Matriarch University.........A Unique and Educational Experience!

Recently, I have contemplated going back to school.  I love learning and want to become a nurse.  I enjoy caring for others and making their life more comfortable and meaningful.  In all my thoughts and reasonings, the feelings keep coming back to me that it's not my time yet.  I have watched many  friends going back to school and I keep thinking it should be my turn.   It sounds logical to me.  However, the still small voice whispers to me otherwise.

As I was lost in my thoughts recently, it occured to me that I HAVE been going to school.  In fact, before I was married,  I was taking all the prerequisite classes for my major.  After I got married, I continued to go to school.   The classes were different, but I was still learning and being graded on my performance.  Once I had children,  my course of study was somewhat altered.  However, I continued to go to school and to this day, I am still going to school. 

What school am I attending?  Why, it's Matriarch Univerisity!   It's a University with a very unique and educational experience.  My major is Motherhood.   I started classes when I was very young.  When I was 8 years old,  I would wrap up my dolly and put her in the cradle.  I would feed her and change her diaper and got to name her myself.  I call this class Role Model 101 and my campus was my home.  My instructor was my mother, grandmother, aunts, and other women whom I would emmulate.  You were there too!  Just on a different campus! 

I remember one particular experience vividly!  I wanted to wear a bra like my mom.  Well, in Role Model 101, I learned that girls watch their mothers and do as they do.  At 9 years old, I decided to wear one of my mothers' bras to school.  I remember the morning  clearly.  I snuck her bra out of her room and put it on and stuffed it full of toilet paper.  I even remember the shirt I wore.  It was red and had cherries in the middle.  I was so proud of myself that I was going to be just like my mom.  As my older brother and I walked out the door to school, I proudly showed off my new chest.  My brother was horrified and tried to get me to take it off.  He was embarassed to walk with me.  I didn't care.  I just wanted to wear a bra like my mom.  As we got to school, everyone was staring, and rightfully so!  My chest was WAY out of proportion to the rest of my body.  It never occured to me that I looked ridiculous!  It never occured to me that people were probably laughing.  Who thinks about that when they are 9?  Thank goodness for the nuturing love of my 4th grade teacher who helped me understand the error of my ways.  I realized I was going to have to give up the dream of wearing a bra until mother nature took it's natural course.

Although this experience is funny and brings outburts of laughter, I was just doing what I was taught in Role Model 101!  Now, I am the instructor for this course.  I have daughters who do as I do.  They are watching  every move I make, and are emmulating my words and actions.  I have to ask myself often if I am a good instructor?  Am I teaching them what they need to know to face life's challenges?  Am I setting the proper example?  Do I listen with an open heart?  Am I helping them to pass the class so they can one day be good instructors themselves? All these and other questions are necessary to be a good instructor for Role Model 101!

Through the years, I have taken many classes at Matriarch University.  Below are some of the classes I have taken.  There are many I am currenly enrolled in because they are lifelong classes and what I am learning will takes years of experience through trial and error.  Ultimately, the grade for these classes will not be known for quite some time.  I can only hope that my instructor,  Heavenly Father, will be well pleased with my work and that I will pass with flying colors.

Role Model 101- I have learned that this is the prerequisite class to all others.  Where I was once a student, I am now the instructor.  And, having a good instructor is crucial for students. 

Cooking 101-I love to cook and this class came easy for me!  I learned how to create meals, how to make a meal plan and shop accordingly.  I learned how to blend flavors and make delicious food.  I failed many food tests as some dishes didn't turn out so well, but you know what they say....Practice makes perfect!    My homework was to cook for my friends, family and anyone who would let me.  It's a great class and I really enjoyed it.

Organization 101-  Early in my marriage, I decided it was important to be neat and tidy.  In Role Model 101, my instructor taught me by example.  She taught me that cleanliness was next to Godliness.  I applied what I learned from that class to what I was learning in Organization 101.   I learned that I felt better about myself when my home was clean.  I learned how to schedule my laundry days, and learned quick tips to keeping a home clutter free.  Don't get me wrong, there are many times where I have abandoned what I learned.  Sometimes, life gets really busy and playing catch up is difficult.  However, I do remember what I have been taught and can quickly get back on track. 

