Just Beautiful

I am really excited to share some of my notes from Time Out for Women.  I feel so blessed to have been in SLC for this event.  It seems contradictory, but I felt both invisible and 100% a part of the crowd.

I have just begun to notice this.  I will explain. 

I felt invisible because I was just one out of 5,000 women.  My story was similar to the other womens stories, I was not more beautiful or smarter or richer or anything-er than anyone else.  I did not stick out in any way.  I tend not to.  I prefer not to :)  (In fact, I prefer to avoid crowds at all cost)

But in a crowd, how can you feel invisible while belonging?  When the mass of humans surrounding you hold similar beliefs, when you can turn to a perfect stranger and find that you have much in common, when you see in another's eyes a shared recognition of truth,  you know you belong.  When a speaker asks everyone to stand and recite the Young Women's theme, and you are surrounded by 5,000 instant sisters, you know you belong.  When you share a love for something you belong.

I know that for most women of faith, this is not news.  Most women of faith were raised in that faith, and have known little else.  I envy that.  But I know that my Maker knows that wouldn't work for me, so He patiently watched as I made choices that would swing me wide of the ultimate goal, knowing that I would ultimately stick close to His plan.

I love to belong with sisters in faith.  I love to feel that feeling of belonging!  I love to laugh and cry and learn anonymously-belonging in a congregation of my peers.

So the theme for Time out for Women was Choose to Become.  I love that.  I love that they are encouraging women to Choose.  And to Become.  Women, for several generations, have chosen other paths, I believe.  To our detriment.  It is up to us to Become what we have been prepared to be. 

Well, the 5K of us were surprised by a last minute speaker.  One speaker had to cancel, and the organizers of the event scrambled to find someone worthy to replace her.  The speaker who filled in last minute was one who I have admired very much for over a year now.  (How can I fail to see the divine hand in that?)  When her name was announced, there was an audible shuffling as 5,000 women dug in their newly acquired Time Out for Women totes for a tissue.  We were instantly overcome by gratitude, and by the spirit.  We knew we would have the opportunity to feast on truth from one of God's elect daughters.

And we did.

You might have heard of Stephanie Nielson.  Here is her sweet blog:  http://nieniedialogues.com/

Her story has much tragedy, pain, suffering, sorrow, and so many, many lessons.  I encourage you to read the story of her plane accident if you are not familiar with it.  But I won't take time here to expound on it much.   She did tell us some details I had not heard before, about what her inner voices were saying as she realized she had a choice to live or die that day that the plane went down.  She counts her accident as divine because of her relationship with Heavenly Father.  After so much physical and emotional pain, that says volumes.

Here are the principles she wanted us to learn:

1)  It is up to you to decide how your story ends.  Remember who you are.  Choose Happiness over despair.  When you are having a rough day, remember what it feels like to be happy so you can seek it.

2)  Choose to remember your divine potential.  Remember who you are.  (That seems to be an important message, eh?)  She said that after her accident, it took her 5 months to be brave enough to look in a mirror.  When she finally did, it was very difficult to realize that what she saw was herself.  She said that the only thing she could recognize was her eyes, and she saw God there.  Truly the eyes are the window to the soul, and when you look into people's eyes, you can know their story.

3) Choose to be happy. 
It's o.k. to love yourself because then you have more to give.                                                   
                    You've earned your scars. 
                                               Everyone has pain and sorrow - so it doesn't do any good to compare.
                     You can overcome anything.
Heavenly Father knows us and loves us, and He has a plan for us.

4)  Choose now to make the relationships with those you love better.
                      In order to deal with hard times, it helps to have the knowledge that all is well with your loved ones and your testimony of the Savior.
           Don't waste time on guilt, insecurity, appearance, etc.  It takes unnecessary energy.

She said "It's an honor to be a mother.  I get to be the one to teach my children about the Plan of Salvation and about our Savior."  That is profound.  How often do we pause and truly think of our calling as a mother?  And yet...how important is our calling?  Another speaker, Sheri Dew, said "No one has more influence than a mother and a wife." And she counselled that when you are asked what you "do" your reply should be "I'm nurturing (x amount) of children along the path to exaltation.  How about you?"  So many mothers see motherhood as a burden, a chore. 

Stephanie now see's it as a privilege, as truly it is. 

Her suggestion to renew this view was to think about the small and simple things you do every day, like pack a lunch, braid your little girls hair, write a letter to someone you care about.  What if you couldn't ever do them again?  Believe that it is an honor to do those menial tasks.

Stephanie reminded us of the theme, Choose to Become and said that she wondered what she was supposed to become.  Then she realized that since her accident, she has been choosing to be......

herself.

"Because whatever Me is  -  is good enough." 

God thinks so.

So do I.

I am so grateful to Stephanie for having the courage to share the testimony that she has gained through this experience.



I love Thanksgiving week!

We have the opportunity to be with my family this year for Turkey day.  I am so excited to have my whole family together.  I mean, it shouldn't be asking much since i only have one brother...but it's a miracle that it worked out.  Thanks to my brother's Mother in Law, we will have a reunion.

My parents once told me a story about myself when I was  a toddler.  (Don't you love those little insights?)  We were walking along together, my mom holding one hand, my dad the other.  I was their only child at the time, and they were very young.  I was pretty small, and I brought their two hands together to touch in front of me.  I always think of that story, because it seems like that is just an instinct I have.  I want to bring people together.  I want everyone to get along and just love each other.

