Forgiveness

Last night I had a sweet moment with my 7 year old daughter.
Just before it was time to say her night time prayers she asked me to come into her room to talk to her. She sat down on her bed and asked me, "How can I make a wrong choice right?"
I asked her what choice she had made. She then started crying, and through her tears explained that the last 3 days of art class her best friend wouldn't sit next to her or have anything to do with her during the class. This made my daughter so mad and hurt she called her best friend a bad name. She started sobbing even more. I let her sit there until she was ready to continue the story.
When she had calmed down enough to continue she explained that she knew she had made a wrong choice and had gone to her best friend and apologized. I gave her a big hug but before I could say anything she said, "mom she forgave me, so why do I still feel so bad?"
This completely melted my heart. I reinforced to her that her steps in making her wrong choice better were exactly what she was supposed to do, and if her friend had forgiven her then her Heavenly Father had too.
That didn't help her at all. Then it hit me, forgiving ourselves for our own mistakes is the hardest thing to do. I know that many times over my life I have been forgiven by others and also felt forgiveness from the Lord, but have had a hard time letting myself "off the hook". I tried to explain that to her in the best 7 year old terms I could. I didn't know if she understood me so I suggest that we pray to Heavenly Father about it. She agreed and asked me to offer the prayer.
It was one of the sweetest experience that I have had with prayer with one of my children. It was if I knew what Heavenly Father wanted me to say to help her have comfort. There was such a love and peacefulness in the room. When I finished she gave me a very long and warm hug. I knew she was feeling what I was, peace and love and forgiveness from our Father in Heaven.
I am not only grateful for prayer and forgiveness, but also for that special moment in time where my daughter and I connected so deeply. I will treasure that moment for the rest of my life.

Annoying pain

I should be used to pain, I've had it a lot the past 5 years. But I went a good 3 months without very much if any at all. It was so nice. I woke up every day so grateful for it. Well today I had lots of stomach pain again. I needed to get dinner ready for my family as well as be somewhere important. After I finished dinner I did the things I usually do to help with the pain. When it gets as bad as it was it usually takes a few hours for it to subside. I was so blessed to have it leave within a half hour. I was able to be where I needed to be and take care of my family. The pain did return after I had my children back home and in bed, but I am so grateful that I was blessed to have it leave when I needed it most. My Heavenly Father watches out for me.

Time

To say that it has been a long time would be an understatement. I feel like my life has been a little too crazy and too busy lately. One of my biggest trials, as of late and aside from my health, is what I do with the time that I have each day. For several months I have had this on my mind. I have so many things to fit into such a short period of time. I am now serving in my church in a calling that takes a lot of time. I love the service and I love the people that I get to serve. Over this past week I was gone from my children for most of the time that they were home from school, which isn't very long. I talked it over with the others that I serve with and we are cutting down the time that I am away from my children. I will still be able to serve others, which I am truly grateful for. And I will be able to spend more time with my children and husband.
It is a blessing to serve God's children, and it is a blessing to be a wife and a mother. I am very blessed to be able to do both. I just need to be better with the time that I am given each and every day for that is also a gift from my Heavenly Father.

Day 12- Christ

I am the Christmas Spirit—
 I enter the home of poverty, causing palefaced children to open their eyes wide, in pleased wonder. I cause the miser’s clutched hand to relax and thus paint a bright spot on his soul. I cause the aged to renew their youth and to laugh in the old glad way. I keep romance alive in the heart of childhood, and brighten sleep with dreams woven of magic. I cause eager feet to climb dark stairways with filled baskets, leaving behind hearts amazed at the goodness of the world. I cause the prodigal to pause a moment on his wild, wasteful way and send to anxious love some little token that releases glad tears—tears which wash away the hard lines of sorrow. I enter dark prison cells, reminding scarred manhood of what might have been and pointing forward to good days yet to be. I come softly into the still, white home of pain, and lips that are too weak to speak just tremble in silent, eloquent gratitude. In a thousand ways, I cause the weary world to look up into the face of God, and for a little moment forget the things that are small and wretched. I am the Christmas Spirit. 
May we each discover anew the Christmas spirit—even the Spirit of Christ.
 Pres. Thomas S. Monson, REDISCOVERING THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT, Dec. 2012

Day 11 - The Manger

I think the manger is a little over looked when it come to the significance of it. They were in a stable and it was probably the cleanest place for Mary and Joseph to make a bed for the Savior. I like what ElderRussell M. Neilson said, “French speakers will recognize that manger means “to eat.” A manger is a trough or an open box in a stable designed to hold feed for animals.” What great incite! In John 6:35 Jesus himself says, “I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger.” From the very start of His life He was teaching us to come unto Him. So tonight I ask you; are you coming unto Christ? Are you partaking of His teachings so that your soul is full? May you remember His teachings when you look at the Nativity.

Day 10- The Star

The first Christmas star announced to the world that the Savior had been born and exactly where his birth had been. Today we put up hundreds of lights to shine in the dark nights telling all the world that we believe, and inviting others to share in the message of his birth. He is the Light of the World.

