Today is Father's Day. I need to write here to say Thank You to my Heavenly Father for being my Father! I am so abundantly blessed! I love being a Mom! Right now we have three teenagers, and they are stretching their wings, trying to find their place. I see how hard it was for my Father in Heaven to give us agency, and allow us to make our own choices. I see how necessary it is for us to get to choose our own path, and yet how difficult it is to not be "in control" as my fried Cheryl says! It would be so much easier to just make their choices for them. To direct them, and mold them into the person that we think they should become. Yet, everyone of us is so different! Sam is certainly different than both Jed and Chandler! He is his own person, and I would not have been creative enough to fashion a plan for him so uniquely! He is quick-witted and funny. He has really long hair right now, and I would never choose that for him! His hair in the back is really curly. I wish I had curls like that! How did he get them. Oh it is hard to let him make his own choices! Heavenly Father, please guide him!
Today sacrament meeting was on fathers, but on the talk by Devin Durrant titled
Teaching in the Home which says this:
"As parents, we introduce our children to Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. We help our children say their first prayer. We offer guidance and support as they enter the covenant path2 through baptism. We teach them to obey God’s commandments. We educate them about His plan for His children, and we help them recognize the whisperings of the Holy Ghost. We tell them stories of ancient prophets and encourage them to follow living ones. We pray for their triumphs and ache with them during their trials. We testify to our children of temple blessings, and we strive to prepare them well to serve full-time missions. We offer loving counsel as our children become parents themselves. But—even then—we never stop being their parents. We never stop being their teachers. We are never released from these eternal callings."
How difficult to watch him make choices that I disagree with! He is 18 and now living on his own. I am grateful that we don't have the contention in our home, but my heart aches as I hear others who have seen him in questionable settings. Oh, how I wish I could prick his heart and help him see that true joy and heavenly blessings await him if he chooses the right!
I love the children's book by Sister Wendy Watson Nelson titled "The Never Ever Club." How I would love to proclaim for each of my family that we are going to be in many "Never Ever Clubs!"
Thank you Sister Nelson for your courageous example!
Tonight my heart wishes that Sam had a Grandpa that would help reach out and help him see the plan more clearly! I wish that I could call my earthly father and confide in him the wishes of my heart. I regret that is not something I can do.
My heart aches, and with every opportunity, I wish I could "fix" that relationship. I wish that he would be kind, that he would reach out, that we could have a relationship. I have tried and tried, and tried again. Tonight, I felt before I drop into bed, I needed to come record my wishes, and express my love and desire.
My Heavenly Father knows the wishes of my heart. Today's sunday school lesson was something about being judged by our hearts. My heart wishes, weeps, and studies how to repair and build the family relationships that we are supposed to be nurturing. They will claim they have said "come home." True but with a threat and promise that things will not change. That is not the plan of salvation. We are to change and mend! We are to learn and grow. I wish to learn and grow, and over and over I have had church leaders, bishops, stake presidents, and counselors tell me that they are not ready. So I write. I wish. I believe in hope and love. I believe that my Savior knows my heartache and desire. He is carrying me!
I have a new favorite piece of art! It is a painting by Julie Rogers of Kanab of a pioneer boy carrying one of the littler pioneers on his back. To me it is my Savior carrying me on his back! He appears as a boy, as someone I know who is willing to serve and love. He is carrying me! I want to see my Savior in those around me! I know He sends them to help me! I am SO grateful! Thank you Heavenly Father and Elder Brother Jesus Christ for the miracles in my life everyday!
Thank you for taking my Liesl back to her current home in Salt Lake tonight safely! Thank you for the many many miles we travel safely! I am so grateful! That is one of the miracles of today. Another was the miracles of help this morning as I needed someone to help me to make breakfast early to take to the Stake Presidency in their meeting to say thank you to them for being the fathers of our stake. I knew I could not do it alone, and I went upstairs to see if I could wake one of the girls. Liesl is home for the weekend, and she was kneeling by the bed and then came down to help me. What a miracle that my Heavenly Father sent my dear daughter, forever friend Loving Liesl to come help me! I am so grateful!
