A Letter to Myself in 1992

I write for Latter-day Homeschooling and this is my submission today:

We recieved this inspiring e-mail from a reader and decided to share it here.  I left out the name but if you recognize this letter and want to be acknowledged just let us know and I will put your name back in.

I am 17 years old and I want to homeschool my children some day (no, I don't have kids-no I'm not married, and yes I'm still in High School)
As the time came to select our classes for our senior year- I was thinking about what I want my future to look like.
I want to go to college, meet a nice guy, get married (in the temple) and have kids, and maybe Home-school my children.

I know & babysit many families with homeschooled kids- they seem SO much more intelligent and happy.
I love the idea of being close and spending more time than otherwise.
Only thing is....

What things can I do now to prepare for my future as a Home-schooler mother?

 What are some important skills I need to be a homeschooler mother that I can gain now?

Do you like what you do?

Thanks! I love reading your posts (even though I'm only 17)

 My Dear Young Friend,

Oh, Bless You for knowing what you want for your future children!   I am so excited for you because you are at the PERFECT time in your life to prepare for this important (no other is more important in my opinion) mission.  So many homeschooling mothers realize AFTER they have little munchkins running around that they wish that they were better prepared and there just isn't any time!  "There is no time" we cry " If only I had known about this when I was younger!"

Study NOW!  
Fill yourself up with knowledge learn everything you can.  Read, read, read. Try out all the wonderful branches of knowledge that are available to us in this information age. Discover beauty, become addicted to learning. Become an encyclopedia that your children can turn to for questions.


Get an Education:
Education and school are not necessarily synonymous.  Find out what true education means to you and then choose your future institution.  Choose one that will mold your character and enrich your mind rather than just provide you the credentials to earn a living.  Choose one that you can afford so that you and your husband will not be saddled with debt.


Use Your Time Wisely:
You are young and you deserve to have fun but don't waste your time on things that don't bring you joy or don't prepare you for your mission. You might have time to read The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire now you WON'T when you are a mom.  Keep a book or audio book with you at all times.


Become a Student of the World:
Engage with the people around you.  Everyone knows something, you can learn from everyone.  Ask questions, be bold!  If you can afford it I highly recommend travel.  It is amazing how your mind broadens and opens when you travel to a new place, city, town, society or culture!  You won't have time later.

Establish a Relationship with the Lord:
Search, ponder and pray.  Become dependent upon the Lord.  Listen to the spirit, read the scriptures, understand the Atonement , dedicate yourself to Him. Discover his plan for you and your family. Establish now patterns of study, meditation, prayer, service and charity so that when your children arrive you will already have those things in place as your most valuable support and resource.

If you teach your children nothing else you will have succeeded.

Love,
Samurai Mom

P. S. I LOVE what I do.

Ordinances, New Baby, Vew Crafts and 2 Fairies

Boba Fett was baptized and confirmed a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints last weekend.  It was a good time to spend with my family and get a great family photo.

See how I got Moose to wear a tie?

Boba Fett requested that we go out for ribs at Applebees.

Blech.

I have been spending a lot of time millinering getting ready for the Boutique at the Barn. 

But I have had time to make a Halloween wreath that  I found here.

 

I also managed to make a nightgown for Kristen's sweet adorable new baby girl who is the most beautiful baby ever.

  I had to make it, the baby was 2 weeks over due and I was going stir crazy waiting to discover if it was a boy or a girl!I am so happy she is a girl.

Today we had sweet Bella over to play with Nutmeg and they were awfully cute.

I need to re-enact this up at the Gardner's place in the woods.

Aren't they the cutest pair of girls ever?

Today was a glorious autumn day.  I hope we can get a few more weeks of weather just like this as payment for our awful rainy and cloudy summer.

Do You Think "They" are Reading Samurai Mom Too?

Have you read this article about women who just can't stop reading Mormon housewife blogs?

I wanted to post about why I think Momon women are such fascinating bloggers and I have my own opinions on feminism. My very first posts were about motherhood vs. feminism.  But alas, today is not that day and this post is not that post.

I just want to affirm that marriage IS wonderful.  Being a mother IS the most important and fulfilling job a woman can have.  That Mormon women DO really do all the tings they blog about.  That for the most part we ARE happy.  In short, we are the real deal.

Sure we clean up before we take a photo of the house and we don't talk much about the kid that has a serious back talking problem as much as the nice things he does because focusing on the positive is just so much more inspiring for the blogger and the reader.

