Monday, September 30, 2013

Heavenly Autumn


I love this time of year. It is one of my favorites! I think October is one of the most beautiful times to get outside, and see the beauty of the season. I love to see the beautiful colors, I love wearing a jacket, and I love having everyone come home to get warm and cozy.

The other day I made pumpkin bread for the kids, and the scrumptious smell filled the air. When Sammi came home from school, she ran in the door and said (and I quote), "Mom, what is that amazing smell?" She then ran into the kitchen, found the bread, and said, "Mom, I just love it when you bake."

It was a simple moment, but I felt a strong sense of joy. I am not always the picture-perfect mom (whatever that is?!), but every now-and-again, I do something that makes me feel like a good mom. And in those moments, I am "paid" for my efforts as a mother.

It is amazing how powerful baked-goods can be. I know they are not good for you, but they sure warm the heart, and cause a smile across the face of the children as they burst in the door after school. There is something particularly good about the smell of pumpkin bread . . . wow, so yummy!

These kiddos are definitely worth the effort I put in as their Mother! I am so grateful they are mine to snuggle, love, and keep warm when it is cold. I am a lucky Mama.

I feel Heaven blessed.

Friday, September 27, 2013

Virtue is not just for Women



Is there anything more lovely, than a virtuous woman? Yes, I think so. How about a virtuous man?  

The Thesaurus describes the word "Virtuous" as: Righteous, good, pure, whiter than white, saintly, angelic, moral, ethical, upright, upstanding, high-minded, principled, exemplary, irreproachable, blameless, guiltless, unimpeachable, immaculate, honest, honorable, reputable, laudable, decent, respectable, worthy, meritorious, noble, squeaky clean. 

I know that virtue is not something that is valued in today's society, but it should be. Virtue is something that women should highly value and treasure, in themselves. But not only in themselves -- in men, also. 

How beautiful and admirable, is a virtuous man? 

A virtuous man is a sight to behold. And YES they do exist! 

Women are beautiful, noble, creatures. Women can be considered amongst the angels on earth. Women should receive respect and honor, when they act worthy of it. Women should be placed on a pedestal, not above men, but next to them. They should be close enough that they can hold each others hands, and work together, side by side -- equally yoked together with their different roles, but maintaining proper balance so the cart of life they are carrying does not tip over. 

There is no doubt that a virtuous woman is amongst God's noblest creations. 

But being virtuous, and noble, is not just for women. It is for men, too. 

Our modern society seems to be at war with men -- constantly tearing them down, and making them appear to be weak and foolish, and driven by carnal desires. So much of the media portrays men as barbaric, dumb, incapable, and I think many men are starting to believe it, and lose heart. 

We are violently ripping our valiant princes off of their noble steeds. We remove their armor, take away their strength, and denounce their courage. We take away all their power and capacity. We reduce them to rubble. So how can we expect them to save the day? 

And don't tell me you can live without men, ladies, because it would only take one generation before total extinction of humans to prove that we do, in fact, need men. Yes, we need them, a lot. 

And we should love them, a lot! 

There are women today that are trying to make themselves not just "equal" to men, but superior. Women scrape, and claw, and fight, to have this respect from society that they want so badly, and yet in the "scrapping" they defile that which is most admirable about women, and they become the very barbarians that they seem to so despise. Women are acting like foolish little "Delilah's". They prance around -- running with scissors in their hands -- ready to cut down the giants among men. A little snip here, a little snip there  . . . POOF! Strength removal, complete. 

I am a woman, and I think men are wonderful. I hold men in the highest esteem. I have been blessed to have good men in my life. I have known a few duds, certainly, but generally -- I believe men are good. They are great. They are glorious, terrific, fantastic, magnificent creatures. My heart bursts with how much I love the men in my life. And my boys -- my three sons -- how I cherish them, and stand in awe of their splendor. I honor them, and you better believe I will teach them to honor women, and men too. 

We do absolutely no good, as women, if we do not take the time to build men up, to love them, to cherish them, to let them know we think they are fantastic, and wonderful. We need to tell the men in our lives that we know they are capable of great things. Men need praise and complements just as much as women do! Maybe even more so, and especially in the world we live now. 

I think women are amazing. I think men are amazing. We are both amazing! 

