a year of happy

finding happy in march

blooming buds
melting snow
a beautiful sunrise

early birds at play
children outside laughing
a brisk walk
signs of green

open windows
spring cleaning

quick storms
warm sunshine
a peaceful heart 


What has made
you happy in March?

what it's all about

What would you consider
a necessity
in your kitchen?

The fridge?
The microwave?

How about the
dishwasher?

After our trip
to Central America,
even running water
seems like a luxury.

We visited the homes
of some sweet people
who are in great need.

Here's where
they get their
water....

and this is their
faucet
and sink.

___________________________

I have struggled
since I came home
getting it all
in perspective.

Why am I
blessed
with so much?

Do I have
too much?

Am I grateful enough?

What should
I do about it?

I can't say
that I've figured
it out.
I'm still struggling.

But a friend who is
serving an LDS mission
in a poverty-stricken area
wrote this, and it helps:

"Serving in this mission,
we have seen people live without.
Without electricity,
running water,
plumbing,
an assortment of
food, cars, and jobs.

"We've wondered aloud,
why we have been
blessed with so much back home?

"Should we feel guilty
for the excess
we have always taken
for granted?

"We don't have the answers...
but we believe we should
enjoy what we have been
blessed with,
share it,
and thank
Heavenly Father
for all that we have
been given."

_______________________


I wrote this post last year,
after our trip to Guatemala.
Since then, we went to El Salvador
on another humanitarian trip.
The same questions filled my mind
as we served and worked with
those wonderful people.

One early morning,
I woke up with these words
ringing in my head,
"You are so blessed
so you can give."

You are so blessed
so you can give.
It makes sense, doesn't it?

I have been given so much,
so I can share it with others.

Not just so I can have more.

It's good to step out
of your comfort zone
once in awhile
to learn life's lessons
that really can change everything.

.

apache blessing

"May the sun
bring you new energy by day

May the moon
softly restore you by night

May the rain
wash away your worries

May the breeze
blow new strength into your being

May you walk
gently through the world and know
its beauty all the days of your life."

— Apache Blessing

sunday gratitude

This early Sunday morning,
I'm feeling grateful.

Grateful for:

• yesterday's snow, which gives us another week before we have to prune our apple trees. (I knew there was a reason I could be glad for snow in March!)
  .
• opportunities to start fresh.
  .
• friends--new and old.
  .
• my sweet little grandson's smile.
  .
• Sunday worship, a time to sing and learn and feel spiritually refreshed.
  .
• a teenage son who still likes his mom. 
  .
• the ability to learn new things.
  .
• the strength to do hard things.
  .
• strong feet that carry me wherever I need to go.
  .

.

What are you grateful for
this beautiful March morning?

the three 3's that inspire me

On her blog yesterday,
my cute cousin posted
her favorite things in threes--
and she invited her readers
to do the same.

Her favorites inspired me....
and so I'm doing it!

These are the three 3's
that lift me up,
encourage me,
and motivate me
to keep going.

Songs

Come to Jesus by Kenneth Cope

Dream Big by Ryan Shupe and the Rubber Band

Viva la Vida by Coldplay (sung by these kids)

Places

Snowbird in Little Cottonwood Canyon, Utah

photo courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/vxla/ / CC BY 2.0

The Salt Lake LDS Temple

The Ocean





Books

The Greatest Salesman in the World

The Book of Mormon

A Heart Like His





What are the three things
that motivate and inspire you?

life is beautiful

these words are an excerpt from
Richard G. Scott's "Finding Joy in Life"

Do you take time
to discover each day
how beautiful
your life can be?

How long has it been
since you watched the sun set?

The departing rays
kissing the clouds,
trees, hills, and lowlands
good night,
sometimes tranquilly,
sometimes with exuberant bursts
of color and form.

.

What of the wonder of a
cloudless night
when the Lord
unveils the marvels
of His heavens—
the twinkling stars,
the moonlight rays—
to ignite our imagination
with His greatness and glory?

 

You are one of the noblest
of God’s creations.

His intent is that
your life
be gloriously beautiful
regardless
of your circumstances.

.

.Sun

Sunflower photo courtesy of
Perception Photography.

today i'm grateful for....

• kleenexes, the ones with lotion in them.
  .
• kids (mine) who call their mom because they want to.
  .
• almond joy candy bars, and a husband who brought me a whole package.
  .
• my new camera, and the new video I got to teach me how to use it.
  .
• packages, especially the sweet package I received in the mail today from a friend I've never met before.
  .
• the scent of lemons, and the ability to smell them.
  .
• the color green, especially outside after all the gray.
  .
• sundays, a day that's different from all the rest.
  .
• email--and people who send them just to be nice.
  .

What are you grateful for today?
.
.
.

at my life's crossroads

When I think of
my life's crossroads,
I can always
see my mother
somewhere nearby.

I can hear myself
call her name
the minute I run in the door
after school every day.

I can feel
her cool hand
on my hot forehead
in the throes of a sick flu.

I can see her
skillful hands
teaching me to make
cinnamon rolls,
and doll clothes,
and a properly made bed.

She's always near
in those memories,
guiding, comforting,
smiling, and singing.

She is part of my
adult crossroads too.

My wedding day....
there she is in her
cheery red dress,
taking care of all
the little details
so I can enjoy the day.

I see her worried look 
as I head to the hospital
for the birth of my second child,
a whole month early.

I can feel the
clasp of her hand
as we worry together
over a wayward teenager.
 
I can see
the warmth in her glance 
as we lock eyes
over the tiny bundle
that is my newborn grandson,
and we don't even
need to say a word.

My mother.
Always there.
At every crossroad.
Whenever I need her.

She has set the stage
for the kind of mother
I too hope to be.





Today I will give her
this little gift
to celebrate her
special day.

How could it
possibly be enough?

Happy Birthday Mom!


_______________________

Have you read this one?

Home to Me

Baby Mac Attack

Best of 2009

a snowy mountain road

There was a road, 
a mountain road
in a winter canyon
leading to a cabin
where a little fire was burning.

And on that road
there were some cars,
some happy cars
filled with laughing girls
heading to that cabin
where a little fire was burning.

And on that mountain
it started to snow.
A heavy snow,
a blinding snow
on slushy roads
which now were really slippery.

And in those cars,
there were some leaders,
some worried leaders
and some quiet girls
who all were now not laughing.

And in those cars,
those worried leaders
saw other cars
slide off that road
where they now too were slipping.

So on that mountain,
those anxious leaders,
turned their sliding cars
with their frightened girls
away from that cabin
where the little fire was burning.

And down the mountain
those sliding cars
with their frightened girls
inched toward their homes
where worried parents were waiting.

But two of those cars,
those sliding cars
got stuck on the ice,
that black black ice,
where no one now was moving.

And near that road,
that slippery road,
there was a river,
in a rocky ravine
toward which those cars were veering.

Then in those cars,
a frightened girl,
a faithful girl
said to her crying friends,
"Now we must start praying."

So on that mountain,
good praying girls
asked their God in heaven,
to keep them safe
on this road where it was snowing.

When to the car 
there came a man,
a kind-hearted man,
who called to the leaders,
"Is there a way I can be helping?"

And so that man,
he took those girls,
those frightened girls
into his van
and down the mountain went driving.

And more kind men,
in their big big trucks,
drove more crying girls
to meet their friends
who now were safely waiting.

So now at home
those grateful girls
with their thankful leaders
are once more safe,
and everyone now is laughing!

Thank you men,
you kind, kind men,
who stopped to help
some frightened girls
on a mountain road
where it was really snowing!
.

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/psd/ / CC BY 2.0

(Mountain photo courtesy of MC.)

some of the best yet

I was talking
with a lady today
who was upset.

She feels like
the youth of today
have lost their manners.

She was quite opinionated
about how they have become
rude, and self-centered,
and disrespectful.

I have to disagree.
.



 


As a youth leader
for the teenage girls
ages 12-13 in my Church group,
I have to say that they are
some of the best yet.

They are good and kind
and aware of the
needs of the girls around them.

One of our girls
just lost her mother to cancer.
It's been a hard thing
for a long time.
But the other girls in our group
have rallied around her
and made her feel loved.

And then there's one of
the older girls, who 
was in a gas station
with her mom one day.
Her mom gave her
some money to go inside
and buy some candy.

As she was waiting in line,
she noticed that a
handicapped young man
ahead of her was very upset
because he didn't have
enough money
to pay for his items.

This girl put her candy back,
and stepped up 
to give her money to him.
She just said it made her
feel really good inside.

______________

I know this world
has its challenges.

And there are lots
of troubled teens who
show their angst
in desperate behavior.

I've seen that too.

But I choose to believe
that there are many more
good kids than bad,
and these wonderful young people 
are going to grow up
to really make a difference!

_______________________

I hope you'll take a minute
to watch this video.
I don't know the girls in it,
but I'm so impressed.

Take a look, and you'll see what I mean!