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so, tonight, after scouts, and dinner out, i got home and wasnt too long, i got a message asking if i could come get someone to take them to the ER.
i didnt have any issue with that.
got craig, myself, some yarn, crochet needles, and headed out.
decided to stay to make sure this individual could go home and not have to call a taxi..
but on the way in the hospital ER, outside in the parkinglot, as im just outside my car, having shut the doot, i hard the sound of metal hitting the ground.
had that distinctive "ding" sound.
i THOUGHT i had dropped a crochet needle, so craig gets on his hands and knees uses his pocket flashlight, and we scour the area, and find..NOTHING!
so, i just shrug that all off, go inside, and wait, crochet to pass the time away.
eventually our freind comes out and we take her home, we head home, im almost to my driveway when i realize im NOT wearing that ring i love so much. the silver ring with my moms initials G.J.M. on it!
and i dawns on me..THAT was the sound i heard!
so we hurry back to the parkinglot, and thankfully its barren, and we look...still.NOTHING.
i go inside tell the guys at the desk, who come out and help me look, and we all find..NOTHING.
im sure its been picked up by some random person...possibly to be pawned off at a pawn shop for pennies.
why did i title this blog what i did?
cause there is balance in all things.
we USUSALLY say, for every trial, youll have a blessing, but we also have to remember for every blessing, there is always a trial as well.
so it was, i have a trial. i lost that ring. and i feel really bad about that. almost sure my mom would have had a fit, but then i also can hear her saying to me, "dont get all worked up over it, it was just a ring, cant take it with you when you die, anyway"..and this is truth. i cant.
but it was a speacial ring to me, forever (for now, anyway) lost.
and its MY fault.
thats what i get for loosing weight.
a positive, that has an equal negative.
because daniel didnt go to church to be set apart, on sunday we had to grab the chance on wednesday before he actually started his position as an assistant den leader.
turns out ben, hadnt been set apart wither, so they both were set apart one right behind eachother.
setting part, for those who are not LDS/Mormon, is simply being given a special blessing for that particular calling (job). no set words are said, except the very beginning, where the authpority holding the preisthood, makes it know they do, in fact hopld the authority, and because they do, give that blessing to the individual recieving it.
so daniel was told he would receive revelation, knowledge, and insight for his calling as an assistant den leader. along with the ability to do it, do it well, and be an example to the boys hes held accountable for.
im excited for this calling for him, fo a few reasons sited in other blogs, but ill repete here as well.
one, its a step towards responsibility. nows the time to learn that.
second, it keeps him close to the church where i pray he draws some love for and desire to learn more about, as well as grows a testimony of God and Jesus Christ. it would be great if that also included an understanding and love for the Church as well, but well cross THAT bridge as we approach it. i can pray eventually he will, but right now giving him a reason to be a part of something in the church, will do for me.
Many of you have read the piece I wrote last week titled Doing Good Anyways where
I talked about how we strive to do things in life but many times
despite our best efforts, life throws us a curve ball but we continue to
do our best regardless of the outcomes that are produced. The
inspiration for that piece came from a courageous young man by the name
of Harrison Bradford. I had come across his story on my Facebook feed
but I couldn’t remember who out of my Facebook friends posted it. I
spent about a week trying to find the story but I wasn’t able to figure
out which friend of mine had shared the story. So I decided to write
the article despite not having the amazing story to go along with it as I
couldn’t remember much of the details of the story. As it turns out,
16 days after his dad originally shared the post, it randomly just
popped up again in my newsfeed last Thursday (maybe God really wanted
his story to be shared). I’m glad I was able to find the story again
(which was a mini miracle in and of itself) and share the inspirational
story of Harrison Bradford.
Harrison was like many 12 year-olds who wanted to participate in
extracurricular sports activities at school. For Harrison, he decided
to go and try out for track. As
his father explains it ”For the last two weeks he has been going to
school an hour early and staying an hour late. Late last week he broke
down to my wife and told her several of the other kids have
been laughing at him and making fun of him as he had yet to qualify for
the team in any event. He told my wife how hard it has been trying out
with so many kids making fun of him. She told him he didn’t need to
continue tryouts but he insisted. Today was his last chance to qualify.
My heart and thoughts were with him all day. We told him again that he
didn’t have to go through with it. But again he insisted. He worked his
hardest today as evidenced by the severe bruising on his knees from
falling several times during the hurdles.
I wish I could say he
qualified but he didn’t. I know his heart was broken as was both his
mother’s and mine. But for some reason he didn’t give up. He knew his
chances were not good but he still went out there and tried. He knew the
second he stepped out there the other kids were going to make fun of
him. He knew that the kid who was leading the charge against him had
already made the team. But yet, each day he went out there and did his
best. I couldn’t be prouder.”
