REFLECTIONS from a Sunday afternoon....

 I spent the afternoon perusing slender little journals of all sorts that I have written in over the past few years.  I like to do this now and then on Sundays when I choose to do--and read--different kinds of things from what I engage in on the other days of the week.  It is one way I can show my personal sign for honoring the Sabbath day.

One of those journals I reread today is titled "Oh, Happy Day", which my walking buddy Natasha gave me on my 75th birthday.  It is a little book of reminders to write down kindnesses from others, fond memories of varying experiences, an opportunity to express pleasure in simple everyday things, and a myriad of other subjects designed to help the reader/writer look outside the box for just a few minutes and jot a short thought.

Today, in addition to some long-forgotten entries, I found a quote about joy.  President Russel M. Nelson continually reminds us that we can find joy in any circumstance in life.  I know this is true, as I have found joy in singular experiences during some of the toughest times of my life.  In fact, I keep a little silver token on my bathroom counter that says simply, JOY.  A good reminder that there is bound to be something joyful during the course of my day.  And there usually is--when I keep my eyes wide open.

Here is a quote by David Steindl-Rast I particularly liked from this little journal.  It accompanied a suggestion to write something that a loved one had done for me lately--noting who it was and what they did for me.  I attest these are the kinds of things that bring joy.  Gratitude is a powerful attribute to make that happen.

It is not 

JOY 

that makes us

 GRATEFUL;  

it is 

GRATITUDE 

that makes us 

JOYFUL.

LESSON FROM THE ALL--SEEING LENS OF A CAMERA

 

LIFE IS LIKE A camera…

FOCUS ON WHAT IS IMPORTANT

CAPTURE THE GOOD TIMES

DEVELOP FROM THE NEGATIVES

AND IF THINGS DON’T WORK OUT

--TAKE ANOTHER SHOT!

...AND SMILE!  

MOTHERS ARE WOMEN OF STRENGTH

 Today is Mother's Day. 

 I thought this comparison is a good one to reflect on the truth that 

MOTHERS are WOMEN of STRENGTH!

A Strong Woman

vs.

A Woman of Strength

 

                                            A strong woman works out every day                                                                                                           to keep her body in shape…

But a woman of strength kneels in prayer                                                                                                            to keep her soul in shape.

 

A strong woman isn’t afraid of anything…

But a woman of strength shows courage                                                                                                          in the midst of her fear.

                    A strong woman won’t let anyone get the best of her.

But a woman of strength gives the best of herself to everyone.

                                              A strong woman makes mistakes and                                                                                      avoids the same in the future…

  A woman of strength realizes life’s                                                                                                                    mistakes can also be God’s blessings and capitalizes on them.

A strong woman walks sure footedly… 

      But a woman of strength knows God will catch her when she falls.

 

                                               A strong woman wears the look of                                                                                                           confidence on her face...

But a woman of strength wears grace.

                                             A strong woman has faith that she                                                                                      is strong enough for the journey…

   But a woman of strength has faith that it’s                                                                                                       in the journey that she will become

STRONG!

                 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

         STRONG! 

THE SEASONS IN OUR LIVES

          Think of life as “seasons”….

I like to listen to "Music and the Spoken Word" while I am walking on Sunday morning.  But I am always a week or two behind the broadcast since I walk long before that program airs at 9:30 Mountain time every week.  

This is MY take-away message which I heard for the March 5, 2023, broadcast.  I thought it was worth repeating.

A wise six-year-old once said that you can have a "NO problem day", but you can't have a "NO problem life".  What a good little observer!

It doesn't do any good to keep a running count of sunny days and rainy days, tallying up good days and bad days.  Happiness doesn't depend on the absence of problems.  Problems are always going to be there.  They are the STUFF of life!

Instead, we would do well to think of SEASONS in our lives.  Seasons of both rain and sunshine. 

When we keep a larger perspective, we know for sure that the cold which accompanies the beautiful winter white will soon turn into the brilliant sun and warmth of summer.  The same is true of stress and pain.  Both are needed since the sweet often comes after the sadness or pain or bitter of bad days.   

It's a cycle--because both are essential.

Embrace problems as a vital part of the cycle instead of seeing them as the enemy of your life.

Good days are temporary. Bad days become better in time.  

Beginnings have endings.  Endings have beginnings. 

BITTER AND SWEET.  That's what makes a good life!

Words of wisdom for us all...EACH SEASON IS ESSENTIAL !

