Simply just do what you can do!

Well, it's a new year and a new chance to start over in so many areas of my life. Like with LynnMade, we have had some challenges and we have had to rearrange how we are working the whole business. At first I was really upset but realize now that I was going about it all wrong. I really tried to make my business become something that it isn't. I am still not sure exactly what I want LynnMade to be ...but I do know what I don't want it to be.
So for now I will just try to focus on what is most important and then trust that I will make the right direction choices in my life. I love LynnMade, and some day I pray that it will become something known for helping and inspiring others to create something beautiful fro the ones they love!
I am going to try to do more teaching so that people will know who LynnMade is and what we stand for.
I have neglected this blog since I started LynnMade a year ago, it just seemed too much to do 2 blogs and get all the things ready that we needed to start LynnMade. I loved writing this blog, I love sharing what is on my heart. I love sharing the lessons of life that I am learning. I feel like even though I am having fun with LynnMade and making it happen, still I realize that I let some of the important things go.
I haven't been paying enough attention to my health or my personal goals...so I am going to regroup and start this year over...trying hard to keep my priorities in order.
Life teaches you over and over. Sometimes I wonder why I can't learn something the first time...why I have to relearn things over and over?  I guess that is just life... or just me!
So thanks for your patience and for being such a great friends and a great support to me. Thanks for believing in me, that means alot!
Good Night dear friends!
PS I think this quote was written for me!

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!

What is it exactly, that STAY HOME MOMS do?

When I watched this video, it made me remember a lot of the feelings I had as a Stay At Home Mom. Even that many years ago, still it was different from what most Mom's were doing. Staying Home as a Mom, is a bit tougher than it looks. It seems like before you wake up, your to do list is miles long. It is planning one thing, but having something else take its place. It was a lot of impromptu experiences, especially with kids.
Some days I felt like I had accomplished a lot, but there were many days that I hardly ever got to scratch off something from my To Do List; and even days that I wasn't even a very good Mom. I was impatient and frustrated more than I should have been. My priorities were mixed up usually on those days.
Like this video, it was usually something that one of my children did or said...that changed my perspective. Which gave me hope so that I could get up the next day and be a Better Mom!
Motherhood is hard, there is not two ways about it. Motherhood is a gift and one that we need to be thankful each day. Finding balance is the key, appreciating the little things is very helpful and forgiving yourself and trying harder the next day... is truly what a Stay Home Mom is all about. I know, because I was one for almost 30 years!

Be sure to watch it here:

Who is a hero in your life?

Once again, Jason Wright finds something positive to share in his weekly articles, you can read them here:

March 12, 2013

You may not know Dave McConnell of Columbus, Ohio. But odds are, you know someone just like him. You might call them friends.

I call them life heroes.

McConnell hasn't overcome disease, saved someone from a burning barn or given millions to charity.

He's just a suburban dad living in a nice Columbus neighborhood with his lovely wife, Alisha, and two happy, healthy children.

So why is he one of my heroes? Because like few people I've ever known, McConnell has found balance between providing for his family and pursuing his creative dreams.

I recognized McConnell was a creative thinker when I first met him in July of 1989. We'd both graduated from high school weeks before and crossed paths on a low-budget movie set in Sandy, Utah. McConnell had an agent, raw talent, a Hollywood jaw and dreams of L.A. stardom.

One year later we both served missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Brazil. We served honorably and though we've been home two decades, a piece of us remains with the country and people we grew to love.

Upon his return, McConnell attended school and reignited his dreams of bright lights and of making a creative difference in the world. He didn't know exactly where life would take him, but heaven made it clear he had stories to tell on the trip there.

Sadly, my dear friend and I drifted apart through the years. I saw him in a commercial or two and recognized him immediately in the 2002 television movie, "The Pennsylvania Miners' Story."

Finally, a few years ago, we each reconnected with another long-lost mutual friend who passed along our contact information. I soon found myself in Columbus, Ohio, spending the day with the McConnell family.

It was a joy to catch up. I learned that McConnell works in pharmaceutical sales and provides well for his family. But it's miles away from the dreams of his teens and 20s when he imagined being a full-time actor, writer and director.

I also learned that my talented friend has a talent agent and that he's booked many commercials and a few parts in films and television series that have passed through Ohio. He's shared a set with the likes of Ryan Gosling and George Clooney.

He's currently starring in a series of regional Wal-Mart ads. He's the man who walks with real customers through the store to show the savings between Wal-Mart and one of their local competitors.

