Simple Blessings

I am  grateful for the simple things.

  I could go on forever about the simple blessings that enrich my life. 

 I just have to sit out in my garden for a few moments as the sun goes down,
 feeling the autumn air as it turns my leaves from green to dark yellow and red.

I just have to snip the last flower from my
 garden to brighten up a spot on my table.

I just have to look at the changing seasons, knowing with a surety that spring will come again, as it always does.
And while I wait I will enjoy the fall colors and the winter snow. 

Simple blessings surround me.
My husband's love, a call from a son or daughter, feeling small arms around my neck from a little one, soup from a dear friend, my lovely home, the beauties of nature.
 Simple is what my life is made up of.
 I count these blessings each day.

"Grandchildren, Sunshine to my Soul"

I was blessed with a heritage that continues to guide even as I grow older. 

 I am a grandmother now, and each day I think of my grandparents and the influence they had on me.  I loved being around them. 

 They taught me by their example.  

They were hard workers, they were funny, they were gardeners, they loved their families.  

They loved the gospel and taught me to love it too.

Nothing made my grandparents happier than when their grandchildren were around. 

We played in the orchard and among their flowers. 

 We sang and we were loved.  

We were taught values and what was right and wrong and why our pioneer ancestors came across the plains.

  We knew were we came from.

My parents continued that tradition. 

Showering great amounts of love onto their grandchildren. 

 They loved being with them.

 Showed them how to work how to play and enjoy life. 

 They too had strong testimonies that carried them through happy and sad times. 

 They would be proud of their posterity.

These are my darlings. 

 I try to be the grandmother like those who preceded me.  

It's a different world.  

Things happen so quickly. 

 I love these grandchildren so much and am grateful for the opportunity to be a part of their lives. 

 I hope I can influence them for good as my grandparents did. 

 The most important thing is to love them.  

That part I have down!!

"Grandchildren..Sunshine to my soul"

Lessons From My Mother

I've been thinking a lot about my mom this week. 

 I had a decision to make and really wanted to talk to her. 

 I would have loved to hear her voice telling me what she thought I should do. 

 As I thought about her I imagined what she would say to me.  

Her most important priority was her family.  I think my mom had a bit of an adventurous streak in her.  

She was the one who killed the spiders, caught the mice, birthed the puppies,

rode on the rides at lagoon and disneyland. 

As the picture above shows she got up on that camel. 

 I'm sure dad was watching, as he did as she took care of the spiders, mice and rode the rides. 

 But she chose to stay at home and take care of us. 

 She was the quiet one, standing back so dad could shine.  

Some people may call that old fashioned in this day and age. 

 I call it unselfish.  

She loved us so much. 

 She was graceful, kind and good. I have tried so hard to be like her and come up short, 

but using her as an example keeps me always striving to be better.  

Thank you mom for leaving little bits of yourself behind.  

Your handwritten letters, your kind acts, your traditions, your love of the gospel and your family.

  When I am troubled or trying to make hard decisions,

 all I have to do is think of you and your life and I usually get my answer.  

You've been gone for a long time..but because of the way you lived your life,

 you will always be with me.   

"Gratitude unlocks the Fullness of Life..."

 

I always try to keep a gratitude journal.  I like to remind myself of the little things that bring me joy. At this time of year when it gets dark earlier.  (something that I do not like, I am a sun lover)  I try and think what makes me happy when the sun goes down. 

Curling up with a blanket to watch my favorite show.  Lately it's been Blacklist on Monday night.  Makes me look forward to the start of the week.
Socks on my feet.
Warm baths.
Extra Quilts on my bed.

As the days get shorter, instead of dwelling on that fact.  I think and am grateful for  the coming holidays.  Loving Thanksgiving and Christmas. 

And of course when it snows.. being able to enjoy it inside from a warm home.

A few thoughts on gratitude as I go into this lovely month.

 

 

And one of my all time favorite songs. 
Love this...

 

Happy November.

 

A Sewing Project

My mother was a talented seamstress. 

 She sewed for herself and we three girls always had beautiful clothes created and sewed by our mother.

