There Is Always Something To Miss

“There is always something to miss, no matter where you are."  
-Patricia MacLachlan


So true.
I miss my children being little, miss former homes where we made memories, miss loved ones who've passed on, miss my youth.

It's easy to reminisce and think life was more precious elsewhere....back in some particular time or place of life where in hindsight, it all looks perfectly rosy.

My youngest daughter recently spoke of the song 'The House That Built Me' and how it made her sad and missing our old home.
 I pointed out that her oldest brothers and sister would think of and miss a different home, the one they spent more time at in their youth.
 I personally would think of several of my own childhood homes.  It's all about perspective, I told her. 

And darn it, life is not a song.  Life is a symphony of songs, being composed and altered day by day. 

I read an article about George Strait, the country singer, and how he and his wife had lost their young and only daughter years ago.  How their marriage and family stayed strong.  How he stayed completely true to his wife while being in the music industry.  He said he always remembered that life was not a country song and it kept him grounded.

 Marriage and family can't be pinned down that way and don't fit in tidy little compartments.
Certain lyrics or tunes can capture a moment, make us feel regret/pain/longing/contentment/joy...but they are only moments in a life. 

Life is never perfect and home is where your family is.  The imperfectness of life is what makes it so lovely. 

A New Year

 Thinking of my grandma today.  
A new  year begins and I have a fresh perspective on the span of a human life- the souls they touch, the beauty they add to the world.  
Grandma added a lot of beauty.

 Thanks to her, I have been given:

A love of photography
An appreciation of art and any artistic skills I may possess
A broader perspective on motherhood and the preciousness of my children
Bed-making skills
Canning skills
Love for animals and a responsibility for their care under my stewardship
Love of gardening and making an eden of my own backyard
Appreciation for what I have and reminders to take care of what I've been given
The ability to drop boring practicality at times in exchange for seeing the world through magical eyes

Grandma taught me so much- from table manners to oil painting, remodeling homes to family history...she was a do-it-yourselfer in every way.  

She had the loveliest lilt to her voice, and reminded us always that you can lift others with your words...and that unkindness or crass comments were not appropriate.

She cheered the underdog and fiercely protected the weak, was no-nonsense about rudeness and taught that 'pretty is as pretty does.'   

She gave me my mother.

Thank you Grandma.  2016 will be a great year because I'm your granddaughter and I won't forget.

Planting Grandma's Flowers

 My little granddaughter and I planted some of Grandma's bulbs the other day.  
Tulips and other spring flowers that were in mesh bags at her house....flowers she would have planted in her yard.   Mally and I added them to ours instead, along with daffodils I'd purchased this fall.  I think, if she could see us, she'd be pleased. 

 Mally and I talked about her and how next spring- close to Easter, these flowers will bloom where they're planted.   
One of those metaphors for life that I think about a lot.  
Bloom where you're planted. 
Good stuff.

A Grateful Heart

Life is beautiful and strong; precious and fragile.

We are filled with gratitude all through the year and especially at Thanksgiving; but have even more reason than usual this November. 

Our beautiful, lovely girl- who recently went to her first homecoming dance- has come away from a severe car accident with a concussion, sore body and a fresh perspective on the fragileness of life. We know she was watched over, and for some reason our girl was saved from dangerous injuries or worse. 

Content copyright © 2015 by Jessa at Graceful Landing

It's hard to describe the humble gratitude we feel.  Our minds are still reeling from this experience and we are sober and quiet much of the time as we try to make sense of all we saw and have felt.
  Our depth of gratitude is great.

Life is precious- please drive safe.

Marriages Last

Did you know that most marriages make it?  

Content copyright © 2015 by Jessa at Graceful Landing

We've long been told that the divorce rate in this country is 50%.  That HALF of all marriages won't make it.   Sobering, even disheartening statistics and headlines.

But it's not true, and never was.
In fact, according to a new study by Shaunti Feldhahn, the truth is that more than 75-80% of first marriages DO last.  And only about 30% of all marriages- including 2nd, 3rd and even 8th marriages have ended in divorce.  And get this- the new study also shows that most marriages are happy.  Not drudgery.  Not boring.  HAPPY.

This inspiring news comes from an in-depth study, eight years in the making.
Check out this article and the real statistics HERE and share the truth.

Late Summer Morning

Early mornings are my favorite time of day.  Here's why:

Wisdom

 


Wisdom is the ability to think and act using knowledge, experience, understanding, common sense and insight.
My hope and prayer for my children is that they grow up with wisdom and with the desire to embrace truth, integrity, goodness, knowledge, hard work, charity for others, faith and prayer. 
 That they stand up against the tide of meaningless materialism and media and seek out knowledge of worth.  
Becoming great readers and critical thinkers, finding balance between working with their minds, bodies and spirits.  
 Lifting others up, encouraging them, giving service.  Humble instead of proud, teachable instead of stubborn.  
Going to their knees when they need to find answers and then getting up and going to work.  
Fulfilling their duties to the best of their abilities; striving for excellence- making choices and knowing how to choose best over better or good- but knowing it's okay when at times they fall short.  Fixing things quickly when they know they've made mistakes- changing their ways and asking forgiveness of those they've hurt.

Knowing who they are.
Remembering what they've been taught.
Believing in something greater than they can possibly imagine.

