Thoughts & My Favorite Quotes From General Women's Session.

This past women's conference was absolutely inspirational, and just look at these girls of mine! They are growing up way to fast, and are making me shorter as each year passes! As usual we miss Sierra, and know that she watched it as well! 

I just wanted to voice a few thoughts, and quotes from the talks that really got my attention. In all honesty the words that were spoken was something that I needed to be reminded of, and I know it's something that we all needed to hear. The whole theme on the session seemed to be focused on service. I know that I can always do better when it comes to serving others, and know that I can do more. My prayer is that I hope the Lord is pleased in all that i do in my daily life not only with my community, church, school, and children, but also for myself.

Living in an area where time isn't as valued can cause us to become overwhelmed, stressed, and always hustling, and a bustling. I have to admit living in this part of the country has caused me to be a bit more busy, and even though I'm a stay at home I try to find ways in which I can serve, and when I do it helps me to become more selfless, and loving towards every one. I look back at my life when things were a bit slower while living in Texas, Utah, and especially North Carolina. They say where the weather is warm people are warm, and I'm not going to lie...it's so true. There are times when I miss those moments when the kids were little, and life seemed to be handed to me on silver platter, but I am grateful for growth and change. Watching my girls grow up to become such beautiful young women, making decisions on their own tells me that I'm not smothering them too much and that I am doing my best. 

Being a mother, and raising four kids isn't a task for me, and although at times it can by trying with all my girls growing up especially with my firstborn, because let's be real y'all, our firstborn is always the guinea pig. And as much as we try to do the right thing, sometimes it's not the right thing, but in hindsight it is the right thing, but at the end of the day our children must learn from their own experiences for themselves...hoping that they do the right thing. Hope that made sense y'all!  And when you have your second, third, fourth, and so on each child (even if they have a strong personality) truly does become easier, and all the mistakes you did with your first, you pretty much don't repeat them with the others. 

To know that my children are of God gives me more of a will to always be the best mom I can be so that they can all develop into selfless, awesome young women, (and man). The gospel of Jesus Christ helps me gain strength towards that aspect in motherhood, and I'm so grateful for the truth and knowledge that comes from that great book. And it only work, and gives me patience when I make time to read it! 

Every talk was amazing and I wish I could write about every single one, but I'm only going to add a snippet from some of my favorites! 

"May we follow our Savior's example, and His admonition to reach out to others with love." 

-Cheryl Esplin

"Sometimes reaching out is inconvenient. But when we work together in love and unity we can expect heaven's help." 

-Linda K. Burton." 

On this evening before the session started we had at least 25 sisters show up to help make hygiene kits, and tie baby quilts. It was so nice to see everyone serving, and to be together as sisters working together  in unity, and what a sight for sore eyes it was to see that in my relief society. That is the way things should always be! 

"Love is making space in our life for someone else." 

-Neill f. Marriot

And my favorite from Linda K. Burton...

"As we consider the pressing calls of those who need our help, lets' ask ourselves, "what if their story were my story?"

 This quote rings so true, and I know there are many of us who are guilty of this feeling. Put yourself in the person who has reached out to you in your shoes, and wonder how you can ever handle their situation, or even handle it. Love it! 

And my favorite quotes of the evening were by President Henry B. Eyring:

"When our faith in Jesus Christ leads us to qualify for the joy of His forgiveness, we feel a desire to serve other for Him."

"Our désire to serve others is magnified by our gratitude of what the Savior has done for us." 

These words ring so true, and it is my hope that I'm being the best example I can be to my family so that my girls can know that by truly loving others, you must serve others as well. 

Looking forward to General Conference too, and if you want to find out more about it here's a little video you can watch! 

 
Happy Weekend! 

Words of Comfort from Women's Conference...Because We All Need Them.

After having a beautiful belated birthday celebration with my family, and taking in the smell of fall while driving out in the outskirts of jersey going to the General Womens broadcast was the icing on the belated cake that i absolutley needed.  

