Have I taught my children to fish and to sharpen their axes?

Finally my back has gotten better and I am terribly grateful for that. I forget how hard it is to function or concentrate when you are in such pain. It has been a long time since my back has been that bad...I think it scared Jeff and I both. I don't want to have surgery on my back, I pray that I can get stronger and keep it that way!

Today I was able to go to church and teach the women in Relief Society. The lesson was how important it is that we teach our children about God and how that can change their lives. One of the things that stuck out to me was ...that the reason that it is important to teach your children about God and Jesus Christ is because, there will be times in your kids lives that you can't be there.. but their Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ will always be there. What a great source of strength that can be.
I love the quote...

"Give a Man a Fish, and You Feed Him for a Day. Teach a Man To Fish, and You Feed Him for a Lifetime"

I would love to keep all my family close to me always and shelter them from anything bad in the world, but that isn't possible. I just pray that Jeff and I have taught them well enough to fish on their own. I hope that they will read the scriptures and go to them always for strength and comfort.

I hope that they know through and through, that they are a child of God and with that knowledge they will be able to be happy and have peace and hope...no matter what is going on in their world.

I hope that they love and teach their families to love and serve others. That they will never see someone in trouble or hurt...without helping them. 

you can watch the video HERE:

What a better world we would have if everyone loved one another.
It was a great reminder for me to study the scriptures, pray more often and look for opportunities every day to help someone in need.

Good Night dear friends!

PS If any of you think your lives are too busy to take time and read your scriptures...then read this story below!

The Wood-Choppers Contest

Once upon a time there were two men in a wood-chopping contest.  They were tasked with chopping down as many trees in the forest as they could from sun-up to sun-down.  The winner would be rewarded with both fame and fortune.

From morning till noon, both men steadily chopped and chopped.  By noon they were neck and neck, but then one man took a break and stopped chopping.  The other man saw this and thought to himself: “The lazy fool, he’s probably taken a break for lunch. He’s given me a chance to get ahead of him and I will without doubt win this contest!”

A while later the man got back to work. As the day continued he chopped more trees than his hard-working (and hungry) competitor and by mid-afternoon he had taken a clear lead.

When sundown came, the man who had taken the break at noon had chopped almost twice as many trees as the other man, who was drenched in sweat, hungry and exhausted.

“How did you beat me?” he asked puzzled. “You were lazier than I and even took a break for lunch!”

“Ah,” said the other man, “I did take a break, but it was during that break, that I sharpened my axe.”

Something I needed to remember today!

I am grateful for this simple reminder today!
I definitely needed this!
Good night dear friends!

Have you made Tear Soup lately?

Today I got the opportunity to teach on the topic of Adversity! Not real shocking, since I have been teaching on this very subject for over 35 years...still I believe that I have so much to learn from this topic! It really is one of my favorite subjects because I know that it effects us all!

I wanted to use the theme of this lesson after a book that I recieved when I got Cancer for the first time. I can't even remember who gave it to me, but it is one of my favorites! And I have bought it and given it away to someone in need...more times than I can remember. 

So here is my lesson from today!
You can read the whole lesson HERE:

This book Tear Soup was written by a Mother and son, then illustrated by her nephew. What a talented family. The Mother's name is Pat Schwiebert, she is a registered nurse and she has worked in the area of Bereavement for over 30 years. She said that her teachers...have been the ordinary people that she has worked with. She and her husband have a Hospice Ministry.

She says about her book Tear Soup that " Some cooking requires that you measure ingredients exactly. But making soup is different. Soup making is an art, and you are the artist. Improvising as you go, your only goal is that the blended creation with both safisfy your hunger and soothe what hurts you!"

You probably noticed that I set up my room today as a kitchen, I even brought my dinner Chicken Soup and put it in a crockpot so that it even smelled like a kitchen. 

When you first smelled the soup, what feelings did you have? Home, healing, soothing, comforting, warm, good!

Well, I believe that what I hope you feel when we talk about the ingredients that are important for us to put in our own Tear Soup, that everyone will make some time in their lives.