Many kids his age would have just
given up and said “what’s the point? The kids will just make fun of me
anyway.” Heck most of us adults give up in similar situations whether
it be at the workplace, at school or around the neighborhood. I wish I
would have had the foresight and courage that Harrison demonstrated that
day when I was his age. The reason I love this story so much is
because of the fact that he was a shining, real life example of one of
my favorite quotes of all time.
Had Harrison just continued to
fight and eventually made the team, his story would have been a feel
good inspirational story that would make all of us feel all warm and
fuzzy inside. However, the fact that he didn’t make the team actually
makes the example all that much more powerful. It’s that much more
inspirational because it’s more reflective of what happens in real life.
It’s that resemblance to real life that makes the story so real. Not
everything we do has a happy ending or at least ends with the outcomes
that we originally intended to see. Life is full of these curve balls
that get thrown our way.
One of the great teaching
moments that I’ve taken from this story and something that I feel we all
could learn from is the fact that he didn’t allow others to dictate to
him, the terms of how he was going to live his life. He didn’t allow
the actions of others to belittle his desires to try out and make the
track team. This has so many implications to us in our lives whether it
be members in our local churches that “offend” us, causing us not to
want to go to church or individuals telling us we are too dumb to try to
go to school to work on our education. We ought to have the fortitude
to continue to press forward, despite the obstacles that stand in our
way. He knew it would be hard to go back and try again but he had the
fortitude to see this through anyway.
As is often the case in
life as we face the curve balls that are thrown our way, we many times
find ourselves going down a different path or running into great
individuals that we otherwise would have never met. Thus was the case
with Harrison. First,
J Scott Savage is an author of the middle-grade fantasy series
Farworld. After reading on Facebook about Harrison’s experience at
school trying out for the track team, he sent Harrison three signed
copies of his books in the Far World Series. Needless to say Savage now
has a fan for life and vice versa.
Lastly, Harrison was able to meet a local legend Bill Allen of Bill Allen Motorcycles and the TV show Hairy Bikers. He had heard about Harrison’s experience and wanted to meet him. As
Harrison’s father explains “Bill is an amazing and inspirational man.
So grateful that God has put so many wonderful people in Harrison’s
path. Bill has a life time fan!”
While
it’s nice for Harrison that he has been able to have the experiences
that he has had with the various individuals, authors and celebrities
that he has come across, the truth is that Harrison has provided so much
more for the rest of us. He has become an example of perseverance and
patience of someone who in the end, didn’t necessarily get the outcome
that he wanted, but he still continued to pursue it anyways.
He
has become an example for so many of his peers, who are going through
similar situations in their own lives. He has become a beacon of hope
to those kids who are struggling with bullying and teasing, showing them
as they stay strong, good things will inevitably come to them even if
it’s not what you initially expected. There will be many young adults
who will read this inspirational story and will say of Harrison “because
of you, I didn’t give up.”
When I went to
school in Idaho I loved a certain spot in the Rexburg temple in the
waiting area of the baptistry. Each time I went there I sat right
there–in that same spot– just because of a certain picture.
It was a painting of the Savior holding a
little black sheep, right beside the pew in the back. I would stare at
it and think about everything that it meant to me. Essentially, it
seemed that I was actually the one in the Savior’s arms in that picture.
The misfit.
And if you’re reading this and you’re a
misfit too–perfect. I’m glad there’s two of us. Or three. Or maybe even
more than that. Either way, it’s good to know I’m not alone in the
category of “Mormon misfits”. So welcome, friend.
How am I a misfit, you might ask? I simply
don’t fit the conventional mold of what an LDS woman should be like, or I
should say, what an LDS woman is often like.
I have a tattoo, to start. A
huge one, actually, on my ribcage. I wasn’t always a member, and I have
physical signs to show it–that also includes a scar on my bellybutton
from a past piercing.
I work long hours while my husband goes to school
and I have an “I want to be the CEO of every department” mentality
*Well, I’m just a writer and not a CEO, but you get the point*
I can’t have kids right now.
That doesn’t mean I don’t have the desire–it’s just the way my body
works because of an ailment that can only be fixed with expensive
treatments that we just can’t do right now. And it constantly hurts–like
a bruise that just won’t go away because it keeps getting poked at.
I can’t sew. Like, at all. I
can’t even hem a pair of pants. And during Relief Society craft nights
I’m pretty darn useless. And I haven’t canned even one jar of peaches in
my entire life.
I question pretty much everything.
I’m not saying I’m a doubter–ok, sometimes I am, and that’s a downfall.