No, it's not some soundstage on some lot at some Hollywood studio, but it's a creative outlet and a regular gig that he loves.

McConnell has also just finished his first novel. "Dark Soul" is an 80,000-word look at life and death and heaven and hell. It challenges readers to shake their perceptions of what awaits on the other side. It's earning raves from early readers and is being shopped to publishers and agents.

So what makes him a "life hero?"

McConnell and other fathers and mothers like him are heroes for their willingness to balance their dreams and the artistic passions of their souls to fulfill their greater responsibility - to provide safety and security for their families.

My good friend would give almost anything to quit his job, remodel his home office and write a New York Times best-seller or Oscar-winning screenplay. His veins run hot with creative blood that aches to tell stories on paper, stage or film.

He would do almost anything for the opportunity, but he accepts that his priorities cannot be compromised.

Our society glorifies those who sacrifice all to pursue their dreams, who never quit, who suffer to achieve greatness. But what about those who put dreams in their proper place?

Hopefully the day will come when he can say goodbye to his nine-to-five job and write or act full time. Perhaps he'll relocate from the Midwest to California or New York and support his family on his creative talents.

But what if that never happens? What if his dreams remain on the periphery, like extras in his life's movie? They'll be seen, have their role, but never dominate the screen.

What if he is only remembered as a man who worked hard every single day in corporate America and took whatever time he could squeeze from life to pursue his other passions?

What if he's remembered as nothing but a husband and father who kept his promises, loved God and loved his family and served both with all his heart? Then he would leave this life a very satisfied man.

You probably know someone just like this. Maybe they stare back at you in the mirror every morning. You might wake up in the early hours to work on that manuscript or screenplay. You sing in the shower or in the garage with your band with the hope and prayer that one day your passions will become a profession.

You accept that your dreams won't come true without true effort, but that dreams are not an excuse to shirk responsibilities of living in a modern world. It's what makes you admirable. It's what makes you honorable.

It's what makes you a "life hero."

And it's time we honor you, too.

5 regrets of the dying

This was such an interesting article...
The link for it is   here:
It tells you what dying people's regrets are. It is an article written by a nurse who works with people in the last few weeks of their lives. Like Hospice I guess. I still can remember the Hospice workers that were there for my Mom, what ANGELS they were. So this article was interesting for me, and I believe the regrets are true for most people. Take a moment to read it, and hopefully it will be a reminder to us all of what really is important! What a great thing to read now, when we AREN'T dying!

Good night dear friends!

What do you want to do with your life?

I love this quote by Marjorie Pay Hinckley, what an amazing lady she was. By this quote, you can see the wisdom that she has earned in this life.

We all should be so blessed that we know exactly what our priorities are, and that we would have the determination and courage… to keep them in the right order!

Good night dear loved one!

Marjorie Pay Hinckley - “I don't want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautifully tailored clothes, my hair expertly coiffed, and with long, perfectly manicured fingernails. I want to drive up in a station wagon that has mud on the wheels from taking kids to scout camp. I want to be there with a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt from making sandwiches for a sick neighbors children. I want to be there with a little dirt under my fingernails from helping to weed someone's garden. I want to be there with children's sticky kisses on my cheeks and the tears of a friend on my shoulder. I want the Lord to know I was really here and that I really lived.”

Cleaning verses Priorities

Today my daughter and Miss Jenny came over while Angie was in school. Angie is trying to help Lee and I organize the garage. I know that we do it at least twice a yea,r but that really isn’t even enough. We laughed so hard as we would go through box after box of my stuff. She would call me a hoarder and I would start laughing and say “ I have asked for years for help… and all you guys do is make fun of me.” I know I am not really a hoarder but I do have a lot of stuff, supplies mostly for any type of arts and crafts, or sewing project you could ever imagine. For 20 years I sold Arts and Crafts to help pay for Birthdays and Christmas. I don’t believe there is a craft out there that I haven’t made and sold! Honestly…I have done just about everything out there and the proof is in the garage!

Well, we thought it wouldn’t take too long, but low and behold we were still there when Angie came home from school. She wasn’t too crazy about us cleaning and kept asking if we could play. Finally we went outside for awhile and then she went over to see our neighbor who was working on her lawn. In her yard, she had some apple trees and so she asked Angie if she would like to pick some. Of course she was thrilled… and so after she got a bag full then she begged to make Apple Cider, Apple pies or anything. Amy and I kept cleaning and then finally I looked at her face and realized I needed to stop right then and just go make apple something with my girl!  So that is exactly what we did.
Is the house or garage finished? Absolutely NOT…but Angie and I had a blast making Apple Scones and Apple Crisp. Angie loved using the apple peeler/slicer too!
So I was grateful that I finally remembered as a Grandma ( actually Nana ) what my priorities are,  and need to try not to forget them so quickly!