That said, the kids are recovering from our 2 sick days and are FULL of energy.  They just keep making noise and it is driving me nuts.  I am SO glad that Moose and I have a date tonight!

P.S.   Maybe that is why we are so happy, the church advocates making date night a priority!

My Secrets: A New Series

I really miss being Primary Chorister.

I was the Primary Chorister for the Senior Primary in our ward for just over a year.  I expected to be in for at least another year or more.  I didn't think I would miss it very much because I love Sunday School and Relief Society so much.

But I do.

I miss those sweet voices and I miss feeling the spirit with nearly every song.  I miss singing the praises to the Lord for 25 minutes.  I miss teaching the children the gospel truths through music and tucking it into their hearts.

P.S. I like my calling now just fine so don't go telling the Bishop.  Thanks!

2010 Accounting

2010 was a hard year for me.  It wasn't a bad year and I am not complaining, it was just hard.  So many big things happened, little things, emotional things, financial things, happy things, sad things.  I am really looking forward to 2011 a fresh new year with no troubles in it yet.

 

With a new year comes the time for reflection and goal setting.  I thought I would take a look at last year's goals and see how I did.

Ask Better Questions and Listen More:  still working on these but I think that I am getting better

Hit My Knees: Yes, oh yes.

Hit the Road:  Walking fizzled out early in the year but La Keira and I  took a Zumba class which we really liked but once a week wasn't enough.  We have new plans this year.

Find a Friend for Boba Fett: making good progress on this, moving helped a lot.

Hit the Books:  FAIL!  Unless you count Betty Neels books which I don't.

Connect with Commander C: Just OK on this one.

Rhetoric: attempted and failed

Be Brave: I was not brave - I found it hard to step out of myself this year and made do with a few hours volunteering at phone banks and a yard sign.  Mostly fail.

Be More Present in the Moment and Find Quiet Moments: So-so

Be a Nicer Wife: Nope.  Rolling this one over to the new year.

Considering the circumstances I think that I did OK.  Remember I moved house, dealt with NOT selling our other house, built a business of sorts, worked very
hard and kept the house fairly clean ALL YEAR LONG.  The kids are still alive and homeschooling is doing better.

When Was the Last Time You Took Your Children to the Temple?

 The other day I was speeding along the freeway listening to Natalie Merchant's Kind and Generous on the radio.  This song has always made me think of my Heavenly Father and how kind and generous he is to me.  How I am in debt to Christ for his gift to me.  I sang along "la la la la-ing" through the autumn leaves and the late autumn sunshine, just as the song ended I saw the spires of the Portland, Oregon temple peeking through the evergreens.

I debated with myself as whether or not we should stop.   I knew that the kids would complain but the spirit told me that this was the time so I took the exit and within two minutes we were walking around the temple grounds with my middle child murmuring about how he just wanted to go home.


Soon it became evident that everything was new and exciting to my 4 year old daughter.  It had been so long since we had been to the temple she couldn't remember any of it. 


We sat at the reflecting pool and talked about the temple, what it means, what you must do to be able to go there and that in the temple we make promises to Heavenly Father that we will keep his commandments. My husband is not LDS and sometimes it is had for me to talk about the temple with my children.  But there in the sunshine it was easy.


As we walked back to the car my daughter said to me "Mom, you know what I was doing back there? I was promising."

"Promising what honey?"

"Promising that I will do what Heavenly  Father wants me to do."

Remind me in a dozen or so years to remind her of the first promise she made at the temple. OK?  Thanks.


This little trip took us a grand total of 10 minutes but I hope gave us 4 eternities worth of memories.

All is Well

"Why should we mourn or think our lot is hard?
'Tis not so; all is right.
Why should we think to earn a great reward if we now shun the fight?
Gird up your loins; fresh courage take.
Our God will never us forsake;
And soon we'll have this tale to tell-
All is well! All is well!"

Life has been really hard lately.

Nothing terrible has happened and we are all healthy and happy it is just that life hasn't been as charmed these last few months it once was.
The other night I was lying in bed thinking, and I realized that a LOT has happened to me in the last 6 months, some of it good, some of it bad and some of it neither good nor bad, but they have all been hard things. All of them take some adjusting. I got out a paper and pen to write them down and there were 38, right off the top of my head, 38 hard things. Regardless, I am sure that I look much older than I did 6 months ago.

