Go with the Flow!

I recently visited a family cabin of one of my dear friends. It was in a beautiful mountain setting. Everything was blooming and lush. In the background we could hear the sound of water. Not a little or small amount of water, but a large stream, swollen with the water from spring runoff. Pictured is the beautiful stream. I could sit there for hours watching and listening. The stream went under the road, through a big pipe. Once in a while we would hear a rock being forced through the pipe by the current. It was powerful. 

My whole life, it seems, I've heard the phrase, 

"Go with the flow."

What does it mean? To me it means whatever life gives you, be your best. Life will be rough and tumble sometimes, and other times things will be going so good, that you fear for the bubble to pop. But no matter what happens in life. We are in charge of how we feel. In the middle of hardship, we can have gratitude. In the middle of calm, we can feel peace. In whatever circumstances that life gives us, we can "Go with the flow!"

 I thought about this stream and how at certain times it might be hard, even dangerous to 

"Go with the flow."

 In the stream of life, we are not always in charge of how fast the flow is, or how slow the flow is. Just like this stream, there are outside forces determining the flow. When the stream is swollen with the spring runoff, it can be a messy place. There is debris all along the way. But when the runoff is over, the stream is a very peaceful and calm place. 

"Go with the flow!"

 If things are moving fast, and they get kinda messy...

"Go with the flow!"

 If life has slowed down and you long for more excitement...

"Go with the flow!"

 Sometimes life has a way of telling us what we need. If we get going so fast and crazy, we get sick and then we are forced to slow down. The shrubs around the stream sure got a pounding from the water flowing by. But when the water calms down. They will get a brake from the turbulence. 

I wonder if Father in heaven is up there saying to us, 

"Go with the flow! You can do it!"?

Don't you just love nature. It really gets me thinking. When I am there...with God's creations, I know He loves us. He wants us to be happy. He wants us to learn and grow, and sometimes the "flow" is like a spring runoff, and sometimes it's like a peaceful trickling brook. 

"Go with the flow!" Love, Joy

What if you have been judged wrongly?

I had a situation come up recently. I was judged wrongly. I sincerely try to do my best in every thing I do. Someone thought I wasn't doing my best. This is a problem, or it can be a problem, only if I let it. I can let it fester and really let it get to me, or I can not even let it bug me. I can feel like people just don't like me, or understand me. Or I can take this opportunity to become better. Maybe I can improve? Of course I can. Maybe this situation is a gift? One that reminds me to do better and helps me grow! Even if I feel the judgement was wrong, I can do better. I will do better and I will grow. I will choose to be grateful for the opportunity to become a better me. I will feel grateful to those who brought to my attention something to work on. I will receive all things with thankfulness, and love those who might have meant to hurt me. 
I will do it and I will continue to love them. 

Lessons!

Kelsey, Natasha, G and T at the Air Force Museum 

 T in front of a airplane

"You can do hard things." 

One of my dear friends, Annette, is the mother to the little boys we used to tend. You may know them by the posts I've done about them, "Two Cents" by T and G. I haven't tended them everyday for some time, but they still come on occasion to visit and play. When T was just little tiny, maybe 4, he had to go to see the dentist for cavities. He couldn't go to the regular dentist, because he was very scared, and had a hard time doing what the dentist asked him to do. He ended up at the pediatric dentist. In case you don't know, that's a dentist who only works on kids. When Annette came to get the boys on the day T had to go to the dentist, he started to cry. I was wondering how Annette was going to get him to go, when he didn't sound like he would. I've never forgotten what she said to him and I learned a great lesson from my friend. She said, "You can do hard things." Guess what, T still wasn't very happy about it, but he left with his mom and did it. He went to the dentist. 

Ever since that day, when I'm having a tough time with something I need to do, the thought literally comes to my mind, "You can do hard things." I can do hard things. We can all do more than we think we can. 

Lessons!

I have the gift of gab.

 I have always been a talker. In fact, I remember when I was a child, my school teachers telling my mom that I talked too much during class. Since becoming an adult, my ability to talk has been a blessing. My darlin says, "You can talk to anyone, anytime!" I notice people and things, and just start talking. I talk to people in the grocery store check out line, and people at the doctors office. At my job, I talk all day. Most of the time people love it, and talk and visit back with me. It is a blessing to have the gift that I do. Who knew, that the thing that I was always in trouble for as a child would be a gift and blessing as an adult, and that it could also be a frustration to me as well. 

