J is for James 1:5

James 1:5

"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him."

At the age of 14, Joseph Smith read this scripture and decided to do as it said and "ask of God." One spring morning, he went into a grove of trees and knelt in prayer and asked our Father in Heaven which of the churches on the earth at that time were true and which he should join (Spring of 1820). It was then that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ appeared to him in person. Heavenly Father said "This is my beloved son, hear him." and Jesus Christ spoke to Joseph saying that he should join none of the churches. Joseph Smith was later called to be a prophet and restore the Gospel to the earth.

As a young boy, Joseph had a desire to know truth and so he went to the source of all wisdom, God.  We too, can do this very thing in our day. We may not actually get an answer to our prayers the way Joseph did, but we can receive answers and guidance to our questions through the Holy Ghost and personal revelation.

If we ever have any doubts or we just don't understand and we too have a desire to gain wisdom, we can kneel in prayer to our Father in Heaven and he will answer us and help us. But it will be in the Lord's time and in the Lord's way. He knows what's best for us and he will guide us as we have faith and a desire to understand and know.

I is for I am a Mormon

I am a Mormon.  It is a beautiful blessing to me to have a knowledge of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. To understand that I have a Father in Heaven. That I am here for a reason.  That I am part of his great and marvelous plan.

 I just want to share with you my testimony of this Gospel. It is so beautiful and such an important part of life.  I try my best everyday to live it and without a doubt in my mind I know that it is true. We have the true and everlasting gospel here on this earth. I know this. Everyone is able to come to know and understand it if they let it into their hearts.

 I know that I would not be the person I am today without this Gospel. I know that the atonement is real. That our Savior died for each and every one of us individually. I have seen the power of the atonement in my life and it is an incredible blessing. He has done more for me than I probably deserve, but loved me enough to die for me. He has been my comfort and my strength and the more I understand the atonement the more I grow and the closer I come him.

 I know my Heavenly Father loves me and that he loves every single one of us, because we are his children.  I have seen his love in my life and am reminded often of that love. He is there. He is in every aspect of my life. I am so grateful to know that.

 

 

I know Joseph Smith was a true prophet. It is so amazing to me to see this incredible man endure so much pain and struggle to bring this restored gospel to this earth. I know that we have a living prophet today on this earth, President Thomas S. Monson. What a wonderful man and leader he is. I am grateful for the guidance of the Leaders in this church and I know the words they speak and teach are true.

I know that families can be together forever. I am so grateful for the blessing of being sealed together for time and all eternity in the temple. I know that as I do my best to do what is right and live my life according to my Heavenly Father's will for me, that I will be with my family forever.  I know that the plan of salvation is real and that it's not only in this life that we will be with our loved ones, but forever if we are sealed together.

I know that as I have faith in my Heavenly Father and let go of my doubts and fears, that blessings come. It is only with fear that we stop ourselves from receiving guidance and peace from him. 

I love this gospel with all my heart. I know that it is true.

I am a Mormon. I know it, I live it, I love it.

H is for Hard By The Yard

"Life is hard by the yard, but by the inch it's a cinch."

 

This quote is one of my main motos for my life.  It has been one that I try to keep in the back of my mind always for those times when I need a friendly reminder to chill out.

 

I know there have been so many times where I have felt like a challenge or trial was just too much for me to handle. I tend to think of everything all at once and start to worry about everything and in turn I start to think I can't handle it. It can become very overwhelming the longer I let myself think about what might happen or what I should do.

 

But when I put things into perspective and take it a day at a time, I find that I am able to think more clearly and I feel more at peace with my different circumstances. But I especially feel closer to my Heavenly Father. It's putting faith in him and letting go of my fear daily that helps me come closer to him.

 

Life doesn't have to be hard. It's only hard when we think of everything all at once, but when we take it a day at a time, it's easy.

 

"Life is hard by the yard, but by the inch it's a cinch."

 

 

G is for Good Mom's

"Good Moms have

Sticky Floors,

Messy Kitchens,

Laundry Piles,

Dirty Ovens,

and Happy Kids."

 

All too often as Mom's we put ourselves down and think that we are the worst Mom ever. We compare ourselves with other Mom's who seem to have it all together and feel like we aren't doing good enough (at least that's how I have felt at times).