Some of the good things were moving into my dream house, having my sister move to town, having my parents come visit, my dad buying me an amazing mailbox, my eldest son turning 10 and having a great response to my hair accessories. I had a wonderful Retro Housekeeping Party and a lovely inaugural Memorial Day barbecue.

Some of the neutral hard things were having my brother-in-law move in with us for a month, trying to set up a new house and be friendly with the new neighbors, I put my house up for sale, showed a house for 3 months while living in it with kids, I moved house. I have to live without my washer and dyer and refrigerator until the old house sells.

Some of the bad hard things were my sister breaking my heart and getting married without any of her family there, my old house still not selling and watching home sales plummet since the day we put it on the market, My tooth troubles reached a peak with a crown, mercury removal sickness, residual pain and extreme sensitivity = pain.

I had find a job. Looking for a job was one of the most humiliating things I have ever had to do. Finding a job is not easy these days (especially after a 10 year hiatus from the work force) and the indignity of on-line applications knows no bounds. It wasn't the fact that I had to look for a job that was humiliating, it was the way I was treated, disrespected, patronized, taken advantage of and ignored.

After a month of job searching all I had to show for it was 3 severely neglected children, 2 interviews at The Spaghetti Factory but no job and finally a job as a contractor for a sewing business, which was not fun, barely paid and from which I was fired this week. I am an outstanding seamstress and I was fired. Fired! I can't even get a job and the one measly bit of work I get I can't even keep. I used to think I would be able to make a living if I needed to and now I feel pretty useless.

Which leads me to mention my sewing rut. Things are not going well in my sewing studio these days. Everything I make has a dreadful flaw and takes twice as long to make as it should. It happens to everyone and normally, I would just it off to bad luck and persevere, but suddenly my sewing needs to pay and my time is money. The sweater I have been working on since Christmas is still an UFO.

And money, when you have 2 mortgages to pay, houses to maintain, a new house to furnish, and 2 yards to maintain, money becomes annoyingly scarce and I find myself really worrying about what will happen if the car breaks down, or if someone gets sick or if ANYTHING unexpected happens.

To top it all off like a moldy banana peel on the top of this pile of kitchen waste is the fact that this has been the coldest, wettest, most gray spring ever. Portlanders come together to complain about the weather, usually we don't talk about the weather, but we all reached our limit in May and this June stuff is driving us mad. We say things like "Can you believe this rain?" In Portland! While I was picking up strawberries at a stand this week I was trapped under the tent for 10 minutes while I waited for the hail to stop. My kids were 5 feet away in the car.

I realize that all in all I am very blessed and my troubles are small compared to others. But it has been a lot to handle in 6 months and I am really feeling the strain. I know that the Lord is preparing me for something, trying to teach me things and I am trying to accept it all gracefully, but it doesn't make it less hard to get through it.

There have been so many blessings in the midst of all of this turmoil and I am grateful for them every day. I have 3 wonderful, beautiful, healthy smart children, a loving husband who is a great provider. I live in the promised land. My husband has a job. I live in my dream house.

As I was watching General Conference the phrase "The mother should not work outside home" kept running through my mind over, and over, and over again. I feel so blessed that I haven't had to work outside of the home, that was a special prompting and I am glad that I have so far been able to follow it.

I have wonderful friends and family who have helped us through all of this. Relationships have been deepened and strengthened. Love, joy and service abounds.

So I try to keep my chin up, focus on the good and keep plodding along. Sometimes I think simply "All is Well."

Livin' on A Prayer

And our food storage. This afternoon the bishopric announced that there had been an imaginary earthquake yesterday and the Stake Presidency has challenged us to live off of our food storage for 6 days.

I. Am. So. In!

Here are the rules I am setting for myself. If it is in the house we can eat it. If it grows in the yard, we can eat it (too bad I haven't planted a garden this year.) We will be drinking water from the faucet. The milkman comes on Wednesday, I am still going to get milk but I will not open the new bottles until Saturday night - that means from Thursday to Saturday I will have to use my wits and my freezer. Electricity and all of my appliances and kitchen gadgets are approved. Seriously, there is no reason to be extreme.

I am so glad that my bomb shelter food storage room looks like this:(Hey, I just moved in)

And that I adhere to the food storage maxim "Store what you eat, eat what you store." Trader Joe's I love you!
And that I have plenty of sweeteners.
Challenges I foresee:

I tried to get to the Farmer's market yesterday for fresh veggies but I kept getting sidetracked by garage sales and I never made it. We have very little fresh veggies right now.