 

“My life is blessed; I have held my children's children.”     ~Jeremy Taylor

“Surely, two of the most satisfying experiences in life must be those of being a grandchild or a grandparent.”      ~Donald A. Norberg

“Grandma always made you feel she had been waiting to see just you all day and now the day was complete.”      ~Marcy DeMaree

What a great day!

   Today was a great day, I was wondering why that was? Maybe because we had sunshine...which we haven't seen a lot of this summer. Maybe because it was the Sabbath?  I love stopping all the regular things that I do every day, and really enjoy and honor the Sabbath. I like getting spiritually refueled, or taking time to recharge my spiritual batteries.
    I notice that I am not very good at  working outside of my home, and taking care of my home and the essentials like I should. I know there are many woman out there that can do work and home quite well but...that has never been me. I worked all week at the Quilt Shop for the Shop Hop and like I said before and I loved it! But at the same time, my housework, food, meals, exercise and personal study were jeopardized. I didn't take time to send out the cards that I wanted to, or spend the time with family and friends like I should. So there once again I was reminded to find balance in my life. Keep my priorities for myself and my family. I like doing the thing that I love ...like creating, but I realize when I pay attention to my exercise, scriptures, and prayers that I am way more balanced and productive when I put first things first. So at the ripe age of 51 and 3/4...I am still learning!
   Another thing that I read today, that has caused me to think again about my choices in life was an article. In  there was a few comments about  how very much God wants to help us over obstacles in our life. He gave this quote... "He wants to speak to us. He speaks to us in the ways that we can hear only with our heart. To better hear His voice, it would be wise to turn down the volume control of the worldly noise in our lives. If we ignore or block out the prompting's of the Spirit for whatever reason, they become less noticeable until we cannot hear them at all."  ~ Dieter F. Uchtdorf
   I realized that lately it has been easier to turn on the computer than open my scriptures. Easier to watch a movie than go visit a friend. Focus on me, instead of others. I have got to turn off the computer more. To many of you that know me, you might laugh ...because I am not on the computer that often but...I am on it more than I have even been. It is so easy to just check my email, search a few blogs or web sites and to check on Face book to see what is going on. I am thinking that I need to spend less time on here and really take the time to have things more quite in my life so...I truly can listen to what the Lord wants me to do. In the past when I have been more attentive at doing that, life really seemed a lot smoother. Other wise, I sorta feel like I am trying to shoot an arrow in the dark. I have goals or a target that I want to hit , but when I am so busy and going at such a fast  pace, then I feel a bit left out in the dark and that is when I realize it is time for me to re-evaluate once again. Who said you had to wait till the New Year to set goals?
I hope you had a wonderful Sunday too! Good night dear friends!

 

"The goal you set must be challenging. At the same time, it should be realistic and attainable, not impossible to reach. It should be challenging enough to make you stretch, but not so far that you break." Rick Hansen

"Action expresses priorities." ~ Mohandas Gandhi  

"Good things happen when you get your priorities straight."  ~ Scott Caan

"We are not human beings on a spiritual journey. We are spiritual beings on a human journey."  ~ Stephen R. Covey  

Sweet and Simple

I loved this, hope you do too!  Good night dear friends!

The Seven Wonders of the World

Junior high school students in Chicago were
studying the Seven Wonders of the World. At
the end of the lesson, the students were asked
to list what they considered to be the Seven
Wonders of the World. Though there was some
disagreement, the following received the
most votes:
1. Egypt's Great Pyramids
2. The Taj Mahal in India
3. The Grand Canyon in Arizona
4. The Panama Canal
5. The Empire State Building
6. St. Peter's Basilica
7. China's Great Wall
While gathering the votes, the teacher noted that one student, a quiet girl, hadn't turned in her paper yet. So she asked the girl if she was having trouble with her list. The quiet girl replied, "Yes, a little. I couldn't quite make up my mind because there were so many." The teacher said, "Well, tell us what you have, and maybe we can help."
The girl hesitated, then read, "I think the Seven Wonders of the World are:
1. to touch...
2. to taste...
3. to see...
4. to hear... (She hesitated a little, and then added...)
5. to feel...
6. to laugh...
7. and to love.
The room was so quiet, you could have heard a pin drop.
May this story serve as a gentle reminder to all of us that the things we overlook as simple and ordinary are often the most wonderful - and we don't have to travel anywhere special to experience them.
Enjoy your gifts!    Author Unknown

http://www.inspirationpeak.com/shortstories/sevenwonders.html

“It is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all.”         ~ Laura Ingalls Wilder

Missing something!

