Mormon Tabernacle Choir Performances

Mormon Tabernacle Choir Performances

Joseph Smith Prophet of the Restoration

Joseph Smith Prophet of the Restoration

Home

"Home is the one place in all this world where hearts are sure of each other.  It is the place of confidence.  It is a place where we tear off the mask of guarded and suspicious coldness which the world forces us to wear in self-defense, and where we pour out the unreserved communications of full and confiding hearts.  It is the spot where expressions of tenderness gush out without any sensation of awkwardness and without any dread of ridicule."

Fredrick W. Robertson

Is our home like this?  Is it a sanctuary from the world for ourselves, and our families?  What is wrong in your life, attitude or actions that keep your home from being that place where you can be safe, where you can find peace, where you can be yourself.
I had to change a lot of things about my life to get to that point, and being good is not easy, and it can sometimes be lonely, but I promise you that it is worth it.  I am finding happiness that I never knew that I could.  It takes making those hard choices though to find that happiness. However, I have found more freedom from the binding lifestyle that pleased every false friend, but not me.  I had to remove those negative influences from my life, but I do not regret it.
What can you do today that will help you find your happiness?  It is a personal decision, and it is not easy to admit those things that we do that might not be the best thing for us.  It is up to you to figure out what that means.  I did it though, and it took me a long time, but I really, truly don't regret it.

I miss my roses...

For mother's day every year, instead of just a bunch of cut flowers that will only last a short time, my family started to pick out a rose bush.  They planted each one for me in our yard.  This had become a treasured tradition.  I Love them, as does my mother and my grandmother.  I can't think of anything that made me happier, except the love of my husband and children.  Watching my children grow and bloom.  Watching my relationship struggle to stretch and grow in all those ways that we do.  I dream of an English garden, in keeping with my hearts desires, and my heritage.  I have found though that the plants here in the dessert are just as beautiful.  You never know until you experience something for yourself, how wonderful it can be.  I always say, "God has a wonderful imagination."

Happiness

I have struggled with my weight ever since I began to have children.  I would like to blame it on them, but cannot honestly do that.  I was caught up in the, "mom syndrome".  The syndrome we seem to get, which causes us to loose all sight of ourselves.  The one where we neglect ourselves to the detriment of everything we need as individuals.  It is the same syndrome that causes mother's to wear clothes that are too big, too old, too plain, too frumpy, and most likely in the sweat and t-shirt category  It is sad, but true and I believe that it is an epidemic.
Well, since I am no longer having children, but am now raising them.  I am finding that I do have time and a desperate need to take care of myself.  It is incredible that I allowed myself to slip to such depths of depression, when my children brought me so much joy.
My solution has been, develop my talents, socialize occasionally, and realize my roll in my own care, or lack there of.  I don't move as much as I should, but I can control what I eat, and how much, and when I eat.  Developing my talents has not only distracted me, but made me begin to feel good about myself.  My family moved, to get more sunshine, more room, and an interesting change of scenery.  We also started to change those things that were toxic in our lives.  Like removing negative things and people from our lives.
Is it easy?  No.  Is it necessary?  For me it was.
I guess I would say, find out what works for you.
One beautiful side effect for me is getting closer to my husband, finding myself, enjoying my children more, and loving life more than I have in a very long time.  The other thing I was happy about, was that I lost almost 32 lbs.  Since all I made these changes.    I also developed a love, appreciation, and growth in my faith.  That has made everything in my life better too.  I realized that I am not alone, and God does want me to be happy, and I am beginning to be happy.

I just love C.S. Lewis.

So True