Holiday to do list

My friend told me about an obituary where the deceased person didn't want flowers, they just wanted everyone to do a random act of kindness. I love this idea. During this holiday season I can't think of a single present I would rather have, than for everyone to do a random act of kindness. I get so overwhelmed with gifts. I love this Holiday to do list. 

Be Present- Put your phone down, and just listen to each other 
Wrap someone in a hug- It will make their day
Send Peace- Be a peacemaker in your own homes
Donate food- better yet, go and serve at St. Anne's
Make Love- not war ;)
Be the light- This one is my favorite! Be the light in someone's journey

Christmas is not about buying and spending and rushing around to get the perfect present. It seems like when you buy someone a present, it doesn't usually make you feel wonderful. You worry that you did too much, or too little.If you are like me, you walk away wondering if you should have done more. I would love it this Christmas if I received notes of things that were done as random acts of kindness. If you want to do something for me, reach out to others and make a difference.  Let's all remember the reason for the season, and be more Christlike. 

Choose Happy

This picture says so much. I am surrounded by the grumpy passenger type of personality every day. Some days it is difficult to get out of bed and be motivated, but we still have a choice. You may wake up and be lonely, or sad, or maybe really feeling like you need to have a pity party, but you can choose happy. 

One of the best ways to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer someone else up. Reach out to a friend. Do a random act of kindness. Simply smile.....

One day at work, I was really grumpy. The attitude I picked was not working for me, so I choose a different one. I was bouncing back and forth in my mind between being grumpy and happy. I decided to sit at my desk and smile. I am sure to some I seemed crazy, but it worked. Slowly my day was getting better, just because I chose to smile. When I talk to someone on the phone, I smile. I make sure I choose to be nice, and that my voice let's them know I choose happy.

Remember you are precious. Yes you! You are more valuable than rubies. You make a difference. Did you know that all the happiness you will ever find lies within you? Begin today! Take responsibility for your own happiness. The choice is yours. Choose Happiness

Welcome to Holland

This past week my daughter's friend had a baby, and they found the baby has Down's Syndrome. We have all been lucky enough to have an adorable young lady with Down's in our neighborhood and so this isn't something that is new. Kiersten found this awesome story by Emily Perl Kinglsey, she shared it with the new parents. I was so touched by this story that I thought I would share it. 

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability-to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel, it's like this.
 When your're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip to Italy. you buy a bunch of guidebooks and make wonderful plans. the coliseum, the Michelangelo David, the gondolas in Venice. You may learn some phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting. 
After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. you pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland?!!!" you say "what do you mean Holland??? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy. 
But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay. The important thing is they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.
So you must go out and buy new guidebooks.You must learn a whole new language. You will meet a whole new group of people you would have never met. It's just a different place. It's slower pace than Italy, less flashy than Italy, but after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around...and you begin to notice Holland has windmills, and Holland has tulips. Holland even has remembrants. 
But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy, and they are bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. For the rest of your life, you will say, " yes that's where I was supposed to go, that's what I had planned. 
The pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away....because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss. 
But....if you spend you life mourning the fact that you didn't get to go to Italy,  you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things.....about Holland.

I thought this was such an amazing story. I started thinking about how life is just the same as this story. It doesn't matter what you try to plan, it doesn't always work out the way we want it to. I started thinking about what advice I would give to the beautiful mother and father who just received news that they have been detoured to Holland. My advice would be something like this. As you grow older, you will realize that there are so many things out of our control. Life defiantly has detours. Lots of situations take us on a course we didn't plan. We sometimes try to control our children and we try to save them from things that would harm them. We try to help them reach their greatest potential, but sometimes that is not how it goes. You plan, you try to do your best, but sometimes your plan changes. You wake up and find out that you are in Holland..I have made choices and my flight plan was changed numerous times. My kids have been detoured too. The best thing to remember is that we have a Heavenly Father that loves us. He is aware of our needs and sometimes he changes the flight plan. No matter what life has for you, know you are not alone and that you are loved. 

Doubting self worth

It's been one of those weeks. Normally I am upbeat and happy. You wouldn't even notice anything is wrong when you talk to me. It's not even that something is wrong, it is more like I have been listening to those whispers. You know, the one where you doubt everything about yourself. You wonder why you are a mom, and ponder about how much you are ruining your kids lives. I have been pondering all of the stupid choices I have made in my lifetime. I wonder why it is so hard for me to just choose the right thing, instead of having to always learn it the hard way. I have been listening to that voice telling me that I am not good enough. I have been listening to that voice that says I have no worth. It makes me so mad when I listen. It also made me wonder if anyone else listens....I assume you all listen to that small negative whisper too, because here are a few of the quotes I have seen on Instagram this week. They have meant a lot to me. It helps me remember that I am not alone.