I read this story the other day and laughed pretty hard. First you should read the story and then I will leave my comments for the end.

Missing Husband

A lady went to the police station to file a report for her missing Husband:
Lady: I lost my Husband
Inspector: What is his height?

Lady: I never noticed
Inspector: Slim or healthy?

Lady: Not slim can be healthy
Inspector: Color of eyes?

Lady: Never noticed
Inspector: Color of hair?

Lady: Changes according to season
Inspector: What was he wearing?

Lady: suit/casuals I don’t remember exactly
Inspector: Was somebody with him ?????????

Lady: Yes my Labrador dog, Calvin, tied with a golden chain, height 30 inches, healthy, blue eyes, blackish brown hair, his left foot thumb nail is slightly broken, he never barks, wearing a golden belt studded with blue balls, he likes non veggie food, we eat together, we jog together…. And the lady started crying…..

Inspector: Let’s search for the dog first!!!!!!!

Wasn't that funny?  Of course it was funny for a story, but in true life that would be really sad. I do believe all of us at different times in our lives, maybe have had our perspective out of whack like that. When you stop and look at your thoughts, time and efforts and where they are put, are our lives balanced or not? Are we putting the proper time and energy into our marriages and family, verses other things in our lives?  It made me laugh but yet made me really stop and think. Hope it does the same for you.

(Now the picture below, is not of a cute lab named Calvin, but this is a photo of my new GRAND PUPPY Keeva! Isn't she cute? I haven't actually met her in person yet, but in just 3 weeks I will...hope I can keep things in perspective, after all she is my first Grand Puppy you know? :)  Good night dear friends!

"You don't marry someone you can live with, you marry the person who you cannot live without."                ~ Unknown

"Success in marriage does not come merely through finding the right mate, but through being the right mate." 
~ Barnett Bricker

"Sometimes it's the smallest decisions that can change your life forever."  ~ Keri Russell

How are your juggling skills?

I loved this. How often do we try to juggle more balls than we can possibly handle?  Priorities, something we need to re-evaluate often. This was the perfect reminder! Night!

Juggle Balls

Written by the CEO of Coca-Cola:

"Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. You name them - work, family, health, friends and spirit and you're keeping all of these in the air. You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls - family, health, friends and spirit are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged or even shattered. They will never be the same. You must understand that and strive for balance in your life.
How?

1. Don't undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others. It is because we are different that each of us is special.
2. Don't set your goals by what other people deem important. Only you know what is best for you.
3. Don't take for granted the things closest to your heart. Cling to them as you would your life, for without them, life is meaningless.
4. Don't let your life slip through your fingers by living in the past or for the future. By living your life one day at a time, you live ALL the days of your life.
5. Don't give up when you still have something to give. Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying.
6. Don't be afraid to admit that you are less than perfect. It is this fragile thread that binds us each together.
7. Don't be afraid to encounter risks. It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave.
8. Don't shut love out of your life by saying it's impossible to find. The quickest way to receive love is to give; the fastest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly; and the best way to keep love is to give it wings.
9. Don't run through life so fast that you forget not only where you've been, but also where you are going.
10. Don't forget that a person's greatest emotional need is to feel appreciated.
11. Don't be afraid to learn. Knowledge is weightless, a treasure you can always carry easily.
12. Don't use time or words carelessly. Neither can be retrieved. Life is not a race, but a journey to be savored each step of the way

I don't care how poor a man is; if he has family, he's rich.  ~Dan Wilcox and Thad Mumford

Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family.  Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one.  ~Jane Howard

"The key is not to prioritize what's on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities."  ~ Stephen R. Covey

 

What choices am I making each day?

This story was simple but profound! Enjoy!

The Emperor and the Horseman

A Long time ago, there was an Emperor who told his horseman that

if he could ride on his horse and cover as much land area as he likes,

then the Emperor would give him the area of land he has covered.

Sure enough, the horseman quickly jumped onto his horse and

rode as fast as possible to cover as much land area as he could.