  She had a little sewing room right off our family room, so she could sit and sew,

 but still be a part of whatever was going on downstairs with the rest of us. 

I sewed a little bit when my kids where little,

 but haven't even had a sewing machine for years

Jim bought me a new sewing machine a few weeks ago,

so I thought it was time to start creating.

Last night my friend Marcie and her mom Kathy came over and helped me

cut out a dress and a skirt, using a dress I had and just measurements for the skirt. 

We started about 7:00 pm.  

 They left at about nine when the skirt was complete. 

 I stayed up til about eleven and finished the dress.

So this morning I have a new dress and the skirt goes to Abby. 

 I'm really excited to have completed this project so quickly.

  Nothing went wrong as I sewed these up. 

 I even put the sleeves in the dress with no problem! 

 Kathy showed me how to make the yoga band for the skirt.

  I really appreciate her help. 

Kathy is my age,

but it was a little bit like having my mom there helping me along my way. 

My Goals - Learn a new Talent every 30 years

When I was in my teens I took singing lessons. 

 I worked hard, had an extremely good teacher and enjoyed singing. 

 At the age of thirty I decided I needed to learn something new.

  I am extremely untalented when it comes to the arts, so I decided to stretch myself and took up painting. 

 This was very difficult for me, but I practiced and practiced and proved to myself that with enough practice you could get fairly good at anything. 

Well, another thirty years have passed and I've decided it's time to learn something else..

I've taken up the harmonica!

My first lesson was today. 

 It was actually quite fun, so I think I'll go back and hopefully with a little bit of practice I might be able to play a song or two.

 ( I wonder what I'll come up with when I turn 90 !  It seems I'm on a thirty year learning curve.)

"The fragrance always stays in the hand that give the Rose"

What a wonderful world. 

 That is a strange sentence to write down after reading the newspaper and listening to the news.  There are so many things going on that can bring a person down.
 I have had a particularly rough month.
 But even with all the heartache, physical illness and all kinds of other strange goings on..there is still so much of heaven everywhere.
 The contrast for me is so strong.
 When I get down or falter or go back a step or two,
 what keeps me going is the army that Heavenly Father chose to bless me with.
   I believe that Heavenly Father works through us.
 I am constantly amazed by the courage of people like Tyler Hallsey and his family and Burgen Jensen and her family.
 They give me strength.

 I live in an area that could only be called Heaven in the middle of a world in crisis.
  Here we have a bit of peace. 
A little bit of land with houses dotting the hill..and those homes are filled with people who all have problems,
 but who take care of each other
Such a pure love dwells here. 
The closeness that we feel is priceless.
 The love that ties us together is a rare thread, it doesn't break.
 All of the people give of themselves over and over again.  They never stop, they just keep on giving.  I have been the recipient of their generosity and love over and over.

 

"..have miracles ceased?  Behold I say unto you, Nay; neither have angels ceased to minister unto the children of men."

 

Moroni 71: 29

 

Miracles have not ceased and angels do exist. 
They are all living in my neighborhood. 

 

"..charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever.."

 

Moroni 71:47

 

And these angels who live here have the charity that this scripture is talking about. 

My dear friends and neighbors have given out so many roses over the years. 
It smells like a rose garden as you walk down the street.

I am so grateful I live among these lovely people.

Memorial Day

As I sat outside this evening, enjoying the beautiful night I started thinking. 

 I am so grateful for a few days to reflect on my heritage. 

To be able to think about those who came before and sacrificed so much that I am able to live in such comfortable circumstances. 

 I love history, love learning about ancestors and their lives. 

 I have thought a lot about those people who came across the plains as pioneers and others who crossed the ocean because they believed in the gospel and wanted a better life. 

I am so grateful for parents and grandparents who loved and taught me by their example.

I remember and pay tribute to all these loving family members this day. 

 My life has been blessed because of them.

Each time I go into my garden I think of Maude. 

She loved peonies, lilacs, snowballs..and anything else that grew. 

 My mom and both my grandmothers loved gardening and so I guess I have the dirt under my fingernails naturally. 