We are both divine and miraculous creations of God. And we both can live worthy of the respect that we so desire. We are, of course, not entitled to respect just by being a man or a woman -- we have to earn it by our actions, and the way we conduct our lives. 

As for being "equal" . . . yes we are equally loved in the sight of God. Just as I love my sons and daughter equally. But men and women are not "Equal". The definition of Equal is:  identicaluniformalikelikethe sameequivalentmatchingevencomparablesimilarcorresponding. 

The last time I checked, I am not "identical" to my husband, my father, or my brothers. Nope, there are some great differences there. We are different, and that is SUPER! I do not need to go into how we are different, you can use your imagination for that one . . . but the reality is: Men and Women are NOT the same. You can except that, or you can continue fighting against a reality that is as old as time itself. 

As for me, and my house, we love and respect men, and we love and respect women. We also love and respect the very great differences between men and women. Don't get me wrong, I can (sometimes) beat my husband at chess, and I can (sometimes) even keep up with him when we run together. I am pretty darn competitive, and I fancy myself a strong woman. (Watch out, I know Karate!) 

We do not need to fight about our male/female differences, we should try to strengthen and complement them. I know that my husband has strengths that I do not have, and I have strengths that are not his. In my house I mow the lawn, and Charles is a master at doing the dishes. We take turns, and there is not a "his and hers" chore list. It is not about the things we do, as much as it is the roles we fill. It is not about who is better, or more qualified. My husband often astonishes me with his ability to nurture the children, and fold the laundry. And had I so desired, I could have gone to law school and been an attorney. The capacity to do both is there within each of us -- to be the provider and the nurturer. 

But that is not the point. It is not about what we can, or cannot do -- but what we have been asked to do, by God. (You can read The Proclamation to the World to understand my beliefs in that regard.) I know that not all circumstance accommodate the "ideal", but an ideal must be in place, none-the-less. There must be something to strive for. Most of the world, of course, does not believe in the ideal, and they fight against it with great passion. But the ideal is there, and the perfect family "blueprint" of Father, Mother, Children will always stand the test of time. Always. 

Men and women need each other. And we can do beautiful things together, if we fortify each other, instead of fight against each other. 

Speaking of fighting, when I was in Karate, I had to have a boy partner -- because none of the other girls were strong enough to handle me. I discovered most of the boys were not as strong, either, as I flipped them over my back. I share this, not to prove my awesome martial-arts skills -- but so that you will know that I am no weak-kneed little girl, who cowers under the strength of men. No, not me -- quite the opposite. I quite enjoyed flipping guys over my back and onto the floor. 

I am a strong women -- sometimes even really strong -- and my great wish is for the strength of men to return to this land. I wish men would stand up and be the noble men that women so desire them to be. I wish women would help men rise to their full capacity and strength, instead of cutting men "down to size". I wish the women who are so heck-bent on shrinking the moral-stature of men would realize how much more good they could do by building them up, and not tearing them down. 

We do not need to reduce the glory of men, by raising higher the glory of women. We can both rise to something more, something better -- together.  And then, together, we can work wonders . . . beyond imagination. 

This funny thing happens when you try and treat men like the men you wish they would be. You see, sometimes -- not always -- but sometimes, they might step-up to the pedestal next to you, ladies, and act as the noble prince you have always dreamed of. 

So, my friends, let's put our virtuous "knights in shining armor" back on their horses, shall we? Perhaps we can rise up in virtue and join them, and ride off into the sunset together... and live happily ever after. 

Only a Fairytale? It's your choice. 


Real Winter


I grew-up in Alaska. If you are from there, that means something. I recently saw a shirt that said, "Keep calm, I'm from Alaska -- I got this!" Yep, Alaskans are tough. They have to be! 

I was looking through some old pictures and it made me reflect on the Magic that is Alaska. And though I often think of the magical summers, it is the winter that stands out in my mind. Especially as the days grow colder, the cold makes me feel like home. As the holidays approach, it also causes me to smile at days gone by. There is nothing like Christmas in Alaska. Probably because it is so close to the North Pole. 

Just look at this snow . . . I mean, really? That was just normal for us. Part of living in Alaska. Can you imagine if it dumped that much snow here in Idaho? 

