Sweet Land of Liberty

Today is the 4th of July, and I sit here watching the mini-series John Adams, based on the book by David McCoullough. I am just amazed at the wonderful men and women who founded this free country.

I love with all my heart the country I am privileged to live in. I am more grateful than I can say, for those brave men and women whose sacrifices allow us to remain free.

Even though our country's problems are great, and I disagree with the leaders at this time, I know that we will be ok. God's mercy and love shines on this country, and always will, as long as we remember God in our lives.

I am often inspired when I read words that have been written about this country. So, I thought I'd share some here...

"If our country is worth dying for in time of war let us resolve that it is truly worth living for in time of peace." -Hamilton Fish

"Where liberty dwells, there is my country." -Benjamin Franklin

"It is the love of country that has lighted and that keeps glowing the holy fire of patriotism." ~J. Horace McFarland

"My God! How little do my countrymen know what precious blessings they are in possession of, and which no other people on earth enjoy!" -Thomas Jefferson

"I always consider the settlement of America with reverence and wonder, as the opening of a grand scene and design in providence, for the illumination of the ignorant and the emancipation of the slavish part of mankind all over the earth." -John Adams

"The sacred rights of mankind are not to be rummaged for among old parchments or musty records. They are written, as with a sunbeam, in the whole volume of human nature, by the hand of the divinity itself; and can never be erased." - Alexander Hamilton

"It is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God and the Bible." -George Washington

Two years ago, I wrote a similar post that included many great quotes about our country. If you'd like to read those quotes, click HERE.

Have a wonderful 4th of July.

A Mother's Faith, Hope, and Prayers

What do you do when your old-enough-to-get-married son meets a lovely girl and is falling in love?
You PRAY, pray, and pray some more. You HOPE that you've taught him everything he needs to know - about how girls are daughters of God, about the sanctity and importance of marriage, and about the necessity of family. And you have FAITH that he'll make the right decision when the time comes, and that he'll remember God in his planning for the future.

What do you do when your preparing-to-go-on-a-mission son meets a his soul mate, and knows he'll love her forever?
You PRAY, pray, and pray some more. You HOPE that you've taught him the importance of commitment and service, that you've taught him patience, and all about obligation and duty. And you have FAITH that he'll follow through with his goals and dreams, and then carrying on with his life.

What do you do when your 15-year-old son encounters peer pressure, finds out that not everything on the internet is good, and is buried to his eyeballs in homework pressures? You PRAY, pray, and pray some more. You HOPE that the lessons you've tried to teach him about being strong under pressure, and the importance of morality and chastity have sunk deep within, and that he'll make the right choices when faced with opposition. And you have FAITH that he'll remember how it feels to be good, and that he'll listen to that still small voice. And that he'll understand that repentance is a good thing - just like it is for his mom and his dad and his brothers.

What do you do when you worry about your youngest son and his self-esteem, and how everyone, including his own brothers, treat him, and wonder if he'll ever smile and be genuinely happy. You PRAY, pray, and pray some more. You HOPE that he'll grow out of those self-conscious feelings, learn to stand up for himself, and become someone who his brothers can't live without. And you have FAITH that he'll know, deep down, that he is a child of God, that he is of infinite worth, that he can accomplish anything, and that he'll be happy.

Just though I'd share my most important tools in my "MOM" kit: PRAYER, HOPE, and FAITH. Because, after all we do as mothers, there are just times when you have to turn it all over to God, and let Him lead and guide your children.

Finding Joy in Serving Others

I found something out at Christmastime that is changing my life. My family picked a family from the Starlight Foundation and bought and delivered Christmas to them. It was a really young woman, with a 2-year old little boy. When we showed up laden with packages and groceries, she just started sobbing. I hugged her and asked her to do the same for someone else someday. She promised to do that. I felt so good - it's wonderful to help and serve those less fortunate. The kind of funny thing about this particular delivery, is that when we walked up to the front door, there was a sign that said something like: "Absolutely NO Mormon stuff!" Rick and I looked at each other and kind of laughed. (Actually, Rick said "Ok, well let's go then!" ;-) I thought she might have been really surprised that Mormons provided her Christmas and were so kind to her. Funny.

