I Was in Prison and You Came to Me

I Was in Prison and You Came to Me

Arise!

I love the call to the youth to arise and be all they can be in following the Savior and sharing their testimonies of the gospel plan.  The call is also directed to me and you.  Feel the strength of the youth.  Witness their efforts to be a mighty force for good on this earth.  Follow their lead.  Arise!

Jesus Loves Me

There is a wonderful song written by Roger and Melanie Hoffman called "Gethsemane".  How I love this sweet song and the powerful message that it teaches. 

Jesus climbed the hill to the garden still. His steps were heavy and slow.

Love and a prayer took Him there to the place only He could go.

Gethsemane. Jesus loves me.

So He went willingly to Gethsemane.

He felt all that was sad, wicked or bad, all the pain we would ever know.

While His friends were asleep He fought to keep His promise made long ago.

Gethsemane.  Jesus loves me.

So He went willingly to Gethsemane.

The hardest thing that ever was done.  The greatest pain that ever was known.

The biggest battle that ever was won.

This was done by Jesus!

The fight was won by Jesus!

Gethsemane.  Jesus loves me.  

So He gave His gift to me in Gethsemane.

Gethsemane.  Jesus loves me.  

So He gives His gift to me.

From Gethsemane.

If we can just really BELIEVE this truth, our walk through mortality will never be the same again.  It is so easy to say that we believe that the Savior is aware of us and He can come to our rescue but so much harder to believe that HE WILL.  The atonement is a gift.  Given freely to you and me.  We are able to make use of that precious gift at any time that we desire.  

I love the gospel.  I remember when my father-in-law passed away many years ago and I felt such loss and yet felt such peace.  As we knelt in family prayer late in the day after the funeral I remember feeling an overwhelming gratitude for the "good news" of the gospel.  That was not a phrase that I commonly used and was surprised that those words slipped from my lips as I uttered a plea to my Heavenly Father to bless us to go on in faith without this father that we loved so dearly.  Later as I pondered the phrase "the good news" I felt deep within my soul the blessing of the gospel in my life.  Gratitude filled my heart.

One of the many wise quotes from Sheri Dew is:

"There are some who make living the gospel seem like a sentence to life on the rock pile.  It's not living the gospel that's hard.  It's life that's hard.  It's picking up the pieces when covenants have been compromised or values violated that's hard.  The gospel is the Good News that provides us the tools to cope with the mistakes, the heartaches, the disappointments we can expect to experience here"

She also said:

The doctrine of the Atonement is a doctrine of healing.  The Savior heals us from the affects of sin, when we repent.  He heals our weaknesses and mistakes.  He heals broken promises, broken lives, broken hearts.  When we demonstrate the faith to seek after Him, and try our best to follow Him, He will heal us."

I know this is true.  Jesus loves me.  He loves you. 

 Believe that He WILL heal you.

He waits for you to come to Him.

 "Gethsemane.  Jesus Loves Me."

His Image In Our Countenance

Have you ever known somebody that you just wanted to be near because of how you felt when you were around them?  Many years ago when I was a young mother (and that WAS MANY YEARS AGO) there was a sister in our ward who I just felt drawn to.  She was probably about 10 years older than myself and we really didn't share anything much in common except we were in the same ward.  I don't think I even realized why I was drawn to her because I was much to busy thinking about me.  Her influence has stayed with me for 32 years.  Years later when I had 7 children and lived in a different state I met another sister in our ward that I also felt drawn to.  I loved to be around her.  Again, she was older and we really didn't have anything in common but I just loved how I felt when I was around her.  Comparing this sister to the first sister that I had known they didn't have much in common either.  Yet, everyone loved these ladies.  People were drawn to them.  Now 19 years later I still think of them both and the influence that they had on my life.  It wasn't the clothes they wore or the house they lived in.  It wasn't their figures since both were shaped completely different.  It wasn't the possessions they owned or the crafts they designed.  What these two very special sisters had was the love of Christ and His image in their countenance.  It radiated from their face.  They were more concerned with their relationship with the Savior than what they wore or what size they were.  They loved me because they loved Him.  I could feel it.