I had an experience at work a few weeks ago. I said something without thinking, and felt very sorry. I didn't feel very happy about my talking so much then. I wished that I hadn't said what I said. I didn't say anything mean about anyone, but I just shared too much about what I was thinking. And what I was thinking was not very nice. I thought to myself, "You say too much!!!! You don't have to share everything that you are thinking!!" I went home feeling like I was never going to talk again (yeah right, like that's even possible). I thought about what had happened for a few days. And realized, that I was being harder on myself than anyone else. The situation that I'm telling you about was over, and I was still worrying about it. Then I found a great thought that I want to share. It's perfect for this. 

The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing at the right time, but to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment. -Dorothy Nevill

I learned to be a little more selective about what I say. Think for a moment before I speak, 'Is this a good thing to share, or is it better to keep it to myself?'

Lessons!

On July 25th, it was the seventh anniversary of my oldest brother's passing. He was just 46 years old. Losing him was quite a surprise. We have always been a close family. We had Sunday dinner together for years and years, even after we were all adults, and living away from our parent's home. We spent time together, hiking and picnicking. He had been divorced and was living on his own. His three kids, lived with their mom. He was always content and happy to be in the mountains. It wasn't uncommon at all for him to go fishing with his dog, Gordon, at least once a week. He was a happy person most of the time, and mostly fun to be around unless he was teasing me. Yes, he still teased me. He was always ready with a joke or funny story. 

While hiking with several family members, including one of his sons, he just fell on the trail. The family gathered around. Everyone filled with the shock of what had just happened. My nephew, his son, ran down the trail hoping to get a signal on his cell phone. My brothers and dad took turns giving him CPR and carrying him. They made their way down the trail. After the paramedics arrived, everyone realized that what they were hoping didn't happen, did happen. My brother was gone. His short life was over. My parents were amazingly strong. But as my mom says, "Parents just shouldn't have to bury their kids." In the hours after his death, our family started noticing small miracles, tender mercies that the Lord had seen fit to give us during this hard time. The lesson I learned is this. God is always there. Even in the hardest times. We just need to notice Him! When my brother died, he was in the mountains. He was not at home alone, he was with our family doing what he loved, being outside. He was gone in a moment, not after years of pain and sickness. We knew he loved us, and he knew we loved him. He is buried where my mom and dad will be buried, in the same grave with them and not alone. I believe he is with others on the other side. Family who have passed on before him, and love him too. We miss him, but we are thankful that we had 46 years with him. Look for God, He is all around us. He loves us and even let's us have sad times. These times help us to be better people. 

In memory of my big brother, Brian. Love you!

Lessons: A True Friend!

Riley and Taz -Dec 1999

It has been 4 days since our sweet Taz passed away. I had an idea that it would be hard when his passing came, but I really didn't fathom it completely. Taz came to live with us as a puppy back in November of 1999. What a cute little ball of fur. He was mostly black, back then, with white patches here and there. The very first night we had him, I thought for sure he would cry all night. Nope, he hopped right in his bed, and slept till morning. He was potty trained in days and was always ready to greet people who came to visit.

Bear Lake 2008

 When he passed we were visiting friends in St. George. We usually took him with us when we traveled. He loved to ride in the car. He hadn't been feeling well, and for a second, we thought about leaving him home.

Grandma would come and check on him often,

but he would be by himself.

We took a vote and decided to take him.

After all he is part of our family.

I stayed home from church on Sunday and kept him close, patting him and talking to him. Telling him how much we love him and telling him it will be okay. He was such a sweet dog. He didn't eat at all on Sunday and drank very little. We had planned to take him to the vet, first thing in the morning. 

2009

I put him in bed, and told him to be a good boy and that I would see him in the morning. The next morning my darlinest got up before me, and went to check on Taz. He was gone. When my darlin' came in to tell me, we both cried and cried. He said, "I asked Heavenly Father to take him in my prayers last night." And I said, "Well, I asked Him to help Taz feel better." We both laughed a little, and my sweetheart said, "Well, He answered both our prayers then. Taz is gone and he is feeling better."

