I divorced when my kids were still fairly young. My oldest child, a son, chose to stay with e until he went on to secondary school at which time he moved out. My next three youngest girls, each made the decision, during their teenage years to move in with their dad. They did not have weekly or bi weekly or for that matter any visits with me. I missed out on many teachings I had so hoped to share with them. Things like homemaking skills, important talks on life things. I still feel the pain of this loss but at least now I regularly get to see my girls and we occasionally have life discussions. I sometime even get to share homemaking skills but many times they seek this advice from other sources.
So, what would I have like to say to you my dear daughters and my sons...
I would have loved to share with you how important I know marriage is in the eternal realm of things even though I clearly have yet to be successful in that area, I know that it is an eternal principle upon which is necessary for our return to Heavenly Father and in receiving all the blessing He has for His choicest children. How important it is to make choices that lead towards that goal, to not rush into relationships. That it is better to be alone for a short while here, than to end up alone for all eternity. Satan has deceived the better part of the world into believing sexual sin has no significant consequence. I have since learned after making my own grievous mistakes in this area, that the desire to be in a relationship here, rather than be alone, can actually mean we end up "separately and singly" (D&C 132:17) to all eternity. How the world would make different choices if they realised this, if this was taught and people understood. I think many people are even afraid to bring up the topic as so much can be misinterpreted ...Girls would want to wait for Mr. Right, boys would then need to start acting as gentlemen because ladies would only want worthy men. The bar would be raised, not lowered until you can no longer go under it but have to step over. In today's world of acceptance and anything goes, it is hard to even recommend such an idea, but if it is not brought up then accountability falls upon those who do not speak out. For there will be a day of reconning.
I am saddened by not being able to share my homemaking skills, but nothing saddens me more than not having moments to teach important things such as this. I wonder if it would have made a difference in some of your choices or if you still would have chose the same. I guess we will never know.
Of course repentance is always possible, and I continue to pray for that, in my own life, as well as in yours. I have a testimony that you can be forgiven, that you are never too far gone. I have received forgiveness and know it is available for all who desire it with the sincerest of hearts.
I pray that the day will come that we gets to have discussions about things like this, that the messages will touch your hearts and the Spirit of God will testify to you of their truthfulness and bring about a mighty change.
Praying...
Wednesday, September 14, 2016
Sunday, September 4, 2016
A Good Day!
Today is a good day.
I was the assigned teaching in Relief Society today and I had prepared well in advance. My topic was given to me a couple of months ago and I prayed that I would not be left to the last minute to get my information for the lesson. It, well most of it, came to me about 5 Sundays ago-maybe 6. I scribbled down everything that inspiration brought to me. I searched more on the topic and added things here and there. In fact, the week after I had all this the Relief Society President, asked me if I was ready to teach that Sunday and I said I didn't think it was my month, but if it was I was ready. Turns out it wasn't my month but I loved that I was prepared, that I could have taught then. I am grateful though for the added time to fine tune and research more, to pray more and to even turn it into a presentation style lesson.
I am grateful for the testimonies that were shared during sacrament meeting, that help add to my lesson. I am grateful for sisters who were willing to speak what came to them and share with the class. Grateful for stories shared and most grateful for the spirit that was there. Grateful for the topic and for all I learned about it and how I can better apply it in my life.
Praying I will be a woman who knows how to access the powers of Heaven so I can protect and strengthen my children and family, that I can teach fearlessly.
Looking forward to teaching again.
I was the assigned teaching in Relief Society today and I had prepared well in advance. My topic was given to me a couple of months ago and I prayed that I would not be left to the last minute to get my information for the lesson. It, well most of it, came to me about 5 Sundays ago-maybe 6. I scribbled down everything that inspiration brought to me. I searched more on the topic and added things here and there. In fact, the week after I had all this the Relief Society President, asked me if I was ready to teach that Sunday and I said I didn't think it was my month, but if it was I was ready. Turns out it wasn't my month but I loved that I was prepared, that I could have taught then. I am grateful though for the added time to fine tune and research more, to pray more and to even turn it into a presentation style lesson.
I am grateful for the testimonies that were shared during sacrament meeting, that help add to my lesson. I am grateful for sisters who were willing to speak what came to them and share with the class. Grateful for stories shared and most grateful for the spirit that was there. Grateful for the topic and for all I learned about it and how I can better apply it in my life.
Praying I will be a woman who knows how to access the powers of Heaven so I can protect and strengthen my children and family, that I can teach fearlessly.
Looking forward to teaching again.
Friday, August 26, 2016
The Battle...
August 26, 2016
Do you ever feel like everything you do is a battle, a struggle? From getting out of bed, to deciding what to eat or wear, to figuring out what you will accomplish today!
Some days I wake up with a tonne of energy, ready to take on the day and other days I have no idea where any energy is going to come from because I don't seem to have any. Today is one of those days...I woke up early-because I'm sure a spider was about to drop from the ceiling onto my face, I could feel the slight wisp on my face like a few hairs in the breeze, so I checked my hair and it was no where near my face and we had the ceiling fan on but it wasn't on my face. So, I brushed whatever it was (I'm sure it was a spider) away and hid under my covers. Well, that didn't last long as it was so hot and I could barely breath. So I moved from our bed to the sofa, surely there wouldn't be a spider trying to drop on me there.
