Too Much Noise

Yesterday and old friend called me as she was trying to prepare a few last-minute quotes on a lesson.  She was in a hurry before church, and I was in the chaos of finishing up breakfast.  Between one child watching a home movie and another one talking to me, I just couldn't hear my friend!  I switched rooms, I was followed.  My husband came to the rescue, and I went outside.  It was quiet and peaceful, and I could hear.

Isn't that how it is with our Heavenly Father?  He's trying so hard to talk to us, but we are surrounded by noise and distractions, and we just can't hear him.

I'm sure someone else has posted a similar experience on here, but it's always a nice reminder to stop and listen!

He Knows My Needs

Recently I've been struggling with "fitting in."  Now I know that sounds completely stupid as I'm married 11 years and have 3 kids.  For some reason I was feeling like I was having issues that I'd last faced 16 years ago in high school! 

I really wanted to feel better about my situation and began fasting and praying about it.  The day I fasted, I opened up the August 2010 Ensign magazine and found several articles that applied to my problem!

A week or so later an older woman who I'd seen previously at a meeting came by with cookies!  I've never had a real personal relationship with her, but something prompted her to reach out to me!  The kids and I later took her a thank you card and ended up having a lovely visit.

Then, I shared some of my concerns with another friend.  The next day, that friend called and said she was concerned about me.  Her compassion brought me peace and reminded me of what a wonderful friend she is.

A day or two later, I was on the phone with another friend.  We've had some miscommunications in the past and she felt she was supposed to call to make sure all was resolved.  Wow.  What a good example of courage.  I did not harbor ill feelings for our miscommunications, but felt her call really validated our friendship.

All of a sudden, I realized that her calling me, as well as the other examples above, were witnesses that Heavenly Father loves me and knows me by name.  He is concerned about my troubles, sorrows, and insecurities and wants me to work them out.  He prompts people to step into my life right when I need it.

I was so grateful for that witness.

My Book

"My life feels like a book left out on the porch, and the wind blows the pages faster and faster, turning always toward a new chapter faster than I can stop and read it."

These is My Words, Nancy E. Turner

I have to admit that lately I have been feeling this way about a few things: When did my little girl get old enough to go to kindergartern? When did my baby decide she should try to walk? Did we really live in our last home two years? Looking back makes me realize just how fast my life moves by. During difficult times I sometimes feel like time stands still, but then in retrospect even the trials often appear like small blinks in my timeline (not that they're insignificant, it's just amazing how quickly they appear to go by in my memories). This is something I need to remember - that hard times do not last forever and that in the story of my life they will hopefully be only small moments.

Elder Perry had a beautiful talk a few conferences ago and he began it by saying, "Those of us who have been around a while...have recognized certain patterns in life’s test. There are cycles of good and bad times, ups and downs, periods of joy and sadness, and times of plenty as well as scarcity. When our lives turn in an unanticipated and undesirable direction, sometimes we experience stress and anxiety. One of the challenges of this mortal experience is to not allow the stresses and strains of life to get the better of us—to endure the varied seasons of life while remaining positive, even optimistic. Perhaps when difficulties and challenges strike, we should have these hopeful words of Robert Browning etched in our minds: “The best is yet to be” (“Rabbi Ben Ezra,” in Charles W. Eliot, ed., The Harvard Classics, 50 vols. [1909–10], 42:1103). We can’t predict all the struggles and storms in life, not even the ones just around the next corner, but as persons of faith and hope, we know beyond the shadow of any doubt that the gospel of Jesus Christ is true and the best is yet to come."

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I am a Mormon!

Recently The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints updated their website www.mormon.org. Along with learning the principles and teachings of the Church you can now also read profiles from Mormons. It is a wonderful opportunity to read why they are Mormon and what they believe in. I hope you'll take a few moments to read some of their experiences!

Smooth Skies

I was unsuccessfully trying to convince myself that I was not totally insane as I watched my 3 and 5-year-olds carry heavy backpacks onto the airplane while I held my 10-month-old baby along with two other large carry-ons. I was going to be making the first leg of a long journey by myself with my three young children (one of which had gotten airsick on quite a few flights) and I was justifiably terrified. I had to get through the six hour trip by myself at which point I would meet up with family who would be able to help refill sippy cups, change diapers, and hold the baby. I knew that braver people had traveled with more and younger children, but it seemed daunting to me and I just wanted everything to be over.

But, despite the dozens of disturbing scenarios I had gone through before hand (usually involving various bodily functions), things really were pretty uneventful on this flight. Before we took off a sweet woman came and introduced herself to me and offered to help me if I ever needed it during the flight. This kind act helped me to calm down and it meant a lot knowing I had a little backup. During the flight the kids were relatively well behaved and the baby even slept for quite a while! Other than a wide array of food wrappers that marked our seats, I exited the plane tired but amazed at how smoothly everything had gone.

When I met up with my parents for the rest of the trip, ironically enough, the travelling sections felt a little more chaotic. Bags were misidentified, the baby cried much more, my little boy had some disgusting stomach problems, kids became exhausted, we missed a flight and had to stay overnight, and unfortunately the list goes on. Not that it was all bad - or that the kids were horrible - it just seemed much harder than that first leg. Admittedly, the kids were the most well-rested on that first plane, but I think that the real reason that things went as well as they did were the prayers that I know were offered up in my behalf. I believe that Heavenly Father knew what I could and could not handle and truly buoyed me up that day. I know it was just six hours, but it was a small miracle to me that things went as well as they did when I needed the most help. During that flight I know that I felt the comforting power of prayer. I am so grateful for a Heavenly Father who watched over me on that airplane and who continues to watch over each of us daily to give us the smooth parts of our journey when we need them most.

"And whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my anme, which is right,

believing that ye shall receive, behold it shall be given unto you."

-3 Nephi 18:20

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Eat, Eat, Eat!

I know I am completely biased, but I am pretty sure that I have one of the most adorable babies ever. She smiles at anyone who will give her attention, can give high-fives, and makes the happiest noises when she is excited. But, despite all of this cuteness, she has one trait that I am not loving at this stage of life: serious stubbornness when it comes to eating.

When she was solely nursing, my little one was startled during one feeding session and then decided that she would not nurse for four days unless I could be sneaky while she was asleep. I watched her getting more and more hungry and dehydrated until she finally gave in and began nursing again. Since then we have had other nursing strikes that haven't been quite as long, but have certainly been just as frustrating. Now that she has branched out into solid foods, we have had similar battles and it amazes me the will power a nine-month-old can muster.

I know that my baby needs nourishment to thrive and it is positively exasperating when she does not comply with this understanding. I know that our Father in Heaven probably does not get frustrated the same way that I do in situations like these. But, how do you think He feels when I am not complying with His plan for me - one in which He knows what will be best for me? Just like my baby needs to eat, we need to spiritually taste of the goodness of the gospel and comply with its' teachings to grow closer to our Father in Heaven. I am grateful that I have a patient Heavenly Father who understands my limitations and will help me progress despite my stubbornness and I am also grateful that one day my little baby will be a teenager who will devour all the food I bring into our home.

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