Who would you like to have over for dinner?

Some of the best family time we had when the kids were little... was during dinner together!
How grateful I am for the time we had together with them. But when I watched this video...it reminded me just how vital that time was! Everyone needs to watch this video...especially if you have a children at home!

check it out HERE:

"You will come to know that what appears today to be a sacrifice will prove instead to be the greatest investment that you will ever make." ~ Gordon B. Hinckley

Good Night dear friend!

I know that Mother's Day is over but...

this is one Mother's Day video you won't want to miss that I found today. Short but sweet!

Watch this incredible story of an incredible Mother HERE:

This story made me think of the sacrifices that my Mom made for me. Motherhood is all about sacrifice, but it is especially sweet when teenagers and young adults really start to understand that concept.

Stop and think about it!

Read this commentary and actually that is exactly what I was thinking while watching the movie. I loved that the story didn't end like they almost always do and that true love was self sacrifice of a dear sister. Maybe you will say that is over thinking it but I really thought this guy made a good point. Another tough day. Good night dear friends!

Are We Missing the Point of Frozen’s ‘Let It Go’?

The bright spot in this insufferably cold winter has been the success of the movie, Frozen, considered one of the best Disney films in decades.
We took the family to see the film on Thanksgiving weekend, fully expecting the common, tired storyline of a princess being true to herself and finding salvation through romantic love. It is the Disney dogma, after all.
Suprisingly, the movie’s storyline takes us in the opposite direction. The princess who is “true to herself” wreaks havoc on the world and leaves shattered relationships in her wake. Her devoted sister pursues her, even at great personal cost. And when all seems to be lost and you hope a prince will save the day with romantic love, there is instead a stunning portrait of self-sacrifice, described as the only kind of love that can melt a frozen heart.
It’s not hard to see the redemptive sketches in this movie. If you believe that love is more than just a feeling, that true love is expressed in self-sacrifice (which flows ultimately from Christ’s willingness to give His life for the world), and that true change can only take place through redemption not self-discovery, then you will find this movie delightful. More importantly, you will find ways to connect this movie’s theme to the gospel. We loved it.
The Success of “Let It Go”
Four months later, we’re still talking about Frozen. It has earned close to a billion dollars at the box office, surpassing the studio’s all-time best moneymaker, The Lion King (in inflated dollars). For months, it has been in the top five, and the soundtrack has spent considerable time at the top of the Billboard charts.
“Let it Go” is the stand-out song on the soundtrack due to its beautiful melody and memorable lyric. The music video has been viewed more than 88 million times. But the success of this particular song leaves me scratching my head, especially when you consider its place in Frozen’s storyline.
If there ever was a song that summed up the Disney doctrine of “being true to yourself” and “following your feelings” no matter the consequences, it’s “Let it Go.” Take a look at some of the lyrics:

The wind is howling like this swirling storm inside.
Couldn’t keep it in, Heaven knows I tried.
Don’t let them in, don’t let them see.
Be the good girl you always have to be.
Conceal, don’t feel, don’t let them know.
Well, now they know!
Let it go, let it go!
Can’t hold it back any more.
Let it go, let it go!
Turn away and slam the door.
I don’t care what they’re going to say.
Let the storm rage on.
The cold never bothered me anyway.
It’s funny how some distance,
makes everything seem small.
And the fears that once controlled me, can’t get to me at all
It’s time to see what I can do,
to test the limits and break through.
No right, no wrong, no rules for me.
I’m free!

Thousands of little girls across the country are singing this song – a manifesto of sorts, a call to cast off restraint, rebel against unrealistic expectations and instead be true to whatever you feel most deeply inside. What’s ironic is that the movie’s storyline goes against the message of this song. When the princess decides to “let it go,” she brings terrible evil into the world. The fallout from her actions is devastating. “No right, no wrong, no rules for me” is the sin that isolates the princess and freezes her kingdom.
It’s only after sacrificial love saves her from the effects of the curse that the princess is free to redirect her passion and power – not in “turning away” and “slamming the door” and expressing herself – but in channeling her powers for the good of her people.
If there is a moral to Frozen, it’s that “letting it go” is self-centered and damaging. What’s needed is for our distinctive gifts to be stewarded and shaped by redemptive love.
Perhaps that’s why I’m flummoxed by the popularity of “Let It Go” (the song). Not from an artistic standpoint; it’s a gem. But I’m afraid its popularity drowns out the bigger and more beautiful point of the film.
Rebellion vs. Rule-keeping
A popular idea in our culture is that there are only two ways to live:

