I'm sitting here thinking of the possibilities this new year brings. The good stuff, and the not so good (cuz we always have to have a little bit of both... right?)
2010 was my year of fitness, and losing weight. Working on the PHYSICAL me. This year, I will try to focus on the SPIRITUAL me.
Some things I plan on doing to help me along...
Read my scriptures DAILY...
Converse with the Lord... DAILY
Watch the words I speak. Be more gentle in what I say, and keep the angry dragon voice put away.
Be more SERVICE oriented.
Be a better Visiting Teacher
Attend the TEMPLE regularly (trying for once a month)
Keep track of the Tender Mercies I am given by noting them in my journal
There it is... I'm putting it out there RIGHT NOW!!!! My hope is that I will post daily/nightly about what I read in the scriptures, what I did for service to those around me, and the tender mercies I noticed through out my day.
I am not doing this for recognition, I'm simply doing this for me, to help keep me on course.
1. Recognize your important role in the lives of those you teach.
2. Make your appointments early in the month. Schedules fill up fast. You will feel more in control and those you visit will realize that they are important to you.
3. Pray for those you visit. As you think of them often you will be inspired with insight to meet their needs. The Lord will help you as you report to Him.
4. Pray with your companion before you visit. There is strength in your companionship and praying together will also help you to draw closer to one another.
5. Learn personal information about each of your sisters. Knowing her will allow you to better meet her needs. Take the initiative to offer help, don't wait to be asked. Let her know that it helps you to serve her.
6. Listen with sincerity. Let your sisters go beyond the small talk and speak about the reality of their lives. Remember to keep confidences.
7. Share a prepared doctrinal message. Bringing souls unto Christ is our ultimate mission. Share your testimony and the truths of which you teach. Share examples from your own life and allow your sisters to share their own experiences. Always follow the promptings of the spirit as you teach.
8. Don't give up on the tough ones. Start calling early in the month. Keep calling, keep smiling, keep trying. At the end of the month, if your efforts have seemed fruitless, at least you will know that you tried your best.
9. Love unconditionally. Notice the good things about the sisters you teach and allow yourself to love them and practice charity toward them.
Fun things to do with your sisters:
1. Go for a walk in the park or neighborhood. 2. Give her a foot massage. 3. Be the taxi for a day for her children. 4. Have a luncheon at your house with all your sisters. 5. Take a day trip to a museum. 6. Bring her breakfast early on Saturday morning. 7. Mow her lawn just before she returns from vacation. 8. Watch a chick flick together with lots of chocolate. 9. Take her out for ice cream. 10. Do a service project together. 11. Find out when she cleans her house and pitch in to help. 12. Schedule your visit on laundry day and help her fold. 13. Do her mending. 14. Kidnap her children for a day. 15. Share your talent. Teach her something you are good at. 16. Make a VT magnet for her with all your contact information. 17. Send a card for no reason at all. 18. Send a thank you note for allowing you to serve and visit her. 19. Go with her to one of her children's events to help cheer. 20. Get on the web and research a topic she needs information about.
Well... I haven't really used this blog as much as I would have liked...
I really feel like I need a place where I can write my spiritual thoughts. Things I learned from my sunday school class, or relief society. I had a blog I was doing for my ward relief society, but I'm not in the presidency any more... so that kind of makes it a bit awkward...
anyway... This will be my place for "Ah Hah!" moments from church or whatever...
Just thought I'd actually get that out in the air...
To end each post, I think I want to close with a few blessings I noticed throughout the week...
BLESSINGS... 1. My kids can work together 2. I have a husband who cares about me 3. I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Mormons)
To say this simply, I'm heartbroken. We've been house hunting for over a year now. We have really tried hard to follow the Spirit.
The first house we really liked, we were preparing to write a contract for it but felt we needed to walk through it first. After walking though it the second time, I knew it wasn't to be. I had a knot in my stomach that got worse when I thought of it. I was quite sad, and confused. Why did it feel so right the first time we went through, then so wrong the next time?
