Moroni's Birthday

I'm so blessed to have Moroni as a son!  He is so much fun!  He is so dedicated to the truth and to right.  He is active as all get out, and brilliant at the same time.  He works hard on improvement and goals and to help the family.  Where Moroni is, there is adventure and laughter!  

Moroni is diligent in staying close to his Heavenly Father by praying, studying the scriptures, and serving others.  He is a dear friend to each member of our family.  He is amazing, yet he quickly forces his pride into submission whenever he receives counsel or teaching.  He is a strong, humble young man.  Funny, yet serious about important things. He is so talented!  He has a very tender spot for the poor, the sick, the suffering.  He once used all his money (about $200) to buy things for poor people when he was about 10. 

Our whole family is so blessed to have him in our eternal family.  The whole world will be blessed by his generosity, courage, humor, activity, and righteousness.  He truly is a valiant servant that the Lord needs.

Temple with Emily

My sweet sister, Emily, invited me to go to the temple with her.  It was so nice to get away and enjoy a session with her.  She just recently went through the temple for the first time.  She is so good to visit all of us siblings.  She helps us stay united.  Heavenly Father has blessed me with a dear sister in Emily!  Of course, I love all four of my sisters and my three brothers.  I'm so grateful we grew up in a large family and shared a wonderful childhood together!

Sunshine

Yesterday the kids and I walked about 3 miles delivering cinnamon rolls to the people we visit and home teach and in active members of my Primary class. I don't know if it will do anything, but I pray the people we are reaching out to will feel our love. I also hope our efforts will be acceptable to the Lord. It was a gorgeous walk because of the warm, bright sunshine! I told Benjamin as we were enjoying the walk that hastening the work just didn't seem like work right then. The Lord is so good to us. A beautiful walk with my precious children is such a treat!

Ropes

A few weeks ago I was praying we would be blessed with money to fix our van so Jaremy could pull the scout trailer to a camp out. We didn't get the money; however, it turned out he didn't need to pull the trailer and he got there and back just fine.  So the Lord did bless us!

It's kinda like when Nephi's brothers tired him up. He prayed he could burst the ropes, but instead they just loosened. Not as dramatic as requested, but he was free just the same.

I'm grateful Heavenly Father answers prayers. I pray I can learn what He is trying to teach me by how He answers them.

Jaremy's Job

GoalZero has been such a blessing in Jaremy's career.  He is learning so much and developing his leadership capacities.  He is a great asset to them!  The vice president who hired him keeps saying, "He's the best darn engineer in the state!"  They are a new company and can't yet afford to pay him what he is worth, but he is building his leadership and business resume.  However, it's been tight financially, because it is hard to eat a resume and stock options.  He has been given many products and projects to oversee from start to finish.  He has stepped into an intense leadership position.   This is one of the main opportunities that attracted Jaremy to Goal Zero.   However, right now the stress is high, the workload overwhelming at work, at church, and at home.  But he is developing the ability to handle it all.  Heavenly Father is really blessing him.  The learning curve is steep right now for a bit, but soon Jaremy will master his new role and really conquer.  Goal Zero will make hundreds of millions thanks to Jaremy.  I'm so grateful Heavenly Father has put details in place to allow Jaremy such opportunities.  I need to remember the Lord has always taken care of us and that He will continue to do so if we keep His commandments.

Ketchup Blood

Some days are very difficult pregnancy wise. Sometimes my blood feels like ketchup and I feel yuck. My sweet children step up and take care of things and tickle my back to help me rest. Yesterday was hard! When you don't feel good and lack energy it is difficult to be positive. Normal stresses can become overwhelming. But Heavenly Father blesses me and helps me keep an eternal perspective. I just have to do the best I can with my physical body.

Desire to Do More

I always have nagging thoughts that I need to do more. I never feel satisfied. We have nine beautiful children, but I feel I should be able to adopt many more and help more dear children. I should be able to somehow earn all the money 21 children would require. I should be able to run a farm and be self-sufficient, homeschool the kids until they earn scholarships and enter college at age 14, be 115 pounds of lean, strong flesh, go to the temple once a week, do tons of family history work, bring the missionaries a new investigator every month, and put together newborn humanitarian kits by the hundreds each year. All wonderful goals and desires! Yet as of yet I haven't been blessed with the means, time, or circumstances to do all these things. So I feel guilty constantly! Somehow I need to understand what the Lord wants me to feel. I know He wants us to strive and be diligent, but surely He wants us to feel at peace with the good we have been able to do. Yes, my best will get better, but I need to feel content with doing the best I can with what I am and with what I've got today. I need to remember life isn't all about dramatic moves, changes, callings, prospering, and accomplishments. Just small improvements, increases, assignments week eventually lead to eternal life. I always hoped I could serve in amazing places, do good with mountains of wealth, and basically save the world. But Heavenly Father needs me to be humble and realize I'm not all that. He needs me to serve in what I consider to be boring Herriman, with just enough resources to get by. I need to be content, grateful, and satisfied. Not guilty, dissatisfied, anxious, or bored. Once again I must remember I feel extremely antsy and discontented every year at this season (cabin fever, I suppose). I pray Heavenly Father will help me sort out my feelings, do better, and be satisfied to serve humbly the best I can.