You probably noticed that on my pots of Tear Soup, I have labels...just  as the story goes in this book about Grandy, she realized when she had a loss or struggle in her life, she needed to make her own Tear Soup. The pot size would depend on how big her adversity is. She also realizes that she might have to make more than on pot of Tear Soup at a time. Some might just need to simmer for awhile, in smaller pots...but she still has to watch and attend them. Plus like me, she knows to always wear an apron...because Adversity just like cooking...could get messy!

How grateful I am for this lesson which is full of great ingredients for all of us when we have to make our own Tear Soup. 

Let's discuss these 5 ingredients in the lesson today.

I love this very first quote...
“When [the difficulties of mortality] humble us and refine us and teach us and bless us, they can be powerful instruments in the hands of God to make us better people.”

First ingredient is...Knowledge
We need to remember that Knowledge is Power
Adversity is part of God's plan for our eternal progress.

President Spencer W. Kimball, who knew a good deal about suffering, dissappointment, and circumstances beyond his control once wrote:
“Being human, we would expel from our lives physical pain and mental anguish and assure ourselves of continual ease and comfort, but if we were to close the doors upon sorrow and distress, we might be excluding our greatest friends and benefactors. Suffering can make saints of people as they learn patience, long-suffering, and self-mastery” [Faith Precedes the Miracle (1972), 98]

“This does not mean that we crave suffering. We avoid all we can. However, we now know, and we all knew when we elected to come into mortality, that we would here be proved in the crucible of adversity and affliction. …

“[Furthermore,] the Father’s plan for proving [and refining] his children did not exempt the Savior himself. The suffering he undertook to endure, and which he did endure, equaled the combined suffering of all men [and women everywhere.

We came to mortal life to encounter resistance. It was part of the plan for our eternal progress. Without temptation, sickness, pain, and sorrow, there could be no goodness, virtue, appreciation for well-being, or joy. … We must remember that the same forces of resistance which prevent our progress afford us also opportunities to overcome.

2nd Ingredient is ...Experience

Our mortal tribulations are for our growth and experience.

When [the difficulties of mortality] humble us and refine us and teach us and bless us, they can be powerful instruments in the hands of God to make us better people, to make us more grateful, more loving, and more considerate of other people in their own times of difficulty.

The great Book of Mormon patriarch, Lehi, spoke encouragingly to his son Jacob, a son born in the wilderness in a time of travail and opposition. Jacob’s life was not as he might have expected it to be and not as the ideal course of experience might have outlined. He had suffered afflictions and setbacks, but Lehi promised that such afflictions would be consecrated for his son’s gain (see 2 Nephi 2:2).

Then Lehi added these words that have become classic:

“For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, … righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad” (2 Nephi 2:11).

When you first came into the room today, you were given a piece of paper where I asked you to write down on one side, Your Greatest Challenge and on the other side, to write down the most Valuable Lesson you learned from that Challenge. 

No one was to put their name on them and so I shared those challenges and lessons as part of my lesson. Hoping that the Sisters would realize that they are not the only one with that exact challenge, and hopefully that they would have more compassion on others who too shared the same challenges as they had.

3rd Ingredient is... OPTIMISMIn the dictionary the word Optimism is... a feeling or belief that good things will happen in the future.
There have always been some difficulties in mortal life, and there always will be. But knowing what we know, and living as we are supposed to live, there really is no place, no excuse, for pessimism and despair.

So I hope you won’t believe all the world’s difficulties have been wedged into your decade, or that things have never been worse than they are for you personally, or that they will never get better. I reassure you that things have been worse and they will always get better. They always do—especially when we live and love the gospel of Jesus Christ and give it a chance to flourish in our lives. …

Contrary to what some might say, you have every reason in this world to be happy and to be optimistic and to be confident. Every generation since time began has had some things to overcome and some problems to work out.

Fourth Ingredient is... Sharing

When we come to the Savior, He will ease our burdens and lighten our loads.

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

“Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

“For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matt. 11:28–30.)

In our own great times of need we must not leave unrecognized this unfailing answer to the cares and worries of our world. Here is the promise of personal peace and protection. Here is the power to remit sin in all periods of time. We, too, must believe that Jesus Christ possesses the power to ease our burdens and lighten our loads. We, too, must come unto him and there receive rest from our labors.

