This morning I woke from the following dream:
I was being held against my will by a tall man who smelled of feces, at one point he was 'mucking' out the area where we went to the bathroom. There was another person there, a boy. I remember him sitting next to me and talking to me and me trying to move away from him but couldn't. Everything was filthy, the sheet I was wrapped in, the couch, the room, him, everything. He had a scraggly beard and looked to be about 40 years old. Later in the dream he realized that someone was coming and I was warned not to tell him (the guest) what had happened. The guest arrived and it was Clint, he sat with me not realizing that I was being held against my will. He didn't seem to care or know about the filth nor was he curious about the filthy sheet I was wrapped in. Because the authorities had discovered the 40-year-old man we set me and the boy free but only after hubby received a FedEx from the authorities (I kept imagining pictures of Hitler). Finally we walk out and I keep commenting to Clint about how nice it is outside and how happy I am to be there....trying to hint to him that I haven't been out in a long time. He doesn't notice. We get to an apartment building and there are a few men there with one woman. She is talking to each, there are about five men, saying she knows how to make each happy then she turns to one and she is unsure how to make him happy. He smiles and the feeling is that he loves her unconditionally. The men and woman start to talk to Clint, the woman starts flirting with him. He alternately appears heavy and thin and shows her how much weight he has lost. I walk away from the group, sad.
This is when I wake up. It's probably *just a dream* but it has stuck with me. I can't shake it...
Friday, October 2, 2009
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Musically Inclined
So I'm starting to think that Gweny is musically inclined. She is so cute! She dances and sings all the time. She was just dancing with Clint in the kitchen. A few days ago I was listening to music and she started to sing a song by Paramore...I think I must listen to them too much. :) In the mornings I will find her sitting in the rocking chair in her room singing songs. Some of the songs that she sings are 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star', I Am A Child Of God', 'Who's That Baby', and 'You Are My Sunshine'. She sings all the time and I can tell it brings her so much joy, not to mention me. She also loves anything that plays music. She has several music toys but her favorite is a little keyboard my mom gave her for her first birthday. She plays with it during our 3-mile walk every day. She's a smart and sweet girl and I hope that this continues. I hope she loves music as much as I do...but that she has more talent for it than I do. :)
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
My Talk - In Case You're Interested
So Sunday I had to give a talk in church. I've included it here in case anyone was interested. :) I think it went pretty well, I mean no one gave me dirty looks or disgustedly got up and left...so I'd say that was pretty successful. :)
Making Your Home A Sanctuary
In a world of chaos and turbulence we are given few choices where we can find refuge; the two most important options are the Holy Temple and the Home. Fortunately we live very close to several temples but at some point in your life you may find that you cannot make it to the temple because of distance, family circumstances or illness. We cannot live in the temple and many are unable to attend the temple daily so it is vital to create a sanctuary in own our home. The home is second in sacredness only to the temple as defined in the Bible Dictionary (‘Temple’, 781): The temple is “A place where the Lord may come, it is the most holy of any place of worship on the earth. Only the home can compare with the temple in sacredness.” Creating this sanctuary involves three very important areas: Spiritual, Physical and Emotional. If one of these areas is ignored the walls of your sanctuary has holes which can be infiltrated by the world. By addressing each area you can create a safe haven where you, your family and friends will enjoy and feel the Lord’s presence within those walls.
Many people address the area of Spirituality quite well because for many it is one of the first things that come to mind. It is vital to create a Spiritual stronghold where we are reminded daily of Christ. There are several ways to strengthen the Spiritual hardiness of your home although I’ve only concentrated on three: prayers, pictures of Christ and the Temple, and entertainment that invite the spirit. Having family and personal prayer each day creates a conduit between each individual with our Father in Heaven. Praying together creates family unity where the gratitude and needs of the entire family can be vocalized with one heart to Him. Individual prayer allows each of us our one-on-one time with Heavenly Father where we are able to talk to him plainly about our concerns and joys. Pray daily as both a family and an individual to help strengthen not only your own spirituality but the spirituality of your home. Pictures of Christ and the Temple remind us each day of covenants we have made or intend to make with our Heavenly Father. These can also remind us of the Atonement and all that Jesus Christ has done for us. Keeping these pictures in various rooms in our home allows us a gentle nudge during struggles and adversity as well as the reminder of how much He loves us and wants us to succeed. The activities we engage in for entertainment can add or detract to the spirituality of the home. Because of the wide variety of options it becomes imperative to choose activities wisely. Some widely accepted entertainment options available include movies, television, books, games and the internet. These choices surround us everyday both within the home and without, choosing activities that uplift and create positive feelings in you and your family is imperative to keeping your sanctuary strong. While television and movies have a rating system that we can use to make wide choices books, music and the internet do not. It is important not only to be choosey when selecting these activities but to be aware of the media and games your children are being exposed to outside the home at school and with friends. Making good choices in the home make it much easier to make good decisions outside the home. All it takes is one song, book, website, movie or television show to chase the Spirit from our homes. An interesting experience that my husband and I had a few years ago was when my little brother, Brian, and his girlfriend came to Utah for a visit and so we asked them to stay with us. During the first evening, Clint was upstairs working on something and so my two brothers and Brian’s girlfriend were chatting downstairs. Brian asked to play us some music that he said my mother and sister enjoyed and so I agreed, knowing that the music he listened to was generally not uplifting. While the music was playing something in our home changed, I couldn’t figure out what had happened but soon thereafter the three of them left to do something and Clint came downstairs and asked me “What happened?” I told him Brian had played us some music and then house felt weird, he told me that as soon as the music came on he felt the Spirit of the Lord exit our home. It still surprises me how different my home felt, it is a feeling I never want to experience again. Spirituality is an extremely important aspect of creating a sanctuary but it is not the only one to remember when setting out on this course.
Many people forget the second area in creating a sanctuary in their home. The physical state of our homes can create an atmosphere of peace or pandemonium. This is sometimes the most difficult area to address because those we live with affect the physical space within our walls. Our homes should be a reflection of the Temple and there are three main things which can achieve this goal including getting rid of clutter, keeping the home clean and free from dirt and grime, and realizing the importance of these simple tasks. When the home is in disarray it affects all aspects of our lives including our spiritual well-being. Having a home free from clutter, both visible and hidden, is essential. Elder Daryl H. Garn, of the Seventy, states that while building temples “contractors are told that all rooms in the temple will be finished and painted. That day in the temple, every room was painted white. Even the storage rooms and mechanical rooms were white. There were no dark places in the temple. (Ensign, October 2007, 23-25). This same philosophy should be incorporated into how we take care of our homes. Creating a clutter-free home requires time and dedication from each member of the family. It is important to start with one area, or if needed, one pile. Make final decisions about each item before moving on to the next. This task can be overwhelming if you have a lot of areas with clutter but you must finish this project or the clutter can multiply and take over. Keeping your home clean is another important aspect of creating a sanctuary. Creating a daily task list can keep this important part of keeping your home clean under control. This seems simple but sometimes the simple solutions can be the hardest to keep up with. In the July 2007 issue of the Ensign, Shirley Kline says “Everyday events in our home can seem so simple that we overlook their importance—like the children of Israel who were smitten by a plague of snakes. To be healed they had to just look at the brass serpent on a pole (see Numbers 21:8–9), but because it was so simple, many did not do it. “Because of the simpleness of the way, or the easiness of it, there were many who perished” (1 Nephi 17:41). Everyday activities in our homes may be simple, but because they are simple, frequent, and repeated, they offer important opportunities to build individuals and families.” (Three Tools to Build a Sacred Home, 44–47)
The final area is the Emotional well-being of your home. In 1984 President Spencer W. Kimball stated “The responsibility for each person’s social, emotional, spiritual, physical, or economic well-being rests first upon himself, second upon his family, and third upon the Church if he is a faithful member thereof.” (Liahona, First Pres. Message, And The Lord Called His People Zion). Although each individual is responsible for his or her own well-being it is our responsibility to teach them while young how to accomplish that. As children grow it is essential to help them feel like productive and important members of the family. This can be accomplished through involving them in simple tasks such as folding laundry, sorting clothes, easy cooking tasks, picking up their toys, sweeping, as well as a variety of other responsibilities. In our home Gweny, our 2-year-old, is in charge of giving the dog treats as well as helping me sort laundry and stir food. She feels accomplished as she completes each job and looks forward to performing it later. When I try to do one of these tasks she runs up to me or the pantry demanding to do it herself. Not only is she learning responsible behavior but she is also learning the value of work and the important role she plays in our family. It is also imperative to encourage children as they try new things and gain experience. As new experiences unfold expressing your feelings to your children helps them know that you are interested in their lives and value them. One way to accomplish this is sitting down to a family dinner and making this time together an event. Making sure that each member of your family is emotionally fed is vital to the strength of your sanctuary. When even one person doesn’t feel supported the sanctuary suffers and other aspects may soon begin to fail.
