper page or a few digital inches on a website.
It’s a story of siblings who receive too little attention from the world as they carry their own burdens into their brother’s painful battle with cancer. Sarah, Matthew and Tabitha are remarkable warriors, too, with their own brave stories to tell.
It’s a story of neighbors and friends who’ve willingly carried extra loads so that the family can seek as many memories together as possible.
It’s a story of a faithful boy who will one day meet Jesus, but who doesn’t need to see his face to know he already lives.
Would you like to send Nathan Norman a Christmas card?
Nathan Norman
81 Dunivan Dr.
Rustburg, VA 24588
To learn more about Nathan or to donate, visit his CaringBridge page at www.caringbridge.org/visit/nathannorman
Read this and more encouraging stories from Jason here:

Monday, November 19, 2012

I have a confession!

They say that the first step to getting help is acknowledging that you have a problem. Ok, I have a Container problem. I just keep buying more and more containers, in hopes to get my stuff organized. My family has known about this problem for years, yet no one is willing to get me help :) I guess if it really did keep me organized then it would be working but...it's not. When the container gets full then instead of getting rid of something... I just buy more containers! I feel like I have to confess this to all of you who think I am so organized, my family knows I'm really not. I make huge messes and most of the time, I can't find things...it could be my age or it could be my CONTAINER PROBLEM!
For years we have talked about this issue as a family, every now and then my girls can't take it any more and sit me down, and make me go through all my boxes and donate lots of things. I don't mind doing that if I know someone else could use it. But as soon as I get rid of something...then I find that I need it! I guess my problem is well hidden most of the time, but since Jeff and I were cleaning out our garage this weekend, the PROBLEM came back up again! :(
I am not sure where to get help for this exactly? I really do use most of my things, it is rare for me to buy a gift...I can usually make it out of my stuff ( important stuff ). Oh well, I guess there could be worse things but I feel like I have at least admitted, put it out there and acknowledged it... that is a start right?
Maybe some day I will find someone who just loves to come over and go through my stuff  and will willingly teach me how to store and sort through things. Especially papers, I write my ideas and thoughts on every piece of paper I can get ahold of. I guess that is another problem that I have OK... I have PAPER PROBLEMS! Whew, I am so glad I got that off my chest.

Need to run and keep trying to sort through more stuff, because guess what I got this weekend? More containers! :) I hid them from Jeff at first, then I realized that I really had a problem ( if I was hiding things). When we talked about MY PROBLEM on our Date Night, Jeff reminded me of how bad my problem is....yet he figured that me buying a couple more $6.99 containers was .... cheaper than counseling! :) So glad we worked that one out, I feel better now! :)
Good night dear friends!

"Problems are not stop signs, they are guidelines."   ~Robert H. Schuller
 
"When a problem comes along, study it until you are completely knowledgeable. Then find that weak sopt, break the problem apart, and the rest will be easy."  ~Norman Vincent Peale
 

"No problem is insurmountable. With a little courage, teamwork and determination a person can overcome anything."  ~B. Dodge

Sunday, November 18, 2012

If we could turn back the clocks!

Read this incredible article about Regrets and Resolutions, really made me stop and think. Great lesson to remember in my life and I would imagine...everyone's life!
Here is just parts of it...enjoy!

"When we are young, it seems that we will live forever. We think there is a limitless supply of sunrises waiting just beyond the horizon, and the future looks to us like an unbroken road stretching endlessly before us.
However, the older we get, the more we tend to look back and marvel at how short that road really is. We wonder how the years could have passed so quickly. And we begin to think about the choices we made and the things we have done. In the process, we remember many sweet moments that give warmth to our souls and joy to our hearts. But we also remember the regrets—the things we wish we could go back and change.
A nurse who cares for the terminally ill says that she has often asked a simple question of her patients as they prepared to depart this life.
“Do you have any regrets?” she would ask.2
Being so close to that final day of mortality often gives clarity to thought and provides insight and perspective. So when these people were asked about their regrets, they opened their hearts. They reflected about what they would change if only they could turn back the clock.