Of course, obligations go with such promises. “Take my yoke upon you,” he pleads. In biblical times the yoke was a device of great assistance to those who tilled the field. It allowed the strength of a second animal to be linked and coupled with the effort of a single animal, sharing and reducing the heavy labor of the plow or wagon. A burden that was overwhelming or perhaps impossible for one to bear could be equitably and comfortably borne by two bound together with a common yoke. His yoke requires a great and earnest effort, but for those who truly are converted, the yoke is easy and the burden becomes light.

Why face life’s burdens alone, Christ asks, or why face them with temporal support that will quickly falter? To the heavy laden it is Christ’s yoke, it is the power and peace of standing side by side with a God that will provide the support, balance, and the strength to meet our challenges and endure our tasks here in the hardpan field of mortality.

We need not go through the adversities in our lives alone, unless we choose too! Our Savior has always been willing to help us, but we must let him. This principle is taught well in this cute story...
The Parable of the Milk

Once  there was a women who was deep in a tremendous trial; she had a small family to support and this burden was just to difficult to bear. She constantly called upon the Lord, begging him to remove this trial from her life, and couldn't understand why her prayers seemed to go unanswered. One day after she returned from the grocery store, she was carrying in the groceries when she spied her little three year old trying desperately trying to lift the gallon jug of milk. The little girl pulled and tugged but to no avail, she couldn't move the jug. The mother watched her struggle as the little girl tried so hard to help her mother with the load. Finally the woman picked up the jug, as she had the Lord to do for her so many times, taking the milk from the child. The little girl began to cry, "I want to do it...." she mumbled. The she lifted her head as her eyes lit up, "Mom, I know! I'll carry the milk and you carry me."

Sisters, the Savior has always been willing to carry us, as we strive to handle and learn from our own adversities.

5th Ingredients is... Faith and Hope
We need not fear the tribulations of the last days!

The scriptures … indicate that there will be seasons of time when the whole world will have some difficulty. We know that in our dispensation unrighteousness will, unfortunately, be quite evident, and it will bring its inevitable difficulties and pain and punishment. God will cut short that unrighteousness in his own due time, but our task is to live fully and faithfully and not worry ourselves sick about the woes of the world or when it will end. Our task is to have the gospel in our lives and to be a bright light, a city set on the hill, which reflects the beauty of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the joy and happiness that will always come to every people in every age who keep the commandments.

Inevitably the natural result of some of these kinds of prophecies is fear, and that is not fear limited to a younger generation. It is fear shared by those of any age who don’t understand what we understand.

But I want to stress that these feelings are not necessary for faithful Latter-day Saints, and they do not come from God. To ancient Israel, the great Jehovah said:

“Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. …

“And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.” (Deut. 31:6, 8.)

In light of such wonderful counsel, I think it is incumbent upon us to rejoice a little more and despair a little less, to give thanks for what we have and for the magnitude of God’s blessings to us, and to talk a little less about what we may not have or what anxiety may accompany difficult times in this or any generation.

A time of great hope and excitement

We need to have faith and hope, two of the great fundamental virtues of any discipleship of Christ. We must continue to exercise confidence in God, inasmuch as that is the first principle in our code of belief. We must believe that God has all power, that he loves us, and that his work will not be stopped or frustrated in our individual lives or in the world generally. …

I promise you in the name of the Lord whose servant I am that God will always protect and care for his people. We will have our difficulties the way every generation and people have had difficulties. But with the gospel of Jesus Christ, you have every hope and promise and reassurance.

… If our faith and hope are anchored in Christ, in his teachings, commandments, and promises, then we are able to count on something truly remarkable, genuinely miraculous, which can part the Red Sea and lead modern Israel to a place “where none shall come to hurt or make afraid.” (Hymns, 1985, no. 30.) Fear, which can come upon people in difficult days, is a principal weapon in the arsenal which Satan uses to make mankind unhappy. He who fears loses strength for the combat of life in the fight against evil. Therefore the power of the evil one always tries to generate fear in human hearts. In every age and in every era, mankind has faced fear.

As children of God and descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, we must seek to dispel fear from among people. A timid, fearing people cannot do their work well, and they cannot do God’s work at all. The Latter-day Saints have a divinely assigned mission to fulfill which simply must not be dissipated in fear and anxiety.

