The Love of America.

"When an American says that he loves his country, he means not only that he loves the New England hills, the prairies glistening in the sun, the wide and rising plains, the great mountains, and the sea. He means that he loves an inner air, an inner light in which freedom lives and in which a man can draw the breath of self-respect." ~Adlai Stevenson

Sabbath Day, August 10, 2008

Love Is Spoken Here

"I see my mother kneeling
With our family each day.

I hear the words she whispers
as she bows her head to pray.

Her plea to the Father
quiets all my fears,

And I am thankful
Love is spoken here.

Mine is a home
where every hour

Is blessed by the strength
of priesthood pow'r.

With father and mother
leading the way

Teaching me how
to trust and obey

And the things they teach
are crystal clear

For love is spoken here.

I can often feel the Savior near
when love is spoken here."

Source:
http://www.lds.org/paprimary/program/CSMP_2007_%20Files/cs190.pdf

Sabbath Day, May 11, 2008

"A Heart (Rated G)"

A sharp tongue can cut my own throat.

If I want my dreams to come true, I mustn't oversleep.

Of all the things I wear, my expression is the most important.

The best vitamin for making friends..... B1 (Be one...a friend).

The happiness of my life depends on the quality of my thoughts.

The heaviest thing I can carry is a grudge.

One thing I can give and still keep is my word.

I lie the loudest when I lie to myself.

If I lack the courage to start, I have already finished.

One thing I can't recycle is wasted time.

Ideas won't work unless I do.

My mind is like a parachute...it functions only when open.

The 10 commandments are not a multiple choice.

The pursuit of happiness is the chase of a lifetime! It is never too late to become what I might have been.

Life is too short to wake up with regrets. So love the people who treat you right.. Forget about the one's who don't.

Believe everything happens for a reason. If you get a second chance, grab it with both hands. If it changes your life, let it.

Nobody said life would be easy, they just promised it would be worth it.

Friends are like balloons; once you let them go, you might not get them back.

Sometimes we get so busy with our own lives and problems that we may not even notice that we've let them (our friends) fly away.

Sometimes we are so caught up in who's right and who's wrong that we forget what's right and wrong.

Sometimes we just don't realize what real friendship means until it is too late.

Send this to all your friends and see how many you get back.

Even send it to your balloons (friends) that you think have flown away forever. You may be surprised to see it return.

Smile that you have made a effort to keep your heart rated G this great Sabbath day!

'Tis The Day After Christmas

'Tis the day after Christmas and all through the house
Appears a tornado tossed toys, clothes and dishes about

The kids are all grumpy from the Christmas day fun
Extended family, close locations equals run, run, run, run

Happy to be done with the pre-Christmas shopping
Returns? Do I have to help the stores with re-stocking?

Gifts of love, friendship, and freedom we truly appreciate
Thanks to all who helped us with gifts and put something on our plate

Seems like the tree just went up and now must come down
Festivity lights, decorations soon disappear all 'round town

The house will get clean and routine back in place
Next year, this same time, we'll return back to the race.

Spouses...Together, Sharing, or Sparring, They're Darling

This week's theme...Thankfulness and Giving...

Today, I want to write about spouses. Yes, divorce rates are sky-high and some couples decide to refuse to "tie-the-knot" all together. However, if you look closely at your spouse and then at yourself and remember why you came together in the first place, it's pretty darn special.

Alfred Adler said,
"We only regard those unions as real examples of love and real marriages in which a fixed and unalterable decision has been taken. If men or women contemplate an escape, they do not collect all their powers for the task. In none of the serious and important tasks of life do we arrange such a "getaway." We cannot love and be limited."

My husband and I are unusual in that we rarely argue. Maybe we are a couple who talk together so often that there isn't much left to argue about.

Additionally, we agreed before marriage, that we each had our little quirks and annoyances and that those petty little things could not possibly get in the way of our relationship. That still holds true today, after two children, ages 10 and 7 with special needs (the children have high functioning Asperger's Syndrome and Anxiety disorders), who we enjoy parenting together.

My husband is my best friend. If I am excited about something new, even minute, he will listen and get excited with me. He watches my shows with me and I watch his with him. We enjoy each other's company and enjoy family time with the children and parenting them together.

The Bible States,
"Love is patient, love is kind.
It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It is not rude, it is not self-seeking.
It is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails.
-I Corinthians 13:4-8

Are we the perfect couple? No. No one has the perfect relationship. I do know, however, that I am grateful for him and that we chose to be together. I also know that if we continue to court that relationship that it will last forever. If we stop talking, stop interacting, start dividing our interests and ignoring each other's needs, our relationship will go the way of the staggering trends.

Marriage and divorce statistics are at the links here...

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/divorce.htm

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/peo_div_rat-people-divorce-rate

http://www.divorcerate.org/

As great contrast, here are some articles that express great appreciation for spouses. I really appreciate these writers to take the time and energy to write about something positive regarding their spouse in this time of divorce and betrayal being broadcast by the media.

http://www.msmaze.com/emotional-issues/my-spouse-my-caregiver/

http://fantasticmarriage.com/
http://digg.com/health/Learning_The_Language_Of_Love (origin of the above link)

http://coolpositive.blogspot.com/2007/11/definition-of-true-love-and-orignal.html
http://digg.com/world_news/true_love_and_orignal_love_is_this_pls_read_and_remember_yr_love_one (origin of the above link)

Spouses are a wonderful thing. I am so grateful for mine.

Have a fantastic evening and weekend!

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