A Mother's Love

I have an AMAZING mother, but she doesn't know she is amazing.  She has no idea how many she has influenced and continues to influence every day with her example.  I don't think any of us realize the impact that we have, but we will be amazed someday when we realize how the desires of our hearts have rippled through the world.  My mom had the courage of breaking the cycle of abuse and ignorance that had been passed on through generations.  There are not many people who could do what she has done. All of the environmental factors were against her, yet her heart was good and her perseverance strong.  Out of rocky, infertile soil she rose as a beacon of light.

This is an old picture, there are 5 1/2 more grandchildren since then :-)

I think about my circle of influence, and their circle of influence and how each life impacts so much more than is perceived.   I know she will someday be amazed at how much good she has brought into this world because of her courage.  These are my Mother's Day thoughts of her (I am not a poet, but these are thoughts from the heart, which makes it worth posting :-) ):

Dear Mom,
I know you think you're ordinary
As you look back on your mistakes.
And you desire to have known better
And to have had all that it takes.

You don't yet see who you are truly.
You miss the Majesty beneath
Insecurities, unreal perceptions.
They hide from you your queenly wreath.

If you could pierce that false perseption,
Glimpse the nobility I see,
I know you'd walk with head held higher,
No fear to let your light shine free.

Your love has been an earthly refuge.
Your love has filled my life with warmth.
I have always felt worthwhile
Amidst the world's put-downs and scorn.

Though you see not your heavenly influence,
Your love has made me who I am,
And all my children and their children
Will sing vast praises to your name.

Your selfless love has made an impact,
Though to you seems rather small,
It has elevated spirits
Which, in turn, have lifted more.

Your love will ripple through the ages
And on, through all eternity.
Your widow's mite (to you so meager)
Has transformed lives infinitely.

For now, blind to your queenly splendor,
You keep on giving selflessly,
You do not see the hero I see,
You give in great humility.

But someday will the veil be lifted,
And you will see the good you've done,
And all of us whose lives you've altered,
Will humbly reverence your throne.

Thank-you to all mothers everywhere.  You do not yet see your influence, but it is great.  There is no work on earth more meaningful.  I didn't like the last line of my poem very much at first, it kind of just came to me, and I thought - I'm sure my mom would not like the thought of herself on a throne, but as I pictured in my mind all of her sacrifice and love, I knew I felt so honored to be in her presence, and so would many others.  The line was true, even if she might not like it ;-)

While changing diapers, folding laundry, washing dishes, or any other mundane and endless task. Let's not forget whose work we are doing.   Motherhood is a hard, but ennobling work.

"Mothers, cherish that role that is so uniquely yours and for which heaven itself sends angels to watch over you and your little ones. Yours is the work of salvation, and therefore you will be magnified, compensated, made more than you are, better than you are, and better than you have ever been." - Elder Jeffery R. Holland

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What is Glaringly Missing?

 This was the question that was asked in our stake conference today about a child's testimony that you often hear in Sacrament meeting.  He said he was praising their testimonies, but that there was a very important element that was often missing and it reflected what was being taught at home.  He quoted the "standard" child's testimony: "I'd like to bear my testimony.  I know the church is true.  I love my mom and dad and brothers and sisters. I know Thomas S. Monson is a true prophet.  In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen."  Then he asked, "What is glaringly missing from this testimony?"

He said that in our teaching our children we often focus on "keep the commandments, keep the commandments, keep the commandments".  I thought about the scripture in 2 Nephi 25:26:

 And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.

He said we may be guilty of "looking beyond the mark" in our teaching our children.  That the focus should be on Christ in everything we do - on the "why" of keeping the commandments.  I know a couple people who have left the church, and I think in large part it was because the focus had been on the "what" of the gospel instead of on the Living God.  When I went to copy and paste the above verse to my blog, the next verse caught my attention:

Wherefore, we speak concerning the law that our children may know the deadness of the law; and they, by knowing the deadness of the law, may look forward unto that life which is in Christ, and know for what end the law was given. And after the law is fulfilled in Christ, that they need not harden their hearts against him when the law ought to be done away.

This week, I had the incredible privilege of going to a fireside in an small, intimate setting where one of the most incredible men I have met was speaking.  I read a book about him titled, Yearning for the Living God: Reflections from the life of F. Enzio Busche.  It is an incredible and inspiring book. He was a small boy in Nazi germany and he talks about his quest to find God after his confusing childhood (which included being drafted to the Nazi army at the age of 14).  What I loved about watching this man speak was his glowing radiance and excitement about the fact that we have a Living God and His love is the greatest power.  