I Wish I Had Spent More Time with the People I Love

Perhaps the most universal regret dying patients expressed was that they wished they had spent more time with the people they love.
Men in particular sang this universal lament: they “deeply regretted spending so much of their lives on the [daily] treadmill of … work.”3 Many had lost out on choice memories that come from spending time with family and friends. They missed developing a deep connection with those who meant the most to them.

I Wish I Had Lived Up to My Potential

Another regret people expressed was that they failed to become the person they felt they could and should have been. When they looked back on their lives, they realized that they never lived up to their potential, that too many songs remained unsung.
I am not speaking here of climbing the ladder of success in our various professions. That ladder, no matter how lofty it may appear on this earth, barely amounts to a single step in the great eternal journey awaiting us.
Rather, I am speaking of becoming the person God, our Heavenly Father, intended us to be.
I Wish I Had Let Myself Be Happier
Another regret of those who knew they were dying may be somewhat surprising. They wished they had let themselves be happier.
So often we get caught up in the illusion that there is something just beyond our reach that would bring us happiness: a better family situation, a better financial situation, or the end of a challenging trial.
The older we get, the more we look back and realize that external circumstances don’t really matter or determine our happiness.
We do matter. We determine our happiness.
You and I are ultimately in charge of our own happiness.

Of Resolutions

One day we will take that unavoidable step and cross from this mortal sphere into the next estate. One day we will look back at our lives and wonder if we could have been better, made better decisions, or used our time more wisely.
To avoid some of the deepest regrets of life, it would be wise to make some resolutions today. Therefore, let us:
  • Resolve to spend more time with those we love.
  • Resolve to strive more earnestly to become the person God wants us to be.
  • Resolve to find happiness, regardless of our circumstances."
You can read the whole article Here:
Good night dear friends!

Saturday, November 17, 2012

It's a good day!

Well, it was a good day today for many reasons....
1. Because Jeff was off, and we got to spend the day together
2. Because we were able to spend the day with Amy and the girls!
3. Because we got some of our Thanksgiving shopping accomplished!
4. Because it is our Date Night
5. Last but not least, we turned on the radio today and one of our channels is playing Christmas music now, non- stop till Christmas!!!!!!!!


Yes, it is a good day, when I can turn on the radio anywhere and here Christmas music! I have reminded my family many times, that I want Christmas music played at my funeral, and I want everyone who comes to be given a Handmade Tissue Holders ( made from my family, as part of helping them grieve! ) Now, don't shake your head, I just think that I would want everyone to get something homemade from me or my family.
 As for the Christmas music, why play it at my funeral? Well, because it is the most hopeful, joyful, peaceful music. I want people who come to my funeral to be happy, not sad. To be glad that our paths crossed in this life, and that we were able to spend so many wonderful experiences and memories together. I want them as they listen to the Christmas music to be reminded of the wonderful gift that Christ gave us when He came to earth. Because of His life, His death and then His resurrection... we all will live again! I want everyone to know, that we will certainly see each other again and that only for a while will we be separated.
Yes, Christmas music, if you truly listen to it's lyrics, is the most wonderful music. I want everyone there to remember that we are all brothers and sisters, and to make sure that we treat and serve each other as such. I know it may sound weird but, it will be wonderful ...just like it is every Christmas season. I want that same spirit to be at my funeral. I want you to feel loved and appreciated by me and my family, because you truly are!
Good night dear friends and if you like...go turn your radios to 106.9 ( Hint! Hint !)

"Are you willing to believe that love is the strongest thing in the world - stronger than hate, stronger than evil, stronger than death - and that the blessed life which began in Bethlehem nineteen hundred years ago is the image and brightness of the Eternal Love? Then you can keep Christmas." - Henry Van Dyke

Friday, November 16, 2012

Being Prepared!

