IAT for this beautiful face!

IAT = I am thankful

This is my friend Sherry. She moved into our area a few years back with her dear hubby named Teddy. She is a very vibrant, happy person. She's also short. So, every time she sees me she declares a hug a tall person day, and I declare a hug a Relief Society President day. In case you do not know. A Relief Society President is the president over the local area women's group in the LDS church. So, she is very busy tending to the special needs of hundreds of women.

She doesn't get paid. There was no special training. Baptism by fire if you will. But, she usually has that wonderful smile on her face. Sadly, she is also recently a widow. Her husband nearly finished the home they built together and planned retirement in, and then he left suddenly. I know it is very hard for her to face each day without her dear Teddy, but she does it. She's a great example to me, of putting on your boots and going to work no matter what may be holding you back.

Thanks Sherry for leading the sisters in our ward!

I HATE...fill in the blank

James 3: 8-10

 8 But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.

 9 Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.

 10 Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.

 It has probably been at least 6 years since I began a quest of sorts of self-improvement. I didn't really do it on purpose.  I read a simple little book oft mentioned in my blog. As a Man Thinketh. As soon as I got over how beautiful it was, I understood the simple truth that man is the creator of his thoughts, and I wanted to learn to create wonderful thoughts. Over the few months following reading it, I began trying to weed out my overgrown garden that is my mind. I began correcting false and harmful thoughts; reversing them.

Over time, my spirits lifted. I thought better of my self and others. And I do see changes in my thoughts, words, actions, and temperament because of it. A simple success formula. Watch your thoughts, control your words. Easier said than done. It takes LOTS of practice. And I believe it will never end.

The reading of that lovely little book, took me down a road that I believe is less traveled. A road to systematically eliminate my many negative traits and become what God has fashioned me to be. I don't have the clear vision He does, of what that is, but I continue to strive for it, and as I do, He reveals little pieces of it to me. I have not yet achieved perfection I am sorry to say, but I do feel I am a better person, still with a long way to go.

Why is the tongue so poisonous? Why is it compared to fire? Poison and fire sicken and destroy. And our words do that every day. How can we bless God and curse Him with the same part of our body? How can we praise Him and curse our friends? These things ought not to be. 

Brigham Young said, 

I have but recently told you that some people think they are capable of judging everybody but themselves. Let us judge ourselves. And if any are disposed to let that unruly member, the tongue, do that which will wound the heart, darken the spirit, and bring us into subjection to an evil practice, resist such a disposition—throw it from you. If you will do that, you will find that the wicked will forsake their wickedness, and those who are inclined to think evil will cease doing so, and those who are inclined to utter evil words about their neighbors will cease that habit, and it will not be long before the people have perfect control over themselves. If you first gain power to check your words, you will then begin to have power to check your judgment, and at length actually gain power to check your thoughts and reflections.

So, I keep trying. A teacher/mentor whose seminar I attended caught me in mid sentence with my destructive words. It was a minor, simple thing. I said, "I hate early mornings." He looked at me fiercely and asked me, "What did you say?" When I began to repeat it, he stopped me after the second word. Hate. "I hate." He encouraged me to watch that expression. I hate? I don't hate. I don't WANT to hate. But our words can reveal that we do indeed hate. 

I did not take action on that right away. Just a month or so ago, I decided it was time to try to eliminate that word. I have been pretty good at replacing it with, I don't love, I am not a fan of, I don't care for. An even better suggestion is to focus my words on what I do love, am a fan of, do care for. I was doing so well. 

Then the other day I did not even catch myself say, "I hate candy." I don't really hate candy. I was speaking of Halloween and how it is not my favorite holiday. Pretty sure I probably also said I hate Halloween. I don't care for the excessive amounts of candy or sugar, or for that matter costumes, decorations, blah, blah, blah. I love Thanksgiving and Christmas though. :-)

Anywho. She repeated that back to me tonight at the Halloween carnival I took the Arteest and the Butterfly to. Oh the irony! I was horrified it had slipped past me and determined to give myself the write 100 times assignment. I will NOT say hate. But, I will use my own advice and phrase it properly. So, since the next 100 sentences will all be exactly the same, you can stop reading here. Haha.

I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love.I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love. I will replace hate with Love.

It really is 100 times.

Let the RANTS begin

WARNING! This post contains graphic images. They may upset those with a weak stomach. I hope they will shock both the sensitivities and sensibilities of decent people. You can skip to the video at the end to skip the pictures.

I had a post I was going to write yesterday that I will get to. But today, something bumped it. I have pared down the political issues I really care about. The ones I REALLY care about are ones that government has no business in, in the first place. And definitely the federal government has no business in because, the Constitution says that the rights not given to the federal government specifically (and that is most everything they have taken over), belong exclusively to the states. I am sure it is more complicated than that. I don't read law in my spare time.

I've been meaning to watch a video clip for the last week. It meant setting aside 30 minutes to do it. And when I did; how I was moved. But I have to go back a few years to explain. At least 10 years ago, I went to a convention on the family in Mesa, Az. Various leaders and speakers expounded on family issues and the growing threat to the family. I still remember some of the things I learned that day. Outside the convention were booths representing groups and organizations that were pro-family. There was a pro-life booth. I actually think perhaps the pro-life movement should call themselves the anti-murder movement, but I am about being positive, so going with pro-life is probably much better.