He said (paraphrasing), "When I look at the millions of stars and know of the many galaxies and I know that there is a God who created them all, and that I am His child - I want to to jump for joy! I don't know how it works, but I feel that individual relationship that I have with him... when we want to speak to a king or some important dignitary, we dress up and make an appointment and wait for him to have time for us, but the ultimate King - the creator of all - is always ready to listen to us!  When we talk to him, like a child to a father, he is always there."

He said that with this love, everyday is even more bright and full of love than the day before and he wants to smile and hug people (we all laughed and he said, "Don't laugh!  It's true!") Since he was in the Quorum of the Seventy for a time, someone asked him where his favorite place in the world was.  His answer, "Every place where the Spirit was."  Isn't it true?  When we feel God's love flowing through us, we have no desire to be anywhere else and feel such joy and peace about wherever we are and whatever we are doing.

That is why we are here.  It is not to learn all of the "to dos" of the gospel and try to do them all.  It is to develop that relationship with God and to learn to love like He does through His grace.  For a great talk about how grace is not only the redeeming power of God, but also the enabling and strengthening power of the atonement, I highly recommend "In the Strength of the Lord" by Elder Bednar.  I listened to it this week and it opened my eyes to a few things.

I do have a strong testimony that the Lord strengthens us and enables us as we reach out to him.  Not to be melodramatic (my life is so blessed and so many people are suffering) but I will admit that I have been so exhausted at times being pregnant, after a sleepless night with children and an active morning with mischievous toddlers, that I know that I do not have the strength to be a good mother the rest of the day.  Knowing a nap is infeasible at the time, I get on my knees and plead with the Lord.  I have literally felt transformed with the energy and strength I needed until I could make it to nap time (or bed time - if nap time is impossible).  I know this strengthening and enabling power is real.

I want to be better at drawing closer to God in all the things I do, to make the effort to reach out to Him more sincerely and intently.  I know He is aware of me.  I know he loves me beyond what I realize or can conceive.  I know I am His daughter.  I know He is waiting for me to let Him help me reach my divine potential in finding joy in blessing His children.  That is what this life is about.  The commandments help us find our way, but we should never forget that they are not the Way.

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. -John 14:6

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Marriage Enrichment Weekend

About a year ago, I heard a podcast from a Thomas Jefferson Education conference titled "Building Happy Homes" by Dean and Joan Connolley.  I was impressed with what they had to say about marriage.  During the podcast, they mentioned that they do a "Marriage Enrichment Weekend" about 3 times a year.  They do not get paid for the weekend, they volunteer their time because they feel so strongly about strengthening marriage (you do pay for the hotel costs, food and handouts). I thought to myself that it sounded like a worthwhile thing to do someday and I filed it away in the back of my mind.

Well, recently the thought started popping back into my head.  I realized I had become so preoccupied with the kids and homeschooling that I was probably guilty of neglecting my marriage and we were both so tired most of the time that we tended to communicate on a rather superficial level.  I dedided to look more into it.  I found their site: http://www.marriage-enrichment.org/ and found that their next enrichment weekend was in April.  I asked Rock if he'd be willing to go, and he agreed that it would probably be a good thing, so I signed us up.

The site mentioned that they do not do any public disclosure kinds of things or counseling.  They simply teach you some powerful tools and let you practice them as a couple.  It sounded like a lot of the educational conferences I like to go to (except the practicing as a couple part).  We departed for our weekend on Thursday night, not quite sure what to expect.

Well, it was an incredible weekend.  Having graduated with a degree in Marriage, Family and Human Development, I figured that I would know most of what they had to say, but that it would be a good review.  While some of the information was not new - the way it was presented and then practiced was so eye opening!  I learned a lot about my husband of almost 15 years and we were able to see into one another's hearts in a more much honest way.  Our marriage was so greatly enriched!  We'll never be the same.  We also got to meet some really great couples, including the "leader couples" who taught the presentations and were willing to share some of their struggles, but exemplified what "couple power" and unity looks like in a marriage.  What a great service they do!  They are engaged in a great work.

When we first got there, Rock was a little leery about what this might be like.  After the first presentation he said, "There is a really good spirit about this." After that, it only got better.  I knew I would enjoy it (I like educational and self-improvement conferences and things), but he was surprised by how much he enjoyed it.  We were both so glad we had gone. 

