Helping

I am staying up late tonight to help Tyler put together his new DVD line. He is begging me to make him bread & hot chocolate (I’ll blog that recipe later — it’s so yummy), but I am trying to explain to him that the bread takes 5 hours to rise so it won’t work. But he has had a long day so I promised to make him some tomorrow. While videos are downloading on my computer, I was just thinking of a few things some of you might need to hear, along with me…

I don’t feel 100% better or out of my “funk,” but I am thankful for some pieces of advice that have come my way and helped me out:

#1 My Mom told me…Be thankful for all the little things. Sometimes I feel lonely and that no one cares too much or notices when I am in a “funk,” but writing down every little thing has really warmed my heart. From having Shae’s warm little body to hold and make me feel good inside, to Poki’s sweet high voice, to Tyler telling me I look quite pretty, to running into my sister downtown and having her just THRILLED to see me. Those things matter — they are small, but they are the most important.

#2 My husband told me…Your day is full of CHOICES — small and big choices that you can control. I can choose to smile, I can choose to decide to go on a walk outside, I can choose to speak softly to my children, I can choose to be patient when Poki pees her pants for the second time today, I can choose to not let my mess-ups set a mood for the day and just choose better next time. I can choose to help others, I can choose to not be selfish and only think of myself. I can choose to look around and learn that others are going through “funks” of their own. I am trying! I need to stop snapping at Abby so much, be more patient with Cameron’s quirks and well—let’s just be honest—Shae has it really good around here. I need to make little choices all day long so I can stay happy and take good care of my family. When I break it down this way, it is more doable and not so overwhelming to me.

#3 ‘Tis the season for our big brother Jesus Christ. The commercialization, how my kids can sometime act a bit spoiled, how people take time to buy you a present but not stop and say hello and talk…it is making me very Scrooge-ish this year. But the other part about this time of year is all of the wonderful thoughts, videos, talks and examples of Christ. Every morning for scripture study this week, we have watched a video, read a story or read scriptures focused on Christ. It is helping…here are some of my favorites so far:

List of Stories & Scriptures of Jesus to Read as a Family

Christmas Devotional Video on Christ’s Birth

This Blog Post on ‘Stillness’

The Coat, A Story of Charity Video

Now back to helping Tyler with his videos. Hope everyone is having a wonderful night! Be sure to give yourself a pat on the back for all the hard work you are doing for your family this week preparing for Christmas.

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