Feeling gratitude every single day for this amazing world and the blessing they've been given to have a life here with a loving family. 
Taking what they've been taught and teaching it to their own children as well as others who have never known what they have. 

 This, I know will bring them fulfillment and happiness.

JOY= Jesus (and his teachings) first, Others second, Yourself last.

I love what Gordon B. Hinckley says in this video.  He's speaking to followers of Christ. This is what I want to say to my own precious children.  A speech given not long before he passed away.  The music someone added is a little loud and perhaps a bit corny, but his words are powerful.  Listen.

Strength

Virtue: A particular moral Excellence; a Quality or Power;
Strength or  Courage; as the virtue of temperance, of chastity, of charity

Virtue comes from the latin word 'Virtus' meaning 'strength.'
This word originated in the Roman Empire and originally represented a brave warrior and over time came to represent a good man, or someone who did the right thing.

If someone is virtuous they live by a high set of moral values now.
Because they live by those values, they will strive for them and realign themselves often.
Because of this, they are exceptionally strong (virtus).

They live with a strict set of limits and clearly defined "I will" and "I will not" and they have the courage to live by them.
from theredheadedhostess.com 

 


 

Thoughts on a Spring Day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today

By Mary Engelbreit

Words to Live by

Beautiful quotes- inspiring and, at times, life changing.

Victor Hugo has penned so many that I love and I feel compelled to add a few here.  For my own blog is a place I return to time and again to re-read the thoughts and experiences I've recorded.  My own and those I've added that inspire me.  This is a scrapbook of sorts, for myself and my loved ones.

"No one knows like a woman how to say things which are at once gentle and deep."

"Conscience is God present in man."

"Evil.  Mistrust those who rejoice at it even more than those who do it."

"There are thoughts which are prayers. There are moments when, whatever the posture of the body, the soul is on its knees."

"To rise from error to truth is rare and beautiful."

 "A mother's arms are made of tenderness and children sleep soundly in them."

"Forty is the old age of youth, fifty the youth of old age."

 "Have courage for the great sorrows of life and patience for the small ones; and when you have laboriously accomplished your daily task, go to sleep in peace."

"Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face."

"When a woman is talking to you, listen to what she says with her eyes."


"Adversity makes men, prosperity makes monsters."

"Initiative is doing the right thing without being told."

"When grace is joined with wrinkles, it is adorable.   There is an unspeakable dawn in happy old age."

"One is not idle because one is absorbed.  There is both visible and invisible labor.  To contemplate is to toil, to think is to do.  The crossed arms work, the clasped hands act.  The eyes upturned to Heaven are an act of creation."

"Do not let it be your aim to be something, but to be someone."

"There is in this world no function more important than that of being charming. The forest glade would be incomplete without the humming-bird. To shed joy around, to radiate happiness, to cast light upon dark days, to be the golden thread of our destiny, and the very spirit of grace and harmony, is not this to render a service? Does not beauty confer a benefit upon us, even by the simple fact of being beautiful? Here and there we meet with one who possesses that fairy-like power of enchanting all about her; sometimes she is ignorant herself of this magical influence, which is, however, for that reason, only the more perfect. Her presence lights up the home; her approach is like a cheerful warmth; she passes by, and we are content; she stays awhile, and we are happy. To behold her is to live: she is the Aurora with a human face. She has no need to do more than simply to be: she makes an Eden of the house; Paradise breathes from her; and she communicates this delight to all, without taking any greater trouble than that of existing beside them. Is it not a thing divine to have a smile which, none know how, has the power to lighten the weight of that enormous chain which all the living, in common, drag behind them? Deruchette possessed this smile; we may even say that this smile was Deruchette herself."

Easter Morning

The Man of the House arrived home last night after a week spent with his mom and brother on the coast of Oregon.  Visiting relatives, cleaning family graves, reconnecting.

 Easter is an amazing time - how I love these 'stopping points' throughout the year.  Times to pause, ponder and pray.  We live such busy lives, full of many good things.  But I believe in the good, better, best principle.  It's the challenge of this era in which we live to choose and choose wisely what will fill our time.

 For me, personally, I try to fill my life with family, work, wholesome foods, books and activities. Even within these categories, there is still the good, better, best principle to apply.  It will always be a matter of finding balance.

This Easter morn, I am filled with gratitude for
Quiet spring mornings
Familiar faces of those I love
The gift of a strong body and mind
The usefulness of work and the brilliant effect it has on one's soul
Green life in the form of trees and grasses, newly sprouting vegetables and flowers
The comfort of a good night's sleep beside my husband
The sparkling eyes of a grandchild enjoying Easter's bounties
The laughter of my mother and her good sense of humor
My sister's constant, patient friendship
The opportunity to watch my children grow and mature
 Nieces and nephews whom I adore
Family....with all their quirks and weaknesses....they are beautiful to me
Peace of living in the country
The Atonement

The Atonement- Christ's gift to us.  At- One- Ment.  To be at one with His teachings, His wisdom.
Truly, in those rare moments when I think I have it, think I have reached my goals in living His ways, I know true bliss and deep peace.  
This may last for a few minutes to a few weeks as I am only human and mortal life has challenges.  But I have tasted it- and know it for the great gift it is if only in remembrance.


Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Matthew 11: 28-30