Mother's day thoughts

Sometimes (maybe often) my thoughts are unusual.  I'm feeling a little different about Mother's Day. I am very grateful for my mother.  She is amazing and good. She not only gave me life but also gave me abundant living.  She continues to love me unconditionally (as well as others) and she continues to support me and think I am amazing.

bunnies, finally another successful litter

I have also been wishing I knew a bit more about my grandmothers - for generations.  I remember fondly my immediate grandmothers and appreciate them but wish I knew more of their thoughts, their dreams, their love and testimony.  When I try and go any further back, there is almost no more information than major dates and names.  It is hard to get to know someone when they don't share their story.  I am hoping and praying that my children are developing positive relationships and happy memories with their grandparents.

The unusual part of my thoughts are that for Mother's day I was more excited to get something for my daughters than my mothers.  I love my mothers (my own and mil) but I feel such amazing gratitude for the opportunity to be a mother.  I have given birth to 8 children. Some might feel that is a burden and it is truly hard work at times but I have no regrets in the sacrifices that are required in raising a family.  My family is spread out.  I have been having babies for 21 years.  Now my first baby is 27 and my youngest is almost 6.  I have spent more than 27 years raising a family and I LOVE it.  I don't look forward to an empty nest.  I don't have some big agenda just waiting until I get free of this obligation.  This is my purpose and I make plenty of mistakes along the way.  It is not always easy to see the rewards.  Sometimes it is down right hard to keep the long term goals in sight.  It is getting down in the nitty gritty of daily living.  It is providing the menial tasks and the thankless jobs because I get to serve some of the most amazing spirits to ever come to this earth.  It is planting tiny seeds in the mud and yuck with the hope of miracles.  I can't see all the potential in each seed.  It takes years to grow and become all it was created to become but I get to watch and help the process.  I get to rejoice with each new shoot the plant sets off.  I get to see each bloom open.  I get to endure the storms with them, the pruning, the blossoming and finally the bearing fruit.

This year as I think about Mother's day I feel grateful that a few children where willing to come to my family and allow me to be the mother.  I feel to celebrate that I have daughters just beginning that  path.  They are just watching those little seedlings breaking forth from the dry ground and things may look a little difficult, even overwhelming but they are willing and so very much more capable than I was.  They will make mistakes and together they will learn the things they need to.  They have been given their own purpose and plan and they are embracing that role of woman.  It includes wife, mother, nurturer.

My thoughts turn to celebrating their journey.  My desire is to do all I can to encourage, support, sustain, be a listening ear, a cheer leader, a shoulder to cry on.  I feel an overflowing gratitude for my family and that mothering never ends.  I continue to need my mother.  I wish and hope to know the many grandmothers.  For now I will seek to be the mother others in my life may need and I hope to recognize and appreciate the many women that mother me in my journey.

Some favorite links on mothering

• http://www.aholyexperience.com/2012/05/the-habit-of-a-mother-who-changes-the-world/
• http://www.aholyexperience.com/2012/05/what-every-mother-has-to-know-before-mothers-day/
• http://momastery.com/blog/2012/01/04/2011-lesson-2-dont-carpe-diem/

Staying odd, weird, or peculiar

I recently had an interesting discussion about alternative health care.  The majority of the room felt like responsible parents/people rely on traditional medicine.  I don't.  I feel like too many people turn their responsibility over to an "expert".  They want to find a doctor who will sympathize, give them a quick fix, or be willing to put them on a path of experts, medications, side effects and more medications.  I am not anti-Western medicine.  I am pro - think it through, study it out, take responsibility for your self, learn to handle things at home, trust the creator, seek to understand the body.  Ask more questions.  Seek  answers from a variety of sources and make an educated decision.  We are each different.  Doctors don't know or understand everything.  Drugs can't fix everything.  I think anyone would agree.  The scary part comes when we admit that there might be another way to take care of an ailment, a discomfort, a problem.  That is when we may need to do things differently than the popular norm.

I came away realizing again that I am odd.  I like questioning tradition.  I don't want to do it just because that is the way it has always been done or everyone else is doing it.  I do believe is respecting civil decency, high moral standards, customs. . .  I also believe in personal responsibility, personal revelation, and personal mission and purpose.  I believe that there is more than one "right way".

One of the many ways I choose a less traveled road is in education.  We homeschool.  Many people are beginning to look at the possibility of doing it or at least allowing others to do it.  I am grateful for choices and for those who take the time to consciously choose their course, their path.  I'm always looking to understand better and learn from others who have divergent thinking, new ideas, different answers to the old questions.  Some recent sources that I highly recommend.