He kept on riding and riding, whipping the horse to go as fast as possible.

When he was hungry,thirsty or tired, he did not stop because

he wanted to cover as much area as possible. Came to a point

when he had covered a substantial area and he was exhausted

and was dying. Then he asked himself, "Why did I pushed myself

so hard to cover so much land area? Now I am dying and

I only need a very small area to bury myself."

The above story is similar with the journey of our Life.

We push very hard everyday to make more money,

to gain power and recognition. We neglect our health, time with our family

and to appreciate the surrounding beauty and the hobbies we love to do.

One day when we look back, we will realize that we don't really need that much,

but then we cannot turn back time for what we have missed.

Life is not about making money, acquiring power or recognition.

Life is definitely not about work! Work is only necessary to keep us living

so as to enjoy the beauty and pleasures of life.

Moral of the story ...

Life is a balance of Work and Play, Family and Personal time.

You have to decide how you want to balance your Life.

Define your priorities, realize what you are able to compromise

but always let some of your decisions be based on your instincts.

Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of Life,

the whole aim of human existence. So, take it easy,

do what you want to do and appreciate nature. Life is fragile,

Life is short. Do not take Life for granted.

Live a balance lifestyle and enjoy Life!  ~ Unknown

 

"In every single thing you do, you are choosing a direction. Your life is a product of choices." Dr. Kathleen Hall, from Alter Your Life

“You may think that in life, a lot of things happen to you along the way. The truth is, in life, you happen to a lot of things along the way.”

“There may be a thousand little choices in a day. All of them count.”
http://lifelessons4u.wordpress.com/2009/05/28/26-quotes-on-choices/

Children...priceless!

When my kids were little and we were all out at the store, sometimes a woman would come up to me and ask me what the name of my Day Care was? I was confused? Then they would go on talking about how they would like to put their kids in a Day Care, where the people would take their kids out on field trips ...like I was doing. I then told them that all these ( 4 ) children were mine...their eyes about popped out of their heads and then they just walked away, or might have said how cute they thought the kids were. Now obviously this was on one of those days ...where everyone was being nice and happy, not all of them were like that (shocker). I just smiled because no one could believe that we actually wanted four kids, they just thought we didn't know how to stop having them. How I wish I would have had this article, on the Price of Children to give to them...now that would have been priceless!

The Price of Children

This is just too good not to pass on to all. Something absolutely positive for a change. I have repeatedly seen the breakdown of the cost of raising a child, but this is the first time I have seen the rewards listed this way. It's nice, The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 and came up with $160,140 for a middle income family. Talk about sticker shock! That doesn't even touch college tuition. But $160,140 isn't so bad if you break it down. It translates into:

· $8,896.66 a year,
· $741.3 month, or * $171.08 a  week.
· That's a mere $24.24 a day!
· Just over a dollar an hour.

Still, you might think the best financial advice is don't have children if you want to be "rich." Actually, it is just the opposite.

What do you get for your $160,140?

• Naming rights. First, middle, and last!
• Glimpses of God every day.
• Giggles under the covers every night.
• More love than your heart can hold.
• Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs.
• Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm cookies.
• A hand to hold, usually covered with jelly or chocolate.
• A partner for blowing bubbles, flying kites
• Someone to laugh yourself silly with, no matter what the boss said or how your stocks performed that day.

For $160,140, you never have to grow up. You get to:

• finger-paint,
• carve pumpkins,
• play hide-and-seek,
• catch lightning bugs, and
• never stop believing in Santa Claus. You have an excuse to:
• keep reading the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh,
• watching Saturday morning cartoons,
• going to Disney movies, and
• wishing on stars.
• You get to frame rainbows, hearts, and flowers under refrigerator magnets and collect spray painted noodle wreaths for Christmas, hand prints set in clay for Mother's Day, and cards with backward letters for Father's Day.

For $160,140, there is no greater bang for your buck. You get to be a hero just for:

• retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof,
• taking the training wheels off a bike,
• removing a splinter,
• filling a wading pool,
• coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs, and coaching a baseball team that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream regardless.

You get a front row seat to history to witness the:

· first step,
· first word,
· first bra,
· first date, and
· first time behind the wheel.

You get to be immortal. You get another branch added to your family tree, and if you're lucky, a long list of limbs in your obituary called grandchildren and great grandchildren. You get an education in psychology, nursing, criminal justice, communications, and human sexuality that no college can match.