The lesson is this, when we take a chance and love something or even someone, we know that someday they may/will leave. It won't hurt when they leave, if we don't love them so much.  We have loved this little furry friend for almost 11 years. He has been such a blessing in our lives. He has followed me around the house and yard for 11 years. I couldn't even go to the bathroom without him wanting to come in with me.

2009

He was always the first and sometimes the only one to greet me when I came home. His little tail would wag so hard his whole bottom end would wiggle. I knew I was his whole world. Now that we're back home, I miss him more than ever.

 He was always here. He would sit by me on the couch. He would somehow get a hold of and chew on my quilts, only later would we discover his expensive chew toys. He would bark when people came to visit. Now the doorbell rings and nothing. ouch!

The thing is, I would never trade all the years of love and happiness with our little friend Taz, for not feeling lonesome and sad for him now. He has been such a blessing in our lives and we wouldn't trade a second of it.

The Box of Crayons!!!

I will never forget it!!

I was about 6 years old when I first saw it. I was in love!!! I know, that seems kinda materialistic, but I really loved it and wanted it. Every time I saw it in the store, I would take the box off the shelf, open the lid that folds down inside the top, and just look! All those colors, they were so beautiful. Then I would smell. Mmmmmmmmm! Even weirder, huh? I think my favorite thing of all was the sharpener built-in. Crayons AND a sharpener built-in?

What more could a 6 year

 old ask for?

Well, the thing is, I never asked for them. I thought they were too expensive. I finally told my mom one day, long after I was a grown up. In passing, I said, "Oh yeah, I always wanted that box of Crayola Crayons." She was surprised!! "Really? Why didn't you ask  for it?" I told her how I thought they were too expensive, and that I didn't want to be a burden. It made her feel sad. It was a revelation to her that I wanted something and never asked, and it was a revelation to me that I could have asked.

The lesson is, even if we felt, a little like we went without as children, we survived.

In fact, I would say I flourished and am a better person for it. It doesn't hurt us to go without. It builds character, gives us empathy, and helps us to understand each other better.

FYI-

I now have a box of

 Crayola Crayons,

a 64 box with a sharpener built in, and I still love them!!!

the joyful nest!

I don't know if you remember, but one of my first posts was about "choosing joy".

It is what I do.

I have come to a time in my life,

when the chicks are mostly grown.
Time flies when you're having fun, and

I know that in just a few years the nest will be empty.

OUCH!

I feel a pain in my heart. Don't call 911, I'm OK, it's just so hard to have my childers growing up and leaving. What's weird is, I have been looking forward to this for quite sometime. I just didn't know it would come quite so quickly. Being a mom has been the greatest, hardest, most amazing experience. When they were tiny, I would give anything (pretty much) for a break. Just 20 minutes! You know, run to the store by myself, take a shower, eat MY food by myself. I think all I did was feel overwhelmed and worry. Come to think of it, I still worry. But now they're gone alot and doing so much, I worry when they don't come home at the designated time. Did the car break down? Have they even looked at the clock? These days, I miss having them all safely tucked in bed by 8:30 pm.

After all is said and done, life is wonderful. It is a challange, and I love it. I choose to love it, all of it.

------------------------------------

I sent my oldest son off to boot camp on Tuesday, he has chosen to serve his country. It's going to be a great thing! I will miss seeing him for a while. Then my second son will be leaving on his mission in July. Oldest daughter is at a crossroads, as well. Bonus baby just turned sixteen on the 19th and had her first date all in the same week. Wow! I  know that I'm still their mom and hopefully they will always come home to the nest for visits, bringing lots of grandbabies and sharing love and  togetherness.

When I first heard Eva Cassidy sing this song, I cried....I sobbed. I thought of my darlin children flying away. It's hard, but when it's time for them to go, I know it. I have to have faith in them and in God. I know I have taught them, and loved them, and they are amazing!! 
(don't forget to pause the music at the bottom
before you listen to Eva)

I had a friend tell me once, "Joy, you're not the only one who loves them." Father in Heaven loves them even more than I do. They will be just fine!!!

Happy, Happy 100th POST!!! 100 WAYS TO CHOOSE JOY!!!

100 ways to choose JOY!