Today was a beautiful sunny/cold fall day! It was beautiful, I was able to do some errands in it and counted my blessings that I live in such a beautiful place. Tonight I had another Thrive Fresh dried Food / Emergency Preparedness Party (you can see what they sell HERE: ). I am amazed that in just a year ( since my last party ) they have added so many new items. Also, since we were in Boston during the time of Hurricane Sandy, I realized that we truly need to put our Emergency Preparedness stuff back on the priority list. Providence Basic
We got a lot last year, but then we have been using a lot of it (which is what you are suppose to do...rotate it ) and even use it in your every day meals. I find by buying more of it, then we aren't wasting food as much. I can't even believe we are at the place in our lifes where we waste food! For the last 30 years, it seemed like we could never keep enough food in the house with all 6 of us. But when Lauren and Lee were both at college, things started going bad in the fridge because we didn't eat it fast enough. With this Thrive Freshdried food that has helped out alot.
Well, what a wonderful day, I am so grateful to still be here and healthy and strong. I looked on the calendar and it was 4 years ago on Monday, that I had my mastectomy. I remember thinking for quite some time, that life would never go back to normal. In some ways it hasn't but in a good way, my perspective has changed. I am more grateful for everything and everyone around me! Plus, I have a busy and full life, I wondered if that would ever happen ( right after my surgery).  Being able to plan or hope for the future was a very hard thing to do for a couple of years.
So tonight I feel very blessed but a strong sense to ....do all that I can with the time I have left (which no one knows how long that is ). I want to be PRESENT and ENJOY every minute of the life I have. I want to be prepared. Yes, life is good, and for that I am grateful.
Thanks dear friends, for riding the roller coaster of emotions and feelings with me throughout these last 4 years. I couldn't have done it without you!
Good night!

"Let us be in a position so we are able to not only feed ourselves through home production and storage, but others as well"
-- Ezra Taft Benson, former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture


"By failing to prepare you are preparing to fail."
-- Ben Franklin


"It wasn't raining when Noah built the ark."
--
Howard Ruff



Thursday, November 15, 2012

Can I ever be completely healed?

I was speaking in a Women's Group the other night and afterwards one of the ladies came up and asked me " do you think it is possible to ever be completely healed from Abuse ... in this life?"
My first question in my mind was "what does she mean by completely healed? Then she went on to say that one counselor said she never could be. Personally I probably wouldn't be going back to that counselor any time soon! Why? Well, how would it make you feel if some counselor or any health professional told you that you will never really be healed from Abuse? Having been a survivor of Incest, I can tell you that I have actually heard that from a health care professional and instantly, I knew instantly that he was wrong, and that I wouldn't be going back to him.
It has been over 40 years since my abuse.
 Do I still remember it...yes, very clearly, does remembering keep me from healing? I don't think so.
 Do I ever have things that trigger bad memories or fears from the past? Yes, indeed but not very often, and as soon as I do, I go straight into my counselor and learn how to deal with triggers and how to go on with life.
 Does having triggers mean I am not healed? Absolutely NOT!  It just means that it was a very traumatic experience and so there for, when something becomes a flash from the past and the fear sets in...then I know right away, I have to get ahold of my thoughts and readjust my vision. Perspective is a WONDERFUL thing! When I get scared or something really upsets me, then I try to see it for what it is. I try to remember to Stay In The Present and enjoy each day.
So I guess we all might have different ideas of healing. I believe that the greatest way to heal is through the Savior's love. That is exactly why He did what He did, so that He would help and comfort us, for He truly knows what we feel. I read an article years ago and it was written by a nurse, and I can't find that exact article but in the article she gave steps to healing and talked about what an Art it is to do.
Step 1. Proverbs 1:7   Where it reminds us to trust in the Lord with all our hearts and He will direct our paths
Step 2. 1 Peter 1:7    We are told that trials and experiences in life, should be worth more than gold itself. Why? Because the lessons that we learn from our trials and experiences are hard, but oh so worth it. Some of the hardest things in life, bring the sweetest knowledge and bless our lives!
Step 3. Matthew 11:28-30  Here the Savior begs you and I to come unto Him and that He will give you rest. He will help you carry your burdens or load, you don't ever have to carry it alone ... unless you choose to
Step 4 Luke 18:12    It is important to remember that NOTHING is IMPOSSIBLE for the Lord!
Step 5 Matthew9 :35-38   The Savior who is the Master Healer himself was the great example for us
 I found another article about the art of healing and have the link below
Step 6 Revelation 21:3-4 I love this scripture, it is where the Lord promises some day, that no matter what happened in our lives... that He will make it all right and personally wipe away our tears!