In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there under God. You have all the power to heal a boo-boo, scare away the monsters under the bed, patch a broken heart, police a slumber party, ground them forever, and love them without limits.

So . . one day they will like you, love without counting the cost. That is quite a deal for the price!!!!!!!http://www.rogerknapp.com/inspire/pricechildren.htm

Moral of this is...to love and enjoy your children and grandchildren

"Kids go where there is excitement. They stay where there is love."  ~ Zig Ziglar

"We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, yet we forget that he is someone today."   ~Stacia Tauscher

What are my priorities?

Tonight a friend and I went to a church meeting for all the women ( it is called Relief Society ), we have it once a month, and the topic this month was about ORGANIZATION. I know...something I need! It was a good class and even at my ripe old age of 51(just kidding), I realized a few things that I could do to simplify my life. Here are some of the notes that I took and things that meant a lot to me.**********************************************************************************************************************************

"I have said lately that women are like lionesses at the gate of the home. Whatever happens in that home and family happens because she cares about it and it matters to her. She guards that gate, and things matter to that family if they matter to her. For example, if the lioness at the gate believes in the law of tithing, tithing will be paid in that family. If that family has a humble little portion of ten pesos coming in, that lioness will safeguard the one peso if tithing is important to her. If that lioness at the gate knows about renewing her baptismal covenants with God, she will be in sacrament meeting on Sunday, and she will prepare her children to be there. They will be washed, cleaned, combed, and taught about that meeting and what happens there. It isn’t a casual event, but it is serious to her, and it will be serious to them.

Sisters, you are each like the lioness at the gate. This means that there has to be some prioritizing. I was taught years ago that when our priorities are out of order, we lose power. If we need power and influence to carry out our mission, then our priorities have to be straight.

Years ago I began using a system that works for me, and maybe it will work for you. There was a time when I needed to prioritize, and in one of those sacred meetings between me and the Lord, He gave me three categories that I have worked from, and they have been a guide in my life. The categories are the essential things, the necessary things, and the nice-to-do things. I started writing those things down. I asked, “What has to go in the category of essential?”

We have talked about being the lioness at the gate and how important it is to safeguard that home, that family, to have that kind of power. We discussed that nothing really powerful happens in a home or a family if the lioness doesn’t care about it or invest in it. To move the Lord’s work forward, we have to have a powerful faith, a strong faith. We need stronger families and homes and we are to seek out and help those who are in need.

We know that when our priorities are out of order, we lose power. It takes personal revelation every day to help us prioritize and re-prioritize and keep at bay the influences of the world that would draw us from what we are to do."

The teacher's lesson came from a talk by Julie B. Beck in April 29, 2010

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  It was a great meeting, I think the part that I loved the most is ...how powerful our faith and prayers can be, in raising and teaching our families. I personally know that when I put the Lord first, that everything else in my home and life seem to fall in place. There is a better spirit in our home.
I have always thought our homes need to be protected... there are many things out there in the world trying to dissolve the family. It is vital that we stay close to our Heavenly Father and know what is essential, necessary and nice-to-do in our lives. If you ever mixed up about your priorities, then just ask your sweet little children or grandchildren (they have such a clearer view), and they will quickly set us on the right path! I am grateful for this class and everyone that participated in it. Yes, life is all about learning, and no matter what age you are...there is still a lot to learn out there! 

"Success is only another form of failure, if we forget what our priorities should be."  ~ Harry Lloyd

"Sometimes it's the smallest decisions that can change your life forever."  ~ Keri Russell

"Decide what you want, decide what you are willing to exchange for it. Establish your priorities and go to work."  ~ H. L. Hunt

 

 

My story

I have only started reading some of the stories in the new book that I got called... Chicken Soup for the Writer's Soul, but I like it so far. I have already found something to not only underline but remember, it is a quote by Ted Sturgeon..."IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT YOU WRITE, WHAT YOU BELIEVE WILL SHOW THROUGH".  I like that. Every time I have even thought about writing a book, I have wondered if what I was writing would be something someone would want to read, or that would interest them? I would often find myself comparing my writing abilities or lack of, with those who had already published books. It is funny how much time can be spent comparing and less time just doing what we know we need to do.

Someone asked me the other day "Lynn, what do you want to do more than anything else?" "Find where your passion is and follow it". I have thought and thought about that a lot lately, let's see I want to...