Charity 101-  It's a life long class with many labs I get to attend.  Once you gain knowledge from class, you get to go to lab and practice what you have been taught.   My lab has many people in it.  They range from family to friends to neighbors to complete strangers.  This class is constantly evolving and I am constantly changing as I attend.    I am learning to be tolerant of others, to be sympathetic and compassionate.  I am learning that true charity is a love of action.  Charity is the pure love of Christ.

Flexibility 101- Since motherhood is my major, being flexibile is a class I needed to take.  It's a class that requires me to use the skills I learned in  Compassion 101. It sometimes requires me on a moments notice to change my schedule or be flexible with the direction my life is going. It requires me to be ready at any time to offer a hug or a kind word to my children or others.  Flexibility is the name and changing is my game!

Humor 101-This is a required class for all those majoring in Motherhood.  By taking this class,  I am learning  to find humor in life.  It sure makes our experiences much more tolerable.  Adversity is a part of our life.  President Deiter F Uchtdorf said "It is your reaction to adversity, not the adversity itself, that determines how your life’s story will develop." (General Conference, April 2010).  How do you react to life's experiences?  Finding joy and humor is one way we can cope.  At any given moment, motherhood is going surface a rainbow of emotions.  We will experience emotions of joy, sorrow, frustration, excitement, undescribable love ( like the birth of a child), fear, worry, hope, peace, irritibility (and chocolate does wonders for this!), anger and everything in between.  Learning to use humor to diffuse tough circumstances can prove to be an effective tool.  Try it!  It really works.  I remember one particular experience I had with my third child.  She is a firecracker!  She is creative, witty and bold!  She loves deep and is a very loyal friend and daughter.  Well, she loves sugar wafers with the creme in the middle.  The vanilla ones are her favorite.  If it were up to her, she would eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  We made a deal that she could have some after lunch for a treat.  After her lunch one day, she asked me if she could wait out front for her brother to get home from school.  I said yes and out the door she went.  Several minutes went by and  I realized that school wasn't going to end for over 2 hours!   I went outside to check on her and found her sitting on the ledge of one of the windows with a whole bag of wafers.  Her mouth was stuffed full and crumbs were all over her shirt as evidence that she indeed was eating these sugar wafers as fast as she could.  I looked at her and said "What are you doing and where did you get those wafers?"  Astonished and completely surprised to see me standing there, she put her hands on her hips and said "HOW DID THOSE COOKIES GET THERE?"  Nevermind the fact that her mouth was stuffed full, and nevermind the fact that she had crumbs all over her shirt, and nevermind the fact that she had a whole bag of wafers sitting on her lap!  She was in complete denial that she was eating these sugar wafers.   I gave her a good scolding and without her watching, I had such a good chuckle.  Some days if I don't use humor, I could very well have a good cry!  I know you can relate.  That's what so great about us women majoring in Motherhood.  We can share together what we have learned for the good of us all!

Patience 101-This is an evolving class and takes practice every single day.  It requires me to be understanding and flexible (something I learned in Flexibility 101) with my children and those around me.  It requires me to forgive and do hard things.  There is required homework every single day and sometimes I don't do a very good job on my homework.  Thank goodness this is a life long class with a very patient instructor who knows me better than I know myself. 

Prayer 101-This, too, is a life long course!  One that requires me to be the initiator of many conversations.  Through this course, I have learned so much about myself.  This course has allowed me to become a partner with my instructor.  I seem to have the same instructor for many of my courses.  He understands the major of Motherhood.  He has a deep love for all women  and communicates to me when I am on my knees that He loves me and appreciates the hard work I put into my classes.  Prayer 101 is one of those feel good courses.  Every time I attend, I leave feeling stronger, and my desire to pay closer attention to my other classes increases.

Forgiveness 101-Many students taking this class have a rough time with this!  It's not always easy to take this class. It's required and like many others, is a life-long one.  Like Prayer 101, it requires me to be in constant communication with my instructor.  He is very patient with me when I don't do so well on my homework. He teaches me to give others the benefit of the doubt.  He helps me understand that with the help of His other teacher, my Savior, I can overcome my weaknesses.  I have learned that this class is necessary for me to graduate and be like Him!  We all have need to forgive and be forgiven.  Through this wonderful process, we become closer to those we love.  We learn not to judge, and to be tolerant of others and their weaknesses.  I have learned that I don't have to grade other peoples tests!  I get to cheer them on and help them do well! 

