Snow Day

There is just something peaceful and beautiful about freshly fallen snow. It is white clean and pure. Powdery and soft. To me there is nothing better then watching the snowflakes fall. Imagining each snowflake has a story to tell, or a message to share. I feel like snowflakes are messages of love from heaven. A gift for all of us to enjoy and be healed by. All of us have someone we loved that have left this earth. There is a long process for healing, and even though you know that Families are Forever, it seems like a long time till we will be reunited again. It is almost a sacred moment when you are with a child who sees snow for the very first time. Their huge smile, giggles, and joy over playing in the snow and catching snowflakes. Everything we have been given here on earth is for a reason. It is a gift that was created from a loving Father. A gift for each of his children to enjoy. From watching it fall, to skiing, to sledding, to snow shoeing, to all the many adventures you can have with snow. I have been lucky enough to have grown up around snow my entire life. Enjoying it as a child, playing in it and doing different snow activities, and now watching my children enjoy it, I love how the snow gently surrounds the temple, and almost gives it a blanket of warmth,

 For the beauty of the earth; For the beauty of the skies, For the love which from our birth over and around us lies: Lord of all, to thee we raise this our joyful hymn of praise.

For the beauty of each hour of the day and of the night, Hill and vale and tree and flower, Sun and moon and stars of light: Lord of all, to thee we raise this our joyful hymn of praise.

For the joy of human love, Brother, sister, parent, child, friends of earth, and friends above, For all gentle thoughts and mild: Lord of all to thee we raise this our joyful hymn of praise.

For each perfect gift of thine to our race so freely given, Graces human and divine, Flow'rs of earth and buds of heav'n: Lord of all to thee we raise this our joyful hymn of praise.

My moment of peace came in the early hours of the day. The ability to sit and watch the snow fall, and be surrounded by love. Be kind to one another and love your Heavenly Father.

The Start to A Better Life

So I have decided that I need to take a little bit of a different path in my life. I am so busy all the time, and often time I have found myself feeling like I am not enough. Or that I am missing out on some of the most important parts of this amazing journey that we all have been given. LIFE!! So my challenge from today forward is to try and write each week and share where I found that quiet moment. Sometimes I may be writing daily, but after all I am pretty busy so a realistic goal is weekly for me. 

     In the picture above I was able to find a quiet moment. I was having a rather rough day, and everything I was trying to accomplish kept failing. The kids were grumpy and fighting, and I was certainly at my snapping point. So even though I was tired beyond measure and had so many other things to do, I decided to take my kiddos to the park to play. Jaxon and Abby were playing nicely on the big hill rolling down, laughing together, and getting along. The TWINKIES were playing nicely on the play ground running up and down the ladder, speeding down the slides, and climbing across the bridge. So I decided to simply just lay down on a blanket underneath the trees. 
     As I lay down under the trees, I said a quick prayer in my heart that somehow I would be able to get all that I needed to do that day done, and that I would be able to feel peace as I accomplished it. As I opened my eyes, I looked up. As you can see in the picture there is a bright heavenly light appearing out of the trees. I felt warmed within, and knew in my heart that this was a response to my prayer. God knew I was there, he knew who I was, and he knew just what I needed. It was an overpowering moment where just a quick prayer and maybe 2 minutes of silence were able to give myself and my heart that extra strength. As I went about my day I was able to accomplish everything I had planned, and the kiddos behaved super well and didn't fight at all. 
     I feel like in such a busy world we all have so so much to do. Our lists as Moms grows so long each day. That we sometimes miss the important moments. Asking for moments like this, acknowledging moments like this, and being grateful for them can help each of us. 
     Below you will find several other photos where a simple moment can change a heart from sad to happy, where we each can strengthen each other, and where we find and recognize what makes us the best we can be. I am good enough, and so are you. Finding a quiet moment each day or each week can strengthen us, better us, and heal us in so many ways.

God has given us flowers to brighten the day of others, to heal a broken heart, to remember those who have passed on, to heal someone who is sick, and to bring beauty to every situation.

Ducks in our house is a quiet moment that my kids love to indulge in. They love and are amazed at how ducks just sit there and float on the water. They quack at each other, get warmed by the sun, and every so often are fed bread by visiting children. It is very peaceful to just sit and watch the joy in a child's eye as they throw bread to the DUCKS.

Luckily I happen to live in a state that is filled with amazing beauty. You can find moments of peace while hiking in the beautiful mountains of Utah. During spring and summer you can enjoy the beauty of waterfalls, ponds, lakes, hikes, etc. In the fall you can hike and drive thru the mountains and enjoy the beautiful colors of fall leaves, The oranges, reds, yellows etc can bring such peace to a soul. In the winter, you can enjoy snow and icicles and skiing of course. In every season of our lives there is something to enjoy, we just need to search for it, and then hold onto it once we find it.