If Paths Should Cross

Recently, in the last few years, I have had several people in my life choose a different path than I am choosing in life. It always makes me very sad and helps me to look at my life and decide to work harder to keep what I have and be clear in what I want my priorities to be. This time, I was put into a state of pondering and this is what came to my mind...

If Paths Should Cross

I often sit and ponder, the things that I believe
And then I always wonder, why don't others think like me?
I know what I believe has come from moments that have passed:
Heartfelt prayers, miracles
Friends who care, family
Babies born, loved ones lost
Strength of neighbors and wisdom shared.
Those moments just keep passing by, still learning and more growth.
We are all upon this earth to find our way back home.
Each path looks different - Crooked. Straight. Some in circles go.
But on our way, if we chance to meet, I hope that it is said...
"She picked me up, encouraged me, and helped me on my way."
No matter which path we shall choose, what matters most is this:
We share a laugh, a hug, a smile, to show we really care.
That is what is asked of us from someone up on high.
Loving each other will show Him just how much we understand
The things that are important here -
The first and second great command!

Family pics 2015

Today we woke up, got dressed, picked up my cute niece, McKenna and headed to Lehi for a family photo shoot. My mother-in-law requested new family pics this year and it's been a LONG time since we've attempted this great fete! It turned out well though, thanks to McKenna and the cute back drop. It was plenty cold, but it was fun to get it done and have pictures to show for it!

Renewal

I am so grateful right now for my life and the things I am learning. I feel very blessed and very loved! For the past year, I have been a little detached from my Savior. I would "try" here and there by reading my scriptures more, thinking that that is how I would feel close to Him again(I'm sure it didn't hurt at all) but I've realized that I needed to do a bit more than just read, I needed to trust Him again. After the birth of our sweet baby #6,

I felt a little abandoned by Heavenly Father. I knew he didn't abandon me, but I just felt hurt that he would ask me to do something specific and then allow it to not happen. I understood that it was most likely for my own learning and growing, but it was such a hard thing that it really hurt me and felt like I was deserted by a dear friend. I knew/know that God would not forsake me, but these feelings did not go away quickly or easily. I had to rebuild trust in my Heavenly Father. Well, this past month, I have! Actually, I know I've worked on it for the last year, little by little, but I feel like our relationship is repaired and it is a WONDERFUL feeling. I think I realized what brought it back fully, so I'd like to share. For the last two weeks, I have had sick children. We have had coughs and fevers and a lot of snot! A couple months ago, I attended an herb class to learn more about how to prepare my own tinctures and other great natural remedies. I came home from that class having a better knowledge of how to and several new books on my Amazon wish list and of course two were on their way. I can't just put books on my list, I have an Amazon addiction, especially when it comes to books! Back to this week. I was very concerned about my baby's(he just turned 1 two days ago!) cough. I of course, thought of THE worst thing it could be...whooping cough. I was stressing and didn't want to just take him to the doctor, first of all, I didn't want to expose him to whatever other germs there are out there right now and make him more sick, and second, I didn't want to just kill all of the good stuff in his body that is fighting off the bad. I wanted to work with his body and support it, make it stronger, so I called Jessica. Jessica is my dear, dear friend, I love her so much! I want to be like Jessica, she is wicked smart (said with a Jersey accent, it's just more fun that way) and when it comes to herbs, she is the master! I told her that I needed her help and why and she brought me her favorite herbal tinctures and told me how to use them and how often, which is what I have always had a hard time knowing because with certain herbs, you can/need to take them like every 15 minutes to give your body that "boost" it needs to get over what it's fighting. I have always used herbs like I have medicine from the doctor...one or two a day. It doesn't work that way people! ...anyway to make a long story shorter, herbs totally work! They are amazing and here is why and what I told my children. Heavenly Father put special plants on this earth that we can use when we are sick to help us get better. It's as simple as that. :) My Sammy,

did not like taking the medicine at first. When I would give it to him, I would explain why and that I would rather him take it willingly than fight him every time I gave it to him. After he got used to taking it, he said, "Mommy, Jesus makes good medicine!" Oh, that was the cutest and most rewarding moment of that day, for sure! Why did this experience bring my relationship back with my Savior and Heavenly Father? Because, when I would use the herbs with my children, we would pray and thank Heavenly Father for them and ask Him to please help them work, and I felt that with what I was dealing with, I was doing exactly what He wanted me to do. Then I worked hard to try to give them medicine every 15-30 minutes. I'm not going to lie, there were more than a couple times I thought that I should just take them into the doctor and get antibiotics, it would be so much easier! But we were blessed and the confirmation I felt about giving them herbs stuck with me and helped me to trust in my Heavenly Father and His knowledge of what my children need. I've decided that is the key to healing my relationship with Heavenly Father. Trust. Relying on Him, and getting to work. I'm not going to say that I will never give my children antibiotics, I know they have their timebut I will do all I can first, and listen to my Father, then act.

