Inspiring Words

There are a couple blog posts I've read by blogging friends recently, and I thought they would inspire you like they've inspired me. Enjoy!

"Our Collective Memory Loss" by Hands Full and Loving It

 "I wondered if as a society, we have a collective memory loss of what normal life has been for generations and generations. We wake up to an alarm, flip on the lights, take a shower, then walk from our air-conditioned house to our air-conditioned car to our air-conditioned job, run over to the gym for a workout, then hit the drive-through for a shake on the way home. At home, we warm up leftovers in the microwave or pop in a movie to relax. We take for granted the hot and cold water that comes into our sinks and the only time we even think about our toilets is when one of them is broken. We drive a block to the grocery store to fill up our car with fresh produce and convenient foods no matter what time of year it is."

"Noah-Moses and Empathy" by Inspiring Motherhood

 "We just moved so we are meeting many new people. Think of the last time you met someone new. How did that conversation go? I have noticed that frequently within two minutes of an introductory conversation it starts: the comparisons and judgments, the defensiveness and rationalizations. I’ll type a few facts about myself that come up in conversation and see how if any of those kinds of thoughts come to your head: Hi my name is Britt. I have nine children, I homeschool, and I haven’t eaten sugar in almost seven years. Has it started yet? Are you questioning your family size, or mine? Are you defending your diet or the education of your children? Please don’t. PLEASE don’t. I’m not looking for an advisory, or a competitor. I need a friend."

Permission

Lately, I have been experiencing a real paradigm shift in my little world, and I want to share it with all of you.

I decided that I have used the word "SHOULD" far too much in my life!

The word "SHOULD" always made me feel that I could never DO enough, or BE enough. I felt like I would never be able to measure up to all the high expectations that the word "SHOULD" implied.

This past week, I realized that I've been draining all my energy and happiness with feelings of guilt over things that were completely silly-- all because of this one little word!

"SHOULD"

I discovered that all my self-loathing over my inadequacies was actually keeping me from being closer to the Savior, and was not allowing his great Atonement to work in my life.

No more.

This past week, I've given myself PERMISSION to remove that one, discouraging, energy-draining, horrible word from my vocabulary and my life!

And what's amazing to me, is I've been more effective in my homemaking duties, more loving to my husband, more patient with my children, and more joyful in my life-- all because of the removal of one word:

"SHOULD"

Here's how this post relates to all of you: I feel all the women who read this blog deserve an apology.

If I have EVER made any of you feel like you're falling short in your homemaking efforts, I'm so sorry!

If this blog has ever given you discouragement or frustration, I'm so sorry!

Please know that we ALL have permission to remove the terrible word, "SHOULD" from our lives.

YOU ARE DOING GREAT THINGS. And your sacrifices, your love, your patience, your efforts ARE ENOUGH.

I know that God thinks so.

So let's all stop "SHOULD-ing" on ourselves and get down to the business of serving, loving, and spreading joy to those in our lives who matter most.

Just FYI, there are some changes that will be coming to this blog very soon, in an effort to help us all do just the above, and I'm so excited to have you all on this journey with me! We can encourage, and lift one another and those in our homes through our homemaking efforts.

And unrealistic expectations are not an effective part of those efforts. So I'm saying goodbye to "SHOULD" and hello to "JOY"!

We all have permission to do that, you know... ;-)

Thoughts on Sacrifice...

In this day and age, many of us don't really have a grasp of what true sacrifice is...

Unless we're MOTHERS.


We sacrifice:

sleep,

time,

hobbies & interests,

our very bodies and lives.


But we also do something sacred when we dedicate our bodies to the creation of life. It is an enormous sacrifice that God sees and sanctifies.

It can mean morning sickness, heartburn, swollen ankles and feet, stretch marks, sore joints and muscles, insomnia, crankiness.

And then come the rigors of labor, birth, recovery, more insomnia, sore breasts, nursing.

Then there are the sacrifices that go on and on, through all our children, throughout their lives.

What is it all for?

"Greater love hath no man than this,
that a man lay down his life for his friends."
(John 15:13 KJV)

Motherhood refines and purifies us. But it is the late nights, the struggles, the faith we place in God that makes us better than we could ever be without them.


Yet, motherhood is the sweetest work in the world, and we are so very privileged to be called to it!




It's a sacrifice that all of heaven notices.

What a blessing to give.

We Guard the Gates

"Women are like lionesses at the gate of the home. Whatever happens in that home and family happens because she cares about it and it matters to her. She guards that gate, and things matter to that family if they matter to her . "

"Sisters, you are each like the lioness at the gate. This means that there has to be some prioritizing. I was taught years ago that when our priorities are out of order, we lose power. If we need power and influence to carry out our mission, then our priorities have to be straight."~ Julie B. Beck