Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Entitled to Revelation

We, as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, believe that our spirits lived with God before this life and that He is our father. We believe that He sent us to this earth to learn and grow and have experiences that we couldn’t have had otherwise. But most importantly, we believe that He has not left us alone in our sojourn here on this planet. He knows each and every one of us, as His children, in a way that is incomprehensible to us. Because of this, He has provided ways to communicate with us and wants to let us know He is there for us and that He loves us.

First, God has provided us with a blueprint for how to live our lives. He has done this by revealing His word to prophets, prophets like Moses, Abraham, Malachi, John the Revelator, and in modern times, Joseph Smith, Gordon B Hinckley, and currently Thomas S. Monson. These have received and do receive revelation for how God’s church is to be presided over here on earth. They have received and do receive revelation of dangers of we face and how to handle them, and ways we can prepare for the Second Coming of Christ. They taught and continue to teach how we should treat each other in our families and in our communities, how we should treat the poor and even how we should regard our enemies and those who would spitefully use us. God has taught us, through prophets, how to pray, baptize and marry. As we read The Holy Bible, The Book of Mormon and other scripture, we can commune with God and learn His plan for us. We can do the same as we listen to and read the words of latter-day prophets.

Second, God has made a plan that each of us, individually, can receive revelation specific to ours needs and the needs of our family, revelation so specific, that when we follow and realize it was the right thing for us, we receive a surer knowledge that God truly does know and love each one of His children. We call this personal revelation.

Personal revelation can come in many forms, but for most of us, it comes as a quiet impression to our minds. We feel a prompting to do something and a comforted feeling as we listen to and do.

Living by personal revelation has shaped many years of my life. Because of promptings that have come to my mind through The Holy Ghost, I …

…home schooled my children for thirteen years,
…married John after knowing him for only eight weeks,
…decided to let God plan our family, and not limit the children we welcome into our home,
…moved to a little farm town in Mexico, there to raise our children,
…have limited the meat our family consumes, and…
…choose to raise our children without a full-time maid, even though we can hire one for only $7 a day.

But God doesn’t only grant us revelation for the big things in life. He knows ALL of our needs, both large and small, and guides us through our day to day living one step at a time. For instance, I was recently prompted to email a friend who just delivered a four-pound baby, a tiny girl who is still too little nurse, and ask if she needed to borrow my breast pump. It was just a fleeting thought, and one that came out of the blue, but as it turned out, the pump was desperately needed and I was able to be a tool in God’s hand and help someone in need in an unexpected way.

Then there was the time recently when I was prompted to confide something personal to a friend (and she to me, as well) and as a result, we were both able to help each other through a difficult time, and our friendship has blossomed in ways that neither of us could have imagined.

Sometimes I receive impressions on how I can improve my family life. While I was washing dishes recently (and I believe that we as women were given repetitive tasks as a way to open our minds to revelation, which thoughts you can read about HERE), disheartened by the messiness of my twins as they eat their meals, I was given an impression on how I could help them improve. I knew it was from God, because it felt so right and I said to myself, “Self, I am going to write that down as soon as a finish doing the dishes, because it’s important, and I don’t want to forget it.” After doing the dishes, I promptly forgot to write it down, then promptly forgot the prompting. I had wanted to share it in this post, and I thought for days on what it might be, but I could not for the life of me remember what it was.

This morning I remembered. As a way of teaching the twins to eat more neatly and politely, I was impressed that I should more often sit with them at the big table, instead of placing them at their little table while I clean up. This way I could observe and teach and prevent the smearing, throwing, smashing and crumbling of almost every meal we give them. This is sound advice from a loving Father in Heaven, which makes perfect sense and feels perfectly right, but somehow I’d never thought of it. It took daily supplications for inspiration on how I can be a better wife, mother, sister, daughter, and church and community member and my prayers were answered in this small, but life-changing way.

Incidentally, I received another revelation today, something about a way I could improve my family life, but because I didn’t write it down immediately, it has flown from my mind. Why can’t I remember to write these impressions down? I don’t know why, but these types of impressions have been coming to me much more often as of late, and I need to act on them. Perhaps I’m being prepared for something.