1. Through authenticity, expressed in rebellion against cultural constraints
2. Through an ordered life, expressed in rule-keeping

Many people see these as the only options. And sometimes, Christians are assumed to be lumped in with the second group – the rule-keepers of religion. To the stodgy, religious types, “Let It Go” is an anthem to the beauty of spontaneity and freedom.
But Christianity doesn’t see morality in either of these ways.
We don’t believe we are most true to ourselves when we embrace our deepest desires. The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. We need deliverance from our deepest instincts, not celebration of them.
Neither does Christianity say we are most true to ourselves when we conceal our sin – as if by willpower, we can control our terrible tendencies. Some religious people may put forward the image of a rule-keeping, behavioral checklist. But that’s not true Christianity. The gospel frees us from the curse of the law.
The Glory of Self-Sacrifice
Christianity teaches explicitly what Frozen only hints at: salvation comes not through self-discovery or self-restraint, but through self-sacrifice.
All across the country, little girls are singing about self-discovery. Let’s make sure that after they see this wonderful film, they are given songs about self-sacrifice.
Found the article here:

The Art of Giving!

I love this article that I read today. What a wonderful reminder for this Christmas Season!

---

THE ART OF GIVING  by Lori Huff Goldade

Some people have very little but give everything.

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Whenever I reflect upon this joyous time of year, I remember a Christmas from long ago when I learned the art of giving.

I was in the fourth grade, and my friends and I were filled with holiday excitement. As was customary in our class, we drew names for the Christmas gift exchange. I hoped that the cute boy across the room had drawn my name. Another boy named Paul sat behind me. He often came to school with unclean clothes and dirty hands. My friends and I had made no effort to befriend him.

When the day of the big party arrived, the teacher distributed our gifts. The package I received was large and appeared to be hastily wrapped. Anxiously I tore off the wrapping paper. Inside was the book Lassie Come-Home. It wasn’t a clean, new copy as I might have hoped but had worn, frayed pages and a stain on the cover. Dismayed, I quickly hid it in my desk. Then I noticed something else hidden in the wrapping paper—a rattlesnake rattler in a pill bottle. On a name card was carefully written “From Paul.” In tears, I ran to the girls’ restroom.

Embarrassed, I remained in the restroom until the party was over and then hurried home. My mother, seeing my tear-stained face, asked about the Christmas party. I expressed to her my disappointment about the gifts. My mother lovingly put her arms around me, looked sadly into my eyes, and then taught me a great lesson. She told me that Paul, most likely too poor to buy a gift, had probably searched through everything he had at home for a meaningful present and, after much thought, had probably chosen some of his most prized possessions to give to me.

Again tears came to my eyes, but not because I hadn’t received something I wanted. This time they came because I had been so selfish and had not accepted the best gift given that Christmas. I had rejected a gift of love and sacrifice.

Some people have much and give very little. Others have little and give everything. Whenever I am tempted to be critical of another’s offering—whether it is of time, resources, or effort—I try to remember that some give all they can, just as in the account of the widow who “did cast in all that she had, even all her living” (Mark 12:44). The art of giving is to give all that you can, even if it is only two mites.

I didn’t express it as a fourth grader, but I am grateful for Paul’s Christmas gift of sacrifice and love.

Merry Christmas dear friends!

 

You're a stay-at-home Mom? What do you do all day?

This weekend I am going away with my older daughter Amy and my newest granddaughter Audrey. It is hopefully a chance for Amy to get a break and to be able to refill her empty bucket. Motherhood is hard, it is non stop, so I hope it will be just what she needs. I will on the other hand, get some one on one with Miss Audrey...so I am excited.
Found this article by Matt Walsh on Stay Home Moms and thought it was great. I have had this very question asked of me many times in the last 30 years!
 Read it for yourself and see what you think. Have a great weekend!