Trader Joe's did NOT have any flour tortillas last night so I will have to make my own. Not the same.

When I went to get eggs at the farm this week, they only had 1 dozen so I have 10 eggs for a week of living off of food storage. Maybe my friends that have chickens will bring me a housewarming gift of eggs? Gifts totally count.

I only have 1 bag of chocolate chips.

I have kinda been dipping into the food storage since we put the old house on the market to save money as well as to make more room so some of the things I THOUGHT we had we may have eaten.

Let the games begin.

P.S. The Bishopric is glad that we all survived the earthquake.

Why I Steam Tablecloths with a Smile on My Face

I helped with a wedding this weekend. It was just what I needed to get out of the house as I have been sitting at home in a funk for weeks. I had so much fun chatting in the kitchen while we prepared food. Decorating for a wedding is SO much fun especially when you don't have the stress of it being a wedding that you are a part of. Actually, the fact that I barely know the bride made it better. My favorite task was making up a basket of food for the bride and groom to take with them to the hotel.

What I wanted to write about was this:
I was thanked profusely for my help. While I am glad that my helping hands weren't taken for granted I felt very uncomfortable with all of the thanks because it seemed so unnecessary.

I helped because I love my sisters.

To all of the women in my circle, you are my mothers, my sisters, my aunts, my cousins, my friends. Helping you isn't a chore or even a duty on my part it is something I want to do and don't even think twice about. You are my family. That's what families do.

My Word

Relationship

I need to re-develop my relationship with Christ. I played with several words like, pray, faith, spirit but none of them described the whole deal.

So Relationship it is.

O, That I Were an Angel

"O, that I were and angel and could have the wish of mine heart, that I might go forth and speak with the trump of God with a voice to shake the earth..." Alma 29:1

I was able to watch 2.5 sessions of the 179th General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints this weekend in amongst the business of a wedding. What a blessing.

Elder Holland's talk had me riveted. Glued to the screen, I hardly dared breathe for fear that I would miss a word. He spoke with such force, the Spirit was so strong. What an amazing testimony and a phenominal speaker.
One day I hope to be able to speak so well.
I love that he spoke the truth and did not mince words.





What more can I say?

Amen.

The Blessings of Service

I walked into the house with my arms full of plates, in my car was some bedding and used clothing. My friend wasn't kidding when she said this family had nothing, just some borrowed blankets and the clothes thrown in their suitcases when they fled. There was a borrowed toaster and one folding camp chair. They had food (food stamps I assume) but nothing to eat it in or with, not even a can opener. Worst of all there was nothing to do just a few books from the library.
I left the house with a small list of most urgently needed items. 2 hours later I delivered a table, chairs, some kitchen items, a pack 'n play and a car seat for the baby. Later that afternoon I looked at the small list too see what else was needed immediately. There was nothing else, every item had been provided from friends with just two phone calls. What a blessing. It was if the Lord knew just what this family needed and inspired us to think remember all of the extra things we had hiding in the corners of our home.
There is still much to do, a pregnant woman who is supposed to be on bed rest needs a mattress, and how a family can survive with a baby on the way and no washer and dryer is beyond me. And there are so many of the little things that we take for granted the Tupperware, lamps and towels, silverware... the pictures for the wall. We will pray and the Lord will provide.
Most of all, I feel blessed to have been able to serve, somehow each time I am able to give service my heart is brightened, my burdens become light and I feel good.

Interview with a Samurai pt. 2

#6 What are two bad habits you have (that are shareable)? Which would you be willing to give up first?

I am very messy and I do not clean up after myself. It is really, really bad and applies to all areas of my life. I am a slob. I would like to give up both first but I know I will never conquer either of them.

#7: Mormons believe in having a perfected body in the hereafter. We've all thought about it. My best me looks like Angie Harmon or Katherine Zeta-Jones. Who does your best you look like?
Honestly, I am pretty happy with myself. The things I would change are minor but practical. I would have a skinnier feet so I could wear cute shoes and a normal back so bras would fit properly - but I highly doubt there will be bras in heaven. If there are it won't be heaven. Slightly redder hair, a little off of the inner thighs and lose the baby belly but keep the stretch marks. I have come to think of them (the stretch marks) as badges of honor, like a God given tattoo for each child. And of course, better "assets." Same size just less obedient to gravity.

George Lucas told Carrie Fisher that there was "no jiggling in the Empire". That's heaven to me.

#8: When you log onto your computer each morning, what are the first three sites you check?