It’s my hope in writing this that I have given you, as well as myself, a reminder that we are all “heirs to the kingdom” and are entitled to communication with our Heavenly Father, who loves us. When you receive an impression on how to raise your children, how to treat your husband, or how to improve your community, write it down, then act on it. We can all change the world for the better as we listen to our Father and live as He wants us to live.

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Thanks for listening. :)

P.S. My sister and I are finally getting skinnier!
See how we're doing it HERE! :)

Images From A Moms Versus High School Girls Football Game!

Last week one of the local moms organized a powder puff football game pitting the moms against the high school girls. And tradition has it that since the girls become football players, the boys become cheerleaders... just so you're prepared. Thanks for listening!


A quarterback...

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A runningback...

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Cheerleaders...

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A pose...

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A happy family...

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A happy football player...

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A captive audience...

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A redhead...

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A willing photography subject...

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An unwilling photography subject...

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  Aggressive football players...

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A beauty...

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Another beauty...

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A mom run...

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The mom who ran...

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A cheerleader wishing he was playing football...

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A coach, and insistent photography subject...

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A run....

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A pass...

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A plan...

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A touchdown due to the plan...

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A toehead...

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A littler toehead...

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  A photographer...

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A quilt...

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A conversation...

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A look of love...

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A dad...

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A friend...

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A relationship...

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A mom on the field...

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Another photographer...

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A huddle...

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A pass and a block...

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A cheerleader with pompoms...

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A cowboy...

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Another mom run...

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A baby in the air...

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A happy mom...

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A victor...

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Victors...

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Happy moms after a win...

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Congratulations, Moms! Even though I was rooting for the girls since the 16-year-old girl was the quarterback, I'm so proud of you for showing them how it's done. As an addendum, my missionary boy wrote...

"I'm suprised the mothers won. They've all had children. I would think that would put them at some kind of disadvantage."

Little does he know the power of WOMAN!!!!

P.S. My sister and I are finally getting skinnier!
See how we're doing it HERE! :)

Monday, May 30, 2011

Homemaker Monday

My post is almost up, but for those of you on-time and ready, here's Linky Tools! Thank you so much for your links and visits and have a wonderful Homemaker Monday!



P.S. My sister and I are finally getting skinnier!

See how we're doing it HERE! :)

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

My Fairytale Life

Once upon a time there was a young lady (or so she deemed herself) who had ten children, eight of whom were still at home, including four four years old and younger. She lived in a home her husband had built for her in a tiny farm town in Mexico, in a community of Mexican and American Mormons and Mexican Catholics.

Her children were fun, obedient, smart and cute and her husband was hard-working, brilliant, kind and handsome. He planted gardens all around their home, flower gardens, vegetable gardens, herb gardens and small orchards. Her kids went to church schools, sang in the chorus, played in the band and tackled on the football field.

But though she lived a happy life, it was often a stressful, grueling, lonely life because her husband had to work out of town most weeknights. After cleaning house and doing laundry and driving kids and cooking dinner and helping with homework and bathing kids and putting them to bed and cleaning up again, she would fill her lonely nights with anything she could think of, anything to put off going to bed alone, for she had never liked being alone. She blogged and she read and she watched movies and she talked on the phone to her sister and sometimes she Facebooked.

Then one day something wonderful happened. While attending a pack meeting with her son, she caught sight of two people she had never met. She knew everyone in town, so it was obvious this couple were newcomers. She leaned over and said to her friend, "Who are they?" and her friend thought for a moment, then offered that they were probably the new missionaries who had been expected to move into their community. The young lady looked closer and saw that they had name tags and realized that this, indeed, must be the new missionary couple. When the meeting ended she introduced herself and noticed that the wife had a big, beautiful smile and that the husband was tall and interested in talking to her baby, which was on her hip.

That night she went home and called her husband to see if he thought they should offer their mother-in-law apartment to the new missionary couple as a place to live during their time in their small Mexican farm town. Without hesitation, her husband agreed, because that was the kind of man he was.

