The wind is always blowing toward the promised land

I am LOVING studying the Book of Mormon this year with the Come, Follow Me curriculum!

I've always known it was "written for our day," but this year I have seen that so obviously!

Every week I see uncanny parallels to what is going on in our world today.

This week I'm reading about the brother of Jared and his family, who are crossing the ocean in barges they built themselves, and heading for the promised land.

The scriptures say there was a "fuious wind" blowing upon the waters, towards the promised land. It says they were tossed upon the waves, and many times buried in the depths of the sea. The had a hole in the top and one in the bottom so they could open whichever side was up and let in fresh air. That means they and their kids and their animals must have turned upside down!

They had prepared the best they could. They had made their barges tight like unto a dish to keep the water out. They had all the provisions they would need. They had special lights that were powered by the Lord Himself.

And yet... those 344 days had to be SO HARD!

I bet there were days when they wished for a break. Days they wished the darn wind would stop blowing so furiously!

And yet... it was the wind that kept them moving toward their destination. Even though it felt unrelenting at times, the wind was actually a great blessing. It was exactly what they needed.


Right now the winds are blowing in my life. Some days they even feel like "furious winds." The future feels uncertain. I miss gathering with friends and family. Some of my kids are going through really hard things. Hard for them, and hard for me. Sometimes I feel upside down, and I wonder when things will right themselves.

But even in all the chaos, when I quiet my mind, I can sense that my Heavenly Parents are aware of me.

I'm choosing to trust that they know exactly what they are doing, and that they have a plan for me and my family.
 

So when the wind feels furious; when mountainous waves loom over us; when we feel tossed about and upside down; remember where we are headed.

We are each headed to our own "promised land." The Lord knows the way, and He is in control of the wind. If we stay close to Him, He will cause the wind to blow us straight to the promised land.

My Self Portrait (circa 2005)

I know this doesn’t look much like a self-portrait, in the typical sense, but this is a visual representation of how I see myself and my life.

At my core, I am straight and steady. To me, brown like strength, but not rigidity. My roots reach down deep, and my mind is always reaching upward, trying to grow toward the light.

The colorful limbs that grow out to the side are my life experiences. They are beautiful and colorful and move in unexpected ways. I am constantly changing and evolving, and the variety of those changes adds to my strength and my beauty.

I don't claim to be artist, but when I look at my life from this perspective, it looks like a masterpiece to me.

 

It's the little things

Becca was in town yesterday, and we had the best day!  We mostly just ran errands, but doing it together made it so much more fun!

At one point we decided to make a list of some of our favorite "little things" that make life so great.  Here are a few of the things we came up with:

-rose bushes
-sitting down after you've been standing too long
-hot showers
-the first sip of ice water when you're SO thirsty
-or even better... the first sip of Chick-fil-a lemonade!
-climbing into a cozy bed at the end of the day.  Or the middle of the day :)
-baby shoes (We talked quite a bit about how great babies are, since she's expecting!)

Once we started talking about the little things we love, we were on a roll.  Pretty soon we both felt like being alive was just the BEST!

Our brains like to be busy.  If we give them a specific job to do, they are super efficient at doing it!  Our brains could find SO MANY reasons to love life!

If we don't give them any direction... they are pretty efficient at finding things that are wrong.  Things we should be upset or worried about.

Let's give your brain a job to do:  What are some of your favorite "little things" about being alive?

Finding them where they are

Last week my dear Aunt Andy passed away.  She was my mom’s only sister, and her children were almost like siblings to us growing up.  She was a wonderful example to me of faith and love, and of keeping an eternal perspective.

She was also a great musician, and helped to foster a love of music in our extended family.

When my cousin spoke at her funeral, she talked about what a great accompanist she was.  She had a talent for being able to follow the singer (she was playing the piano) even when they got lost or sang the wrong thing at the wrong time.  The audience never knew something had gone wrong, because she could find them where they were, and support them there.

She talked about how that was one of her talents in life as well.  She could find people where they were, love them there, and support them in their journey.  There were so many people that were drawn to her and her home because of the love and acceptance they felt there. Her kids’ friends wanted to be in her home as much as possible.  She had a large house, and there was always room for someone who needed a place to stay.  Often she would arrive at family functions with an “extra”- someone who was living with them for a while. Everyone who was around her felt loved and supported right where they were.