It is vital that we have all these 5 ingredients when adversity comes our way, and we have to make our own Tear Soup!
I also loved another book that a dear friend gave me called The Uses of Adversity.

  It had great advice from those who had lived through unbelievable adversities and pain and how they found a way to profit it and not let it destroy them. One of the true stories that touched me the most, was of a mother who lost one of her children in a terrible accident. After really struggling and trying to make sense out of what happen and asking a million times the same question  "WHY" over and over again in her prayers. She finally bore a sweet and powerful testimony of her knowledge of God, here is what she said at her son's funeral.

"I AM CONTENT TO LET  GOD BE GOD. I WILL NOT TRY TO INSTRUCT HIM ON HIS DUTIES OR ON HIS OBLIGATIONS TOWARD ME OR TOWARD ANY OF HIS CHILDREN. I KNOW HE LIVES AND LOVES US, AND THAT HE IS GOD. HE'S NOT UNMINDFUL OF US. WE DO NOT SUFFER OUT OF HIS VIEW. HE DOES NOT INFLICT PAIN UPON US, BUT HE SUSTAINS US IN OUR PAIN. I AM HIS DAUGHTER; MY SON IS ALSO HIS SON; WE BELONG TO HIM, AND WE ARE SAFE WITH HIM. I USED TO THINK WE WERE SAFE FROM GRIEF AND PAIN HERE BECAUSE OF OUR FAITH. I KNOW NOW THAT IS NOT TRUE, BUT WE ARE SAFE IN HIS LOVE. THAT IS MY WITNESS."

I pray that I will have this type of knowledge and testimony that my Heavenly Father loves me and knows me. And that I will never have to go through my adversities alone, unless I choose too.
I am grateful for the many valuable lessons that the adversities in my life have given me.
Yes, I learn so very much when I teach, so I feel very grateful tonight.
So...good night dear friends!

Interview with God!

My dear friend sent this email to me with a you tube that was amazing! the Photography and Music alone would inspire you but the words were perfect. I wrote them down so that I could actually see them and read them over and over.
What a great way to start off a new year! I hope you take time to watch it, the link is at the bottom of this post, but here are the words!
Grateful my friend sent this to me, words I really needed to hear and be reminded of!
Good Night dear friends!

Interview with God!

Photographed and created by... 

Floyd Holdman, Willy Holdman and  Richard Holdman

I dreamed I had an interview with God.

"so you would like to interview me?" God asked

"If you have time." I said

"my time is eternity."

"what questions do you have in mind for me?"

"what surprises for you most about humankind?"

God answered

"That they get bored with childhood.

 they rush to grow up 

and then long ti children again."

"That they lose their health to 

make money and then lose their

 money to restore their health"

"That by thinking anxiously about the future, they forget the present, such that they live in neither the present nor the future."

"That they live as if they will never die,

and die and see if they had never lived."

I asked "as a parent, what are some life's lessons you want your children to learn?"

God smiled and said "to learn that it is not good to compare themselves to others."

"to learn they cannot make anyone love them."

What they can do is let themselves be loved."

"to learn that a rich person is not one who has the most,  but is one who needs the least."

"to learn that it only takes a few seconds to open profound wounds in persons we love,

And it takes many years to heal them."

"to learn to forgive by practicing forgiveness"

"to learn that their persons who love them dearly,

But simply do not know how to express our show their feelings."

"to learn that to people and look at the same thing and see it differently."

"to learn that it is not always enough that they be forgiven by others.

But that they must forgive themselves."

Thank you for your time I humbly said, "is there anything else you would like children to know?"

"to learn that I am here."

"Always"

watch it HERE:

Seven Day challenge!

Loved this article today, it was such a great reminder that God is keenly aware of us! I talked to a dear friend the other day...who was wondering if God really does know us personally and love us! I tried to share my belief with her, that God does live, He knows us and loves us more than we can ever imagine! 
Here is the article! 
Enjoy and good night dear friends!

Did you see God today?

FaceboOne evening, feeling a little worried and overwhelmed, I lay in bed and wondered what was wrong. What was I missing? Not seeing? Not doing?