The second house we felt drawn to was beautiful! double sided fireplace, spacious kitchen 1.5 stories Nice sized living room, and a bonus room, HUGE pantry, etc...perfect for our NEEDS!!! The sellers were over priced by about $12,000 compared to other houses being sold in the neighborhood. We made a decent offer... what other houses of that size and land were selling for... and asked that the sellers pay 50% of the closing costs ($4400) The refused that offer and held their ground. We came back saying we'd come up $5000 but still wanted them to pay half the closing costs. They countered by dropping their asking price by $1400 and refused to do any of the closing costs. Seeing as how they were pretty firm on what they wanted, I was forced to walk away... Completely saddened, and disappointed. I had been envisioning how I would decorate it. That hurt. I still think about it.
The third house we saw and quickly became interested in had everything on our list of needs, as well as all of our wants! We started seeing problems up front...mostly from the seller's realtor. He was slow to return calls, or emails if he got to them at all. He had discrepancies from realtor's reports to buyer's reports like he was trying to trick the buyers. We liked the house enough that we were willing to look past his character. Our realtor tried to contact him numerous times and he took weeks to respond if he did at all. We wanted to write up an offer, but wanted to answer some questions we had mostly about the discrepancies. We were in the process of waiting to hear back from him, when I went to show a friend a picture of the house we were interested in. I couldn't find it! The MLS number wasn't matching anything in any of the databases! I contacted our realtor, and had him run a search for it. He found out the seller had pulled if off the market for the time being. On the Realtor's notes page, it stated that the house was NOT to be shown until after April 09... we found it odd, and at that point started pulling away from the house. The other day, Mike drove past that house and saw a for sale sign in the front yard, but it's still isn't showing up on the market... Something fishy is going on... at least I'm not involved in it now! It was sad to walk away from that one, but made easier because the whole thing had been pulling teeth.
So this last weekend, we saw a listing we felt we HAD to see. Huge, and well in our price range at ASKING price! We found out it was bank owned, not a problem, we can deal with that if we need to! We did our walk through. Knew this house would be wonderful for our family. We saw things we felt we'd need to change or fix for safety, and felt we could handle it all. So we came home and mulled over what we thought and how we felt. Both Mike and I talked it over with our families discussing the pros and cons... and felt like we wanted to make an offer! So today, in preparation to making an offer, I called our insurance company to get a quick quote... We found out it's UN insurable... apparently the previous home owners made 2 claims in 6 months for a total of around $3600. We are so heartbroken! Again, it is something the OWNER did to effect us being able to get a home! We couuld probably change insurance companies, but with those claims stuck to the property it would be sky rocketing the rates. AND we found out the bank has an addendum that we would have to sign, and apparently it's pretty tightly in favor of the bank, and we'd be "screwed" from that side of the table too.
SO, to recap...we are sitting at a table us on one side, the bank on another side, and the old owners claims, and the insurance company surrounding us. We can't win. So, we walk away yet again, heart broken and devistated. Goodbye House!!! We could have been great together!!!
Recently, our area had a major tornado come right through the middle of the city. We consider ourselves blessed to have been missed by this dreadful storm. We were without power for just over 2 days.
My girls thought it was fun at first... being like pioneers, using candles etc. Once the fascination of it wore off, they were upset and frustrated. All they could do was complain... "I wish we had power...I wish this, I wish that..." "everybody else on our street has power...how come we don't?"
I admit, there were times I was grumbling...and murmuring to myself those same sentiments. And then I made myself take a step back and look at the BIG picture. We HAVE a house. We HAVE our family. We were SPARED any serious damage. We HAVE the Savior to rely on for help. We HAVE the gospel in its fullness to enrich our lives. So then I thought to myself...Who am I to complain?!
We had a friend from church who lost their home in this dreadful event. They were spared a more tragic loss because they followed direct inspiration to support a relative. They weren't planning to go, they didn't HAVE to go. As a matter of fact, they didn't know how they were going to afford taking a trip like that. But when they prayed about it, they felt it the RIGHT thing to do. So in last minute efforts they made the arrangements and were on their way. The day they left, the slept in putting them behind schedule. All these little things were blessings, and promptings. Had they not been on vacation, Dad would have been at work, and Mom would have been home with 3 kids, and very possibly killed. They LIVE!!!