Marriage 101-I love this class!  This is a class I get to take with my husband.  He has a major too.  It's Fatherhood.  With what he is learning, and what I am learning, our children get the best of both worlds.  This class has high's and low's!  This class requires knowledge from all my previous classes to make this one work.  It requires humor and patience and flexibility and organization and prayer and forgiveness!  It also requires creativity, committment, love, honesty,and trust!  It requires constant communication and a desire to stick through the class even when times are tough.  It's a beautiful class that can be wonderful if both husband and wife assume their proper roles.  In the Family: A Proclamation to the World, the roles of parents are outlined in detail.  This document along with many others is the core corriculum for this class.  By strictlyl following it's guidelines, husband and wife will find joy in their journey together.

I know there are many other classes I have not even mentioned.  I know there are ones like First Aid 101 and Music 101 and Religion 101 and Taxi Cab 101.  The list for graduating goes on and on, but all classes are for our experience.  There is no greater joy than having Motherhood as my major.  At times, I feel like I am  falling short in some of my classes.  That's OK!...I .pick up myself up where I left off and practice again tomorrow.  At times, I  feel the beckoning call of the world to put my classes on hold and take a detour.  At times, I  feel like I am failing certain classes. It's during those times that I draw from the knowlege I have learned and try to be patient with myself.    I have also felt  the success of putting more time into them and seeing the outcome. 

Motherhood is a sacred calling.  Do not let thoughts of doubt and fear cloud your mind.  Wipe them away and replace them with confidence and determination.  Be strong and of courage.  Be happy with who you are.  Love yourself and the major of Motherhood that you have chosen.  Celebrate the different classes that others around you are taking.  Lift them and support them.  Enjoy one big study group with others majoring in Motherhood or others interested in this major. 

So, there you have it!  This is the low down on the University I have been attending.  I know that it isn't always the most popular major and doesn't always have the best pay, but it is worth all the time and effort I have put in. 

The Corn Maze.....A Parallel to Real Life

I am sure that there are many things we can parallel to real life such as running marathons and boxes of chocolate (Forrest Gump.....hehe!).  I am going to add surviving through a corn maze to that list.  I say surviving because that's just what I did.  I survived!

Tonight we went through a 15 acre corn maze that was created to celebrate 100 years of scouting.  I am a huge supporter of scouting, so naturally I wanted to go.  We took our family plus 2 of my daughters  friends for her birthday.  We were all excited!  The corn had grown so tall, almost 8 1/2 feet.  So, you can imagine a shorty like myself not being able to see anything but corn...corn...corn!!

When we arrived,  there was a guide to give us specific instructions.  We had to listen very carefully or there might be important information we missed!  There were several mazes in and of itself.  They ranged from very easy mazes that didn't take long;  to very difficult mazes that took 3-4 hours to complete.   We were given a color coded map and a folded card to also find clues to who killed the "farmer"....kind of like a game of Clue where you have to narrow down who killed who with what and where. We split into 3 groups and off we went very confident that we all knew exactly what we were doing and where we were going.  Afterall, it wasn't dark...yet, and we decided to participate in a relatively easy maze that would take about an hour....so we thought!

In our group was my husband, myself and our two youngest children.  My oldest daughter and her friend were together and my oldest son and his friend were together.  Each of us took a different direction and were suppose to end up at the end together.   We could hear the laughter of our other groups as they were so excited to find the clues first.  It was such a fun competition! 

As we started off, we quickly found one of the clues!  We were confident that we would breeze right through the maze. Afterall, my husband was our fearless navigator so we were in good hands right?  Following the map wasn't as easy as it looked.  What seemed the right way to turn sometimes led us to a dead end.  Other times, we found exactly what we were looking for.  The further we got in the maze the more we realized that we couldn't just turn back .  We had to keep pressing forward!  At times, nothing looked familiar and other times I could have sworn we had JUST seen this very row of corn!   Every so often, we could hear our other groups trying to navigate their way.   I could hear them say "Should we go this way or that way?  It all looks the same!"  or "  I know we have been here before, why can't we find our way out?" 