But mainly what I’m saying is I’m the type of person who analyzes
everything and tries to figure out why things are the way they are. I
think that’s why I over-studied the history of the church and even went
on a week-long church history tour where I spent over an hour staring
out of the window that Joseph tumbled from. I just wanted to know and feel it for myself, not just hang on to the coattails of others.
I’ve never really fit in with Relief Society.
I try–but it’s hard for me sometimes. I love the women, I do, and this
isn’t me saying that I don’t. Actually, on the contrary–I find myself
being overly critical of myself because I wish I could be more like
them. They’re all so–perfect. At least in my mind, they are. They come
in with their line of cute children on sundays like a mother duck and
her ducklings, and they seem to know everyone and have time to make soup
for all the sick members and cook for the missionaries every Tuesday
night and do their visiting teaching every single month. Perfect Mormon
women, in my eyes.
Anyway, I could go on and on with my list of
how I’m so different–but I’m not going to turn this into a trilogy of
me. But if you’re a misfit I’m sure you have your own lengthy list and
together we could make a seven-book series.
But lately it’s been heavy on my mind–this whole black sheep thing. Because sometimes you just don’t want to be.
And just this last weekend when I forced
myself to go to the Relief Society broadcast (and even the food and
mingle get-together beforehand which is very un-Kayla of me) the nagging
feelings were very prominent.
I sat down at a table that on one half had
sister missionaries and on the other half had mothers. The sisters
chatted about investigators, school before their missions, and how tight
the waist bands on their skirts have gotten while out on their missions
and being fed all these good dinners. They’re cute girls–but I couldn’t
relate much. So I decided to tune into the women on the right side of
me. One woman chatted about how she could barely take a shower today
because of her colicky baby and one said she couldn’t either because of
the puddle of Elmer’s glue her son left on the carpet and another lady
busily talked about her last C-section and how she thinks she’ll be
induced in this next delivery. With my freshly washed hair and newly
painted nails and absolute absence of any glue-smearing child, I decided
I didn’t really fit in at the table.
But then the broadcast started. I chose a
pew where I didn’t really know anyone and to be honest…yeah, I started
watching it with a stink of an attitude. But that changed when Sister
Reeves (The 2nd counselor in the General Relief Society) started
talking.
Tears filled her eyes as she suddenly
pinpointed the sister she wanted to talk to, out there somewhere in the
world, who just doesn’t fit in to the cookie-cutter mold of an LDS woman
or family. I felt like everyone had stepped out of the chapel as she
spoke. She spoke about wounds you might carry that make you wonder where
God is, and the things in your life that separates you from the norm.
And then she told a beautiful story of the Provo tabernacle that was
gutted with flames earlier this year. After the horrific event, members
started questioning why the Lord allowed it to happen. But then, at the
General Conference following the fire, President Monson announced that
that gutted tabernacle would soon be revamped and dedicated as a new
temple of the Lord. People couldn’t believe it. Mouths dropped. But it
was true. And just like with us, she reminded, sometimes the Lord allows
the fire so as to make us into a beautiful temple.
And then President Monson spoke–and he too,
spoke to the misfit. Maybe not everyone caught that–but I sure did. He
spoke about how everyone is in a different situation. Everyone has
different journeys. Everyone is entirely different and sometimes takes a
walk through the thorns. But no one is alone, for the Savior has walked
the EXACT path you have, and continues to walk it, even now, WITH you.
With my face in my hands, I felt an
overwhelming feeling of love wash over me. In that moment, I felt the
arms of Heavenly Father literally wrap around my little misfit self and
remind me that I’m EXACTLY who I should be and that being a member of
the church doesn’t mean I’m supposed to carve myself into an ideal “LDS
woman” image. It means that I can be just as I am–scars, questions, lack
of sewing skills and all–and add to the rainbow of color that this
gospel stands for.
You don’t have to fit in.
We aren’t called
to be the same. Yes, we all follow the same straight and narrow path and
there are commandments we all need to abide by in the same way–but we
can still be different.
I’ve always known it, I guess, deep inside.
But often the culture makes you believe something that isn’t really even
there. There seems to be a phantom ideal image that lurks in the minds
of everyone and makes them believe they just don’t fit. But it isn’t
true. Don’t buy into that thinking.
After all, as a member of the Mormon church,
aren’t we really supposed to be misfits anyway? We’re supposed to think
a little differently and all see the world a little differently, all
the while on the same path toward salvation. I think sometimes we forget
that–and that’s why we expect so much from others and ourselves.
As President Monson so sweetly said, the Lord has a specific love for you. Unique, different, beautiful, misfit you.
So, fellow Mormon misfit, come along this journey with me, because we all belong here on this path.
