A Night Out -

Last night I got to go to the General Relief Society Meeting in the Conference Center with some friends from my ward. The talks were all very good, though I was doing a little head nodding through some of it but you can't blame me since it was dark and quiet and the only time the noise stops in my house is when everyone is sleeping.

Anyway, I think that I've been feeling a lack of "JOY" in my life as I move through my days doing laundry, preparing meals, and picking up toys just to go to bed and do it all again the next day. That's just the little stuff. I have been feeling overwhelmed with trying to DO everything that needs doing as a mother, a wife, a music leader, a friend, a sister, and so on. I was complaining to my husband Friday night about it and I knew that those things were not going to change, it was my attitude that was going to need to change, but how? I really felt like there was a big ugly wall in front of me. Fast forward to the next evening when Sister Barbara Thompson quoted President Monson as saying, “As you and I go to the holy houses of God, as we remember the covenants we make within, we will be more able to bear every trial and to overcome each temptation. In this sacred sanctuary we will find peace; we will be renewed and fortified.” And then she talked about the true joy and happiness that comes from keeping covenants. I really perked up at the word JOY. I like that word. It means so much more than just "happy." Joy is like rejoicing in life and feeling that all your burdens are light.

President Uchtdorf spoke afterwards and from his first point when he said "Please never forget that you must be patient and compassionate with yourselves..." I knew I needed to hear his message. I don't think I'm the only one who got something out of his message last night and that the message I got through the Spirit was what I needed to hear and that if you listened to him, you would get the message that you need to hear. I was just so surprised to be feeling utterly desperate and overwhelmed and the answer came so quickly and that I have direction now that I couldn't see before. I'm so glad that the Spirit speaks to each of us and that our trials matter to our loving Father and his son Jesus Christ.

Simple message -

Yesterday at church, the sacrament meeting topic was on the family. I'm sorry to admit I wasn't able to glean much from the talks as I was too busy out in the foyer with little S. That's where I was when the 1st speaker finished speaking. After a few seconds of listening to silence from the pulpit, I realized that I was supposed to be up front with the hubby and kids singing a musical number we had prepared. When I walked into the chapel, I saw DH with the kids already up front. The look on DH's face said it all! He was greatly relieved to see me and was thinking that he might be on his own for this one. We (except for our "too cool" teenager) sang "A Family is of God." We do not have amazing singing voices, but the simple message conveyed was beautiful.
The chorus:
God gave us families
to help us become what He wants us to be—
This is how He shares His love,
for the fam’ly is of God.

Providence

Providence is defined as: The careful guardianship exercised by a deity. A manifestation of divine care or direction.

Today I am thankful for Providence. I am glad that God has a hand in my life. His plans for me are so much bigger and better than my own plans. I sometimes forget that there is more to my life then this temporal existence. God has an eternal perspective and because of this sometimes my prayers aren't answered the way I want. Sometimes things just plop right in front of me and I go "Well, okay, that's not what I was planning, but I'll play along." That's usually when it gets good. That's when the miracles happen and the growth occurs. Yes, today, I am most thankful for Providence.