Last week, I was at the pharmacy and a friendly lady approached me.
"Matt! How are those little ones doing?"
"Great! They’re doing very well, thanks for asking."
"Good to hear. How ’bout your wife? Is she back at work yet?"
"Well she’s working hard at home, taking care of the kids. But she’s not going back into the workforce, if that’s what you mean."
"Oh fun! That must be nice!"
"Fun? It’s a lot of hard work. Rewarding, yes. Fun? Not always."
This one wasn’t in-your-face. It was only quietly presumptuous and subversively condescending.
The next incident occurred today at the coffee shop. It started in similar fashion; a friendly exchange about how things are coming along with the babies. The conversation quickly derailed when the woman hit me with this:
"So is your wife staying at home permanently?"
"Permanently? Well, for the foreseeable future she will be raising the kids full time, yes."
"Yeah, mine is 14 now. But I’ve had a career the whole time as well. I can’t imagine being a stay at home mom. I would get so antsy. [Giggles] What does she DO all day?"
"Oh, just absolutely everything. What do you do all day?"
"…Me? Ha! I work!"
"My wife never stops working. Meanwhile, it’s the middle of the afternoon and we’re both at a coffee shop. I’m sure my wife would love to have time to sit down and drink a coffee. It’s nice to get a break, isn’t it?"
The conversation ended less amicably than it began.
Look, I don’t cast aspersions on women who work outside of the home. I understand that many of them are forced into it because they are single mothers or because one income simply isn’t enough to meet the financial needs of their family. Or they just choose to work because that’s what they want to do. Fine. I also understand that most “professional” women aren’t rude, pompous and smug, like the two I met recently.
But I don’t want to sing Kumbaya right now. I want to kick our backwards, materialistic society in the shins and say, "Get your freaking head on straight, society."
This conversation shouldn’t be necessary. I shouldn’t need to explain why it’s insane for anyone — particularly other women — to have such contempt and hostility for "stay at home" mothers. Are we really so shallow? Are we really so confused? Are we really the first culture in the history of mankind to fail to grasp the glory and seriousness of motherhood? The pagans deified Maternity and turned it into a goddess. We’ve gone the other direction; we treat it like a disease or an obstacle.
The people who completely immerse themselves in the tiring, thankless, profoundly important job of raising children ought to be put on a pedestal. We ought to revere them and admire them like we admire rocket scientists and war heroes. These women are doing something beautiful and complicated and challenging and terrifying and painful and joyous and essential. Whatever they are doing, they are doing something, and our civilization depends on them doing it well. Who else can say such a thing? What other job carries with it such consequences?

It’s true — being a mom isn’t a "job." A job is something you do for part of the day and then stop doing. You get a paycheck. You have unions and benefits and break rooms. I’ve had many jobs; it’s nothing spectacular or mystical. I don’t quite understand why we’ve elevated "the workforce" to this hallowed status. Where do we get our idea of it? The Communist Manifesto? Having a job is necessary for some — it is for me — but it isn’t liberating or empowering. Whatever your job is — you are expendable. You are a number. You are a calculation. You are a servant. You can be replaced, and you will be replaced eventually. Am I being harsh? No, I’m being someone who has a job. I’m being real.
If your mother quit her role as mother, entire lives would be turned upside down; society would suffer greatly. The ripples of that tragedy would be felt for generations. If she quit her job as a computer analyst, she’d be replaced in four days and nobody would care. Same goes for you and me. We have freedom and power in the home, not the office. But we are zombies, so we can not see that.
Yes, my wife is just a mother. Just. She just brings forth life into the universe, and she just shapes and molds and raises those lives. She just manages, directs and maintains the workings of the household, while caring for children who just rely on her for everything. She just teaches our twins how to be human beings, and, as they grow, she will just train them in all things, from morals, to manners, to the ABC’s, to hygiene, etc. She is just my spiritual foundation and the rock on which our family is built. She is just everything to everyone. And society would just fall apart at the seams if she, and her fellow moms, failed in any of the tasks I outlined.
Yes, she is just a mother. Which is sort of like looking at the sky and saying, "Hey, it’s just the sun."
Of course not all women can be at home full time. It’s one thing to acknowledge that; it’s quite another to paint it as the ideal. To call it the ideal, is to claim that children ideally would spend less time around their mothers. This is madness. Pure madness. It isn’t ideal, and it isn’t neutral. The more time a mother can spend raising her kids, the better. The better for them, the better for their souls, the better for the community, the better for humanity. Period.
Finally, it’s probably true that stay at home moms have some down time. People who work outside the home have down time, too. In fact, there are many, many jobs that consist primarily of down time, with little spurts of menial activity strewn throughout. In any case, I’m not looking to get into a fight about who is "busier." We seem to value our time so little, that we find our worth based on how little of it we have. In other words, we’ve idolized "being busy," and confused it with being "important." You can be busy but unimportant, just as you can be important but not busy. I don’t know who is busiest, and I don’t care. It doesn’t matter. I think it’s safe to say that none of us are as busy as we think we are; and however busy we actually are, it’s more than we need to be.
We get a lot of things wrong in our culture. But, when all is said and done, and our civilization crumbles into ashes, we are going to most regret the way we treated mothers and children.

