Joy in Each Day

One of my favorite videos to watch this time of year is this one:

I shared it with my night class earlier this week on a day that I needed some extra encouragement to look for the good around me. This was me as I was leaving the doctor who told me to not move my shoulder for two weeks. (Yeah, no big deal I just have 3 small kids and one sleeps in a crib.)

I sent this picture (sorry this was real life) to the Smart One and told him the diagnosis of waking up with shoulder pain and not being able to lift my arm. The doctor called it Bursitis, to me it just feels like I'm old and not even 35!

I went home overwhelmed at the thought of my to do list. I had school stuff to get done and my house was a wreck (it was the day after Halloween after all). Of course the Smart One immediately calmed me down and helped me prioritize, he's good like that. He and the kids cleaned up while I taught my class. 

As I showed the video to my class I was reminded of some great blessings I had at that moment.

1. How great of a blessing our bodies really are, I still have my health and can function ok.

2. Freezer meals are perfect at times like this, so glad I did a bunch with one of my besties last month!

 3. I have a pretty amazing husband and pretty great kids! Truly, I'm not just saying that. 

4. A season in which to strive to focus on those things I'm grateful for.

Yesterday I started looking for some quotes for Thanksgiving and came across this talk that Pres. Uchtdorf gave 4 years ago in general conference, Of Regrets and Resolutions

My favorite part was this:

"Brothers and sisters, no matter our circumstances, no matter our challenges or trials, there is something in each day that can bring gratitude and joy if only we will see and appreciate it. 

"Perhaps we should be looking less with our eyes and more with our hearts."

I look forward to being able to stand up straight to do my hair and put on makeup in the (hopeful) near future. Until then my goal is to try harder to find gratitude and joy in each day. 

Mother Heart

Yesterday afternoon was beautiful, the perfect weather for playing outside. So that is what we did. The baby was taking a nap so The Silly One went to the park at the end of the street to play with some friends. The Small One stayed and played in front of the house. The Silly One ended up slipping on the playground and split his chin open, again. This happened about two and half years ago but riding bikes. It was a long evening from there as we went to the doctor (thank goodness for night clinics!) and got it stitched up. I guess once it happens it is easier to happen again in the future. He opened it right next to the first scar. 

When we finally got everyone home I had to go to the store to get the Silly One something for school today. When that was finished I was ready for bed myself. Trying to unwind, I kept thinking about how I accomplished all I did. Blood and gross stuff is not my strength. I'm very grateful for doctors and nurses who can take care of those things for my children. But as I was thinking about it I realized that it really is amazing what you can do for your child, especially when they are sick or hurt. Like that Mother Bear instinct that just kicks in and takes over. I then remembered a talk that Julie B. Beck gave about a "Mother Heart." I read it last night and came across a quote that fit exactly how I felt perfectly.

"There is no limit to what a woman with a mother heart can accomplish."

I am not trying to say look at what a great mother I am, not that at all because I see so many short comings and things I could do better on a constant basis. (I didn't even give him Tylenol to dull the pain before going to the doctor.) Simply that I love my children and there is power in that. Amazing things happen when that is the case and that is really what our children need. I saw it in my own mother last night as I called her to ask her to watch the youngest two and 

without hesitation she did. 

This was us last night as they cleaned it all out. It isn't a glamorous picture by any means. I actually thought my husband was taking the picture of just The Silly One. But as they numbed it we had to wait for it to kick in and I got to sit next to him on the table as he played on the ipad and showed me replays of EVERY race. I held his hand and looked away as they stuck things in his chin and stitched it up. (Taking deep breaths to not pass out, I said I was no good with this stuff.) He was fine and maybe didn't even need me, but I was glad I could be there with him. 

Being a mother isn't easy by any means but, 

"I know who I am, and I know what I am supposed to do. The rest just follows."

Kindness Above All

I'm trying to grade right now as my baby takes a nap and my middle child plays Minion Rush. Usually this is semi-effective but the assignments I'm grading right now are hard ones. They are time consuming and get a bit tedious at times. 

I should be redlining assignments . . . .

The hard part for me this morning is trying to focus as I keep thinking about an email a student sent me this morning. I am finishing up my 7th year teaching at LDS Business College in a few short weeks and the email I received today is unlike any other I have received. This ending of the year brings a lot of stress to the students in my department as they prepare for their big portfolio event and graduation. They often talk about the stress they feel and times of overwhelming to do lists. I have had students in the past who have done very well, that have failed, just made it through and been average. 

This current semester I have one particular student who is struggling, in danger of failing and not graduating. This is nothing new or out of the ordinary. It has sadly happened before to others. She sat next to another student in class this week who at times has struggled but has also spent a lot of extra time to understand and is much more confident than in the past. The student who is more confident sent me an email this morning asking for help. Not for her own assignment but how she might help the struggling student, what she might be able to do. I was initially shocked, knowing how busy each student is right now. But then I thought of this student and what a Christlike example she is to care for another when she has so much on her own plate. 

As I look to celebrating Easter this Sunday I was reminded of the Savior's example of kindness and the scripture Matthew 25:40, which reads, 

"And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."

What an eye opening reminder for me as I look to celebrating the life, death and Resurrection of my Savior this Sunday. Hallelujah for kindness!

New Year, Fresh Start

10 years ago New Year's Day was life changing for me. I didn't think so at the time but a decision I made that day was pivotal in creating the life I now have. As I think back to that day and the turmoil I felt I was in, I think it almost ironic all that happened on the day it did. As people are making resolutions to do so many things and people are so full of hope and change with a fresh start at the beginning of a new year. Because of the things that happened on that day 10 years ago I remember the next couple of days being literally ill; like fever, chills, throw up, etc. kind of ill. I believe it was a release of a lot of emotional stress that I had been under. 

One might ask why I look back on that day as life changing, it sounds pretty crappy. It was. But there is also no coincidence that my husband and I will be celebrating our 10th anniversary this year. I didn't decide on that New Year's Day that I would marry him or anything even close to that. Without all the details, I decided that day that I wanted to move forward in the direction to date him and see where things went. This might sound silly, but because of that I've always looked forward to the new year as a fresh start and a chance to change direction. Do I make great resolutions and live up to them even close to perfectly? No. But in the words of Anne Shirley:

Credit to Jill, check out her great talent here.

So this year for my resolve I am focusing on a poem. This last year my Grandma died and at her funeral my uncle read a poem that was written by my Grandpa. And then my aunt actually gave us a copy of it in his handwriting for Christmas. 

Do you wish the world were better?

Let me tell you what to do

Set a watch upon your actions

Keep them always straight and true

Rid your mind of selfish motives

Let your thoughts be clean and high

You can make a little Eden

Of the sphere you occupy. 

There are several more specific goals to go along with this but this if my focus. I am going to memorize it and have children memorize it also. 2016 is full of so many possibilities, I look forward to what it brings.