I am TALENTED!

Today we did a fun Sunday afternoon activity.  Our lesson in Sunday School was about Talents.  I decided that I wanted each of our children to understand that they had been blessed with many talents.  I told them about the parable of the talents that Christ taught in Matthew Chapter 25: 15-29.  We talked about how if we use our talents we will be blessed with more.  

I then had each child come up and I put five of their talents on their fingers.  They each made a plan for how they could use one of their talents today.  Then we stuck their talents in their journals.  They were all beaming and so happy to see all of their talents.  They asked if we could do this at least every month!  

P.S. The Eyre's have a similar tradition that Shawni shared here.

Matthew Chapter 25:

 15 And unto one he ^agave five ^btalents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.

 29 For unto every one that hath shall be ^agiven, and he shall have^babundance: but from him that hath not shall be ^ctaken away even that which he hath.

I am thankful for. . .

Today I am so thankful for the chance to be a mother.  In the past 10+ years of my mothering career I have made mistakes every single day, but I feel so grateful that I have tomorrow to try and be even more patient.  I am grateful that I can keep realigning my focus on the things that matter most.  I am so grateful that my house is noisy and the books are scattered across the family room floor because that means that I have many little bodies to hug, hands to hold, and messy faces to wipe.  This is what I love.  I love being a mom to my children and loving them like my mother loves me.  

I am thankful for. . .

Yesterday was Sunday.  It was a typical Sunday.  I usually get up early to read my scriptures and prepare for Relief Society or read a lesson.  Sweet Abigail got up and started to make pancakes and Alexis set the table while I was on the computer downstairs.  

I am so thankful for sweet daughters!  

After church we ended up pulling out the kids baby books.  Each time we had a baby my mom gave me two baby calendars: one for the first year of life, one for the second year of life.  I very diligently wrote in Abigail and Hyrum's, I wrote a lot in Spencer's, some in Alexis and Tanner's, and very little in Ellie's.  We started reading about things they did and said when they were little.  After reading their baby calendars we pulled out my old journals and read things that I had written about them.  Sometimes I was laughing so hard I couldn't even read to them what I had written.  We had such a great evening telling stories and remembering.  

I am so thankful that I wrote down life's little experiences it is so fun to look back for a moment and remember those sweet two year olds and tiny babies that are now growing up. 

I am thankful for. . .

As thanksgiving quickly approaches I can't help but stop and think about all the things that I am thankful for.  

In President Thomas S. Monson conference talk entitled "Joy In The Journey" he quotes Emily from the classic drama Our Town,  “Do … human beings ever realize life while they live it—every, every minute?”

President Monson continues,"Our realization of what is most important in life goes hand in hand with gratitude for our blessings.

Said one well-known author: “Both abundance and lack [of abundance] exist simultaneously in our lives, as parallel realities. It is always our conscious choice which secret garden we will tend … when we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that’s present—love, health, family, friends, work, the joys of nature, and personal pursuits that bring us [happiness]—the wasteland of illusion falls away and we experience heaven on earth.”

I am making a conscious effort to be thankful for all the blessings that surround me.