For the past several days, I've been working with Four of Hearts (the non-profit foundation I'm part of), to gather supplies for an orphanage in Haiti. A friend of one of the foundation founders did this for his Eagle Scout project and so we helped. We sent the word out and people started bringing things over. I'm sometimes stunned at the generosity of people - I shouldn't be, though. I know these people, and they are always wonderful. We filled about 20 boxes with clothing, blankets, cloth diapers, and sandals. Plus, we sent tents and lean-to's. My sister, Kris, and I went through all of the donated clothing and folded and separated the clothes into sizes 0 infants - size 6. Sometimes we would open a bag, and almost everything we pulled out was badly stained or ripped. Plus, we got a lot of adult clothing (we only asked for children's). We wondered why some people feel the need to clean out their junk and send it to us?! We threw away all damaged clothing, and sent the sizes we couldn't use to the D.I. We had so many items for 0-9 months, and 12-24 months, that we went through everything and kept anything that we thought we could sell in the JBF (Just Between Friends) sale in March. The proceeds from that sale will go toward the Guatemala trip. Any left over clothing will also go to the orphanage in Guatemala with us. Here are some pictures of the work we did for Haiti...




Spending all of this time on service is fun - it makes me feel lots of joy. But Monday night, when I told Rick that I was going out to Kris's house to deliver our collection of donations, and help sort through stuff, he very gently asked me if I have noticed things in our house. Weird question. He said that I've been spending most of my time either on the computer - working on blogs, with my Cherish Bound customers - making books for other people, or doing things with the foundation. Did I notice that the box the mixer came in at Christmastime was still sitting in the kitchen? Or that the crock pot that we borrowed from the Spears was still sitting there? Did I ever finish the task I started when I tore our bedroom apart several weeks ago? He then said, "You are spending time serving everyone else except your family."

Well, I probably don't have to tell you how bad I felt. I was mad at first - I said, "So, the people of Haiti have to wait for relief until I clean my bedroom?!" Of course not, Kara. I'm just sayin'.

Once I settled down, I started thinking about what Rick said. You know, Rick doesn't expect a lot from me. He helps a ton around the house - dishes, vacuuming, and doing laundry. He spends 12 1/2 hours every day, Monday-Thursday, away from home, and then comes home and cleans and helps. I, on the other hand, am not working now, so I'm at home all day. I do have time to do the laundry, and clean the house, and STILL do everything else I want to do. But, because cleaning doesn't interest me or make me super happy, I've neglected it - partly, I think, because I'm so used to NOT doing it - I was sick for so long, and didn't do anything except be sick for so long - others cleaned and cooked. "You are spending time serving everyone else except your family." That really made me think. He's right. He really is right.

So, yesterday, I told my sister that I could only spend 1 day each week on the foundation. I really need to budget my time. She agreed that she should do that as well. (Because, really, it's something that could completely consume our lives if we let it.) Then, I went grocery shopping, came home, and filled two crock pots with beef tips. I worked a little bit on my business, then I spent some time at Matthew's school. Afterward, I made two Apple Crisps. And starting cleaning my bedroom. By the end of the day, I had made dinner for two families - mine and the Spears (I returned their crock pot FULL, since I had kept it so long). My room was spotless and beautiful (*sigh* - I love it when it's like that). And the kitchen was clean (and smelled really good - roast beast and apple crisp - mmmmmmm!) Everyone was happy. Here are the AFTER pictures of my room (I really should have taken BEFORE pics!)...


I spent the day serving my family and friends, instead of complete strangers. And no, they didn't break out in tears because I cleaned, and they didn't have a look of amazed thankfulness on their faces because dinner was ready. But, every one of them noticed how good the house smelled and thanked me for dinner.

My conclusion: This is a no brainer, I know. But, I've decided that I should find as much joy in serving my family as I find in serving other people. And if I budget my time wisely, I can do everything I want to do.

So, here are my goals (I'm telling you, because accountability is everything - if it's written down, I have to do it): My house isn't dirty, but it is cluttered in some areas. There is a pile of music and magazines on the side of my piano, my office is a cluttered mess, the laundry room needs to be cleaned and de-cluttered. And then, I have the basement to work on.

Mondays - After straightening up, and making my bed, I'll work on Foundation stuff with Kris.

Tuesdays - I promised my mom I'd spend one day each week with her. So, I'll go to her house and teach her piano, paint with her, teach her to use the computer, and have lunch.

Wednesdays and Thursdays - I'll spend half the day on my business, and the other half doing some deep cleaning. Any left over time will be spent downstairs.