The next day the young lady ran the block down to the street to where they were staying and, panting, she said, "We have a place you can stay if you're looking." They immediately came and instantly accepted. The young lady tried to warn them that her house echoed and her kids were little and loud and that there would be almost no instances of peace and quiet until after 9:00 at night... if they were lucky. This didn't phase the missionary couple and they made preparations to move in the next week.

That night the young lady gathered her children 'round her and told them the news. She told them that they would all have to sacrifice and not play in the adjoining playroom when the missionaries were home, and that they would need to go to bed at a more regular time and that they would have to stop yelling at each other as a means to solve their problems. She was speaking mostly to herself. She told them that their sacrifices would be worth it and that they would be blessed for serving some of The Lord's servants.

So Elder and Sister, for those were their names, moved in and the young lady's adventure began.

The young lady knew immediately that she and Sister would be great friends and the more she got to know her, the more she knew she had been right. Sister was intelligent, interesting, giving, kind and liked to talk about relationships, just like the young lady did. She used natural healing and loved to cook healthy meals, just like the young lady did. She was always interested in what the young lady's children had to say and taught them and encouraged them and kept her promises to them.

Sometimes the young lady would feel bad about all the noise her children made, try as she may to keep them quiet, but when she tried to apologize to Elder and Sister for all the incessant crying and screaming and block-throwing and carrying on, Sister said, "Oh no, we LOVE it!" Even though this is a fairy tale, she did, in reality, say that.

Elder was a different story, however. He was large and looming and never smiled and the kids were scared of him. That is until he opened his mouth to talk. He began to tell one of the young lady's small daughters about his life in Canada and began by saying, "When I was a little girl....". They all burst out laughing, more out of shock than anything, and she replied that she thought he was never a little girl, and no one was scared of him anymore after that. He also opened doors very dramatically, thus making anyone who went to visit them began laughing even before they went in.

And thus began a friendship to last the ages. The young lady no longer had only her books and laptop to look forward to in the evening after the children went to bed, but instead, stimulating conversation about child-rearing, marriage, the atonement, prayer, revelation, stories from the scriptures, and showing love to fellow men. During the days, when Elder and Sister weren't studying, or out working, or attending the temple, she and Sister baked together, learned about natural healing when family members were sick, and played each others mentor through varying challenges.

Elder taught her that thinking about problem-solving from way outside the box can have hugely beneficial results. He shared myriad ways he and his wife had helped their children through the trials of life and showed such love and concern for the young lady and especially all of her children. He taught her baby to trust someone outside the family circle, he made the twins laugh, complimented the girls, teased the boys and even helped the young lady's teenage daughter decide she wanted to be the best she could be, because of his and Sister's example.

Elder and Sister experienced joy and heartache with the young lady and her family. They watched as her baby, who was about the size of a baby hippo, and sometimes even referred to as such, learned to walk and talk and wave good-bye. And they cried and brought food as the young lady's husband went through the grieving process after suddenly losing his mother.

The young lady watched Elder and Sister serve and learn and study and love and learned from their example. And every day, when they taught her something new, she wrote it down, so she wouldn't forget it. In the evening after things settled she looked for the light on down the hall to their adjoining apartment and sometimes took down a pastry or confection or sometimes went empty-handed, but was pleasantly surprised when there was a pie or rolls made especially for her and her family. She would share her day with Elder and Sister and they would share theirs with her, and edified her every evening. She always had that to look forward to. She knew that they would be transferred to another location one day, but she tried to push that eventuality very far to the back of her mind.

One day the young lady was asked to take a trip with the high school chorus, as she was their pianist and because Elder and Sister often traveled to the same city, she asked if they would go with her. She and Sister traveled together and never grew weary of talking about life and the gospel and anecdotes from each other's past. But after breakfast one day, Elder received a call from the mission president asking them to meet him in his office. After he hung up the phone, they all stared at each other and they all knew what it meant.

The young lady went home from the trip with butterflies in her stomach, then, after waiting many hours, received a call that Elder and Sister were being transferred.... in four days.