1.  Tall One shared this book, insisted that I read it and is anxious to get his friends and eventually someone at the local high school to read it.  It is called Stop Stealing Dreams and is a free online book about learning, education, and  the real needs of education.

2. Ken Robinson on TED has some interesting ideas about education, creativity and how are schools are doing.


http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html
http://www.ted.com/talks/sir_ken_robinson_bring_on_the_revolution.html
http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_changing_education_paradigms.html

3.  Other recent Eye opening reading was The Alchemist.  I actually got it in audiobook form and enjoyed listening to it.

Back to the original health issues, I believe that we just have to get smarter.  There are people on every side of things that have had success, been deceived, have spent way too much money, or been able to improve their standard of health.We must be willing to seek out what is best for us. And then to trust those answers.

Recently while discussing menapause a family member said that she had taken a particular drug because she had been having hot flashes.  Yes, it could give her breast cancer but she didn't care.  To me that does not make sense. The point brought up in the discussion the other night is the "proven scientific results" of drugs or diagnosis.

Doctors practice medicine.  They spend a lot of time becoming qualified and then they try to remember everything they were taught and please the patient.  The pharmaceutical companies are there to educate them on the newest drug options, offer samples, and hope for the best.  The number of side effects that require additional treatment can be staggering. Doctors can't fix everything. I am grateful for what they can do and especially for their willingness and efforts.  If we would take better care of those things within our ability maybe they would have more time to figure out the big stuff.  If we would take time to learn from our challenges, maybe we would become better, find ways to help others and discover that God has provided many answers that are often safer and healthier.

I guess my goal is to make choices with my eyes wide open, be willing to trust my instinct and be willing to admit that sometimes we get to do leave the norm and find something better.

help with prayer

I started reading with a schedule called Standard Works Scripture Guide which has me reading 4 different areas of the standard works everyday.  If I keep up the 1/2 hour reading schedule daily I will read all the standard works in 1 year.  I have never done that.  I'm excited with the possibility.  The Old Testament is the only book I have never quite made it all the way through.

Today I read Mormon 9.  In verse 21 it says

 21 Behold, I say unto you that whoso believeth in Christ, doubting nothing, ^awhatsoever he shall ask the Father in the name of Christ it shall be granted him; and this ^bpromise is unto all, even unto the ends of the earth.

Life is tough right now for many of the people I love.  There are hard things that they are going through that are not obvious to the world and some that are.  They are good people, righteous, who are seeking the Lords help and guidance.  Here we are given a promise that we will receive.  I know we are told this other places too but I hadn't seen this one.  It gives cousel - doubting nothing.  It reminds me of the father that asked Christ to heal his son who said "yea I believe, help thou my unbelief".  Maybe it is like Thomas who doubted and thought to know he had to see but was ashamed when he did see to realize the blessing of knowing could and should have been his already.

How do we doubt nothing?
It seems that there are always doubts creeping up and we continually battle to keep our faith sure and firm.  Maybe believing in Christ is something we can do without doubting.  We know he lives.  We know he loves us.  We know his atonement is real.  Maybe if the doubts creep in about if we ar asking amiss, if we are worthy of the blessings we seek, if we want to make sure we are faithfully including "nevertheless, not my will but thine".  I think sometimes we believe in Christ but we don't believe Christ.  We doubt him or our ability to follow him.  We just need to be one "whoso believeth in Christ".

I then turned to my reading assignment in Psalms 34

 4 I ^asought the Lord, and he ^bheard me, and delivered me from all my fears.

 5 They looked unto him, and were ^alightened: and their faces were not ashamed.

 6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.

Here we get more direction.  Sought, looked, cried.  The Lord heard me, took away shame, heard him, saved him out of ALL his troubles.

 8 O ^ataste and see that the Lord is ^bgood: blessed is the man thattrusteth in him.

 9 O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.

 Another promise "no want" to them that fear him.  How do we fear him or more fully trust him.

 11 Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

David says he will teach us.

 13 Keep thy ^atongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking ^bguile.

 14 Depart from evil, and do ^agood; seek ^bpeace, and pursue it.

Here is where I can take an inventory and invite the Lord  to show me where I am coming short of "fearing" him.  He can show me how to be better.  Already I recognize that not all of my words have been filled with love.  I have had to do some forgiving lately and teach my children and it is not easy, especially when I dwell on the "wrong" I have felt.  I'm also seeing that my words reflect my thoughts, reflect my heart.  Maybe remembering verse 8 would help.  Remembering the times I have tasted of the Lord's blessings. He is always good and I can trust him.

