Wednesday, January 22, 2020
Sunday, January 5, 2020
Caleb
Caleb Updates:
Caleb makes me chuckle, and he's at a stage where literally everything he does is cute or funny to me. Maybe it's because he is the baby of the family and I know that each stage is fleeting, I need to be careful I still discipline him even though he is cute.
Caleb has been learning to not wet his diaper at night time. If he can keep his diaper dry for a month, he will get to pick out a toy. It's kind of a big deal. He really wants to be successful, so the other morning he proudly told me that he was dry. He showed me his pull-up, and all may have been well, but I got suspicious when he pointed at the picture on the front and said, "see, same picture". That's odd, I thought. I asked him if he was lying to me, he said, "nope, I am dry mommy, just don't go look in my bedroom because there is a surprise for you in there." I took a few steps toward his room and he blocked the doorway with his body and yelled for me not to go in there. I went in anyway and found all of the pull-ups out (he was searching for one with the same picture on it). I also found a very wet pull-up. We talked about lying, he lied again a few nights later. I went to tuck him in and he told me that he didn't need a tuck in. That's odd, I thought again. Cub LOVES his tuck-ins. I tucked him in against his protests and found he had hidden his wet diapers under his blanket. You should have seen his tears or remorse and heard his sweet voice when he told me he didn't know how to stay dry. We had another talk. He's now been dry for five nights. Yay!
The other day to Joshua he said, "I'll give you an ice cream cone if you play with me." Joshua played with him, and asked where his ice cream was (knowing full well he was talking to a four year old). Caleb pretended to cut off his arms and said, oops, now you can't have an ice cream cone because I cut your arms off and you can't hold it anymore.
The other day he told me he could smell his boogers and that they smell like cheese.
Caleb and Hannah love making friends with old people. Everywhere we go, they want to talk to old people. I took the two of them to the Dr for Hannah's scans and the place was full of old people. They became good friends with a woman named Sue. She was 80. Half way through waiting, Caleb plugged his nose and said, "ew! It smells like poop in here!"
He is really into Legos. It's all he wanted for Christmas. But, before Christmas, he didn't have very many and he was constantly taking Joshua's Legos and building with them. Joshua would question him and he would say, "Well, I builded with them so they are mine now."
Caleb makes me chuckle, and he's at a stage where literally everything he does is cute or funny to me. Maybe it's because he is the baby of the family and I know that each stage is fleeting, I need to be careful I still discipline him even though he is cute.
Caleb has been learning to not wet his diaper at night time. If he can keep his diaper dry for a month, he will get to pick out a toy. It's kind of a big deal. He really wants to be successful, so the other morning he proudly told me that he was dry. He showed me his pull-up, and all may have been well, but I got suspicious when he pointed at the picture on the front and said, "see, same picture". That's odd, I thought. I asked him if he was lying to me, he said, "nope, I am dry mommy, just don't go look in my bedroom because there is a surprise for you in there." I took a few steps toward his room and he blocked the doorway with his body and yelled for me not to go in there. I went in anyway and found all of the pull-ups out (he was searching for one with the same picture on it). I also found a very wet pull-up. We talked about lying, he lied again a few nights later. I went to tuck him in and he told me that he didn't need a tuck in. That's odd, I thought again. Cub LOVES his tuck-ins. I tucked him in against his protests and found he had hidden his wet diapers under his blanket. You should have seen his tears or remorse and heard his sweet voice when he told me he didn't know how to stay dry. We had another talk. He's now been dry for five nights. Yay!
The other day to Joshua he said, "I'll give you an ice cream cone if you play with me." Joshua played with him, and asked where his ice cream was (knowing full well he was talking to a four year old). Caleb pretended to cut off his arms and said, oops, now you can't have an ice cream cone because I cut your arms off and you can't hold it anymore.
The other day he told me he could smell his boogers and that they smell like cheese.
Caleb and Hannah love making friends with old people. Everywhere we go, they want to talk to old people. I took the two of them to the Dr for Hannah's scans and the place was full of old people. They became good friends with a woman named Sue. She was 80. Half way through waiting, Caleb plugged his nose and said, "ew! It smells like poop in here!"
He is really into Legos. It's all he wanted for Christmas. But, before Christmas, he didn't have very many and he was constantly taking Joshua's Legos and building with them. Joshua would question him and he would say, "Well, I builded with them so they are mine now."
Saturday, January 4, 2020
Teachings of The Spirit
For some years now, I have been getting small impressions about how our trials are blessings. Trials that are given to us by a loving Father in Heaven can be a source of joy and can be a catalyst for an abundance of growth, spiritual learning, and an ultimate intimacy with Divinity. Particularly, the trials that come from death of loved ones has been on my mind, but not just the trials but the tender, loving mercies and blessings given by Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ to those who suffer so faithfully through the trials of death.