It’s true — being a mom isn’t a "job." A job is something you do for part of the day and then stop doing. You get a paycheck. You have unions and benefits and break rooms. I’ve had many jobs; it’s nothing spectacular or mystical. I don’t quite understand why we’ve elevated "the workforce" to this hallowed status. Where do we get our idea of it? The Communist Manifesto? Having a job is necessary for some — it is for me — but it isn’t liberating or empowering. Whatever your job is — you are expendable. You are a number. You are a calculation. You are a servant. You can be replaced, and you will be replaced eventually. Am I being harsh? No, I’m being someone who has a job. I’m being real.
If your mother quit her role as mother, entire lives would be turned upside down; society would suffer greatly. The ripples of that tragedy would be felt for generations. If she quit her job as a computer analyst, she’d be replaced in four days and nobody would care. Same goes for you and me. We have freedom and power in the home, not the office. But we are zombies, so we can not see that.
Yes, my wife is just a mother. Just. She just brings forth life into the universe, and she just shapes and molds and raises those lives. She just manages, directs and maintains the workings of the household, while caring for children who just rely on her for everything. She just teaches our twins how to be human beings, and, as they grow, she will just train them in all things, from morals, to manners, to the ABC’s, to hygiene, etc. She is just my spiritual foundation and the rock on which our family is built. She is just everything to everyone. And society would just fall apart at the seams if she, and her fellow moms, failed in any of the tasks I outlined.
Yes, she is just a mother. Which is sort of like looking at the sky and saying, "Hey, it’s just the sun."
Of course not all women can be at home full time. It’s one thing to acknowledge that; it’s quite another to paint it as the ideal. To call it the ideal, is to claim that children ideally would spend less time around their mothers. This is madness. Pure madness. It isn’t ideal, and it isn’t neutral. The more time a mother can spend raising her kids, the better. The better for them, the better for their souls, the better for the community, the better for humanity. Period.
Finally, it’s probably true that stay at home moms have some down time. People who work outside the home have down time, too. In fact, there are many, many jobs that consist primarily of down time, with little spurts of menial activity strewn throughout. In any case, I’m not looking to get into a fight about who is "busier." We seem to value our time so little, that we find our worth based on how little of it we have. In other words, we’ve idolized "being busy," and confused it with being "important." You can be busy but unimportant, just as you can be important but not busy. I don’t know who is busiest, and I don’t care. It doesn’t matter. I think it’s safe to say that none of us are as busy as we think we are; and however busy we actually are, it’s more than we need to be.
We get a lot of things wrong in our culture. But, when all is said and done, and our civilization crumbles into ashes, we are going to most regret the way we treated mothers and children.


You can read more of Matt's articles here:

The love of a brother!

This was an amazing story about what Brotherhood should really be, you can watch and read it here:



Good night dear friends!

