Nothing bad, nothing major... just constant stuff with tots and home. I don't think it was this wild 2 weeks ago so perhaps this is a temporary whirlwind.
Maybe I just handled it better then. ... or maybe my 2-year-old really is going through a needy transitional extra-whiney/tantrum phase.... yes, he is.
Anyhoo... this message helped remind me to seize the bits of joy despite all that is going on around me.
SEIZE THE JOY by Winnie Dalley.
My favorite spot:
"...Nearby in the kitchen, a mound of dirty dishes waits for me in the sink. The laundry is not done, the carpet not vacuumed, the bathroom not scrubbed. Toys are strewn haphazardly all over the living room and kitchen floor. A pile of unpaid bills sits arrogantly on top of the bookcase, exerting silent authority. All of a sudden, the negative aspects of the moment seem to outweigh the positive.
"But it is really not so. I remind myself that I need to look beyond the temporal mists and regain my eternal vision of clarity. A house does not have to be perfect to be a home of joy, a child does not have to behave perfectly to love and be loved, and every moment of life does not have to be perfect to be of value. Too often, I realize, we fail to see the glorious reality of the simple joy that abounds in the seemingly mundane routine of day-to-day living. Instead, we tend to idolize the past, idealize the future, and devalue the present. We complain abundantly, we worry too much, and we appreciate too little.
"We forget Amulek’s exhortation to “live in thanksgiving daily, for the many mercies and blessings which [God] doth bestow upon” us (Alma 34:38), as well as Alma’s counsel to “let [our] heart be full of thanks unto God” (Alma 37:37). What better way to show our appreciation to Heavenly Father for what we have than to embrace our lives, albeit “ordinary” and “unexciting,” with joy?"
1 comment:
Wonderful, wonderful perspective she has. I appreciate your attitude, too, Heath.
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