Sheri Dew once said, "The Holy Ghost is a gift of power.  The Holy Ghost inspires and heals, guides and warns, enhances our natural capacities, inspires charity and humility, makes us smarter than we are, strengthens us during trials, testifies of the Father and the Son, and shows us "all things" that we should do.  He helps us do more and become more than we could ever do or become on our own."


What I saw in them was the presence of the Holy Ghost in their life.  They lived their life so as to not offend the spirit.  I am trying to be more concerned with my countenance and less concerned with worldly standards of beauty. I want to have His image in my countenance.  That is the standard of beauty that I am seeking. 

Toothpaste, dried spit and other delightful things in the sink

There is always dried toothpaste and spit in my bathroom sinks.  We also use bar soap so there is squished melted soap chunks in the sinks joining the lovely toothpaste and spit.  This has been a source of irritant to me for many years but the other night it dawned on me that this is really a mother's blessing.  It is proof that somebody in this house is actually brushing their teeth and washing their hands after they use the bathroom.  I walked out of the bathroom feeling a little jubilant knowing how successful I was in teaching at least one of my children basic hygiene!  And considering the amount of spit and other delightful leavings in the sink I am sure that there is probably more than one of my kids brushing their teeth and washing their hands.  So I am so grateful for dried toothpaste, spit and soap in my sinks!  And considering the amount of pee that gets on the toilet I am pretty sure the boys have quit peeing the backyard and are using the toilet!  Happy day!

My life is so blessed!

How do I even begin to express my gratitude to my Heavenly Father for the blessings that have been poured out upon my family?  My son, Layne, received his mission call to the Chile Santiago East mission.  He left September 29, 2010.  Our home is feels so very different.  I miss him so very much and my heart aches.  Yet I can feel the spirit of the Lord in our home.  I can feel the peace that comes from seeking to do the Lord's will.  Layne is such a big personality as well as a  BIG man and we can feel his absence in every facet of our family.  The couch still has his body impression embedded upon it where he slept for the last 9 months.  I don't think the couch will ever recover!  I find myself snuggling down into the sinkhole and smiling remembering how he LOVED to tease me about everything!  I do miss that.  He is doing well in the MTC and will leave for Chile in about 4 weeks.  I am already counting down the time until he returns home! 

Our loan modification finally came through.  We start our trial payment period today.  This last year has been full of tender mercies from our Heavenly Father.  I felt His calming influence on the hard days when it looked as if there was no hope of saving our home.  I have learned a new level of faith and am so grateful that our adversities have been so minimal.  Dan is working and it looks as if the job will last a year. 

My sweet Katie is working and while her heart aches to be home with her children she is so very grateful that she is able to provide for them.  I have witnessed her quiet faith and determination to follow the will of our Heavenly Father as she has patiently waited for answers to her prayers. 

I am so grateful that through the many trials that my children have faced and are still facing that they are turning toward God rather than away from Him.  There has been a unifying effort among them to serve each other and to lift each others burdens.  They cling to each other in support and love. 

I love the scriptures.  They never fail me. I can feel the difference in my life when I neglect them.  I can feel the difference when I am putting them at the top of my priority list.  The spiritual strength I feel is so very tangible as is the lack of that strength.  My desire to pray and communicate with my Heavenly Father is directly affected by the effort I put into searching the scriptures.  I bear witness that there is strength and peace given to us directly from heaven when we submit ourselves to our Heavenly Father.  I bear witness that we can feel this through immersing ourselves in our scriptures and personal prayers.  For those of you who feel overwhelmed and don't know where to start I say to you, just start.  Just open your scriptures.  Just be willing.  Doing a little bit will help you be able to do more.  I promise you that if you will just make the effort to start that you will feel the desire to continue.  Heavenly Father knows our heart and He knows our desire.  He will never measure your effort against anyone elses.  Your effort is personal between you and the Lord.  He accepts any effort that you give to Him.  He will never throw it back and say it wasn't enough.  So just begin.  One verse.  One step.  He loves us.  He wants us to feel His love.  He stands ready.  This I know.

