For Beautiful Eyes

For beautiful eyes,

look for the good in others;

for beautiful lips,

speak only words of kindness;

and for poise,

walk with the knowledge
that you are never alone.

Audrey Hepburn

The 6:36 Jar

           My dear friend Caroline brought me this sweet jar tonight.  She had the brilliant idea of creating a "6:36 Jar."  At 6:36, everyone drops what they are doing; and picks a paper from the jar.  On the paper is a fun activity and a few simple requirements to participate.  Of course, a smile is always a requirement!  Other requirements may be to brush your teeth or clean up toys etc.  And then the fun begins!  Some of Caroline's activities include: dancing to the radio, reading a book, playing Go Fish, Mother May I, Red Light - Green Light, or playing Pig. 

            Do you have days when you rush around doing laundry, cleaning, carpooling, cooking etc. - and then you realize you forgot to enjoy your kids?  The beauty of this little jar is that it reminds you to stop and enjoy your little ones.  On the jar Caroline put this beautiful quote:

"In all the important decisions in our lives,

what is most important is to do the right thing. 

Second and only slightly behind the first,

 is to do the right thing at the right time."

I am quickly realizing that my children won't be children for long!  So now is the time to play, laugh and tickle.  At 6:36, I am going to ignore the dishes and party!  Thanks Caroline! :)

The Happiest and Most Golden Years

"Parents, remember that now is your opportunity.

You may feel yourself harassed as you stuggle

through the days with children,

but you are living the happiest

and the most golden years of your life.

As you tuck them into their beds at night,

please be kind to them.

Let them hear a kind voice amid all the

angry vile voices that they will hear throughout their life.

Let there be an anchor to which these little ones

can turn when all else fails.

The Lord help you so to do..."

Harold B. Lee

Learning to Be Content

Ever since Shane and I got married, we have both wanted a cute house in the country with a little bit of land. By little bit I mean 1/2 acre or an acre. Just a big yard for the kids to play in, a place to plant a big garden, and most of all space. We love where we are now, but we feel a little crowded. So...this last year we really thought things were on track for us to build a house on a sweet piece of land. I even picked out a beautiful house plan.

But things have not worked out; and we realize that we had better stay put for now. The other day I was lamenting to my sister Katy about our situation. And I was feeling guilty because I know I should be grateful for what we do have. She e-mailed me a link to this article called Learning to Be Content from the Ensign. It was exactly what I needed. This line impressed me the most: "I realized then, as I do now, that if we cannot be contented with our current lives and possessions, then we are feeding an appetite that no amount of money will ever satiate." So glad Katy shared this with me. I am 'Learning to Be Content' every day. :)

Learning to Be Content
By Breanna Sampson

Satan is not to be underestimated. He can make a rich man miserable and a poor man proud. Money and material possessions should have little bearing on our happiness and attitudes, yet Satan can often convince us otherwise. I realized this was a problem for me after my husband and I purchased our first home.

A short time after we moved in, my initial excitement faded as I began to see the flaws of our home and feel discontented. Many of my friends had much larger homes decorated in such appealing styles as to make our home seem small, plain, and wanting. I found myself making comparisons and feeling that I came up short.

During one of my more intense periods of disgruntlement, a couple in our ward invited us to join them for family home evening. When we arrived at their home I felt the anticipated pang of jealousy at the sight of their large, new home in which little had been forgone. What I had not anticipated was the conversation I had with the wife that evening. She mentioned their unhappiness with their home and their desire to find something a little bigger to better suit their needs. I was astounded! How could someone who had so much not realize how lucky she was? I would give anything to live in this gorgeous home—and she was unhappy! How could she not appreciate what she had?

As I later reflected on her comments and my reaction in turn, the Spirit gave me a very profound insight: I was no different from my friend whom I so strongly envied. We had been blessed to purchase a beautiful house that many, many people would be overjoyed to live in. The problem was not with the house—it was with me.

Instead of focusing on what I had, I could only see what I lacked. Instead of gratitude for blessings, I chose jealousy and greed. From the moment that I realized whose influence had been tainting my perspective, I made the choice to never let Satan sway me in such a worldly direction again. I realized then, as I do now, that if we cannot be contented with our current lives and possessions, then we are feeding an appetite that no amount of money will ever satiate. Jacob addressed this desire for wealth in his day by counseling us to seek first the kingdom of God and a hope in Christ; then if we are blessed with riches we will use them to “do good—to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted” (Jacob 2:18–19). I know that as we keep our hearts full of gratitude and our desires turned to God, we will be blessed with a sense of peace and contentment unknown to those of the world.

And that is something money can never buy.