Bring your dinners that you often burn to a
crisp, bring your lack of love for skirts, bring along your battle scars
and wear them as a badge of how far the Lord has brought you, and bring
questions and different perspectives that no one has acknowledged
before.
Come along this journey, black sheep, and find comfort in the arms of the Savior of the world–the original misfit himself.
it sure is comforting to know that others are also "ugly duckings" who may not feel exactly right in the family they were handed in, or grew up in, or have known, or moved too, or have...
its comforting to know that being different isnt so bad.
thids article confirms to me, all i have said, and will continue to say.
i am loved, i am blessed, and thats all that REALY matters, in the big eternal spectrum of the universe.
i am not perfect, i never will be. but i am loved regardless, of that/those imperfections.
in a measure thats beyond my comprehension.
no matter HOW i come to Him, i am, and will be, forever, eternally loved by a Heavenly Father that places an infinate worth on my soul.
im gonna copy this article, and hand it off to that sister missionary i spoke with at the conference in saturday.
i think shed like this as well, i also wrote her a letter, to keep. ill post that here later, after i give it to her.
both of these together, should be perfect for her heart and mind to sup on when needed.
im betting theres way more of us than we realize, while i have learned to embrace this "weirdness" i chose to have and show off, others find it difficult to do so. and i understand that, it hasnt always been easy for me either.
i dont cook, well, not well anyway.
i dont sew either, and i proved that at a reliefe society thing we recently had, where i was attmpting to sew a bag, simple right? not so for myself.
i sewed the bag shut, 3 different times. i dont know why i dont have the "gift", but i ..do not.
i also dont have a bunch of kids. mormons (along with catholics) are notorious for having broods of children. i, have 1 here on this earth, and one in heaven.
i never home schooled, and i did work when i was a single parent, i was divorced, all things that in the past, have been looked at as not what a "molly" mormon would, or should do.
but im not a molly. never was, and i never will be. simply because God didnt cut me, from that cloth that he cut so many of them from.
no, my fabric is rustic, and tattered, and worn, and most likely something that itches the eternal skin of some of those im around for great periods of time.
there used to be a time when i cried about the difference, and how far away from everyone i felt because i wasnt made from the same cloth as they all seem to be.
but then, i came to a place that said, my fabric, to God, is divine, and beutiful, and has the SAME VALUE as all the other cuts He has made. mine isnt any less loved.
maybe mines loved BECAUSE its a different cloth.
so, i embrace the odd me, the different me, the out-of-the-box me.
and once i started to aprciate me, all of a sudden i saw others who were allot like me, different, not as "molly" as i thought every other female was, some loud, some silly, some different to be different, some different because that just the way they feel, some dont cook, some have neve rhad kids, let alone been married, others have positions in my church id never want to have, because the responsibility of having that position carries allot of weight, and im not cut out for that kind of thing...others have a ton of kids, some have none..and the list of odd-ball mormons goes on.
i bet, inside, we ALL feel like misfits, and were so painfully aware of our own differences we THINK, were alone in a sea of a million other misfits, when we all are just a little strange.
weve been told were "peculiar people".
i say wear that with distinction!
dont be afraid.
allow that toi be a wonderful facet to who you are.
theres only ONE you...make that ONE stand out, and be noticed!
so far i have had a 100% temple attendance rating!
im pretty proud of that.
i have gone MORE in this year than i have ever.
that says allot right there, mostly to me (and God, of course). but i can see a change in my thinking about the temple.
i was actually really excited about going this time, i was as well last time too.
it was a relief society thing, only 4 of us from our ward (congregation) even went.
me, sister Sheeley, Sister Diehl, and Sister Hardy.
i promised, and actually kinda made it a new years resolution to attend the temple at least opnce a month for the year.
im STILL standing on the promise that the leaders of the church have said would happen if you attend the temple..
the main ones i pulled out were:
your family will have a testimony of the gosple
your family will attend church.
im doing this for my son, who, love with every fiber in my being.
and it hurts my heart to know he struggles with his faith.
so, for him, i go to the temple, and hold God to His promise for my family.
i do MY part, i expect God to do his.
and i have seen after every visit, one small fraction of movement towards Him by my son. small, sure, almost insignifigant to most anyone else, to me..a huge leap.
yes, i notice the small stuff, and am eternally thankful for those small actions danile does, he thinks i dont see.
the willingness to walk to church, just to be set apart and given a blessing.
the willingness to hold a cub scout calling.
heck, the fact he knows on any wednesday he could be asked to so anything at all on any following sunday, is enough. he comes to church on wednesdays..willingly.
i see the promises in action.