What a gift this is, because being outside with my plants gives me a great sense of peace.

Love the tradition of going to the cemetery to honor those who have gone on before. 

 What a beautiful and peaceful day it was yesterday to sit and remember those loved ones. 

To teach the little ones the importance of honoring those who have died for our freedom. 

"On this day for one brief moment, hear the silence fill the air

Think of those who walked beside us, now no longer there,

Then don't cry but hear their laughter, for their spirit lives inside

Let that mystic stream of memory fill our hearts with pride!

 

Make us humble, make us knowing, and accepting what is done

On this day for now, forever, make this nation one..

On this day for all the fallen, make this nation one."

 

~Charles Strouse

"It is your Reaction to Adversity..."

These last couple of months we have had our share of adversity. 

When it rains it pours. 

After Jim lost his job we have had many rainy days. 

 But as cheesy as it sounds...the sun always comes out after the rain. 

 For as many down days as we have had..there have been days full of blessings. 

 In February Jim got called to the Bishopbric, which has been a great blessing in our lives. 

 We also had time in February to visit the PA gang which we usually don't do in the winter months.  Each time I go through a difficult time it makes me aware of those around me who have it worse and my compassion for them deepens. 

 Going through adversity continues to strengthen my faith. 

I love this quote. 

 I remember telling my son when he was going through difficult times that when things get really tough, give yourself a day or so to be sad, but then pick yourself up.. start thinking of what you have to be grateful for and get on with life. 

 Have faith that things will work out. 

 Things do work out one way or another. 

 

This last week another bump in the road. 

 My back has gotten to the point where the nerves have made it so I am limping. 

 My left leg is getting more numb and dragging quite a bit. 

 The doctor is worried that some of the damage to my nerves is beyond repair. 

 So I have been a bit down this past week,

 wondering again why..

why is it pouring rain yet again?

And then I go outside

I look at the signs of spring.

I see my lilac blooming

 (the very lilac that Maude gave me for my birthday so many  years ago) 

It thrives and blooms each year reminding me of that sweet lady who taught me to love trees and flowers and nature. 

 I hear the sound of my fountain, so soothing as I fix our evening meal.

I see these beautiful plants waiting to be put in the ground. 

 They will make my garden lovely.

I look out from my front porch and see this view and am uplifted. 

 

So with any adversity that goes on in my life,

 I don't even have to leave my home to find many wonderful things

 to make me grateful that I am alive. 

Things that strengthen my faith, and help me know that all will be well.

Giggs Bagley-Lessons learned from my dad

I've had the flu the last couple of days.  As a result I'm laying around in bed, thinking a lot. 

 Last night I started thinking about dad.  I thought of all the things he taught me. 

He was part of the "greatest generation,"  growing up during the depression. 

He wrote,

"I consider it quite a blessing that we had no money.  We had to scratch.  When I finally got a dress coat, I was out of high school.  We were always in deep trouble with money.  We did any old thing to make ends meet. We picked strawberries, we picked cherries.  We couldn't wait until June and July when the fruit came in.  When we picked it we could get a quarter per case.  One summer we went up there to Mount Olympus and picked worms." 

 He learned  a hard work ethic and sticking together as a family from those early years.  He fought in WWII as a young man. 

I learned from him a deep love of this country.  To never take for granted all the wonderful opportunities and blessings this great nation has to offer. 

After the war he married our mom.

  A woman he cherished throughout his life.

  He was a devoted family man. 

He loved his June and us kids more than anything and gave us everything, not just monetarily. 

He gave us a magical childhood.  We had fun growing up. 

 There was lots of laughter..much joy.

He taught me about persistence. 

One of his favorite quotes was by Calvin Coolidge.

"Persistence

Nothing can take the place of persistence.

Talent will not:   nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent.

Genius will not:    Unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.

Education will not:    The world is full of educated derelicts.

 

Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent."

He certainly lived this. 

There were many examples where he taught me this principal.  While he worked as an optometrist, coached, approached any problem, but one in particular comes to mind. 