Day 9- Shepherds

It is interesting that the Angel appeared to shepherds. Men who knew how important it was to listen and then to follow instructions. When the angels finished and were 'gone away' they said to each other, "Let us now go". We too can go now and do those kind of promptings that we receive from the Lord to bless other's lives.

Day 8 -Donkey

When I think of the Donkey that carried Mary that long way, I can’t help by think of service and love. Mary, in her weakened condition, could not have made the journey walking. She needed help. I’m sure it wasn’t easy carrying the pregnant woman but the donkey did it. It might seem like a small act to some, but for Her I’m sure it was immeasurable. It is the little acts of service and love that matter the most. I hope during this wonderful time of year you can reach out to someone, to serve and to love them.

Day 7- The Sheep

In our church there is a lot of symbolism attached to the sheep. Not necessarily the sheep that might have been there the night that our Savior was born, but sheep in general. I really like what Elder Robert D. Halessaid in the October 2012 Conference, “This is the call of Christ to every Christian today: “Feed my lambs. … Feed my sheep”—share my gospel with young and old, lifting, blessing, comforting, encouraging, and building them, especially those who think and believe differently than we do. We feed His lambs in our homes by how we live the gospel: keeping the commandments, praying, studying the scriptures, and emulating His love. We feed His sheep in the Church as we serve in priesthood quorums and auxiliary organizations. And we feed His sheep throughout the world by being good Christian neighbors, practicing the pure religion of visiting and serving the widows, the fatherless, the poor, and all who are in need.” Are we feeding His lambs?

Day 6 -Wiseman 3

The third thing I want to tell you about what I have learned from the wise men comes from what they did after they met Jesus and gave him their gifts. In Matthew 2:12 is reads, “And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.”

The wise men listen to the promptings of the Lord and they went a different way home. Sometimes in our lives the Lord tries to tell us, or warn us, of things pointing us to go in a different direction. It’s not always easy to follow what the Lord tells us to do, but it is always for our good and/or for the good of others around us. Next time you feel a prompting from the Lord, even if it is pointing you in a direction you hadn’t planned on, follow the Lord and all will be well in the end.                                

Day 5- Wiseman 2

Wise men from the East had been watching for sings to know that Jesus had been born. When they saw the new start int he sky they knew it was what they had been looking for. In our lives we, too, should be looking to the future and being wise in the way we live our lives.

Day 4- Wisemen #1

"Go and search diligently for the young child" Mathew 2:8
Are you still searching for Christ everyday in your life?

Day 3 - Mary

What an exciting and humbling time for Mary. Her life changed forever after the visit with the angel Gabriel. It was certainly harder than it might have seemed to be. I am sure it was a trying time for her as well. But she had a testimony of God and she was wiling to do whatever He asked of her. God asks us to do things in our lives, sometimes it may seem too hard. But it is our privilege to have our lived dedicated to Him. May we say as Mary did, "My spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior."

Day 2 - Joseph

When I think of Joseph I think of courage, faith, and devotion. He could have left Mary, who he was espoused to. But he didn't.  I don’t know what it was like in those days. I don’t know if people gossiped like they do now. But I think it took a lot of courage to stand by Mary’s side.

I love what Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said about Joseph, “As a father, I have thought often of Joseph—that strong, silent, almost unknown man who must have been more worthy than any other mortal man to be the guiding foster father of the living Son of God. It was Joseph selected from among all men who would teach Jesus to work. It was Joseph who taught him the books of the Law. It was Joseph who, in the seclusion of the shop, helped him begin to understand who he was and ultimately what he was to become.”

As parents do we take the sacred responsibility of raising our children to be the adults that Heavenly Father would want them to become?

Day 1- The Stable

It's that wonderful time a year again. The time we get to count down to an amazingly celebrated day, the day that the Savior of the world came to the earth. He would later suffer and die for all of us. It is on this day that we rejoice that He chose to do it for us.

As I've pondered more about the circumstances of His birth, I am at awe of Mary and Joseph. Here they were in an unfamiliar city, not knowing anyone, and there wasn't a place for them to stay. Having given birth to three children of my own, I'm sure she was already in labor while they were searching the town for a bed. How frantic Joseph must have been once they had found the stable that Mary would later give birth in. Not only did he need help comfort his new wife in her hour of deep pain, but he also had to clean up the straw and other dirty things that we can only imagine were there from the animals. I can not picture what a mess it truly was. All that we ever see is the clean manger that the baby Jesus was laid in after He was born.

So this year as you look at the different variations of the Nativity scene, try to imagine how it truly must of been for the son of God to be born in. Another one of His many sacrifices on our behalf.