I fell back to sleep and woke to being surrounded by two kids and a dog. They had me buried on the sofa, I could not budge and they weren't planning on moving anytime soon. I decided to just stay there since they weren't "mom...", "mom..." "mom"ing me to no end. They had even got their own breakfast before burying me there, so hey, I wasn't going to mess with a good thing since I had no energy to spare this morning.
It was around 10 am before enough energy came for me to get up off that sofa and do a few things like eat and get dressed. I hate feeling this way, I feel like I'm wasting a good day but I also realise sometimes I just need to rest and tomorrow will be better. So today will be a day I don't get much, if anything done. I'm in the middle of house organisation and renovations, so the house is a disaster, except for the areas that are finished. So, I go look into the cupboards in my kitchen to see how great they look and how they are still just as neat looking as several weeks ago when I finished them. I feel that I am getting somewhere even though everywhere else is chaos.
The next area is started but a ways from being finished but I still feel accomplished going into that room because I know it is in the works.
I feel this is often like our spiritual life. Some days we don't have the energy to keep going, we want to give up. That is when we need to remember what we have accomplished, and how far we have come and that there are things we are still working on, that nothing changes quickly-well most things don't. and that progress is best measured over time. I look back at the challenges I have come through and where I am today compared to just five years ago and I amazed. Five years ago I was inactive at my church and was feeling about as low as anyone could feel. Today I am back at church and feeling more alive in the gospel than I have ever felt before. My testimony is stronger than it ever was and is growing all the time. I am spending real meaningful time in my scriptures and in prayer daily. I am pondering many things. I used to think "I'm not going to pray about that because I'm not ready to change", now I'm praying about "what do I need to work on next?" I can tell you this has been such a great change in my life. To actually pick something that is a challenge for me and to study, search the scriptures and conference talk and other literature on the topic and ponder it and finally get an answer after much trial of my faith, is such a testimony builder that I highly recommend it to everyone. Mind you the answers don't come easy, they don't come simply from a desire to know, I know it only come from a deep real desire to change and improve. I also know we must be prepared to be accountable for the increase in knowledge. I am ever grateful for learning this.
Praying that you to will seek to increase your knowledge and to change your life for the better. Praying that tomorrow will be a day of more energy to continue to get my house and my life in order.
T
Do you ever feel like everything you do is a battle, a struggle? From getting out of bed, to deciding what to eat or wear, to figuring out what you will accomplish today!
Some days I wake up with a tonne of energy, ready to take on the day and other days I have no idea where any energy is going to come from because I don't seem to have any. Today is one of those days...I woke up early-because I'm sure a spider was about to drop from the ceiling onto my face, I could feel the slight wisp on my face like a few hairs in the breeze, so I checked my hair and it was no where near my face and we had the ceiling fan on but it wasn't on my face. So, I brushed whatever it was (I'm sure it was a spider) away and hid under my covers. Well, that didn't last long as it was so hot and I could barely breath. So I moved from our bed to the sofa, surely there wouldn't be a spider trying to drop on me there.
I fell back to sleep and woke to being surrounded by two kids and a dog. They had me buried on the sofa, I could not budge and they weren't planning on moving anytime soon. I decided to just stay there since they weren't "mom...", "mom..." "mom"ing me to no end. They had even got their own breakfast before burying me there, so hey, I wasn't going to mess with a good thing since I had no energy to spare this morning.
It was around 10 am before enough energy came for me to get up off that sofa and do a few things like eat and get dressed. I hate feeling this way, I feel like I'm wasting a good day but I also realise sometimes I just need to rest and tomorrow will be better. So today will be a day I don't get much, if anything done. I'm in the middle of house organisation and renovations, so the house is a disaster, except for the areas that are finished. So, I go look into the cupboards in my kitchen to see how great they look and how they are still just as neat looking as several weeks ago when I finished them. I feel that I am getting somewhere even though everywhere else is chaos.
The next area is started but a ways from being finished but I still feel accomplished going into that room because I know it is in the works.
I feel this is often like our spiritual life. Some days we don't have the energy to keep going, we want to give up. That is when we need to remember what we have accomplished, and how far we have come and that there are things we are still working on, that nothing changes quickly-well most things don't. and that progress is best measured over time. I look back at the challenges I have come through and where I am today compared to just five years ago and I amazed. Five years ago I was inactive at my church and was feeling about as low as anyone could feel. Today I am back at church and feeling more alive in the gospel than I have ever felt before. My testimony is stronger than it ever was and is growing all the time. I am spending real meaningful time in my scriptures and in prayer daily. I am pondering many things. I used to think "I'm not going to pray about that because I'm not ready to change", now I'm praying about "what do I need to work on next?" I can tell you this has been such a great change in my life. To actually pick something that is a challenge for me and to study, search the scriptures and conference talk and other literature on the topic and ponder it and finally get an answer after much trial of my faith, is such a testimony builder that I highly recommend it to everyone. Mind you the answers don't come easy, they don't come simply from a desire to know, I know it only come from a deep real desire to change and improve. I also know we must be prepared to be accountable for the increase in knowledge. I am ever grateful for learning this.
Praying that you to will seek to increase your knowledge and to change your life for the better. Praying that tomorrow will be a day of more energy to continue to get my house and my life in order.
T
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