Wow, I am messed up!

I have had one of the most emotional months I think I have ever had, or had in a long, long time. It all started out with training for a class I'm going to be mentoring this fall. It was a great training, I felt the Spirit so strong the whole time I was there. The way the opportunity came to me, really made me feel like my Heavenly Father loves me and knows what I need in order to grow and become more of the person I need to be. I left that last day of training, knowing that this was what God wanted me to do, no matter how incapable I felt. It was great to get back to life with my family after 3 days of classes, but I also missed the constant feeling of Spirit and learning that I had while I was in training. Contrast that experience with how I was feeling a couple weeks later: Overwhelmed, lost, forgotten, unloved and worthless. Satan really knows how to get to me. I wasn't strong enough to push him away. I fell for it. I felt like I was in darkness for almost a whole week; it was a horrible feeling. When all was said and done, going to the temple, remembering that there is a plan for me and that I can change how I feel by being grateful for what I do have and by making sure I'm doing what Heavenly Father needs me to do is what brought me out of my depression. I listened to an interview with Sherri Dew and I really liked what she said about being happy. She said something like, if you want to be happy, look at your life and if what you are doing is in line with what Heavenly Father wants you to do, that is what will truly make us happy. I have always thought that whenever I am in a depression, to come out of it all I have to do is serve some body and I will feel better. This time, I just didn't feel like I had "it" in me to serve anyone. I just had to keep surrounding myself with good media, (books, radio, video). It seemed to work. I just had a thought: Our whole purpose of being here on earth is to learn how to serve and love one another. No wonder that would bring us joy. I know my Savior loves me and really cares about me and what I am going through, no matter how big or small. He has me in mind, even though there are billions of other people, just on this earth who he is also looking out for; that is incomprehensible, but amazing and very comforting. To wrap it all up, I started out feeling very confident in my Heavenly Father's love for me, doubted, softened, and feel very much loved again. I'm so grateful for a loving father in Heaven and a loving husband, who understand me, no matter how crazy I get sometimes. They are so willing and patient to help me through everything, I am very blessed.

Thoughts about Education

Ok, so you're probably getting tired of quotes from this book I'm reading, but I want to keep a record of this and I really want to share my beliefs, so read if you are interested, if there is anyone even reading this, haha. :)

Karl G. Maeser said this:
"I told the students, that Joseph Smith taught his people correct principles and they governed themselves accordingly--this is the leading principle of discipline ... and the words of President Brigham Young, that neither the alphabet nor the multiplication table were to be taught without the the Spirit of God--is the mainspring of all education."

According to Maeser, this "was the orientation for the course of the educational system inaugurated by the foundation of the Academy." In his view, "any deviation from [these principles will] lead inevitably to disastrous results.

And if you really want to keep reading, this next quote is very long, I had to read it a couple of times, but I love it. I love getting to know a little of what past prophets were like. This is a quote from Joseph F. Smith, (remember the F.!) I'm primary chorister, we've been singing this song lately. :)

"I have always contended that while secular education was laudable, desirable and necessary; that it adds to the sum of human happiness and human enjoyment and usefulness to be acquainted with the arts and sciences, enabling man to cope with the world, and often brings him success in the battle of life, yet it is all of this life, and is not to be compared with the importance of gaining knowledge of God, and of that science which as immortal beings we can take with us beyond the veil.
The knowledge of God, and of his son Jesus Christ...is the first and last lesson of life, and this has always been my opinion. It is very desirable to understand the principles of civil government, the sciences and arts, and be filled with the wisdom of men, but after all it is but the tools by which we earn our bread and butter. There is a certain degree of ambition in it, love of power, and opportunity to exert influence and enables us to move in goodly appearance, but when it is all summed up, worldly gain is the incentive.
I greatly commend even this secular education, and the benefits which its right use bestows in the human family, and the delight which a moral and educated people must be to holy beings, but if we learned everything which human knowledge can compass, and it enabled us to grasp the riches of the world we could only embrace their delight, and enjoy their possession for a short time. Then comes death, and we leave the result of the labors of our lives to others, taking nothing with us. If we only have hope in this world, and the things of this world, then, indeed, are we the most miserable of all God's creatures."