He always wanted to build a golf course. 

As a young boy, he would caddy for "a dollar a loop,"  at the Salt Lake Country Club, hoping for a dime tip so he could buy a hamburger. 

 When he got older and had some land in Parleys Canyon, he could just see a world class golf course rolling through those hills.

  It couldn't be just any old course, it had to be the best.

  So he just called Arnold Palmer and made it the beautiful world class course that it is today.  Every time I drive up that canyon  and see that golf course I am reminded of the lesson of persistence my dad taught. 

 Also, that one of following a dream. 

 

He certainly followed his dreams. 

Which leads me to another thing I learned from him. 

 Dad became very successful.  He always told me that all the" things" he had were nice and even fun to have, but they were just" things". 

 The trick was to remember that, and to be just as happy if you didn't have those things as you are when you do have them.

He proved this to me, when one day he lost most of what he had.  During that time he became great to me, because he lived what he preached. 

 He was as happy as before. 

 He continued to work, to be joyful, because he had what was of most importance to him. 

He had his wife, his family

 his faith..he could work. 

The challenge was before him, and he was no quitter.

 

I learned faith from him. 

 He had an unwavering faith and was a positive thinker. 

 He knew things would work out, as the scripture says.

 

"Search diligently, pray always, and be believing, and all things shall work together for your good, if ye walk uprightly."

 

D&C 90:24

 

I learned about imperfections from him.  For all that he accomplished, he was not perfect.  No man is.  Jesus Christ is the only person who has ever been perfect on this earth.  But I learned that you can always keep trying, I learned to not let imperfections get in the way, to strive to be better, to learn and to move on striving to be a better more compassionate person. 

 

Mostly I learned from my dad, that family is the most important thing this world has to offer.  For all the trials he overcame, when he lost his June, I think that one was just one that was too big for him, yet he did have his kids and grandkids to surround him with their love and that was the greatest blessing to him.  Because of his love for them, those grandkids circled around him and poured out love unimaginable. 

 

Thank you dad for these and many more valuable life lessons. 

love, polly

 

 

(just a little of Giggs and June's posterity-still having fun and carrying on as they would have us do)

"Show Me the way to go Home"

I was corresponding with my sister, Margie the other day. 

 We were talking about good memories of my parents. 

 She remembered how they dropped her off to see her parents just before her dad died. 

 She also remembered my mom's delicious pot roast's on Sunday. 

Then how dad would take the rolls and  put melted butter on them with the left over roast for sandwiches on Sunday night.

(I still make sandwiches like that..there's nothing better. - I can still picture dad making those delicious sandwiches.) 

Then, this morning I was reading Ann Cannon's article in the Tribune. 

 She wrote about keeping family stories alive. 

 

 Do children today listen to those old family stories that our generation heard whether we wanted to hear them or not?

I remember riding to work with dad. 

I heard his philosphies, his stories, sometimes I thought it was interesting, lots of times I thought it was boring. 

 Now I realize how much I absorbed and learned.

 

Our family gatherings were the same way..

the old songs, many old family stories, memories from the past. I feel as though I knew my Uncle Allen, who died before I was born, just from hearing stories about him.

 Looking back, I'm thinking what a wonderful way of life.  To learn from these people.  To learn about their lives, to learn our history, to learn how to overcome life's hurdles, to learn to laugh, to learn to sing.

We still get together.

That closeness and love is like a thread stitched through generations.

The family has grown, but we love gathering and sharing the love, the stories, the laughter, the legacy.  These young ones can still learn from those that have past away, because of those stories and the songs..

At the end of the day when we sing
and Sam gets all the words to
 "Show me the Way to go Home"
and says "I sang it all by myself."
 I smile, and I remember dad plunking that tune out on the piano,
during another time..other children singing the words. 

The legacy continues.

Enjoy the Marvelous Journey-a lesson from my mom

These last few days, I've found myself feeling a little down

Life goes along and I feel extremely blessed, yet things do pile up. 

 I can usually deal, but I've got lots to do and then my back flares up and puts me down.

