Defeating the dakrness through Light.

This week was going to be a crazy week for me. I was headed to California for my winter shows, working remotely for my job while there, and of course staying on top of my schoolwork all at the same time. I wasn't sure how I was going to get it all done, but figured all I could do was my best.

I arrived at the Ontario airport at 11:40. It was wonderful to see my Mom and we headed to In and Out to get lunch and then headed home to Redlands. We heard something in passing on the radio about a shooting, but it didn't really register we were busy chatting and enjoying the fact that we were together. As we were headed home, traffic was unusually heavy on the freeway. We thought it might be an accident, but we finally saw that the freeway had been closed down...we mentioned to each other that maybe it had something to do with that shooting we had briefly heard about. When we arrived home, we were stunned to find out what had happened. The mass shooting in San Bernardino happened about 20 minutes from where my parents live. No one ever imagines something like this happening, much less this close to home. Our hearts were breaking for all of those who were involved in this horrible tragedy. I let my kids know that I was fine, and that we were 20 minutes away and that all had happened.

I then received a call from my friend saying that she had just heard on the news that there was now police activity in Redlands...I was in denial, I hadn't seen that on the news as I was frantically trying to pull myself and my stuff together to go and do my first show that night. It was Redlands. The terrorists who murdered and hurt all those people had lived in my hometown. As we went to go to my show...we couldn't go the way we normally go....the house was right there, the streets were blocked...less than a mile from my parents home. Just down the street from the house that I had brought my first baby home to. The world had changed again.... my wonderful hometown that has a wonderful sense of community, the town that I loved growing up in, love to come home to, and would love my children to experience all the culture it has to offer here...this town, is where they lived. I still can't believe it.

Throughout this whole thing I have said over and over again that darkness can not overtake the light, darkness cannot exist in the presence of light.  Now more than ever we must be that light unto the world. Truly there is no greater light than the light of our Savior and Redeemer. My son,, whose first home was just down the street from "that house"  is serving a mission right now,. He is sharing the light of Christ. He is serving those in his mission, and by doing so learning to love them. He is fighting the darkness.

I want to do that better. I want to be a better light of Christ to the world.  President Eyring said of his father in the talk A Child and a Disciple, "When he bore testimony, even those who rejected it knew it came not by design but because it was part of him. He was what he was, wherever he was. I want that to be me, I am going to strive to be a light unto the world. I will be a disciple of my Savior. I am so grateful for the knowledge that I have that He loves me and has provided a way for me to come back home. We can all fight the darkness by being compassionate, kind, charitable, and simply by being good to one another. This is what Christ wants, and I pray that this is the legacy that we leave to our children....let's all be a light unto the world.

Where I find peace...

There have been many times in my life where I have had to ponder on what direction my life should take, what I believe in, or come to terms with how things have transpired in my life. My favorite place to go and think is on the beach. There is something that is so peaceful about walking along a sandy shore, listening to the wind and waves. It is in those quiet moments that I am able to contemplate so many things and especially that of what my Heavenly Father would have me do. It is where I can turn to him for forgiveness, support for the path that I have been led too, and just to feel his love and the peace that only He can bring.

 I don't always get to go to the beach as often as I like, so I am trying to make it a point to find quiet moments in my home where I can ponder where my life is and where it is going. As I am writing this post I had an ahhh-haaa moment. My home is painted in different shades of blues, white, and grays. These are all colors that I find at the beach, my peaceful and happy colors. The colors that let me be able to have a sanctuary in my home.

I often find that I need to have those moments of contemplation in order to deal with the stresses in my life and to reconnect with my Father in Heaven. This past week, I have seen how important it is to have those moments, those experiences, to reconfirm my faith in my  Savior and in Heavenly Father's plan for us.  I never thought of those moments as having an Enoch experience, but that is what those walks on the beach, and those periods of contemplation at home have been for me. I am grateful that I have the scriptures to learn from. It is always a comforting feeling to know that you aren't alone and aren't the only one who has had struggles throughout one's life. We see over and over just how much He loves us and all that He did for us so we can return to live with Him one day.

Line Upon Line

This week in my Pathways Gathering class, we partially broke into song as we were talking about what we learned this past week as we were studying - 2 Nephi 28:30 is what set us on our musical break. Many of us in the class are familiar with the song, "Line Upon Line" from Saturday's Warrior, a Mormon-themed musical written by Douglas Stewart and Lex de Azevedo. The lyrics are:

Line upon line, precept on precept
That is how He lifts us
That is how He teaches His children.
Line upon line, precept on precept
Like a summer shower
Giving us each hour His wisdom.
If we are patient we shall see
How the pieces fit together in harmony.
We'll know who we are in this big universe
And then we'll live with Him forever!
Line upon line, precept on precept
That is how He lifts us
That is how He teaches His children.
Line upon line, precept on precept
Like a summer shower
Giving us each hour His wisdom.