Normally I am the one talking about making a difference and serving. I need to not only be my Heavenly Father's hands, but I needed to pray to be his eyes. I can look for opportunities to serve. All it takes is for me to look for someone who is desperately trying to be seen. Isn't it interesting that good people come into your life at the perfect time. I know that my Savior knows what I am going through, and he is the opposite of fear, and self doubt. Our Heavenly Father only has imperfect people to work with, this must be terribly frustrating at times, but he deals with it and so should we. Our journeys may be lonely but we are never alone. We have a Heavenly Father that loves us.

I am certain I will have a better week. I will pray to see. I can look beyond my own imperfections, and find someone to reach out to. I can be the good, that is placed in someones life to help them along the path. My hope is that if you are struggling, or you feel lonely, that you will know that you are loved.

I am not the mistakes I once made. I am good enough, and so are you!                                                                                                            

              
   
                   

Family is what it's all about...

I have been thinking about family a lot lately. I am a daughter, a grand-daughter, a sister, a mom, a wife, an aunt, a mother in law, a doggie grandma, a daughter in law, a sister in law, and a friend. What do you consider family? When I think of family, I think of my own family, and then I think of those who surround me that I consider family. I feel blessed to have a family, and friends who I consider family, and then it goes beyond that. I have a family including in-laws, aunts, uncles, cousins, and second cousins, I have a lot of friends I consider family, a ward family, a neighborhood family,and a work family. 

In my own family I have so many that I want to be exactly like. I admire and love them. Aunts that are so inspirational and loving. Grandparents that loved me and taught me so much. Cousins that are as close as a brother or sister. Some are still here and some are watching from heaven. I love that I have guardian angels guiding and protecting me. 

All families have issues, and all families struggle. All families argue. The important part is it doesn't matter how long you go without talking, they are always there. I am so blessed. I am lucky to know that if I called any of my family they would help me. I have friends that I consider family. I think about them often, and I get super excited to see them. I love my ward family. So many amazing examples that have helped me along the path. 

There's lots of information about families on the web. If you type in Family, it brings up titles of shows, links to offer help, and it talks about how we are all here to help each other. I love how Bronson is born in the middle of two sisters. His whole life has been about helping his sisters. When the kids were little we would go shopping and it would stress out Bronson to think that something would happen to one of them, or that I would leave them there. We always teased him about being Nemo's dad, because he would always worry. He has grown up to be such an amazing husband, and now has a bigger family.

Your circumstances allow you to reach out to others and to become better. If you need a friend, be one. Everyone needs a friend. Some are lucky enough to call a sibling a friend and some are lucky to call a friend a sibling. Reach out to others. Be the friend you always wanted to have.  We are all in this together to help each other along the path. I love this song and video from Fast and Furious 7. The part when they sing "How can we not talk about family, when family's all that we got," and when they say "It's been a long day without you my friend, and I'll tell you all about it when I see you again." are my favorite. I am thankful for my family. I am thankful to know that I will see my family and friends who have past on. I am thankful for my imperfect family and friends. 

Name them one by one

I read a quote yesterday that I can't get off of my mind. It seems like the world is trying to tell us we are not good enough. We are surrounded by things that make us somehow feel less than we truly are. 

I started my list in my mind before I even finished reading this quote. I felt grateful as I named my family, my friends, where I live, and then I stopped in my tracks as I thought how true it is, that we never take the time to give ourselves credit for being awesome! 

It was easy to quickly think of some of the things I like about myself. It was also easy to hear the voices of self doubt try to tell me I was less than.... Why is it so much easier to think negative, or to focus on the things we are working on? Why can't we look at ourselves as others see us? We all have good. We all have things that we have perfected. We all have spiritual gifts that make us awesome. We all have light within, and it shines when we let it. 

It is my challenge to you today, to name all of the things that you love. Name them one by one. As you go throughout your day, ponder, and reflect on the awesome things that surround you. Don't forget to include yourself in your list. If you are having a hard time, think of how someone else would describe you. You are AWESOME! Don't ever forget it! 

Determination

Karlee hurt her foot on my birthday....January 13th. She was tumbling and isn't sure how she did it, but it happened, and it hurts. 

The good news is that it isn't broken, but the bad news is that it will hurt for a long time. She is tough and she has proven that she can do hard things, but this has been especially tough. 

She hasn't been able to practice very much, but picked an awesome can do attitude. Karlee has been conditioning and doing intense workouts to stay strong. It is difficult to be part of a team, but not be able to really be part of the team. She does her workout and longs to be out on the floor with the other girls. She had to go to the first competition and watch. She was determined to get out there at the next meet. 

On February 7th she was able to compete. She had one goal, and that was to finish. She just wanted to be on the floor, with her team, and finish. Troy and I were watching from the stands. I saw her do a practice run, and I could tell her foot hurt. I panicked. I went and talked to her, and she reminded me that she was ok. She did her floor routine, and ended up getting first place. 

What is determination? Is it the will to not quit? Why is it that some people keep going despite overwhelming obstacles? I am drawn to motivated, and determined people. I admire them and try to be like them. Sometimes it is a rare and precious thing to find a motivated, determined person who is very kind and thinks of others. Karlee is this type of person. She is always looking for the good in others. She tries to fill her bucket by being happy for others. She is motivated to get good grades and determined not to quit. I am so proud of her. I see myself in her at times, and yet I strive to be just like her. 

