Inherently good

In this African tribe, when someone does something harmful, they take the person to the center of the village where the whole tribe comes and surrounds them. For two days, they will say to the man all the good things that he has done.The tribe believes that each human being comes into the world as a good. Each one of us only desiring safety, love, peace and happiness. But sometimes, in the pursuit of these things, people make mistakes.The community sees those mistakes as a cry for help.They unite then to lift him, to reconnect him with his true nature, to remind him who he really is, until he fully remembers the truth of which he had been temporarily disconnected: “I am good.” Shikoba Nabajyotisaikia! NABAJYOTISAIKIA, is a compliment used in South Africa and means: “I respect you, I cherish you. You matter to me.” In response, people say SHIKOBA, which is: “So, I exist for you.”

This beautiful story has been going around facebook.  I'm not sure if it's true or not, that's not up for debate here.  It has truth in it.  We are all inherently good.  God created us and He doesn't make mistakes.  We are, by divine creation, good.  Sometimes we forget that we are good and it shows in our actions.  I took the practice above and I tried it out.  When my kids misbehave, not just once or twice, but when they have a day when they are acting up a lot or really struggling I take them aside and I sit down with them.  I look them in the eyes and I remind them how good they are.  "God made you, you are good. Sometimes you forget.  I think you have forgotten that you are good, let me remind you."  Then I pull them onto my lap and I hold them and hug them and tell them what I love about them and tell them stories of things they have done that are good.

To my amazement it worked!  It didn't work for run of the mill misbehaving.  That still needed disciplinary action, but when they started getting into trouble a lot, a reminder of their goodness turned it all around. I remember as a child when I got into trouble it was hard to separate  I did something bad and I am bad.  I think all kids, and adults to a lesser degree are like that.  We all need a reminder every now and then of how good we are.

You are good.  God created you and you are, by divine creation good and God loves you!

Thanksgiving

 This is our first big holiday away from our family.  I thought it would be lonely all by ourselves for Thanksgiving.  We did really miss our family and all of the fun that is cousin time and family time, but this was a great Thanksgiving anyway.   We ate at noon so the girls could still have their nap on time and so I spent the morning cooking and preparing everything while John played with the kids.  At the end we all worked as a team to put our feast together.  Other then the kids getting a little grumpy right before everything went beautifully.  After we ate and cleaned up the girls lay down for nap and we spent the next few hours wrestling and playing computer games and card games.  We ate pie while we played card games and someone coined the phrase "Because it's Thanksgiving" and for the next few hours that was the reason for everything we did.  :)  When it got dark we drove around to look at the local John Deer light display, it's really cool and has a lot of fun things like the abominable snow man putting the star up, you know the one from the old Christmas movie.  There is also a Snoppy, Noah's ark, and hockey players on the pod. Overall we all really had a great time relaxing and enjoying each others Company.  It was nice to just do whatever we wanted.

We have so much to be grateful for this year and as we ate we all took turns talking about what we are grateful for.  We did the same when John introduced the Thanksgiving pancake tradition.

Musings from the dentist's chair

 Yesterday I was at the dentist for 6 1/2 hours, no, that wasn't a typo, 6 1/2 hours!  I had a lot of time with my thoughts. Can you guess what I was thinking?  I was thinking about my kids, more specifically, the day they were born.
There is no experience quite like going into labor.  I was thinking as I lay there that there is nothing to compare to the excruciating pain of giving birth and then the immediate joy of holding that sweet baby in your arms.  The joy is so great, so wonderful that I immediately forgot about the months of misery and the hours of pain it took to get that sweet baby here.  Right after the thought that nothing can compare a scripture came to my mind.  The Lord was going to teach me.
Alma 36:21 is the scripture that came to my mind.  Alma the younger is telling his son about how he had rebelled and led people away from the church.  He told him about seeing an angel and the torment and fear he felt when he thought he was going to meet his maker.  Then he remembered what his father had taught his about repentance and he prayed for forgiveness.  Then in verse 21 he tells his son, "Yea, I say unto you, my son, that there could be nothing so exquisite and so bitter as were my pains. Yea, and again I say unto you, my son, that on the other hand, there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy."  How sweet is the joy of repentance.  I am grateful for the knowledge I have that I can repent of my sins and be forgiven.

Now for a test, ready?  Can you figure out who is who in these baby pictures?