So, this is my Father's day card for the day. I have written a note to my dear Bradley of gratitude for the many things he has done in my life. I will record that here later. For tonight I felt impressed I needed to express gratitude for my Fathers - my Heavenly Father, and my earthly father.
I am grateful for life itself! I am grateful for the gospel. I am grateful for righteous men who honor the Priesthood of God and His power and do all they can to be His hands here on earth! I am grateful for Fathers - for their sacrifice, their service, their commitment, they compassion, their kindness, and love. I am grateful for abundance of life! Thank you! Laus Deo!
Today sacrament meeting was on fathers, but on the talk by Devin Durrant titled
Teaching in the Home which says this:
"As parents, we introduce our children to Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. We help our children say their first prayer. We offer guidance and support as they enter the covenant path2 through baptism. We teach them to obey God’s commandments. We educate them about His plan for His children, and we help them recognize the whisperings of the Holy Ghost. We tell them stories of ancient prophets and encourage them to follow living ones. We pray for their triumphs and ache with them during their trials. We testify to our children of temple blessings, and we strive to prepare them well to serve full-time missions. We offer loving counsel as our children become parents themselves. But—even then—we never stop being their parents. We never stop being their teachers. We are never released from these eternal callings."
How difficult to watch him make choices that I disagree with! He is 18 and now living on his own. I am grateful that we don't have the contention in our home, but my heart aches as I hear others who have seen him in questionable settings. Oh, how I wish I could prick his heart and help him see that true joy and heavenly blessings await him if he chooses the right!
I love the children's book by Sister Wendy Watson Nelson titled "The Never Ever Club." How I would love to proclaim for each of my family that we are going to be in many "Never Ever Clubs!"
Thank you Sister Nelson for your courageous example!
Tonight my heart wishes that Sam had a Grandpa that would help reach out and help him see the plan more clearly! I wish that I could call my earthly father and confide in him the wishes of my heart. I regret that is not something I can do.
My heart aches, and with every opportunity, I wish I could "fix" that relationship. I wish that he would be kind, that he would reach out, that we could have a relationship. I have tried and tried, and tried again. Tonight, I felt before I drop into bed, I needed to come record my wishes, and express my love and desire.
My Heavenly Father knows the wishes of my heart. Today's sunday school lesson was something about being judged by our hearts. My heart wishes, weeps, and studies how to repair and build the family relationships that we are supposed to be nurturing. They will claim they have said "come home." True but with a threat and promise that things will not change. That is not the plan of salvation. We are to change and mend! We are to learn and grow. I wish to learn and grow, and over and over I have had church leaders, bishops, stake presidents, and counselors tell me that they are not ready. So I write. I wish. I believe in hope and love. I believe that my Savior knows my heartache and desire. He is carrying me!
Thank you for taking my Liesl back to her current home in Salt Lake tonight safely! Thank you for the many many miles we travel safely! I am so grateful! That is one of the miracles of today. Another was the miracles of help this morning as I needed someone to help me to make breakfast early to take to the Stake Presidency in their meeting to say thank you to them for being the fathers of our stake. I knew I could not do it alone, and I went upstairs to see if I could wake one of the girls. Liesl is home for the weekend, and she was kneeling by the bed and then came down to help me. What a miracle that my Heavenly Father sent my dear daughter, forever friend Loving Liesl to come help me! I am so grateful!
So, this is my Father's day card for the day. I have written a note to my dear Bradley of gratitude for the many things he has done in my life. I will record that here later. For tonight I felt impressed I needed to express gratitude for my Fathers - my Heavenly Father, and my earthly father.
I am grateful for life itself! I am grateful for the gospel. I am grateful for righteous men who honor the Priesthood of God and His power and do all they can to be His hands here on earth! I am grateful for Fathers - for their sacrifice, their service, their commitment, they compassion, their kindness, and love. I am grateful for abundance of life! Thank you! Laus Deo!