I want to... have a business for my RECNAC GIFTS. That would include me designing gift for cancer patients and their families. Gifts that would not only help them heal, but ones that would encourage them to have hope. (We are just getting this one started too...http://www.recnacgifts.com/

I  want to... create more cards, for any one out there that is going through tough times, I want these cards to be uplifting and inspirational. ( we have already started this dream too...http://www.biggerthanmedays.blogspot.com/

I want to... do more motivational speaking.

I want to ...work more with the Patient Advocate people at the hospital, to ensure the patients would have the right amount of knowledge that they need about their cancers, and the proper treatments given to them.

I want to... design more gifts for Grandmothers.

I want to... do a blog or write a book on favorite things to do with your grandchildren.

I want to... spend as much time as I can with my children and grandchildren, creating incredible memories.

I want to... be a better wife and companion to Jeff ( I guess that means I need to start riding on his motorcycle with him more? ).

I want to... take yoga, water color and quilting classes.

I want to... volunteer at the Children's Hospital.

I want to... create more gifts for children, one's that would encourage them to not be afraid of things and to help give them courage. ( We have started on this one already...I will be able to give you the blog address on this, soon)

I want to... be able to share my testimony of Christ with everyone, especially those who have none, so they could have more hope and peace in their lives.

I want to... write a book about my life's experiences as a cancer survivor.

I want to... write a book about my life's experiences as a Mother.

I want to... write a book about life's lessons.

I want to... learn more ways to strengthen your immune system so that it will fight off diseases, such as cancer. Then I would love to make sure that information would be available to every person out there, ever diagnosed with cancer.

I want to... continue to counsel and help victims of abuse to help them become survivors.

I want to... work out at a gym and be able to get some of my strength and mobility back.

I want to... able to serve more and be sick less.

I want to... be able to create more things for my family and friends.

Ok, maybe this is why this person asked me this question? I bet he could tell by our conversation that I had way too many things I wanted to do but yet, I needed to pick the one that I really wanted to do and the one that I was most passionate about. I guess I am still struggling with this question? I think I need to remember like I said before ...there is a time and season for everything. I have to take in account what my physical limitations are right now and what I actually have energy to do. I will probably continue to do some of each of them, or at least most of them. But I also realize that my heart keeps coming back to my book. I need to write my book. I would love to do more than that but some of them, I just don't have the health and strength to do right now. I am thankful that I can continue writing my blog and writing my book, I do believe someone out there needs to read my book, it is probably me?. And so I will continue in that direction.

"When you write from the heart, you not only light the dark path of your readers, you light  your own way as well."  ~ Marjorie Holmes

" When you speak, your words echo only across the room or down the hall. But when you write, your words echo down the ages."    ~ Bud Gardner

"Words are clothes that thoughts wear."  ~Samuel Butler

Doing the right thing for the wrong reason

As a mother I personally know that many times I put too much time or energy or some things that really don't have eternal value. It is easy to get caught up in the pressure of being the best mom.It is a 24 hours, 7 days a week job and it is hard, so may I remind you now that Super Woman...is not real!

I read this cute story in a book the other day that I thought explains this very subject well and with humor.

"When my neighbor had a son in grade school, the PTA was raising money by having a cookie sale once a week during the noon hour. The students paid a nickel for a cookie. Each class had a turn to furnish the cookies. It came my neighbor's turn to send a dozen cookies to school with her son. The day preceding was a hectic day. No time for baking cookies. But how she not send homemade cookies? What kind of a mother would they think she was? It was after midnight when she took the cookies out of the oven. The next morning she proudly sent her son to school with a dozen homemade, beautifully decorated cookies. When her son come home from school that day she asked, " Well, did you buy a cookie at noon?"  "Yeah," he responded, "but by the time I got to the table all the store-bought cookies were gone. I had to buy a homemade one."  ~ Virginia Pearce

"A little girl, asked where her home was, replied, "where mother is."  ~Keith L. Brooks

"Motherhood has a very humanizing effect.  Everything gets reduced to essentials."  ~Meryl Streep

"THE AVERAGE WOMAN TODAY, I BELIEVE, WOULD DO WELL TO APPRAISE HER INTERESTS, EVALUTATE THE ACTIVITIES IN WHICH SHE IS ENGAGED, AND THEN TAKE STEPS TO SIMPLIFY HER LIFE, PUTTING THINGS OF FIRST IMPORTANCE FIRST, PLACING EMPHASIS WHERE THE REWARDS WILL BE GREATEST AND MOST ENDURING, AND RIDDING HERSELF OF THE LESS REWARDING ACTIVITIES. THE ENDLESS ENTICEMENTS AND DEMANDS OF LIFE TODAY REQUIRE THAT WE DETERMINE PRIORITIES IN ALLOCATING OUR TIME AND ENERGIES IF WE ARE TO LIVE HAPPY, POISED, PRODUCTIVE LIVES." ~ Belle S. Spafford

First things first!

