My thoughts of the past two weeks.

I have had alot rolling around in my head and heart for the past couple of weeks. On the 15th I went to St. Louis for a army thing. I spent most of my free time with my friend. One night we were having a discussion about our different beliefs. She is Wiccian, they worship nature and they have many goddesses. They are a very down to earth religion. We hit of few topics that we feel very differently on. I think that we were able to discuss them fairly. But while we were talking her Husband texed her with a scripture that he had pulled out of the Book of Mormon. I didn't have a ready answer because I didn't know the context. I was able to explain it to her after a little research and talking to Ben. Honestly I think she got sick of me trying to explain myself. I was just trying to figure it out for myself. But that whole experience made me think. Then on Sunday in YW we had a lesson about being prepared so we can answer peoples questions. I realized that I had been neglecting my personal scripture study and prayers. I didn't have the spirit, I didn't know what I was talking about. I felt like I had missed so many recent experiences just by not being prepared to learn or grow.

Heroes and Villains

Todd and I watched the new Sherlock Holmes movie last night, and afterward had a discussion about heroes and villains. We determined that what makes the difference in whether a character becomes a hero or a villain is the choice they make when faced with trial. Batman saw his parents murdered. Spider-man couldn't prevent his uncle from being killed. The Penguin was bullied as a child, and an outcast in his family. Darth Vader was tempted by the Dark Side. In this life, we all have or will face some kind of trial, and each of us has a choice to become a Hero or a Villain. We can choose to let it become part of us, turning us angry, bitter, resentful, damaging our spirit, or we can chose to learn from it, and become more loving, empathetic, humble and charitable. The thing that makes a difference in real life is realizing that the choice is ours.

I know this by experience. As a teen, I received this as personal revelation to me during a particular trial. Todd is now faced with this choice as he recovers from his stroke, and I'm grateful that he's making the right choice. He is my Hero.

this was more of a reminder to me then a lesson, but I had been thinking about the Earth. and noticing that we (people) tend to complain about it an awful lot. but the thought accrued to me. Why are you complaining about the weather, or the earth quakes or volcanoes? the earth does so much for us, and has also done so much for mankind for so long, isn't she entitled to shake under pressure, or hick up and burp every once in a while. and the weather is a blessing. Even if it snows in May and June, that is water, that she can use. I am so greatful for this beautiful planet and all her wonders. In church we sang "All creatures of our God and King", and the last verse really hit the lesson home for me. "dear mother Earth who day by day, unfoldest blessings on our way, alleluia! alleluia! the flowers and fruite tghat in the grow, let them his glory also show, Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Oh, praise him! Alleluia! I thank God for this glorious Earth he created, and thank the Earth for a job continually well done.

little late

This week I learned the difference between loving (and being loved) blindly and unconditionally.

The second one is a lot more honest.

Family

This week I realized again how important family is and how much i love mine. We took a last minute much needed little trip, just me Dev and the girl.s. today before leaving to come home we visited the St George Temple. It was beautiful, and bright! but as we were leaving this old man walked past us, I was bending down talking to Lily who's feelings were hurt because she got in trouble for not listening. As he approached he was obvoiusly looking at my girls and noticing how incredibly cute they are! (yeah I'm not biast), he said to me "do you have any idea how blessed you are?" and I replied "incredibly so", he then said "Good, don't ever forget it." he never even really stoped walking, just said that literally in passing, and then he was gone. My Husband and Girls are the best things I have, I don't really put alot of worth into the possesions I have, I don't care to, my house is ok at best, same with everything I have. but my family really means the most to me out of everything I have. I am incredibly blest!

An instument in the Lord's hand

I just had a glorious moment where I feel I am being used as an instrument in the Lord's hand. Tonight I was reading in the Ensign about helping Brazilians grow vegetables to improve their diet and suddenly something came together for me in how to help the Haitians. The following is taken from the email I just sent to the organizer of the trip we didn't get to take to Haiti.

I believe this evening I was blessed with a visionary moment. I am a gardener and am trying the 12 foot garden method where you build your own soil. I was looking on line to see what I should get for my soil. The site I went to suggested compost and mentioned vermicompost as being the best soil but it is expensive--that is unless you raise your own which I do. Vermicompost is made by worms eating the parts of fruits and vegetables that humans cannot eat. I have a plastic tub 15 1/2" X 23" X 4". My husband computes that a container that size would make one cubic foot of soil per month.

The size is not important and even the container is not important--except worms would eat cardboard and also the moisture would destroy cardboard. I feed my worms about every two weeks although I could feed them more often if I had more space for more worms. They do not even consume a tidbit of the vegetable waste I have and what I have is mostly the ends off things like carrots, cores of apples, etc. I make the worm beds out of torn up newspaper. In other words, the soil is basically made out of garbage that probably even Haitians throw away.

Every two weeks, the worms have reproduced enough and eaten enough that I am able to remove half the soil and worms. In the winter, I don't know what to do with all of it. Haiti has no winter. If a million families in Haiti were to do this with one small container this size, they could produce a million cubic feet a month of the richest topsoil in the world. What a quick solution to their topsoil problem.

The soil grows vegetables and fruits in abundance, the soil could be sold, the worms could be sold. I've got worms I'll donate to get it going. I speak French and have been studying Haitian Creole for about four years (my husband does also). We even have current passports now--that was what kept us from going with the Utah task force. I would be glad to go and teach the people. I have made application to work for Jet Blue but have not yet heard if I have been hired. If I am, my husband and I will be able to fly into the Dominican Republic at a price we can afford and go to Haiti ourselves. (We served a temple mission in the Dominican Republic and know many Haitians personally.)

Anyway, we wanted to share this visionary message with someone we think can also catch the vision. This will provide food, soil, and money to Haitians with virtually no cost to anyone and it is on-going and sustainable. They just need some worms and vegetable seeds to get get going which is easy enough to provide. What could be more beautiful?

What can I say? I am excited. I feel I have been inspired.

On the Lord's Errand

Today as they were talking about Moses and the numerous plagues inflicted on the Egyptians, I thought about parallels with the sons on Nephi when they went to get the golden plates. I tend to think that when I am on the Lord's errand, the path will be made smooth and the task easy to accomplish. The scriptural accounts sure don't teach us this. Perhaps that is why parenthood is so difficult. It is the Lord's errand.

What have you learned this week?

what I have been learning and thinking about this week is, when you truly love someone, you put their needs before your own, you don't try to change them. I look at the life of a mother with her new born baby. Baby cnnot do anything for herself, and the mother takes care of her baby, before she feeds herself or sleeps or claens herself. That is true love. Not saying we should all abandon ourselves because i think we need to love our selves too, truly. But this type of love can exist in our other relationships. So thankful for the many people in my life that have loved and continue to love me.

I will go first....

I have been thinking a lot about the responsibility of parenthood. This weekend was General confrence, and so many of the speakers chose topics associated with parenting. I felt how much the Lord really cares for His little ones. The responsibility is so great because they are not just mine. But they are His.
For now if you would like to share just leave it as a comment, I am still working out the details of how to make this work best. I would like to hear from everyone.