Me, and my brother John
I remember lying underneath the pine trees in our front yard. The sky would be purple with falling snow, I would dig my way under the trees, lie on my back, and stare up at the Christmas lights. Those moments stand out very vividly in my mind. They were magic moments, full of dreaming, and hope. 
This was our home on Loganberry Street. I lived there from age 4 to age 19. Almost all my childhood memories are connected to this home. It had four levels, and all sorts of weird twists and turns. It was such a fun house. My mother made it magic for us. You should have seen it at Christmas! 
Burying yourself in snow helped you stay warm. That is my sister, Beth, and I am holding my cousin, Kevin. 
We had a fireplace in our home -- it was the centerpiece of the house. I can remember playing out in the snow, or helping dig out cars getting stuck on our street, and then we would come inside, my mother would have warm soup or cider on the stove, and we would cuddle-up next to the fire, while listening to Nat King Cole sing, The Christmas Song. Magic, I tell you. Magic. 

Beth, Mari, Grandma, John
The Fireplace was the background for many, many, occasions. That is me and my brother John before a New Years Eve dance. 
 I can remember listening the the radio some mornings, just hoping and praying for a snow day. Every now and again, we got them! Boy those were good days! Doesn't that look so fun? 
We were often late to school because, "A moose was sitting behind our car." They were frequent visitors in our yard. They would terrify me walking home from school, though. You have to be careful around Moose. I recall running home screaming a few times, trying to get away from a moose. 
Can you say, "Winter Wonderland"? 
 We kids sure loved to play in the snow. It was cold, but Heavenly. 


 Jumping off the deck was a must! Weeeeeee! 
Peek-a-Boo!
 Our backyard. 

We do not live in Igloos in Alaska, but we do make them for fun! 

Ahhhhh . . . memories. We have not had a "real winter" since we moved away 9 years ago. Maybe this year we will have some real snow here in Idaho. But there is no place like home in Alaska, when it comes to winning the winter-paradise prize! 

sitting by the fire

The one thing our cozy little home is missing is a fireplace. But now -- thanks to Apple TV -- we can bring fire into our home. If only it let out some heat, then we would be in business! There is a setting for "Christmas Fireplace" it plays fire, and instrumental Christmas music. Since I cannot have the real thing, this will have to do! There is just something about a fireplace to add to the ambiance of a home . . . someday we will have the real thing! 

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

being special


What makes YOU special?

I think that each and every person -- in the whole world -- wants to be special.

People are dying to be unique, different, one-of-a-kind, distinct, individual -- they want something about them to make them special in some way. It can be done in loud and obnoxious ways, or sometimes people want to be special by blending in, or being invisible. The efforts attempted to be special, are as wide and varied as are the people in the world.

Why do we want to be special? Because being special helps you to feel loved. We all want love.

And love and being special is important -- especially to teenagers.

When I was growing up and trying to figure out what made me special -- I did a lot of weird things. One of the things I did to make me unique was I chose to collect something. I chose to collect frogs. Whenever I would go somewhere, I would look for something with frogs on it. When it was my birthday, or Christmas, frogs came hopping my way as gifts. My room was filled with frog figurines, posters, toys -- you name it. I would often bring a frog with me to school in some form: on a shirt, a pair of earrings, a frog pin, a small toy, etc.

People knew I loved frogs. I was "Frog-Woman".

And why did I love frogs so much?

Well, it made me special. It made me unique. It made me standout.

It gave me something to focus on, something to build on. The more frogs I had, the more special I was. (Or so I thought.) It was just something to "express myself," I suppose. Why frogs? I have no idea! But it was the 90's, and there were not a lot of wholesome-obsession options!

Just check out my room! Whoa!







That would be my choir shirt, if you were wondering. 


Yep, Halloween. Scary. 
Young Women's Camp. Wow. 





Yep, that is my frog-flag, for Young Women's Camp. 


Junior Prom. Ha, ha.  












Senior Prom. Notice what I am holding -- a tiny frog. 

I collected frogs throughout high school. But then I discovered what really made me special, and it had nothing to do with frogs.

I discovered what made me special was that I was a Daughter of God, who loved me. I had always known that, but then -- as I became older and wiser -- I really knew it. 

I have known that ever since. And being a Daughter of God is what defines me now. Knowing who I am -- THAT is what makes me special. 

And now, these are the only frogs I collect...  

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

smile

Thank you iPhone for the cute pictures. Thank you Grandma and Grandpa for the cute sweatshirts. And thank Heaven for such precious children!