At the end, we all got to say something about the weekend (if we wanted to).  Every person who was there mentioned how grateful they had been to have had the opportunity to be a part of the weekend, and how much they had learned. We all had an increased appreciation for our spouse and an increased sense of unity - plus a whole new set of tools to keep deepening that unity and closeness.

Anyway, I recommend it to everyone!  It was a worthwhile, enriching experience - whether your marriage is "hanging on by a thread" or seems to be going really well.   Check out their site - they also do "date nights" with guest speakers and different things.  I am so inspired by their passion and desire to help couples with this most important of relationships!  I want to be like them someday.

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God's Way to Educate vs World's Way (plus some family adventures)

I could write a book about this so this post is not meant to be comprehensive, but I recently read a speech that made me think about two very important differences in the way the world educates and the way God would have us learn.

He shared many important principles, but he mentioned two main ways that the 2 types of education differ.  The first is that the Lord is interested in educating the whole soul while the world is simply interested in the mind.  Elder Bednar's Increase in Learning is a great guide on how to do this.  Put simply - it comes down to acting on the principles that we learn so they become part of our character,and we become better because of what we learn.  Principles are everywhere and in everything that we learn if we know how to find them.  They don't teach you that in school, though.  At school we get taught stuff we need to know (to pass a test and get to college).  God would have us learn how to better live because of the principles we discover in the world around us.

The second way worldly education differs from God's is that the world is competitive as we try to get ahead.  Instead, a crucial way of educating our whole being is by lifting others to where we are.  We have all experience learning a new truth and wanting to share it with everyone because of how great it makes us feel.  As we do this we grow in truth, our knowledge expands, our character develops and we become truly educated.

"If we are living as the gospel requires, when we ourselves are learning, we are unwilling to leave others behind. An essential part of our growth comes in helping others grow. And then those we help in turn help others—among them, in many instances, our own posterity. This draws us close to one another, even across generations, and we become united, a Zion people. Fundamentally, education in the kingdom of God is different because it operates on the Zion principle of love."

The youth group that I have the opportunity to mentor is built on these principles.  It is amazing to see them repeated over and over as I read words of the prophets, Christian books on education, and as I receive inspiration on teaching my family and those around me.  Recently I have noticed them in the new youth programs of my church.  A book I am reading right now mentions that the home, school and church are what build the character of our youth and our nation. Unfortunately, the modern schools are secular and are failing and the homes are often places of distraction and entertainment instead of houses of learning.

I guess that is why I think it is important to invest my time on our homeschool youth group.  I want this education to be available to all, and I am sad when I see so much potential going to waste because we are neglecting the education of our youth. I am amazed at the insights and spiritual power of the youth I mentor as they are learning with the spirit of God present in their studies and discussions.  I am encouraged by their power and as I learn about similar schools and homes that are dedicated to this education of the soul.

And now to some fun family memories this last month:

Cuteness:

 Dissecting Owl Pellets:

 Medieval Feast with Vanguard families:

Ray got volunteered to do challenge some knights in order to win the princess' hand in marriage.  One of the contests was a jousting contest.  This is how it was supposed to be done:



This is Ray trying it:



He had a blast being the center of attention.  I need to remember to put my video quality from "normal" to "high".  Everything is so blurry.

Doodles during conference.  I have to admit it made my heart so happy to see my older children taking notes the ENTIRE four 2 hour sessions!  I didn't even ask them to, they got out their journals and paid attention.  I was so proud of them.  The little ones had a harder time, but doodling and naps kept them happy a lot of the time.

 Park day:

Doing a "flash mob" at Arctic Circle after a choir performance (they are quite giggly at first, but they get into it after a bit):





A couple of performance songs (they will be performing for friends and family on April 26th at 6:30 if anyone wants to come watch! Email me for the address).

(I asked a friend to hurry and film Little Miss for me since Gem was on my lap so the first part is of her rushing. I really need to adjust the video quality when I film! Good thing they have one more performance)





These video do not do credit to how awesome these guys sound:





And the last thing, we went to an ultrasound on Saturday and we learned that we are expecting a GIRL!  I hadn't let myself think about what I wanted the baby to be, but I was really excited to find it was a girl.  I haven't had a baby girl in nine years.  It will be so fun!

