Neglected Rainbows

For the last several months I feel like I've had a little black raincloud hovering constantly over me.  I've had one thunderstorm after another in my life until I must say I feel quite waterlogged by the steady downpour.  Have you ever felt that way?  Have you ever felt that there was no relief from the storms of life?  The other day I read a quote from a wise 12-year-old girl named Alyssa Knight, "Count your rainbows, not your thunderstorms." The quote kind of hit me hard.  It made me wonder if I had spent so much time contemplating my thunderstorms lately that now all I could see were the ugly, dark clouds.  It reminded me of a quote by Gordon B. Hinckley,  “Stop seeking out the storms and enjoy more fully the sunlight.” 

In all of my storm wallowing have I forgotten that there is sunlight behind those dark clouds? After all you need both sunshine and storm clouds to make rainbows.  Without both, I could never truly experience the beauty or enormity of that sky filled spectacle. And so today I've decided to "create my own sunshine" so I can count my neglected rainbows.

Here is a short list of my lately forgotten rainbows:

1- It's spring.  Flowers are abundant.  I can visit a garden center for self-therapy whenever I need to.  The blooms accumulating in my yard are evidence of my need for growing things.

2- I have someone to snuggle me when I need a good cry.  Enough said.

3- I have five great kids that are making great choices and becoming great people. I know how unusual this is.

4- Storms are the best times to curl up with a blanket, hot chocolate, and my favorite read.

5- I have several true friends who are great listeners and keep my secrets. :) What an amazing blessing a true friend is.

6- A sister is a gift to the heart, a friend to the spirit, a golden thread to the meaning of life.  ~Isadora James.  God blessed me with three beautiful sisters.

7- Chocolate and sushi, need I say more?

8- Summer is coming with all of its long, warm days, blockbuster movies, and a vacation from my busy schedule.  That extra sleep sounds like sunshine.

9- I can still dream!  My imagination is endless.

10- And most important, I have a Savior who paid the price for me.  We are all engraved in the palms of his hands.

Take time and count your neglected rainbows today. It will make the storms seem so much less ominous.

 “Through all of living have much joy and laughter, life is to be enjoyed, not just endured.” Gordon B. Hinckley.

Valentines from Heaven

After listening to a wonderful, inspirational class this last Thursday given by David A. Christensen, he concluded with the question, "Have you felt the love of God today?"  He asked the question as though it were completely normal to feel the love of God every day. To me the question was profound and left me wondering, "Can I feel the love of God every day in my life? Have I felt it today?"

Certainly there have been many times when I have experienced God's tender mercies, His forgiveness, the sweet assurance that He is there, but I know I had never thought about experiencing that love daily.  

I love the scripture in Romans 8:38-39 where Paul tells us "that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God..."

Why then if His love is always there, do some of us not feel His love daily?  One answer might be that perhaps we fail to recognize His love in the world around us.  I remember sitting in church one Sunday with my youngest daughter, Savannah.  She couldn't have been more than five or six years old at the time, but she noticed that the light above her was shining directly on her.  She piped up and said, "The light is shining on me, that means that I am loved!"  In that moment because of a simple beam of light, she recognized God's love.

C.S. Lewis has said, "Something of God flows into us from the blue of the sky, the taste of honey, the delicious embrace of water whether cold or hot, and even from sleep itself."

I have often felt God's love in the warmth of the sun on my face, in the scent of a sweet flower, in the tenderness of a child cuddled on my lap, in the taste of a sweet, tangy orange, or in the grandeur of the view from a mountain height.  You can feel God's love in all of His creations.  Sometimes we forget to recognize and be thankful for God's sweet, simple gifts of love.

Another reason we might not feel God's love daily is because we forget to check-in. Thanks to the wonderful invention of text messaging, my children are constantly checking in with me, especially when things aren't going the way they might like them to be.  I'm the first to hear when they don't feel good, or they didn't do so well on a test, or that someone didn't treat them so well that day.  Often when they message me, they are just looking for the reassurance that someone is there who cares; who can share in their disappointment and sorrow and give them a few words of comfort and love.

God can do the same for us if we make him a daily part of our lives.  I believe He wants to! We should talk to him countless times a day.  Do we tell Him our troubles and take time to receive His comfort? We know He just loves to listen to us.  Doesn't He ask us to pray always?  Doesn't He ask us to "Learn of me, and listen to my words; walk in the meekness of my Spirit and you shall have peace in me."  Do we take the time to walk with Him in His light each day?  If not, perhaps when we find ourselves feeling miserable, it is because we aren't taking the time to feel His abundant love.

C.S. Lewis tells us, "God cannot give us happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there.  There is no such thing."

If we cannot feel happiness and peace without God, isn't it true, then, that every happiness we feel is a manifestation of God's love for us?  I think that every happiness must be, especially after going through the last few days trying to experience God's love daily.  And I have found by being just a little more focused on His love, that it is all around me like a shower of beautiful "Valentines from Heaven."  

I know that all of you can have this same experience.  Take the time to receive your own "Valentines from Heaven" this Valentine's Week. God is just waiting to bless you with His abundant love!