In which the kingdom of heaven is likened unto chocolate

This amazing chocolate mousse cake was made (and photographed, hope you don't mind LaChelle) by my sister in law the Sugar Duchess, I say she is the queen of all things sweet and good, and this mousse cake is no exception.  It's rich and creamy and all around yummy, as in died and gone to heaven yummy...where was I going with this?  Oh yeah, I had a point.
The other day I was thinking about why I love to share my testimony and I got to thinking about that little beauty up there.  See, I don't tell you what I believe because I think you are wrong, or you need to be saved, or because I get some sort of bonus when someone gets baptized, I share because of love.  I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, more commonly known as the Mormons, maybe you saw the Meet the Mormons movie?  Anyway, one of the beliefs we have as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is that God has  enough love and blessing for everyone.  I share my testimony and share how blessed I am because I want other people to feel the joy I feel.  How can I feel such joy and love without wanting to share?  So imagine this to die for chocolate mouse cake, you just got a piece from LaChelle, and you try it and you realize how amazing it is.  You might be tempted to keep it to yourself because it's so good, but it's too good to keep to yourself.  You call in your husband and tell him he HAS to try it.  Then you call your kids in.  You don't want to stop there though, you want to share it with your neighbors and all of your friends.  When you find out you now have an unlimited supply of this wonderful decedent dessert you do share it with everyone you know, but it's so wonderful you want to share it with everyone, even total strangers.
That's is what I spent hours thinking about one night.  I may or may not have been slightly distracted by the chocolate mousse cake, but the point is that I finally could put into words, or food, why I want so much to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with EVERYONE!  It's just too good to keep to myself.

Essentials

This is the temple currently under construction in Indiana where we live.  We are so excited!

My sister once said "If it isn't essential to your eternal salvation don't worry about it."  I wonder if she knows how that phrase has stuck with me and shaped me over the years.  It has effected the way I see myself, how I treat others, even how I raise my children.
Today I decided it was time for Elizabeth to lose the binky.  Nap time was torture.  For half an hour she screamed and cried.  I am so tired I could have slept through it I kid you not, but instead I sat thinking.  How important was it for her to be binky free?  It wasn't essential to her eternal progression.  In the grand scheme of things does it really matter that she has a binky until she is two or even three?  I decided it wasn't all that important and I gave her a binky at which point she fell immediately asleep (After some serious cuddles of course!)
Benjamin is one of the most stubborn children I have had the pleasure to learn from. (Did you like that positive spin?)  Some days EVERYTHING is a battle, but lately I have been more focused on picking my battles.  I have chosen to fight for those things which are essential to his eternal progression.  He must go to church with me, but he doesn't have to wear a white button up shirt if he really wants to wear the green one.
Glen gets very angry if he feels like he is being chastised.  He generally tries very hard to be good but as soon as he feels like he is in trouble he turns to anger and then the situation just spirals out of control.  Here again I have used that wonderful phrase as my guide.  If it will not effect him in the eternities then it doesn't matter.  It's not a big deal that he said stupid, but it's a big deal that he hit mom.
As for me, I want to look and feel good, but I'm not going to obsess over my body, the state of my house, how fancy my clothes are or even what people think of me.  As long as I am being kind, loving, and following Jesus then the rest of it doesn't really matter.  After all, the Lord isn't going to deny me entrance at the gates of heaven because I wear a size 16 instead of a 10 and because my living room wasn't picked up tonight.

In which we travel to Utah, as seen in pictures

We watched a plane taxi into it's loading spot.

The Gray Ghost race car

Our first time on a moving sidewalk.  Those are our pilots right behind us.

 We rejoice in the grid pattern as we land in Salt Lake city late at night.

John and I attend the Oquirrh Mountain Temple.

 Enjoying a date,

and a beautiful view. 

 Relaxing at grandmas in what I call the prince and the pea pose.

 Elizabeth's first time on a trampoline!

 BFF cousin time.

 Best of friends here.

"Hot!" Elizabeth was helping me bake cookies for my brother's wedding reception. 

Cousin sleep over! 

Grammy time.  Grammy is nice to cuddle with. 

At the St. George temple I got to see my brother marry this amazing lady right here!  

I just adore Kiara!

I am inspired by how in love my mom and dad are.  Dad had to sleep on the floor so he could let mom have the couch, but they still fell asleep holding hands. 

 We missed the mountains.

 Mountains.

 Did I mention how much we missed them?

Finally a minute to relax at Grandma's. 

 There is another baby!

 "I have a secret.  You're cute."

Helping grandma and eating snack. 

 Twins.

 They kept "fighting" over the hairbrush.  It was funny.

 More grandma time.

 Birthday time!

 Remote controls.

What does the Fox say cupcakes. ;) 

 Favorite Aunt.

 

Happy girl. 

 We match.

 Trick candles and more birthday.

Time for friends before we leave. 

Watching our plane land. 

 talking to the pilot. "I want to be a pilot when I grow up so I can play video games all day." -Glen

Glen has decided he can no longer take serious pictures. 

 "Mom, this is how you do a 'lay over' you have to lay over the chairs."

3 1/2 hour lay over in Denver went fast as we saw jet planes, 

 got goofy,

rode the train back and forth, 

found paper airplanes, 

 photo bombed,

relaxed on the moving sidewalks, 

 and got sneaky pictures of Glen with a real smile.

Sisters together. 

 Lots of love in the family.

 A storm over Indy.

 Getting our luggage.

Too tired to stay awake.

As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (or the Mormons) we believe that when we marry in the temple we are sealed for time and all eternity, that means we are married forever.  When we die we are still married and even better, our children also get to be with us forever.  I can't imagine heaven being very heavenly without my family there with me.  I am so grateful for the opportunity I had to see my brother married and to know that my family will be together forever!