This is very boring. Facebook, Gmail, and SamuraiMom.com to check my links

#9: Nature or nurture? Explain your answer.
Nurture. Nature is important there are certain parts of our personality that can not or should not be changed. I believe that with proper nurturing those traits can become profitable strengths rather than liabilities.

For example: Commander C has a very strong sense of justice and a predisposition toward revenge. I hope that we can help him become a strong man that uses those feelings to speak up for the downtrodden and do what is right, to practice compassion and forgiveness. I am terrified that if we mess up he will become a serial killer.

Besides, the Proclamation on the Family says "Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children." Naturally, I think my job is the most important.

#10: Explain your love of all things retro. (kitsch-factor, workmanship, originality...?)
I gravitate to classic lines, things that are timeless. I like elegance and strength. I love things that make me feel feminine but aren't necessarily covered in flowers and lace. I find the kitch factor irresistible, kitchy things are so absurd but practical all in one. I certainly love having something unique that no one else has it makes me feel special. I also love that the things I love have had a life before I met them. Was my wedding ring a treasured symbol of devotion or a trinket from and admirer? Was the person who painted Danvers satisfied? What kind of events did my garden dress go to when it was new?That is a very Miniver-ian outlook, if I may say so.

Okay, last question: You have a ton of hobbies and as far as I can tell you do them all well. Sewing, knitting, cross-stitch, blogging, revolution inciting... What is your favorite?
I really enjoy embroidery and think it is my favorite form of needlework but I don't do it very often. There is nothing like the satisfaction of a well done monogram.
Knitting however; knitting I obsess over from fall to mid spring. It relaxes me. One day I was a little testy and Moose said that I should go knit something and calm down. I did.

Sabbath Leaves

This week has been a glorious week full of answered prayers, quiet contemplation, temple worship, courage has been given as well as and countless opportunities to serve. How grateful I am for these opportunities and the immediate, yet intangible blessings I have received. My cup runneth over and there is not room enough to receive it.

Meet the Mormon Midwife

Happy Pioneer Day!
While I can only recall celebrating 2 Pioneer Days in my entire life (having grown up in Montana not Utah) but I am a big fan of doing so. We are celebrating today with a picnic (or it is a convenient way to excuse our picnic?)

Meet my Great-great-great-grandmother Patty Bartlett Sessions "Mormon Midwife."

She didn't actually arrive in Salt Lake on July 24, 1847 but arrived September 24, 1847 having stayed behind at Winter Quarters (I like to think to deliver babies.) "She recorded 3,977 births with only 'two difficult cases.'" Stick that in your OB's pipe along with his 33% cesarean rate and tell him to smoke it.

I feel a great affinity with Patty due to my love of home births and midwives as well as our mutual mad knitting skills (see photo.) We all like to think we got our looks from the other side of the family.

Innocence Lost

There was once a man who was loved by many. He said to the people "Follow me and I will make you do what is right, I will save you. Not one soul shall be lost. The glory will be mine." There was another man, also loved by many who said "Follow me. I will not make you do what is right. I will let you chose good or evil. Some will be lost, but I will save you through my sacrifice. The glory will be to our father, our creator." Many people wanted to be forced to do what was right, still more wanted their agency. There was a war.
The first man and his followers were cast out. He tries now to take away our agency. Always he contrives with his whisperings, his cunning words and his lies. He tells us what we want to hear as he leads us down the path to bondage.
This man's name is Satan, Lucifer, the Devil.

Today I listened to the president of my country, the very country that was founded on the sacrifice and blood of so many for liberty, for freedom, for AGENCY. I heard his cunning words and lies as he tries to lead our people into bondage. Physical bondage, financial bondage, social bondage.

I snapped of the radio and told my children the unhappy truth. I told my children solemnly, gravely that the president of our country is a wicked man. I told them that he is taking away our agency, that he is full of lies and deceit.
I warned them to be on their guard.
I will fight for their agency just as I did once before.

International Day of the Midwife

Where do you find the words for the woman who was there for you through 18 months of complaining, 8 hours of labors, weeks of prodromal labor, 1 posterior baby with a nuchal hand, 2 postpartum cleanups, many postnatal visits, countless fears and a million hugs and tears, the woman who was there when you confessed between rushes "I don't want to do this." and she simply said "I know." and hugged you, the woman who told you "You labored like a queen." The woman who is all the good things of a sister, friend, mother and grandmother combined. The one full of unconditional love,

The woman who was there for this,

and this,

and should have been there for this?