(in no particular order);)

---------------------------------------------------

100-go for a walk

99-cuddle your sweetheart

98-jump on a trampoline

97-research your family tree

96-go for a drive

95-clean a closet

94-serve dinner at a shelter

93-play scrabble

92-cuddle a sleeping baby

91-watch "The Princess Bride"

90-read a good book

89-make a new friend

88-make treats for your neighbor

87-do some ironing

86-take a long hot shower

85-lay on the grass and watch the clouds

84-watch planes take off and land

83- give the dog a bath

82-call an old friend

81-look at your eyes in the mirror

80-go to a museum

79-let go of things you can't

 do anything about

78-paint your nails

77-make play dough for the kids and play with them

76-sing a song at the top of your lungs

75-do the dishes by hand

74-finish a project

73-practice saying "I love you" to the mirror

72-take a nap

71-start a blog

70-clean out your purse

69-write a letter

68-count your blessings

67-read to a small child

66-braid someone's hair

65-sit in a park and just watch

64-buy flowers for yourself

63-plan your dream house or your mansion in heaven

62-try cooking something new

61-go for a hike

60-kiss someone you love

59-forgive

58-go on a picnic

57-set some goals

56-write a special memory for your posterity

55-notice the little things

54-plant a tree

53-learn a language

52-sit in the sunshine

51-pray daily

50-have a song in your heart

49-visit a historical sight

48-one word: "chocolate"

47-visit a rest home

46-don't JUDGE

45-give a massage

44-stand for right

43-believe in God

42-listen to beautiful music

41-play with someone's hair

40-go for a run

39-balance your checkbook

38-dust your home

37-go to a farm when the baby animals are being born

36-read about great people

35-donate to a charity

33-drink clean water

32-use the toilet

31-"do unto others..."

30-share dinner with friends

29-shampoo, massage your scalp

28-clean up someone else's mess, without anyone seeing you

27-take pictures

26-get a pedicure

25-"if you can't say somethin' nice,

don't say nothin' at all"

24-get things done (no moping)

23-have a candlelight dinner

22-start a rock collection

21-HUG

20-listen more

19-count the stars

18-watch ants

17-don't compare your worst with someone else's best

16-chew bubble gum and blow bubbles

15-be grateful

14-LOVE

13-feed the birds

12-create something from something else

11-SMILE

10-ride a horse

9-smell brownies

8-Listen to your heart

7-tend children for a tired momma

6-jump a rope

5-lotion your whole body

4-close your eyes and feel the breeze

3-take a class

2-fold laundry

1-Choose it! choose JOY!!!!

Thanks for reading and spending the last 100 posts with me!

 Love, Joy

On death's door!

This is Taz

He is the sweetest pooper on the planet. Last Sunday he was not doing too well, in fact, we have been feeling like he might not be around much longer. We feel lucky we still have him. First, he is 10 years old, which is 70 for those of us who know what his real age is. Second, he just doesn't get that much exercise. Sorry, my top priority is NOT walking the dog. And third, he seems to be ailing a bit lately. So back to last Sunday, he was puken his guts out. I was really starting to feel concerned. We all know the vet is home enjoying his family and maybe doesn't want to be disturbed, but I was really worried. So I called the vet, (he did put his home phone # in the phone book. Would you put your home phone # in the phone book if you didn't want to be called on a Sunday?) He met us at his office to take a look.

We're thinking this is it!!!

We won't get to have our sweet little Taz anymore. The vet feels around his belly, takes his temp, and basically gives him the once over.

And then annouces that he has "garbage gut". Garbage gut? Yup, garbage gut! It means he got into the garbage and ate something that was bad. We were back tracking over the last few days, we did leave him in the car while we ran in the store. Maybe he got in the garbage in the van. And we did have a family party on Friday, maybe someone fed him something that's not agreeing with him. Or, he might have just got in the kitchen garbage after everyone ate pizza. On and on we wondered. What a relief! Thank goodness he'll make it. We thought he was on death's door, but he only had garbage gut! He did get his rabies shot. We thought, "We might as well since we are here". We also got a bottle of antibiotics. He is doing great now, and we will be watching him a lot closer from now on!

Lessons from the Mountain!

Another lessen learned while climbing this beautiful mountain.

God is in the details!

My husband and I climbed this mountain back in 1999. While climbing we stopped a lot to rest, mostly because of me. My sweetheart is an athlete. While resting we looked at everything; the view, the sky, the cars that looked like little ants cruising around, the rocks, the trees and other plants. One thing that I remember thinking is how much we miss when we don't stop and look. Everything that was created by God down to the smallest detail is amazing. For example, a pinecone. Have you ever just looked at the intricate details of a pinecone? The leaves on each tree, including the pine needles are so beautiful. Or the flowers. There were all different kinds of wildflowers on the hike, most of them I had never seen or noticed before.

