Category Archives: My Life Stories!

Opposition!

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I hate it, but “it must needs be, that we have an opposition in all things.”

According to a Book of Mormon prophet, Lehi it is part of our Heavenly Father’s plan. The plan that allows us to choose and experience life on earth.

The part that is not my favorite, is the part about going through bad, so we can appreciate the good.

I have been sick for the last few days. I was dealing with a lot of not pleasant things that my body was doing. And I had many thoughts cross my mind that I hate being sick. I don’t ever want to be sick!

I hate it!

Then I remind myself, if I was never sick, I wouldn’t appreciate how good it feels to be healthy. We actually had this illness going through our family. I told Kelsey, I don’t know how people who have to deal with a long term sickness do it. These people who don’t feel good for weeks, or years, and seem to still be able to have a positive attitude and a smile on their face. They are amazing. I’m grateful for their example.

I am so happy I’m feeling better.

And pray others who don’t feel good, will feel better as well.

Yay, for opposition!!! Yay, for bad and good! God is great and I’m grateful for His beautiful plan of happiness!

Family History Friday: Collectables #8 Grandma Norma’s China

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My Grandma Norma loved beautiful things.

She didn’t have a lot.

She and Grandpa were married during the depression and did their best to make a beautiful home for my mom and her sister.

When my mom was old enough to get a job, she saw this beautiful set of china and bought it for her mom. I love that! She was thinking about something her mom would like to have, and got it for her.

When I got my first job, I don’t remember thinking about my mom, except that she wouldn’t have to buy me school clothes anymore.

Years ago my mom invited me and my Darlin over for dinner. Just us two with my mom and dad. It was so special. She served dinner on these dishes. They felt very light weight and delicate. I thought, if my mom ever gives these to me, they will never be eaten on again. I was so afraid they would break.

Well, she did give them to me!

They are on display in my china hutch.They mean so much to me, because she bought them for her mom with money from her first job!

There are so many stories that are associated with the things we have in our lives. Don’t forget to tell the stories to those you love, and especially to someone who might eventually have the things in their home.

They can pass the item down to their kids along with the story!

Happy Family History Friday! Love, Joy

“…What Matters Most”

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I love this misty picture of our new, old house. Built in 1906.

For the last little while I have not been my best self.

I do put quite a bit of pressure on myself to get things done. I am always trying to do so many things that at the end of the day I usually say, “I didn’t get enough done.” or “I feel like I’ll never get this or that finished.”

So with our move almost 3 years ago, I really struggled with feeling my best. I have depression, and I had just been through one of the biggest changes of my life.

We moved after living in the same house and neighborhood for 18 years. We moved to a smaller house planning for the future and simplifying our lives, which made us empty nesters. I had looked forward to this time, but did not anticipate how hard it would actually be. We had all our kids with us at the other house, including our married son, his wife and our grandbaby, who lived in a little apartment in the basement. We saw them all the time. Our middle two kids had been home from LDS missions for a couple of years, and we had just received our youngest daughter home from her LDS mission in December and moved in March. I still struggle with that, because I wish I’d had more time with her at home before she got married. Now she’s married and lives about 45 minutes away and I usually only see her every other week for Sunday dinner.

FYI. I took the love language test and my love language is time.

So there came a time shortly after the move that I could not stop crying. I have taken medication for depression for many years, but it wasn’t helping this sadness. This sadness, was coming from knowing that my time of being a mom with my children at home was over. I was so lonesome for them. They were raised, and now adults living on their own. My usual routine was completely different.

There were days I couldn’t leave the house. There were days when I didn’t get much done at all. There were also times I felt like my eyes would always be swollen from crying. I practiced saying many positive mantras, lot’s of prayer, focusing on blessings, and the beauty of the world around me, and I think we tweaked my medication.

As I was studying one day, I found a talk by Elder David A. Bednar. In it he talks about spending a Sunday afternoon with one of the other apostles Elder Robert D. Hales as he was recovering from an illness. Elder Bednar asked Elder Hales to share a lesson he had learned through all of his responsibilities as he has grown older and been constrained by decreased physical capacity.

He said,  “When you cannot do what you have always done, then you only do what matters most.”

This was perfect for me especially as I adjusted to my new life as an empty nester, my new routine, neighborhood, and house. I had to be patient with myself. I had to say “No” when people asked me to do this or that, knowing it was too much for me at that time. I am doing much better, now. I still have days that are tough sometimes, but I know that, when I cannot do what I have always done, then I only do what matters most.

