Small Things

I've been working with the youth, helping them prepare for the musical performance "From Cumorah's Hill" in May. I wasn't familiar with any of the music before, but over the past few months of rehearsals, one of the songs has really stuck with me. Lines will run through my mind as I am going about my regular routine.

To move a mountain,
To make the sea become dry land.
To cross an ocean,
To build a ship upon the sand.
Such things I could do
If the Lord should command,

But the Lord has commanded me
To love a neighbor ,and to forgive when I am wronged.
To keep a promise, to have my word become my bond. 

How simple and small
Are the things He has asked,
Are the things He has asked of me.
 

How often I find myself struggling with the small things - the day to day challenges, being a good parent, wife, sister, friend. Loving my neighbor. Fulfilling my responsibilities, serving others. Being cheerful and patient and kind. None of it is big, none of it should be very difficult. It's not like He has asked me to move mountains or to part the Red Sea. I feel like I should be able to pull it off effortlessly. But I can't. I fail. I fall. I forget. I screw up.

Fortunately, the song reminds me that I don't have to do it by myself.

Great things and small things,
I can do all things,
All that the Lord may require.
Though the world my assail me,
God will not fail me.
He will remain by my side.
Whether He asks for the great or the small,
I can do them all!
 

He gave us weakness
And yet He calls us to obey.
And so He teaches
That we must call on Him for strength.
And such is the love
That the Father extends;
What we pray for in faith, He sends.

 So, when I start to get down this week, I am going to make an effort to remember that the Lord asks different things of each of us. And right now, He asks me to do small things. And, He promises that through it all, He will be there with me, helping me. If I just rely on Him.

And through the small things
Will come the greatest things of all.
(From Cumorah's Hill, by Steven Kapp Perry)

Have a great Sunday!

I'm really not THAT conceited. It's not ALL about me.

It was really hard to write a class called "Who I Am - Right Now" because it required me to stop and think about who I am. I had to take pictures of myself. I had to write about myself. But, I'm so glad I did! And I'm so grateful that the first time I offered it, it was so popular! I'm excited to have gotten it on the schedule again so soon.

One of my favorite quotes:

"The more you praise and celebrate your life, 

the more in life there is to celebrate." 

~Oprah Winfrey

I truly believe that this is true. So excited for this class! It's so inspiring to spend a month helping wonderful women celebrate their lives!

This class isn't technique based or program based. You don't have to be a fantastic scrapbooker to sign up for this one. Click for the details: Online Classes at Scrap Girls: Who I Am - Right Now

Ant bites, ant bites everywhere!

Jared found an fire ant pile at the park yesterday. Or maybe the ants found him. I'm not exactly sure. Either way, they left their mark. He's got over 40 bites on him, from his feet to his neck.

For those of you who aren't familiar with fire ants, just know that they aren't like regular ants. I've been bitten by regular ants, and so last summer, when my kids got bit, I wasn't terribly sympathetic. And then I got bitten. Agony! The bits itch and ache and take FOREVER to heal! They get these awful pimple looking heads on them. It's really bad. And now, my sweet little boy is covered.

He had an uncomfortable night, but he's holding up with his normally sweet attitude (calamine lotion and M&M's help).

Rambling

I've been thinking a lot about mom this week. I'm writing a class right now on creating a personal history scrapbook, and I need to make some scrapbooking pages about my childhood. It bothers me that I don't have very many memories of her. She was sick a lot of the time, and I have a poor memory. I can't remember very many specific times spent with her. That frustrates me, and it scares me. I wish I had more to write about. The things I remember don't make pretty, sweet scrapbooking pages. They are more random. I'll be talking to Travis or the kids, and I'll say something and I'll suddenly remember her using the same phrase. Or I'll grab a pen out of the drawer and start to write, and I'll notice how much my writing looks like hers. Or as I read to Megan, I'll remember how much I love to read because of her - I can't remember her reading to me, although I know that she did, but I remember seeing her read, piles of books by her bed. I don't remember concrete moments - Christmas morning, family vacations, etc., but I remember fragments, feelings and memories that are wispy like smoke that dissipate when I try too hard to examine them. But, like smoke, even if you can't grab hold and clutch them, they are real.