I believe my responsibility as a mother is to help my children gain a testimony of Jesus Christ and a knowledge of the Plan that our Heavenly Father has for us so we can return to Him. I know as I help instill this in them, they will have a desire to learn other truths in the form of Science, Arts and Math.

This is a road not traveled by many, but more and more are following it. It is exciting and makes my role as Mother, Wife and Daughter of Heavenly Father more meaningful to me.

Scripture Reading

Today's scripture reading with the boys was out of Alma 43. Verses 45-47 went along with defending beliefs; I was so excited to read this! It always amazes me how when I am having some sort of struggle, the Lord shows (usually with the scriptures) that he knows and he cares about me and what is going on in my life.

"Nevertheless, the Nephites were inspired by a better cause, for they were not fighting for monarchy nor power but they were fighting for their homes and their liberties, their wives and their children, and their all, yea, for their rites of worship and their church.
And they were doing that which they felt was the duty which they owed to their God...
And again, the Lord has said that: Ye shall defend your families even unto bloodshed. Therefore for this cause were the Nephites contending with the Lamanites, to defend themselves, and their families, and their lands, their country, and their rights, and their religion."

Profound Dream

Usually when I dream, they are crazy, meaningless, I don't even know what happened kind of dreams. Last night was different, it stuck with me because I have been thinking about this a lot lately.

A couple days ago, I got an e-mail from a friend saying it is time to speak out instead of just not be a part of things along with a petition telling Carls Jr. that we don't appreciate their new commercial where a lady is pretty much pleasuring herself by eating a hamburger!. Pretty gross. Pretty un-family friendly to show on T.V. during "family shows".
Nobody needs to see this, especially our children. Well, I signed it, but didn't share it. Then I regretted that and went back to share on Facebook, but couldn't figure out how. (I guess I'm sharing it now).
The next day John and I had a talk about how we need to share what we believe, he is tired of reading people's posts on Facebook of their beliefs/politics and being quiet, so he finally started posting his political views. Wow the response he's gotten, it's amazing the different views out there. But he really loves these people that he disagrees with, he's simply doing that, disagreeing with them. He doesn't get angry with them or belittle them, he respects their opinions and feels good about getting his out there.
Then the next day after that was Sunday; ward conference. Bishop spoke on "Arise and Shine Forth". The theme of the year for the youth. He talked about how we need to be willing to stand up for what we believe in and be willing to share it with others. Not only when we are threatened, but just in normal, every day conversation, of course in a non-threatening way.
Well, as you can see, I really had this in my head, doing a lot of thinking about how to share my beliefs, etc.

The Dream:
I woke up this morning, having vague recollections of my dream and then it all came back quite clear. I was with a group of people, I only "knew" one of them in the group and he was the leader. (He's in our ward and I just found out that he is literally a communist, really.) Anyway, he was telling us that we should give so-and-so a blessing and that the women had the Priesthood too, so we could assist. The way he told us was so convincing, I was willing to go along with it for a few minutes. Then he gave someone a blessing or someone gave him a blessing and he was acting as if he was seeing someone that no one else could and then sniffing at things saying that "he was there", whatever that meant. Anyway, after that little "show" I told a girl next to me that I was not going to be a part of this and I was not going to give someone a blessing, I thought it was a mockery of God. She agreed with me and said she was just going along with it because everyone else was too but she didn't believe it either.
I couldn't find John anywhere, I tried to text my dad to ask him about women and the Priesthood and women giving blessings, but I never got a response. I could feel it was not right, but I could not come up with why it was not right, I had no "proof".
Then this lady was going to explain it to us, I was excited to see what she had to say, but it just turned out that she read us a children's story that was big on feminism. No answers, just more confusion.
Then I saw one of my best friends from St. George and I knew she would have the answer! I totally relaxed and told her of my concerns asking her what she thought. She acted as if she was in a hurry and was running away from me. She was in high heels and running away from me in about 6 inches of snow! She really wanted to get away from me! I felt so alone and completely hopeless.

When I woke up I told John about my dream and decided that I really need to study more so I can talk about my beliefs with confidence, defend my beliefs and back them up with sources if need be.

Here's a start:
I'm reading a book, (have been for a year) and came across this the other day, I totally and wholeheartedly agree with it, just so you know! :)
"The primary purpose of all teaching and learning is to sustain and contribute to this fundamental mission -- bringing 'to pass the immortality and eternal life of man'. The education is, therefore, character education. This is the end; all other learning is simply a supportive means to that end."