As time went on, it started to get dark.  We realized that we weren't  as prepared as we thought we were.  When we had started, we thought for sure we would be done before it got dark. That was our first mistake!  Second, we did not come prepared just in case it got dark.  Although there were flood lamps high above the corn maze, it only would give light to some parts.  Other parts of the maze were pitch black.  We soon realized how valuable a flashlight would have been to us and started to use the light from our cell phone to direct us.  Then we realized that it was so much easier to navigate in the light.  In the darkness, we felt completely helpless.  My youngest child finally said to me "Mom, you know about Jack the scarecrow don't you?  You KNOW he has a head made from a pumpkin and a body made from sticks right?  You KNOW he is here to scare away the crows from the corn, but I think he is following US!"   I could only imagine what tricks his young mind was playing on him and who gave the scarecrow the name Jack anyways?  I reassured him we were not being followed and that we were safe.  He kept saying that he couldn't see well in the dark and how much easier it was to see where we were walking in the light.

Finally, we realized we were lost.  We could not find our way out the maze.  We could no longer hear our other groups and realized that it had been well over an hour.  Our younger children were tiring quickly and wanted to go home.   I knew they were feeling scared and wrestless.  My husband reassured them that if we stuck together, we would find out way out.  We also knew that if we could find one of the clues that if we needed to, there was an emergency phone number to call and we could give them our location and helpers would come rescue us.  We called our daughter on her phone and told her to find her way out and we would meet her at the entrance.  We were relieved to find out that she had found our son and his friend and they were trying to get out together.

After awhile, we still could not find our way out.  It seemed so simple and the map seemed so clear, but in the dark, we mine as well have been blind.  Then a stroke of luck came.  We could hear our daughter and son and their friends and soon we were reunited.   We were all so happy to be together.  Soon after, we found our way to the end......together!   It was a great feeling.  We felt relieved, happy and also proud of ourselves that we made it to the end.  It was a great experience!  Each one of our groups had a different experience and yet we also experienced many of the same emotions.  We all experienced joy and excitement and yet we also experienced frustration  and fear.  In the end though, we all experienced relief and a sense of accomplishment and it was fabulous to experience the maze all together.

How does this relate to real life?  Well, life is like a corn maze!  Just like at the beginning of the corn maze we were given instructions and a map to help us on our journey, so it is in life!  We have been given the gospel as our map with clues along the way like scriptures, prayer, families and a living prophet to help us on our journey. We are never alone!  However, it was very important that when we were given instructions at the beginning of the maze, that we listened carefully and payed attention.  How many times in life do we think we can bypass certain instructions and still come out on top?  How many times do we block out promptings we receive because we have our eye on the wrong prize?  Do we ever stop and ponder and discuss and have a game plan for our life?  What happens when we don't?  Does our journey through life ever take wrong turns?  You bet!  Do we ever feel lost like our life keeps going in circles and we aren't making progress? 

One important parallel to life I made as we were going through the maze was the complete contrast of being able to find our way in the light vs. in the dark.  It was a completely different experience.  Where once confidence and excitement were our emotions, they were replaced with uncertaintly and fear once the darkness had set in and we weren't prepared for it.   Isn't that how we feel when we can spiritually see the light?  Don't we feel more confident when we have the light that the gospel brings to help navigate our course through life?  How much more difficult is it when we try to muddle through life in the dark, so to speak!  When you feel spiritually dark, isn't it easy for doubt and fear and frustration to take over where light once was? 

Although it was dark, we made it through as we found sources of light to navigate our course. All was not lost!  Although it was only a small light from a cell phone, it was light nonetheless!  What source of light do we have in our lives to help navigate us in the dark?  It is true...dark times will come.  Are we prepared to meet them when they do or are you going to try and muddle your way through without a plan? 

In the end, it was a joyous reunion as we all found each other and shared our different adventures.  I KNOW it will be like this for us too in the end.  I KNOW we will have wonderful stories to swap with one another about our joys and trials and learning.  What a wonderful feeling to know that we all started together and although our experiences were different, they really were similar in many ways.  We all started out with the same goal in mind, and that was to reach the end of the maze with a job well done.  We all wanted to win and feel satisifed with our efforts.  We all had a game plan and we all ended up together! And yet, our direction that we traveled was different.   What a tremendous experience!  I learned so much and my perspective on life was realigned once again with what is really important.  It's about finding joy in the journey.  It's about learning from our experiences and finding joy in sharing them with others.  It's about failing and picking ourselves up and trying again.  It's about perspective.....its' about real life!

Your TRUE Identity...It's Not Something You Can Google On The Internet!