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

A mother’s love!

You can never underestimate a Mother’s love for her child. It can do impossible things…if necessary!

This sweet story I think…is all about that type of love, determination and sacrifice.

Enjoy! Good night dear friends!

The Mountain

There were two warring tribes in the Andes, one that lived in the lowlands and the other high in the mountains. The mountain people invaded the lowlanders one day, and as part of their plundering of the people, they kidnapped a baby of one of the lowlander families and took the infant with them back up into the mountains.

The lowlanders didn't know how to climb the mountain. They didn't know any of the trails that the mountain people used, and they didn't know where to find the mountain people or how to track them in the steep terrain.

Even so, they sent out their best party of fighting men to climb the mountain and bring the baby home.

The men tried first one method of climbing and then another. They tried one trail and then another. After several days of effort, however, they had climbed only several hundred feet.

Feeling hopeless and helpless, the lowlander men decided that the cause was lost, and they prepared to return to their village below.

As they were packing their gear for the descent, they saw the baby's mother walking toward them. They realized that she was coming down the mountain that they hadn't figured out how to climb.

And then they saw that she had the baby strapped to her back. How could that be?

One man greeted her and said, "We couldn't climb this mountain. How did you do this when we, the strongest and most able men in the village, couldn't do it?"

She shrugged her shoulders and said, "It wasn't your baby."        ~ Jim Stovall

“If the whole world were put into one scale, and my mother in the other, the whole world would kick the beam.”    ~Lord Langdale (Henry Bickersteth)

“Motherhood is priced
Of God, at price no man may dare
To lessen or misunderstand.”
~Helen Hunt Jackson

Importance of WATER!

I read an article the other day that really made me realize the importance of water, one of the simple pleasures in life that I take for granted too often. The article was great and made me think of our dependence on water and especially clean water. I also love the reminder of our dependence on the Savior.  Hope you enjoy it! Good night!

"My employment takes me to communities all over the world where people do not have access to clean water. Our group works with local governments and residents to provide maintainable sources of pure, life-sustaining water such as wells and spring or rain captures.
These water projects offer a significant improvement in the quality of life. Health drastically improves because of clean water stops the contraction of typhoid, cholera, and other water-borne diseases. The economy also improves because parents and children who previously spent their time carrying water can now pursue employment and education. Even in communities with numerous and wide-ranging problems, people always say that clean water is what they would like most.
The Savior spent His earthly ministry in a time and place where people relied on well for water. As He taught the woman at the well by saying that "whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst" ( John 4:14) was He also teaching us that His gospel quenches--permanently--our most basic needs? I believe so."
I will always be grateful to a woman in Kenya, Africa, who taught me about the willingness to work to obtain water. I met her at a celebration following the installation of a well in her community. With gratitude she told me that the new well would cut her daily nine-mile trip to get water to a one -mile trip. She was overjoyed at the opportunity that would now be hers."
I couldn't help but think  how I would feel if I had to walk a mile to get water. I was impressed that she put everything--from  housework to gardening--aside while she made her journey to fetch water. She knew she couldn't complete the other tasks without that water. I thought about how heavy her burden was. Carrying water takes strength and endurance. Yet, for the sake of her family, she was willing to walk nine-miles every day to get it.
I wonder if we who get clean water from taps in our homes sometimes expect to come unto Christ with the same ease as turning a knob to get a glass of water. Or are we willing to put aside other tasks, even important ones, to seek to know Jesus Christ and His Father?
I know that the well of living water the Savior offers us never runs dry and is pure and life sustaining. When we come to Him with an empty cup, He will fill it, often beyond our capacity to receive. He is truly living water, a manifestation of the love of God.  ~ Matthew Heaps http://lds.org/ensign/2011/07/drink-deeply-of-the-living-water?lang=eng

 

"We turn with hope...to Him who walked the dusty paths of villages we now reverently call the Holy Land, to Him who caused the blind to see, the deaf to hear, the lame to walk, and the dead to live. To Him who tenderly and lovingly assured us, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life'(John 14:6)."  --The New Era, April 1991

"Even though the tasks of life become heavy, and although sorrow thrusts a drooping burden upon us, the light that emanates from our Savior beckons us on, undismayed."  ~Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin

A little can be a lot!

I have always loved the story in the Bible about the Widow's mite, and how it was acceptable. Especially because it was all she had and it came from the heart. I loved this Christmas story because of that same reason. How often there are people out there suffering and we have know idea, that they were. We all need to be a little more in-tuned with those around us, be their friends, so that we would know if there is something that they needed in their life. The world is so busy at this time of year, so often the advertisements are pushing the idea of WHAT WE WANT FOR CHRISTMAS, instead of WHAT WE HAVE TO GIVE THIS CHRISTMAS.

Yes, this story was a great example to me, of how I need to be. Remembering, it only takes a little to be a lot for someone else! Good night dear friends!  

   The Student's Mite

  The situation seemed hopeless.

  From the first day he entered my seventh-grade class-room, Willard P. Franklin had existed in his own world, shutting out his classmates and me, his teacher. My attempts at establishing a friendly relationship were met with complete indifference. Even a "Good morning, Willard" received only a grunt. His classmates fared no better. Willard was strictly  a loner, finding no desire or need to lower the barrier of silence he had erected. His clothes were clean--but definitely not on the cutting edge of style. He could have been a trendsetter because his outfits possessed a "hand-me-down" look before such a look was in.

  Shortly after the Thanksgiving holidays, we received an announcement regarding the annual Christmas collection.

  "Christmas is a season of giving," I told my students."There are a few students in the school who might not have a happy holiday season. By contributing to our Christmas collection, you will help to buy food, clothing and toys for these needy people.  You may bring your money tomorrow."

  When I called for the contributions the next day, I discovered every one had forgotten --everyone except Willard P. Franklin. The boy dug deep into his pants pocket as he strolled up to my desk. Carefully he dropped a nickel into the small container.

  "I don't need no milk for lunch," he mumbled. For a moment, just a moment, he smiled. I watched him turn and walk back to his desk.

  That night, after school, I took our meager contribution-one lone nickel-to the school principal. I couldn't help telling him the giver's identity and sharing with him the incident.

  "I may be wrong, but I believe Willard may be ready to become part of the world around him," I told the principal.

  "Yes, I believe it sounds hopeful," he nodded. "And I have a hunch we might profit from him letting us share a bit of his world. I just received a list of the poor families of our school who most need help through the Christmas collection. Here, look at it."

  And as I gazed down to read, I discovered Willard P. Franklin and his family were the top names on the list.         ~ David R. Collins

It is the personal thoughtfulness, the warm human awareness, the reaching out of the self to one's fellow man that makes giving worthy of the Christmas spirit."       ~ Isabel Currier.

LOVE will find a way!

Years ago when I inherited some money, I decided that one of the first things I was going to do, is buy something for Jeff. Jeff has worked hard for over 20 some years, he has been a wonderful husband and Father and never really taken any time to do something fun for himself. I know many men who have always enjoyed their toys ( boats, cars, vacations, hobbies ) but Jeff really hasn't. We decided when when we were engaged, that as soon as the children came along, I would be a stay home Mom. Since Amy was born one month before our year anniversary, that immediately meant sacrifice for both of us with just one income. Jeff has never complained, but I knew that there had to be something that he would really like to have. Before I even got the question out about what he might like, he said a motorcycle. I was shocked, he had never even mentioned that he like motorcycles...so that is what I got him. 
Now many people have told me how crazy I was, and that they would never let their husband have one but...I guess I am coming from a different perspective because of my cancer. Life is short and when we do things that we love, then we are just healthier, happier people. I have never seen anyone so grateful for something in all my life!  Jeff can hardly wait to get up in the morning to check the weather, to see if he can ride his motorcycle to work. Yes, he truly loves the feeling that he gets when he rides that motorcycle. He said it gives him a sense of peace, freedom, gratitude for the beautiful place we live, he said it even moves his soul, not too many of us can say that about things that we love to do. :) Of course I always say a quiet prayer when he leaves but I try to leave the worry out of the picture, and I am just grateful that he has found something that he really loves to do. 
Since Lauren was home (and the one who rides the most with him), she wanted to do a photo shoot with him and his bike. I am very glad she did, I love it! I love him!