I found another article on the same topic, you can read it here:
So back to our original question... Can I ever be completely healed?  My answer is Yes and No, like I said depending on your opinion. I believe my whole life I will have to struggle to get rid of some of the residue from my past. I am grateful that I am enjoying a full and happy life. No longer  being fearful, but now having a excitement about the future is part of being HEALED I believe. I believe that Healing is a life long process and that is isn't a one time thing!
Well, it's very late and I need to head to bed, good night dear friends!

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Saturday, a dear friend of our family told us that since the girls were visiting that we should take them to see Santa at the Hallmark store near our house. Since Angie and Jenny had snow at their house this morning, we thought this would be appropriate.  Angie this year was perfectly comfortable with Santa, Jenny on the other hand wasn't quite as taken with him ( at least  up close, so Nana had to stay near ).


Then we took a photo of all of us, Angela ( one of my adopted daughters ) Amy, the girls, Santa and I . Now I have to tell you that I have already found out one of my Christmas gifts....if you look at the photo real close and focus in on Amy's belly then you will see what I mean. Can you see it?

Yes, we are going to have another ttle grandbaby in April! We are so excited and can hardly wait!
Details coming in 3 weeks!

"From Home to home, and heart to heart, from one place to another. The warmth and joy of Christmas, brings us closer to each other."   ~Emily Matthews
 
"Christmas! The very word brings joy to our hearts. No matter how we may dread the rush, the long Christmas lists for gifts and cards to be bought and given--when Christmas Day comes there is still the same warm feeling we had as children, the same warmth that enfolds our hearts and our homes."  ~Joan Winmill Brown

Monday, November 12, 2012

My Hero!

"Many Americans mistakenly believe that Veterans Day is the day America sets aside to honor American military personnel who died in battle or as a result of wounds sustained from combat. That's not quite true. Memorial Day is the day set aside to honor America's war dead. Veterans Day, on the other hand, honors ALL American veterans, both living and dead. In fact, Veterans Day is largely intended to thank LIVING veterans for dedicated and loyal service to their country. November 11 of each year is the day that we ensure veterans know that we deeply appreciate the sacrifices they have made in the lives to keep our country free. I read this explanation about Veteran's Day" here: 

I just want to thank my brother Mike, for the sacrifice and service that he has made. He is one of my favorite Veterans! He has shown our whole family what courage and determination is! He is an amazing man, wonderful husband, Father, Grandfather and brother. Many times I have thought of him, when things get tough in my life, and remembering what he has been through, quickly changes my perspective! My life is good and as you look at Mike and his family's photo, then you realize that his life is good too!
So hats off to my brother Michael, my personal Hero... as well as all of the other incredibly dedicated Veterans out there. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

"Freedom is never free." ~Author Unknown
"Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of readiness to die." ~G.K. Chesterton
"Our veterans accepted the responsibility to defend America and uphold our values when duty called."
- Bill Shuster

Sunday, November 11, 2012

The Power of Kindness

One of the lessons today in church... was about kindness and the power of it. It was an amazing lesson, taught by one of my dear friends, who is an amazing teacher. I just kept taking more and more notes. I think the story about Kindness and Mothers was encouraging and of course I loved all the quotes!
Hope you had a wonderful Sabbath! Good night dear friends!