Ever had one of those moments in your life when you feel that everything is going so right, and then bam, something happens so unexpectedly that your reaction to that situation is not what you'd expect. The fact that I received some disturbing news from home which at this moment will remain private was something that I would never expect in a million years. At least not now. I never thought that I would ever have to feel so much heartache for someone who holds a super duper place in my heart. One thing for sure in my life which I'm most grateful for is my family. Family means so much to me even more these days. Mostly because I'm far away from them all.

The General womens broadcast couldn't have fallen at a better time. Heavenly Father sure knows who we are, and He knows exactly what we need. He knows what trials we are going through, and hears our thoughts. Listening to all the talks that were given by the leaders of the church this past weekend was something that I needed, and as always were very inspiring to hear. I definitely made sure that my senses were taking in all the words of our leaders, and boy did I ever need that reminder. 

One thing for sure that I have learned in the past 72 hours is that our faith is totally tested when you receive terrible news. It tests us to the limit if we are going to give up, or fight, and be strong. I always want to choose the latter. I hope I'll always choose the latter. I can't even begin to tell you how grateful I am to have the Lord in my life, and his gospel to help and guide me with the words I need to hear. I also wish the same for my girls. I hope that they all take in the words of our leaders so that they can look back, and say, "if mom handled it, so can I", and know that they have a Heavenly Father who loves them, and guides their every move. 

This broadcast has been one of the most special ones yet. And it's probably because of the things that are going on in my life. It never fails that every time any type of sadness enters my life something inspirational happens. 

One very special talk that has now become a favorite was given by President Uchtdorf. I always look forward to hearing what he's going to address to us. I just love all his stories, and for the most part usually hits pretty close to home. I absolutely loved this talk, and it totally gave me a different perspective on life. 

Here is a snippet of his talk in which the words resonated with me, and it is something that I really needed to hear so that I will never give up hope, or lose faith. 

"In this painting a pioneer girl is skipping along a bright blue path. She has endured many dark and dreary days, bus she has a spring in her step, and looks optimistic, happy, and hopeful. As you walk through life, I hope you will feel a spring in your step as you trust the Lord, and continue on your own bright and happy path of discipleship. Faith will lead you to open your eyes to the things Heavenly father has in store for you. Love for God and His children will continue to brighten your path, even on dark and cloudy days." 

How true are his words. 

I have been having a lot of those days lately, but I know that with prayer, and faith I can hang on and like the little girl in the picture go out on the bike trial with the loves of my life, or even by myself and skip around like a little kid with a smile on my face telling myself that everything is going to be okay. That whatever happens will happen. That's in Heavenly Father's hands now. That it's okay to cry. That it's okay to not be strong when everyone else thinks you are. 

The story of "A Summer with Great Aunt-Rose" will be forever etched in my heart. 

I also believe that having Pope Francis visiting our neck of the woods was an answer to everyones prayers. Even though I'm no longer Catholic I know that he is a great man who strives to live at the hand of God. Because times are changing, what matters at the end of the day is that the family is important, that loving one anther regardless of our religious beliefs is important, and that keeping the faith alive is essential to our life.  

Yes...this past weekend was amazingly spiritual throughout the city of brotherly love as well as Saturday evening. So grateful to have a living prophet guiding us today, and to have one of his apostles share his love, and support with us. 

We are also Looking forward to General conference this weekend, and I encourage everyone to watch it, and for those of who are not a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints to give it a chance and tune in! I promise you will leave feeling inspired, and rejuvenated! 

Women's Conference: Being a Defender of My Family.

This will be the third year attending women's conference without my oldest daughter, but how lucky is she to be living in Salt Lake City where she was at the center of it all. Luckily I have two other daughters at home whom I have the privilege of attending with, and this past weekend we all watched it via satellite inside the chapel along with several sisters. The theme this year was on defending the family, and the sanctity of marriage. The family truly is of God, and He needs us to be covenant keeping daughters. Attending this event with my daughters builds up our testimony as well as our energy in faithfully keeping the covenants we made at baptism, and helps us to do better. You can watch the entire session here.

After introducing the session with a family ensemble singing, "A Family is of God", one of the questions that was asked was, "What does family mean to you?" And here is my answer...

My family is my world.  