I asked the midnight darkness above my head: why hadn’t my morning prayers been answered?

Hadn’t I been sincere? Grateful? Faithful?

Discouraged, I did what any child with questions would do.

I asked, “Why?”

“Father, where were you today? What about then? And there? And in that trying moment when I lost my temper? Lost my keys? Lost my words?”

Feeling energized, and because I’m a writer who loves lists, I grabbed a journal and a pen. I would simply itemize the moments I’d hoped for help and hadn’t gotten any.

Think of it as my journal of personal calls to Celestial 911 that no one answered.

Then it hit me. It felt like the blended force of my mother’s wooden spoon and the love of her warm forgiveness and handmade blankets.

I was making the wrong list.

Rather than lamenting the occasions I expected help and the spiritual EMTs didn’t show, I needed to consider if anything had gone right.

So the experiment began. Could I find at least three things?

That morning, I’d given a ride to a stranger walking in front of my office. The man was returning from a court appearance after losing his license, his wife, his pride and his hope. He had a 15-mile walk ahead of him and didn’t ask for money, food or a pep-talk. He just needed someone to listen.

I saw God in serving a brother.

A few hours later, a car ran a stop sign as I rode shotgun after school with my 16-year-old daughter at the wheel. Instead of a disaster, the experience ended with a few teenage tears and a priceless lesson about always checking twice.

I saw God in potentially sparing our lives.

During dinner, my phone buzzed with a text from a church friend. She wanted me to know she’d reread an article I’d written years ago that impacted her profoundly. It brought her peace after losing her best friend.

I saw God reminding sometimes my work makes a spiritual difference.

All three experiences made me feel grateful, loved and spiritually seen. Don’t those feelings come from divinity? Maybe God hadn’t answered my mortal wish list, but He’d put His hand exactly where He’d needed to.

Yes, I’d seen God today.

As the experiment continued, I discovered that if I truly believe God knows me, if as the Bible teaches he really numbers the hair on our heads, I must accept that He lives in the details of today. Clearly, someone with eternal and perfect vision knows what I need and when I need it.

Gradually, I became more enlightened to how blessed I am each day. I began to feel how aware God is and how concerned He is about things I couldn’t have envisioned.

This list, these intersections with God and His goodness were the moments I recognized that His hand was in my life. I was seeing it.

Do bad things happen to good people? Of course.

Does that mean God doesn’t love those who feel pain? Of course not.

If Christ felt pain, despite all the good He did, why shouldn’t we? Adversity is part of the refining process that prepares us to live with God again.

What does this mean for you?

If you’re feeling invisible, make a list of at least three times you saw God today.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed with life, make that list.

If you’re feeling heartbroken, make that list.

If you’re feeling lucky, blessed or fulfilled, make that list.

Try it. Take the challenge for seven days.

You just might see God appearing in your life more often than you realize. Because like any active and loving parent, He is keenly aware of you at every moment of every day.

In fact, He’s perfectly so.

I know God is there. And whether you believe in Him or not, He believes in you.

I found the article HERE:

A Spiritual Feast!

This weekend was truly a Spiritual Feast! We were able to listen to General Conference on Saturday and Sunday. I feel blessed that we have a living prophet and apostles to inspire and encourage us.

I love the reminders and encouragements that this weekend brought, I truly needed them!

I am also grateful for the chance to listen to it again HERE:

Good Night dear friends!

What a day!

After another tough night, the morning came and we had another wonderful Owl Baby Shower! There is just something about celebrating these little ones, that is the best feeling in the world. Every little baby should have someone that is exited for happy about their upcoming birth!

Look at this cute diaper cake that my friend made and she made sweet lanterns too!

Then our other friend made these too cute little birds in their nests! What talented ladies!

Then Amy and Angie came over for dinner, after that we went to the a World Wide Women's Conference at church. It was wonderful, here are some of my notes ...

"The 2 most important days of a women's life are the day she was born and the day she realizes why!" 

We are daughters of God. What will you do each day to live as a child of God?

Because you are His child, He knows you and who you will become. 

Phillipines 4:13

The trials and problems in life, have things to teach us. We need to trust in Him. And pray to Him for strength an understanding.