Strengthening the sanctuary of the home is accomplished through small steps in each of these areas. Perfection is not demanded but it is expected that we all give our best effort as we strive for this goal. Our homes should offer refuge from the world, create peace and harmony within our families and ourselves, and allow us to feel the guidance and love of Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father. I know that if we address these areas our homes will become a sanctuary, our families will be strengthened and we will become closer to our Heavenly Father than we ever thought possible.
Making Your Home A Sanctuary
In a world of chaos and turbulence we are given few choices where we can find refuge; the two most important options are the Holy Temple and the Home. Fortunately we live very close to several temples but at some point in your life you may find that you cannot make it to the temple because of distance, family circumstances or illness. We cannot live in the temple and many are unable to attend the temple daily so it is vital to create a sanctuary in own our home. The home is second in sacredness only to the temple as defined in the Bible Dictionary (‘Temple’, 781): The temple is “A place where the Lord may come, it is the most holy of any place of worship on the earth. Only the home can compare with the temple in sacredness.” Creating this sanctuary involves three very important areas: Spiritual, Physical and Emotional. If one of these areas is ignored the walls of your sanctuary has holes which can be infiltrated by the world. By addressing each area you can create a safe haven where you, your family and friends will enjoy and feel the Lord’s presence within those walls.
Many people address the area of Spirituality quite well because for many it is one of the first things that come to mind. It is vital to create a Spiritual stronghold where we are reminded daily of Christ. There are several ways to strengthen the Spiritual hardiness of your home although I’ve only concentrated on three: prayers, pictures of Christ and the Temple, and entertainment that invite the spirit. Having family and personal prayer each day creates a conduit between each individual with our Father in Heaven. Praying together creates family unity where the gratitude and needs of the entire family can be vocalized with one heart to Him. Individual prayer allows each of us our one-on-one time with Heavenly Father where we are able to talk to him plainly about our concerns and joys. Pray daily as both a family and an individual to help strengthen not only your own spirituality but the spirituality of your home. Pictures of Christ and the Temple remind us each day of covenants we have made or intend to make with our Heavenly Father. These can also remind us of the Atonement and all that Jesus Christ has done for us. Keeping these pictures in various rooms in our home allows us a gentle nudge during struggles and adversity as well as the reminder of how much He loves us and wants us to succeed. The activities we engage in for entertainment can add or detract to the spirituality of the home. Because of the wide variety of options it becomes imperative to choose activities wisely. Some widely accepted entertainment options available include movies, television, books, games and the internet. These choices surround us everyday both within the home and without, choosing activities that uplift and create positive feelings in you and your family is imperative to keeping your sanctuary strong. While television and movies have a rating system that we can use to make wide choices books, music and the internet do not. It is important not only to be choosey when selecting these activities but to be aware of the media and games your children are being exposed to outside the home at school and with friends. Making good choices in the home make it much easier to make good decisions outside the home. All it takes is one song, book, website, movie or television show to chase the Spirit from our homes. An interesting experience that my husband and I had a few years ago was when my little brother, Brian, and his girlfriend came to Utah for a visit and so we asked them to stay with us. During the first evening, Clint was upstairs working on something and so my two brothers and Brian’s girlfriend were chatting downstairs. Brian asked to play us some music that he said my mother and sister enjoyed and so I agreed, knowing that the music he listened to was generally not uplifting. While the music was playing something in our home changed, I couldn’t figure out what had happened but soon thereafter the three of them left to do something and Clint came downstairs and asked me “What happened?” I told him Brian had played us some music and then house felt weird, he told me that as soon as the music came on he felt the Spirit of the Lord exit our home. It still surprises me how different my home felt, it is a feeling I never want to experience again. Spirituality is an extremely important aspect of creating a sanctuary but it is not the only one to remember when setting out on this course.