 (literally)

 So irritating..so as I was wallowing I just happened to open a book of my mom's. 

 It was her outline for Relief Society lessons. 

 I just happened to open it to a lesson written just for me

(was this by chance..or is mom watching over me?) 

 

Anyway, as I read through the lesson I could hear my mother as if she was talking to me.

The lesson was titled

 "Making Effective Use of Present Circumstances." 

Basically the lesson teaches us (me) to be happy in the present,

 to not look for something to happen down the road. 

 Mom tells how wise Merlin gave King Arthur good advice when the King was feeling low. 

"The best thing for being sad, said Merlin, is to learn something. 

That is the only thing that never fails." 

 

So I need to stop and ask myself,

 "what am I suppose to learn in my present circumstance?" 

 How can I improve myself and my life right now? 

 

She told of a young girl who was having trouble living in a far away land being newly married. 

 The young girl wanted to give up and come home. 

Her mother wrote her a short message -

"Two men look out from prison bars; one saw mud, the other saw the stars."

The girl realized from this brief message that she needed to change the way she was looking at things and she would be happy.

 

She includes these quotes.  "Oliver Wendell Holmes said:  Many people die with their music still in them.  Why is this so?  Too often it is because they are always getting ready to live.  Before they know it, time runs out.  Tagor expressed a similar thought in these words: I have spent my days stringing and unstringing my instrument, while the song I came to sing remains unsung."

 

President Kimball, "My plea therefore is this: Let us get our instruments tightly strung and our melodies sweetly sung.  Let us not die with our music still in us.  Let us rather use this precious mortal probation to move confidently and gloriously upward toward the eternal life."

She ends the lesson saying,

 "Our challenge then is to see life as a whole, to discover the wonders of the present and to enjoy the marvelous journey."

She certainly enjoyed every minute of her journey!

I'm grateful to my angel mother who is still teaching me how to live. 

She continues to watch over me, she continues to be an example to me..what a blessing she continues to be in my life.

"Have I done any Good in the World today?

I found something out yesterday that was rather disappointing. 

 For years I thought I was my Aunt Ginny's favorite niece. 

 I thought I had a special bond with her that no one else had.

I went to her funeral yesterday and spent the day with many cousins and friends of my Aunt Ginny's, and I find out that they were also her favorite..

and that many had that special place in her heart. 

( Even though secretly I know that it was me that was her favorite, I will let the others go on believing that they were.) 

 

Aunt Ginny was special, because of the very thing I'm talking about. 

 She made everyone feel special. 

never seemed like she was in a hurry when she was talking to you

She was interested in what was going on in your life. 

It was because she truly loved those that she came in contact with and made the time to make them feel of her love. 

 Aunt Ginny taught me this valuable lesson. 

She always had time for me..as well as the many others demanding her attention. 

 

She taught me that people were more important than things and she constantly gave of herself.

 

 

She taught me that being cheerful and happy, regardless of our circumstances is a choice.

 

 

She taught me to remind myself to think of others, to go out each day and find some way to improve somebody else's life, rather than thinking about my own.

 

She really made me think. 

I want those I love to know that they are my favorites. 

 I want to make sure that I take the time to cherish family and friends. 

 

 

It's a good question. 

 

It's never too late to set goals, to improve to strive to be better.

I'm grateful for a wonderful family who are examples to me.

Each one helps me want to live a better life.

 

 

 

"Courage does not Always Roar

I love this quote. 
It reminds me of some very courageous people I know who are going through difficulties. Through it all they continue to get up each day, have a positive attitude and think of others.
 One of these people is my neighbor Danna. 
She has cancer. 
Throughout her chemo and radiation she has continued to teach her fifth grade students each day.  When I visit her and ask how she is, she immediately turns the conversation around and wants to know how I am.
 She continues to serve others while she has been sick. 
She rarely feels sorry for herself.
 She is one of my heroes.
 Another is a little boy named Tyler Hallsey.
 He is battling a tumor in his brain.
 He is the son of  Cricker Hallsey who used tend our kids and hang out with our boys, James and Tyler.  This whole family is facing this trial with optimism and a fighting spirit. 
You can follow Tyler's journey on his facebook page. www.facebook.com#!/whateverittakestylerhallsey.

