[not forgotten - amongst the weeds]

It was one of those days. The kind when there is a desperate ache for relief from... the every day. I needed to find peace and solace... maybe get out and discover some light.

I packed up the kids, grabbed my camera, and started to drive.
Destination: anywhere.

As the babes fell asleep, the gentle roar of the car offered sweet quiet, relief... a chance to rejuvenate my mind for a moment.

When I go out seeking, I'm usually delighted at what I find. This day I came across a field full of objects that seemed to reflect the way I had been feeling just moments earlier.

One might see these forgotten flowers and think that all is lost. What once was alive, bright, and beautiful is now dead, dark, and just plain ugly.

They caught my eye.

For what ever reason, I don't know, the forgotten seemed to speak volumes to me.

You are not forgotten. You will be back to beautiful one day. Not brittle or broken. That day will be perfect. Your spring will come. Hold on a little longer.

You are not forgotten.

It's seems I've been going through a spiritual winter. But just like these weeds I will surely come back and be revived... renewed.

In the quiet of this night, I decided to listen to one of my favorite talks... and i was delighted at the irony of its metephor.

"...Forget not to be patient with yourself.

...God is fully aware that you and I are not perfect.

Let me add: God is also fully aware that the people you think are perfect are not.

And yet we spend so much time and energy comparing ourselves to others—usually comparing our weaknesses to their strengths. This drives us to create expectations for ourselves that are impossible to meet. As a result, we never celebrate our good efforts because they seem to be less than what someone else does.

Everyone has strengths and weaknesses.

It’s wonderful that you have strengths.

And it is part of your mortal experience that you do have weaknesses.

God wants to help us to eventually turn all of our weaknesses into strengths, but He knows that this is a long-term goal. He wants us to become perfect, and if we stay on the path of discipleship, one day we will. It’s OK that you’re not quite there yet. Keep working on it, but stop punishing yourself.

...Forget not to be happy now."

[Forget Me Not - Dieter F. Uchtdorf]