Many people forget the second area in creating a sanctuary in their home. The physical state of our homes can create an atmosphere of peace or pandemonium. This is sometimes the most difficult area to address because those we live with affect the physical space within our walls. Our homes should be a reflection of the Temple and there are three main things which can achieve this goal including getting rid of clutter, keeping the home clean and free from dirt and grime, and realizing the importance of these simple tasks. When the home is in disarray it affects all aspects of our lives including our spiritual well-being. Having a home free from clutter, both visible and hidden, is essential. Elder Daryl H. Garn, of the Seventy, states that while building temples “contractors are told that all rooms in the temple will be finished and painted. That day in the temple, every room was painted white. Even the storage rooms and mechanical rooms were white. There were no dark places in the temple. (Ensign, October 2007, 23-25). This same philosophy should be incorporated into how we take care of our homes. Creating a clutter-free home requires time and dedication from each member of the family. It is important to start with one area, or if needed, one pile. Make final decisions about each item before moving on to the next. This task can be overwhelming if you have a lot of areas with clutter but you must finish this project or the clutter can multiply and take over. Keeping your home clean is another important aspect of creating a sanctuary. Creating a daily task list can keep this important part of keeping your home clean under control. This seems simple but sometimes the simple solutions can be the hardest to keep up with. In the July 2007 issue of the Ensign, Shirley Kline says “Everyday events in our home can seem so simple that we overlook their importance—like the children of Israel who were smitten by a plague of snakes. To be healed they had to just look at the brass serpent on a pole (see Numbers 21:8–9), but because it was so simple, many did not do it. “Because of the simpleness of the way, or the easiness of it, there were many who perished” (1 Nephi 17:41). Everyday activities in our homes may be simple, but because they are simple, frequent, and repeated, they offer important opportunities to build individuals and families.” (Three Tools to Build a Sacred Home, 44–47)
The final area is the Emotional well-being of your home. In 1984 President Spencer W. Kimball stated “The responsibility for each person’s social, emotional, spiritual, physical, or economic well-being rests first upon himself, second upon his family, and third upon the Church if he is a faithful member thereof.” (Liahona, First Pres. Message, And The Lord Called His People Zion). Although each individual is responsible for his or her own well-being it is our responsibility to teach them while young how to accomplish that. As children grow it is essential to help them feel like productive and important members of the family. This can be accomplished through involving them in simple tasks such as folding laundry, sorting clothes, easy cooking tasks, picking up their toys, sweeping, as well as a variety of other responsibilities. In our home Gweny, our 2-year-old, is in charge of giving the dog treats as well as helping me sort laundry and stir food. She feels accomplished as she completes each job and looks forward to performing it later. When I try to do one of these tasks she runs up to me or the pantry demanding to do it herself. Not only is she learning responsible behavior but she is also learning the value of work and the important role she plays in our family. It is also imperative to encourage children as they try new things and gain experience. As new experiences unfold expressing your feelings to your children helps them know that you are interested in their lives and value them. One way to accomplish this is sitting down to a family dinner and making this time together an event. Making sure that each member of your family is emotionally fed is vital to the strength of your sanctuary. When even one person doesn’t feel supported the sanctuary suffers and other aspects may soon begin to fail.