 

P.S. I would have Lauren take a photo of me and my sewing room, with my sewing machine but...I just don't think that would make the best photo...you know what I mean!

 

"The best alarm clock is sunshine on chrome."

"Young riders pick a destination and go... Old riders pick a direction and go."

"Cars move people, but motorcycles move...SOULS!"

Brotherly and Sisterly Love!

My friend called the other day, to tell me that they were on their way to visit their family, for their summer vacation. It was to Grandma's house. These friends has a son, and then almost 9 years later... they had a little girl. Her son went to stay at Grandma's house by himself for a couple of weeks, and now they were going to join them. Their little girl (now 3 1/2 years old), could hardly wait to see her big brother. He in turn was missing her too. It always does my heart good to see the love between a brother and sister ( sibblings ). It should be strong and close in my opinion. I love when I hear my own kids talk to each other and go to each other for help. Yes, families really should be that way. I am grateful that my kids feel that way about each other. I was touched and reminded of this important relationship, when I read this story. I hope it makes you think about your brother or sister, and it reminds you to take the opportunity to tell them how much you love and appreciate them. That's what families should be all about!

Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare and serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year-old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister. I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, “Yes, I’ll do it if it will save her.”

As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheeks. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, “Will I start to die right away?”.

Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her.

Written by Stephen on January 29th, 2009   http://academictips.org/blogs/category/inspirational-stories/

 

"To the outside world, we all grow old. But not to brothers and sisters. We know each other as we always were. We know each other's hearts. We share private family jokes. We remember family feuds and secrets, family griefs and joys. We live outside the touch of time."

~Clara Ortega

"I don't believe an accident of birth makes people sisters or brothers.  It makes them siblings, gives them mutuality of parentage.  Sisterhood and brotherhood is a condition people have to work at."  ~Maya Angelou

Memorial Day

Well even though today was a day off work and we did get to relax and have a BBQ with family and friends but I didn't my post to be about that. I wanted to take time out to remember the men and women who have served in our military through out the years. How grateful I am for their sacrifice and service. Freedom doesn't come free!

I was looking on the news and found this story and photo of one such military family.

Nearly a year ago, as Staff Sgt. Brett Bennethum was preparing to leave the country for Iraq with his Army unit, his family gave him a tearful goodbye. One member of the family—four-year-old Paige—didn’t want him to leave, however. She was so attached to her father that she held his hand until he boarded the plane, even as he stood in formation with his fellow troops. Paige’s mother, Abby, captured a photo of the powerful moment, and within the space of days, it had been broadcast all over the world. The touching image showed the pain of the sacrifices that soldiers and their families must make every day, and resonated with millions who’d faced similar challenges.

http://gimundo.com/news/article/soldiers-daughter-paige-bennethum-welcomes-father-home-from-iraq-for-good/

So thank you from our family, for all you do and have done.

 

"The secret of happiness is freedom. The secret of freedom is courage."  ~ Thucydides

"The cost of freedom is always high, but Americas have always paid it. And one path we shall never choose, and that is the path of surrender, or submission."   ~ John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Sacrifice

I read this story the other day and thought I would share it tonight. 

Before you were conceived I wanted you
Before you were born I loved you
Before you were here an hour I would die for you
This is the miracle of love.

-- Maureen Hawkins

"Mother is always there when you need her. She helps, protects, listens, advises and nurtures physically and morally. She makes sure that her family is loved 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year. At least that's how I remember my mother, for the few precious years I was blessed to have her. But no words can describe the sacrifice she made out of love for me, her young son.

I was 19 years old, and I was being taken to a concentration camp with a large group of other Jews. It was clear that we were destined to die. Suddenly my mother stepped in and traded places with me. And although it was more than 50 years ago, I will never forget her last words to me and her good-bye look.

"I have lived long enough. You have to survive because you are so young," she said.

