Unity

'There has been a call for national unity in our land. I believe there needs to be unity. But it must not be a blind, senseless, irresponsible unity. It should not be a unity for the sake of unity. It needs to be a unity based on sound principles.'

This can be said of relationships as well.

Thank you Ezra Taft Benson...I couldn't agree more.

This talk is a must listen to.

A beautiful new blog I stumbled upon...

I stumbled on this blog that I just am loving. To give you a taste of the beauty of this blog, I borrowed this poem:

"Hate"

I used to hate to sweep the floors and mop and scrub and dust.
I used to hate to wash and iron and wonder why I must;
The dishes too, that awful task, that came three times a day.
I sometimes thought I'd call a strike, or maybe run away.

A gray-haired neighbor came one day, when I was all upset
With churning, baking, washing, and dinner yet to get.
I told her how I hated it, my life was but a grind;
She smiled and said perhaps my trials were mostly in my mind.

I doubted her, and yet her hair was white as driven snow.
She'd lived a heap more years than I, and surely ought to know.
"These tasks are not so hard," she said, "I've done them all my life."
It's just because you hate, my dear, that causes all the strife."

I thought perchance she might be right, and so I tried her scheme
And brought about such changes it seems just like a dream;
I ceased to hate and lo, behold! my home became a shrine of love.
And all the hated humble tasks seemed like blessings from above.

~Agnes Just Reid

Friends are hard to come by...

I am starting to get a taste of being the mother to older children. SCARY! I have worked so hard to help my children know who they are. I can't think of any greater fight against the temptations of the devil than this. When they come home from school and open up to me about how their day was, I can immediately see how Satan has been working on them. For example, Vanessa came home talking about a girl who is bullying her. The next conversation out of her was about how she doesn't like the color of her hair. What? Why these two topics together? So, I began to prod into what Vanessa's feelings were. I asked, 'Do you have any good friends at school Vanessa?' 'No, not really.' 'Do you think if you change the color of your hair that people will like you more?' I said. 'I don't know. Maybe.' She says.

So, I see my work in front of me. Just like that. 'Vanessa, what will you have to change next to make sure they like you?' She said, 'I get it Mom.' I said 'Keep looking for someone who you won't have to change who you are in order to be their friend.'

Vanessa has yet to find a good friend that is like her. She feels very alone. So far the girls she has found are the type of girls who find their self worth in worldliness.

Let this be a lesson to us all. Teach our children to find self worth in knowing they are a child of God and they have a special work to do here on this earth. Turn away from worldliness, and turn toward holiness.

Sidenote: After researching why my epidural shot didn't seem to have worked after that first couple of days I found out that the relief I was getting was from the lidocaine they used to numb the area for the actual procedure of getting the shot. The medicine inserted can take 10 days to 2 weeks to kick in.

How does it feel?

Cute picture of Ness.

Oh my gosh! I cannot believe how good my back feels. The shot had amazing results! I'm still afraid to bend over and pick things up, but in time I'm sure I'll get used to the idea. It's been too long I tell ya. What a blessing modern medicine is.. Thank you Heavenly Father.

Epidural

I got an epidural steroid shot in my back yesterday. The doctor did an amazing job. I was so impressed. I was in and out of the hospital in 30 minutes.

When I fell in the parking lot right after I gave birth to Rex in Jan 2006, I have struggled with back and hip/buttock pain ever since.

This experience of being in so much pain that I can't heal from has brought on spiritual maturity. Since I am physically immovable now, I have paid particular attention to the general Relief Society Presidents spiritual messages of being steadfast and immovable. I am grounding myself in the knowledge that God loves me, that it is my work to keep His commandments with zeal, and exercising faith in Jesus Christ as my Master.

On one particular day a few years back, I was quite down and was expressing my blue feelings to someone who I thought would give me comfort. Instead she said to me, 'Oh Sarah, just stop thinking about it (your hurt feelings) and go shopping.' Another time I was expressing my sorrow again to another person who I thought would lend me comfort only to be told, 'Sarah, you think too much. You just need to read a book. Have you read...?' What kind of a comfort is that? I hope when others come to me seeking comfort I don't say something so uncomforting as that! We have the Savior of the world to give us comfort. I hope I point others to Him and his healing words when I hear they need comfort.

I remember thinking to myself, 'What will shopping do to help me feel better? Or reading a book? It is only like alcohol, a drug of choice, for it heals nothing to shop or read to distract. It doesn't comfort or heal. It doesn't even give me hope that it will.' It is only through Jesus Christs power to heal that each of us will be healed.

Homeschool, football and a fractured toe..

The last 2 months Eric and Joseph have been in football. They have been having a blast and so have we. I love the lessons they are learning being part of a team.

Last Friday night Joseph pushed a chair over onto the top of his foot. After trying to play in his football game the next morning, he came out of the game in too much pain. We got him into the doctor and the x-ray showed a fracture in his first metatarsel on his right big toe. He has been in a lot of pain. Thankfully, 2 weeks of rest will heal it up just fine.

Also, I decided to put the kids back into public school. I hate it. The boys go all day, but Vanessa goes to Middle School and goes to 4 classes: Math, Orchestra, Reading, and English. I like her schedule a lot better because she comes home every day at 11:30am. The boys go all day and get home at 3:40ish. It's just too long.

The thing I hate the most about public school is the loss of control of what the kids learn. For example, the public system teaches about the founding of our country in a different light than I agree with. So, I have to keep in my kids faces and find out exactly what they are being told so I can correct it.

Since Vanessa gets out early in the day, I get to mold her education more. We spend our time planning meals, cooking, cleaning, going on errands, and just be together. It also gives Vanessa extra time for practicing her violin. I can't wait until next year when Eric starts middle school and I can put him into the classes I want and have him home earlier in the day too.

On a fun note, Jared and I are going to the Utah State University Aggie football game tonight. A few of his friends from Malt O-Meal invited us to go with them and their wives. I am really looking forward to it.