Have you ever needed to find the definition to a word or research a certain topic ?  Nowadays, we use the Internet for everything.  The world is at our fingertips and we can pretty much learn anything we want from this incredible tool.  Type anything on google and you have a million references to research.   If you wanted to know the definition of a word, you might go to dictionary.com.  If you wanted to learn more about how something was made or how a civilization came to be, you might go to Wikipedia.com.  However, knowing your identity, your TRUE identity,  isn’t something that you can google on the Internet, and you won’t get a Wikipedia answer either. 
Knowing your TRUE identity is the accumulation of thousands of small choices that testify of the ONE, and that ONE thing is who you are. You are a child of God!  You have worth and depth and characteristics just like Him! 

Did you know that Heavenly Father knows you personally--by name?  You may not have heard the Lord call you by name, but He knows each one of you and He knows your name. Elder Neal A. Maxwell said. 'I testify to you that God has known you individually . . . for a long, long time. He has loved you for a long, long time. He not only knows the names of all the stars; He knows your names and all your heartaches and your joys!' ("Remember How Merciful the Lord Hath Been," Ensign, May 2004, 46)."

Have you ever questioned who you REALLY are?  Do outside influences cloud your mind and do you sometimes forget where you came from and why you're here?  How do come to know your true identity? It’s through patterns and habits that over time when exercised with faith and put into action become permanently engraved in your heart. You become like Him in thought, word and deed. You will come to know Him as you serve Him.  Your desire to be like Him increases, and your standards become higher, stronger and your feet are planted firmer in His gospel principles.  And then, YOU are living your true identity. 
How many of us compare ourselves to others?   All too often, we think we must be less of a person if we dont' have the same talents as someone else, or the same home or income or body type.  These are all ploys from Satan.  He uses these gimmicks to lead us down another path and that path is a destructive one.  He has so much to lose and we have so much to gain if we really know who we are. 

Several years ago, I participated in a skit at girls camp helping the young women understand proper texting  etiquette.  I played Politapee, a prudish English woman with an English accent, who was appalled when she went to lunch with a dear friend whose texting etiquette was HORRIBLE.  The audience roared in laughter and our acting skills could have landed us on America's Got Talent....for sure!  My friend, who played the other character wore a mullet wig and kept picking her teeth and talked in this hilarious raspy voice. She wore some psychedelic jumpsuit from the 70's.  She was rough and tough!  I wore a black wig, bright lipstick, a flower in my hair, and a horribly ugly blue dress!  For several hours, we were in character.  It was fun, but after awhile, I was ready to take off the itchy wig and dump the English accent.  I slipped into my tent and something very unexpected and yet so wonderful happened.  I began longing to be myself.  I was tired of playing a character that wasn't me.   I glanced in a mirror that was by my bed and began to weep.  I realized at that moment, how much I loved myself for who I am,  for my weaknesses and my strengths.  More than that, I had a witness given to me that I was indeed a daughter of Heavenly Father and  he deeply loved me.  It was an incredible realization for me.  I didn't want to be Politappe or anybody else for that matter.  I just wanted to be ME!  From this experience, I also had a desire for the young woman to know their true identity.  My sincere desire is for everyone to know who they are and begin living their true identity.  Not the identity the world defines you as, because we all know the standards of the world are constantly changing.  What was popular yesterday is out-dated today when it comes to defining who we are.  

Remember the who, what, when, where and whys of your identity and before you know it, you'll feel better about yourself and in the process others will feel of your light and love and do the same.  You will come to know the God that created you and will desire to more like Him.  What a wonderful merry-go-round of love that continues  if you decide to jump on board and hang on for an incredible ride.

Who-You and I and everyone in between.  You are a child of God.  You are loved and beautiful and talented!  You have the ability to serve and lift others to a higher standard. 
What-Become the change you want to see in others.  Serve, Love, Lift....all these words require us to DO something. 
When-NOW!! Don't sit idly by complaining about who you want to be. Start right now to make changes in your life that will bring you happiness and joy. While you're doing this, no one likes to work alone, grab a friend for the journey!

Where-Everywhere.  Opportunities exist all around us.  Dont' let them pass you by.  Change the way you view life.  One step at a time will lead you where you want to be.  
Why-Because you are AMAZING!  Because you are LOVED!  Because you WILL know your true identity.  I can promise you that!!  As you are patient with your own self, you will find that you have patience for others.  As you love yourself, you will find that you have love for others.  

Visitors....A Stroke of Love Painted Into the Walls of My Home and I am a Better Person Because of their Visits!