 I am also amazed by my niece Sarah.  She is going through the heartbreaking issues of infertility.
 As the years have gone by and as her sisters and the other nieces have had their babies, Sarah is always the first to offer to help with showers.  She steps forward with lovely gifts..she always thinks of others..even though her heart is breaking. 
She continues to look forward to the future with optimism and hope. 

These people give me hope.  They are an example of perserverance.  They are the quiet ones who face each day with courage.
 They show me, through their example to "try again tomorrow" to overcome difficulties and be a better person.

Reflections on Age

In a little over six weeks I will be turning 60. 

 I've decided it's time to let go of a few things that I don't think are going to happen. 

 I don't think I will ever be one of those lovely tall(??) skinny elegant women who age gracefully with long, beautifully greying hair. 

 I don't think I'll ever get my shelves relined,

 I don't know that I'll ever sit leisurely by a pool reading papers...

and I don't think my kitchen will ever look like the picture above. 

 It's time to accept myself as I am today. 

This young girl is gone. 

 Gone is the tiny figure, the smooth skin, the energy that a younger woman has.  

 

 Although this may seem somewhat depressing and a bit sad, it truly isn't. 

 For as I've aged I've been learning lessons. 

 I've been taught by the those I am closest to.

My friendships are more precious because we've known one another for so long and been through so much together. 

 Each relationship I have deepens as the years go by. 

 As I make mistakes I gain wisdom and hopefully strive to become a better person. 

 I feel that I am a much more compassionate person than that young girl was..she hadn't really been tested yet. 

 

 Growing older isn't so bad if you think about what has been gained (and if you don't look at old pictures). 

 Growing older is about  acceptance.  There's always room for improvement. life certainly isn't over yet..but it's good to learn to be happy with the way things are.. being content, appreciating the wisdom gained and all the lessons learned.  Enjoying simple things..taking time to be grateful for all the blessings I have been given.  Enjoying my beautiful grandchildren.  Having perspective.  Knowing what is important. 

"Seek not outside yourself, heaven is within."

 

~Mary Lou Cook

What a wonderful world

This past week has been amazing.  We have had so much fun being with the gang back here in PA.  They are such good kids.  Busy with all the activities that boys are involved with.  Basketball, soccer, getting ready for baseball.. school, church.  They have good friends.  It is nice to sit back and watch their comings and goings, to be apart of it all for a few short days.  

This past weekend has been really special.  As I sat in James and Becky's ward Relief Society and enjoyed the lesson given (i don't get to relief society often as i spend my time with the sunbeams back home) I was so touched.  The subject was "See Others as They May Become."  This beautifully given lesson taught how we should see past issues people might have and see their potential set the stage for events that would happen later in the evening.  

After church we went to a party for James' boss.  It was his birthday.  There were tons of people there, none that I knew, but I was immediately impressed by their friendliness, their close family ties and how quickly they made us feel apart of the group.  Immediately upon arrival we were met and greeted by our host and hostess and every other family member and made to feel so welcome.  I found myself sitting by our host's mother in law and an aunt.  These women were so kind and gracious.  The aunt and I talked almost the whole time we were at the party and I was amazed by how much we had in common.  We came from different backgrounds, religions, geographical locations, yet in just a short time a bond was created and I felt a true love for this woman.   

I have also been following the facebook page "Whatever it Takes"  telling the story of our friend Chricker Hallsey's son, Tyer who has been diagnosed with a brain tumor.  The courage that they have as they face this trial is amazing.  Watching the support of wonderful friends, family and total strangers is uplifting and makes we want to be a better person.  

So I have been uplifted these past few day.
 I am grateful we were able to be here.
Grateful for the experiences we have had while we were here,
 grateful for a renewed sense of goodness in the world.
 Grateful for friends who see my potential,
and in spite of myself... love me anyway.
 Because of their love,  because of the goodness of others,
I want to be better.
It truly is a wonderful world.