The woman who you can look up to?
There is only one word...
MIDWIFE.

Thank You Betty, I love you.

Happy Easter - Sabbath Leaves

This is a repost from a while back. It seemed appropriate for this day celebrating the resurrection of our Lord and savior. Today is very blustery yet there is sunshine in my soul. My house is filled with cherry blossoms, Easter eggs and blessings overflowing.


The other night I had a dream, a vision of the second coming.

We were standing in a building when suddenly there was a tremendous boom accompanied by an engulfing bright white light that shot in from the atmosphere like a comet. The light was bright brighter than anything you have ever seen but it didn't hurt your eyes. It penetrated the whole world. Every corner, crack and crevice was filled. There was not a soul on earth that didn't see the light. "So this is what it means" cried out my soul "When they say that when he comes again everyone will know it."
And HE was there. His coming had knocked out all of the windows and everyone in the world could see him from where their windows had once been. We were all drawn to him. He was beautiful, blonder, younger than I imagined and did not have a beard. I could barely keep my feet on the ground as they kept rising up behind me so I could fly to him.
Those who were not believers tried to rationalize it all away but they could not because he was there. We were sorry for them but he was there and our hearts were filled up.
I went to him and told him I was not worthy. He understood.

Mosiah 27: 31"Yea, every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess before him. Yea, even at the last day, when all men shall stand to be judged of him, then shall they confess that he is God;"

Thoughts on Left Wing Wackos

The other day I opened a piece of junk mail because it had the word "Hell" on it and that made me wonder about "Church! at Bethany" and if their Facebook ads and junk mail generate saved souls. I was also chatting with a friend when I noticed the mail was from The Council for Secular Humanism. It might have well have read The Council for Everything That Goes Against What Samurai Mom Stands For. Now I had to see what was inside.
First the letter claimed that it got my name and address because I "landed on the sort of mailing list that told me you're probably my kind of person- a list of people who are exceptionally bright- independent thinkers with social consciences." I am racking my brain trying to figure out this misunderstanding.

The letter goes on to talk about Christian "hate" literature, the conspiracy of the churches and Hitler and asks if we should be working harder to limit population on the planet. (If that is their goal then wouldn't Hitler be one of their heroes what with his lessening the population by 6 million Jews and who know how many others?)

Then there was a colored pamphlet that was mostly incoherent but linked Mother Teresa, Hitler and Islam? I was then encouraged to subscribe to Free Inquiry Magazine.

And lastly a "note" from Richard Dawkins telling me that my neighbors probably believe in God and therefore are not nearly as intelligent as I am. He also tells me that my neighbors and all newspapers and periodicals are bad for respecting people with religious beliefs.

I didn't know liberal wackos were that insane. Now I just feel sorry for them.
I do not think I will be subscribing.

And then this Saturday at a Gardening Seminar a man asked a question about double digging vs. other garden bed methods. The speaker explained double digging to the group and then mentioned that it was a lot of work and that it released more carbon into the air.

I would have burst out and laughed his sweet talking Metro behind back to Metro but I was foolishly expecting him to tell me why this carbon depletion was bad for the plants or soil. No, he went on to explain that we should reduce our carbon footprint. Carbon footprint? From digging dirt??? By then it was too late to laugh.

Remembering

Today has been an especially uplifting Sabbath. To be honest, Sunday wears me out and I generally come home from church exhausted and on the verge of tears - not uplifted. Today was fabulous.

I finally gave my talk on service. I tweaked it a bit so that it wasn't about Christmas, just service. I think the changes made it even better. It went over well. Kristin took my talk literally and brought me a note and plate of cookies this evening.

Sunday School reminded me that Church History is the history of my family and the history of the world. I was reminded that the gospel is woven into the fiber of my being and I would be so very different without it. I was inspired to make the gospel so much a part of my life that it is apparent to everyone who I am. I will study gospel history more diligently.

Relief Society reminded me of the importance of prayer and the simplicity of the gospel. I plan on savoring Elder Bednar's talk over and over again.

To top it off Mommy Bee reminded me of a conversation years ago about spanking. No, I haven't started spanking my children but I don't think that I ask myself if I am parenting as Christ would as often as I used to and not nearly as often as I should. Thanks for the reminder.


"I am satisfied that such punishment in most instances does more damage than good. Children don’t need beating. They need love and encouragement. They need fathers to whom they can look with respect rather than fear. Above all, they need example.”

- Gordon B. Hinckley