Notice the heart shaped petals on the flower below. That's Heavenly Father saying, "I love you and I want you to know it!"

The first thought that I always have is, 'this was no accident, there is a kind and wonderful Father in heaven who loves us!'  He put so much time and attention into the smallest detail of everything He has blessed us with. I think if we all slowed down a little, in our fast paced life and really looked, we would all find God in the details. I know He is real, and that He loves us. He is blessing us all, constantly. Even the hard or challenging things we go through are a blessing if realize that we learned something new and we're a better person once the challenge is past. Look for God in your life, He is there. When you notice how He has blessed you, Thank Him.  Love, Joy

A little motivation is a good thing.

Have you ever noticed that sometimes the best motivation for a needed change in our lives is rarely fun or pleasant. When I was tiny (yes, I remember being tiny), about the time I was potty trained, I would go potty in the middle of the night and was either too scared or too tired to go back to bed, so I developed a habit of falling asleep on the rug in front of the sink. Sometimes I slept there the rest of the night. Sometimes I got cold and went back to bed.

When I was five, we moved to a very small farm house in the country while my Daddy was building our new home. Before we could even move into the farm house, a lot of cleaning up had to take place. In fact, the home had basically been abandoned and left empty for quite some time before we moved in. Mom and Dad had 5 kids at the time, and there was only one bedroom in the house. All of us kids slept in the one room. My three older brothers slept in a full bed, and I slept on an old army cot next to the crib where my baby brother slept. Mom and Dad slept on a hide-a-bed in the living room. Sometime in the moving process it was mentioned that there "sure were a lot of mice around". This, of course, was a concern to me, because I thought they were scary. In the back part of the house was a small wash/storage room. Mom would keep her canning jars there, along with the washer and dryer. The first time I walked back in that room to get something I heard many of the canning jars shaking and rattling. I realized that the mice (not mouse) were running through the jars to escape. Ok, so now we are at the motivation part of the story. I don't think I ever fell asleep on the rug in front of the sink ever again. I avoided the trip to the bathroom in the night time, all together. I was so good at going potty before bed and staying in bed. I became a parents dream.

I know, I know -he's darling!!!

Just not in my house!

Lessons from the Mountain!

You may have read my post  from 10-6-09 about the time me and my darlinest climbed this mountain. Wow, it was an amazing, and hard, experience. I reflect on it from time to time. One lesson I learned was to
 keep a proper perspective. When you're up high like that, some things down below seem quite insignificant, while others seem amazing, beautiful and very important. You can't tell from up on top of the mountain that there are any problems in the world. You would think that everything is just moving along. The houses look so nice all lined up next to each other. The things in my life that tend to overwhelm me are not even important. I sensed the reality that we're all here together just trying to do the best we can.
I once heard an example of perspective from a teacher named Randy Bott. After climbing a mountain, his experience went something like this, while in the valley there were really rough roads, with jigs and jogs, pot holes and bumps. If you were to ride on the road you would wonder why those who made the road did such a lously job. You couldn't see more than ten feet past the road on either side. But on top of the mountain, he could see why the road jigs or jogs, there was a big boulder or a body of water or something there that couldn't be seen from the road. He said, "I could see, what I could not see from down on the road.
There was purpose in the jigs and the jogs...it made perfect sense from 1500 feet in the air. And from 1500 feet in the air
you couldn't see the pot holes". 
I believe someday we will see our lives like I saw the valley below my beautiful mountain. And like Randy said we won't see the pot holes. The things in our lives that overwhelm or frustrate us will not be important.  We will understand why the road was bumpy or had jigs and jogs. I am glad, and am thankful when I'm reminded to look at life with the proper perspective.  

What a great dude!!

This is Alex. He is my 3rd child and the most quoted.

 He is the one who taught me about going "slow and steady".