As long as I can remember, I have always said unspoken prayers. You know the ones I am talking about? The ones you say in your mind that are said and felt right in your heart. No one around you hears them. Well, at least not out loud anyways. I KNOW Heavenly Father hears and answers our prayers. I know he listens even to ones that are never spoken out loud. I said one of those very prayers after we moved here.  I longed to see familiar faces and have familiar conversations. Those longings turned into unspoken prayers.

I felt a bit homesick for my life in Vegas. I missed my daily routine that seemed to click for my family! I missed deep friendships that took years to develop. Having deep friendships to me is like having a piece of aged cheese that gets better the longer it sits. Once you bite into it, you realize just how delicious it is and recognize it was so worth the wait!  That's how  friendships are! They take years to develop and one day, you realize JUST how incredible they are! Once the newness of moving wore off, I longed for my dear friends.  Well, all my unspoken prayers started to yield visitors...from near and far!


I love visitors.  I love entertaining and talking and giggling.  I love playing games and listening to stories about their lives.  I love serving them and providing an atmosphere where they enjoy themselves and hopefully they want to return. I cry with them and support them through challenges and rejoice with them over accomplishments and milestones.   I love trying new recipes or making  ones that I know will be a hit!  I love the way I feel when they are here.  Each time they leave, I feel like a better person.  It's like they left a part of their wonderful self  imprinted in my home.  It's like my walls are newly painted with their love! 

Have you ever warned your children to be on their best behavior when visitors come?  I do!  I go through the ritual of making sure I remind my children how we treat one another.  I remind them to step up their kindness and stretch themselves with service.  I remind them to keep their rooms a bit tidier.  I remind them to savor each visitor and learn from them and enjoy being surrounded by those who love them. Is that such a bad thing?  I don't think so!  I think it's important for children to learn what their best behavior is and to have opportunities to show it off.  Hopefully,  their best behavior will become the norm.

First was a visit from my parents.  They surprised us with a visit.  One day, the doorbell rang and there they were!  We laughed and talked and cried.  I realized where I got my joy of service from as I watched my mother jump right in and help.  She has served others her whole life.  How blessed I am to enjoy the same love she does.  I learned about events my dad had been participating in with his job and watched the bond between my husband and my father deepen.  As they left, a stroke of their love was painted into the walls of my home and I was a better person because of their visit.

Next we were visited by some dear friends from Las Vegas.  Having my girlfriend here visiting with some of her children was a sheer delight!  We chatted for hours and had yummy food from a local Mexican Restaurant.  We caught up on the lives of our wonderful friends and acquaintances in Las Vegas.  We laughed and watched our children play!  I begged her to stay longer.  I enjoyed her company and learned how tender hearted she is and how much she cares about others.  I want to be more like her.  As she left, a stroke of her love was painted into the walls of my home and I was a better person because of her visit.

In between visits from far distant friends and family, we were blessed with many weekly visits from cousins who we were getting reacquainted with.  I loved to watch my children learn about their cousins and find similarities amongst each other.  I loved visiting with my sister in-laws and talking about everything and anything.  We were also visited by grandmas and grandpas who live just 30 minutes away.  I loved to watch my children hug them and tell them about their summer activities and their dreams and plans for the future.  As each of these visitors left, a stroke of their love was painted into the walls of my home and I was a better person because of their visit.

Then we had more wonderful Vegas friends come.  They were passing through on their way to Washington.  We didn't always have the opportunity to spend  much time with them in Vegas together, but now that we lived out of state, it felt different.  We sat and talked about her school and how AMAZING she looked.  She was working so hard to be healthy.  I learned that with determination and dedication we can accomplish anything.  Her personality easily attracts others and she puts you at ease.  She makes you feel important. Our daughters relationships picked right up where they had left off.  I was in awe at how tall her children had become.  We cried as we talked about families and friends.  We had picked up right where we had left off as if no time had hardly passed at all.  I knew we would get another visit from them again as they passed back through Idaho on their way home. And still, when they left, a stroke of their love was painted into the walls of my home and I was a better person because of their visit. 