I am so grateful for lesson’s!

Beautiful Places-Zion National Park

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Zion National Park in Southern Utah.

It was so breathtaking!

Shear cliffs on all sides. You can’t drive through the whole thing anymore, there are too many people who visit. You park at the Visitor Center and ride buses with huge windows through the main attractions, getting off when and where you wanted to stop. Buses come by every 10 minutes or so. It was so fun though.

One of my favorite places was a place call “Weeping Rock”. About half way down this shear cliff, water in coming out of the rock. There is no obvious source. It drips down the side of the rock leaving moss growing there. Just a short distance below where the water starts coming out of the rock the rock caves in like the beginning of an arch. You can hike up and stand under where the water drips without getting wet.

It was beautiful!
On the road with some of our friends that we went with. They kept their sun roof open so we could enjoy the sights. So much fun!
This is our group of friends we went with. They are beautiful, too!

These Big Horn Sheep were not intimidated by us at all. They were just eating right next to the car. I was tempted to give this one below a pat on the rear, and I almost could have reached him, or her.

If you ever get the chance, visit Zion National Park.

It is such a beautiful place!

If I’d Only Known…It Will Be Wonderful!

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18 Years Old

When I was just a young girl,

in my teens, I would day dream about being married and having a family,

someday.

I wanted so much to be loved by a wonderful man, and to be the mama to some darling children.

I really wasn’t sure it would ever happen.

I had a lot of self esteem issues.

I didn’t think anyone would ever want to be married to me. I thought I wasn’t pretty enough; skinny enough, fun enough, lovable enough for someone to want to be with me.  And if there was never someone who wanted to be with me, then I would never get to be a mama. I always felt, and still feel, that the best place to raise children is with a mom and a dad married. These are my beliefs and feelings, based on how I was raised. So if no one ever loved me, I would never marry, and never be a mom.

I know this sounds a little dramatic, but I was a teenager thinking like a teenager.

I just wish I could have had my grandma self come visit for a bit, with my teenager self. It would have helped me to be able to relax and not worry so much.

I would tell my teenage self,

“You are beautiful and very lovable!” 

I would tell myself how wonderfully blessed your husband will feel to have you in his life.

That your children will admire the way you keep going even when you are overwhelmed and sad. I would tell my younger self that it might take a little time,

but it will happen,

and it will be wonderful!

You will be older than you thought you’d like to be married, but you will have good experiences that will add to your knowledge of life and how to live and love people.

Experiences that you would never trade.

23 Years Old

 

Then after some time you will have what you dream of, and it will be worth the wait, and oh, so, precious.

The best part of all of it?

Grandbabies!!

—-

Why are we so hard on ourselves?

Why do we not just trust our Father in Heaven has blessings, wonderful blessings coming our way? If I’d only known then, what I know now, I think I would not have been so hard on myself, I would have enjoyed the process of going through life, a little more.

Maybe there is something to that.

Maybe we need to trust, have faith that Heavenly Father wants us to be happy and even though sometimes we have to go through hard things to get to the happiness, we can do our best to enjoy the process. Have “Joy” in the journey! It all worked out and I worried so much.

Happily Married for 32 Years!

One thing is for sure, I’m so happy to be where I am now. So thankful for a sweet Darlin, the opportunity to be a mom, mother-in-law, and grandma! Life is a blessing!

“Don’t Postpone a Prompting.”

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Having family members that I love and wanting to show them love is difficult at times. The older we all get, especially extended family, the harder it is to keep in touch and “love” each of them.

To me love = time.

That may not be how others receive love, but I usually have more time than money so that is how I show it.

The Prophet Thomas S. Monson said, “When [the Spirit] speaks, wise men and women obey. We do not postpone following promptings of the Spirit.” 

A few months ago I had a prompting.

I kept having thoughts of our nephew come to my mind. We hadn’t seen him for a while, and I said to my Darlin,

“We need to take Pearce out to dinner.”

I texted him, “Brett and I want to take you to dinner!’

He answered, ” Of course! What’s the occasion?”

I said, “We just love you! It’s a celebration of love!”

He said, “I’m a huge fan!”

