Giving Thanks!

I realized this year how much I love November. It stirs up some great memories and emotions of gratitude that are unique to this season of the year. Somehow I can feel deeper gratitude for the smallest things: a quiet night at home with the family, playing board games with Nathan, listening to my kids share their favorite Christmas memories, helping my recently widowed mother go to the grocery store, resurrecting favorite Christmas piano duets with Brittany, smells of homemade treats, and the anticipation of Christmas from sounds and lights that slowly pop up randomly around town.

My family is the greatest blessing to me. I am most grateful for the legacy of love, loyalty and commitment that was established by my parents. They established their life based on faith and obedience that I was taught and I hope to pass on to my posterity. My father passed-on to the next life 6 weeks ago and this is our first holiday season without his physical presence. I feel a great peace and comfort because of the example he set of righteous patterns. I continue to live by his example and daily follow the good patterns that he established in our family. Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, Obedience to the commandments of God, Honor to my parents, Trust in God's plan, and Respect for our fellowmen.

Now that I am a grandma, I feel an even deeper commitment to living a righteous life and leading by example to trust in the atonement of Jesus Christ, so my posterity "will know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins." (2 Nephi 25:25) Living righteous patterns is the best gift I can give those who will follow in my footsteps.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING 2013!!!

Beauty Comes from Within

I have been obsessed with the changing leaves this season. For some reason, this year the color of the fall leaves has touched me in a new way. As I have intentionally looked at the trees, the colors and lighting from the sun, I have been amazed at the strength, boldness, beauty and purpose of each individual tree. When fall comes, one tree is not dependent on another tree to know when to change colors.

Each individual tree changes colors when it is best for that tree and creates a colorful contrast by being different from its surrounding trees. This alone is beautiful, but I have noticed one more element that increases the beauty even more, the addition of sunlight. When the sun shines just right on a tree, it illuminates the tree and it enhances its colors to become more beautiful than it could on its own and enables the tree to reach its fullest colorful potential and beauty. From the perspective of the tree, it doesn't seem to stand out as anything special, but to those who are looking at the trees, they can see and feel the unique beauty of each colorful contribution.

So it is with God’s children. We all have the potential of incredible strength, beauty and purpose, but we may get stuck thinking we need to camouflage ourselves with the trees or the people around us, being careful to not stand out. If we can look inside ourselves to find our natural beauty, talents and strengths and if we can be bold and strong to let our colors show, then can we enrich those around us and we become our best self. Now this is all possible and good, but there is one more element that increases our beauty that we don’t want to forget. The most important color­enhancer is the Son, meaning the Son of God, which shines on us and illuminates our inner beauty far beyond our own ability. He can help us become who He wants us to be, if we repent and remain humble, we can reach our full potential in a way only available through His love and atonement for us.

Quote: Each little seed knew that in order to grow it needed to be dropped in dirt, covered in darkness, and struggle to reach the light.