CONNECTION...

I went into JoAnn's Fabric store a few weeks ago to return some wooden beads.  There was a LOOONG line for the cash register that snaked around out into the aisles, and it looked like I was in for a long wait.  There was a woman in front of me, looked like she was from my time, so I just said casually, "Is there something special going on?  This is just a plain old Friday, and I don't know of any holidays."  She said she was surprised at the number of people in the store at that time which was way before noon.

As we stood there together, I started talking about sewing in general and that my daughter had told me recently that the price for patterns was now upwards of $20.  I told this woman I was shocked at that because when I was doing a lot of sewing for my children as they were growing up, I hated it when the price of a pattern creeped up near $3.00.  When I first started sewing as a girl in 4-H, and when my mother purchased patterns to sew clothing for my sisters and me, the Simplicity and McCall's patterns were less than Fifty Cents.  I think Butterick Patterns might have been similar, but VOGUE was too stylish, and the patterns were costly.  Probably $1.99.  She shared her thoughts about patterns, sewing for her kids, and while we were talking slowly advanced forward in that long line.

At one point the group conversation in front of the two of us included a little girl who said she was someone's little sister.  I joked and told her, "Just don't let anyone call you 'Baby Sister'!  One of my older sisters called me that until the day she died, and I was a grown woman with grandchildren."  Everyone laughed.

Shortly after that, the woman in front of me was first in line and was called to a cash register.  I got the next call to the register which was close to hers.

A couple of minutes later, the woman who had been in front of me came over to me as she was leaving the store and handed me a wrapped life saver.  "Thank you for talking to me.  Have a good day!"

"Oh, you're welcome...you have a good day, too!"

I was taken aback.  Was this woman lonely?  Did she often find herself in a group where no one said anything to her?  When she was in line at a store, didn't anyone ever say anything to her?

Whatever the reason, I was glad I had struck up a conversation with her.  It wasn't any big deal for me.  I didn't stand there and think to myself that this woman looked lonely.   I certainly didn't feel compelled to talk to her.  Must be because I am so used to engaging with strangers, I just opened my mouth and started to talk just like I always do.

But for some reason, this woman felt a connection.  And I was glad that I initiated that connection.  You never know who needs a smile, a kind word, an interested comment.  I think that's what ministering is all about--just reaching out to make a

CONNECTION....

NO COMPETITION !

 

When I was a little girl, I always enjoyed when we sang the hymn “We Are

Sowing” at Church.  The tune was catchy, and I could remember the

words….”We are sowing, daily sowing countless seeds of good and ill…”  The

four verses pretty much tell the parable in Matthew 13, but that particular

citation in Matthew is not in the scripture notation at the bottom of the hymn 

page.  However, this story of Jesus was well-known even to me at that time, 

and I could see the whole story in my mind as we sang the words.

 

I had chosen to live the doctrines of the gospel and hold onto the covenants I 

had made.  So, I never saw myself in this parable, except having received the 

seed in good ground.

 

Until we recently studied the parables in Come Follow Me. 

This time around I actually paid attention to the part of Matthew 13:23 which

talks about bringing forth fruit “some an hundredfold, some sixty, some

thirty.”  What exactly did that mean?  Something like the parable of the talents,

maybe?  During part of the study I did, I learned that it meant some of us

have the capability of yielding 100, like the prophet and the general authorities

and others that are admirable for their great contributions. Others at

another level can produce a goodly amount at 60 depending on their situations

at the time.  Then sometimes we are in a season of only being capable of 30

perhaps because of family circumstances, health constraints, or other

limitations.

 

But this is the most important part of what I learned this month.  All those

yields are good.  And I needed to stop worrying that so and so was seemingly

doing more than I was.  That another so and so was at the forefront of

everything that seemed to be of importance. More visible stuff that definitely

looks impressive.  But it doesn’t matter.  We yield what we can at the time:

30, 60, 100.  There is no competition. 

 

And for a very competitive person like I am, that was a good lesson to learn. 

My “thirty” contributions are just as important as are the “one hundred”

contributors’. President Nelson and others have said their callings are not

more important than anyone else’s.  All are needed. 

 

This lesson has become a constant daily reminder for me…what I am doing, if it

is wholehearted, is also valuable.  My contributions are good, too.  Just

different than others’.  All of it counts as bringing forth fruits. 

 

No competition!

TALK ABOUT LUCK....