Outside my window... wind... yuck.
I am thinking... about finding joy in the journey, specifically
THIS talk. I love these lines, but they haunt me as well:
"My brothers and sisters, there is no tomorrow to remember if we don’t do something today.
I’ve shared with you previously an example of this philosophy. I believe it bears repeating. Many years ago, Arthur Gordon wrote in a national magazine, and I quote:
“When I was around thirteen and my brother ten, Father had promised to take us to the circus. But at lunchtime there was a phone call; some urgent business required his attention downtown. We braced ourselves for disappointment. Then we heard him say [into the phone], ‘No, I won’t be down. It’ll have to wait.’
“When he came back to the table, Mother smiled. ‘The circus keeps coming back, you know,’ [she said.]
“‘I know,’ said Father. ‘But childhood doesn’t.’”
"If you are still in the process of raising children, be aware that the tiny fingerprints that show up on almost every newly cleaned surface, the toys scattered about the house, the piles and piles of laundry to be tackled will disappear all too soon and that you will—to your surprise—miss them profoundly."
And this line from Elder Neal A. Maxwell has been ringing in my head, "You rock a sobbing child without wondering if today’s world is passing you by, because you know you hold tomorrow tightly in your arms. "
I don't worry that today is passing me by, but I do sometimes worry that the piles of laundry will suffocate me as my children run around me naked. I worry that I'm not doing enough for my other children, and I have to remind myself that they once got this much attention from me too.
I want to find joy in the journey. I want to savor childhood. But most days I'm tired and distracted and feel tossed around by life. I want to be proactive in my life- I think that would better facilitate the joy. But at the end of each day I end up feeling like it just exploded on me. I feel guilt for the things that I didn't do with my children or for my children. I worry that all we do is hang around the house. I feel guilt and I feel worry, and I hate that. I know it is Satan, and I know it keeps me from doing good things. There are worse things than hanging around the house all day. My children are happy and well, but most days I worry if they are happy and well enough. I must stop worrying. Hmph.
I am thankful for... healthy kids. I am reminded every day how great it is to have healthy children.
From the kitchen... 2 failed loaves of bread. I don't know what I did wrong with them. They taste okay, but they sure are ugly.
I am reading... Conference talks. Trying to get them all read before next conference.
I am hoping... to feel organized and present this week (same as always). I am also hoping to get some more exciting posts up. I have some cute pictures, but I keep getting frustrated with blogger.
I am creating... some herbal formulas. I really need to get them finalized and begin making them.
I am hearing... Dustin quieting the baby (such a good husband).
To do today… the day is done now it is time for sleep.
One of my favorite things... lemon essential oil. I think I need to be using this more.
A few plans for the rest of the week... Grocery shopping, hopefully a play date with old friends.
I must remember… How much I LOVE hearing my children compliment each other. They do it so freely. I need to learn from them. I must remember how much they have loved discovering the roly polies in the yard and how Abe wants to study about them and Riggy wants to give them baths.
***Journaling prompt ideas from
The Simple Woman's Daybook
For Valentine's Day, the kids got strawberry plants. We thought it would be healthier and longer lasting than giant boxes of candy. We have actually managed to keep them alive. Each kid has been able to pick a strawberry from their plant already, and they have more growing.
She loves to get into the herb stock. Just when I think I have it Nellie-proofed, she outsmarts me. On this day, she discovered her love for activated charcoal capsules.
Salt. All. Over. Do you know how hard salt is to clean up? And just when you think you've got it all, you walk into the kitchen with your bare feet and realize it is still EVERYWHERE!
So pretty. Lipstick all over her face, and her white shirt, and the bathroom floor. Oh this was the same day as the salt incident.
The herb cabinet again. She loves her herbs. This time she combined the charcoal with some salve. Salve is harder to clean than lipstick.