Fridays - Rick is home, so maybe we can go to the temple, and then work on the basement (we are trying to finish the basement, so it's a big job).

Saturdays and Sundays - family time. I'll let Rick decide what we do.

Each day also will include some "me" time: exercise, eating right, scriptures, blogging, and learning something.

Today, I think after my doctor's appointment, I'll tackle the laundry room. I'm posting pictures of the BEFORE here, with a disclaimer - this is NOT my fault. It's my childrens' fault. This laundry room looks like this mostly because of them. I've decided that they are completely incapable of folding their clothes. I don't know why - I've taught them to... I keep reminding them and asking them to. FOLD is just not a word in their vocabulary. (I want to apologize, in advance, to their future wives - I DID teach them the right way to do laundry.) Each child does their own laundry (I know - cool, huh?!), and if they leave it in the drier, the next kid that comes along will throw those clothes on the floor and dry their own. Geez. I mean... really. Geez...




Wish me luck!

There is a reason...

You just never know when good things will happen to you. Last Saturday, I participated in the I Heart Utah Festival. They were expecting 10,000 people and got about 125. Yep. 125 people! It was sooooo hot and depressing. All the vendors were annoyed. At around 5:00 pm I decided that I'd call it a day. I just didn't want to stay another 2 hours. Then, Rannette - the Cherish Bound consultant who was sharing my booth - said we had toughed it out all day long, we should stay until the end. So we did. And the most amazing things happened...
1. I met a lady who had a booth next to mine. She thought our business sounded interesting and I'm going to go and do a gathering at her house for her and 5 daughters!
2. One of her daughters was there with her and just happened to be a teacher. I told her about the I'm An Author program for schools, and she is super excited about it. She is going to talk to her principal about having me come and teach it.
3. 2 other people came to talk to me about I'm An Author. One lady wants me to do it in the private school her kids go to. The other guy is going to convince his mother (who is a teacher) that she can't live without it!
4. I met another vendor who was promoting a concert. She offered us a booth (one of only 6) at a very reduced price, gave us 50 tickets to sell for full profit, and when she found out about my cancer, she gave me another 50 tickets to sell at the cancer walk - we get to keep all the proceeds. Incredible.
5. And last, but not least, I met a family who travels to Guatemala every 8 weeks. I told them about Four of Hearts Foundation and they are so excited to help us do fundraising and help us when we go down to Guatemala.

You just never know when cool things are going to happen. I feel like there was a reason I signed up for this festival, a reason I got a partner to help with the booth, a reason we stayed late, and a reason we met all of these people. I love it when cool things happen!

Lest We Forget...

Today I, like many others, am reflecting on the country I live in and the freedoms I enjoy. Although I am not happy with the current leaders and their unwise choices, I still love this country. And I know that it is a chosen country - one that will maintain it's freedom as long as the people are good and virtuous. I have, quite often of late, been dissatisfied with the direction our country is headed and have not hesitated to voice my opinions in front of my children. I know that childrens' ideas and opinion often mirror that of their parents. I know the importance of educating our children about this country. Noah Webster said: "Every child in America should be acquainted with his own country. He should read books that furnish him with ideas that will be useful to him in life and practice. As soon as he opens his lips, he should rehearse the history of his own country." I want my children to know the importance of freedom and liberty - how this country was founded on principles and values - and that it was founded, and remains free, by the grace of divine providence. Since I've been not too happy about the leaders of the country for quite some time now, I want my children to know that I still love this country. I still believe that we are blessed to live here. It is a great country - an incredible idea that was brought to fruition by a handful of incredible men. I'd like to share some of the founding fathers' ideas here...

