How will I measure my life?
I am so blessed! I loved the messages from my Entrepreneurship class this week.
In the midst of it, it is Memorial Day weekend. I am reading about finding our Hero's Journey, about living the life we were sent here to live. What is that for me? How do I find "flow?" I believe that I was born to love and be loved! I was born to be a mom on this earth to a fantastic crew, and I am SO blessed!
I am named after my Great Grandma Marta. She married Grandpa (Farfar) when Great Grandma Keri died in childbirth of my Grandpa. Farfar found himself single with a house full of little kids. He found Marta and fell in love with her, and didn't tell her that he needed her to mother his house full of motherless kids. When Marta found out what he needed, she couldn't say no. She loved him too, and instantly loved those little people! She loved them FAR MORE than they could realize. In Swedish, Farmor is Father's Mother. She was really my FarFarMor. But I called her Farmor. That is her name and everyone in our family adopted that title for her.
I love the opportunity of Memorial Day to remember the past, and look to the future. It is perfect for this review of "The Hero's Journey" and the message of determining who I want to be and then checking to be sure that the direction I am aiming is headed to the right destination. I want to be the Farmor for the next generation. I want to love and gather those around me to celebrate the goodness and blessings of this life! I am so blessed to be the mom to 5 sons and 4 daughters. Now those numbers are adding in greater numbers. I now have 2 grand children who are that - Grand! I love to have them gathered around me.
This week I have been touched by a talk at BYU Women's Conference last month about the Gathering. What is my role in the gathering? I love that I get to gather family around me! I love to make good food, to participate in the chatter of the dinner table, the funny comments of some, the gigles of others. The belly laughs at the simple little things of life. I love to see and feel the joy of good people, listening, caring, exploring, testing ideas and new opportunities for the thoughts of those they love and admire! I have always viewed the gathering as being a missionary opportunity, this week I see with new eyes that my gathering assignment is to gather family from both sides of the veil to celebrate our Savior!
So what is my Hero's journey? What are those questions I will ask at the end of my days? I will cherish and celebrate these important people in my life. I will celebrate their successes, and cry with them when they have a hard day. I will seek to make good food for them to gather round and share time, making memories to recall in a future day when they might feel alone and lost. Oh, I am so grateful for memorial days. I am grateful to be my own person, and not to pass forward the broken, prideful ways of others in my family. I will choose the good. I will leave the undesirable, indeed writing letters to myself of lines I will not pass. I will not forbid anyone from joining us! I will not leave out, ignore, or cast out any! The Savior of the World says Come Unto Me. He wants us to be His Hands as we share His Love! I want to do that and share love in MorMor ways! I have wondered if there was a fun grandma name I could adopt. I can't be Farmor, that is a Hero in my life I hope I teach my kids to know and love by the stories of loving kindness I tell about her. I want to leave my own legacy, certainly passing forward her example of rich kindness!!!! Maybe MorMor will fit, because I love my family Mor and Mor each passing day! I am so blessed! Off to hug those little ones as their parents help another son reroof his house on this memorial day of working together! I declare the Proclamation on the Family is indeed the word of God for us! It says
"Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities."
This weekend we enjoy time together working, so soon we can enjoy playful wholesome recreational activities to make memories to last for all eternity!