Road to Grace

Taken from 

"Gift from the Sea"

"I am seeking perhaps what Socrates asked for in the prayer from the Phaedrus when he said, "May the outward and inward man be one." I would like to achieve a state of inner spiritual grace from which I could function and give as I was meant to in the eye of God.
Vague as this definition may be, I believe most people are aware of periods in their lives when they seem to be "in grace" and other periods when they feel "out of grace," even though they may use different words to describe these states. In the first happy condition, one seems to carry all one's tasks before one lightly, as if borne along on a great tide; and in the opposite state one can hardly tie a shoestring. It is true that a large part of life consists in learning a technique of tying the shoestring, whether one is in grace or not. But there are techniques of living too; there are even techiques in the search for grace. And techniques can be cultivated. I have learned by some experience, by many examples, and by the writings of countless others before me, also occupied in the search, that certain environments, certain modes of life, certain rules of conduct are more conducive to inner and outer harmony than others. There are, in fact, certain roads, that one may follow. Simplification of life is one of them. Simplification of outward life is not enough. It is merely the outside. But I am starting with the outside. I am looking at the outside of a shell, the outside of my life - the shell. The complete answer is not to be found on the outside, in an outward mode of living. This is only a technique, a road to grace."

~Anne Morrow Lindbergh

I have read this book so many times I cannot count. It means different things at different times in my life. This particular part is so meaningful, because I have been in both stages, when I feel "in grace" and "out of grace". I have learned many of these lessons and know that simplifying and feeling calm within is a beginning of being on that road to grace. It is something that I have to continually work on or I end up on some trail far out of the way. I love the peaceful feeling I get when I read this beautiful book.

Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam!

I have been in the Primary Presidency for the past few years.  We were released a few weeks ago and I was put in as the Sunbeam teacher.  I am so excited to be in with these little ones. 

They are a bit nervous as it is their first experience being in a class. 

 Our church is at 12:30, many of these children are tired by the time they come to primary, so that can be a little challenging. 

 I am so grateful to all of those women who have blogs and helps online. 

 There are so many teaching aids to help with lessons, handouts etc. 

 The thing that I find most helpful in teaching the Sunbeams is having time increments

Basically an extension of the nursery, without as much playtime

Easing them into more lesson time each week. 

 Lesson time, craft time, snacktime, playtime, storytime.

 I feel that if they leave with just a small idea of what the lesson is about I've reached my goal. 

 I try not to cram too much in, just focus on the main idea of the lesson. 

 

Today our lesson is teaching that Jesus is Heavenly Father's Son. 

We will talk about how they have father's and how much their dad's love them.  We will walk around in dad's shoes for awhile

I will let them tell me what they do with their dad's. 

They will put flannel board cutouts up while I tell them how Jesus was born

how when He

was twelve his parents couldn't find him. 

Oh my, what would your parents do if they couldn't find you?!!!

We will sing Away in a Manger and Once there was a Baby to the tune of Once there was a snowman. 

 Keeping everything simple.

  I am surrounded by little ones through the week, and this just seems like the natural place for me to be!

Perspective

"We are all in this together. We need each other, Oh, how we need each other. Those of us who are old need you who are young. And, hopefully, you who are young need some of us who are old. It is a sociological fact that women need women. We need deep and satisfying and loyal friendships with each other. These friendships are a necessary source of sustenance. We need to renew our faith every day. We need to lock arms and help build the kingdom so that it will roll forth and fill the whole earth".

Marjorie Pay Hinckley

I think the older I get the more I seem to understand this beautiful statement.

How I treasure my friendships. I have a better understanding of younger people and so, more compassion. I am not so quick to tell them what they should do, because I have learned that there truly are no real answers. Mostly we just want to be listened to and loved.

 I think that's why I loved my Grama so much. She was so sweet. She pretty much just gave us all her unconditional love.

 That's probably why I do so well with the younger set.

 I get them. They don't really want to be told what to do.

They just want loves and to have somebody around who listens to them.

They don't even care what you look like, whether

you have makeup on,  or what you wear!?!