The Empty Pot

So I just got a new picture book. I love it!

It's about a child who tries to grow a flower for the emperor but it doesn't grow no matter how what he tries. All the other young children have beautiful flowers in their pots. This young boy has to decide if he should present his pot to the emperor or not.

How often do we have to make that same choice? We look at what talents other people have and think that what we have just isn't good enough. Do we ever wonder if we should just give up and not let other people see our own talents that just don't quite compare to theirs?

My advice on times like these would be "Don't let anyone Dull your SPARKLE!" Do the best you can and be proud of that. Don't worry about everyone else. You only need to please your Heavenly Father and yourself. 

A Mission Call

My life has been pretty crazy the last few days. My oldest son got his mission call to the Oklahoma, Tulsa mission. We are so excited for him! We have been shopping and just doing the little things we can to help get him ready.

However, it is very strange to think that my son is going to leave home.  From now on our family dynamics are going to change and it is really hard to get my head around that.  My son is old enough that he is leaving home and I don't feel like I am ready for that step even though I am so very excited for him. 

Parenting is hard. It's hard to watch you kids struggled. It's hard to let them get their independence. It is hard to let them go out into the world on their own.  There is no way I could do all of those things on my own.  I pray that our Father in Heaven will watch over him and help me let him go. Oklahoma, Tulsa mission is lucky to have him coming there.

Have Courage and Be Kind

I recently watched the new "Cinderella" movie. I love the main thought from it of "Have Courage and Be Kind." What great advice! Everywhere around us are stories of people who only think of themselves and do things with no thought of how it will effect those around them.
Imagine a world where kindness prevailed, where people saw something that needed to be done and they just did it. Imagine a smiling face to greet you wherever you went, a friend in everyone you met.
Maybe this idea isn't practical.  I know there will always be someone or something in your lives that doesn't promote kindness. That's where courage comes in to play.  How about the next time you are hurt by someone, have the courage to still be kind. What about when you disagree with something going on?  Have the courage to state your opinion, but do it in a kind way.
I often ask my kids to name one kind thing that they have done in they day.  They just roll their eyes at me, I am sure, but they think for a minute and name that thing.  Maybe they won't learn anything from this exercise but I hope it makes they take a little time and try to find some kindness in them to share with others. Remember the old adage that "wrong is wrong even if everyone is doing it, and right is right even if no one is doing it."
May we all do the right thing.  May we always have courage to do what is right. May we also be kind.

To Journal or not to Journal?

For all my life I have been advised to write in a journal and I am terrible at it.  I have tried multiple times in many different ways quite unsuccessfully.  I have played with traditional journals, calendar journals, etc.  I really like the idea of keeping a journal but it just hasn't worked for me. Then I found the idea of adding doodles to your journal and I fell in love with the idea.

Here is an example of how my entry starts.  I ponder the day and what picture might best express my thoughts for the day. Then I sketch in the picture. This day my son had piano festival that was the highlight of my day so I started with something musical. Finally I add my thoughts for the day.

Here is a sample of a finished page. No I am not an artist but I don't care. I love the color and the way it brightens the page. It makes me happy to look at.

So maybe, just maybe I will be able to keep journaling!

Loving Me

A few years ago I was diagnosed with Addison's Disease and then a few month later with thyroid cancer. What a shock to my life!  I went from what I thought was a fairly healthy person to sick and in the hospital thinking that I would die.  It was scary and I don't know how we made it through. However, I learned a few things that I would like to share.

First, I learned you can do hard things. When I first was released from the hospital I was so weak that I could only walk out my front door, across the street and back.  This seriously took all my energy. However, I knew that within in a month I wanted to go on a trek with ward and I had to be able to walk at least 5 miles a day.  With a lot of support from my husband and a determination to do it I worked hard over the next month. I made it to trek!! I didn't get to hike the whole time because my doctor forbade it but I did go and hiked as much as I could.

Secondly, I learned that family matters most.  As hard as it was for my kids to watch me be sick, they all stepped up and helped each other.  They were getting each other up and ready for the day, cooking meals, cleaning the house, etc. They did everything I was suppose to be doing.  It really drew us all together and united us in a new way. My children learned the importance of family.

Lastly, the hardest thing to learn for me was to be able to love me.  I thought I had already mastered this. Boy was I wrong!  After being diagnosed I was given a bunch of medicine that all had weight gain as a side effect.  I never thought of myself as a vain person but gaining weight was really hard on me.  I no longer felt beautiful and it was really a trying time. I do have a great husband that loves me for who I am.  He is always there to help me and support me.  I can't say that I have mastered the ability to love myself, but I am definitely working on it.  I am learning that my body weight doesn't make me who I am.  I know I need to stay active and eat healthy to take care of myself, but I don't let that single factor determine who I am anymore. I love me, no matter what I look like on the outside.