This concept of our learning line upon line, building on what we have learned really touched my heart. Sometimes in school, at work, at church, or just life there are lots of things that we have to learn, and more often than not, we can get overwhelmed by the sheer amount of things that need to be accomplished or learned.  Being reminded that if we go slow, little by little and build upon what we have learned, that it really will come all together for us.  

When we teach our children, we most often are mindful of this concept. We don't give them a chapter book as their first book. We start with picture books, teach them the alphabet, move onto simple words, then sentences....we build and we teach, line upon line. Why is it then, that we don't do the same thing for ourselves? I know that I often get frustrated when I attempt to do something for the first time, and it doesn't go according to plan. Isn't that crazy? I am expecting to succeed in everything the first time when that is simply not realistic.  I may simply not have the skills or knowledge to do so something yet, and that is okay. Learning is a process and life is full of learning. I am truly grateful for the reminder that correct way to learn.

Mountain Country Bazaar 2015

This weekend I had the wonderful opportunity to be a part of a wonderful show, the Mountain Country Bazaar that benefits Mary Bridge Children Hospital. The fees that vendors pay, plus 20% of all sales made at the sale go to Mary Bridge. As Daylyn was helping me cut out the tags for, she remarked, "Oh, this is the feel good show!" I love that she knows that this is one of my favorite shows to do. The feeling at the event is different, everything is handmade and the Eatonville Community comes out to support the kids. I am grateful I get to be a part of such an event!

There are so many cute items, and so many talented crafters and artisans in the area. I also love that I get to hang out with the wonderful ladies of the Mary Bridge Brigade who work so tirelessly to put on the fabulous event. I look forward to seeing them each year.

Fall

Fall is one of my favorite times of years. I love the crisp air, the changing leaves, and being able to spend time with family and friends. It is time to curl up on the couch with a good book, it is time to gather with family and friends to watch football, make caramel apples, and apple crisp. It is also the busiest time of the year for me. I have to gear up for my show season and try to get it all done. Even though it is absolutely a crazy time for me, I do love it...I love being able to create! Here are some of the things I have been working on. :)

Faith

One of my assignments this week is to write a blog post on one of the topics that I have studied this week. I have focused on faith. In a lot of matters, I really have a very simple faith. I know that I am a Child of God and that He loves me. I know that He is always there for me. However, knowing that and believing that are sometimes two very different things. My heart knows that it is true, but my mind doesn’t always seem to trust in what my heart knows.

One of my favorite scripture verses is 1 Nephi 3:7 - "I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them." Anyone who has ever listened to me as I was/or am working through a struggle has most likely heard me say this verse. I tell it to my kids all the time. It is a promise that I hold onto when I can’t see how on earth I am going to get through or accomplish something that I need to do.

Life is hard, and it most often doesn’t go the way we had it planned. Each of us are on a journey that is as unique as every one of us is. We are all at different points on our journey of faith and knowledge. Hopefully most of the time we are making forward progress, but as we are all human, we will take steps backwards, and that is okay. They are opportunities to learn and grow. We need to have patience and understanding and faith in ourselves and others as we travel on our own paths. It is faith in this promise/verse that gives me hope that I will make it…someday…according to His will.

Time to brush off the blog!

Wow, where has the time gone! It has been a few years since I have posted anything to my blog, and I am giving the push through a school assignment to dust it off and hopefully breathe some new life into it. I thought I should try to do a catch up post if you will. The past few years brought some major changes in my life.  I went through a separation and then divorce which was a difficult time for all of our family. Even when it is amicable, it is still an incredibly hard thing to go experience. Through wonderful support of my family, friends, and much prayer we seem to have weathered through most of that storm. My oldest son was called to serve a mission. He is currently serving in the Baltic Mission in Lithuania. I couldn't be more proud of him and the service that he is giving to all he meets there. My next son just started college and I swear he was just in Kindergarten! My girls are in high school and middle school and are both loving choir...I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree as I sang my way through school as well. I know have a job that I enjoy doing, I work in accounting for a property management company locally. I have grown a lot there and it has given me a focus and push to get my degree. All in all, it has been a time of change and growth, and I am excited for the next chapter in my life as I set goals for my personal life and business.