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My Latest Projects

Project 1: Mind Organization:

Guess what?  I am learning to organize my mind!  Isn't that exciting?  For those of you who know me personally, you know I have a lot of goals and passions and idealistic pursuits, but my follow-through is sometimes lacking.  I jump from one ideal goal to another before I have firmly established habits and then I look back and remember how awesome that one goal was and I try to bounce back to it again.  While this is kind of fun and keeps life exciting,  I know that if I was a little more organized in my goals and ideals, my family would benefit so much.  Normally, I just have a hard time holding on to thoughts for very long - I misplace so many things because my mind is racing through several thoughts and is not quite aware of what my body is doing sometimes. 

I have a friend who is really into organizing and she told me of this great program called "Mind Organization for Moms".  As I've been implementing it for about three weeks now, I am so much more at peace! I no longer do things with the worry in the back of my mind that, "I ought to be doing something else that is important, but I can't remember what it is".  I have a time and a place for all of my ideas and goals.  Refreshing.  I am not perfect at it yet, but it has been such a blessing for me and my family.  Being more present with my children has been the biggest blessing, since I am not tripping over thoughts all of the time.  You can find more information about it here: http://powerofmoms.com/store/m-o-m/

Project 2: Quality Family Work
Our family has gotten relatively good at our schedule, but I often found that the quality wasn't quite up to par.  To work on quality, I made some checklists, put them in a page protector, and put them on a clipboard with a dry erase marker attached with some yarn.  They check off their checklists before asking me to check their work.  It's pretty detailed - it says things like "Check behind the door" or "Put cleaning supplies away" - the little things that often get neglected.  I've even had to make a couple of revisions when I notice a detail that often goes unnoticed. The house has been looking so much cleaner!  While I am determined to keep at it for at least 6 weeks until the habit is firmly established.... follow through is the hard part.  Being kind of a softy, I don't always make them check their checklists on days that they are "too tired" or busy (or that I was), but I have to remember how important it is to their character and be strict about it.  On the days that I have let things go, I could sense that it was not good for them - so I'm putting on my determined mind right now and sticking to it! :-)

Project 3: Vanguard - wrapping up the year
The other thing that has been on my mind lately has been the end of the year activities for our homeschooling youth group.  I can't believe it will be over in a month!  The year went by so fast.  What a blessing it has been!  I am developing a testimony of the Lord's methods of education.  As we have tried to incorporate the principles we have learned about from great books such as "Increase in Learning" and others, the youth have thrived and are catching the vision of how/why the Lord would have them learn.  Mentoring this incredible group of youth has been amazing - their insights are profound and I feel edified every time I get the opportunity to be around them.

Watching Spice "increase in learning" as she applies the things we have taught her at home, and as she is inspired by her peers and by the truth she learns, has been a delight.  Below are  all of the books and articles that Spice has read and discussed this year.  The youth are asked to prepare to teach something from their reading before they come to class, so she has also had a chance to teach from these readings.  These are the readings from the last 7 months of Vanguard that she completed:

TJEd for Teens

most of 5000 year leap

7 Miracles that Saved America

Otto of the Silverhand

Trumpeter of Krakow
Child's History of England (through ch 22)

Music Talks for Children

Three Questions by Tolstoy

The Journey of Al & Gebra in the land of Algebra

Several short mathematician biographies

Racing to the Moon

Men of Iron

The Hiding Place

The Happy Prince - Wilde

Spiritual Lives of the Great Composers (chapters 1-7)

Story of Liberty (3 chapters)

The Story of Europe

Genesis Chapter 1 (very slowly with a lot of word studies)

Several LDS articles (You were Born to Lead; Decisions for which I've Been Grateful; Perry talk; Acquiring Spiritual Knowledge; Finding Inspiration in the Arts; Terror, Triumph and the Wedding Feast; The Constitution - a Glorious Standard; The Arts and the Spirit of the Lord)

The Message

Unlikely Heroes

The Story of Rolf and the Viking's Bow

The Proper Role of Government

Science books/chapters of own choosing (about the weather, rock and water cycles, astronomy, human body, and others)

6 short biographies of artists

The Story of the Crusades

Declaration of Independence

Magna Carta

The Constitution

The Living Christ
The Nicene Creed

Sleeping Beauty

Mystery of the Periodic Table

Bill of Rights

Beowulf

The Travels of Marco Polo

Jungle Book

Yearning for the Living God

The Merry adventures of Robin Hood

Remembering Isaac

Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

Fascinating Fibonacci's

The Traveler's Gift

Joan of Arc by Twain - vol 1

Galen and the Gateway to Medicine

The Giver

The Chosen

This means she has read 28 books, 5 partial books, 19 articles or short stories and quite a few short biographies and science concepts.  Not bad for 7 months!  I am so happy with the education she is choosing (none of this was mandatory or graded, but she wanted to do it since she values getting an education - how cool is that?!)