I have been a quiet witness and I have watched many around me who have had tragedies of death befall them, and yet they continue down faithful paths, embraced along the way by Divine beings and angels on both sides of the veil. I have watched their examples for years, and I have learned along the way about how, if such tragedy befalls me, how I would navigate something so hard. I would do it with a heart full of faith and gratitude. Gratitude for the knowledge that I have that this life is only a stepping stone along the path of our eternal journeys, that we can be eternally with those we love if we walk a covenant path--always trusting in Heavenly Father and never doubting in His eternal plan of happiness. I would strive to keep a spiritual connection with those loved ones who have passed on ahead of me. That I would fine-tune my spiritual ears so that they would still be ever apart of my life and an influence of good in my earthly journey. These thoughts have developed within me, never with any sort of trepidation or fear. Never has anxiety accompanied them. That's how I know that it is the spirit that has taught me.
Today, I experienced a similar teaching pattern about this subject. I was reading about one of these examples I have discussed and a quiet thought came over me. It was as though the Lord was talking to me, as He has in the past, through the Holy Ghost. It was a spiritual impression, not so much of words, but of feelings and words together. He seemed to say to me, "I prepare you for the trials that come to you. You have been prepared for everything you would face in this life. A trial of this magnitude did not come to you when you were young, you were not ready. I lovingly prepare you for the hard things you will face." That was the thought, the next thought was this: "Write these thoughts down." I hesitated for a few moments, worried about how it would sound if I wrote them down. However, the thought came again to record it, and to record it today, so that I would remember that the Lord loves me and prepares me for all of the hard things I will face. And so, I am writing it down.
I do not know if a death of a loved one close to me is in my near future, however, I do know that at some point, we all must die. Because our Father loves us, He wants us to return to Him. Death is just that door, rather that passageway, that carries us home. Life continues in ways that we have only just forgotten. Our spirits live on to await that day when we will be reunited with our bodies.
Many years ago, I had written in my journal about how my testimony of the Plan of Salvation had grown and how I had added knowledge of that plan. The next entry in that journal was the death of my two cousins, Micheal and Amanda. I learned then, at the age of 13, that the Lord had prepared me for what would be, at that point in my life, the hardest trial that I had yet experienced.
Great blessings, and a closer intimacy with our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ await those who draw near unto them in such times of need. Every single one of the examples I have watched who have experienced death of loved ones and allowed themselves to learn and grow from the experience, every single one has said something along the lines of, although it is heart wrenching and so difficult, they would not trade the lessons and experiences they gained along the way. That has become a powerful testimony builder to me that the faithful receive Heavenly embraces along the way. That's what I would seek, if ever something so difficult happened to me.
I have been a quiet witness and I have watched many around me who have had tragedies of death befall them, and yet they continue down faithful paths, embraced along the way by Divine beings and angels on both sides of the veil. I have watched their examples for years, and I have learned along the way about how, if such tragedy befalls me, how I would navigate something so hard. I would do it with a heart full of faith and gratitude. Gratitude for the knowledge that I have that this life is only a stepping stone along the path of our eternal journeys, that we can be eternally with those we love if we walk a covenant path--always trusting in Heavenly Father and never doubting in His eternal plan of happiness. I would strive to keep a spiritual connection with those loved ones who have passed on ahead of me. That I would fine-tune my spiritual ears so that they would still be ever apart of my life and an influence of good in my earthly journey. These thoughts have developed within me, never with any sort of trepidation or fear. Never has anxiety accompanied them. That's how I know that it is the spirit that has taught me.
2 Timothy 1:7
“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
Today, I experienced a similar teaching pattern about this subject. I was reading about one of these examples I have discussed and a quiet thought came over me. It was as though the Lord was talking to me, as He has in the past, through the Holy Ghost. It was a spiritual impression, not so much of words, but of feelings and words together. He seemed to say to me, "I prepare you for the trials that come to you. You have been prepared for everything you would face in this life. A trial of this magnitude did not come to you when you were young, you were not ready. I lovingly prepare you for the hard things you will face." That was the thought, the next thought was this: "Write these thoughts down." I hesitated for a few moments, worried about how it would sound if I wrote them down. However, the thought came again to record it, and to record it today, so that I would remember that the Lord loves me and prepares me for all of the hard things I will face. And so, I am writing it down.
I do not know if a death of a loved one close to me is in my near future, however, I do know that at some point, we all must die. Because our Father loves us, He wants us to return to Him. Death is just that door, rather that passageway, that carries us home. Life continues in ways that we have only just forgotten. Our spirits live on to await that day when we will be reunited with our bodies.
Many years ago, I had written in my journal about how my testimony of the Plan of Salvation had grown and how I had added knowledge of that plan. The next entry in that journal was the death of my two cousins, Micheal and Amanda. I learned then, at the age of 13, that the Lord had prepared me for what would be, at that point in my life, the hardest trial that I had yet experienced.
Great blessings, and a closer intimacy with our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ await those who draw near unto them in such times of need. Every single one of the examples I have watched who have experienced death of loved ones and allowed themselves to learn and grow from the experience, every single one has said something along the lines of, although it is heart wrenching and so difficult, they would not trade the lessons and experiences they gained along the way. That has become a powerful testimony builder to me that the faithful receive Heavenly embraces along the way. That's what I would seek, if ever something so difficult happened to me.
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