A Shovel at a Time

One day, some time ago, my teenage daughter came bounding into the house, breathless and with a huge smile,  "Mom," she said, "I heard the best quote today. Do you want to hear it?"  After an amused nod from me at her obvious eagerness, she repeated the words, "By the yard, it's hard, but inch by inch, it's a cinch."  She was even more thrilled to find that I had actually heard the quote before.  I had to chuckle inside at her enthusiasm for a quote that for me had lost its appeal after being repeated so often over the years.  I had to wonder how at the age of 15 she had somehow missed hearing these simple words.  To her this quote was completely amazing and had even sparked in her a new wonder and zest for life.

I've thought about this quote since then. The message given is straightforward, but valuable.  If we try to solve a really big problem all at once, it may seem impossible at times, but if we break it down into little pieces the problem becomes much easier to overcome, bit by bit.  

Photo Courtesy of Oleksandros via Flickr

I am reminded of an experience I had a few years ago.  My husband was just recovering from an unexpected heart attack.  We'd had an especially large amount of snow that year, just like this year.  After several large storms, there was literally a mountain of snow on both sides of the driveway, but there was also a mountain of snow in front of the mailbox due to repeated passes by the snow plows.  We'd received a message from the postal service telling us that we needed to clear the area around the mailbox in order for the mail to be delivered.  I remember looking at that mountain of snow and ice that was almost as tall as me and wondering how in the world was I ever going to be able to move it.  I was tired from taking care of five kids and a husband.  I'd already been shoveling snow for days and was really sore.  The task seemed especially daunting to someone who was definitely not the epitome of upper body strength, but I knew this was my mountain to move.  There was just no one else to move it.  I remember thinking of the Lord's words about faith and moving mountains.  His words encouraged me because I knew then like I know now that we don't have to have the faith to move mountains all at once, we only need to have the faith to move mountains a shovel at a time. Eventually after many shovelfuls, some large and some wimpy, I was able to shovel my mountain down to nothing. 

All of us have challenges in life, some as large as mountains, but they all can be overcome a shovel or an inch at a time.  Whatever the challenge may be, whether it be weight-loss, debt, addiction, or depression, we just need to have the faith to take one shovel and then another until our "mountain" is removed.  If the shovel seems too heavy, we can break down our challenges into even smaller bits if we need to. 

A wise man, Garth Toone, once said, "I have learned that success is often measured in millimeters... Rather than expecting miracles overnight, I have learned to repeat the words, 'Have I done any good in the world today?' and if so, count that as success."

Sometimes our progress does come in millimeters, but even if we are working in millimeters we are moving in the right direction and we are bringing good to the world.  Louisa May Alcott has said, "Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations.  I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow where they lead."  

Let us set our sights on our own aspirations!  Let us follow where they lead, bit by bit.  We can do it!  Someday our "mountains" will be removed with a little faith, a shovel at a time. 

Johnson's Mill

This last weekend my husband and I stayed at my favorite bed and breakfast, Johnson's Mill in Midway, Utah.  It's the best place to get away from all of the winter blahs, especially the inversion!  I'm sure it's a fabulous place to stay any time of the year, but I ABSOLUTELY love Johnson's Mill in the winter!  If you are looking for a romantic getaway for Valentine's Day this year, I can't think of a better place to spend a romantic weekend.  

Historic Johnson's Mill is situated on 25 acres of pure heaven.  It's adjacent to a beautiful lake and surrounded by all kinds of grand old trees and plenty of wildlife.  You can even rent snowshoes and wander the grounds which are next to a 300 acre nature preserve. 

 

The mill itself is gorgeous, beautifully decorated, with lots of warm fireplaces, and ten rooms to choose from that you can view online. My husband and I have stayed in several of the rooms and they are all fantastic, but my absolute favorite is the Waterfall Terrace above a 40 foot cascading waterfall.  Pictures can't do this room justice.  The panoramic view from this sizeable room is incredible.  

The room comes complete with a comfy king size bed, fireplace, and jetted tub.  Johnson's Mill has a turn down service between 6 and 7 p.m.  You will be delighted to find delicious, chocolate truffles on your pillows.  If you want to watch a movie or get a snack, Johnson's Mill has a small library of DVD's to choose from near the entry, along with scrumptious cake or cookies that you can take back to your room.

If you're crazy enough to want to bring the whole family.  I'd recommend the Presidential Suite which is a lovely 2 bedroom apartment with 2 bathrooms, a kitchen, and a living room with a sofa bed.  It's every bit as romantic as the other rooms, just larger in scale. The view of the lake from this spacious apartment is definitely breathtaking!  

Breakfast at Johnson's Mill is always yummy!  This last week they served stuffed French Toast with lots of delicious berries!  It's the perfect winter breakfast with a few slices of bacon, orange juice, and a mug of hot chocolate.  The view from the dining area is also wonderful and you can often see wildlife as you savor your breakfast.  Check-out isn't until eleven and so there is plenty of time after breakfast to snuggle up with your honey or wander the grounds and take lots of pictures. I definitely love this bed and breakfast!  If you are looking for a cozy place, close to nature, to spend a romantic time with your loved one, there is definitely no better place in Utah than Johnson's Mill, especially in the winter months!  I will go back time and time again!