Happy to be Stuck with You...

When we celebrated our 20th Anniversary, my darling husband gifted me with a beautiful blue topaz ring.   That ring symbolized many culminating events and experiences along our path of marital bliss. 

It is such a blessing to have someone to love!  The ups and downs of married life has made us stronger and better than we would have ever been separate. 

 https://www.lds.org/church/news/united-marriages-have-great-power-relief-society-leader-says?cid=HP_Homepage-2015_3-20-15_dCN_L2-1_768&lang=eng 

I don't know about you, but when I have had fog, or bad weather that keeps the sun from my view I start feeling it physically.  It isn't like the clinical depression that some struggle with.  It is more of feeling weighed down or a heaviness.  Then when a day comes when there are no clouds, the sky is blue and the sun is shining, I begin feeling like nothing can get me down.  This is what the Blue Topaz reminds me of;  blue skies and wonderful days!

Marriage is not all about rings or even all about the good times, but those things help get us through the hard times. 

Marriage is serious business.  My mom used to tell me "Marriage is the Lord's University".  In this university we take classes on patience, sharing, caring, selflessness, peacemaking, home building, supporting,... well the list goes on.  Some of us are only able to receive our associate degree, some undergrad, some graduate school and others who make it to their Golden Anniversary should be given a DOCTORATE!   

Living prophets know how important marriage is.  Take a look at this simple but profound message.  President Thomas S. Monson on marriage

Our Greatest Blessing...

Perhaps it is a product of my age.

Perhaps it is a product of my own misunderstanding.

One thing I know for certain is that I have been wrong my entire life.

Some might say our greatest blessing is our family.

Without a doubt, that is a remarkable blessing!  I love mine, but not everyone is so lucky to have people to love as I do.  Does that make them not blessed?  Also, without our greatest blessing we couldn't even have families, so unfortunately this is not true. 

Some might say our greatest blessing is nature.  Nature is magnificent.  This is a view of watching the sun rising from the top of Haleakula.  It was remarkable!! Nature is a great blessing, but without our greatest blessing, we could not touch it and experience it in the same way.

Nature also takes a back seat to our truest and greatest blessing. 

Because of our greatest blessing, we can experience...

Learn...

Enjoy...

EACH OF US HAVE A BODY!  I know it is not popular to think of our bodies as a blessing, but I submit to you that it is a wonderful sign that there is a God who loves all of his children.  Imperfect as it may be, we can experience!  We can learn!  We can love! 

Because we have a body, we are free to do all of these wonderful things.  Our body is fundamental to having joy!  Many degrade it, trash-talk it, mutilate, or even worship, but without it we could not experience LIFE!

Here is a little Mormon Message that I hope you will take a few short minutes to watch.

God's Greatest Creation

Here is a majestic video of the miracle of life.  Perhaps life is just as majestic post birth, but our eyes are accustomed to seeing it.

Thank you for being part of my experience!

(Photo credits to Calvin McDonald)

Life is a Gift...

 

Hi Everyone,

 

I feel the need to get on my soap box today.  If you want to skip my ramblings and get to the good stuff, listen to this short talk by Russell M. Nelson...

 

The other day I visited a friend who had recently had a massive stroke.  Although she cannot move her right side; although she cannot not eat or speak; and although she can barely say a few words, family and friends all celebrate that she is here and every smallest improvement. 

 

Life is a Gift

 

Each precious soul has something to offer the world.  

 

We seem to know this when someone close to us goes to the brink of leaving their body.  We anxiously do all in our power to keep them.  No matter that they will not be able to care for themselves the same way as they previously could.  We celebrate they are with us!

 

Why then, do we who treasure life so dearly allow a dirty little secret to remain in our communities?  Even though killing unborn babies has decreased in America over the last decade, we still nearly lead the world in percentage of unborn baby deaths in 2014.  Last year over 1,000,000 babies were killed. (see statistics here) This practice damages both the mother and society.  It is a violence that we look past as we frequent the same clinics where such "procedures" are performed in the next room. 

 

 

 

If numbers are your thing, and you would like a shock, see the worldwide abortion counters.

 

 

Life is precious.  When we devalue life in such a way, can it be any wonder that other less traumatic societal "preferences" are also recognized as normal?

 

What can be done?  Recognizing this path has become entrenched into our country, and the hole left behind gets deeper every year, I ask that we bind together and attempt to save even one baby this year.  Please do 2 simple things...

1. Share your heart-felt feelings about abortion with two people
2. Pray for those women standing on the brink of deciding to give life or take it.

 

I recently came across this wonderful talk by Russell M. Nelson...  on the subject.  Although the video is from 1985, hee eloquently tells stories and scriptures to explain the importance of us taking a stand on this important topic. 

 

 

Thank you, my friends, for allowing me some space for rambling.  Next post will be a lighter topic for certain!

 

One for the Money...

Recess in elementary school was my favorite time of day.  My friends and I would skip rope and chant our way through sing-song rhymes. 

 

 

 

One of the first rhymes I remember learning for a three person rope was,

"One for the money. Two for the show.  Three to get ready and four-to-goo!" At the word "go" we would exit the spinning rope.  If we exited safely we could try again, but if we interrupted the rope we became a spinner.

 

 

The other day I came across a simple little pamphlet.  The front cover read, "One for the Money". 

 

 

Always looking for ways to manage our finances better, this little booklet looked like a quick read with some possible valuable information. 

 

It turned out to be a remarkable resource! I simply had to share it with you! 

 

Here is a link to a pdf version of the booklet...  https://www.lds.org/bc/content/shared/content/english/pdf/language-materials/33293_eng.pdf

 

In it is a debt-elimination calendar, a basic budgeting plan, along with 12 steps to financial freedom.  Even though this little gem was initially published in 1992 and the photos are quite outdated, the information is solid. 

 

We read it together as a family last week.  The main thing we took away from it is that talking about finances, and planning as a family for future spending will help us work together.  If we are all in this together kids and parents can work toward the things we hope to do. 

 

BYU tv has a great program, "Real Families, Real Answers".  One of their shows talks about family finances.  One quote from that show always sticks with me.  "Either we are in bondage to this budget, or we are in bondage to debt.  We get to choose."  It is an excellent show with real families and the things they did that worked for them. 

Here is a link to the show...  http://www.byutv.org/watch/b3d966f0-c737-4dd4-823d-882c42d919e6/real-families-real-answers-family-finances 

 

Now we have the "one for the money" and "two for the show", next I hope to get my family "ready" and then our finances will "groooow"

 

Have a most excellent week!