I’ve been thinking all week about what a valuable and Christlike skill that is, and one that I want to purposely cultivate in myself.  I don’t want to waste any time believing people should be different than they are.  Not my husband, my children, my extended family, or even strangers that I come in contact with.  I want to love and accept them right where they are, and for that to become my “default setting.”  I want everyone in my circle to feel welcomed and “found” just as they are, and then supported as they move forward.

I am so grateful for Aunt Andy's influence in my life.

It turns out love really is always the answer.

Morning scripture study

This is real life folks.

We wake the boys up every morning to "study the scriptures as a family."

This is what that looks like much of the time.

It's a circumstance that doesn't seem to be within my power to change.

I can either be annoyed with them, making the morning really unpleasant for myself, or I can choose  something different.  This particular morning I chose to be amused.  It felt much better than annoyed.

But I believe in following the prophet.  Here is what President Nelson has promised us:


I promise that as you diligently work to remodel your home into a center of gospel learning, over time your Sabbath days will truly be a delight. Your children will be excited to learn and to live the Savior’s teachings, and the influence of the adversary in your life and in your home will decrease. Changes in your family will be dramatic and sustaining.

I want those blessings for my family, so we will diligently work toward that goal.  We will keep getting up and keep praying and keep reading.  And we will watch for the blessings that are surely coming to our family.  I hope we're awake to enjoy them. ;)

The one and only Caleb

I don't know anyone quite like Caleb.  He has a strong sense of self, and is living life his own way.  He's an interesting mixture of fun and adventure with logic and no-nonsense. Of incredible talents, with zero interest in showing them off.  He bristles at most authority, but has a deep and sincere desire to do what God wants him to do.  There are so many things that he doesn't care about AT ALL, and so many things that he thinks really deeply about.  Being Caleb's mother has demanded much personal growth and change on my part.  I'm a better mother and person than I was 18 years ago!

Here he is with his recently shaved head (due to a lost bet) spray painting his car gold in time for New Years Eve.  It actually looks better to me now.  Before that it was covered with graffiti done by himself and his friends.

Anyway... I just wanted to remember this story:

Caleb had recently received a bag of hand-me-downs from his uncle Emet.  Which, by the way is pretty much the only way he acquires things to wear.  Everything he owns used to belong to someone else, or it was a birthday gift from his sisters.

His friends were in his room as he was getting ready to go somewhere, and I heard them giving him a hard time about what he was wearing.  His response cracked me up!  "You guys!  You have the wrong idea.  It's not like I get to choose what clothes I own.  They just show up randomly in a bag, and that's what I wear!"  Their disapproval didn't dissuade him at all.  Classic Caleb.

ALIVE!

Every year, instead of a long list of New Years Resolutions, (which I tend to forget,) I like to pick just one word to focus on.  This year the word I picked is ALIVE.

When I picked it, I envisioned myself saying yes to more things.  Living bigger!  Enjoying the moment.    I envisioned being healthier and more energetic.  Laughing more.  Being more curious and more spontaneous.  Feeling the sun on my face and the wind in my hair... that sort of thing.

I love the way that vision makes me feel!  Just by thinking "I'm ALIVE!"  I can summon all of those feelings of freedom and energy and wonder!

I started off the year with a bang, too!  My first step into the world of living bigger and saying yes to more things came on New Years Eve.  I decided to wear silver stretchy pants and sequin high heels to the family New Years Eve party!  I'll spare you the picture, but my outfit was a big hit!  My five year old niece asked if she could have those pants for her birthday.  🤣

But, being nine days into the New Year now, I'm already increasing in wisdom.  I've noticed that sometimes being "ALIVE" means that I have a headache.  Sometimes it means that I have chores to do that I don't really feel like doing.  Sometimes it means that people I love are struggling, or that I don't have all the answers.

But as I experience those "negative" things, I remind myself that I'm alive.  Sometimes this is what it feels like to be alive.  And that thought brings me a feeling of peace and gratitude.  It feels like a privilege to be able to experience it all.  I'm willing to embrace the highs and the lows of being alive.

So this year, I'm going to be more ALIVE than I have ever been.  I think 2019 is going to be the best year yet!


Christi