Joy!

What is Joy?  

Peter Kreeft a Christian philosopher said, " Joy is more than Happiness, just as happiness is more than pleasure.  Pleasure is in the body.  Happiness is in the mind and feelings. Joy is deep in the heart of the spirit, the center of the self.

I came across this song as I was studying joy and what it means.

I found it on a day when I was feeling rather hopeless.  As I was looking around at the world wondering if my children and my grandchildren will have a chance to find joy and peace in a world that is in chaos and commotion.

As I watched this video and listened to this song a few phrases stood out to me.

"Make peace with yourself-

Let's stick together

Nothing really matters, we have everything that we need

Take a big leap and jump right over 

I think joy can be found by remembering these key phrases.

Do what you need to do to truly find peace with in yourself. Do you need to forgive someone, do you need to apologies to someone, do you need to change a habit, do you need to be kinder to yourself.

Nothing really matters, we have everything we need

This is so true. We do have everything that we need to have joy.  We have a great family and we like each other and we like to be with each other.  We have the knowledge that we are an eternal family. We have beautiful surrounds. We have beautiful mountains and rivers,  beautiful sunrises and sunsets, we have beautiful clouds, and some days we have the bluest skies.  We have our talents that we can share with others, we have a gospel that brings us hope and peace. 

Also the phrase "stick together"  There is joy in relationships.  You can't find true joy when you are focused on yourself. Joy comes from looking through out the day to help others.  I have a better day when I ask the Lord to bless my eyes to be open that I may see those that can use a little help.  

The last phrase that stood out to me is "take a big leap and jump right over". Joy is a choice, it doesn't just happen.  

My life changed when Pres. Monson gave the talk Finding Joy in the Journey. One phrase stood out to me and it has shaped my life:

 "This is our one and only chance at mortal life—here and now. The longer we live, the greater is our realization that it is brief. Opportunities come, and then they are gone. I believe that among the greatest lessons we are to learn in this short sojourn upon the earth are lessons that help us distinguish between what is important and what is not. I plead with you not to let those most important things pass you by as you plan for that illusive and nonexistent future when you will have time to do all that you want to do. Instead, find joy in the journey—now.

I learned from this one phrase that this my one shot at mortality and I don't know how long my mortality will be. I could be gone tomorrow for all I know.  But when I die I want to be able to look back on my mortal life and say I lived life to the fullest and found joy in each day and in each moment. 

2 Nephi 2:25-Men are, that they might have joy

Choose Joy!

Love mom

My Love for Each of You

Since it is that time in life when you my children are starting to leave the safety of my home; you are headed out to discover who you are, what you believe, and what you will stand for.

I no longer have the opportunity to share a mom moment with each of you at family home evening so I thought that I would start a weekly "mom moment".

I recently went to the temple to figure out the my roll as a mom as each of you are getting older. I discovered that my new role as a mom is to be your calm in your storm and your anchor when you yourselves are not feeling anchored.

The mothers of the Stippling Warriors have always have been my hero's.  Because like them I want my children to be able to say " we do not doubt our mothers knew it" Alma 56:48

 “How is it that a human being can love a child so deeply that you willingly give up a major portion of your freedom for it? How can mortal love be so strong that you voluntarily subject yourself to responsibility, vulnerability, anxiety, and heartache and just keep coming back for more of the same? What kind of mortal love can make you feel, once you have a child, that your life is never, ever your own again? Maternal love has to be divine. There is no other explanation for it. What mothers do is an essential element of Christ’s work. Knowing that should be enough to tell us the impact of such love will range between unbearable and transcendent, over and over again, until with the safety and salvation of the very last child on earth, we can [then] say with Jesus, ‘[Father!] I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.Elder Holland, Oct. 2015

I want each of you to know that I will love you no matter what choices you make and the pathways you may take.  I will always be the calm in the storm and your anchor.

Here is a song that I like, and if at the end of each day you don't feel this way then let me know because I need to change.  Mother's Love

All my love, mom

Are your Burdens Heavy Part 2

 I took my own advice and the for the past couple of weeks I have been focusing on asking the Lord to help ease my burden.  I had a lot on my plate and I wanted help to deal with the stress that comes with being pulled in so many directions.  

So every morning I have been praying to the Lord to help my burdens to be lighter.  Which the Lord did, I have had very little stress with all that I had going and was able to clearly think through everything that I needed to do.  

However I was not prepared to have all my burdens eased, even burdens that I didn't realize that I had been carrying.  Twenty plus years ago someone I loved really hurt me emotionally.  I thought that I was over this experience, I held no grudges towards this person and I now have a great relationship with this person. So it shocked me when my husband pointed out that I truly had not dealt with the emotions and the scars that were left from this experience. 

I spent 24 hours crying and confronting the scars that were still in my heart. But when I asked the Lord to once again to ease y burden of the pain and hurt that I felt, it was gone in an instant.  But not until the burden had been lifted from my heart, did I realized how heavy laden I was because of the hurt I had been carrying. 

Richard G Scott said, “Complete healing will come through your faith in Jesus Christ and His power and capacity, through His Atonement, to heal the scars of that which is unjust and undeserved. You may find that hard to believe with your current feelings. I have witnessed how the Savior has healed aggravated cases of abuse in that way. Ponder the power of the Atonement.  Pray to understand how it can heal you.”   

I testify to you that if you will humbly go to the Lord and ask for your burdens to be eased he will ease them, even the burdens you didn't realized you had.

It had been a week since I had this experience.  The joy that I feel is amazing.  And my relationship with the person that hurt me; is even better that it was before.

I hope that you will take a leap of faith and ask the Lord to ease your burden on a regular base for a while.   See if the Lord reveals unto you any hidden burdens that you have been carrying, or maybe you are right in the middle of your burden.  Just keep praying with faith and humility and your prayers will be answered.