No matter how much we may disagree, no matter the little spats in between all the good times, and the hardships we face from time to time that will cause us to annoy one another, no matter what "life" throws at us, no matter all the bickering that my two youngest children cause my family is my world. The fact that we have put the Savior in the center of our home helps us to overcome all the mishaps and trials that come our way. Knowing that we have each other to lean on in any given situation whether good or bad assures us that we have a safe haven to come home to. The gospel of Jesus Christ is key in keeping my family together, and the example that I set for my children in striving to be a "defender of the family" helps them know that having the gospel  in my life is seriously a part of my life, and that I'm not just going through the motions. Regardless of my imperfections (and I have a lot of them) I strive to live the life that I want my children to exhibit. The time we take to pray, and read the gospel as a family strengthens us a whole, and helps us to withstand any darkness that comes our way. We build each other up with positive love, and energy. There are so many excerpts in every single talk that I loved, but one of my favorites is when President Henry B. Eyring said, "joy always comes after sorrow." How true that is especially when one has endured any kind of trial! 

Carole M. Stephens said, "We each belong to and are needed in the family of God. Earthly families all look different, and while we do the best we can to create strong traditional families, membership in the family of God is not contingent upon any kind of status. Marital status, parental status, financial status, social status, or even the kind of status we post on social media. Their hopes for us is perfect, their plan for us is perfect, and their promises are sure." As a mother it is my hope that I will continue to build the love of Christ so strong that my daughters (including my son) will be strong defenders of their future families just as I am with mine....only better! And that the seeds of perfection that we have inside our soul will one day be perfected! 

When Bonnie L. Oscarson spoke about the The Family: A Proclamation to the world, and how much we need that declaration now than we did 20 years ago when it was first published, I was nodding my head because that is such a true statement. We definitely need to teach our daughters to aim for the ideal, and plan for contingencies.

"Live it , share it, defend it!"

~Cheryl A. Esplin

*****

On another note my oldest daughter Sierra had the opportunity to sing a solo with the institute choir this past Sunday in Salt Lake City. The institute director of the college personally called me letting me know that she did a fabulous job, and that he is lucky to have her as part of their choir. Music brings her all kinds of happy, and I'm so glad she is a part of this organization. She loves it, and I'm so proud of her. I wish I was there to have seen her perform, but how grateful I am for technology where I can see and hear her sing with just a click of a button. Technology certainly is a miracle. 

It truly was a beautiful weekend attending womens conference with my daughters, and knowing that Sierra is building up her spirituality, and is surrounded by goodness in Utah brings me assurance that she is on the right path to living a good life. Especially where good friends, music, and singing are involved! 

Happy Monday! 

General Women's Meeting 2014.

It is always so interesting to see who, and how many of us will gather for the General Women's meeting every year, and this past weekend we had quite an amazing number in our stake. It is always nice to see other young women, and sisters that I normally don't see every Sunday gather together exchanging stories, hugs, and smiles. The best part of this meeting is the fact that those who are as young as eight years of age can now attend the general women's meeting with their mothers. I have a nine year old, and amazingly she was pretty excited to go that evening (I believe having a pie buffet that night had something to do with her attendance as well!) Seeing young girls between the ages of eight and 17 attending this meeting gives me hope that when these young women reach the ages of 12 and 18 that they are going to be prepared to enter the Young Women program, as well as Relief Society and hopefully spread their wings wide when they venture out into the world after high school graduation (crossing our fingers right moms?)  It was so nice seeing everyone gathering, visiting, hugging, chatting, and smiling among one other. That is sisterly love, and I hope that my daughters will follow in the footsteps of my example in the way that I strive (key word being STRIVE) to be a faithful follower of Christ and how I love, and treat my fellow sisters...no matter who they are. 

The General Women's meeting was indeed so powerful this year! It seems that when I, or a loved one is going through a trial my intentions are totally focused on what our church leaders have to say, and my listening ears are on. Listening deeply with pure intent to every word they uttered that evening was needed in my life in numerous ways. 