 17 The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and ^adelivereth them out of all their troubles.

 18 The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and^asaveth such as be ^bof a contrite spirit.

 19 Many are the ^aafflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.

It seems that as I seek to please the Lord, to love him, he will stay nigh.  Even if I were perfectly righteous I will experience afflictions (many) but the Lord delivereth me!  I feel like I need to understand how to better forgive, to have a contrite spirit.  To realize the grudges that I may be holding and the part that they play in my penitence.

My other reading assignments for today include Genesis 43 where Joseph works through his forgiving process.  And the 4th area that my scripture reading began in today was Luke 24:1-12 where I read about even his apostles having a moment of doubt and misunderstanding.  They didn't realize that Jesus meant what he said in a very real way.  They too believed in him but didn't always believe him.  Then because of their desire and love they were taught, their prayers were answered.

Finally, because I need to better understand, I go to the Bible dictionary where I read

As soon as we learn the true relationship in which we stand toward God (namely, God is our Father, and we are his children), then at once prayer becomes natural and instinctive on our part (Matt. 7:7–11). Many of the so-called difficulties about prayer arise from forgetting this relationship. Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other. The object of prayer is not to change the will of God, but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant, but that are made conditional on our asking for them. Blessings require some work or effort on our part before we can obtain them. Prayer is a form of work, and is an appointed means for obtaining the highest of all blessings.

No wonder it can be hard.  Prayer is a form of work.  A work to which I am called and commanded.  A work that is never done but always worth it.  It is a never ending work but I wouldn't want it to end. It is a fulfilling work. It is my communication with my Father in the name of Jesus Christ my redeemer.  It is in itself a blessing and it is the means of more blessings and my loving Heavenly Father has stores of blessings awaiting.  I can and will be blessed and he will even help me get better at making choices, living, and praying.

some recent fun

 These three came down for breakfast all trying to dress similarly

 Then while reading Man of the Family they decided to make stilts and had a great time being much taller.

We also got to be a part of Hope of America and enjoyed singing some great songs

Doing online classes at home means you can move outside with the weather.  Williamsburg Academny has been a great experience for Tall One

 This was my breakfast call on my birthday. They brought makings for yogurt parfaits and it was delicious food and friends.  One of my favorite things about these friends is we do things as family.  Girl time is fun but families together is great.

fun friends

To my Dear Bishop friends:

You always plan such fun parties.  You provide the ideas, the food, the friends, and the toys.  I didn't know cattails could be so fun and expand so much.

 I didn't know they could be so fun as weapons - swords and spears.

Then came the rock climbing. 

 The children make it look so easy

 You helped me face my fear of heights and get on top. (where I could properly supervise and worry over all the little ones up there.)

 I didn't know such sweet ordinary looking ladies could have so much fun talking and wandering around a closed campground.

 Or that a simple looking rope swing could be so much fun and such a challenge.  My dear friends help me discover my weaknesses . . .

 I almost made it but they

 show me how to do it in style,

 and then so I don't feel bad, you show me how not to do it.

 As well as a bit of compassion from your sweet daughter.

 with Melody finishing it all off with ease.

 then as we are walking out we discover another fun, beautiful place to get wet with two would-be mermaids with sassy attitude :)

Thank you for a wonderful picnic with lots of good memories made with great friends.  We are glad to be adopted into the Bishop family.  I hate to think what might happen when Mr. O is released and we can no longer claim the status of bishop's family.

All's grace,
Rebecca

Share the Good News

May I bear witness to you also that He lives.  I love my Savior Jesus Christ and I am so grateful for His atonement.  I rejoice in this good news.  I thank my Heavenly Father for the gift of His Son.

We have been enjoying a whole month of celebrating Christ as we prepare for Easter thanks to Cocoa's sharing her great ideas.  Go here to see.  We gathered different bare branches around the yard and have watched them come alive as we decorate them and learn more of Jesus Christ.  The apple blossoms in the back should be out any day now.  We will finish Easter morning as we celebrate the Resurrection.  

 My creative boys have made their own scripture bags with duct tape.   Ike used half a cereal box for his base.  Tall One went from scratch, used his own bag as a pattern and created his solely out of duck tape and a Walmart zipper.  I was totally impressed.  He received no help from me (not that I would have been any good).  One day soon Doodle and I are hoping to make a cute one with fabric.

Today is also April 6!  I had hoped to be more organize and celebrate Christmas, the organization of the restored Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and Passover which is extra special because it is also beginning the Jewish Sabbath tonight.  Time got the best of me and other distractions so we are settling for going out to dinner (that almost never happens in our family) and then coming home to watch the 10 Commandments.  It will still be great.  Some times simple is best.