We met him for dinner, and had such a nice visit. Our sweet nephew made a deal with the waitress to pay for the dinner. It was our idea, and he paid. What a sweet guy! We were so glad we had that time with him. He passed away in November. Can you imagine how I would feel if I hadn’t followed through on the prompting.

It takes time and effort to love each other, but it is worth it. I know that Pearce knew we loved him and that is so important to me. Another thing about the Spirit is that I feel like I will have help in knowing when to do something to show love, especially if I listen and do what the Spirit tells me. He will know I’m listening.

I will always remember how good it feels to do what I have been prompted to do.

Our Third Home.

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While I was about 6-7 years old, we lived in our second home while my dad built our third home.

This was a busy time for my dad. He would work all day long and then  come home and work on the house until it was dark, sometimes he would work until after dark. I have no idea how he did it. How he came up with the drive to go and go like that, but he did. He did the majority of the work by himself. In his personal history, my dad said that he had help from the Elders Quorum (church group) putting up the huge 30 foot beams, no cranes were available to help lift them into place.

I remember missing my dad while he built this home, because it felt like he was always gone. Our second home was just down the hill from where my dad was building, and I remember before I went to bed looking up the hill and seeing the light on, knowing that he was still working so hard. My mama was always holding down the fort. She was the one who was always there, and supporting my dad and his dream of building a home himself. I have wonderful parents then, and now.

Finally, we were able to move in. It was such a nice home. It had beautiful fireplaces made with used bricks. Some of the walls were made with old barn wood. It was very beautiful and unique. It was a solid, well built home that had so much of my dads time and love in it.

The most fond memory I have from living in that house was that there was a creek across the street. No other homes nearby. I would spend hours there, playing by the creek. I was alone a lot, there were only a few friends, and they were not close by. I don’t mind being by myself for periods of time even now, and I’m thankful for my time alone there.

I will always look back on my time in our third home with happy memories and a love and respect for my parents who sacrificed so much for our family.

Keep Talking

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For some reason I just keep talking.

In elementary school my teachers would say, “Stop talking!” My parents would come to parent teacher conferences and the teachers would say, “She talks a lot. She might get more work done, if she didn’t talk so much.”

I remember having the hardest time doing my work, and not talking. I didn’t do it very well.

I didn’t do it very well for many years, like 13 years.

I’ve learned that talking is a gift I have been given. I’m glad I decided to keep talking. I don’t think my teachers in school would mind me talking now.

When I meet new people, I talk to them and it is so fun! I believe it helps them to feel comfortable.

When I am with my family and friends, I talk to them and ask them how they are doing. I tell them I love them, and that they are so important to me. 

When I see people at the store, on the street, or anywhere, I talk to them. I love people. I love to hear about their lives, their jobs, their families, and more.

I am so grateful that I have a gift for talking, and that I never stopped talking. I will

keep talking

for the rest of my life. I will try to bless others by helping them feel comfortable around me, and by showing an interest in their lives.  

 

Beautiful, Happy Places-The Yard

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I love spending time in the yard. It is so enjoyable to work, and plant, and make it a wonderful place to spend time! The yard is our little bit of heaven. We enjoy spending as much time as possible in the yard. When the kids and grandkids are home, this is mostly where we are. 

I found this cute little trolly in the garage. It belonged to my maternal grandpa and I decided it would be a great addition to the patio. 

All it needed was a fresh coat of paint. It’s fun to use the things we’ve collected through the years and give them a purpose. Now it is functional and I think of grandpa when I look at it!

I love it!!!

Bloom Where You’re Planted!

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Life is all about change.

It is about moving forward, learning new things, and experiencing new experiences. It may be moving to a new home, starting a new job, welcoming a new baby, becoming an empty nester or saying goodbye to someone close to you who has passed on.

 I have never been afraid to try new things, to quit a job and move on, if that job that isn’t a good fit.

Sometimes the changes are not what we want, and sometimes they are our choice.

I have a new job.

I feel sad that I will not see the sweet little daycare kids I have grown to love.

I will get to see something I love, and have always loved my whole life!

Flowers!

My new job is working at a flower shop. I am hoping to have a wonderful experience with this change in my life. Flowers help people feel loved. They say someone is thinking of you. I feel like what I do at this new job is blessing other peoples lives, helping them at difficult times, happy times, and everyday moments.

I love it!

What a great opportunity for me! I will “Bloom Where I’m Planted!” at my new job!