Family Pictures 2018

On December 28th, Erin, Andrew & Cierra came home to spend a week with us.  It is always so wonderful to have all my family together.  It makes my heart full to overflowing! 

We decided we needed a better family photo since we didn't get a good one at the wedding in May.  The consensus was to go out to the Wood Fiber and use something there as a backdrop.

As I drove into the yard, I decided we could use a pile of hemlock as the backdrop.  It was really a good spot as not only does it look really great, it blocked the wind.  These five incredible people call me Mom.  I am ever grateful for them.

 Together we make up a pretty great family.

So far, three of these children have brought three more wonderful people into our family.  How blessed we are to call them ours.  It would be tragic if all parents don't feel this same way about their "married in" kids as we do.

Of course, with marriage comes children.  We are currently blessed with eight little people who call us Papa and Nana.  I look forward to the day when there are more people added to this photo and to our family.  

I feel blessed beyond measure as I look at all of these faces.  Blessed to be able to call them mine.  Blessed to know each of their personalities as well as their strengths and struggles. God is indeed good!  I never dreamed 36 years ago, that this would be my posterity.  Blessed beyond words.

The Rose

I had a difficult week emotionally.  The reason doesn't matter.  What does matter is that I learned something beautiful through the Spirit.

As I was struggling, my husband offered me a blessing.  I wept as he pronounced God's words upon me and I felt His love.  He told me to learn of my Savior.  I spent the next day reading from the Book of Mormon and then from Jesus the Christ.

 Pat's job ends on May 31st.  We had a meeting in Minneapolis to help the employees find alternate employment and to understand what benefits they will receive. Since we were in town we went to the temple and again I felt of God's love for me.

I was planning to go back to the temple during the meeting but the roads weren't so great since it had snowed overnight.  I went out to do some shopping.  On my way back I heard the song The Rose playing on the radio.  I have always loved this song with the message of hope it gives.

As the song was ending, I heard the final words,

Just remember in the winter

Far beneath the bitter snows

Lies the seed that with the sun's love

In the Spring becomes the rose.

Those aren't the words I heard though.

I heard,

"Lies the seed that with the Son's love

In the Spring becomes the rose."

As I was singing, a lump formed in my throat and I wondered why I had never realized what the song was saying.  Then I recognized that the song didn't change, I did.  I heard it in a way that made it so much more powerful.

That difference from sun to son made all the difference in how I thought about my struggles from earlier in the week.  

My Savior loves me and when I recognize His love, I can become exactly what He desires me to be.  I am to become a beautiful rose and not remain a seed under the snow.

In other words, I have a potential that can only be realized as I embrace my Savior.

How grateful I am to know of my divine potential!