Okay so I'm starting to get the hang of this blogging thing although I still can't figure out how to shrink our main photo down so that it doesn't take up the entire page. I will eventually figure that out so don't you worry. Who am I talking to anyway?? Hello, hello hello. I must be loosing it! This is what happens when you move and as a result you have no friends around to keep you "normal".
I digress. So when I am in the car with the kids I frequently asked them questions about how their life is going, if they made any new friends, do they have a crush of anyone, if they have homework, do they hate us for moving them, etc etc etc. They other day when I dropped Jeffrey off at school I said, "have a great day". This is nothing new but his answer was. He jumped out of the car and said "do you know what would be really cool mom?" To which I said "no". He said, "if this school would burn down today!" I told him they would just send the kids to another school and he just shrugged his shoulders and said, "ya, but it would still be cool." Should I be worried?? No, he was just trying to delay the school day. You gotta love kids!
Life really is good. When put into strange or different circumstances, we can all make a choice. We can shrivel up and die (which I thought about doing) or we can grow. I chose the later.
It had been almost 8 years since we've moved but prior to that we moved A LOT! Almost every 2 years to be exact. We have lived in California, Idaho, Utah, Oregon, California again, Oregon again, Las Vegas, Oregon AGAIN, Las Vegas again, Mesquite, and now Utah again! Some of those place we loved the people but not the politics and some of them you couldn't pay us to return. Needless to say, we've seen a lot of the western United States, had some really great experiences, met some of our very best friends who etched their way into our hearts.
Mesquite is different. Different in a good way. There, in that small western town, we lived among and served along side some of the most wonderful and colorful people on this earth. From each city or town, we took a handful of cherished memories and loved ones with us but from Mesquite I wonder if my heart is large enough to take the amount memories and beloved people we are so lucky to know. If I let myself "go there" it almost becomes unbearable to handle the loss that is felt and the hole that is left.
On the flip side, I sometimes feel a rush of grateful emotions when I do let myself think about it. Grateful for the "salt of the earth" people we had the pleasure to know. Grateful for the safety that our family felt. Grateful for the opportunities to serve and be served. Grateful for the spiritual growth that occurred.
It is there, that my family learned some of the most important lesson in life. We learned that when we do what we are suppose to do, many blessings come. We learned that when you are serving others, blessings come. We learned that when you feel overwhelmed with life, people are there to help, and they are blessings. We learned that being a leader can be a tricky but rewarding adventure and as such, is a blessing. We learned that our family & friends are the glue that holds us together. We learned that we can do hard things and survive. We learned to work hard for things that really matter. But most of all, we learned that WE are not in charge, but the person who is, is doing a fine job!
So today, I am feeling very grateful for the friends we have collected throughout the years and grateful for each memory that was forged. I am feeling grateful for my kids. For the lessons that they have taught me and the courage they have shown. Grateful for my husband who works very hard to provide for us. Grateful for the Gospel that keeps me out of trouble and for the safety it affords each of us.
It is raining today and yet, I feel nothing but sunshine in my life.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete