Five Minute Friday - Imagine

This is it!  My favorite time of the week to write, and to read.  So, set your timer, clear your head, for five minutes of free writing without worrying about getting it right.

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back over to Lisa Jo's and invite others to join in.
3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community..

OK, are you ready? Please give me your best five minutes on:::

Imagine…

:GO

My imagination runs ahead of me at 90 miles an hour.  When I read, I become the character in the book.  I escape to new destinations, new places and new worlds.  When I watch a movie, for just a little while, I live there.  I have never been able to watch or read scarey things.  I remember them at the worst moments.  Usually at the times when I am alone and in the dark.  I still remember the only horror film that I ever watched.  I was five years old, but that old black and white movie still has the power to wake me up in all of the modern day living color.
I believe in imagination.  I believe in dreaming and wishing and magic.  I believe that Heavenly Father put us here in this place to learn and grow.  I think He wants us to dream big things in His glory.
I remember when my children were small and built bear caves out of sofa cushions and blankets.  It was in those places that they learned not to be afraid of the dark.  I remember when the back yard was turned into a carnival and when a cranky child could fly to great heights on the backyard swings.  I remember when we had impromptu concerts on the living room stage, with laughter and singing.  (It wasn't always on tune, but it was a great memory).  They had imaginary forts, tree houses and play houses that kept them busy for hours.  They learned to be anything they wanted inside their own minds.
I miss those colorful days of imagination, when a moment and a memory combined together to let us all be just a little more than we thought possible.  I miss those moments of laughter and dancing across the kitchen floor pretending we were famous dancers.
But in my own imagination, I see them still.  Covered in dirt and chocolate and wishes and dreams and love.  And I remember that it was all so very real.  

“Logic will get you from A to Z; 

imagination will get you everywhere.” 

~Albert Einstein~

STOP

Now it's your turn.  What can you write in just five minutes?  Don't forget to come back and join us with your very own five minute post!  We can't wait to hear from you today!  

A false enchantment

"A false enchantment 

can all too easily last a lifetime".  

W. H. Auden

The world is full of false enchantments.  Just take a moment and look around at all the men and women trying to be something or someone that they are not.  The magazines are full of pictures that are photoshopped and choreographed.  The movies are full of actresses and actors pretending to be people that they are not.
Many of us try and follow the crowd in one way or the other.  It seems as if there are many that just want to be like everybody else.  But our Heavenly Father made each one of us unique.  We are in His image, after His likeness.  We are His people.
There are people that we can reach and things that only we can do.  We can't all be like everyone else.  The Lord needs us to be who He made us to be.  Satan knows we are divine.  He knows that we are Children of God.  Satan wants us to act as if we are not divin so that we become something or someone that we should not be. He wants us to turn toward "everybody else" and turn away from our Savior.  he wants us to feel unworthy and unable to be a son or daughter of God.
So, are you going to believe in the false enchantments of the world, or are you going to believe in the One who truly knows you and loves you anyway.  It is your choice, your deciding moment, your destiny.  None of us can change our past decisions, but any of us can start right now and change our future.  His atonement is for you.  It is for me.  He knows you, He knows your name, He knows your trials, He knows your possibilities.
Who are you going to stand for in the end?

The Broken Bridge

"He that cannot forgve others 

breaks the bridge over which he, 

himself, must pass."  

Lord Herbert

Forgiveness is a complicated step because the offended one is often filled with intense emotions.  They can feel betrayal, despair, shame and even hatred.  They can desire revenge, or just wish everything would go away.  Part of forgiveness is learning to deal with the emotions and anger.  We can't forgiveness if we can't get over those strong emotions.
Do not confuse forgiveness with forgetting.  There are things that happen in our lives that we can't, for our own safety or the safety of others, ever forget.  There are lessons to be learned even in the worst experiences of life.  Forgiving is not pretending that nothing happened, it is releasing the offender.
Forgiving happens when we can actually think about the person, or the situation, without anger and pain.  When we can remember without bitterness.  Forgiving also allows us to release the blame we feel toward others and sometimes even the blame we feel toward ourselves.
Forgiving allows for healing to take place.  It allows us to release all the pent up anger and rage.  It brings us peace.  Each one of us have places in our hearts of needed healing.  Each of us have been wronged at some point in our lives.  Each has wronged another in some way.
Forgiveness is your bridge.  Swimming in the deep waters of unforgiveness is cold, murky and poisonous to yourself.  The person we hurt the most by not forgiving is ourself. Not forgiving is like taking poison inside your own body and hoping that it will kill the other person.  The only person that it really hurts is you.
So, let the hurt go.  Forgive others and forgive yourself.  You are the only one that can take that step and walk that bridge.
This is one of my favorite scriptures about forgiveness.  It reminds me that Judgement is always the Lord's.  He knows those things which I do not.  I am content to leave it in His hands.

Doctrine and Covenants 98:39-43
39 And again, verily I say unto you, if after thine enemy has come upon thee the first time, he repent and come unto thee praying thy forgiveness, thou shalt forgive him, and shalt hold it no more as a testimony against thine enemy—
40 And so on unto the second and third time; and as oft as thine enemy repenteth of the trespass wherewith he has trespassed against thee, thou shalt forgive him, until seventy times seven.
41 And if he trespass against thee and repent not the first time, nevertheless thou shalt forgive him.
42 And if he trespass against thee the second time, and repent not, nevertheless thou shalt forgive him.
43 And if he trespass against thee the third time, and repent not, thou shalt also forgive him.

Sabbath Day Scribblings - Education Good to Remember

The Lord has commanded, 

" And as all have not faith, seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith." 

(D&C 88:118). 

He has counseled us to learn the gospel and to gain understanding in all things,

"Let him that is ignorant learn wisdom by humbling himself and calling upon the Lord his God, that his eyes may be opened that he may see, and his ears opened that he may hear;" 

(D&C 136:32)

“A good head and good heart are always a formidable combination. But when you add to that a literate tongue or pen, then you have something very special.” 

~Nelson Mandela~

Graduation Day - Hooray, Hooray!

Yesterday was Kayla's 8th Grade Graduation.  In honor of that wonderful event, I am going to post my favorite pictures and a few quotes.  She is amazing! 

"Choose your friends with caution, 

plan your future with purpose, 

and frame your life with faith".  

Thomas S. Monson

My music will wrestle your music

and win!

Don't look back,

you're not going that way.

"In the middle of difficulty

lies opportunity".

Albert Einstein

Always stand up for what you believe in,

Even if it means standing alone.

Faith,

It does not make things easy,

it makes them possible.

Happiness is a form of courage!

You are meant

For Amazing Things!

 "And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, 

Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, 

and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, 

and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! 

And God granted him that which he requested".  

1 Chronicles 4:10

"Don't ever let someone tell you that you can't do something.  

Not even me.  

You gotta dream, you gotta protect it.  

When people can't do something themselves, 

they're gonna tell you that you can't do it.  

You want something, you gotta get it.  

Period".  

Will Smith in "The Pursuit of Happiness".  

"It takes courage to grow up and become

who you really are".

E. E. Cummings

"The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. 

Do good anyway. 

Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough. 

Give your best anyway. 

For you see, in the end, it is between you and God. 

It was never between you and them anyway."

~Mother Teresa~

Five Minute Friday - View

Today is Friday once again, my favorite day for writing.  Don't forget to link back over at Lisa Jo's after you finish.  We love to share!  So, let’s do this thing. Let’s write.

Set your timer, clear your head, for five minutes of free writing without worrying about getting it right.

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back over at Lisa Jo's and invite others to join in.
3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community..

OK, are you ready? Please give us your best five minutes on the word:::

View…

START

My life has been filled with vistas and valleys.  There are places I have been that have made a lasting impression on me.  Sometimes, the impression is amazing, and sometimes, well, not quite so much.  The thing about the view that I have learned is that it changes depending upon where we are standing.  Those days of working three jobs to try and make the ends meet somewhere in the middle, are over.  But the memories linger on.  So much better in hindsight than they were at the time.  

The days of boys throwing papers at 2:00am while I drove through empty streets.  The mornings of rushing off to school and work and the babysitter's house.  The nights of rocking sick children and holding colicy babies are gone.  The wonder of holding a new life just after birth.  The loving, the needing, the wishing, the hoping, all learned in the past.  

In this vista of life, I have teenagers.  (that might be one of those harder things),  I have a loving husband, I have grandchildren.  I have worries and aching and love and friendship.  In this place, I am learning to live in the moment, because I have learned that time passes and the view will change.  No matter what spot in life we are in, eventually, the view will change.  

STOP

Now it is your turn.  What can you write in just five minutes?  Don't forget to go back over to Lisa Jo's and share with the rest of us!  Hope to see you there!

Not Alone

Not Alone

by Patricia A Pitterle

Buried in water,

Covered in Grace,

Lifted in Glory,

Heart filled with Faith.

He sees my weeping,

He knows my grief,

He gives me mercy,

He grants relief.

Out of the darkness,

Sensing His presence,

Feeling His love, 

Filled with forgiveness.

Home to His keeping,

Away from my cares,

Surrounded by His arms,

My burdens He bears.

He is my Savior,

Redeemer and King,

He sacrificed His life

Salvation He brings.

What does He ask of us?

What does He need?

He asks that we serve Him

by feeding His sheep.

And so, I share His words,

His strength and His teachings,

His Love and His service,

His arms that are reaching.

Reaching out in our stumbling,

Catching us when we fall,

He walks softly beside us,

We're not alone after all.

Depression, It Goes On and Off and On and Off.

"In three words 

I can sum up everything 

I've learned about life:  

it goes on".  

Robert Frost

It certainly does!  No matter what is happening in my life, it passes.  Sickness, health, depression, anxiety, broken arms or even winter storms, they all move on to the next time, the next season, the next trial or even the next joy.  No matter how difficult things seem today, they really will look different as time goes on. 
I think that is why depression can be so hard for us to bear.  We lose the focus of moving on and become entirely focused in the here and now.  It feels as if there is no way to survive whatever our current problems are.  Instead, we are in a seeming unending loop of anguish.  We stay up and worry, we eat and worry, we sit down and worry.  Worry becomes our constant companion.  There is no break from the pain.
I am learning to live with depression.  You would think, after so many years of suffering with it for most of my life, that I would know.  Yet, I still go on and off medication.  I still have days and weeks when I quit taking care of myself.  I still feel hopeless sometimes.  I still forget to depend on the timing of my Heavenly Father.  I still lose hope.
Depression is a disease like many others, but because our society doesn't accept it, often those of us with it don't accept it either.  We constantly struggle to feel "normal" again.  Sometimes I forget that this is my own kind of "normal" and it is ok just as it is.  We all have challenges, the goal is to bring light into our lives in spite of them. 
So, whatever your trials may be, this too shall pass away, we are not alone, we can endure and we can make a difference.  Remember, remember always that you are loved and needed, just the way you are.

Luke 12:6-7
Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?
But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.

When You Go Looking

"If you go looking for a friend, you're going to find they're scarce.  If you go out to be a friend, 

you'll find them everywhere."  

Zig Zigler

This world is such a serious place most of the time.  Things happen and we feel alone.  I know that I have.  It can be hard for me to start over and make new friends.  It is always a little bit of a reach.  What if they don't like me?  What if they don't want to know me?  What if I share too much? Or too little.
We each hurt at times during our lives and having a friend can really ease the pain.  I have discovered, especially living in a small town, that when I really look for friends, I just can't seem to find them.  There is no one there who has time for me.  It is almost like we are living on different planets instead of just down the street.  But this year, when I really needed friends, there they were.  People I never had thought to reach out to, just opened their arms and reached out to me.  I am learning that to have friends, it is not enough to look for them, you really have to seek to be one first.
I am making new friends every day.  As a strange matter of fact, I think I have more friends now than I have ever had.  These ones have walked into the fire for me and brought me back out.  They have staying power.  So, my message is, don't despair.  If you don't have friends, go out and serve.  Develop an interest, find a place to help, find something that you like to do, and they will come.  They will see that you are worth knowing and worth loving.  They will make a difference in your life just as you will make a difference in their's.  And that is a beautiful gift indeed.   

“Friendship is born at that moment 

when one person says to another: 

"What! You too? 

I thought I was the only one.” 

~C. S. Lewis~

Sunday Scribblings - Losing

Found this one today. I know it is a little faster than music I normally listen to on Sunday, but the words really make it worthwhile. It expresses my feelings in the best way.  It speaks to my heart.  It is a piece of music by a group called Tenth Avenue North and is titled, "Losing".

Five Minute Friday - SONG

Got five minutes? Let’s write. Let’s write in shades of real and brave and unscripted.

Let’s just write and not worry if it’s just right or not.

Because:

“Writing is an act of faith, not a trick of grammar.” 

~E. B. White~

1. Write for 5 minutes flat for pure unedited love of the written word.
2. Link back over at Lisa Jo's place and invite others to join in.
3. Be generous and leave an encouraging comment for the person who linked up before you. That’s the best part about this community.

Today’s prompt is:

Song….

GO

“Life, he realized, was much like a song. 

In the beginning there is mystery, 

in the end there is confirmation, 

but it's in the middle where all the emotion resides 

to make the whole thing worthwhile.”

~ Nicholas Sparks, The Last Song ~

For me, a good song is more than music pieced together with notes and pen.  For me, it is the words, the story that is told, the beauty of the moment when a lesson is taught and people change.  In the middle where the emotion resides to make the whole thing remembered and worth singing. 
Sometimes, I don't like the emotion.  It can be intense and uncomfortable.  I have felt lost and alone in the song of my life.  I have felt both unneeded and unwanted.  But I have also felt great love, I have felt humor and laughter in the tears.  I have felt small sticky hands and sweet baby kisses wipe away the sorrows of my heart and teach me the words that I need to sing in my song. 
A song is a thing of beauty unfolding, using the black keys as well as the white ones.  Using the sorrows as well as the joys in my life.  Using all the strings and all the notes.  A song is not just about the good things, often the one that touches my heart most and brings about the greatest learning are the notes that remind me I am human.  It is the song in my life that makes me want to change something and be just a little better than I am. 
The songs that I know in my heart are interspersed with sorrow and joy; with mistakes and forgiveness, with longing and love, with loneliness and completion.  The song of my life is not simple, but it is unique.  It whispers to me of who I really am as well as of who I can become. 
The song in my heart plays light melodies and dark discords all blended together to make a masterpiece.  With His song, I become whole, at peace, and most of all, loved.  His song brings me home. 

STOP

Now it is your turn.  What can you write in just five minutes?  Don't forget to go back over at Lisa Jo's and link up with the rest of us.  Hope to see you there.

Who gets the credit?

"It is amazing what you can accomplish 

if you do not care who gets the credit".  

Harry Truman

The quality of writing speaks for itself.  Some books go down for generations.  They are enjoyed time and time again.  In these days of quick rewards, some people like to take credit for themselves for the writing accomplishments of others.   (This is called perjury, by the way). 
Children learn to write their names at the top of every paper.  They are rewarded with a grade for their accomplishments.  Their papers are posted on a board on parents night where everyone can see who wrote it.  The papers are admired and hopefully remembered. 
I am learning that a great poem or story or even blog article should speak for itself.  What an honor it is, as a writer, to have someone want to use your article or poem in something they write.  What a wonderful feeling it is when they seek me out and ask to use my poems or my thoughts in their own writings or talks.
When they speak, I might not get the credit, because they are the ones speaking, but my works are remembered through their love and enjoyment of my writing.
I think the words we write should speak for themselves.  They should be remembered because of the gift they are to others.   Don't get me wrong, I am not saying we should all be guilty of perjury.  I am just saying that we should not worry quite so much about getting the credit each and every time.
I want my poems to have my name, but I also want them to be loved and enjoyed and learned from.  I want credit for my writing, but I don't mind at all sharing it with another person who is speaking.  I think if we know who said something, we should mention them, but we also should share often those things from others that strengthen our testimonies and lighten our burdens.
For me, those good things can be songs, poems, stories or even a simple blog post.  For me, it is amazing that there are so many people out there who have the same thoughts that I have and we each express them in slightly different ways.  And sometimes, together we work miracles, and the credit all goes to HIM, and I am so grateful to be a small part of it.

The Examples in Nature

"Nature is made to conspire with spirit to emancipate us".  

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Spring is finally here.  My irises are waving their purple heads in delight.  I am walking every morning for about three miles and really enjoying the sights and sounds.  The birds are chirping all over and the squirrels are chattering in the trees.  Nature is refreshing, full of vision and the promise of things to come.  I love the warmer weather and all the animals that are taking part in the beautiful morning light. 
This past year has been hard for me.  I have gone through a stage of pretty severe depression.  I know it is something that comes off and on in my life, but I really wasn't prepared for it to knock me down like it did.  I found myself having difficulties just getting out of bed in the morning.  I made myself go to work.  I made myself participate.  But my heart wasn't in it.
Sometimes, we just have to put our feet on the floor, get dressed and keep going.  One step at a time, one moment at a time, one day at a time.  Eventually, we start to notice the things around us and to feel content.  I love the feeling of taking a deep breath in and letting it out.  Of letting go of the past and inhaling the future.  I love knowing that change can be good.
It is amazing to me how close to my Heavenly Father I feel when I take myself out into the world around me.  I love the escape of a rich spring day in the forest.  The beauty of the leaves on the trees and the flowers in the meadow.  I love the wind as it whispers in the branches and the sun as it warms my limbs.  I love learning that joy really will come.
Sometimes, the night seems long and dreary, but the morning light will come.  Time does pass, hearts mend, feelings change, happiness blossoms like the first flower of spring, and joy cometh in the morning.

Psalms 30:2, 5
2. O Lord my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me.
5. For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

Finding Peace

“There is no need to go to India 

or anywhere else 

to find peace. 

You will find that deep place of silence

in your room, 

your garden, 

or even your bathtub.”

~ Elisabeth Kubler-Ross~

I loved this one.  I am finding it to be so true.  A couple of weeks ago, I was privileged to go with two of my daughters to a Time Out For Women event.  It was amazing, inspiring and most of all, fun.  I found peace in a room with 1500 other women.  I found peace in the learning and in my time with my beautiful girls.  

Spending time with adult children is so amazing.  I have been blessed to watch them grow and have children of their own.  I get to see their joys and their trials and their overcoming of the hard parts of life.  

I love being a grandmother to their children, and I love the relationship I have with them now that they are grown.  I have found friendship and advice and love in this opportunity to get to know the adults they have become.

I spent so many years of my life wishing for things to happen.  Wishing that different things would hurry up and come, and that others would hurry up and be over.  I wanted the infant to be older so that I could, at last, get a full nights sleep.  I wanted my first daughter to go to school.  I wanted my son to play football.  I wanted them to hurry through the terrible two's and the treacherous three's.  I wanted them to grow faster, and than to not grow so fast after all.  

Mostly, I wanted them to need me and love me and understand me.  

Now, many years later, I understand the need to enjoy whatever part of life you are in.  Babies do grow, children do change.  The teen years really don't last forever (even though it feels like it!)  When it is over, you look back and it seems to have taken mere moments to pass.  You can't go back and hold your new baby again.  Now they are grown taller than you.  

For me, finding peace is learning to live, forgive, and love right now.  Peace is in knowing if I died today, I would not regret what I did or what I said.  Peace is relying on my Savior in ever single part of my life.  

I am seeking that peace.  Somedays, I even find it.  

Matthew 11:28-3028.  Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart:  and ye shall find rest unto your souls.30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

God-Given Friends

"I didn't find my friends; 

the good Lord gave them to me."  

Ralph Waldo Emerson

This year has taught me many things.  Probably one of the most important is that He knows exactly what I need and when I need it most.  When my best friend decided that she did not want to have anything to do with me any more, I felt so lost and alone.  I did not have any other friends.  For me, making friends is difficult.  I love people, I have lots of acquaintances,  I care for people and I want to help them, but I don't really have many people that I go to when my heart is aching.  I didn't have anyone else in my life that lived close to me that I could share my thoughts, my dreams, and my girl time with.  

I was so lonely for a while.  I didn't even know how to start to find new friends.  Then, really in ways I still don't understand, they came to me.  Now I am surrounded.  I am so blessed with friends.  People who know my story.  People who are there for me.  Women who care.  I am overwhelmed with the love and support that have come to me through these amazing women in my life.  

I know that I didn't have anything to do with finding new friends.  The Lord sent them to me when I needed them most.  He let them know that I needed them.  It has been an amazing experience.  I am learning that real friends know that sometimes you give and sometimes you receive and that is OK.  Sometimes, they know what I need without me asking.  

One of my friends is a doctor who knows I get migraines.  One week, after a particularly nasty one that wouldn't go away, she saw me at church and asked if I was alright.  I told her that I still had a headache, but was going to go home and go to bed.  As soon as church was over, she showed up at my door, shot in hand to take away the pain.  

I suppose the best thing that I have learned from all this, the most sacred part, is that we need to lay our grief at the Lord's feet and trust Him that He will help us through.  We need to pour our hearts out to Him when we are needing and let Him decide what we really need to get us through.  I have learned that I am never alone.  That He is always by me.  I have learned that those who He sends stand with me through the hard times and support me no matter how difficult those times are.  

I cherish the great gift of friendship that is sent by Him.    

Sabbath Day Scribblings - Fail to Try

“It matters not if you try and fail and try and fail again. 

It matters much if you try and fail and fail to try again.”

“Because I Have a Father”

PAUL H. DUNN

You remember that the Duke of Wellington was talking of the Battle of Waterloo when he said that it was not that the British soldiers were braver than the French soldiers. It was just that they were brave five minutes longer.  And in our struggles sometimes that’s all it takes—to be brave five minutes longer, to try just a little harder, to not give up on ourselves when everything seems to beg for our defeat.

But the record of Christ’s life on earth certainly shows that he was not above caring for the human-size needs or fears of his earthly companions. Do you remember when Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha, died? Both sisters rushed to meet Christ to tell him of their sorrow and find comfort. And as they met him, they said in turn, “Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died”  (John 11:21, 32). Now, who would know better than Jesus Christ that there was to be a resurrection so that Lazarus would live again? He didn’t just say to them, “Chin up, ladies. It’s only a few years before you see your brother again.” Instead the scriptures tell us, “Jesus wept”  (John 11:35), wept in pure compassion for the pain and lack of understanding of his two friends. Then he hurried to the tomb and raised Lazarus from the dead.

Well, our frustrations and disappointments may be just pinpricks in the eternal scheme of things, but since they do not seem that way to us, they do not seem that way to the Lord. Quit thinking that tomorrow your problems will go away and life will begin in earnest. The Lord is waiting to help you cope today if you will lay your human-size needs at his divine feet. Pray in specifics about the problems, little or big, that impede your progress and dull your best dreams. Knock, seek, and you shall find the answer to your prayers. That I promise you because you really are his child. He will give you the comfort and the counsel that you need, the courage to lift up your head and face your todays with faith and hope.

Five Minute Friday - BRAVE

It is my favorite time of the week once again.  Fridays are always amazing.
Now, set your timer, clear your head, for five minutes of free writing without worrying about getting it right.

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back over at Lisa Jo's and invite others to join in.
3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. 

OK, are you ready? Please give us your best five minutes on:::

Brave…

START

I am afraid of so many things.  I am afraid that things won't work out,  I am afraid of heights, I am afraid of what other people think.  I am afraid of making mistakes and not being good enough.  I have never felt brave.  

Once, when my oldest son was very small, we were visiting my sister on the Base at Fort Huachuca AZ.  My son was outside playing in the yard and we were in the house.  Suddenly, we heard a terrifying scream coming from the street.  I leaped from the chair and dashed out the door.  My son was running as fast as his little legs would carry him right into the front yard with the dog right behind him.  The people across the street we yelling at the dog and trying to get it to go home.  I ran right between my son and the dog (which was a big german shepherd) waving my arms and trying to get the dog to not bite my son.  

Afterwards, I was shaking.  I have always been afraid of dogs, especially since I have been bit four different times, but for that one moment, when I felt my small son was in danger, I rushed right into the jaws of one of the things I feared most.  

I have learned that being brave, doesn't mean you are not afraid.  It simply means that you act in spite of your fears.  It means that you realize there are things more important than your fears.  I think it means you choose to do the right thing even if it might hurt.  

I am learning that I can be brave, even when I don't feel brave.  

 ...Be strong and of good courage, and do it: ... 

1 Chronicles 28:20

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Now it's your turn, what can you write about being brave in just five, short minutes.  Don't forget to link up your own post over at Lisa Jo's.

Celebrate all the times of your life

"You're blessed when you're content with just who you are--no more, no less.  

That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners

 of everything that can't be bought". 

 Eugene Peterson

Most people seek to be happy.  I know that I do.  Sometimes it seems as though, no matter what I do, I can't find within me the ability to be happy.  Happiness seems to be something that you might be able to buy, like a favorite toy or a new car.  All you need is a little more money, or a little more time, or a few more friends to share it with. 
One of the things that I am noticing is that few people really seek to be content.  We are rushing around, from one thing to another, looking for something that we never find.  Content is described as: 
con·tent:  
1.  The substantive or meaningful part. 
2. Desiring no more than what one has; satisfied.
3. Ready to accept or acquiesce; willing.   Which means more? 
Which is more enduring?  Happiness or contentment?  Think for a moment.  Can you imagine being happy every single moment of every single day?  Can you imagine always feeling as if you are at the top of the world?  Is that even possible?  Being happy every single moment my not be possible, but being content during struggling times is.  We all struggle.  We all have trials and heartaches and difficulties.  But along with that, we all have a loving Heavenly Father who knows us and will love us through those time.  Contentment is possible.  It makes the mountain just a little easier to climb.  It makes the mountain-top that much sweeter when you finally get there.  As for me, I am going to focus a little harder on being content instead of wishing so much to be happy.  I am learning that one just might lead to the other.

“It isn't what you have or who you are or where you are or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is what you think about it.”
- Dale Carnegie  -

1000 Blessings
 The wind in the trees
 The bird on the wing
 The help of a community
 The lovely taste of vanilla wafers
 Sticky Notes