I have arthritis in my left hand. Usually, if I take my medication, it doesn't bother me too much. But sometimes, if I over do it, like after an especially intense class at Scrap Girls where I type like crazy for a long time, it throbs. And occasionally, it aches for no reason at all. A friend of mine recently asked me how long it took before losing a parent quit hurting. I think it's like the pain in my hand. It's always there. It never totally goes away. Most days, it's manageable, but some days you expect it to hurt. Mother's day is always hard, although it is easier to sit through church while holding a squirming 3 year old. Birthdays, special days in your child's life, I just know they will hurt. I get through those days okay now - I can prepare for them. But occasionally, I have a day when I hurt for no apparent reason. Some days I just miss her. I miss what I feel I never had, a real relationship with her. On those days, I am especially grateful for my sisters, for my friends. For books to read, for chocolate to eat. For Travis and the kids. And most of all, for the gospel, for the knowledge of the Plan of Salvation. For my testimony, for my Savior.

Every year, a few weeks before Mother's day, I seem to have a hard time, wishing for thing I never had, missing things that I can only imagine. If you knew my mom, if you have memories of her, I would love to hear them. I would love to hear your thoughts. Give me a call, write me an email. It would be great. Happy Mother's Day, just a little bit early!

Watching You

Sunday night, I didn't fall asleep until almost 3 am. I kept hearing strange sounds and I couldn't seem to turn my mind off. So, when my alarm went off at 6:30 am, I wasn't in the best mood. I rolled out of bed and headed straight into Megan's room to get her out of bed. She hadn't gone to sleep until about 10 pm, so she wasn't in the best mood either. By the time she got in the shower, she was yelling and kicking the wall (the wall that the bathroom shares with Jared's room). I was yelling at her to be quiet. It wasn't a stellar parenting moment.

Once she was dressed and eating breakfast, and I had a moment to take a deep breath, I realized that I had rolled out of bed and gone straight to her room, ready for battle. That was my mindset. I hadn't taken a few minutes to wake up, to prepare for the day, to kneel and pray. Why do I do that?

I left Megan eating at the table, and went and knelt by my bed to pray for forgiveness and for patience. As I was praying, I heard some soft footsteps come into my room and then leave. i finished praying, and went to see what was going on. Megan was still eating breakfast, so I walked down to Jared's room. I found him kneeling by his bed, praying for his mama and his sissy. He prayed that we could all be nice today.

I was thinking of this song by Rodney Atkins called "Watching You," how our kids are always watching us. I'm gonna try to be a little more worthy of watching this week.

Gosh I feel old tonight!

I just got back from "From Cumorah's Hill" rehearsal with the youth, and I feel about 100 yrs old. Was I ever that giddy and silly and giggly? I guess I must have been. Where did it all go? When did I become a stick-in-the-mud?

The kids sound amazing. The music is wonderful, and listening to them sing gave me goosebumps. The performances should be fantastic. I'm excited to see it all come together!

Food, fun, and friendship...Does life get any sweeter?

We had a fabulous evening with some friends tonight. Grilling, eating, laughing, talking. Is there any better way to spend an evening? The weather was perfect, the kids all played so well and let the grown-ups talk. It was fantastic.

The kids caught a bug, and one of them pretended to eat it. One of the other moms (not his mom) just about fell off her chair. I wish I had the camera out when her little girl tired to eat the bug...

Look at the grin after he saw the reaction he was getting! He pretended to eat the bug a couple more times.

Good thing Jessie is such a good sport! :D

After dinner, we took a bunch of leftover chocolate Easter candy, added some cream, and melted it in a double boiler. (Don't you love how I say "we"! You know that I didn't do any of the melting, right?). Then we dipped strawberries and cake and marshmallows into it. It was FABULOUS! I think this is my favorite Easter party ever, and definitely needs to be a tradition. (Maybe we could make it a tradition for Christmas and Valentine's Day too? It's a great way to share some chocolate....yes, I said share chocolate. Contrary to what you've been told, I am capable of sharing chocolate...on occasion...(it probably helped that it wasn't mostly my chocolate ...I know you aren't surprised. It's a week after Easter and I didn't have very much left...)

Here's another great picture - it was funny to see so many adults standing around, digging thorough a bowl of candy. We were supposed to be unwrapping it all to melt it down, but really, we were picking out our favorites to eat...Two for me, one for the fondue pot. Two for me, one for the fondue pot. Two for me...