Those are pretty much the latest projects (besides de-junking and spring cleaning - how do we pile up so much stuff so quickly?! And implementing some of the great ideas I got from general conference - I'll have to find time to blog about that too - wasn't it awesome? And I now have an organized way to follow through with the great inspiration!)  I have several pictures I need to download and memories to record, so hopefully I will get to that soon also.  I just didn't want to let another week go by without an update.

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A Reverent Home

I like to listen to old BYU speeches on my phone (at speeches.byu.edu) when I am cleaning and the kids are busy with things.  I listened to one the other day called "Living a Reverent Life." It made me ponder on the importance of reverence.

He said it was possible to be boisterous and reverent at the same time since reverence is so much more than a behavior.  Reverence is how we feel about God.  It made me realize that as I come to know God, and become re-acquainted with His infinite love, I am better able to see those around me as He sees them.

I mentioned to the kids this morning that if we could lift the veil for a moment and remember each other before we came to earth, we would remember the things we had gone through together, the help we had given one another as we developed our spirits and in our fight against evil.  We would stand in awe of one another and in great love.  The idea of speaking rudely to one another or showing disrespect would seem absurd.

As we were talking about some of these things, Gem walked in with one of his mischievous looks on his face.  One of my nicknames for him is "Stinker," so as he walked in with that look on his face, I said, "Hi Stinker!" But at that moment, with the vision of who he was so fresh in my mind, the name didn't seem quite appropriate, so I said to the kids, "That name doesn't quite fit with what we've been talking about does it?  I think from now on I will call him General."  They all thought this was really funny, of course, as he was giggling and being so silly.  I kept doing it in fun, but the interesting thing was that it was a reminder to me of who he really was - and the kids were reminded as well.

It made me reflect on the fact that if we actually treat our children as the great spirits that they are, they may just start treating each other that way.   A little after our talk, one of the kids started teasing his sister.  I asked him if he remembered who he was teasing.  They both smiled as though it was funny, but he did stop teasing and they did seem a little more kind.

Sometimes I have a hard time differentiating between appropriate boisterous behavior and inappropriate, irreverent behavior.  This realization of what reverence is, has been a great help to me.  I really dislike silly, loud, "movie" talk at the dinner table.  Sometimes I have wondered if I am just "no fun" when they are obviously having a great time laughing.  It occurred to me, that perhaps I don't feel comfortable with it because they are acting below who they are, and they are not showing respect to the work that went into the meal and the opportunity we have to be together to edify and uplift one another.

In contrast to that, this morning. Bud, Little Miss and I were singing upbeat primary songs while the little ones danced and jumped and laughed and fell.  It was very boisterous and loud, but it felt reverent.  Every time we tried to stop singing, Gem would put his hand on our faces and grunt for us to sing some more.  Sometimes one of them would cross the line into irreverence by pushing or tripping a sibling in fun.  I would remind them not to do that and they controlled themselves and continued to have a great time.  Sometimes Gem would sit in between songs and fold his arms and close his eyes (indicating that he wanted us to say a prayer).  To me, that shows that he was feeling the spirit and felt prayer was appropriate (kind of cute for a 20 month old!)

I have a great deal to learn about this still, but I like the vision that is starting to be open to me.

On a slightly different topic, I read a FABULOUS talk today (I actually listened to it Friday, but I loved it so much I had to print it and highlight it and take notes).  It is called "A Disciple's Journey" by Bruce C. Hafen.  It was very insightful and profound.  It is interesting to try analyze where you may be on this "disciple's journey" and what the next step to take may be - great Sunday reading (or watching)!

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Is the Gospel Stifling?

Someone said to me recently, "Karen, you need to relax a little.  It is no big deal to watch _____, or to let your kids ______.  You're not going to go to hell if you let yourself have fun once in a while".   I left the actions blank because I can't remember exactly what it was that we were discussing and it wasn't what caught my attention.  I just remember feeling confused about the perspective of why I was choosing not to do those things.