Most kids are born only once. I was given birth twice - by the same mother."  ~ Joseph C. Rosenbaum

From Chicken Soup for the Mother's Soul

Copyright 1998 Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Jennifer Read Hawthorne, Marci Shimoff

"Only a life lived for others is worth living" ~ Albert Einstein

Spread your wings and fly!

When our kids were little we would tell them that they could be whatever they wanted to be, if they worked hard enough at it and sacrificed for it. They didn't of course know the full meaning of that comment, but just knew they wanted to be this... or that ..when they grew up. Some of them were more sure than others, and some changed their minds quite often. So we would use our imaginations and they could dream and pretend they were whatever they wanted to be.

As a mom, I loved that time of endless possibilities and their wonderful imaginations. The hard part is when real life comes in and the trials and obstacles get in the way. I have watched my kids suffer when they didn't know what they wanted to do and they felt lost. I have also watched them miss opportunities for one reason or another. Then on the other hand, I have watched them be excited because they finally found what their dream or passion is and they were pursuing it.

Lauren had this photo taken and it reminded me of how much I miss her, and yet how grateful I am that she is in college and pursuing her dreams. I have always struggled as a mom when my kids move away from home. I know that is exactly what I am suppose to be getting them ready to do but ...it is hard on a mother's heart.

"Mother love is the fuel that enables a normal human being to do the impossible."  ~Marion C. Garretty

Lauren was excited to go somewhere that was cold and had lots of snow...Idaho was the perfect place for her. She is loving it there and enjoying the whole experience.  Brad and Krystal however are thrilled to be spending the 4 months for their internships here in Seattle, away from the cold and snow. And of course they chose the perfect winter to come, this year has been one of the driest and warmest we have had in recorded history.

So as a mom of kids who are growing up and moving on, I realize that I too... need to continue thinking about the things I want to do and prepare myself to spread my wings and fly. I am beginning to work on my book, the one that I have dreamed of doing for years. I am working on getting a business started with my RECNAC gifts, hopefully getting them into other hospitals, available to all cancer patients. Yes, I taught my kids as they were growing up, but the neat things about having your kids get older, is that they begin to help teach you. I am grateful for my kids, what they have made and are making of their lives. I am grateful for their examples of courage and strength. Yes, motherhood is the hardest job ever but... the benefits are amazing!

"It's not only children who grow.  Parents do too.  As much as we watch to see what our children do with their lives, they are watching us to see what we do with ours.  I can't tell my children to reach for the sun.  All I can do is reach for it, myself."  ~Joyce Maynard

"YOU HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BECOME ANYTHING TO WHICH YOU SET YOUR MIND. YOU HAVE A MIND AND A BODY AND A SPIRIT. WITH THESE THREE WORKING TOGETHER,  YOU CAN WALK THE HIGH ROAD THAT LEADS TO ACHIEVEMENT AND HAPPINESS. BUT THIS WILL REQUIRE EFFORT AND SACRIFICE AND FAITH." ~ Gordon B. Hinckley 

To all of you who have played a part in our kid's lives....thank you!

Veteran's Day

I am proud to be an American and grateful for all those who have served our Country, my dad and brother were some of them. I was only a small girl when I began to understand what that sacrifice truly meant for our freedom. My oldest brother got seriously hurt in Vietnam and then as a 10  year old, I saw what all the worry and fears of my parents were all about. He only had a 10% chance of living, but after 18 months in the hospital and with a lot of pain, tears,  faith and prayers, he made it and went on with his life and has been an inspiration ever since. So please take time tomorrow to say thanks and pray for all those men, women and families that sacrifice so much to protect our freedom.

John McCrae lived from 1872 to 1918. A Canadian physician, he fought on the Western Front in 1914. Soon he was transferred to the medical corps and assigned to a hospital in France. He died of pneumonia while on active duty in 1918. He is perhaps most remembered for his poem about the famous poppies concurrent with the soldiers who had died. He wrote his famous poem In Flanders Fields the day after presiding at the funeral of a friend and former student. His poem is now a memorial to all Veterans.


In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch, be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

"It is easy to take liberty for granted, when you have never had it taken from you."  ~Author unknown

"Freedom is never free."  ~Author Unknown