Thursday, May 26, 2011

Good Bye little Girl

August 4, 2010 on pulling into the parking lot with Caylon taking Ri~Lee to the first day of Pre-K wasn't really a big deal for me. Since she had gone to preschool the year before I was used to saying good bye to her for a few hours. She is the kid that makes friend everywhere and fits in great. I came home to see so many posts on FB from other moms crying or having issues with leaving their children. Maybe I'm cold hearted but I was fine for the 175ish days she went to Pre-K. I was fine when she had her 1st school Christmas, Valentine's and Easter, even when she celebrated her 5 Birthday at school with her class. I was good when I went to the Mother's Day  Breakfast and Story Time along with all the field trips. I was fine walking into the building to see her End of The Year Celebration (Graduation) on May 25 2011.. Even sitting down I was great, great up until they walked on stage were handed a brick and stuck it into the big K on the wall building their way to Pre-K. Then I realize I had just said good-bye to my little girl. Then I had realized her and I both survived 5 years of each other. :) I realized she was officially going out into the PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM and there was no turning back now. Starting AUGUST 1 2011 she will be at a school with kids grade Pre-K thru 5 grade. She will eat lunch in a actual lunch room, she will have P.E. she will actually need/use a back pack and have work brought home to have me help on. This time 5 years ago I was still adjusting  to a crying infant with ear infections and no hair yet.  Now today I am listening to that same girl drawing in her Journal and looking over all her projects she made over the year.. I've never been a mom who cries over her doing something, she had been my kid that wanted em to leave her alone so she can do things on her own.  For a split second while watching her walk across the stage to put that brick up I experienced that moment you hear about as a mom when you realize they are growing way way to fast. I know this won;t be my last moment like this, she will have many more moments where I will want to freeze time and just hold her close to look at her small hands and to help her fix her hair each morning. Moments when she calls me momma and not MOTHER (insert cocked head and hand on hip) Moments when she is sick and wants me to just hold her until she feels better.. Those moments are the moments I wish I could freeze for just a short bit and cherish forever. Then I realize she is a super strong, brave and smart girl and by freezing those moments she will never be able to share those things with the rest of the world.. She is has the personality of her father and the will power of her mother, she is as sweet as her great grandma but as stubborn as her great grandpa. She has the passion of her Gaw Gaw and the heart of her Paw Paw. She is tough like her Auntie STEVIE and fearless like her too..

She is my BIG GIRL, but will always be my BABY GIRL!!

CONGRATULATIONS ON GRADUATING
PRE-K RI~LEE!!! I LOVE YOU BUNCHES!


Monday, February 14, 2011

SACRIFICE

This was the lesson I created for (LDS) Relief Society Lesson from last Sunday. I decided I would post them each month after I've given them for others to read. Most of the scriptures are from the Book of Mormon and the Prophets of our church are quoted a lot throughtout the lesson. If you have any questions please feel free to ask..



The Meaning of Sacrifice





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Sacrifice means giving to the Lord whatever He requires of our time, our earthly possessions, and our energies to further His work. Our willingness to sacrifice is an indication of our devotion to God. People have always been tried and tested to see if they will put the things of God first in their lives.




The Lord commanded, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33).




“President Gordon B. Hinckley defined sacrifice so beautifully when he said: “Without sacrifice there is no true worship of God. … ‘The Father gave his Son, and the Son gave his life,’ and we do not worship unless we give—give of our substance, … our time, … strength, … talent, … faith, … and testimonies”




The Law of Sacrifice was practiced AncientlyFrom the time of Adam and Eve to the time of Jesus Christ, the Lord’s people practiced the law of sacrifice. They were commanded to offer as sacrifices the firstlings of their flocks. These animals had to be perfect, without blemish. The ordinance was given to remind the people that Jesus Christ, the Firstborn of the Father, would come into the world. He would be perfect in every way, and He would offer Himself as a sacrifice for our sins.




Jesus did come and offer Himself as a sacrifice, just as the people had been taught. Christ’s atoning sacrifice marked the end of sacrifices by the shedding of blood. Such outward sacrifice was replaced by the ordinance of the sacrament. The ordinance of the sacrament was given to remind us of the Savior’s great sacrifice.




We Still Must Sacrifice
• How do we observe the law of sacrifice today?




Even though sacrifice by the shedding of blood was ended, the Lord still asks us to sacrifice. But now He requires a different kind of offering.




“Ye shall offer up unto me no more the shedding of blood, … and your burnt offerings shall be done away. … And ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit” (3 Nephi 9:19–20).




A “broken heart and a contrite spirit” means that we offer deep sorrow for our sins as we humble ourselves and repent of them. Elder Neal A. Maxwell said: “The submission of one’s will is really the only uniquely personal thing we have to place on God’s altar. The many other things we ‘give’ … are actually the things He has already given or loaned to us.” Sacrifice is ultimately a matter of the heart. “Behold, the Lord requireth the heart and a willing mind.” If we are caring, if we are charitable, if we are obedient to God and follow His prophets, our sacrifices will bring forth the blessings of heaven




We Must Be Willing to Sacrifice Everything We Have to the Lord



A rich young ruler asked the Savior, “What shall I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus answered, “Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother.” And the rich man said, “All these have I kept from my youth.” When Jesus heard this, He said, “Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.” When the young man heard this, he was sorrowful. He was very rich and had his heart set on his riches. The young ruler was a good man. But when he was put to the test, he was not willing to sacrifice his worldly possessions.