Embark in service

This year the theme for the youth is Embark in the service of God. I have been listening and trying to study this theme and how I can put it into my own life. First of all I love how the youth have been taught to come unto Christ, Arise and Shine Forth, Stand in Holy places, and now Embark in Service. 

If you are wondering what it means to Embark, it means to start a journey. What an awesome idea to start of journey of serving others this year. Think about the theme for a minute. 

The ship represents Heavenly Father. Sometimes we are in rough water. Sometimes we are drifting, and sometimes we are sailing. There is an anchor attached. The anchor holds the boat as we stop and experience different stages of our life. We are anchored to Christ as we have experiences. It doesn't matter what choices we are making, or if we are perfect. He is always there. All we have to do is ask. While we are traveling we might have some rough water. We might feel like we can't make it to the next place, but He is our strength, and He is there for each one of us. In Alma 3:36 it says: whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials, and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be lifted up at the last day. 

Do you want to be happy? All you have to do is serve others, be kind and Embark in service. We all need each other. Reach out to others and really start a journey of service. When you Embark, you are joining the greatest journey ever!

This is the video of the theme for 2015. 

45 Birthday acts of kindness

 I turned 45 on January 13th. Seems really hard to believe I am that old. I try to do something to make a difference every single day, but I thought it would be fun to do 45 specific random acts of kindness for my birthday. This year has been my favorite birthday. I posted this not to get attention or acceptance. I posted because I am happy when I am serving others. I hope this inspires others to continue to spread kindness and to look for opportunities to serve others. If you want to have an awesome birthday, do acts of kindness! I would LOVE to hear about it, or help you with acts of kindness.

I had some friends who shared with me the random acts of kindness offered on my behalf.  A hot breakfast was made early in the morning. Tacos were bought, and the car behind them was paid for. A friend bought her coworker a drink. Cinnamon rolls were bought and delivered, sidewalks were shoveled. Temple work was done. A cute neighbor girl helped someone in her class with math. Friends were asked to play at recess that didn't have any friends. Laundry was done, and shopping. Kindness was spread. Seriously soooo nice. Thank you!!

Here are my 45.....(did I mention that 45 is a lot?)

1. My dear friend Norma Rae Liston always makes me happy. I have this awesome picture of us at Bronson and Jessi's wedding that I made a copy of. I took it to her and got a hug too. 

2. I made Hug cards and sent them with Kiersten. She works in an oncology office. I thought it would be great for the patients to receive something to make them happy. 

3 & 4. I taped popcorn on 2 different Redbox locations. With a cute tag. 

5, 6, & 7. I went to Dollar Tree and taped dollars around for people to find. 

8. I made the invitation for our New Beginnings night, and made Kiersten the same invite for her ward.

9,10,11. Filled gumball machines, and candy machines

12. Put $1.00 on the vending machine at my work

13. Left a sign in the bathroom that says "You! Yes, you The one reading this. you are beautiful, talented, amazing and simply the best at being you. NEVER FORGET THAT." 

14, 15, 16,17. I took cinnamon rolls to my coworkers, and a couple of friends on my birthday. I had 10 cinnamon rolls. It was really fun to share!

18. I put quarters in a baggie, and left it at the carwash.

19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24. Me & Kiersten took baggies with candy and candy bars and put them on cars at Lee's. This one was really fun. One of the girls picked up her candy bar and looked around, then she smiled and smiled. She drove away smiling and was really happy. There was a car with a couple of teen boys and they were really excited too. A guy at the gas station was on crutches and he smiled and shouted thank you.                                                                                                       

25. I smiled at everyone at the store, and said hello 

                                                                         

26, 27. Sent some text messages to a couple of friends I admire

28. I helped an old grandpa at the grocery store

29, 30. went to two drive up windows and handed the clerk a treat. This one was funny because they didn't know what to think.The candy had a cute tag on it. Pretty sure they thought I was crazy)

31, 32. Left a candle with a cute tag that says "I hope your day doesn't stink" to two friends.

33. Wrapped some candy and took it to an assisted living facility and asked them decide who to give it to. 

34. Printed a positive quote and put it in a library book for someone to find. 

35. Listened to a coworker that needed a friend. Talked to her and helped her with a difficult situation. 

36. Mailed a letter to a friend. 

37. Mailed a box of Sunshine

38. Left a note of encouragement on a random car

39. I picked up a friend from the front-runner in Ogden

40. Bought Chili's chips and salsa and delivered them to a friend

41. Left cherry chocolates for Troy, and put a treat in his suitcase. He was headed back to Indiana and I thought it would be nice for him to find a little treat from me when he arrived. 

42. Printed pictures for Pa Val for his frame

 

43. Took Oranges to my coworkers

44. Made smores on my birthday for visitors

45. Bought lunch for Karlee's coaches at the tumbling competition and brought it to them because they couldn't leave.