So, although I am not the one who brought us all together this time, I am certainly going to celebrate the fact that we will be.  I love my family so much.  I absolutely adore my little brother and am so proud of him for the man he is.  He is a wonderful provider and works hard to provide for his family.  He is cheerful and adorable and I think he's great.

I am sure we will have fun quoting movies, eating ourselves silly, and scratching belly.
I am so thankful for another Thanksgiving where we are free to celebrate and enjoy each other.

What are your plans?

Time out for...me

After the storm of pulling the girly out of public school, we decided that some relationship rescue may be necessary. Before the decision was even made, I had signed us up for this event...hoping that it could help.  I hoped it would be an answer to prayer.  And it was.  I am so thankful to have been at Time out for Women, hosted by Deseret book, with my daughter. 

I am so tired right now that I can certainly not do it any justice, but I just wanted to pour out my gratitude for this great event.  Wahooo!  As my Baptist friends used to say, "God is good!"

I will post my notes and personal insights on here soon.  I decided to change the name from Mad Madam Min to Daily Celebrations because I felt like it was more fitting to the task at hand.  Each day is, and should be a celebration.  Each day can be counted a great success, provided we learn a little, or draw a little closer to the Lord and to each other.  This day was an opportunity to do both of those things for a mommy and her daughter.

The most fabulous thing of all today was a surprise speaker.  They prefaced her talk by showing this video by Hillary Weeks:

The woman who spoke was Stephanie Nielsen.  There was not a dry eye in the city, I bet.  As soon as they said her name, people started to bust out the Kleenex.  My heart leapt for joy to be in the same room with someone I so admire and look up to, and I will never forget her message. 

Ok, I really need to get some rest, tomorrow is a busy day for this Marvelous me...but I can hardly wait to share the notes I took on our little retreat.
Toodles friends!

Great News! We're BACK!

Well...long story short...my girly is home.  She's back from the great and spacious building we more commonly refer to as "The Middle School."  Having survived this struggle, I am a better, more committed mother and home schooler.  I am more sure than ever that my duty as a home schooling mom is the greatest work I can perform right now.  I am also more convinced than ever that a Thomas Jefferson Education teaches the correct phases, key principles and methods.  I am so thankful for friends strong in this philosophy and for their many timely reminders and backup.  Also, my parents have been very supportive and gave me a lot of good advice.

Now, on to what we have been doing to unschool so we can homeschool.  (Yay!  The purpose of my blog may be realized after all!!!) 

We, (my wonderful pilot and I), have redoubled our efforts, we have rebooted, we have revised our plans, we have restarted our commitment and we have realized how truly important it is to work as a team. :)  (That was a lot of "re's".)

I believe that reading is the number one most important thing we can do.  That is, reading GREAT books so that my children (and I) come face to face with greatness.  We are almost finished with Little Britches.  This is a book I have read with my children a number of times.  This is probably about my 6th time through it.  And guess what!  It meets all of the requirements of a classic for me:  I learn something new every time I read it, I feel inspired to be and do a little better, and it teaches true principles that I can cross reference with my core book!

This time through, possibly due to my own parenting challenges of late, I am really appreciating the role of Father.  He is a true leader in his quiet, wise way.  And it seems his son, Ralph, the main character in the book, wants to do whatever he can to make Father happy.  Father is not the kind of parent that is so readily available in this day and age.  He does not give the slightest impression that it is ok to even bend the truth.  He insists time and again that if Ralph is to be his Partner (which is what Ralph wants more than life itself), then he must behave like a man.  His philosophies are that:

• you give an honest day's work for an honest day's pay.
• you save yourself a lot of trouble by going to face your problems than by trying to hide from them.
• it doesn't matter what color a man is, all that matters is whether he is honest or dishonest.
• God gave man everything he needs to thrive, but "He was careful to plan it so that it would only yield up its wealth in exchange for the labor of man"
• "whether it's cattle, or horses, or men; the least government is the best government"
• (this one is my favorite:)  "A man's character is like his house.  If he tears boards off his house and burns them to keep himself warm and comfortable, his house soon becomes a ruin.  If he tells lies to be able to do the things he shouldn't do but wants to, his character will soon become a ruin.  A man with a ruined character is a shame on the face of the earth."

The father in this book, Charles Moody, is a patient man whose core is rock solid.  He knows what is right and sticks right by it no matter what.  People respect him for it too.  His children and wife adore him and work right alongside him in everything he does because of who he is and how he treats them.  His faith is unshakable, his respect for Mother is complete, and his earnestness in parenting is the greatest example I have ever encountered. 

He never lectures Ralph, despite all the trouble Ralph gets himself into.  Instead, he quietly teaches him what is correct.  Only once does he react in anger, and that is when he finds that his little partner has been sneaking the chocolate bar.  Even when Ralphs younger brother is hurt due to Ralph getting distracted for a moment, he quietly handles the situation, and in once sentence, grounds Ralph and sends him home.  Ralph's reaction is to love him even more, and to try harder to please Father, rather than disappoint him.

The lessons we pull from this book stick with us a little more every time we read it.  We want to be more like Father.  We want to be better Cowpokes.  We remember to be honest in all we do and say.

The other day, my youngest boy went out and, following Ralphs example hopped on our old horse, Truckette.  He got some grass and fed it to her so she would lower her head enough for him to climb on, then he rode her around the yard for a while.  That's a pretty good thing for a boy to do on a lazy afternoon if you ask me.

So, our adventures in homeschool continue happily.  My goal is to write down my daily plan each night before I go to bed, so the next day's school can be organized and fulfilling for us all.  I will keep it fun and light and try not to lecture.  Perhaps I need to read Charles' philosophies through one more time.