i have a strong trstimony of the power of when we do as commanded, we are blessed as a result.
we have to walk in faith that when we do as commanded well be blessed, its not always right away, sometimes its years later. but we hold on and endure, and eventually well see the victory.
so, im shotting for the rest of the months as well...
april, here i come!
so, today on the way home from church we stopped by the indoor flea market to hand off a tie i had made for one of the young ladies there, while we were there we noticed the booth i was interested in, was filled, with clothes.
i was bummed.
next largest one, is double that size, and i expected it to be double the price, but to make sure we knew what we were looking for and asking for, we went and chatted with the ppl who run this indoor flea market.
and found out that the booth thats double in size is only 30.00 more dollars a month to rent. its 160.00 40 a week, makes it 20 a day to have to run, not bad pricing. other was 130.00 a month.
i could pay by the week, or by the month.
i have to decide.
and was advised to get a tax number as well, just in case the tax ppl come in and want to inspect. (not a bad idea, truthfully, keeps me honest, not that i wouldnt be.. just easier to not be when your not regulated, too easy to break and bend rules.
so, i went too look at the spaces we were told were available.
this was the space i was looking at.
last we were there it had pegboard all up on the walls.
unbeknownst to us, these 2 i show were built for the lady thats behind them, we wernt told that when i was looking. i was told they were available and could be rented.
it looks so much larger in the image than it really is, its about 6x10. not even the size of a regular bedroom. but it was going to be enough to hold all these clothes im getting.
so, because i was still wanting to get a space, o decided to look, one more time at the double the size of the other and take this pic.
they say they are taking all that peg board down, because ppl wernt walking down those ways to look at anything, because they couldnt see anything. and they will put up some wire up, so you can still hang stuff.
i like the back wall, where id put something up that could be a rack to hold clothes, and maybe even 2 of thiose, and under that some kind of shelving, or something, for other things.
id like to have a book case to display my dolls. and id want my most expensive clothes to be hung up behind the counter. (if i get a counter).
we were concerned that the entire thing was going to be completely open like you see in this picture, but we were told they will have that mesh wire up, and a way to lock it all if we arnt there to tend to it.
there was another one, i didnt get a pic of, that was already built up, just having the peg board removed, and i liked it alot, has 2 doors, and a corner between them, i could get a small corner shelf or a tall thin one, and use that corner for stuff, i dont want to waste any space.
i love the "feel" of this when you look at it, very rustic, and almost true hand made, id LOVE to have something like this in that corner. and one reason is because id like to try to make sure that what ever is on it doesnt get stolen.
but, because the owners want to have a more open feel ill prolly have to look for something like this:
im thinking ill have my gel scents sitting on the shelf.
maybe ill have baby toys on it, or kids books, i havnt really decided yet.
i said id be back next week, maybe actually put a deposit on this space i like..but i wanted to wait to see how it looked and felt once they redid the thing.
they are also adding 2 booths on the end of the one picture i show above (double sized). maybe ill get one of those.
all i know right now, is ill have to get it while the irons hot, or im gonna have a bunch of baby clothes i cant sell in a store. the place is filling up pretty fast.
i wasnt a keynote speak, didnt really go for much more than a time to be with other women of the same faith, but to be even more real..it was a free dinner, lol
not gonna lie. im down for anything related to FOOD!! lol so i went for the free dinner. :) wasnt disapointed either.
we were all in the chapel to start and had a couple of speakers.
i was surprised to see President Bean there, im not sure why i was surprised, but i wasnt expecting him there, and he was.
hes a great guy. love him.
he knows my past and what brought me to oklahoma, and has watched me transform from a caterpillar to a butterfly, and i like to make him proud.
someday, maybe, ill talk about all of that history here, im not required to, and quite frankly wont make a difference in my right here right now moment. the only thing it has done, was to help make me better and more spiritual, was a LONG process to get there (well, long to me, anyway) but im on the road.
but my reason for loving Bean so much is the fact, that despite my past, which he knows way to well, he still loves me and DOES NOT JUDGE ME because of it. i wish allot more ppl could come to this place where we can know about someones past, or hold a grudge, or have a grievance because of them, and just..love them despite of it, and not judge them because of it.
wed be a much happier world if we all followed the dictates of Christ.
so, he spoke at the start of the conference, and someone else spoke...and then we were let free to go to whatever 3 of the 6 choices we wanted to go to to edify ourselves.
i was with a couple of sister from my congregation, and had started to go with them to a class, and had to stop to visit President Bellows, i see him almost every sunday, as he is the branch president for the Singles Ward (congregation) that also meets in out building.