Visitors continued to come.  This time it was because a special friend so willingly accepted  the call of duty.  Girls camp was approaching.  This very special friend did the Lifeline activity in Las Vegas for our girls camp there.  Now, as I am Young Women's President in Blackfoot, I wanted the girls here to have the same wonderful experience I did in Las Vegas.  My special friend took time from her very busy "Especially For Youth" schedule to come and spend a couple days with our girls camp in Idaho.  She came and stayed in my home the first night before we left for camp.  We talked for hours about her family and her mother.  I learned how strong of a woman she is and how she deeply desires for people to really know WHO they are and WHERE they came from!  Her spiritual strength runs very deep and I enjoyed our conversations.  When we were at girls camp, her message to the Young Women changed many lives.  In fact, I bet changed the course that many YW will choose to go because of her strength and testimony of the Lifeline.  I felt so blessed to call her my friend.  When she left a stroke of her love was painted into the walls of my home and I was a better person because of her visit.

At the same time my special friend was visiting, we also had a mutual friend and her family here too.  I have known this family for many wonderful years.  She is bold and strong, and straight as an arrow!  I love these qualities about her and her girls too!  They love deeply and serve unconditionally.  I watched her at girls camp (because she came to help with the Lifeline) as she payed close attention to the details of our camp.  That is her personality.  She pays close attention to the details in life.  She remembers conversations and things that you say and blesses your life when she remembers your birthday or gives you something because she heard you say it along time ago.  Having her here helped me to pay closer attention to my family.  To listen closer to the details of their day.  I loved spending time with her. Her family brought laughter and excitement.  When they left, a stroke of their love was painted into the walls of my home and I was a better person because of their visit.

Soon after, my brother and his family visited us for the weekend.  I love having his family here.  His wife is a breath of fresh air.  Her boys are so lovable and I find myself wanting to hug and kiss them even when they don't want me to.  Her youngest son has the curliest locks of hair and I found myself asking him if I could twirl his curls just to hear him speak.  His way of saying thank you was "shanks"!  My sister in law and I would sit up at night having long conversations about kids and marriage and life.  I will always treasure those conversations.  She helped me see my family differently.  She pointed out personalities in each of my family members and helped me connect with them even more than before.  My brother has a gift of gab too!  He loves to talk and share and their visit was delightful.  When they left, a stroke of their love was painted into the walls of my home and I was a better person because of their visit.

Recently, I was contacted by a friend in Las Vegas through Facebook.  I know her daughter from when I was a Youth Camp Leader at girls camp in Las Vegas.  She is now a Sophomore at BYU-Idaho.  I haven't spoken to either of them in years.  She asked if she could come and attend church with us as they were passing through to take their daughter back to college.  We met them at our church and enjoyed warm embraces of our reunion.  Their grandmother was also with them and grew up here in Blackfoot.  What a treat it was to see them and feel of their warm spirit!  Afterward, they came over for a delicious lunch and we chatted for hours.  I learned what is was like growing up on a farm as the grandmother told story after story of what it was like living here and owning a busy farm.  Before I knew it, they had to leave.  When they left, a stroke of their love was painted into the walls of my home and I was a better person because of their visit.

Over this past week, my husband's aunt and uncle have been staying with us.  They have enjoyed attending the state fair and spoiled my children rotten with their love and attention.  I love it and I love them.  I love everything about them.  They are kind and gentle and patient.  I love spending time with our aunt.  She naturally radiates peace.  She has a calming effect on everyone.  I will cherish our long talks.  We played games and decorated for the Autumn season.  She helped me understand what is really important in life.  She treasures every moment.  And our uncle..he is no different.  He loves children.  He loves hearing the chatter and watching the hustle and bustle of our busy family.  I cried when they left.  They are wonderful people.  The kind you think everyone should meet.  When they left, a stroke of their love was painted into the walls of my home and I was a better person because of their visit.

This past week as the Eastern Idaho State Fair has been here and Blackfoot has been visited with thousands upon thousands of visitors.  Blackfoot has played host and fed and entertained all them with carnival rides, delicious food, wonderful music, animals, beautiful quilts, housing and so much more.  I learned that this tiny and quaint town has so much to offer.  I learned that amongst all the old buildings and homes that as each visitor has come and gone,  their love has been painted into the walls of our town and we are better people because of their visit.

Now....as all our visitors have left,  the walls of my home are newly painted with love.  Each visitor brought something different to share.  They left a special piece of their hearts here in our home and we are better people because of their visits.

The Lord truly heard and answered my unspoken prayers in more ways than one.  He helped me see the goodness of others and the goodness of our town.  So, next time you have the opportunity to have a visitor,  take them up on it!  Savor each moment and remember how much your cup runneth over with blessings and love!