“BE KIND, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard BATTLE.” Plato
  “One who focuses on faults, though they be true, tears down a brother or a sister. The virtues of  patience, brotherly kindness, mutual respect, loyalty, and good manners all rest to some degree on the principle that even though something is true, we are not necessarily justified in communicating it to any and all persons at any and all times.” ~ Dallin H. Oaks

                “When we are filled with kindness, we are not judgmental. The Savior taught, “Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven.”  He also taught that “with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what   measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.”  ~ Joseph B. Wirthlin

                “But,” you ask, “what if people are rude?”
                Love them.
                “If they are obnoxious?”
                Love them.
                “But what if they offend? Surely I must do something then?”
                Love them.
                “Wayward?”
                The answer is the same. Be kind. Love them.

                “I am not asking that all criticism be silenced. Growth comes of correction. Strength comes of repentance. Wise is the man who can acknowledge mistakes pointed out by others and change his course.
                “What I am suggesting is that each of us turn from the negativism that so permeates our society and look for the remarkable good among those with whom we associate, that we speak of one another’s virtues more than we speak of one another’s faults.”
   ~ Gordon B. Hinckley 

     “Kindness has the power to lead people from their mistakes" ~ George Albert  Smith               
                 
                "Jesus, our Savior, was the epitome of kindness and compassion. He healed the sick. He spent    much of His time ministering to the one or many. He spoke compassionately to the Samaritan woman who was looked down upon by many. He instructed His disciples to allow the little children to come unto Him. He was kind to all who had sinned, condemning only the sin, not the sinner. He kindly allowed thousands of Nephites to come forward and feel the nail prints in His hands and feet. Yet His greatest act of kindness was found in His atoning sacrifice, thus freeing all from the effects of death, and all from the effects of sin, on conditions of repentance." ~ Joseph B. Wirthlin


              Story told by George Albert Smith:
 "I remember a few years ago I was on a train going north. I saw sitting in the day coach of that train a woman that I had known. … She recognized me as I passed down the aisle of the car. She spoke to me, and I asked: “Where are you going?” She said: “I am going to Portland, [Oregon].” I knew that the family were not well-to-do. I knew that this woman was the mother of a large family of sons, so I said: “What takes you to Portland?” She said: “I have a son there in the   hospital.”
                I was not aware that any of her children had moved away, so I questioned a little further, and   then she opened her heart to me. She said: “My youngest boy, a few weeks ago, left home and did not tell us where he was going. We received no word from him, but he thought he would go  out into the world no doubt and see it for himself, and the first intimation that we had of his whereabouts was when a telegram came from the Mercy hospital in Portland, stating that our boy was there sick in that hospital.” She said: “Of course the message shocked us very much. There was only one thing to do, and that was to raise means and go at once to that boy.”
                … She was prepared to sit up during that long ride, day and night, not resentful of the unkindness and thoughtlessness of her boy, but only thinking that he was hers, that he belonged to her, that God gave him to her, and that our Heavenly Father expected her to use every possible means to    enrich his life and prepare him for the opportunities that awaited him. So through the long hours of the night, as the train rumbled over the rails, this good woman sat there, yearning for her boy,     every mile taking her just a little nearer to that lodestone that was tugging at her heart. Finally when she arrived, quickly as she could, she made her way to the hospital. It so transpired that   the place where I was to remain was not far from the hospital so I went over there to see what had occurred.
                There was that sweet mother sitting by the bedside of her boy who had been seized with a serious attack of pneumonia, and he was lying there in pain. She was not scolding him because he had been unmindful of her; she was not resentful of his thoughtlessness and of his carelessness, she was just thankful to be with her boy that God had given to her. She was now trying to nurse back the child for whom she had entered into partnership with her Heavenly Father, to bring him into this world. He, by the way, was about 16 years of age, but her baby. She was trying to encourage him by telling him the things that would make him happy and contented, holding out to him the opportunities that would be his when he was well. In the place of distress and anguish that filled that room prior to her entrance there, there was a perfect halo of light and of peace and happiness spread over the countenance of that boy as he looked up into the face of her who had offered her life that he might be, and who on this occasion had come that long distance to sit by his side and nurse him back to life."
                "I wonder sometimes if these mothers realize how wonderful they are in the eyes of their children in a case like that. That boy had resolved before his mother had been there many minutes that never again would he be recreant to her, never again would he be unmindful of   what she had given to him, but determined that the name which had been given to him in honor would be kept by him in honor so long as life should last."
When a child goes astray, why is it sometimes difficult to react the way the mother in the story did? 