For a moment I was prepared to enter the chapel with all these hopes and answers to my prayers for someone I love. When in reality some of these talks were meant for me. Sometimes I walk in thinking, and praying my heart out that every time General Women's meeting comes along that certain family members, and certain sisters I feel can really use some uplifting words of comfort from our church leaders, because they sure can use it. Well you know what...we can all take in some words of comfort, and we can all use it. Including me! 

**Linda K. Burton spoke about better preparing our children for temple blessings. To teach them at a young age to get them involved in family history work, and indexing names so that they'll be spiritually prepared to enter the temple once they turn 12. Preparation is key in all things especially when it comes to the way of the world. I love the example she gave about the 10 virgins, and how five of them were prepared in having oil in their lamps, while the other five were foolish because they didn't have them filled. Like those five virgins who were prepared  to go the marriage, we as members should be prepared to worthily enter the temple.

**Jean A. Stevens talk was focused on baptismal covenants, and gave a beautiful story of her mother, and father. She spoke so highly of her parents, and I was humbled by her story. She talked about how her parents were married in the temple by David O' McKay, and how their focus was purely on building an eternal family, and laying a foundation of the Lord in their life. It was a lovely talk about two wonderful people who sacrificed so much in spite of their challenges in serving their Father in Heaven with strength, and love. Preparing for temple blessings is something we should always be ready for once we enter the temple, and this quote from President Thomas S. Monson says it all, "No sacrifice is too great, no price to heavy, no struggle too difficult in order to receive those blessings." 

**Neill F. Marriott's talk was given with so much love, and conviction. I think the fact that she has a huge family (11 children, and 29 grandchildren) inspires her to be a strong disciple of Christ. Teaching and helping us how we can be a light to others in a dark world. Reminding us that we can shine bright just like the temples do on this earth. One of my favorite quotes she said that night was, "Great joy comes when those little boats [our children] grow into mighty seafaring vessels with gospel light."

**President Dieter F. Uchtdorf gave the most quintessential talk ever! An epic talk that we all needed to hear. Mentioning social networking tells me that he knows what's up in the world with how we women think, and feel. Especially when it comes to numbers. Y'all know what I'm talking about. I mean seriously...who cares how many likes we get on a Facebook pic, Instagram, or twitter. Who cares how many followers we have on pinterest. Heck...I'm grateful to even get one like when I post a status on any of those social networks. That's the way of the world nowadays among our youth, and hope that someday they will realize that none of that matters. Heavenly Father doesn't care about any of those things. He cares about our spirituality, and helping us realize that he loves us no matter what. It is so easy to forget who we are in today's society without listening to that voice that protects us from sin. It's also very easy to stray away from the gospel especially if we are not paying close attention to the influences around us. I've mentioned before that I didn't grow up in the church, so I really appreciate everything that the young women program does for the youth including my kids. 

Unfortunately, I've seen quite a few young women go off on their own after high school graduation and struggle with their testimony, do what they want, and forget that they are a daughter of God. We need reminders of those moments to remember who we are, and to strive to live as a true disciple of Christ. To know that Heavenly Father loves us no matter what and that blessings will rain down upon us. Even at my age I need to be reminded of living the gospel, and how I attain that is by living the laws of the Lord the best I can. He also said that living the gospel joyfully with all our heart, mind, and soul may be hard, but by choosing Heavenly Father's path we can lay a divine foundation on our path, and in our lives. 

Every single talk was appreciated, and spoke to me in profound ways. The fact that some of the talks were so focused on leaving a legacy of great examples for our children, and seeking out our ancestors by attending the temple more often strengthens me as a mother even more. I am a first generation member, and unfortunately I don't have many stories to tell my kids about how my mother met & married my dad, and so forth. I have stories, but they aren't the uplifting kind (they will know those too.) My family as much as I know, did their best in living a good life, and unfortunately in most cases somewhat turned out dysfunctional. I know I'm not perfect, but I don't want to repeat the same mistakes some of them made. My hope for my children is that they will have fun, sweet, and uplifting stories to tell their future posterity about me.  I have built a history of my existence through happiness and trials on paper, photographs, this blog, and most of all my example which I hope will be good enough for my kids!