so, i stopped to tell him hello, and spoke a few minutes, and went to the class my companions were in, and i got there a little late. and for whatever reason, wasnt scared or anything to go in, there was plenty of room, i just was inspired to go back to belllows class...
i am not sorry i did.
i learned a thing about bellows i didnt know..he had a pretty distant relationship with his parents, like i had with mine. ya know? id never have known that. i also didnt know he was basically less active till he was 22, reminded me of myself, in a lot of ways...
i was a bit sad to find out the bell rang, and it was time to change classes..
so i get up to leave, and my companions were coming in...so, i got a double dose of bellows and wasnt disapointed on my 2nd turn either, he talked some of the same stuff, but went a bit deeper about his past in the 2nd session. i appreciated his honesty.
and his whole thing was how women from the church came in and were comassionate, and nurturing when his arent split and basically went cold on the kids.
he was telling us ladies, that while we may not be able to hold the preisthood of the church, we have a whole different responsibility, that altho we may not realize it, resonates and impacts those around us.
and it was refreshing to hear a guy tell a group (actually 2 groups, well, 3 cause he had a whole 'nother class after my 2nd session with him) of ladies how he was so appreciative for the role God gave us to do.
that in HIS life, it mattered. and made a HUGE difference.
really enjoyed bellows classes.
so, bell rang again, and i went with my companions to the chapel to where we were edified about Discovering Self-Worth & Spirituality.
now this class was a class right up my alley! glad i was in it too.
for the 1st time in my history of being a member of the church i heard psychology infused with doctrine, and how we will take statements and make them truth about ourselves. and we learned how to take pointless statements we often make ourselves believe, and toss them, by using a system of checks against eachother.
is it TRUTH (with a capital "T") meaining an eternal truth? such as: i am a child of God, thats a statement that wont change, and cant be changed, its eternal. I am my mothers daughter. Thats also an eternal truth, shes always going to be my mom. i cant, or wont ever change that. so TRUTHS (eternal) are things that will never eve change.
then theres truths with a lowwer case "t" and these are truths as well, that become truths when set beside an eternal truth.
such as: Im going to Heaven. this statement while positive, isnt a conclusive statement. im not in control of my judgment, only what i do to be judged, we all have redemption, and will eatiehr be in paradise or prison. but i predicate which place i end up.
then theres the NOT TRUTHS. which are simply things that are not true. plain and simple.
example: Im dumb. while i lack allot in math and spelling, i am by far very intelligent.
My mom hates me. sometimes i feel like this is a true statement, and im having to learn to realize thats not the truth at all. she never hated me. she just didnt know how to love me. whole different thing all together.
i really got allot out of this class. and very pleased i got to be a part of it.
and then, the bell rang.
and..it was TIME TO EAT! not gonna lie, i was really looking forward to this part, lol
so we walk in the gym, and they had tables all set up and ready for us. preset tables with cute little silverware napkins.
and a salad ready to be eaten.
rolls were handed out as we were munching on our salads. sister holley brought her own beans and shared them with me, cause she doesnt eat meat. made my salad that much more filling, and delish!
main course was a chicken..something, i cant remember what it was called, but it was slit in the middle and had butter and herbs in there, and..it was good, i had sister holleys chicken too, and by the time dessert came, i was quite full..lol
but NONE of that compared to when the spirit hit me to talk to a sister missionary serving in our ward.
just out of the blue, her comapnion asked what she had done to her arm. i must be getting seriously old, because i didnt really notice anything, but she expalined she was poking herself with her fork.
which i thought was odd, since she and her companion and myself were talking about Christ. surely she wasnt doing that because she was bored...it had to be because of something else...
and i was inspired to say to her...she needed to find out the reason, get to the core of that reason why she felt like doing that action, which was in essence a way of outwardly expressing something deep inside her.
and i went on, and for the life of me cant recall much of what i said, other than i knew the chatter in her head that she was hearing wasnt true, it never really ever is when its negative.
i told her that every single day of my life i wake up and hear the phrases that have been so much a part of my upbringing, and i fight them every day..