I have never really been one for a lot of New Year's Resolutions, but I do try to find ways to improve my life throughout the year. I get a bit frustrated with all the incredible marketing from October on. In October it seems as if all you hear and see is Halloween Candy adds. Then in November every add is about food, the comforts food and everything for the Thanksgiving Feast. Then December adds and commercials are all about the sweets and treats for Christmas, more and more comfort foods. Then in January all you hear is..just look at yourself, don't you want to look better for the New Year? Lose weight so you can enjoy life more? It is quite the marketing scheme. I guess that is why I don't like just January goals.  I do like the idea of evaluating our lives and trying to remember that the important things don't get left out. Here is a wonderful story to remind us of this very thing!

 

Dr. Stephen R. Covey,
First Things First

One day this expert was speaking to a group of business students and, to drive home a point, used an illustration I’m sure those students will never forget. After I share it with you, you’ll never forget it either.

As this man stood in front of the group of high-powered over-achievers he said, "Okay, time for a quiz." Then he pulled out a one-gallon, wide-mouthed mason jar and set it on a table in front of him. Then he produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them, one at a time, into the jar.

When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, "Is this jar full?" Everyone in the class said, "Yes." Then he said, "Really?" He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. Then he dumped some gravel in and shook the jar causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the spaces between the big rocks.

Then he smiled and asked the group once more, "Is the jar full?" By this time the class was onto him. "Probably not," one of them answered. "Good!" he replied. And he reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in and it went into all the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel. Once more he asked the question, "Is this jar full?"

"No!" the class shouted. Once again he said, "Good!" Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim. Then he looked up at the class and asked, "What is the point of this illustration?"

One eager beaver raised his hand and said, "The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard, you can always fit some more things into it!"

"No," the speaker replied, "that’s not the point. The truth this illustration teaches us is: If you don’t put the big rocks in first, you’ll never get them in at all."

What are the big rocks in your life? A project that you want to accomplish? Time with your loved ones? Your faith, your education, your finances? A cause? Teaching or mentoring others? Remember to put these Big Rocks in first or you’ll never get them in at all.

"The key is not to prioritize what's on our schedule, but to schedule your priorities."  ~ Stephen R. Covey

"Goals are simply tools to focus your energy in positive directions, these can be changed as your priorities change, new one added, and others dropped"

Priorities

I liked this article, it seems like so often we get our focus and priorities out of order. Just reading this made me take a second look at my life and my choices. Yes, it helped me get my priorities back in balance. Take a minute to read this and think about how you would answer the questions.

Good night dear friends

 Fifteen Things God Won’t Ask
  by: Author Unknown

God won’t ask what kind of car you drove, but will ask how many people you drove who didn’t have transportation.

God won’t ask the square footage of your house, but will ask how many people you welcomed into your home.

God won’t ask about the fancy clothes you had in your closet, but will ask how many of those clothes helped the needy.

God won’t ask about your social status, but will ask what kind of class you displayed.

God won’t ask how many material possessions you had, but will ask if they dictated your life.

God won’t ask what your highest salary was, but will ask if you compromised your character to obtain that salary.

God won’t ask how much overtime you worked, but will ask if you worked overtime for your family and loved ones.

God won’t ask how many promotions you received, but will ask how you promoted others.

God won’t ask what your job title was, but will ask if you reformed your job to the best of your ability.

God won’t ask what you did to help yourself, but will ask what you did to help others.

God won’t ask how many friends you had, but will ask how many people to whom you were a true friend.

God won’t ask what you did to protect your rights, but will ask what you did to protect the rights of others.

God won’t ask in what neighborhood you lived, but will ask how you treated your neighbors.

God won’t ask about the color of your skin, but will ask about the content of your character.

God won’t ask how many times your deeds matched your words, but will ask how many times they didn’t.

 

"EVERY GOOD ACT IS CHARITY. A MAN'S TRUE WEALTH HEREAFTER IS THE GOOD THAT HE DOES IN THIS WORLD TO HIS FELLOWS."   ~Moliere

"CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME, BUT SHOULD NOT END THERE"  ~ Proverbs