And I hope in return my children will live a faithful life in living eternal covenants and that by going to the temple will be much more than a "one time event", and pass that on down to their posterity, and so on, and so on. 

**Past General women's meeting posts can be found here, here, and here.

Love With A Happy Weekend.

Last summer I met this sweet couple at a nearby park and normally when there are other moms at the park with a small child Noah will immediately befriend them (he's not afraid) and of course that's my cue to start a conversation with them. First of all I love, love meeting people, talking about my family, and all the reasons that make me happy in this world. And those things that keep me happy in this world are...the gospel of Jesus Christ, my family, great friends, and God. I had an interesting conversation with them, and one thing that really opened my eyes when I was sharing my religion with them is the fact that her husband said to me, "One thing I've learned in all my years whenever I've gone to a church is that God is love...pure love. You can go to church every Sunday & serve, but what should come out of your service & attending church is having genuine love."

Love, love, love.

Man was he right on, and it's so true that attending our meetings no matter what religion we are, and having the gospel is truly all about love, & we should act upon it. 

So with  General Women's meeting being held tonight, and general conference being in a week I will be focusing once again on heeding the words of a prophet and all his leaders. No matter how different each of them are when it comes to their talks I always find the inspiration that I'm seeking for, and feel the love they all have for us through their words. I always leave with a fulfillment so deep! 

I'm so happy to have two of my daughters coming with me tonight for the General Women's meeting. We miss Sierra, and wish she could share this special evening with us, but pray that she too will be listening, and seeking guidance from the words of our church leaders. 

Have a wonderful weekend! 

General Women's Meeting with my nine year old.

"Heavenly Father sees greater potential in his children than ever your earthly mother sees." 

~President Henry B. Erying

What a unique experience it was to have had eight to eleven year old young girls invited to General Women's meeting. When I heard about the age change I was so excited! Not only is it my job as a mother to teach my daughters true principles of the gospel, but taking them to conference at an even younger age is so important. 

This past Saturday I had the privilege of escorting my two daughters ages 14 & nine for a lovely dinner, and to watch the broadcast afterwards. This age change is indeed an advantage being that girls these days seem to be growing up way too fast & their need for spiritual guidance in preparing them for the young women program by taking them to women's conference is so important. 

Mothers & daughters in our ward gathered for an evening of spiritual fun, bonding with my nine year old by making washer necklaces, and playing a "getting to know you" game with the other mother and daughter duos in the ward was absolute fun! Dinner that evening was prepared by some of the brothers in our ward, and we are so grateful for the time they took in doing that for us.

Watching conference on the big screen in the chapel gives it so much meaning & it makes me feel as if I'm actually there. Made me a little homesick to tell you the truth. Seeing so many faithful mothers with their daughters sitting in the conference center made me miss my oldest daughter who is currently attending college in Utah. 

The messages tonight were so important about sisterhood, and how we truly need each other. We are all that we have, and our daughters are looking up to us as their role model to learn a proper behavior as to how we treat our fellow sisters. No matter how old my girls get I want them to become a faithful daughter of God & for them to pass it down to their prosperity. Society is changing everyday & as sisters & mothers who hold the truthfulness of the gospel it is our responsibility to pass that down on generations to come. 

President Erying brought me to tears throughout his whole talk on how he emphasized on treating every person we meet as a child of God. His words were so encouraging, and I pray that I will continue to strive to see every human being in that nature. It's so true when he said that we are more alike as daughters of God than we are different. We all carry the one thing that makes us strong, and unique as one and that is the gospel of Jesus Christ. When we love, forgive, and are kind to one another we are being like our Father in Heaven, and that "divine inheritance" comes from Him. 

Women need women, and as sisters in the gospel we truly need each other. No matter how old we are we need each other. Some of us may be at the level where we may be comfortable in how we love, but in the end we truly need to love each other better. That is my hope, and I pray that I can be able to exhibit that to my children, and to sisters I meet everywhere around the world. 

Now we plan to "unplug" just a bit by being tech free this week by spiritually preparing for the 184th annual General Conference this weekend!

***If you missed the General Women's broadcast you can watch it here. 

Have a great week!