Am I worried about the punishments I will receive if I do not live each and every gospel law that I know of?  To be honest, thoughts like that are so far from my mind that the comment caught me off guard.  I appreciated it though, because it gave me a new perspective of how some people could find the gospel quite stifling.  I am an advocate and great believer in the cause of freedom.  I love being able to choose and I tend to rebel if someone tells me I have to do things a certain way.  I love having agency and I try to do my best to advocate more freedom and less laws in our government.  If I saw the Gospel as a set of rules, I would probably feel rather stifled and a little rebellious to it, to be honest.

Perhaps I did see it that way before I came to understand it as I do now.  I guess the understanding I have may come from choosing to obey even when it feels stifling, only to discover (after the obedience) that I was seeing things all wrong and that what I was being asked to do actually brought me joy, peace and much more freedom - freedom to see things as they really are, to understand things a little deeper, and to gain the spiritual sensitivity to sense the path of freedom (the path to God) a little more keenly.

Instead of seeing the Gospel as a set of rules, I see it as a path to joy.  We are free to get off the path all we want, but all those detours are dead ends and keep us from getting to the real adventure and the beautiful view ahead.  I don't choose to not watch an unwholesome movie because I think I will be punished for my choice - I choose it because I know how I will feel if I choose to do something else, I know I will feel close to God, worthy of His guiding Spirit, peace in my heart and love in my soul.  Why would I give that up for any length of time just to hear some crude humor or see violent action?  It just doesn't make sense to me, it's not even tempting anymore since I am so aware of the difference.  I am a pretty great mother, friend and person when I am facing towards God (and I feel so at peace and full of joy in all I do - even if it's washing dishes), but I have to admit that I am pretty crummy when I turn away, even if it's just momentarily to glance at worldly things for a moment (and I feel grumpy, sorry for myself and under-appreciated).  Why would I choose to bring that upon myself and my family?

Now, I should say that I am far from perfect, and I experience moments of turning away every day.  That is how I know what it feels like.  But I am so grateful to be able to recognize the difference and the source of my feelings and to know the way back by reaching to my Savior.  I'd be lost without this knowledge and certainly on a different (and miserable) path. 

I have been studying Isaiah lately, and trying to learn some things about what is expected of me.  I have been learning how those who want to be able to stand in the presence of God need to pass through a refiner's fire and prove that they are willing to stand with God no matter what.  This can be a sobering thought as we contemplate what we may have to endure, but I really don't think we have to wait for some future trial to show the Lord we will stand by Him no matter what.  This is from my journal this morning:

"Life is a refiner's fire.  Every single day we have different circumstances and how we react or act in those circumstances (not the circumstances themselves) is the test of our willingness to stand with God no matter what.

"I don't need a major trial right now to see if I will stand with God - am I willing to stand with Him when the house is a mess or do I give in to self-pity and frustration? Am I willing to stand with God when children are rude to each other (or to me) or do I give in to angry feelings that drive the spirit away? Am I willing to stand by God when the spirit tells me to say or do something or am I too worried about what people think (even after I have already said it and then I let those worries drag me down)? Am I willing to stand with Him even when I'm tired?"

Those are the questions I am trying to answer today.  I see things so clearly sometimes, but it is so easy for me to get distracted with the cares of this world and forget what is most important.  I think it is pride and selfishness that get in my way.  When I am humble and ask myself, "what would God have me do right now?" I have great peace in my heart, regardless of what I "get done" or thought I should have gotten done.  Many things on my "to do" list are not getting done lately because I am expecting baby #7 (due in August!) and I tend to move a lot slower (because of my energy level - I'm not huge yet) than I used to.

Anyway, I felt like I should blog today, so I put in some pictures (see previous post), and wrote down some of my recent thoughts.  Hopefully it is of help to someone, or to myself at some future point.  I feel like I have spent too long on it now though so I better go get ready for church :-)

P.S. I have been reading some great books lately.  I recommend "Visions of Glory" by John Pontius and "Joan of Arc" by Mark Twain.  My favorite movies lately are "Gifted Hands" and "Agenda: Grinding America Down".  You can watch Agenda for free for a limited time here:  http://vimeo.com/52009124. And I heard that Gifted Hands (a movie about the life of Ben Carson - a very inspirational man) is available for free on  http://www.zionvision.com/.  My friend, Becky, also told me of another great resource for inspirational movies: http://www.christiancinema.com/dvdrental/top_dvds.php

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