Remember the Holy Ghost will help you hear the message that is right for you. 

There is enough that doesn't go right in life that's sad, meloncholy, so we should focus on the bright, happy things in life and be cheerful. 

Faith leads to Hope. 

You need to realize you have a choice each day to be said and discouraged or to have faith and be hopeful.

Open your eyes to the happiness in each day.

Remember Eternity is made up of NOWS!
Everything leads to LOVE!
When we serve others wer are happy and feel the Pure love of Christ. 

Let Faith fortify our every day choices!

You can see what we watched HERE:

 Then we decided to go to Michaels for a bit! ( isn't there always something you need at Michaels?) :)

I was trying to tell our friend that I don't smile until you count to 3 .... you can tell by the top photo, she didn't count to 3! :)

Fun to have Angie come with us, the night would have been totally complete if my daughter Lauren and daughter in law Krystal was with us. At least we know they got to watch Women's Conference in Idaho and Texas at the same time...that was sorta like we were together.
Anyway it was a wonderful day and it was a blessing!
Good Night dear friends!

What is Pride?

Today I got to teach in church. I always love preparing to teach, because in the process of studying for the lesson or talk... I learn sooo much!
I felt like this was a tough lesson, because there was sooo much to it and so I tried to come up in a way to make it something that everyone could understand and something that applied to their lives.

I started out with some of these quotes by Ezra Taft Benson, he was the United States Secretary of Agriculture and he was a prophet of God. Those who knew him said that he was a very humble man and did not allow the applause of the world or the harsh criticism ring in his ears. Instead, he was true to a reminder he frequently received from his wife, Flora: " Don't worry about the world's opinion of you as long as you're right with the Lord. "

"Pride does not look up to God and care about what is right. It looks sideways to man and argues who is right...

"Pride is characterized by "What do I want out of life? rather than by 'What would God have me do with my life? ' It is self-will as opposed to God's will. It is the fear of man over the fear of God. 

" Humility responds to God's will- to the fear of His judgements and to the needs of those around us. To the proud, the applause of the world rings in their ears; to the humble, the applause of heaven warms their hearts. "

In the scriptures we read over and over about the warning of Pride.
Pride is a very misunderstood sin, and many are sinning in ignorance. The lesson goes on to say that most of us think of pride as self-centeredness, conceit, boastfulness, arragance, or haughtiness. All of these are elements of the sin,, but the heart, or core, is still missing.
Pride is competitive in nature. The proud cannot accept the authority of God giving direction to their lives. They pit their perceptions of truth against God's great knowledge, their abilities versus God's priesthood power, their accomplishments against His might works. Many times the proud... wish God would agree with them. They aren't interested in changing their opinions to agree with God's.

The proud make every man their adversary by pitting their intellects, opinions, works, wealth, talents, or any other worldly measuring device against others. In the words of C. S. Lewis: " Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man...It is the comparison that makes you proud: the pleasure of being above the rest. Once the element of competition has gone, pride has gone." 

I also compared Pride like an Octopus... I am always trying to think of visual ways to teach my lessons ( guess you can tell that I am used to teaching kids ). When I studied up on the Octopus, I thouht how fitting. Here is what I found when studying how an Octopus captures its prey.
- First of all they are very intelligent
-Then do not have an external or internal skeleton, therefore they can squeeze in small places to hide and protect themselves from their predators.
-They use their many armms to catch and ensnare their prey.
-They can spray ink out of their bodies, clouding the waters so that they either attack their prey or to get away from danger.
-They are fast.
-They have poisionus saliva and with one bite, can seriously injure or kill their prey
- They can camouflage themselves, so that they can sneak up on their prey or hide from their predators. 

I thought Pride is a lot like an Octopus, many times people with knowledge and wealth often forget about being humble and teachable. As you look at this Octopus and all the things that are considered prideful by the Lord, then you can also see that like the ink that the Octopus sprays to cloud the waters, the world tries to cloud the issues or the facts so as to ensnare us to have less choices. The world tries to make it seem as if the Commandments are optional!  Or we have to do it just because everyone else is... Like his poisonous saliva, there are many prideful things out in the world that are poisonious to our souls, if we let them take ahold of our lives and our families. And like the octopus can camouflage itself, so can bad things of the world, try to disguise it's self as something good. And last but not least, like the many arms of the octopus that can catch and ensare their prey. There are many things out there that tempt us to be prideful in. Things that can harm us physically, emotionally and spiritually!