Here is the post from May 14th 2009:  "I feel like I have spent the better part of my motherhood very overwhelmed. I know I'm not alone, but it still bugs me. I want to be on top of all my responsibilities, all the time. Talk about unrealistic expectations!!! I learned a great lesson from one of my kids. When my son, Alex, was quite young, maybe six, he taught me the value of patience and perseverance. One day, while going through piles and piles of mail, school papers, bills and various other things that tend to pile up on our kitchen counters, I screamed, "I'm never going to get through all these piles". To which Alex replied, "Mom, remember 'Slow & steady wins the race!'" Now, most people know this phrase from The Tortoise and the Hare, the darling children's book about the race between these two animals. The hare races frantically along, then has to take naps because he is so tired from being frantic (sound familiar?). The tortoise moves along slow and steady. Of course the tortoise wins because he kept an even pace, and didn't wear himself out trying to be super turtle (or super mom). Ever since that day, I remember what he said and am glad for the lesson. I am much more patient with myself and my life. I am learning to perservere better all the time. Remember....Slow & steady wins the race!"

He is a senior in high school now and is such a blessing in my life. He is the type of kid you can always count on. I am so blessed to be his mom.

A Story of Thanksgiving

Susanna White was pregnant with her second child when she boarded the Mayflower and left for the new land. Her son Resolved was just 5 years old. She came with her husband William, hoping for religious freedom. They left England on September 9th, 1620 and arrived on November 11th, 1620. After two months on the ocean they anchored off the tip of Cape Cod and Susanna had her baby there. He was named Peregrine, which means wanderer. They then came across the bay to what would be known as Plimouth (Plymouth), Massachusetts. That first winter was very difficult and William died, leaving Susanna a widow with two small children.

The thing that amazes me the most about this story is, how brave these people were. I have trouble leaving home for a trip, I can't imagine leaving home for good. They really didn't know what was next. The courage they had, crossing the ocean, then landing in a foreign land with no idea what was going to happen when they arrived, if they arrived, is awe-inspiring. Add on top of that, the fact that Susanna was expecting a child makes me love and admire her more.

In the spring Susanna married Edward Winslow whose wife had passed away that first winter also. It was a blessing that they could have each other to go through life with, after such a tough time. What amazing people they were. That next November was when the "First Thanksgiving" took place, and I'm sure they were thankful to be alive in a new land.

I am most grateful for all of those who made this life better for all of us. Their stories alone bless my life. If they can do what they did, make the sacrifices that they made, go through the trials that they went through, and still come out of it and live a full life, I can too. But it's not just the stories, it's that I have the freedom, the rights and privileges that I have, because of others who paved the way for me to have them. I love them!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!!

From this moment on, I want to encourage you to

receive all things with thankfulness and your life will be blessed.

Thank the Lord for the ride!

"Life is like an old time rail journey … delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders, and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and bursts of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for the ride!" -Gordon B. Hinckley

When I think about my life, all of it, from the beginning, I can honestly say that I have learned how to do this. Just knowing that there's a trick is helpful.

One especially hard time in my life was when my son, Riley, was a newborn and I started to have some health problems. When he was two months old, I had to have gall bladder surgery. I honestly felt so picked on. The surgery which was supposed to take a few hours, ended up being more difficult and took about 5 hours. I had a large incision across my abdomen and tubes coming out. I was in the hospital for a week. I was not supposed to lift anything more than ten pounds for a month or so. Guess how much my little boy weighed? More than ten pounds! One of the tubes hanging out of my body had to stay in for 6 weeks. And once a week I would have to go get an x-ray of my bile duct. They would shoot dye into the tube that was hanging out of my body and then take an x-ray. After the first x-ray, they saw something that looked like a gall stone still inside me. If what they saw was a gall stone, they would have to go in through the hole that the tube was coming out of and get it. I was so not in the mood!!! On the day of the last x-ray, I was just praying and hoping that they would not have to go in and get a gall stone. I was very stressed, too stressed. I went out to get in the car to go to the hospital and I sat on a wasp that stung me on the butt. After I realized what happened, I just laughed!!! I was taking myself way too seriously. I went to the hospital and the spot they thought might be a gall stone was still on the x-ray. Like I said, this meant that after pulling the tube out, they would have to put some type of a scoop in the hole and see if they could get the stone. As they gently pulled the tube out, sitting on the top of the tube was the gall stone. It came out with the tube. I immediately thanked Heavenly Father. It was about a year after the surgery that I really started to feel like myself. I had had a baby and two months later had major surgery. It was a very difficult time for me in my life, but I am grateful for it. I am a more compassionate person, more empathatic and aware of others feelings, what they might be going through at a tough time. I have learned to thank God for the ride, then and always. I have also learned to relax when overwhelmed and discouraged and listen for help in dealing with my trials from Father in Heaven.