Another's Tender Mercy

Today I witnessed a tender mercy to someone other than myself. I can't help but share it with you.
 In church today there was a young mother with her small three children trying to listen while her youngest, a small baby, cried. When she went to take the baby out in the hall to calm her down, her other two small children followed her. Her husband doesn't belong to our same faith, so she comes alone. When she returned a few minutes later, with what seemed to be a calmed down baby, as soon as she sat down the baby started to cry once again. As she stood to leave for a second time, her other two children didn't want to follow her. The mother stood to take the crying baby out and before the thought had come to my mind to help, a 14 year old girl had stood up and went to sit with her other two children. She stayed with the children for the remainder of the meeting. The kids were happy and well taken care of. I can not imagine what it would be like to come to church with three small children all on my own. What a blessing it must of been for her to have help today when she needed it most. I love seeing the tender mercies of Heavenly Father for others. He truly loves us all!

Being Led

I haven't mentioned what I do for a little income on the side of being a full time wife and mom to my three littles. And I don't want to get into the details of it. But I want to share with you some of what happened with that aspect of my life that was a great blessing to me and the people that I work with.
I woke up tired this morning. It has taken a few days to get over the hard night I had. So I went back to bed for a little bit after my 2 oldest went to school. When I got up I talked on the phone for a little while  getting things worked out for what food I was going to bring to the upcoming Thanksgiving feast. After that I remembered a bunch of errands I needed to get done. As I drove to the first errand it led me to the building where most of the owners of the company I work for also have their offices. While talking with a friend I ran into I had the thought to go upstairs and see if one of the owners was there. He is someone who I have talked to once and I'm sure he had no recollection of it. :] To my surprise he was there. He took me back to his office and we proceeded to talk. He invited another big wig to join us and we talked for 2 hours problem solving some things that have come up as I have tried to grow the business in another country where we are not currently in yet. After I left I felt good. There were times while we were talking that I would remember something, a concern, that my team and I had had. During the meeting I said several silent prayers of thanks but I didn't truly understand the situation until tonight. Tonight I got on a video call with one of the members of my team that is from the country I talked about earlier. She was very upset and cried while we talked. I had no idea that she was stressed and really having a hard time. Because of some of the things that I was able to discuss in the meeting I had earlier, I was able to help her by answering some of her concerns and questions. I was also able to help her see that things will get better if she sticks with it. I don't know if that makes a whole lot of sense because I have left so many details out of the story. Just know that I truly was led today by the hand of my Heavenly Father to be in the right place at the right time to talk to the right person I needed to talk to. Then I was given the right thoughts of questions to ask so that I could comfort another. I am truly blessed beyond measure!

Pain Again?

It has been a long time since I've had intense pain. And by that I mean the kind of pain where it hurts to breathe and I have to sit or stand or hold my body in just the right pose to be able to bare it, but I can still breath through it. Not that the position that I am in is comfortable, it just makes it a little easier to bare the pain.
Well last night was the most pain I've had in a very long time. In fact I think almost 6 months. The night before last I had pain. It was a lot but I was able to lay in my bed and kind of sleep here and there through it. But last night it was almost unbearable like it had been before I had my last surgery. At one point I remember being so cold I grabbed a blanket to throw around my shoulders while I knelt on the ground facing the couch resting my forehead on the seat cushion. That helped for about an hour, and after I had been up until 4 am I had to go and wake up my husband. I needed a blessing. After he administered one, I left our bedroom to once again try and deal with the pain as much as I possibly could. Around 6 am I was able to go to my bed, lay down, and get some sleep. It wasn't the worst pain I've been in through this health trial that I've been going through for the past four and a half years. But it did remind me of two very powerful things that I have gained a better understanding of.
The first one is that the priesthood works. It truly is the power to act in God's name on earth. And when we have faith the blessings promised to us through the priesthood will come to pass.
The second one has to do with the Atonement. I don't think anyone on this earth can truly understand what it ment for the Savior to suffer for all of our sins, our pains, our every hurt feeling, and it was everyones all at one time. The pain was so excruciating that He bled from every single pore on His body. I don't claim to understand it, but when I have been in so much pain that I couldn't breathe and I started to loose the feeling and the ability to move my hands and feet and I started sweating leaving puddles of water as I lay on the ground, I can't help but think of Him. I can't help but wonder, and at the same time be extremely humbled at that act He and only He alone could preform so that all of us could return to live with Him and the Father. I have come to a deeper point of Thanks for what He suffered for me. Because I know that I couldn't have suffered the way that He did. To say that I am grateful for the Atonement just dosen't seem to cover it. It is the world's greatest blessing.

Scriptures

I love how the scriptures can teach. Today while I was running some errands with my children they asked a question. I proceeded to give them an answer to which I felt like they understood. Then tonight while we were reading the scriptures as a family, their question was answered again and we got to talk about it a little more. How thankful I am for the scriptures and the answers we can receive when we read them!

Music

Growing up we always had music in our home. I have tried to do the same with my children. When they start the first grade they begin piano lessons. This school year my second oldest started first grade, but the piano teacher that my oldest had been going to is no longer teaching. So neither of them were playing the piano. I started teaching them on my own this week. I had forgotten how much I love them playing the piano, even if it isn't perfect or professional. I love having that kind of music back in my home. It is a blessing to teach them. I am grateful for the inspiration from my Heavenly Father to start teaching them.