I also shared this poem, it was a great way to remind us that we are all human, and do sometimes make mistakes and make judgements about others.

The Cookie Thief A woman was waiting at the airport one night,
With several long hours before her flight.
She hunted for a book in the airport shop,
Bought a bag of cookies and found a place to drop.
She was engrossed in her book, but happened to see,
That the man beside her, as bold as could be,
Grabbed a cookie or two from the bag between,
Which she tried to ignore to avoid a scene.
She read, munched cookie, and watched the clock,
As the gutsy “cookie thief” diminished her stock.
She was getting more irritated as the minutes ticked by,
Thinking, “If I wasn’t so nice, I’d blacken his eye!”
With each cookie she took, he took one too.
When only one was left, she wondered what he’d do.
With a smile on his face and a nervous laugh,
He took the last cookie and broke it in half.
He offered her half, and he ate the other.
She snatched it from him and thought, “Oh brother,
This guy has some nerve, and he’s also so rude,
Why, he didn’t even show any gratitude!”
She had never known when she had been so galled,
And sighed with relief when her flight was called.
She gathered her belongings and headed for the gate,
Refusing to look at the “thieving ingrate”.
She boarded the plane and sank in her seat,
Then sought her book, which was almost complete.
As she reached in her baggage, she gasped with surprise.
There were her bag of cookies in front of her eyes!
“If mine are here,” she moaned with despair,
“Then the others were his and he tried to share!”
Too late to apologize, she realized with grief,
That she was the rude one, the ingrate, the thief!!!

Then near the end we talked about the Antidote for Pride ...which is HUMILITY!
If we are humble, meek, submissive and come to the Lord with a broken heart and a contrite spirit then we will be more teachable. Rudyard Kipling put it well:
The tumult  and the shouting dies;
The captains and the kings depart. 
Still stands thine ancient sacrifice,
An humble and contrite heart. 
Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet, 
Lest we forget, lest we forget....

We can choose to be humble, obedient, forgiving, serve others and obeying God!

There was a ton more about my lesson and if you want you can read the rest of it HERE:
Hope you all had a wonderful Sabbath.
Good Night dear friends!

So True!

There has been a few things that I have been needing answers for lately. And I realized today that I just need to be STILL and wait for the answers.

I need to remember more often that God is in charge, and I don't have to fret as much about things.
It was a good lesson today!

Actually I got another lesson today, I finally got back to the store where I got my sewing machine last year...and took lessons on how to use all the bells and whistles that my machine has.
I was grateful for her help... I am excited to see what other things I could create with it!

And yet another lesson I learned happened today when I went to visit my neighbor who has  Alzhemier's. I remember visiting each of my Grandmothers in the Nursing Homes and the lesson that I learned was ... Time, even though everyone has the same amount of hours in a day, the time they have now... has begun to slow down, almost standing still.
I was just going in for a visit, just a few minutes...but then I realized that I was really in no rush really...so I stayed and watched Little House On The Prarie with her. She seemed happy to see me, she seemed happy that I was there. It was a sweet hour and it made me remember again and again...how precious time is, and I felt HAPPY!
Good Night dear friend!

His promise!

This week, I found out that two of my dear friends were just diagnosed with Cancer. I so remember both times, that I was diagnosed with Cancer. It is like your whole world is turned upside down and everything is put on hold. Actually the best word is...your whole world gets  Prioritized. All the things that you worry and become preoccupied all day long with, now changes because you, your life and your family become front and center. Your priorities become crystal clear.
I remember looking out the window and watching everyone going on with their day as if nothing was different and I thought, the world just keeps going on and no one knows that my family and I are going through something terrible.
I felt the same way when my Aunt Ina died, we lived with her in her home for the first 10 years of my life. She was my best friend, protector and my world. The day of her funeral, I remember the Milk man coming early in the morning ( as he did each week ) to drop off our milk ...and I thought it was so rude of him not to realize that my sweet Aunt had passed away. He didn't know her, but  I thought he should have, I thought everyone should have known my Aunt Ina, I loved her so much. And as we left her funeral, I remember looking out the window of our car and I couldn't believe that everyone's world was still going on, as if nothing ever happened. Something did happen and to a 10 year old girl, it was the biggest thing in my life, and for some reason I thought everyone should at least stop for a moment and recognize that my Aunt had passed away.