They got the phone call saying there had been a tornado, and their house was gone. They turned around and came home to deal with what was left. My husband had come home from work that day, and grabbed a few things and headed out the door to help this family with whatever he could. He told me that this family was grateful they listened and obeyed the promptings to be on vacation. They were alive and safe. The things in the house...that was just Stuff...Stuff can be replaced. Family members, sure we'll see them again, but nobody replaces the hole they leave once departed.
How grateful and blessed we are to have the Fullness of the Gospel in our day. To know that the Savior LIVES!!! His Atonement makes it possible for us to return to live with Him.
And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people. Alma 7:11 (in the Book of Mormon)
Don't Sweat the Small Stuff... Those Things Can Be Replaced. Be Anxiously Engaged in His Cause.
I've had this little video posted on my family blog for a while. Each day I listen to it, and the words of inspiration buoy me up with confidence and self respect, and tears flood my eyes. I am so extremely grateful to have a Heavenly Father who loves me so very much. I am so blessed to know Him, and to have Him in my life.
This week has been an emotional roller coaster for me. My eyes have frequently had the flood-gates lifted and allowed the tears to flow freely. I think part of it is hormones, and the other part, memories of my family, cousins, and grandparents getting together.
This week we were informed that my husband's grandfather passed away. He was close to 90 years old. He lived a good, productive life. My husband had the blessing of being able to fly across the country to be with his family as they honored their Patriarch. I can't say that I have many memories of Grandpa Price. The only one that really stands out to me is this...
We were all gathered in the kitchen, and he was wanting some watermelon. He raised his knife and in one swipe cut through the watermelon...AND the plate. He wasn't too happy about shattering the plate, and the word that came out of his mouth was quite surprising to those of us gathered around the table. In fact, I think a couple of us turned BRIGHT RED because of it! It was a great laugh, and nobody dared repeat the word they heard said!
I really didn't expect to be overcome with emotion as I have been. You see, my grandparents passed away YEARS ago. My grandfather died when I was about 8 years old. Because of distance, I didn't get to know him too well. I do have memories of him, but not many. I don't remember his personality much. I felt a very strong bond with my grandma. She never made a visit boring. She always had some craft or project for us to do. She spent quality time with us. I remember the HUGE reunions we'd have in her back yard. Families came and set up tents, and crowded into her tiny house. I remember playing in the "junk-room." The junk room had a bed with about 5 mattresses on it. Old dressers, and treasures just waiting to be discovered. When you think of a Grandma's Attic...this room WAS her attic! I could get lost exploring in there for HOURS! Every Easter, we'd have a reunion. We'd all gather together and do an Egg hunt in the orchard, and around her house. Lots of fun! Every night of the many reunions we had whether it was Memorial Day, Easter, or whenever, we would have a weenie roast in the back yard over the fire. Squeeze onto the trampoline rim/springs and eat our food trying to get the majority of it in our mouths rather than letting it spill off our plates. After all the eating was done the kids (and there were a LOT of us) would run around the yard/farm/orchard where ever until around sunset. Once the guitar started we all gathered around for some good old fashioned campfire singing...My favorite was Grandma's Feather bed. That WAS heaven on earth. I loved every minute of it! I loved packing every body's sleeping bags onto the trampoline trying to figure out how to get everybody on with room... Listening to the owls whoot, and watching the bats fly overhead. If I could go back to being 7-9 years old again, I'd be ecstatic! I loved that time in my life!
Today, I am putting thoughts together for a lesson in Relief Society. The topic is Eternal Families. Thinking about all of these things, and reliving the pain I felt at each of my grandparent's funerals and knowing my husband is experiencing it first hand right now just overwhelms my shallow floodgates.
I am so grateful for the Atonement, and for the Plan of Salvation. Christ died for our sins that we may return to live with Him again. There is life after death. We don't just cease to exist. Our families can be together for eternity! Such a WONDERFUL blessing!!!