There were two young college girls manning (or girling )  the booth and we struck up a conversation. I told them that I thought abortion in our day was like the holocaust. And I told them of a picture I had in my head with a slogan. I described it to them according to the picture I just created below. If you don't want to see aborted babies, it may be too late to stop reading.

Please consider that I have been kind in my selection of a black and white photo with fully formed babies, if that can possibly kind. It completely offends everything within me. But the alternatives are gruesome. I am a mother of 7. I have experienced pregnancy 8 times and birth 7 times. I can honestly say, that the births of my children were some of the moments closest to heaven I have every experienced. Not having experienced heaven of course, but only imagining it.

So, when I saw the ad for the video below, I was happy that someone else, I am sure many others, saw abortion as I do. A modern day holocaust. I finally took the time today to watch it. Even if you are a pro-life (anti-murder) supporter, it is worth watching. The prevailing PC of our day is gone and logic is used to explain the similarities between the two, along with morality, heaven and hell, justice and mercy. Well done. So well done. I hope you will take 30 minutes to watch it when you can and then share it with others. It's called 180 because several of the young people in the video (some of whom had never heard of ADOLPH HITLER!!), made a 180 change in their opinion about life and death in the womb. Very COOL!

IAT for new OPPORTUNITIES

IAT = I am thankful

PROJECT CENTRL

So, this is my brand new opportunity. I spent way too much time last year saying I was bored and lonely. Life seems to have taken care of that anyway. But because I did not have too much to do at the time, and a friend of mine recommended me for this program, I decided to apply for it. It is a rural leadership program, training well, leaders in rural Arizona to do a better job of leading. We will study personal skills, Arizona issues, political considerations, legislation, agriculture, and I am sure a whole lot more that I don't even know yet.

For the next year, I will attend 6 monthly meetings, and then in May, we will go to Canada for a 5 day trip to study and learn and experience their issues. We includes only 21 people in the entire state chosen for the group. I feel pretty honored to be a part of it. We are class XXI. THe second year, we will have 6 more monthly classes (we get summers off), and then culminate with an 8 day trip to our nation's capitol. How great is that? What an opportunity for me.

Our first meeting was 2 weeks ago. I met and spent 2 1/2 days with the other 20 people in my class. We had a lot of fun and spent a lot of time learning about different personalities and how to get along with them. This will be pretty critical over the next two years as we tackle issues that can be very divisive. I appreciate, particularly with problems I have had in the past, that it was emphasized that because issues are divisive, it does not mean we cannot be respectful.

In addition, I will be expected to come up with a project that is of benefit to my community. I have some ideas and hope I will be able to create one that will have a lasting impact. So, that is going to be a major part of my extra curricular life the next two years. I am so excited to meet and understand and become friends with so many new people. For the fun and networking it will inevitably brings. And who knows? It may shape my life in ways I never imagined.

And here is where I have to say thank you to the most supportive and encouraging husband and children on the planet. I could do nothing without them. They mean the world to me and I am so grateful they are willing to let me experience this opportunity.

IAT for Joyful Occasions

IAT = I am thankful

I don't know about you, but when I think about the happiest days of my life, it almost always involves family. Even if you have a family that you wonder about, there are still great experiences you have with at least some of them. Sometimes, if you are twice blessed, it also involves or instead of family, friends. The last few weeks have been full of joyous family and friend celebrating and I am so very thankful.

A little over 2 years ago, we sent this beautiful boy of ours to the great state of Kentucky to serve a mission.

I now confess that I dropped him off with his older brother who was serving in Utah as a missionary so they could spend a short 36 hours together before EN2 went for training and 2 years on his own with almost no contact. I was literally there long enough to hug EN1 and take this picture, then I had to leave.

He went to this beautiful green state.

Met and blessed the lives of many good people.

Including lots of soldiers.



He had great experiences with lots of other young men his age.

 And then a little over two weeks ago, he came home!

Very happy momma.

Happy brothers.

Happy poppa.

Happy little sisters.

 Then there is this sweet little thing. Our Arteest. She turned 8 in August. And normally, an 8th birthday is when our children are baptized. But she wanted her missionary brother to be home. So, she waited until the end of September and then waited some more. It took us until this weekend to find a free weekend for both of them. It was a very happy day, with lots of friends.

The day after, The Mish 2 reported his mission. There were lots of friends and family on hand and lots of fun. We feel so blessed to be able to celebrate these milestones and to look ahead to many more happy days. Life is so good!

I THINK IAT

IAT = I am thankful

I've changed my entire layout. I really like it. But I am feeling a little lost and there are some things I don't like so much. Like all my little gadgets...they can't be on the side bar anymore. And I can't put my pages in the order I want. That really bugs me, so we will see if this lasts, or if I have the patience to figure out some of those things. I really like the look, but the stuff I am used to? It kind of feels like facebook played with my blog. Any of you on facebook know exactly what I mean.

And oh yeah, this is not really a real post. The Bish called me this morning and asked me if I was still blogging. He said he misses my posts. I didn't know if anyone would notice. Besides my counter that I watch and the feedjit gadget, I would not know anyone even reads, because no one comments. Soooo. We've had a completely exciting and wonderful almost two weeks. I'd better post about that before I go out of town again and it's several more days. But for now, I've wasted too much time today. So, I'll be thankful later. Haha.