Thought for the day

I was reading a talk by our Prophet, Thomas S. Monson from his talk last Conference,

Finding Joy in the Journey. I love Valentine's Day and the reminder that we should freely show our love to those around us. President Monson asked that we say "I love you" more; always express our thanks. And then he said,

"Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved."

It made me take a pause today to remember that people, especially my family, are so much more important than things. So, today I resolve to give a little more love to those around me, to give extra hugs, to "enjoy" the laundry that is piling up, to learn from trials...knowing that there is opposition in all things...as bad as it may seem, it has to get that much better and to make every day and month a time to give more LOVE.

I am so grateful for my FAMILY and FRIENDS. Have a happy day and know that you are LOVED!!!

Baby girl finding Joy!

"Find Joy in the Journey."
Thomas S. Monson


I loved how President Monson repeated this in his talk this morning.
I need to remember his council each day, he said,
"May we adapt to the changes in our lives, that we may realize what is most important. That we may express our gratitude always and thus find joy in the journey."

I love it!! I need to put it up where I can be reminded to follow this instruction each day!!
I am grateful to my sweet children for always helping me find the joy in life's little moments!

General Relief Society Meeting

Every six months, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints holds a conference where our leaders, apostles and our prophet speak to us and instruct us. I look forward to it every time. It always gives me hope and peace and a willingness to do better, to be better.
This last weekend was the General Relief Society Meeting. Relief Society is an organization of women that are 18 years of age and older. I was unable to attend the meeting on Saturday, but, today I was able to access the meeting here.

I loved President Uchtdorf's talk. Here are some things he shared:

"We all have talents and gifts! Everyone of us..Creation means bringing into existence something that did not exist before...colorful gardens, harmonious homes, family memories, flowing laughter. What you create does not have to be perfect. Don't let the fear of failure discourage you. Don't let the voice of critics paralyze you, whether that voice comes from the outside or the inside."

He then suggested that we start small. Some ideas he shared were:

See how many smiles you can create. (Loved that one)
Write a letter of appreciation.
Learn a new skill.
Identify a space and beautify it.

Another thing he said was:

"The number of prayers we say may contribute to our happiness, but the number of prayers we answer may be of even greater importance. Let us open our eyes and see the heavy hearts, notice the loneliness and despair, let us feel the silent prayers of others around us, and let us be an instrument in the hands of the Lord to answer those prayers."

The main thing I took from this talk was that each of us are of worth and YES all the good things we do each day DO matter and DO count. Can we always do better? Of course. But, with the Lord's help we can strive to do the best that we can at the particular moment and stage in our lives.

I loved this quote he shared also:

"Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves."

James Perry, author of Peter Pan

Beautiful Sunset

"May I never miss a sunset or a rainbow because I was looking down."

A few weeks ago, I came outside to check on my children and what I saw made me pause. The sky was turning shades of gold, orange and pink right before my eyes. I quickly called for my children to come and see it, they looked for a moment and then said,"That's pretty mom, can we go play some more?" :)I just smiled and then I ran in and grabbed Wade's camera so that I could capture the moment on film and these were the results. It was a nice pause in my evening to enjoy a simple moment and remember and acknowledge who created this beautiful world that we get to enjoy.

Love this one too!

"Speak kind words, receive kind echoes."

My friend Kristen shared this quote with me..I love it! I need to put it up in my house somewhere. It's a keeper. Thanks for sharing, Kristen.

Love this Quote!

"In all of life, have much fun and laughter. Life is to be enjoyed not just endured."
Gordon B. Hinckley

Lettering on the walls

One of my new hobbies is cutting out vinyl lettering on my cricut--and putting it on anything and everything. (walls, the fridge, cupboards, softball helmets, etc.). I have always wanted to have a temple picture with a saying by it in each child's room, well my wish came true. I have them up in each room..except for the younger girls. Here are some pics.

Today being September 11th..my thoughts have turned to that historic day so many years ago. I still can remember where I was, where my family was and what we were doing. Today, I would like to express my gratitude for my freedom, for my family and for the restored gospel in these Latter-days. What a blessing it is to live in a country where we may practice religious freedom. I am grateful for the many men and women who fight to make that possible.