Expectations

"If you treat a man as he is, he will remain as he is, but if you treat him as if he were what he ought to be, and could be, he will become what he ought to be, and should be."

-Geothe

Words of gold my friends, words of gold.

SBB

Enduring Fruits

"Who can justly measure the righteous influence of a mother's love? What enduring fruits result from the seeds of truth that a mother carefully plants and lovingly cultivates in the fertile soil of a child's trusting mind and heart? As a mother you have been given divine instincts to help you sense your child's special talents and unique capacities. With your husband you can nurture, strengthen, and cause those traits to flower."

Richard G. Scott

Quotes that are getting me through Right Now

"My message to you today, my brothers and sisters, is simply this: the Lord is in control. He knows the end from the beginning. He has given us adequate instruction that, if followed, will see us safely through any crisis. His purposes will be fulfilled, and someday we will understand the eternal reasons for all of these events. Therefore, today we must be careful to not overreact, nor should we be caught up in extreme preparations; but what we must do is keep the commandments of God and never lose hope!”

M. Russell Ballard, “The Joy of Hope Fulfilled,” Ensign, Nov. 1992, 31

“Everybody in this life has their challenges and difficulties. That is part of our mortal test. The reason for some of these trials cannot be readily understood except on the basis of faith and hope because there is often a larger purpose which we do not always understand. Peace comes through hope.”

James E. Faust, “Hope, an Anchor of the Soul,” Ensign, Nov. 1999, 59

“As we daily confront a world full of negativity, doubt, fear, and even dread can creep into our hearts. President Thomas S. Monson has counseled us that ‘faith and doubt cannot exist in the same mind at the same time, for one will dispel the other’ (“Come unto Him in Prayer and Faith,” Liahona and Ensign, Mar. 2009, 6). In Moroni we read that ‘without faith there cannot be any hope’ (Moroni 7:42). We must exercise faith to take on life’s challenges and changes. It is how we learn and progress.”

Steven E. Snow, “Get On with Our Lives,” Ensign, May 2009, 81–82

"No matter how bleak the chapter of our lives may look today, because of the life and sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we may hope and be assured that the ending of the book of our lives will exceed our grandest expectations. 'Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. ' "

Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "The Infinite Power of Hope," Ensign, Nov. 2008, 22–23

True That

"All that we call human history--money, poverty, ambition, war, prostitution, classes, empires, slavery--[is] the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy."

--Mere Christianity
C.S. Lewis

Greatest Tragedy

"One of the greatest tragedies we witness almost daily is the tragedy of (men) of high aim and low achievement. Their motives are noble. Their proclaimed ambition is praiseworthy. Their capacity is great. But their discipline is weak. They succumb to indolence. Appetite robs them of will."

Gordon B. Hinckley

Indolence: Disinclined to exert oneself; habitually lazy. Inactivity resulting from a dislike of work.

As I Have Loved You

"The Savior revealed the perfect priorities for our lives, our homes, our wards, our communities, and our nations when He spoke of love as the great commandment upon which “hang all the law and the prophets." We can spend our days obsessing about the finest details of life, the law, and long lists of things to do; but should we neglect the great commandments, we are missing the point and we are clouds without water, drifting in the winds, and trees without fruit...

As we contemplate with reverence and awe how our Savior embraces us, comforts us, and heals us, let us commit to become His hands, that others through us may feel His loving embrace"

Dieter F. Uchtdorf

What Really Matters

"I don't want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautifully tailored clothes, my hair expertly coiffed, and with long, perfectly manicured fingernails.

I want to drive up in a station wagon that has mud on the tires from taking kids to scout camp. I want to be there with grass stains on my shoes from mowing Sister Schenk's lawn. I want to be there with a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt from making sandwiches for a sick neighbor's children.

I want to be there with a little dirt under my fingernails from helping to weed someone's garden. I want to be there with children's sticky kisses on my cheeks and the tears of a friend on my shoulder.

I want the Lord to know I was really here and that I really lived."

Marjorie Pay Hinckley

Love this woman. LOVE this quote.


SBB

Character

"Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are."

- John Wooden

Not so worthless as you thought

"We humble people, who sometimes feel ourselves so worthless, so good-for-nothing, we are not so worthless as we think. There is not one of us that He has not cared for and caressed. There is not one of us that He has not desired to save and that He has not devised means to save. There is not one of us that He has not given His angels charge concerning. We may be insignificant and contemptible in our own eyes and in the eyes of others but the truth remains that we are the children of God and that He has actually given his angels--invisible beings of power and might--charge concerning us, and they watch over us and have us in their keeping."

George Q. Cannon

Quotable Friday

Being mom to a toddler is so much fun. Taxing at times too, but very fun. I love when I turn on my Pilates workout and the Bug goes to get out my mat. I love the sound that he makes when he's pretending to blow dry his hair, shave with the electric razor, or vacuum. It is so fun to watch him mimic everything we do; he wants to be just like us. Especially rewarding are those times when I finally get what he is asking for after several minutes of frustration. I am amazed at how particular his wants are.

Sometimes parenting seems like an afterthought; something that just happens during the day rather than an intentional, concentrated effort. I forget that this is what life is all about, and that it can be beautiful. Too often I get distracted, and look for my purpose in the wrong places.
Thank you, C. S. Lewis for the reminder that this is the purpose, and all else exists to support it.

"(Motherhood and homemaking) is surely, in reality, the most important work in the world. What do ships, railways, mines, cars, government etc exist for except that people may be fed, warmed, and safe in their own homes? . . . (The homemaker's) job is the one for which all others exist."

Taken from 'A Mother's Book of Secrets

Balancing Act

"It is easy in the world to live after the world's opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude."

Ralph Waldo Emmerson

I was Just Thinking...

...Mother Nature seems to be pretty upset about something.

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On a lighter note, let's take the opportunity to enjoy the little moments in life. Here's a gem from Anna Quindlen, looking back at an old photograph.

"...I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less."

The man of the house is gone for the week on business. Instead of escaping to my mom's, I am taking the day to enjoy the Bug. No cleaning, no projects. When he is up, the computer is off. If he wants to play outside, that's what we'll do. If he wants to trash the family room, that's what we'll do. If he wants to play ring-around-the-rosie until I'm too tired to stand up again, well, you get the idea...

Make a great day!

SBB