 

When my child eats crackers for most of the day and the house is a mess with toys all over the place, it's hard to think that I am doing a good job, but I have to take a step back and see what I really did that day. As I do that, I find that I am a good Mom, I didn't make my children starve, I played with them, I laughed with them, I let them make a mess I gave them hugs when they got hurt  and I listened to them.

 

As a Mom, I am trying my very best to be the best Mom I can be. I may not be perfect, but I am the perfect Mom for my kids. They were sent to me for a reason and no one can replace me as their Mom. I love my kids so much. I love being their Mom.

 

Remember you are a good Mom! :) 

 

 

F is for Forever

"If you want something to last forever, you treat it differently. You shield it and protect it. You never abuse it. You don't expose it to the elements. You don't make it common or ordinary. If it ever becomes tarnished, you lovingly polish it until it gleams like new. It becomes special, because you have made it so, and it grows more beautiful and precious as time goes by."

-Elder F. Burton Howard

 

 

I  have been sealed in an LDS Temple for time and all eternity.  That means forever.  Forever is a long time, but to me it is such a beautiful gift our Heavenly Father has given to us, all of us. The opportunity to be together forever. 

 

In any relationship, it is so important that we protect and take good care of each other.  When we make mistakes, as we all do, we do as Elder Howard says and "lovingly polish it until it gleams like new." We don't give up, we keep trying. We work to keep our relationship special, beautiful and precious.

 

I feel so blessed to have a loving husband who loves me more then I probably even realize.  In the time that we have been married, I can see that we have become two completely different people than from the time we got married.  When I say different I mean in that we have grown and had experiences that have helped us to become better people then who we were before. We have grown together and learned to many things about each other that make us love each other more and are learning more everyday.

 

Travis, is my sweet heart and my eternal companion. I am so grateful that I have the opportunity to live with him forever. He is so special to me. He is my best friend. He is always there for me. He's there when I need a listening ear. He's there to catch me when I fall. He makes me laugh and loves me with his whole heart. He reminds me what matters most and is always there to give me a hug. I love everything about him. And I love him more than words can say.

 

I am truly so blessed to be sealed to my sweet heart for time and all eternity. Forever is a long time, but I'm lovin' the ride. :)

E is for Enjoy

"Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured."

-Gordon B. Hinckley
 

This past weekend, I broke my foot. It has been really difficult to sit back and do absolutely nothing, but rest my foot and the occasional bathroom break.  With my two kids it is especially difficult, because I am not able to perform and do the things I normally do with them.  I have had to focus a lot on taking care of myself and figuring out how to get around with one foot and that has been a great challenge for me.

But despite my challenges, I know that it is important for me to see the positive in my circumstances. There are so many things that are a little frustrating, but I can still find joy in it. I'm learning some great lessons that I know will help me to be a better person. It's not just in this challenge in my life that I can find joy, it is in everything.

I love the movie "Pollyanna." One of my favorite things about this movie was the game that she would play with herself called "The Glad Game." No, matter the circumstance she was in or going through, she would always try to find something to be glad about.

No matter our circumstances or struggles, there is always something to be glad about. It makes it harder to go through life thinking that it's just another day and I'll get through it. When we are focused on just getting through life, it makes it more difficult to see the blessings in or lives. But when we enjoy and find things to be "glad" about in our day to day life, it is easy to enjoy the journey and see the blessings that we have.

"Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured."

 

D is for Dirty Dishes

"Thank heaven for Dirty Dishes,

They have a tale to tell,

While other folks go hungry,

we're eating really well,

with home and health and happiness,

 we shouldn't want to fuss,

by this stack of evidence,

God's very good to us."

 

When we moved back to the U.S. from Guatemala, we didn't have a whole lot, but I was so happy to have what we did. We had an oven, a fridge with a door that actually closed, carpet (even though it wasn't much), clothes and many varieties of food. The apartment we moved into may have been so small and older, but it was and is perfect for us and what we need.

 

 As I have been looking back on our time in Guatemala, I have realized that it is so easy to forget to be grateful for the things that we have. There are things that we aren't able to have in my family that I wish we could, but we just aren't able to get those things right now.  So, when I would mention things like "I don't have a microwave"or "we don't have a car" (which we didn't for about a year) or even not having a cell phone, people were amazed that we wouldn't have those things and didn't understand why.

 

But for us, living without those things has helped us in so many ways, yes it has been hard at times, but it has helped us appreciate the things that we do have so much more. Even though at times we may forget that, we always come back and say that we are so thankful for our "Dirty Dishes," because God has been very good to us!