Touch of God's Hand

I had to take a break from editing video so I immediately turned to the internet. Our home page is LDS.org and I have bypassed that page countless times as I head to less meaningful websites to waste time.  As my mouse hovered over my Facebook Bookmark, I saw a talk entitled, "Recognize, Remember, and Give Thanks". The prompting came and unlike so many other times, I decided to follow it and read the message. 

The talk was by President Henry B. Eyring and the message was all about giving thanks to God. He talks about how our prayers become mechanical and that we need to take the time to pause and give God the chance to help us remember the blessings he has given us. He also talks about writing in a journal to help us see all the blessings we have. 

This quote stuck out to me and has given me the idea that I want to start writing more (or as inspiration comes!) 
     "As you start to write, you could ask yourself, “How did God bless me and those I love today?” If you do that often enough and with faith, you will find yourself remembering blessings. And sometimes you will have gifts brought to your mind that you failed to notice during the day but that you will then know were a touch of God’s hand in your life."

I love that it says that we will have gifts brought to our mind that we might have not noticed but then we will realize that it was God blessing our lives! So simple. So profound. 

I really am grateful for all of my blessings. Even as I sit here and type this, a flood of blessings comes to my mind. I am grateful that I was able to cuddle with Beau this morning for 5 minutes before I left. I'm grateful that I have my mom that so diligently and willingly watches Beau while Andy and I are gone. I am grateful for a husband that works so hard and wants to help provide for his family. I am really grateful that Beau and I got to cuddle again tonight as he had his bottle and that we both fell asleep! It's the little things, right?!

If I had a quarter for every time I got on here and said, "I'm going to start writing now!" or "I want to document life for my kids!" and so on and so forth, I would be rich!  But I like an occasional reminder to do better and to be better- so that is what I am trying to do right now. 

xoxo
Elise

To be Gentle

(Pictures from my most recent trip to Cancun!)

Several months ago I came across a post on a blog that I follow and it was all about finding a word to "live by" for one year.  I loved the idea of having a word to focus my energies on and to help better myself.  After some deep contemplation, I decided my word would be "Gentle".  Gentle? Why that word some might ask! Let me tell you...

There have been moments in my life when I regret things that come out of my mouth or the actions that I do. I regret arguments that I have had with roommates. I regret comments that I have made to friends. I regret stepping over any lines that I should've stayed on the original side. Sometimes I have made inappropriate comments to people that I don't really know (nothing horrible, but stuff I really shouldn't be saying... especially in a professional setting).  I think you get the point!

The word Gentle to me means that I will think before I speak.  That I will be gentle in my actions and in my words. That I will be kind and serve those around me.  That I will search for ways to reach out and touch other's hearts. That I will apologize for things that I regret saying. That I will not gossip about others.

To be Gentle means not raising my voice in any conversations- especially with my husband! I truly want to try to refine my "red" side of my personality that tends to over react, raise my voice, say things without thinking, etc.

I have been doing this since about April, and I can honestly say that having a word in my mind to constantly remind me of how to act, has helped me become a better person.  I have such a long way to go and I need to keep my mouth shut more often, but I'm happy that at least I am making this a focus in my life!

xoxo
Elise