The Fence

There once was a young boy with a very bad temper. The boy's father wanted to teach him a lesson, so he gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper he must hammer a nail into their wooden fence.

On the first day of this lesson, the little boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. He was really mad!

Over the course of the next few weeks, the little boy began to control his temper, so the number of nails that were hammered into the fence dramatically decreased.

It wasn't long before the little boy discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence.

Then, the day finally came when the little boy didn't lose his temper even once, and he became so proud of himself, he couldn't wait to tell his father.

Pleased, his father suggested that he now pull out one nail for each day that he could hold his temper.

Several weeks went by and the day finally came when the young boy was able to tell his father that all the nails were gone.

Very gently, the father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence.

"You have done very well, my son," he smiled, "but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same."

The little boy listened carefully as his father continued to speak.

"When you say things in anger, they leave permanent scars just like these. And no matter how many times you say you're sorry, the wounds will still be there."

The story continues.  Through the power of the Atonement and Resurrection of Jesus Christ and through the principle of Repentence, our loving Savior fills up each of those holes and heals the fence ("wounded heart") as though it were new.  

Repentence can be very hard sometimes.  It requires humility.  Oftentimes, in our own "right fight" (the fight to be right), we swell with pride.  Until the swelling goes down, humility cannot enter.  I struggle with apologizing when I am in "right-fight" mode.  But when I look at the fence...and I see the damage...I realize that I am fighting for the wrong thing.  

Then, the swelling goes down.  

Then, humility and a love for others settles in.

Then the healing begins.  

Anything Is Possible!

I watched this video because one of my friends on Facebook shared it.  I was totally inspired and motivated by it.  The words were the powerful part for me.

What Is Success?
(6 mins)  ... Because I have young boys, I had them listen more to the words then watch it because there is a female who is exercising in part of it, as this video talks about motivations for athletes.  That's just how I roll :)


How many times have I sat at my desk, or rested on my pillow, or stared out the window while driving thinking..."if only..."?  Or, "I wish I..."?  

Many times I have looked back at the week I had or the day I had and said, "I could have done more."  Not to be self-deprecating, nor to try to keep up with someone else.  But, honestly to challenge myself to rise higher.  To tell myself that you have untold potential because you are a child of God and you WERE NOT CREATED TO BE MEDIOCRE.  You were created to be EXTRAORDINARY!  So, the challenge then, is to be extraordinary every day.  In small ways.  In big ways.  In new ways.  In ways that uplift others.  In ways that build relationships.  In ways that are so meaningful that I cannot help but be changed by it.

This is my success.  If these are my DAILY goals, then I cannot help but be successful.  Successful in all the ways that are important (love, family, heatlh, service) and in all the ways that are necessary (provide for my family and give to others).  So, the time for wishing and lamenting is over.  The time for doing is now.  Whatever it is, I must do it!  

Exercise.

Travel.
Speak.
Write.
Love.
    

Remember...

             "Don't ever let anyone tell you, you can't do something..."

"Anything is possible!"

"When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, 

then you'll be successful."

                       Look Up.

                                                  Get Up.
                                                                          Don't Ever Give Up.

 "Success has always been INTENTIONAL and DELIBERATE"

Happiness is a Choice

This week was definitey better than last week.  Why?  Well, I had to review how awful last week felt and then make some personal decisions to act, be and react differently.  I have long felt that the responsibility for me to be the nurturing voice in the home was almost too much pressure!  But because I love my kids and family, I need to give it a try.

So, this week I have been less concerned with making sure EVERYTHING is completed according to my will/desire/list and focused more on building up my children and my relationship with them.   I tried to be more focused on being balanced instead of feeling like I had to do ALL of the housework and ALL of the laundry and ALL of my homework everyday, I made a quick list that was manageable (ex: rinse dishes, drop in a load of Isabella's clothes to wash, tidy up the office, two vocabulary lessons).  And guess what?  I found it to be MUCH MORE MANAGEABLE.  Notice my list didn't include putting the washed load into the dryer.  It made my list look too long.  So, I put them in the dryer WHEN I FELT LIKE IT, instead of doing it because I needed to check it off of my list.  Seems simple and almost weird, but it worked.  I created a manageable list, completed all of it and then felt like I had more energy to accomplish more things, like put the clothes in the dryer, wash a batch of towels and dry and fold all of them too!  It was kinda cool how a more balanced approach to my day made such a difference.  It made a difference because IT TOOK THE PRESSURE OFF.  No one can function well with constant pressure - I mean, even teapots blow a little steam!

And as for my relationships with my kids.  Way better.  I took some of the pressure off of them too.  When my pressure was gone, magically, so was most of theirs.  They were just a bit happier and intereacted well with each other throughout the day.  They weren't perfect and didn't finish all of their chores, but oh well.  I reminded them of their commitments to their daily chores and said, "Let's do better tomorrow."  And, they did.  

So, what did I learn from this?  That I enjoy having happier kids!  And I don't like being a task-master, although I am really, really good at it.  I mean to think that MY OWN PRESSURE was causing extra pressure on my kids!!!  Gah!  They don't deserve that.  They have a hard enough job being kids and teenagers and all that comes with that learning curve.  So, I was able to catch a glimpse of how I would prefer to be and how I would like my kids to be, and ultimately how we all help each other accomplish that happiness.  Wow!  All from one little change?  COOL!

As many people have learned, being a parent is very, very hard work.  It takes practice and it takes falling down and getting back up and even apologizing to your kids when you had a bad day.  It is a lifelong process where sometimes, the only reward is a happy family who loves being together.  For me, that is the best reward that I will ever need.  

Happiness, I believe, is the place where you can truly see how our Father in Heaven sees us.  I am grateful for these glimpses in my life that keep me focused on an eternity.

Easter 2013