Strengthening the sanctuary of the home is accomplished through small steps in each of these areas. Perfection is not demanded but it is expected that we all give our best effort as we strive for this goal. Our homes should offer refuge from the world, create peace and harmony within our families and ourselves, and allow us to feel the guidance and love of Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father. I know that if we address these areas our homes will become a sanctuary, our families will be strengthened and we will become closer to our Heavenly Father than we ever thought possible.
Friday, August 14, 2009
AWOL
I have been gone from my blog a long time but am now back. I have missed writing it and have let other things get in the way. It might take me a while to get back into the swing of posting every day...or at least once a week...but be patient and I will. I am also thinking I will start a weekly blog for the family where I will focus on what we do so that you can keep up with that. This one will simply be my tangents about whatever. Like right now I can hear Gweny upstairs taking ALL of our DVDs off the shelf...crap.
I'll write more later. Promise.
I'll write more later. Promise.
Creating A Sanctuary At Home - My Personal Eyeopener
So a member of the Bishopric called a few days to ask me to speak in Sacrament meeting this Sunday. I joked but eventually accepted (of course) and then he gave me the topic: Creating A Sanctuary At Home. I smiled to myself as I heard the topic and immediately thought of my home...definitely NOT a sanctuary.
After hanging up the phone I looked around my house and noticed the piles of paper, toys and other clutter preventing my home from being a sanctuary. Then what did I do? I avoided working on my talk AND cleaning the house. Over the next few days I pondered this topic. How does one create a sanctuary? I think that there is a multi-faceted answer and it is my goal to figure it out. I hope that on Sunday the message the Lord wants others (and probably most of all me) to hear is conveyed. I know that this is an important aspect of life and realize how difficult it can be to keep that sacred feeling within our homes.
I will post my talk on here once I figure it all out and let you know how it goes. Wish me luck.
After hanging up the phone I looked around my house and noticed the piles of paper, toys and other clutter preventing my home from being a sanctuary. Then what did I do? I avoided working on my talk AND cleaning the house. Over the next few days I pondered this topic. How does one create a sanctuary? I think that there is a multi-faceted answer and it is my goal to figure it out. I hope that on Sunday the message the Lord wants others (and probably most of all me) to hear is conveyed. I know that this is an important aspect of life and realize how difficult it can be to keep that sacred feeling within our homes.
I will post my talk on here once I figure it all out and let you know how it goes. Wish me luck.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Special Mommy Moment
A few days ago I had the most Special Mommy Moment ever! My friend Tiffany had been watching Gweny while I was at work and had convinced her to stay up until Clint and I got home. After getting home I picked her up and took her upstairs to go to bed. I changed her and we went through our routine, in the middle of one of her "night-night songs" she puts one hand on my face then looks at her sippy cup and puts it down on her changing table. She then put that hand on my face and looked deeply into my eyes forcing me to look at her. Then very seriously she says "I ya ya", I smiled and with a tears in my eyes I reply "I love you too". She smiles and then grabs her sippy cup and gives me a big hug.
It's moments like this that make all the "bad" times worth it. I love being a mommy more than anything and am SO grateful for my little girl. I think it's so important to write these moments down so that we don't forget them. Think for a minute on all those little moments that you've had with your special one(s) and write them down in a journal or on a blog. Cherish them. You'll want to reread them when your special darling isn't being such a darling.
It's moments like this that make all the "bad" times worth it. I love being a mommy more than anything and am SO grateful for my little girl. I think it's so important to write these moments down so that we don't forget them. Think for a minute on all those little moments that you've had with your special one(s) and write them down in a journal or on a blog. Cherish them. You'll want to reread them when your special darling isn't being such a darling.
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