The young lady tried to put on a cheerful face, for why be despondent during her last days together with Elder and Sister, but too soon the day finally came for good-byes. Pictures were taken, and sentiments and hugs were exchanged, but just as the young lady was about to start weeping as she stood at the driver's side of the van, saying her last good-bye, one of her twins threw a cow bone at the puppy she was holding, so she had to put him in time out as she waved good-bye as Elder and Sister drove away.

She went back inside with a sinking feeling knowing that she would not see Elder and Sister for a long, long time, but as she walked through their empty apartment, she smiled. She thought of what her father had taught her, that it is better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all. She thought of all the wonderful memories she would always have, of all the things Elder and Sister had taught her, of the fact that she hardly ever yelled at her kids anymore, and she wept tears of gratitude that she had had them in her life.

She went outside with her three babies and watched them pick the sweet peas her husband had planted, then bring them inside and enjoy their goodness and she knew that even though her friends were gone and that she would have an adjustment to make, she had a happy, fulfilling life, one that was better from knowing them and she thanked God for her many blessings.

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And the young lady and her husband and her ten children lived happily ever after.

THE END



P.S. My sister and I are finally getting skinnier!
See how we're doing it HERE! :)

Monday, May 23, 2011

Homemaker Monday

I'm not going to lie. I spent last night saying good-bye to some dear friends who are moving, friends who have changed my life, and I didn't, nor do I plan to write my Homemaker Monday post this morning. However, for those of you who aren't in mourning, here is Homemaker Linky! If this is your first time, please feel free to dig through your archives and link anything homemaking! Have a wonderful day!



P.S. My sister and I are finally getting skinnier!
See how we're doing it HERE! :)

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Images From a Mormon Chorus Trip in Northern Mexico

Playing the piano for our local high school chorus definitely has its perks. I get to get dressed up every day, I get a break from housework and diaper changing, I'm able to work with fun, talented and interesting students and I get to go on trips!

In reality, this was the first chorus trip I took and the fact that we traveled here in Mexico rather than in the states made it possible for me to attend with my nursing Baby Hippo and his babysitter, Ester, a fantastic woman and Mexican native whom the kids adore.

So Ester, Baby Hippo, and another good friend and I packed up and headed three hours south so I could perform with our high school and the local school of the arts. Here's what the camera captured....

(Oh, and I always love to know.... Which do you like best?)

Below are two Mormon missionaries. Young men like these have a special place in my heart because my son is one of them. After shooting this candid photo, I asked them if they would like me to take their pictures and email them to their mothers. They enthusiastically agreed, posed of the camera, wrote their dear mothers' email addresses on scraps of paper.... then later on that day I promptly lost the scraps of papers. I'm so sorry, sweet elders. I'll do better next time....

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... a woman shading a baby....

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Ester, outside a Mexican Pizza Hut, walking Baby Hippo in the breeze....

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A missionary couple I had the pleasure of traveling with, in the throes of a tender embrace... Aren't they special?

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A woman at the performance with three sweet daughters, including this little beauty, who all wore purple....

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Baby Hippo, after consuming an ice cream cone given to him by a lady on the street. She thought he was a Mennonite, and fell in love with him, and gave up one of her own kid's ice cream cones to him....

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Sopranos and Altos in the lobby of the Palacio...

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Sleepy boys and a bored girl....

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A fellow photographer...

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The female quartet, including my daughter, on right...

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A girl who willingly posed for me after I caught her off-guard with the camera. Thank you, Fernanda! You are so beautiful!

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Another poser, in the red dress...

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My beautiful 16-year-old girl...

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More posing...

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Even though these sopranos were exhausted, they gave me big smiles...

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More beautiful chorus members...

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The male quartet...

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An AMAZING bass, with an AMAZING spirit, who sang Ole' Man River and is quite frankly one of the best people I know...

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Ester holding a sleeping Baby Hippo after our performance. I don't know how I would have done it without her. You are the best, Ester....

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Thanks for listening! ;)

P.S. My sister and I are finally getting skinnier!
See how we're doing it HERE! :)