Liam's first day of school!

Can I get a hallelujah?! I feel born again! Today is a great day in my life. Two days a week, for 3 hours each day, I will not be responsible for any persons but myself! Liam started his first day of preschool and he didn’t cry at all! Originally I was going to clean my bathrooms while he was gone, but I was so excited I deep cleaned them yesterday before Jeff left so I could do something exciting this morning 🙌🏻

I ended up going to the store to get sleep diapers since Liam wet through his clothes last night, but I was able to listen to "Born to Change the World" while I drove so that was nice. Then I came back, did yoga for 40 min (It has been WAY too long), showered, had an awesome scripture study, and got an item off my to do list that has been there for a month. And I wrote this post! So all in all it's been a great day!

He was so happy to wear a big backpack and be on his way!

Ms. Phyllis and Ms. Nikki

I have been craving amazing scripture study time all summer. It fills me up and lets me feel the spirit and ponder and reflect and makes me recognize how there's more to life than going through the motions. I often think, "what's the point in all of this day to day routine?" But reading scriptures and feeling the spirit helps me to want to keep trying, to suffer with Christ when things get hard, but to allow His comfort to come in and save me from the despair and depression that Satan pushes on me. The song "Scripture Power" is true, I have more power in my day and in my spirit when I make time for scriptures. I loved reading in 2 Corinthians 1 today how the comfort we receive from the Savior allows us to try and give that same type of comfort to others suffering. I tend to think of comfort as giving a hug, a shoulder to cry on, a listening ear. But it can mean to strengthen greatly, to stand alongside of, to encourage, cheer up, give hope, help, release. God is the Father of mercies and God of all comfort. I pondered as to what kind of parent am I? Do I extend mercy and comfort to my children and husband? God has given me the example of how to comfort and how to show mercy.

I read in the NIV version of the bible some verses in 2 Corinthians 1 that said they feared they had received a death sentence, but that it was so "we might not rely on ourselves, but on God." I thought of this and how there really is purpose to feeling so much sorrow and pain or having no idea how a situation will resolve. It gives us the opportunity to tap into the hope and faith that comes from putting trust in God and noticing the difference we feel when we tap into His help and comfort. We may suffer with Christ (meaning we will all suffer to some degree as Christ did because He did in reality suffer for my sorrows and sins....if we weren't going to suffer then there would be no reason for him to experience suffering because it wouldn't exist), but because of His atonement, along with that suffering I feel, He sends His comfort. He allows there to be a lifting of guilt or pain or despair when we call out His name and ask for His presence. And then He has power to do what no one else on earth can. He can take that pain away so we don't need to keep experiencing it over and over. Or He can take the worry from us over a situation when we felt peace as we gave it over to God.

As I thought of this idea of relying on God and not myself, I thought of how many areas I feel like I'm failing: health, nutrition, gospel study in the home, parenting skills, finding a routine in our home for free time and getting things done, teaching my kids life skills. They seem like small things, yet they impact the tone of our home. I wondered why I have wanted for years for these things to become strengths and yet I seem to have so many ups and downs with them. But I realized that I often look outside for inspiration: another person's ideas for everything... nutrition plan, routines for kids, etc, but I don't typically pray and ask God to teach me what it is I need to do or my family needs to do to change. Sometimes I do ask and wonderful things happen. I get an inspired idea and use it and it works! But then the newness wears off or I forget about it so I think I need to look for the next thing to help us. However, what if I were to pray and ask for more direction? Perhaps I need to try again, or perhaps there is something different the Lord would teach me to do. Or maybe He just gives me faith that staying on the path I'm on, no matter if it feels fruitless at times, is the correct path to be on. It made me realize I want to be living my days more and more aligned in partnering with the Lord, rather than just giving an accounting of my day or asking for help at the beginning or end in a routine prayer.