Choose Your Growth

We can either be compelled to grow or we can choose it. I for one would rather work hard and try to do hard things than always wait for difficult circumstances to arise so that I may be tested. We will still have trial in life but ultimately we can help the Lord help us grow by choosing to stretch ourselves.

A Little Suga'

I feel the lazy bug has bit me today. I have zero interest in doing anything worthwhile which means I need to get off my duff and do something.

Yep, today is a cupcake day!

Be Still

My husband and I have been discussing the Psalm scripture "be still and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10) lately. We've both been inspired by it on several occassions and today I had the chance to sit and take a closer look. I've never looked up the footnotes on this scripture and decided I would and when I looked up the footnote for "know" it directed me to Job 37:14 which reads "Heaken unto this, O Job: stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God."

Today I will "Hearken unto this", and "stand still", it can never hurt to consider the wondrous works of God.

Back to the Basics

So, today we are officially without an exchange student. It's been an interesting process going from trying to tolerate a different point of view in my home to accepting that it's not going to work to actually feeling relief that my home is all mine again. The strongest emotion I feel; relief. I had no idea how truly miserable I was for the past several months. I have to assume that this student was unhappy as well. In the past few days I have found that I am more energentic and happy around my kids and that has been a great bonus by itself.

All in all, not my favorite experience. It's been very tough and I've had a hard time reconciling my relief at his absence with my desire to be openminded. It's a tough one.

From Someone Else

Here's a thought.

"Life is change. Growth is optional. Choose wisely."

Karen Kaiser Clark

Down Another Path

So you may remember that I have had an exchange student living with me for the past seven months. It's the second time I've had an exchange student although he's the third student we've hosted. (Last year we had two at the same time.)

We are currently in the process of finding another home for this student because it's just not working out very well. It's not that he's a bad kid, quite the contrary, he's very polite but we have come to a major divide in our ways of thinking. See, I am a Mormon and he is an Atheist.

When we first started this school year, I thought we could live around each other's differences. He's a responsible kid who has never really made any more work for me in my house as far as chores go. The problem is simply, I have grown weary of feeling his tension at my dinner table as he sits with his head up, eyes ahead while we pray. Of feeling like we can't talk about certain subjects because he's here. I'm sure he's tired of feeling like religion and God are everywhere he turns and that no one is interested in hearing much about the things in which he believes strongly.

The only thing I can think of to describe our decision is simply this; while it's fun and exciting to play a football game, you don't bring the opposing team in to the locker room. This student would make a great next door neighbor. Thoughtful, respectful and hard working. But we just haven't been able to make it work living under one roof.

It's killing me to think that we can't make this work somehow but I know I will not stop praying, going to church or talking about God and I know that it is wrong to ask him to observe the tokens that mark my faith. I will not ask him to change just as I will not change for him. So, here we are. Respectfully taking separate paths hoping that no matter what the future holds both of us can look back at this experience with respect for the other.

Guard The Skinny!

I'm trying to lose weight...again. This time, it's personal. My battle cry is this; "guard the skinny!" I am so done with this fight. I've been successful before and I'm angry at myself for putting it back on. I like how I feel and look when I'm lighter and so the war to "guard my skinny" shall be fought and won! I will bury the fat lady that lives inside somewhere on the battle ground, never to rise again.

Now, on to battle!

The Gift of the Note

Since I do not have a great deal of money at the moment, I have struggled sometimes to find ways to thank people who have been kind or who have touched and impressed me in some way. I am getting pretty good at the art of note writing. I have found that the gift of a sincere, well written note does wonders! (And stationary can be really cheap!) After all, don't we all love folks to say nice things about us? And when it's written down, you have proof!

I keep all the kind notes I receive in what I call my treasure box. It's just a small box where I have accumulated some of my favorite notes over the years. I was reading through some of them from over a decade ago and it made me smile on a crappy day!

So here's to the friendly note! A timeless, under appreciated gift.

Go, Egypt Go!

I am impressed with the process that Egyptians are undertaking to depose a crappy leader. I realize that there has been some violence but for the most part, and in the way of government over-throws, Egypt is presenting itself as an interesting example of the "power of the people".
After seeing so many Muslim countries erupt into full out civil war, it is reassuring to see an eastern country demonstrate restraint (relatively speaking, and no, that's not a slight.).
Congratulations to the predominantly Muslim country for showing us folks in the west that this faith is not all about shedding blood and blowing people up.
Now, if that country can install (democratically) a leader who will actually serve the people, it will be a wonderful victory for Egyptians!

I Like My Doodles Snickered

Have you ever noticed that snickerdoodle cookies are really just bland, somewhat bitter tasting dough rolled in cinnamon and sugar? Really, without the cinnamon/sugar addition, snickerdoodles are just, well...doodles. For the success of these cookies, there must be some "snicker" added.
Sometimes it's nice to have an extra layer of sugar!

Because I Choose It

I used to read the scriptures out of a sense of fear. I felt that I would "get in to trouble" if I didn't read. It was a funny idea on my part that if I wasn't diligent in my studies, things would go badly in my life.

I have since learned that studying the scriptures is not about keeping things from going badly so much as it is a practice that helps me see things go well. I have grown enough over the years to know that I am happier and feel closer to Heavenly Father when I am in His books and conversing with him. It's no longer a sense of obligation that keeps me reading/praying so much as it is a desire to feel close to Him at all times. I am happier when He is in my life.

I'm Feelin' It

I read the news today. Ugh. For some reason today there was an overwhelming amount of terrible news about children. I happened upon a video report of a 13 year old boy being tormented by a "wolf pack" of other boys who, for 20 minutes assaulted this young man on the way home from school, dragging him through the snow, giving him wedgies and beating him. No one helped him, and as is becoming the custom among reckless bullies, someone recorded it.

My son is 13.

What if it had happened to him?

Another report of a 4 year old child kidnapped from his home and his small little body found lifeless in the middle of an irrigation canal.

I broke down. Never before has the news made me out-right cry but it did today. I just sat at my desk and bawled a prayer to Heavenly Father. "Why are there such mean people in the world?" "How in the world can I keep my family safe?" How does a mother in this day and age keep her children safe?

The answer is; I can only try. I can do my best. On my own, I have to trust that there will be others who will help me in this cause. On my own, I have to believe that there will be others in the world who will see with their eyes those bad things that happen to children everywhere and will choose to help.

So please, dear readers, choose to help me. Choose to help mothers everywhere by being that person who stands against the bad. Who doesn't look away when someone is being mean. Who teaches their own child how to be kind and how to be safe. Together it seems that we could make a wall, a safety zone of sorts, for all children who need help. We may not be able to be everywhere but we can ask God to help us be aware and be prepared to stand up for good and right. If evil can grow, so can good. More of us can be good and with that, more good can be done.