~The enormous piles of food placed before me that causes me to wear my stretchy pants ~ family (of course) ~ being thankful ~ seeing people you rarely get to see and catching up ~ reminiscing about the good ol' days ~ kids running wild ~ turkey ~ pie ~ lots of whip cream ~ laughing ~ the background noise of football games on t.v. (cause i don't really "watch" them) ~ movies ~ holding babies ~ relaxing ~ being together ~ going back for seconds, and thirds... OK, fourths ~ listening to the intense planning of black friday strategies (even though i have no intention of joining them) ~ oh, and napping (yeah right, do naps still exist?... sigh.)
For family home evening the other night, I decided to try to bring out the spirit of thanksgiving. I got out a dish of water, an empty cup, and a spoon. I handed these items to Brylie. I asked her to think of her blessings and for every blessing add a spoon full of water to the cup. We all took turns saying what we were thankful for. It was amazing because we could have gone on all night naming our many blessings. With every scoop of water, the cup got fuller and fuller until it was so full that it overflowed! Perfect! (just as planned). I was delighted to see Brylie's face as the cup overflowed. I have so much to be thankful for. "My cup overfloweth."
A few drops of water in my life ~ top three that i am most thankful:
~ My Savior. Like that good man Joseph B. Worthlin once said: "For me, the Lord has opened the windows of heaven and showered blessings upon my family beyond my ability to express. Yet like everyone else, I have had times in my life when it seemed that the heaviness of my heart might be greater than I could bear." ("Come What May, and Love It") ~ I've said it once and I'll say it a million times. I know my Savior lives. I know that in those times when I feel the darkness gather around me, there is always a source of light that I can surely turn to, and that is my Savior. I am forever thankful for his love for me... "come what may" in my life, he is Always there. My big brother, and my friend.
~ My amazing husband. The words of a familiar primary song rings true to me..."I'm so glad when daddy comes home, glad as I can be!" Really. He makes my day...everyday. My day can't begin without kissing him goodbye, my day finally sets when i kiss him goodnight, and in between all that, I live in peace and happiness daily because I have him and he is here for me. I love this man. I feel like the luckiest girl in the world to have been given such a gift. I am so thankful for all he does for me and our family. He is my rock. He lifts me up and reminds me of my worth. I'm so thankful for his amazing example of unselfishness. I never have to doubt his love for me and his commitment to being a strong and loving father. I am forever thankful we were brought together. I'm thankful for the trials we get to go through, and grow through together.
~ My girls. The first night that we had Jadeyn home, Brylie wanted to lay with her on the couch and watch a movie together. So i set Jade beside Brylie on the couch, and Brylie naturally cuddled up with her like they had always been sisters. As I sat staring at my two beautiful blessings, a wave of emotion took over me. There really are no words to describe how I felt and what went through my mind. Moments like that are simple and sacred to me. These girls are truly heaven sent. I somehow got the privilage of being their mom despite my many weaknesses. They are mine. It's so remarkable. They came from me. From Heavenly Father's arms to mine. What a blessing. Most days I feel inadaquate as a mother, and there are overwhelming moments for sure. But prayer and faith go hand in hand. It is possible to find motherly strength daily. A familiar quote says it best. "Lord, grant me patience to deal with my blessings." It makes me smile.
[Brylie is my earth angel. I know I was given Brylie so that I could learn, through being her mom, lessons I couldn't in any other way. She teaches me how I should be. Through her purity, her faith, and her love. She is already developing a little testimony of her own. She seems to know more than I realize. The simple things she says amaze me at times. She watches my actions which helps me to be more focused on teaching her through example, Christlike attributes. But really she teaches me. Children have a way with forgiveness, and honesty and looking on the bright side, and not judging others. I am so thankful I have her. I love her so much.]
[Jadeyn is my little cherub. I love her more and more each day. I swear she falls asleep and wakes up bigger. Time is bitter sweet. I wish i could just freeze time sometimes and take in some of the newborn perfectness. I can't stop kissing her little cheeks. She is seriously so precious I just can't stand it. I could just gobble her up (not literally, lol). Her sounds, her faces...all make me smile. I love to cuddle her soft littleness. Her wandering bright eyes seem to have a christlike countenance and it's so refreshing to wonder where she just came from and what she is thinking about. I love this sweet baby, she is such a blessing.]
1 comment:
I love this post! Thank you so much for sharing your testimony. I love it. You are a strength to me.
-Laura F.
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