Oh where, oh where did my baby go?

My baby will be 8 tomorrow!  How could that have happened?  How I have loved mothering this child.  My last little one.  I have found myself savoring every baby moment, every toddler moment, every little boy moment.  When he walks by me I find myself reaching out for a kiss and a hug.  I still pull him up onto my lap to cuddle. I love his little boy smell...even though it isn't nearly as sweet as his little baby smell!  Time moves so quickly.  He starts cub scouts tomorrow.  A day that he has looked forward to as long as he can remember.  Tomorrow he gets to join the big boys and this mother will find herself feeling a little lost as he goes off to join the boys.  I will hold him a little longer tonight, hug him a little tighter, and take a moment to breathe in the last of his "babyness" before he turns 8 tomorrow.

Choosing Faith Over Fear

As many of you know, my husband lost his job last February. He was called back to work in the middle of May through the first of August. During this time he was in Las Vegas....so very far from our family. It was not our favorite experience. But, it wasn't our worst either. When the job was completed he was again laid off and we knew then that it would be final. Really scary stuff for us. You see, my sweetie and I are not a couple of young kids anymore. We are what most of you would consider.....OLD. We have 11 kids, with 5 of those precious souls still at home. Dependent on US. I didn't think this out very well when I was starting out this whole big family thing. I wouldn't have changed anything...just maybe I wouldn't have been so surprised when I realized at 52 that when my 7 year old goes on his mission I will be really, really old! Anyway, we realized that at our advanced age (even though we are both so young looking and full of life and energy, giggle, giggle) we are having to start over financially. A scary feeling. My sweetie was able to find a job driving tractor for my daughter's father in law from October until the end of December. It didn't pay enough to even make our mortgage payment. So we didn't. A first in our marriage. We have always paid our bills and had good credit even though we have never had very much money. Yet always enough to meet our needs. Not the wants so much, just the needs. That in itself is such a blessing but that's for another day. When the tractor job ended at the end of the cotton rooding season, we were without any income for a month. He is now working with a man who asked him to come and work in his used appliance warehouse as a supervisor. Still not paying much. $10.00 an hour to start. Scary. But yet, I am so very grateful that he has work. And work that he enjoys. Work that is right up his alley. Work that is blessing to our family. I have seen a pattern in our 32 years of marriage. Heavenly Father has always provided manna to our family. Right at the time of our need, not a minute sooner, not a minute later, the blessing comes. Not always what I would have arranged if I had been the master planner but just what our family needed for our journey on this earth. Now our house is in foreclosure with an auction date of April 21st. When I received that news it knocked me down for a minute. Well, probably longer than that! But as scary as the thought is of losing our home that we built 10 years ago and have had so many precious and sacred experiences in, I know that I must choose to have faith rather fear. It is a choice. As I read other blogs written by women who have faced experiences that would break your heart and find myself lifted up by their words, their testimonies of the words of the prophets, the words of the Savior, the words of our Father,I say to myself "all is well". These experiences will be for our good. For the good of my children. I want to stay here in this home that is filled with us...our living...our experiences. I want to stay in this ward that is home to me. Sharing my daily life with friends who I love so much. And who know and love me. I pray that we will be able to stay here. But more than anything, I pray that I can face this new adventure with a calm spirit, a joyful spirit. I want my children to experience faith in adversity.

Orson F. Whitney said: "No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude and humility. All that we suffer and all that we endure, especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable, more worthy to be called the children of God...and it is through sorrow and suffering , toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we came here to acquire and which will make us more like our Father and mother in heaven. "

Oh, how I pray that I might be what Father would have me be.

I LOVE the Young Women in my ward!!!

