Monday thoughts . . .

 

I would have to say that the one thing I am most proud of in my life is bringing up five beautiful, happy and well adjusted children.   I love them with all of my heart, just as any mother does.  I tried to do my best for them when they were growing up, and I know that I fell short of the mark from time to time.   Who doesn't.  We are none of us perfect after all . . .

Sitting in church yesterday listening to the talks and watching all the young familys sitting around us my heart was pricked, and I was touched with thoughts on what I would have my children know.  Bits of wisdom as it were . . . someday I hope they read these words and that they will take them into their hearts.



First I want them to know that in life there are no "Do Overs."  Words and deeds, once out there . . . cannot be taken back.   You can never recapture time wasted or opportunities missed.  There will be other times and other opportunities . . . but not like the first ones.  Play with your children while you can.  Hug them.  Love them.  You can do "Do betters," but you can't regain easily what has already been lost.

Time passes, and it passes far too quickly.  One minute you are changing nappies and getting up during the night and the next you are standing at the door with tears running down your cheeks, watching your baby drive off to college and a life without you . . . and the years inbetween those moments will seem to have passed in the twinkle of an eye.  Time waits for no man, and this day will never come again.



Never give up.  The only failure in life is the one who hasn't tried.  If you fall  off the horse while trying, get back on.  Keep trying. Keep believing.  Keep moving forward.  Standing still is not an option.

Believe in yourself.  If you can't believe in yourself . . . however could you expect anyone else to believe in you.  Know that you are special, that you are loved, that you can do anything if you put your mind to it.   Be positive about your life, your job, your family, your friends . . . yourself.



Always put your best foot forward.  Nobody can ask any more of you than that. If you always try your hardest to do your best, then sink or swim . . . you will always know that you gave it your best go.  I would rather give my best and fail . . . than not try at all and always wonder about what might have been.

It's never too late to change.  Never.  The great deceiver would have us believe that it is, but he is lying.  God promises us that it is NEVER too late and we must trust in that promise, and even if we don't see the blessings from change happen right away, we must know that they will come in His timing and in His way.  Trust.   Believe.   Have faith.



Forgiveness is a gift you give to yourself. It is not good to hang on to grudges or ill feelings towards another or yourself.  The person you harbor them against seldom even knows how you feel, much less cares.   Hating them, wishing them ill,  bearing a grievance against them only hides your light.  Let.  It.  Go.

Fill your life with good people and good things.  Take joy in simplicity, for you will find at the end of your days that it was the simple things which mattered most of all . . . the tender moments, the sweet smiles, kind words, loving gestures . . . time spent with family and friends.  Relationships are everything.



A life spent pursuing nothing but selfish endeavors is a life wasted.  There is joy immeasurable to be found in the treasure of having given of yourself . . . your time . . . your emotions . . . your talents . . . your wealth, etc.   My mother was given an orange one year for Christmas.  She tucked it away in the back of a dresser drawer, wanting to save it's preciousness for a later time.  It rotted and was no good to anyone.  An orange tucked away will one day go off  . . . but sliced into bits and shared brings joy to all who taste of it's sweetness.



You are special.  The son or daughter of a King.  You have immeasurable worth and value in His eyes.  Know who you are and live it.  Don't let a world lost in chaos define who you are.  Don't ever measure yourself by it's values.  Know what is right and what is true . . . and then live your life according to those values.  Truth never changes.

but most important of all I would want them to know this . . .

You are loved . . . forever and always.  No matter what.



Family . . . it's everything.

A thought to carry with you through today . . .

"When we have sampled much and have wandered far and have seen how fleeting and sometimes superficial a lot of the world is, our gratitude grows for the privilege of being part of something we can count on—home and family and the loyalty of loved ones. We come to know what it means to be bound together by duty, by respect, by belonging. We learn that nothing can fully take the place of the blessed relationship of family life." 
~Thomas S Monson



There's a delicious BLT Sandwich on offer in The English Kitchen today.   Fabulous.  If this isn't the world's best . . . I'll eat my hat!

Have a fabulous Monday people!!