"your dumb"
"your stupid"
"you dont mean anything to anyone"
"your worthless"
"unimportant"
"your nothing" and i can go on and on, and on...
but every day i wake up and i tell myself im awesome..not because i really am, but because thats what makes me be motivated towards being MORE than the chatter in my head.
and because i say it, i try to remind myself i am a divine being, came from another divine being (my Heavenly Father). because Hes a part of me, im part of Him, in return. in that, is magnificence!
and, all of a sudden, our sister missionary, was crying...and, so was i.
we were crying together at the same time, over, i believe the same kind of chatter that happens in our heads, and i told her she should NEVER feel worthless, because ppl like myself...look up to her, and aspire to be like her, because i never had the chance to go and do what shes doing.
i hope what i said made a difference.
she sent me a text to landline message on my home phone.
was thanking me for my moment with her.
and today (sunday im writing this) i sent them a text:
Hey, sisters remember we are made of divine material. We come from our Heavenly Father. We have within us the same Divine nature. The same divine rights and responsibilities. NO amount of Satans chatter in our minds will EVER change that. we are eect!
and a text back:
you are SO AWESOME! thats so much! we love you!
so, i go for food, and end up uplifiting another woman, to greater places.
cant go wrong for doing the right thing for someone else. :)
we had been waiting for this day to come, finally, even daniel had anticipation, until we hit the actual day itself, a sunday, and he decided to not go to chutch.
we had been snowed out the sunday before, and his being called was forgotten the sunday before that, so 2 weeks later, we expected it to be announced in sacrament meeting.
and, it was.
and, he wasnt there for us all to sustain him.
but he was called.
has his 1st calling as an adult.
hes an assistant den wolf leader to Ben Oliver.
the boys LOVE daniel.
so, i expect great things to come from his being an assistant. maybe this will help him grow and understand some repsonisbility, as well.
hes stuggleing with the placement of child and man right now, wants to remind us hes a man, but its always convienient to him to be a child when he can use that.
im also hoping this calling, in some way helps him grow in faith, and testimony of the gospel.
thats something i cant give daniel. its something he has to earn on his own, grow, and take care of, on his own. HE has to take ownership of the effort, and the outcome.
and the perfect place to start that journey, is right there where a young man can start to understand that everything he does is watched by younger kids, who may (or may not) want to grow up and be allot like him.
be an example of the better side of that.
be the example, that someday, some young man can come back to you and say "because of you i did such-and-such. "
"because you instructed me, i went on to do this-and-that"
be the reason for their success (or part of it anyway) not their failure.
allot of boys dont have examples to show them how to be great. this role you start that adventure for them. you guide them, influence them, have a power over them, your a leader, and an example, make it matter!
ok, i hardly EVER feel the suckers here in oklahoma, i can count on ONE hand how many i have actually registered in my brain..and that number is..3 with an aftershock followed by the last one i felt.
they happen ALL the time here, but they are so small.im barely able to know its happening, and..most of the time, at night, while im sleeping, so im completely unaware, proiy feels like a massaging bed, in my subcincious...lol
about a half hour ago, i was sitting here, minding my own business, crocheting a series of beanies for babies (for my baby shop) and i head a "bang" in the bathroom, to which i realized when i was looking up to see what it was i was also feeling my chair move slightly under me.
so, i waited like 15 seconds for the rest of the midwest city oklahoma to start posting about the quake..
and...nothing....no one said a word.
so i called to craig, whos housed down the hall in another room with HIS PC, and stuff, and asked if he felt the same thing.
he did not.
so, i posted that i thought i had felt one.
and then went to the US Geological survey site and reported that i felt something.
maybe i did..maybe it was an earthquake,
if it wasnt..
then we have an active ghost in my house, for ther 1st time, one that has the ability to move things.
do i believe in ghosts? you bet i do!
so, one or the other, i felt it..what ever it is, an earth quake, or a ghost, or MAYBE....a ghost named EARTHQUAKE!!!
EARTHQUAKES ARE QUITE COMMON HERE IN OKLAHOMA CITY
im from California, originally, and all my life heard the stories about earthquakes. buildings shaking, things falling off walls and shelves. ppl going on about their business as if thats an every day event.
while i lived in South Carolina, i remember hearing that there was a fault line that passed through the state, yet, dont recall ever actually feeling one, or ever hearing of one. was there for 22 years of my life.
i move here, to oklahoma, and we have more earthquakes than we do tornado.
today, unknown to me, yet again, we had another earthquake here in the oklahoma city area. i didnt feel this one either, been here 8 years. 2006-2014 (current) and ive felt..2 and those were in the last year. i may have felt one on halloween when i was at the haunted house, the floor started to buzz, which i wasnt sure what it was, so, i may have felt that one, as well as an aftershock, because i felt the floor buzz 2 times that night. it wasnt until a couple of days later i recall hearing that oklahoma had had an earthquake that night. so, that may be what i felt as well. make it 3 times then.
heres a small blurb about this mornings earthquake:
article where this was taken was found HERE
3.9-magnitude earthquake shakes near Edmond Wednesday
Quake rattled at 8:17 a.m.
UPDATED 9:02 AM CST Mar 05, 2014
EDMOND, Okla. —A 3.9-magnitude earthquake shook near Edmond Wednesday, according to the United States Geological Survey.