Miracles

I've always believed in miracles. I know they happen, every second of every day, some where on the planet. We just need to have eyes to see them. Some people would call them a coincidence.
I experienced a miracle. I would like to share it with you. I have always tried to be a good person, doing what I believe is what God would have me do with my life. I really needed a great job, one that could bless my life and help me to supplement our income and pay for much needed family expenditures (ie. a new roof for our house, etc). I recently landed what I thought was this job. I started this job, after leaving a job I really loved that did not have benefits and paid less. The new job was a full time job, insurance, paid vacation, paid holidays and working for an amazing company. Well, not so fast. Two months after I started this job, they had to cut my hours. From full time to two days a week, no benefits. Ouch! I was so sad, and I kept thinking, "what am I supposed to learn from this experience?" I know Heavenly Father is aware of me and loves me and I know He wants to bless me. I decided to just hang in there, go with the flow. I worked a little longer until I decided it was not beneficial for me to be at that job anymore. I had prayed and prayed to know what Father would want me to do.
I was sent home early from work on Wednesday, it was just too slow, and they didn't have enough work for me. I left my job and went straight to work trying to find a new job. I really felt like it was the right thing to do.
I just kept listening to my heart.
I looked Wednesday and Thursday for jobs, anything really, mostly online and on the phone. I chose to be proactive and knew that God could not bless me unless I was active myself. I really believe that. "Pray like it depends on God, work like it depends on you." So I decided I would get up on Friday and get ready for work, you know, dress in my work clothes and look professional. I also started calling all my friends and family. Literally just going down the phonebook in my cell phone.
I called one friend who told me about her friend who was an office manager, and told me she didn't know if they were hiring. I asked her to give me her name and said I'll just go over there right now (literally) and ask her. What do I have to lose? So I drove straight over to where her friend works. I met her and told her I was looking for a job. She asked about my experience and what I was looking for. I felt like it would be a great job for me. She then informed me that she actually was hiring and that she had a group interview scheduled that afternoon with seven applicants. She was so nice, and I really felt very comfortable with her. She invited others in the office, that I would be working with, in to meet me. They loved me! I honestly could tell, they loved me. I told her as the impromptu interview wrapped up, that I would keep my phone close, so I wouldn't miss her call. I left feeling very calm and peaceful. I knew that if I got the job, it would be because the job was mine, that I was meant to be there. Later that afternoon the office manager called and said she cancelled the group interview, because she found the girl for the job. It was ME!!!! Later, when I called the friend back who told me about the office manager, she said that her name just popped into her mind and that she hadn't even thought about this person for a while. When the office manager called my friend to ask about me, she told my friend that she could feel, that I was supposed to work there.
Now, I know some people would say that feelings and faith and such shouldn't be in the work place. I really don't make a move in my life without thinking about the big picture, how will this choice effect my life, is this what God wants for me and what He thinks is best?And so far, thinking this way hasn't lead me astray. Even getting that awesome job in the first place was meant to be. God wanted me to learn something there. And I did. Besides this job wasn't available back then. I start on Monday and I will do great and love it. Thanks for reading. I love Father in Heaven and know he blesses all of us with miracles. This was a biggy!

I always wondered about that word.

Remember the wonderful story by Charles Dickens,

"A Christmas Carol"? I've always thought it was such a great story. The main character, Ebenezer Scrooge, is very much like all of us, at one time or another in our lives. We get involved in our lives and cynical when things don't turn out quite the way we expected or hoped. I wondered about his name, Ebenezer, especially when I heard it in one of my favorite songs, "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing". You can listen to it here. So, being the curious sort of person that I am, I looked it up. This is what I found.

Ebenezer means "Stone of Help." It was the name of the memorial stone set up by Samuel to celebrate God's help to Israel in their great battle against the Philistines (1 Samuel 7:7-12)
An ebenezer is a stone, but can also be a pile of stones on the ground.

