Happy Birthday Levi!!

Ten years ago today I got a call while at college saying that you were born. I even got to bring you and Mom home from the hospital. Every time I visited home I just couldn't get enough of you. I wanted to hold and squeeze you all the time
Now Elias and Haven just can't get enough of you. Happy Birthday Levi. You're a good boy and a kind uncle.

What I've learned in the past year.

I know, it's a strange time to be looking back at the last year and reflecting on how life has changed. However, this week marks the 1 year anniversary of when my little brother John passed away. I have been thinking lately about how experiences shape and mold us. My family and I are not the same people we were a little over a year ago. John's passing was a trying experience. One which I never hope to have to go through again, but I have a strong testimony that Heavenly Father gives us only the trials that we can bear and those that will help us to become more of what He needs us to be. Whenever my kids complain about things I try to help them remember the things they should be happy and grateful for, so in trying to practice what I preach I want to do just that. My brother John and this experience taught me the following things....

-FAMILIES ARE FOREVER. Families aren't just the people we hang out with on this earth. In our families we are building relationships that span the eternities. Our most quality and loving relationships should be within our families. Now I feel so much more aware of how much I truly love my family. I know where Johnny is, I know what he's doing and I know that I will be able to hang out with him again.

-KEEP A JOURNAL. At John's funeral instead of a eulogy we shared different parts out of John's journal. It was like he was right there talking to us. I loved it. And I love that I can open up his journal any time I'm missing him and just be immersed in him. In his journal John shared spiritual thoughts, fun happenings, and all kinds of different things that defined who he was. Most importantly he wrote in his journal his testimony of the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ which is an absolute treasure.

-HEAVENLY FATHER LOVES ALL HIS CHILDREN. God is aware of every intimate detail of our lives. In times that are hard he sends angels and tender mercies to us. The angels that I speak of are simple everyday people who supported my family in various ways during this particular trial. The food, prayers, money, hugs, flowers etc. were absolutely heaven sent.

-PETTY THINGS REALLY ARE PETTY. The first couple of days after John passed away when we were overflowing with emotions and love I remember reflecting on the things that occupied my thoughts in the days prior. Silly unimportant things really. Amidst the hardship in those initial moments my focus was clear and I understood what my priorities should be. Am I doing all I can do as a wife and mother? Am I building quality relationships with my family? Do I know my Savior Jesus Christ and do I use his Atonement in my life? Am I a good friend? What am I doing to strengthen myself mentally and spiritually? The list goes on and on. I have to say that I so easily forget about what's most important in life, but I'm trying to put what should be first, first more often.

I'm grateful for what my family and I have become since this experience. However,I'm not suggesting that we need another experience of the same nature anytime soon. To my family, I can't even express what you mean to me. My heart is full of gratitude for a Father in Heaven who is there for us during the good times and especially during the bad.

1 Man + 1 Woman = Marriage

Marriage has never been a simple celebration of love. At its very core, marriage forms the foundation of the future of society; the protection and celebration of husbands and wives to create and raise children. Love is paramount to the success of any marriage or family, but love itself does not fully define the depth of commitment and purpose embodied in this institution. Something as sacred and as essential as marriage cannot be tampered with without far reaching consequences. Once we start down the road of stretching the definition of marriage, that downward slide will not end until marriage has become so diluted as to mean nothing at all; its sacredness and uniqueness having been lost in trying to appease anyone who desires to be a part of such a special institution.

This doesn't even begin to explore the ways in which this destruction of marriage will reach its tentacles into every aspect of our daily lives. Most importantly Sexual Liberty will henceforth trump Religious Liberty and the very purpose for the birth of our nation will be forever buried, trodden under the foot of people who seek to protect their immediate pleasure at the expense of the future of society. The voice of the people will have been silenced by a small activist group seeking to make normal what is abnormal. Parent's right to govern what is presented to their children in schools will be quashed, again to gratify a small group who seek to sooth their wounded conscience. None of these changes will ever bring peace or normalcy to a lifestyle that defies nature. Thus, its proponents will tirelessly push for more and more, seeking to change the very nature of the world around them so they might feel more comfortable with the life they have chosen.
I must clarify that I harbor no ill feelings for anyone choosing to live an abberant lifestyle. I view every human being as deservent of the same respect and courtesy. However, that does not mean that every lifestyle or behavior needs to be celebrated and promoted. One can embrace one's fellows without embracing their beliefs. One can love a friend and not condone their faults. One can accept their fellow man without being forced to accept deviant acts as normal and constructive. Heaven knows that I have as many faults and weaknesses as any other of God's children, but I'm reasonable enough not to shove them down everyones throat.
This debate is a sure sign that society's moral compass is spinning out of control, that society's fabric is being cut up and torn apart for the gratification of a few at the expense of the many.


Below are parts I, II and III of a video exploring some of these concerns.