Choice

"It's not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are"~Roy Disney

Each day we wake up making choices. We choose to eat breakfast, we choose to get on our knees and give thanks to our Heavenly Father for waking up to live another day, we choose to be happy or sad. Life is full of choices... and sometimes we have regrets on some of those choices we have made. I know I have.

My daughter has early morning seminary. My husband teaches it. Sierra has had a long week of homework & drama rehearsal, which resulted in staying up late for the past three nights. She's only missed seminary if she is sick, but she did not attend this morning because she was drained of strength and energy. Although she was up at 4:30 this morning, she was tired; red eyed tired! Her dad let her know he was on his way and he wasn't going to force her to go. It's a good thing I'm not the seminary teacher, because I might have forced her to go. I was also tired from staying up late blogging and comforting Noah, who has his last two sets of molars coming in...but I'm up early every morning getting everyone ready for the day. I know that's part of the mom role, and at times it's exhausting, but I'm still up.

I prefer the word choice over force.

I was looking back at the first entry I wrote in my journal. I titled that entry "Choice". It's something I'd like to share with you. It's a pretty long entry and I hope you'll read it in its entirety.

January 1, 2011


A new decade, a new year, and hopefully a new me! We may all think that we are at a point in our lives where we are "okay" or "comfortable" with who we are, how we treat others, and how we treat ourselves.
There are so many things I'd like to change about myself.  Such as how I look at things on a daily basis, how I am as a mother and wife. There are questions I ask myself constantly such as, "Am I being a good example in everything I portray in front of my children? Am I truly listening to them when one of them asks me a question or when they discuss the matters of their day? Or maybe a  question uttered from your five year old that may not matter to you to respond and answer... but it matters to them. Am I treating the next person in line at the store, on the road, at church...with kindness? Am I smiling enough? (I know a smile can brighten someone's day.)
Recently I have been short tempered (no it's not hormonal, menopause or PMS) and I don't want to use the excuse of having four children, a husband who works a lot, and living in New Jersey which can really cause someone's life to be hectic! I have realized more lately and throughout this past year, that I can make differences in people's lives and how I can look at things in a happier perspective. 

Isn't that what life is all about?

Each year comes and goes, and with each new year, we have a chance to renew ourselves; to be a more positive person. I believe we can change. We have lessons in life we have learned from. We have heartaches, trials, and many ups and downs, but we can all look at this in a positive manner. 
I believe that God gives us that chance at hope; hope to renew ourselves. It can be done. We all have a choice. I hope that the choices I make are those that are correct, and that will not only help me gain strength throughout my life...but by making the right choices, I can strengthen others. 

I am so grateful for journal writing, and that I decided to flip back to the very beginning. It was a reminder to me that everyone has a choice. My daughter chose to not attend seminary this morning. She is such a great kid, and at times I can be a little hard on her, but she does make excellent choices in life.

 I also learned that it's okay to be tired.