A really smart person named Christian said "It represents help from God, raising my ebenezer means I am going to 'praise God' and mark the spots of His grace toward me as places to REMEMBER! [In the song "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing",] the song writer is saying to this place in my Christian walk I have come dear Lord, a glorious place, I never thought I would reach on my own, and Lord I did not reach it ON MY OWN, but by YOUR HELP, therefore it is a place worthy of a mark in my mind, in my heart and in my acknowledgement of YOU, as my Gracious God. I think if we wanted to raise an ebenezer today, it would not necessarily have to be a pile of stones, though there would be nothing wrong with that. It could also be a date we remember and celebrated on our calendars, or an extremely highlighted and MARKed, remembered and celebrated place in our diary! "

I love that explanation. Maybe Charles Dickens named his character Ebenezer to represent that Ebenezer Scrooge's parents were grateful, christian people who wanted to acknowledge God in their lives.

And now that I know what an ebenezer is, I will raise my ebenezer in my life.

Lessons from the Mountain!

See this mountain...I have been on top of this mountain.
I love this mountain. It represents so much. From the time I was a small child till now, I have looked in awe at it's majesty.
One lesson I learned from the mountain is this -- you can do more than you think you can. We have untapped abilities that are only used when we really push ourselves. My sweetheart and I decided one year for our anniversary to climb the mountain. That was about ten years ago. It was going to be a testimony to our marriage and the work and effort that got us to that point in our marriage. We started at about 8:00 am. We had a great time talking and enjoying each others company. We talked about our kids, our life together so far, our goals and dreams, and of course we talked about how much we loved each other. As the time went on the trail became steeper. There were many switch backs. There were also beautiful views and flowers along the trail. We had not prepared at all for this hike. No walking or special training to build endurance. We just went for it. I remember saying to my darlin, "Do you think I can do it?" and he would say, "YES! you can". After 7 hours of hiking we reached the top. I was exhausted, and Brett was tired. Remember, we have to get back down. Some where in the middle of the hike I remember thinking, this is probably the hardest thing I've ever done. I had given birth to 4 children and had gall bladder surgery, I was still thinking this is probably the hardest thing I've ever done. We hiked down for 5 more hours, using different muscles than we used going up. Toward the end of the hike we both really had to concentrate to put one foot in front of the other. It was more quiet than the hike up, because we were saving our energy for hiking down. Finally we made it. We were so sore, I mean soooo soorree!!! I couldn't even look at the mountain for months without shedding a few tears. But I did it! I didn't know I could. Now I know, I CAN do hard things. It takes alot of effort, but I can do what ever I need to or want to do in life. You can too!
(Oh, by the way the hike was 16.o5 miles)

Judge Not!

While serving my mission in Texas, my companion and I found ourselves at the front door of our ward mission leader. Before we had a chance to knock or ring the doorbell, we heard what we thought was yelling and screaming coming from inside. My companion and I stood there with our mouths open, not knowing what to do. Should we leave? We would obviously be interrupting something. Honestly, the first thought that crossed my mind was..."Is he hurting his children? If he is, he's not the man I thought he was...Hmmmmm." I came to the realization that if I left now, without at least knocking, I may never know what was happening and I would definitely always judge him. I wouldn't really want to judge him, I just know I would always wonder. So I decided to knock. After knocking, I heard him from inside say, "Don't open the door. I don't have my pants on!!" Wow, that's not what I was thinking would happen. Then his little girl, about 3 years old, came to the window by the door, parted the curtains and just smiled and smiled at us throught the window. My companion and I became more confused as the moments ticked on. His wife finally opened the door with this look on her face like, you will never believe what just happened. We were very interested in knowing what just happened. She told us the story of how as they sat down to dinner her husband was holding the baby (about one year old). As they were eating she noticed something on his leg, and said "Honey, I think you have a piece of meat on your leg". He looked down to see a scorpion crawling up his leg toward the baby! He handed the baby over to his wife and swiped the scorpion off with his hand. The scorpion then started crawling back up his leg. Of course everyone is screaming. That's about the time that we, the sister missionaries, got to the front door. As the scorpion crawled back up his leg, he dropped his pants, and killed it with a knife. About that time is when we knocked. It all makes perfect sense when you hear both sides, but to me, the concern and shock I was feeling in the beginning was very real. Can you imagine if I had left and never found out the whole story? I was ready to make a judgement that was very wrong. This was a righteous man, there was no reason to think otherwise. I made a decision that day, that I would not judge a situation like that again until I had all the information. In fact, I make a real effort to judge not!

Texas Bluebonnets