The quake happened at 8:17 a.m. Wednesday and its epicenter was five
miles east of Edmond, 11 miles north-northwest of Choctaw, 12 miles
north of Midwest City and 13 miles north-northeast of Oklahoma City.
There have not been any reports of injuries or damages.
im a member of rivalry, and i was so disapointed to see these were a paid pattern..
so THAT took me on an online adventure..to find a similar pattern for..FREE
and i found one!
its not exactluy the same, the yarn used isnt the same color, but if you got the same colors as the originals, and simply edited the design it could be a near match to those i show at the top of this blog.
all id have to do is follow the color pattern for those at the top.
so heres the pattern and it can be found HERE originally
1. Crochet the first 4 rows in red for the mouth.
2. Change to a cream or white yarn for the next 3 rows. NOTE:
According to the pattern there are only 6 rows for the “toe” but I added
an extra row – row 7 – for the nose part of the monkey. Just do one
more row of 24 stitches.
3. Switch to the brown for the rest of slipper and crochet according to the pattern. I stopped after row 7 of the upper portion.
4. Ears (make 4, using brown yarn)
R1: Ch 2, 5 sc in second chain from hook.
R2: 2 sc in each sc around. (10 sts)
R3 and 4: sc 10
Fasten off, leaving long tail for sewing.
5. Eyes (make 4, using black yarn)
Ch 2, 5 sc in second chain from hook.
Fasten off, leaving long tail for sewing.
6. Using a blunt needle, sew on eyes and ears.
7. Stitch on nose and mouth with black yarn and the blunt needle.
And that’s it! They are a little more involved than other slippers
but for any sock monkey lover, it’s totally worth it! Happy crocheting!
i also found this pattern as well came with some pics
Women's House Slippers!
These slippers are oh so cozy and comfy! Just slip them on, wear 'em
around, and when they get dirty, throw them in the washer (not the dryer
though!). They are so simple and quick - you can make a pair in just a
few hours.
These slippers were made for my feet (7.5 US shoe size) but can very
easily be adjusted for smaller or larger feet. Just increase/decrease
the last row for a custom fit!
Warning: these slippers stretch! If you are on the fence about how big to make them, make them smaller! They stretch a LOT!
Materials
F (3.75mm) crochet hook (or size needed to obtain gauge)
150 yards worsted weight yarn (I used Vanna's Choice)
Tapestry needle
Scissors
Gauge
(With magic ring pulled tight)
End of row 3: 2 inches
Notes
1. To make two-toned slippers similar to these, change color on the bottom of the slipper, where the switch won't be as noticeable.
2. To make a strap, chain a certain amount (according to foot size) at
desired place when single crocheting around the top of the shoe. Turn
and sc back down the chain, sl st into base of strap. For a thicker
strap, turn and sc back up the strap and down the opposite site. Then
sew to opposite side of shoe (or attach button - don't forget to make a
button hole if you do)
3. To make a rim of contrasting color (CC), join CC in the back of the slipper and slip stitch in each stitch around.
Slipper (make 2)
Magic ring.
1. 5 dc into ring. [5]
2. 2 dc into each stitch around. [10]
3. 2 dc into each stitch around. [20]
(don't forget to check your gauge here!!)
4. (2 dc in next, dc in next) around. [30]
5-9: Dc in each stitch around. [30] 10-21: Ch 2, turn. Dc in next 21. [19] (Here is where you can adjust the size - decrease or increase the amount of rows you do here)
Fasten off, leaving a long tail. Using the long tail, fold the flat edge
(at the back of the slipper) together and sew up, like so:
Then, flip back inside-out, like the picture on the right above.
Now join yarn at the back of the slipper (near wear you just sewed up),
and sc evenly around the perimeter of the slipper. When you get to the
corners, do 3 dc (one right before the first "real" dc, one in the first
dc, and one in the second), then keep single crocheting across the top.
3 more dc at the next corner, sc back around. Sl st to first sc. Fasten
off, weave in ends.
Ta-dah! You now have a slipper! How easy was that? And that's just the
basic pattern - you can decorate it with flowers, bows, a strap, change
colors - the possibilities are endless! I would love to see pictures if
you make these!
Feel free to make as many of these slippers as you want, and donate as
many as you want! I just ask that if you sell these online, you credit
either my blog or my etsy shop. Thanks!
this pattern couldnt have come at a better time because my feet are FREEZING! and my son took ownership of my monkey slippers i got 4 years ago when i had gastric surgery...wore those at the hospital. well, i had them if i needed them, dont think i actually wore them...lol
THANKS OLIVE (My Mother-In-Law) FOR THE IDEA!
ILL MAKE SOME FOR MYSELF!
