Lessons from a mess choosing happiness freedom god joy motivation well-being

In my "Motherhood Day" post, I promised you the rest of this story (to be read in your best Paul Harvey voice), so here goes. 

As I wrote before, Mother's Day morning started with our 6-year old bursting into our room and announcing urgently:

"You GUYS. Something happened. You GOTTA come see this."

I
...

Continue Reading...
Motherhood Day choosing happiness family motherhood

Today was Mother's Day, and I have to say it felt different (in a great way) from past ones.

I'll explain. 

For past Mother's Days, my desire was to not lift a finger. Just have total rest and basically "check out" from any caregiving work for the day. 

It would go okay, but someone would inevitably n...

Continue Reading...
Puppies don't wait for invitations choosing happiness courage freedom relationships

I love learning from nature and animals. I think they're a gift from God, to help guide us and teach us eternal principles during this Earth experience.

One thing I'm learning is through our new puppy, Charlie, who is 7 months old now. She is so full of life and love! Each member of our party of 6 g...

Continue Reading...
What are you highlighting? choosing happiness family god health marriage motherhood peace personal growth relationships

I spent some time at the ER this morning, getting tested and scanned because of a breathing issue I'm having (happy news is they ruled out all of the scary stuff and determined that it's just inflammation. <wipes brow with relief>).

Knowing how these visits can go, I brought a book along with me tha...

Continue Reading...
Rooted Kindness choosing happiness relationships well-being

I was out walking this morning, when a huge collection of beautiful blooms stopped me in my tracks. They looked like pom poms! These softball-sized puffs of tiny white flowers looked almost like hydrangea, but the petals were a little bit different. They made me instantly smile when I saw them, so I...

Continue Reading...
Storm-colored glasses choosing happiness courage fear freedom peace well-being

I had a funny moment last Sunday that our teen girls are having a FANTASTIC time teasing me about.

Normally, I wouldn't voluntarily broadcast an embarrassing story for public enjoyment, but I actually took a couple of powerful lessons from it later on. So here we go.

Our daughters and I were on our wa...

Continue Reading...
Relationship goals choosing happiness family god jesus relationships

I've seen the most beautiful examples this weekend of inspiring married relationships that have shown me glimpses into what's possible, and we're working hard to build in our own marriage.

The first is my aunt and uncle, who are serving a mission together in Ontario, Canada (they're actually leading ...

Continue Reading...
And for that reason... choosing happiness courage faith freedom personal growth

I love watching the entrepreneurial pitch show, Shark Tank. The business owner stands before 3-4 potential investors and shares what their company is and why they're seeking investment. Each of the Sharks then takes a turn expressing either desire to invest (with an offer), or reasons why they're no...

Continue Reading...
Setback, or setforward? choosing happiness courage faith god peace trust

When reality falls short of the ideal,

When our best-laid plans fall through, 

When sunny forecasts turn stormy;

When deep sleep is interrupted...


We can look at these as setbacks and be discouraged, or we can open ourselves to the idea that maybe there is even more available than we thought. Ma...

Continue Reading...
There is more than 1 type of dog choosing happiness freedom peace personal growth relationships

What if there was someone who told you they don't like dogs because they're small with super high-pitched barks? 

Or what if someone else said they can't stand dogs because they're huge and slobbery? 

They're speaking from real experience, but they're missing out on some great possibilities by using s...

Continue Reading...
Momentum is a wonderful (but high-maintenance) friend choosing happiness creativity freedom miracles personal growth practical tips well-being work+life

Momentum is one of the very best friends you can ever have. She'll take you to higher heights than you could ever dream of reaching on your own, and show you what you're really capable of -- over and over again. 

But this friendship must be intentionally nurtured and maintained; otherwise she can tur...

Continue Reading...
Arrival vs. alignment choosing happiness courage faith freedom god peace trust

Peace and light are available always, as a natural result of alignment with God. No matter the circumstances, this is an available state. This is freedom. Trust, calm, creativity, flow...it's all as normal as oxygen when you're aligned this way. We need this. 

It's easy to look at life like a big lon...

Continue Reading...
1 2