As a test of Abraham’s faith, the Lord commanded him to offer up his son Isaac as a sacrifice. Isaac was the only son of Abraham and Sarah. The command to offer him as a sacrifice was extremely painful for Abraham.Nevertheless, he and Isaac made the long journey to Mount Moriah, where the sacrifice was to be made. They traveled for three days. Imagine Abraham’s thoughts and his heartache. His son was to be sacrificed to the Lord. When they reached Mount Moriah, Isaac carried the wood and Abraham carried the fire and the knife to the place where they were to build the altar. Isaac said, “My father … behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” Abraham answered, “My son, God will provide himself a lamb.” Then Abraham built an altar and arranged the wood on it. He bound Isaac and laid him upon the wood. He then took the knife to kill Isaac. At that moment an angel of the Lord stopped him, saying, “Abraham … lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.” (See Genesis 22:1–14.)




• What examples of sacrifice have you observed in the lives of people you know? What examples of sacrifice have you seen in the lives of your ancestors?




Sacrifice Helps Us Prepare to Live in the Presence of God



Only through sacrifice can we become worthy to live in the presence of God. Only through sacrifice can we enjoy eternal life. Many who have lived before us have sacrificed all they had. We must be willing to do the same if we would earn the rich reward they enjoy. We may not be asked to sacrifice all things. But like Abraham, we should be willing to sacrifice everything to become worthy to live in the presence of the Lord. The Lord’s people have always sacrificed greatly and in many different ways. Some have suffered hardship and ridicule for the gospel. Some new converts to the Church have been cut off from their families. Lifetime friends have turned away. Some members have lost their jobs; some have lost their lives. But the Lord notices our sacrifices;




He promises, “Every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life” (Matthew 19:29).




As our testimonies of the gospel grow, we become able to make greater sacrifices to the Lord. Here are some true examples sacrifices:




A member of the Church in Germany saved his tithing for years until someone with priesthood authority could come and accept it.



• A Relief Society visiting teacher served for 30 years without missing an assignment.



• A group of Saints in South Africa rode for three days, standing up, to be able to hear and see the prophet of the Lord.



• At an area conference in Mexico, members of the Church slept on the ground and fasted during the days of the conference. They had used all their money just to get to the conference and had nothing left for food and shelter.



• One family sold their car to get the money they wanted to contribute to a temple building fund.



• Another family sold their home to get money to go to the temple.



• Many faithful Latter-day Saints have very little to live on, yet they pay their tithes and offerings.



• One brother sacrificed his job because he refused to work on Sunday.



• In one branch, the youth gave freely and willingly of their time to care for the young children while their parents helped build the meetinghouse.



• Young men and women give up or postpone good job opportunities, education, or sports to serve as missionaries.




A place in our Heavenly Father’s kingdom is worth any sacrifice we have to make of our time, talents, energy, money, and lives. Through sacrifice we can obtain knowledge from the Lord that we are acceptable to Him




• Why do you think our willingness to sacrifice is related to our readiness to live in the presence of God?




“Sacrifice is integral to the celestial law, pointing us to the most glorious sacrifice of all: our Savior Jesus Christ. Sacrifice is an amazing principle. As we willingly give our time and talents and all that we possess, it becomes one of our truest forms of worship. It can develop within us a profound love for each other and our Savior, Jesus Christ. Through sacrifice our hearts can be changed; we live closer to the Spirit and have less of an appetite for things of the world.




President Hinckley taught a grand truth when he said: “It is not a sacrifice to live the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is never a sacrifice when you get back more than you give. It is an investment, a greater investment than any. … Its dividends are eternal and everlasting”






Friday, January 28, 2011

Night Mares

Ever lay in bed at night and can't get to sleep because thoughts from a t.v show or movie are playing over and over in your head?

Well, I tend to do it a lot. I love crime shows don't get me wrong but I have come to realize in the last few weeks that I really can't handle to watch them a lot. Shows like CSI, NCIS, The Mentalist, Castle, Bones and many more that are HUGE hits are also on my top faves list, but after watching the episode of Bones last night I laid in bed for about 2 hours replaying the scene where a sniper shots a .338(I think) solid copper round at the head of a women being called the gravedigger. The scene showed her head literally flying to pieces and her body hitting the ground and spewing blood all over the place, what got me was it went back to that shot about 3 times to show the blood coming out. I guess I have become a big baby. I had nightmares for weeks off and on after I watched the Brad Pitt movie where he tries to kill Hitler, no idea of the name. It was an amazing movie up until the lined them all up in front of a firing squad at the very end and for some reason that scene stayed with me for quite a while.

It's funny to me the way things work. What is better to watch shows like SEX and the City on E!, maybe Desperate Housewives on Sunday nights, both of which portrayed a lot of Sex, cussing, lying, and even cheating in some cases. (Don't get me wrong I love both shows). Or is it better to watch shows that sadly portray truth showing murders and violence and very gory scenes at times? All of these shows I suppose are wrong in their own ways. The Lord asks us not to partake in shows like Sex in the City but he also ask us not to be violent or murder so is watching CSI really better? I suppose this comes down to a personal decision. Mine right now is to stick with the BIG BANG THING, or GLEE, maybe even HELLCATS. I find the teenie bopper show leave me with a restful night sleep. To bad Hannah Montana Forever went off a few weeks ago, I was really enjoying the bliss sleep I got after watching Miley try and decide to go to college or not. =}

So here's the Question?

What is you choice? What shows to you enjoy? What show is your dirty little secret? Don't worry I won't tell =}