They come...and they go...

Today is my birthday.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Actually it was yesterday...which was 17 minutes ago, but who's counting?

Exactly. Who's counting? My mother-in-law brought the traditional cinnamon rolls over this morning (she does it for all our birthdays) and asked how old I was. I had to stop and think...for a good 2 minutes. When I reached my mid 30's I quit keeping track. I mean, what's the point after that? It's just a number after all.

My favorite part of the day was when my visiting teachers came over and brought lunch for me and my kids. No one has ever done anything like that for me before. It was so much fun! They gave me a picture of a wheat field because they knew how much I loved Elder Bednar's General Conference talk. I had mentioned how I wanted a picture of a wheat field to remind of being consistent. I was so touched by their thoughtfulness.

So as the song goes, I'm "one year older and wiser too!"

Actually, I've been contemplating that. How much wiser am I now as opposed to last year? So I went back through my posts to see what I learned this year and here's what I know:

Home is not a beautifully decorated house. Home is where my family is.

Biggest Loser workouts hurt.

Growing a garden is very satisfying, but just be sure to put chicken wire around the garden boxes before your cat messes up the perfectly planted rows of lettuce and carrots doing his business.

Sisters make life worth living. Oh, and brothers too...(hi boys!) (not like they read this or anything)

Juggling can be hard with so many balls, but Somebody is always catching the ones I miss.

I have the best husband in the world...sorry ladies.

Trees are strong and beautiful. I am a tree.

When you want to change other people, it really does work if you change yourself first.

Scripture reading produces soft feet.

Yoga is very satisfying, but painful!

And last, but not least: The Lord giveth and he taketh away, but in taking He is really giving.
(Haven't blogged about that one yet...)


What have you learned this year?

I Have A Dream

In the event you decide to try yoga, you will probably find that you enjoy it

But you will probably hobble around like an old lady for a few days

You will not enjoy going up and down stairs

You will not enjoy getting in and out of your smallish car

Or any other activity that involves moving from a standing position to a sitting position

(Including the loo)

And you will not be able to do this just yet:



But a girl can dream!

Tattooed

Today I met a Holocaust survivor.
She told us of her experiences.
She was 20 at the time.
She was in Auschwitz.
She has a tattoo.
A number.

A16786

It's on her arm.
She let us touch her tattoo.
It was an almost reverent experience.
She told to forgive those who trespass against us.
And she told us to always look forward to the future.
Her words and her spirit are forever tattooed upon my heart.

The Twilight Zone...

Have a great week!

Reflections Of The Sole

I have been blessed with dry skin. Yes, I said blessed.

Who, in their right mind, is grateful for dry skin?

OK, so I’m not always in my right mind…just stick with me.

For most of my life the soles of my feet have been dry and rough with deep, painful cracks. Putting on a pair of nylons without running them was nearly impossible. I have tried all kinds of remedies, but to no avail…until I met Burt.

Meet my best friend: Burt’s Bees' Coconut Foot Crème.

I have a little ritual. Every morning when I shower I scrub my feet with a pumice stone. Then after the shower I apply a liberal amount of the Foot Crème on my soles and slip on a pair of socks. I wear the socks as long as possible before getting ready to go. Sometimes at night I’ll put on more crème and wear the socks to bed. When I do this on a regular basis, my feet become soft and supple. I can wear nylons without running them. I can wear sandals and not be embarrassed by my cracked heels. Life is good.

But sometimes I get rushed…or lazy. I skip the pumice stone. Or I don’t want to take the time to rub the crème on and put on the socks. It’s a thick, oily crème that requires a little time to rub in (like maybe 30 seconds). So I skip that. If this only happens once or twice it’s not too noticeable. It might take a few times of getting back in the habit before my feet are soft again, but it’s not too hard.

Sometimes, however, I get out of the habit. Way out of the habit. So far out that my feet become very dry. They begin to crack. Then they begin to bleed. It is painful to walk on them. It hurts to put shoes on. Life is not good.

When I ponder on this as I am showering and scrubbing my feet I think of this scripture from Isaiah:

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! ~Isaiah 52:7

I have another little ritual. Every morning I awake at 5:50am. I get dressed and gather a pillow, a blanket, my scriptures and my ponderings journal. I drive my daughter to seminary and while she is in class I snuggle down in the seat, say a prayer, and read and ponder my scriptures. When I do this on a regular basis my soul becomes soft and supple. I am open to the inspirations of the spirit. I can “run and not be weary, and walk and not faint”. Life is good.

But sometimes I get rushed…or lazy. I skip on the scriptures and take a nap. Or sometimes I just rush through the reading and don’t take the time to really ponder and let the truths sink into my soul. If this only happens once or twice, it’s not too noticeable. It takes me a couple of mornings of getting back into the habit to keep my soul open to enlightment, but it’s not too hard.

Sometimes, however, I get out of the habit. Way out of the habit. So far out that my soul becomes very dry. Relationships become strained, sometimes even painful. I begin to crack. My soul begins to hurt. Life is not good.

My temporal condition is a daily reminder of my spiritual condition. My sole reflects my soul! If I want to keep my feet beautiful, I must take care of them daily. Every morning as I am getting ready for the day and I am tempted to skip the foot crème, I remember the pain of having dry, cracked heels and so I choose to apply the healing balm that will keep my feet soft and supple. Likewise, this little ritual reminds me that if I want to bring good tidings and peace to those around me, I must keep my soul beautiful by applying the healing balm of the Word of God each day.

And that, my friends, is why I am blessed with dry skin.