Today...

Today I am grateful for words from living prophets that I can learn and grow from. I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), or as some may call me...a mormon. We believe that God speaks to man today in our time, just as He did in ancient times. We can learn His words through modern revelation to the prophets and apostles that guide our church, as well as through reading the scriptures. It is such a wonderful blessing to know that I can learn from the words of ancient and modern prophets what the Lord wants me to do!

This evening I was reading a talk by Pres. Uchtdorf that really spoke to me. He talked about how easy it is to be busy and get caught up in everyday life, but that we should slow down and focus on the things that matter most. He told about how if you're going over a speed bump in a car, you slow down instead of speed up. So when life stresses you out, you should slow down and focus on the essentials. There are so many things that we think we have to do that we don't really have to do (at least for me...). Clean the house, go to the store to get a great deal, even blog.

I have been thinking a lot lately about how I can teach and protect my children from the wicked ways of the world. This talk helped me realize that "We would do well to slow down a little, proceed at the optimum speed for our circumstances, focus on the significant, lift up our eyes, and truly see the things that matter most... "for it is not requisite that we should run faster than we have strength." " - Pres. Uchtdorf

So, the goals I have set for myself after reading this talk are:

1- I am going to try improve my relationship with my Heavenly Father
2- I am going to try to be less selfish and spend more time playing with my kids by turning off my computer, not worrying how messy my house is, and finding joy just being with my wonderful kiddos
3- I'm going to continue to find ways to be grateful and try to see myself as my Heavenly Father sees me and not how I see me with all my imperfections.

I know there are people with many different religious backgrounds, but I hope that we can be united in our faith in Jesus Christ! I hope that you can find ways that the Lord has blessed you everyday of your life as well, even if it's just one thing! He loves all of us, and if you just look around you, I know you will find that this is true!

So Grateful!

Today was a wonderful day! Why, you ask? Well...

For Christmas, I made my parents and my in-laws a tile that said, "Cultivate within your hearts an Attitude of Gratitude." -Pres. Monson

Ever since Pres. Monson talked about having an attitude of gratitude I have tried to do that in my life. Today I was overwhelmed with gratitude for every little thing I did!

-waking up next to the love of my life
-watching Ariel with my daughter
-teaching my little girl to be patient while I blow-dried my hair (we've been working on patience a lot, luckily she's starting to understand)
-the trees and snowcapped mountains as I was driving
-having to pick up a piano book for my student because it means I have a (small) job
-singing primary songs with my daughter after lunch
-cuddling with my little boy for 20 seconds while he was watching tv
-baking bread with my daughter- she's great at cracking the eggs
-visiting my husband at work with said warm bread
-playing with the kids after dinner
-my cousin called me who I haven't talked to in over 2 years because she lives in Colorado.

It was a wonderful day! I am so grateful to have a great husband, great kids, and the gospel in my life! What more could I ever ask for?!