Friday, November 25, 2011

Being Thankful

Being thakful.  It's Thanksgiving weekend again!  Here is part of my list of Things I Am Thankful For.

A husband who is willing,and has been willing for almost 20 years, to support our family.
Frank has a good, stable job.
A church closeby.
Good neighbors.
Transportation: 2 working vehicles.
A new, functional kitchen.
A dry garage.
Soft blankets to cuddle with and watch a movie with Frank.
Beautiful fall leaves.
High-speed Internet connection.
Good books.
Inspirational messages from General Conference.
Pumpkin pie.
Warm roll with ham and cheese.
Laughing with family.
Eating dinner with my family.
Cell phones.
Medical facilities closeby.
My own teeth and hair!
Being able to exercise.
Electricity.
Running Water.
Schools.
Good teachers.

This is just a start!  Our family is so blessed.

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Thoughts on Sunday

I need to keep up on my journal, and this is the most comfortable place for that right now.

GRATEFUL for Frank.  The more I talk to people/friends/neighbors, somehow the more I am grateful for my husband.  So many stories of men who won't talk to their wives about things, who don't take care of the kids or who when they do, it's only putting them in front of a DVD and otherwise ignoring them.

Frank played with our kids when they were little and never balked about taking care of them solo--including diapers, thank you, and he did a good job of it.  (Neither one of us wanted Puke Duty when there was stomach flu...we kind of switched off.  Eeeewww.)

Now, he asks them for their input on trips and outings, and is willing to drive them places when there is a conflict (a conflict with ME doing it--it's still my job.  His job pays our mortgage, and everything else).  He knows about their activities and goes to Back to School Night.

The girls "fight" over who gets to sit by Dad in Sacrament Meeting.  The kids really like to be with him.  He makes a great weekend breakfast, and lets Kara have sleepovers.  (I'd say no to every sleepover, don't know why.  But Frank thinks they're no big deal, and they probably aren't a big deal.  We have them periodically.)

I need to be more meaningful in my prayers.  I am in such a distracted state most of the time--somebody is always right in my face with a question or needing to find something.  I really pray more in my mind while I'm in the car or getting ready in the morning.  It's not a good habit that I've fallen into.

I never thought parenting would be the way it is.  And we have good kids!  ha.  It's everywhere, all the time, always more to do, as a parent!  And reminding the kids to do things (chores, practice piano, etc.) is not fun.  But I need to be the parent.  There needs to be boundaries.  Even the Lord sets boundaries for us, and even He chastises us when needed.  He does it to us because he knows we'll be better people for it.  I need to look at the big picture and recognize that my kids will be better people if they are taught responsibility and accountability, and to love the Lord.

Now I'm rambling.  I love my kids.  They are awesome.

More later, Kari

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

How to Best Spend Our Time

Life is full of decisions to be made. Where to work? Where to live? Rent or own? Which school to attend? What to eat? Drink or not? Smoke? What to have for dinner? Some decisions are important. Some are not, but they still take up our time.

The trick is to spend an appropriate amount of time pondering the more weighty issues. The clock will tick on, whether you are using time wisely or not.

These days we think about work. Look for different opportunities? Stay with what we have until one or more child(ren) graduate(s)?

It's quite cold here in January. And this year, there is lots of snow. It is beautiful and all, but it's a lot of shoveling and worrying about how it can harm the house, the cars, make ice dams on the roof which leads to leaks. This has been difficult for me! I also just don't like being cold. I don't aspire to be a true New Englander. I'm just visiting. So, do we visit for a few more years? Or try to make a move soon?

I'm trying to be in the right frame of mind, more often. Read scriptures, advice from church leaders, listen for promptings or answers in quiet moments. There are not many of those, of course! But I try to make opportunities for quiet moments.

Pray for Those Who Persecute You

Hello!

I'm trying to figure out what exactly I want this blog to be...since I have not shared the website with anyone, it is really for myself. I can add photos if I want, but mostly it is my own thoughts and insights.

I've been reading about Ruby Bridges; she's the little girl in 1960 who was the first African American to attend an all-white school in Louisiana. The Supreme Court ruled that blacks should get the same educational opportunities as white people, so integration would start in September of 1960. White people protested, most of them taking their own kids out of school when little Ruby walked in. They had 4 members of the National Guard there to protect her, picking her up from her home, driving her to the school and walking her to the school doors. Angry whites lined the sidewalks, shouting obscenities and spitting on her. Absolutely amazing.

Disney made a movie of the story. I read "Through My Eyes," the story written by Ruby herself, as she saw it when she was 6.

One part of her story made me think. She said her mom taught her to pray, and she always thought that prayer would get her through anything. "Jesus said to pray for those who persecute you," she remembers her mother telling her.

People kind of lose their brains when they are in a crowd. Like all of a sudden they are not themselves, and they can say and do things they won't be held accountable for.

There was a group of mothers the press called the "cheerleaders," who would shout obscenities and threaten this little 6-year-old girl, each morning she walked by them, into their school. I couldn't even believe it. And this girl's mother told her to pray for them.