                “May we be models of kindness. May we ever live up to the words of the Savior: “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” ~ Joseph B. Wirthlin

Saturday, November 10, 2012

Voices!

I love this article that I read about Voices. It is so true, that there are so many different voices in the world shouting demands at us. Demands on what to watch, what to wear, who we should be.
I will only share part of it with you, if you would like to read it all...check the website at the bottom.
It is definitely something to think about...good night dear friends!


Voices of the World
But we hear other voices. Paul said, “There are … so many kinds of voices in the world” that compete with the voice of the Spirit. The Spirit’s voice is ever present, but it is calm. Said Isaiah, “The work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever.” The adversary tries to smother this voice with a multitude of loud, persistent, persuasive, and appealing voices:
  • Murmuring voices that conjure up perceived injustices.
  • Whining voices that abhor challenge and work.
  • Seductive voices that offer sensual enticements.
  • Soothing voices that lull us into carnal security.
  • Intellectual voices that profess sophistication and superiority.
  • Proud voices that rely on the arm of flesh.
  • Flattering voices that puff us up with pride.
  • Cynical voices that destroy hope.
  • Entertaining voices that promote pleasure seeking.
  • Commercial voices that tempt us to “spend money for that which is of no worth, [and our] labor for that which cannot satisfy.”
  • Delirious voices that spawn the desire for a “high.” I refer not to a drug- or alcohol-induced high, but to the pursuing of dangerous, death-defying experiences for nothing more than a thrill. Life, even our own, is so precious that we are accountable to the Lord for it, and we should not trifle with it. Once gone, it cannot be called back.

Bombarded with Messages

Today we are barraged by multitudes of voices telling us how to live, how to gratify our passions, how to have it all. At our fingertips we have software, databases, television channels, interactive computer modems, satellite receivers, and communications networks that suffocate us with information. There are fewer places of refuge and serenity. Our young people are bombarded with evil and wickedness like no other generation. As I contemplate this prospect, I am reminded of the poet T. S. Eliot’s words: “Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge? Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?” 
Many in the younger generation have been conditioned by the world to want it all and to want it now. They do not want to save or work. Such self-centered, impatient desires make them susceptible to temptation. 
  • Getting gain.
  • Gaining power over the flesh.
  • Gaining popularity in the eyes of the world.
  • Seeking the lusts of the flesh and the things of the world.
  • Hearing Righteous Voices
How are we possibly going to select which voices we will listen to and believe? The implications for us as individuals are staggering. To spiritually survive, we must do at least these four things.
First, we must exercise moral agency wisely. As tiny drops of water shape a landscape, so our minute-by-minute choices shape our character.
Second, we must have a purpose. “You must stand up for something, or you will fall for everything.” 
.
Third, we must strengthen our testimony. We all need to study the plan of salvation and learn of our relationship to God. As we walk by faith, we will have confirmed in our hearts spiritual experiences which will strengthen our faith and testimony.
Fourth, we must search the scriptures, which are “the voice of the Lord, and the power of God unto salvation.”
I suggest a simple solution for selecting the channel to which we attune ourselves: listen to and follow the voice of the Spirit.
We need to learn how to ponder the things of the Spirit and to respond to its promptings. 

http://www.lds.org/liahona/2006/06/voice-of-the-spirit?lang=eng&query=diamonds