Last night the YW in our ward were doing a service scavenger hunt. They came knocking on my door after I was already in my pajamas cuddling with my Banner. I opened up the door and there stood a group of young women with their leaders asking if they could do some chores for me. DOES LIFE GET ANY BETTER THAN THIS????? I tried to conceal my excitement so as not to scare them but I wanted to drag them in and lock the door. I thought "I wonder how long I can keep them here before anyone notices they are missing. And is it really felony kidnapping if I claim that they ASKED to come in and help?" I tried to breathe calmly as I looked at their list of chores they needed to accomplish and wondered if they would notice if I penciled in things that were not on the list. With glee I watched as they did my dishes, dusted my family room, vacummed my family room, washed some windows and read a story to Banner. Much to my dismay, it was over too soon. And as fast as these service angels came into my life, they were gone. I wanted to press my face against the window and call "Come back, Come back! I will be good to you. You will love it here. We need more girls!" Instead, I silently thanked Heavenly Father for these precious girls and their leaders and went back to cuddling with my little man. As we settled down he said to me, "Mom, They need to come back tomorrow and clean my room." Oh yes son, they do. And the bathroom.

Each Life That Touches Ours for Good

I have been thinking alot lately about the many blessings in my life and my thoughts are continually turned to the many people in my ward, neighborhood and family that are so dear to me. I am sure that there are many that don't have any idea of how much they have blessed my life in some way. I want to thank all those who have given me a smile and a kind word. You have strengthened me. I found myself humming the hymm "Each Life That Touches Ours for Good" this morning and want to share those words.

Each life that touches ours for good
Reflects thine own great mercy, Lord;
Thou sendest blessings from above
Thru words and deeds of those who love.

What greater gift dost thou bestow,
What greater goodness can we know
Than Christ-like friends, whose gentle ways
Strengthen our faith, enrich our days.

For worthy friends whose lives proclaim
Devotion to the Savior's name,
Who bless our days with peace and love,
We praise thy goodness, Lord, above.

May blessings be upon all who go about touching lives for good. I love you and am grateful for your sweet touch in my life.

My kids are the best!

Yesterday was an especially long Sunday. I didn't get a chance to eat so after staying for tithing settlement with our drop dead gorgeous bishop I was STARVING and TIRED when we got home from church. It was about 6:15 when we got home. I expressed my current level of hunger and fatigue to the kids and Layne and Emily told me to go get my jammies on and lay down and they would fix dinner. THOSE WERE THE SWEETEST WORDS! I literally ran to my room! They fixed dinner and it was so good. Later that evening I could hear dishes clinking in the kitchen and I thought that someone was eating again. They do that alot around here. I went to bed without going back into the kitchen. When i got up at 6:00 a.m. expecting last nights dinner mess to still be waiting for me, I was so surprised to see the kitchen spotless and the floor swept! My sweet Riley cleaned the kitchen for me. LOVE THESE KIDS!!!!!

Dancing!

Ammon and Bethany, and then Ammon and Hannah, are dancing at Danya and Sam's wedding reception. How precious is this!!! Bethany and Hannah are my granddaughters, Ammon's nieces. It sure puts "joy in the journey"!

The Great Escape!

My grandbaby Satchel is heading out for some big adventure. He was caught in the act!

Adam and Susan and kids

I miss these sweets kids so very much. They just moved to Clinton, Missouri a few months ago for Adam's new job.

Bourgeous Grandbabies

Bethany, Colten, and baby Emma. Emma is not to happy with the whole photo shoot experience.

How I love this precious boy!

This is my grandson, Colten. He is so darling! Can you tell that he is brother to Bethany?

Isn't she beautiful? This is my granddaughter, Bethany. She is 6 years old and as angelic as they come!

Cows on the porch?

So, how many of you get to have cows on your porch? Those darn cows keep getting out of the pasture and think they need to play in the yard. They have ate all of my trees that we planted in the yard. I was not happy. But the boys love their cows! Sometimes I will see Sippy (the momma cow) looking in my window. I have cow snot on my windows along with boy goobers!

Banner lost another tooth!

My baby is nearly 8 and is in the process of losing his baby teeth. I am so grateful that Heavenly Father sent me this last child. I would have missed out on so much if we had only had 10 kids. So glad that we kept going!!!!