"All of us who were engaged in the struggle must have observed frequent instances of superintending providence in our favor. To that kind providence we owe this happy opportunity of consulting in peace on the means of establishing our future national felicity. And have we now forgotten that powerful friend? Or do we imagine that we no longer need his assistance? I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth-that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the Ground without his Notice, is it probable that an Empire can rise without his Aid?"
--Benjamin Franklin, To Colleagues at the Constitutional Convention

"Government is instituted for the common good; for the protection, safety, prosperity, and happiness of the people; and not for profit, honor, or private interest of any one man, family, or class of men; therefore, the people alone have an incontestable, unalienable, and indefeasible right to institute government; and to reform, alter, or totally change the same, when their protection, safety, prosperity, and happiness require it."
--John Adams, Thoughts on Government, 1776

"Here sir, the people govern."
--Alexander Hamilton, speech to the New York Ratifying Convention, June 17, 1788

"And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with his wrath? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just: that his justice cannot sleep for ever."
--Thomas Jefferson, Notes on the State of Virginia, Query 18, 1781

"But ambitious encroachments of the federal government, on the authority of the State governments, would not excite the opposition of a single State, or of a few States only. They would be signals of general alarm... But what degree of madness could ever drive the federal government to such an extremity."
--James Madison, Federalist No. 46, January 29, 1788

"When we are planning for posterity, we ought to remember that virtue is not hereditary."
--Thomas Paine, Common Sense, 1776

"Guard against the impostures of pretended patriotism."
--George Washington, Farewell Address, September 19, 1796

"It should be the highest ambition of every American to extend his views beyond himself, and to bear in mind that his conduct will not only affect himself, his country, and his immediate posterity; but that its influence may be co-extensive with the world, and stamp political happiness or misery on ages yet unborn."
--George Washington, letter to the Legislature of Pennsylvania, September 5, 1789

"A general dissolution of principles and manners will more surely overthrow the liberties of America than the whole force of the common enemy. While the people are virtuous they cannot be subdued; but when once they lose their virtue then will be ready to surrender their liberties to the first external or internal invader."
Samuel Adams, letter to James Warren, February 12, 1779

Here are my young sons - on a 4th of July many years ago. One of my favorite pictures:


Take time to reflect on the ideas of freedom and liberty today. Happy 4th of July!

A Permanent Change...

Well, my oldest just moved out. It's happened before, but it wasn't really permanent. The first time he moved out it was only for the semester. The second time he moved out, it was for 2 years - out of the country - but he still came back. This time is the real thing. And I'm not ready. He's been home from his mission to Japan for 3 months. That's just not long enough for me (but plenty long enough for him, I'm sure). I had forgotten how much I enjoyed his sense of humor and his "know everything" approach to life. He makes me laugh. All the time. I did enjoy those 3 months. After waiting for 2 years to hear his voice say "Hi, Mom!" when he answered his cell phone, it's great to hear it again. I feel like going on a walk down memory lane, so here goes...

There's my little munchkin - on the left. What an incredibly cute little boy. Here is he now:

What an incredibly cute big boy. See, aren't you sad for me?!

Well, life goes on and so I guess it's cool that he is moving forward. Here a few words of wisdom for you, Grant...
1. Call your mom (that's me!) at least once a week (Dad did this the whole time we lived away from Utah - 12 years! Really.)
2. Eat. Don't forget. It's really important.
3. Don't stay up too late. You'll just regret it in the morning when you have to get to class.
4. Keep your apartment clean. If you don't, you'll get sick.
5. If you get sick, come home and I'll take care of you.
6. Come home (your real home) and visit once in a while. Bring your dirty laundry, and tell me how hungry you've been. I'll most likely take you grocery shopping for food.
7. Take some time to just relax. Play your guitar, watch a movie, or listen to music. RELAX.
8. Remember how important your friends are. Go and visit them. Often.
9. Remember how fun it can be to hang with your little brothers. Don't be a stranger.
10. Know that we love you and miss you. And, most importantly, you'll always have a place here at home.

Darn, it's so hard to say "so long" to your children (I mean, your young adults.) I'm lucky that he's so close though. (In distance and to me). So, although this is pretty much a permanent change, lots of good will come of it. Plus, it's good practice for when he really moves - away. Out of the country. Yeah. That one will be way harder to deal with. I should just thank my lucky stars he's still close by.

Grant, have a GREAT time! Ciao, baby!

Curve Balls

Why does life throw curve balls? I wonder. The events of this last year have made some things painfully apparent. I don't get to choose everything that happens to me. I don't get to make lasting plans. I don't even get to know what my life will be like next year. I'm. Not. In. Charge. It's not a fun fact, but it is a fact, nevertheless. As most of you know, two things happened to me and my family this past year that have changed my life FOREVER. One, I will bounce back from - soon, hopefully. The other will have a lasting affect on me - it might never go away.

Remember when the housing market was booming? Well, Rick and I took advantage of that and invested in some houses. And then, right in the middle of construction, the bottom fell out of the housing market. Yeah. Suffice it to say that we had a rough time. Then, right in the middle of that lovely little curve ball, another unexpected thing happened. I was diagnosed with breast cancer. You know - the thing that happens to other people, but will never happen to you? Yeah, another curve ball. At the time, I was working with a company called Cherish Bound. It was, perhaps, my very favorite job I've ever had. I LOVED going to work every day. I worked hard. I loved my co-workers. I put my heart and soul into that job. I could only see good things coming... all the possibilities for the future. Full steam ahead! Then I heard those hateful words, "You have cancer". And my life changed forever. It screeched to a halt. Seriously. My wonderful boss, and friend, Carol said, "Take as much time as you need to get better - your job will be here when you are ready." It's been 10 months. 10 months of surgeries, chemo, doctor appointments - awful stuff. I'm sooooo tired of it all. It's taken way too long - much longer than I had planned. And then, the realization came that I probably will need a different kind of job - something with hours that I can move around. There will be days when I don't feel up to going to work. My capacity for hard work has been seriously diminished. An office job just isn't the right thing anymore. I'm going to have to find something else. But, I can't stop loving Cherish Bound, so luckily, there is another direction I can go with the company. I am now a consultant for CB. I've got tons of plans, and I know this will be so much better for me and my family in the long run. But, change is a hard and painful thing.

Tonight I attended a Cherish Bound event. It was an evening for bloggers - a night of story telling, with wonderful food and good company. But, it was difficult to walk in and see what a beautiful job the corporate team did in setting this event up. Without me. I wasn't part of that. It was a weird feeling. I felt so left out. It's not that I wasn't welcomed with open arms - I was. But, my time as part of that wonderful group of people is over. I can't stand it. To tell the truth, I'm devastated. I'm sure the other bloggers wondered why I was so quiet. I'm not, usually. I'm normally a very out-going person. On any other night I would have mingled more and introduced myself. I would have made friends. But, tonight I was a little shell-shocked. I sat quietly, observing everyone else. I drank in the story atmosphere and so enjoyed hearing Wendy, Bruce, and Carol talk. I'm explaining this because I don't want the other bloggers (if they ever visit this blog), who were there, to think I'm anti-social. I'm not. It was just a hard night for me. I really enjoyed meeting all of the other bloggers. I loved the gifts that CB gave all of us. I'll blog about the night later on.

Just know that, if life spits out something that isn't in your plans, just go ahead and roll with it. Change is ok. Life is good. Everything will be fine. Eventually. And that's coming from someone who has had plenty of experience with curve balls lately.

Angels whisper to a man when he goes for a walk...

Yesterday, Rick was telling me about an interview he heard with Rush Limbaugh. It was about how much weight he has lost. He talked about the "diet" Rush was on, and then said that Rush thinks exercise is unnecessary for losing weight. I love Rush, but I just have to disagree. Yes, it's important to eat right. But, everyone should exercise. My favorite exercise (and just about the only one I can do right now) is walking. I've found the perfect place (AF Cemetery), the perfect time (early morning and after dinner), and the perfect music (soundtrack from August Rush). The following people share my enthusiasm and joy:

“Me thinks that the moment my legs begin to move, my thoughts begin to flow.”
-Henry David Thoreau

“In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.”
-John Muir

“Walks. The body advances, while the mind flutters around it like a bird.”
-Jules Renard

“I still find each day too short for all the thoughts I want to think, all the walks I want to take, all the books I want to read and all the friends I want to see.”
-John Burroughs

“Walking: the most ancient exercise and still the best modern exercise.”
-Carrie Latet

“An early-morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.”
-Henry David Thoreau

“In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.”
-John Muir

“All truly great thoughts are conceived by walking.”
-Friedrich Nietzsche

“Today I have grown taller from walking with the trees. “
-Karle Wilson Baker

“If you are seeking creative ideas, go out walking. Angels whisper to a man when he goes for a walk.”
-Raymond Inmon

“Of all exercises walking is the best.”
-Thomas Jefferson

“Meandering leads to perfection.”
-Lao Tzu


There is nothing like walking - especially in the special place I've found. Walking through a cemetery is peaceful and quiet. It's beautiful. The trees and grass talk to you. The birds fly around you. The headstones breath life into you. Go for a walk - you'll feel great when you're through.