So I try hard to remember when I am around these people that I am respectful that their whole world has changed in an instant. The things that normally filled their days will be exchanged for appointments and treatments. A huge change in their lives is going on and so even though I can't do much, I can pray for them. I can try and send them cards and letters of hope and encouragement.
Both of these individuals are already amazing people with great family support. They will do fine, they will share something with the world as their courage shines through on their darkest days. How grateful I am to know that there is a God in the heavens, who loves us and knows us by name. He will keep His promise to be with us. For that we can be sure!
Good Night dear friends!

Why?

This was a great article.
Thought it was a good reminder for us all!
Good night dear friends!

Follow God’s example and say ‘no’ to your kids — sometimest

As you read this — no matter where you live — this scene is available in a store near you.

A child looks up at Mom or Dad and asks for something they want, but almost most certainly doesn’t need. If the answer is “no,” the child often asks again in a different tone and rhythm.

Like a composer, they add another instrument each time they ask. Sometimes, the begging and pleading and become so loud it’s like a symphony heard across the store, or worse, the ZIP code.

We’ve all been there. We were the child, the parent or the stranger in line behind them.

The theme appears everywhere: The kid who wants a sleepover. The movie your son wants to watch that he’s just not ready for. The school dance where your daughter wants to make an appearance, but with a boy you’d like to actually disappear.

Contrary to what our children might believe, we don’t say “no” because we delight in their distress. We say “no” because it’s the best answer. But do we say “no” often enough?

Here’s another scene unfolding somewhere near you, but much more reverently.

A mother prays for the son who raged and barged out of the house two years ago that she hasn’t seen since. Mom just wants him home, and she prays that God will say “yes” and deliver him to her doorstep.

Three streets over, a woman is also asking God for a child. She’s been trying to get pregnant for years and fears the window is quickly closing. She asks every single day, but the answer has not changed. Like a child in the store, she’s also crying. But her tears come not from disappointment — they spring from grief.

Across town a teenage boy is likewise on his knees. He’s pleading and bargaining with his Heavenly Father that his earthly father will come home from yet another trip to the hospital. Dad has been battling cancer and more than anything, his son wants him to attend his high school graduation, his wedding and to be back at the hospital in a happier wing — labor and delivery — to one day meet a grandchild.

Every day we call out to God — our father — and ask him for things we both want and need. In his own time, he has a way of meeting those needs, and, occasionally, even our wants.

But he often says “no.”

Every day our children come to us and ask for things they both want and need. Sometimes we believe that to show love, or to end the asking, or to end the tantrum, we must say “yes.” But if we believe that there is a heavenly pattern to parenting, shouldn’t we say “no” more often?

Next time you’re the awkward stranger watching one of these dramatic family moments play out next to the candy bar rack, glance in the cart and see what you find. There are exceptions, of course, but you usually see exactly what the child needs. Bread, milk, eggs, perhaps new socks and maybe an item or two they want.

It might be their favorite cereal, a new coloring book, or that bag of chips Mom doesn’t normally buy.

If you believe in God, if you believe he is our literal Father in heaven, the next time you’re faced with the decision of getting something your child wants but does not necessarily need, try saying “no.”

No matter how badly they think they need it, consider all you know about their life that they have not yet learned. Consider that you’re taking care of their needs and helping them grow through the “no.”

Say it with love. Say it with compassion and patience. But say it.

God loves us. But sometimes, despite our deepest desires, he says “no” because he sees more than the here and now — he sees what’s best for us over an eternity.

Likewise, we love our children. But sometimes, despite their deepest desires, we should say “no” because we see more than the here and now — we see what’s best for them along their earthly journey in our care.

Don’t be afraid to say “no.” If it’s good for God, it’s good for us.

I found the article HERE: