Gratitude: Day 9

Day 9

I am grateful for all the inspired youth programs of our church. Parenting is difficult. It's seriously the hardest thing that I have ever done and will probably ever do. It is impossible to do it alone. Even if you are the most contentious parent, the most involved parent, and the most deliberate parent. It's hard. You need a network. A vast network of relatives, neighbors, teachers, friends, coaches, ward members and Him.

I gave a talk in church this year on Grace. One of the ways that I most feel His grace in my life is in my role as a parent. In my talk I said this:

In preparing this talk I was thinking about grace in my own life. How do I utilize this enabling power regularly? And...the number one thing that came to my mind was parenting. I am the mother of four amazing kids and I can tell you that parenting is the most challenging thing Tyler and I have ever done and continue to do. It was so much easier when the kids were little... it could be exhausting...but it was definitely easier. I was ill-prepared for how gut-wrenchingly difficult it can be to parent and to try to parent well as our kids have gotten older and two of them are now teenagers. The world they live in and the things face each day are not only terrifying but they are spiritually dangerous. There are many times when Tyler and I feel completely inadequate about how to help them, what say, how to uplift them, and how to combat the negativity and adversity they face. They come home from school weighed down physically, emotionally, and spiritually. They have been battling all day and it is our job as parents to protect them, lift them, nurture them, comfort them, provide wise counsel, guide them, and be able to answer those tough questions when they arise. Tyler and I often feel like we are just  “winging it” and we would be, if not for Christ, and that is where grace come in. Prayers without number are offered and answered, promptings come when needed, words, thoughts, and plans of action come to our minds when counsel and guidance are given, and more times than I can count peace comes to worried parents. Christ takes two imperfect and inadequate parents... who are trying their best and often failing... and He helps, lifts, strengthens, heals, comforts, guides, and enlightens, and He forgives...for that, I am tremendously grateful. Christ doesn't make up the difference...He is all the difference.  

The youth programs of the church are a gift. A gift to help us in our roles as parents. Primary, Young Womens, and Young Men. They are there to help us guide and direct our children in positive directions and toward the Lord. Today we had a bounteous day at church. It was the Primary Program. Who doesn't feel the Spirit during the Primary Program? Ailey and Bryn both had parts and Ailey was part of two different singing groups. It was fantastic. I cannot hear the song The Family Is of God without crying.

Then in Young Women one of the Laurels had earned her Young Womanhood Recognition Award and the whole hour was devoted to celebrating this achievement. She was one of my little Activity Day girls (both she and Reilly were) and I remember her bringing her little Faith in God booklet and showing me all the things that she had done to get marked off. I remember doing activities under the Preparing for Young Women section and talking to the girls about accomplishing these goals. How special it was to be in Young Women with both Reilly and Jenna, and to see that they accomplished those goals that they had set when they were eight years old. So very special.

After Church Kameron was interviewed and found worthy to be ordained to the office of a teacher next Sunday. The Young Mens program does just as much in strengthening the youth, teaching them to be leaders, helping them to serve, and turning their lives to Christ. 

It was quite a spectacular Sunday. I am so grateful that our Father in Heaven loves His children and that he provides so much support to parents as they raise their children and come unto Christ.

Yea, Come unto Christ and be perfected in Him, and deny yourself of all ungodliness. (Moroni 10:32)

I have seen so much spiritual growth in all of our children this year and the youth programs of the church have played a large part. I am grateful for the youth programs of the church.

Gratitude: Day 8

Day 8


I am grateful for my dream jobs. Once about a year ago, on a long road trip, Tyler asked me what my dream job would be. I thought about it for a minute and then came to the somewhat surprising realization that I was actually already doing my dream job. I was kind of floored because I had just never really thought about it like that before but it was true.

When I was a little girl I wanted to be a nurse like my mom. Then I became a candy striper and realized that, nope, this was not for me. Then when I was in junior high and for the first part of high school I thought that I wanted to be a journalist.  I took several years of journalism in high school and wrote articles for my high school newspaper and then I realized that I didn't want to do that either. Then I thought I might like to be a TV journalist. My high school boyfriend, Aaron, worked for a news station in Kansas City. The nightly news anchor was a family friend and got him hired on to work with the camera crew. He got to do so many cool and interesting things and I was intrigued. Due to his job we hung out at the new station a lot. It was so interesting. I became friends with the on -air anchors, camera people, and the-behind-the-scenes producers, editors, and crew. They would let me sit in the anchor chair after the news had aired sometimes and pretend to read the news off the teleprompter and even filmed me doing it once for extra credit for my journalism class. I got to pretend to do the weather and see how the green screen worked. I learned that, at least back then, most of the anchors were usually only in their business attire from the waist up and jeans or shorts from the waist down...especially the sportscaster!! On prom night Aaron and I were asked to come in and be interviewed about prom. It was a lot of fun but I soon realized that it wasn't all that glamorous, I was shy about calling people for interviews, and I loathed myself on video...so goodbye TV journalism.

Then my senior year I decided that I might like to be a psychologist. I was taking both a psychology and a sociology class in high school and loved them. My parents were divorcing that year, and it was nasty and brutal on all of us, so we were in some serious family and individual counseling. I loved counseling. Chatting about all my problems, worries, fears, and anger in a safe environment was wonderful. I loved going. I thought I had found my future career. I went on to study psychology at BYU and loved it. I did a lot of volunteer work with various agencies in that field and as an adult I worked for a time in the social work field with foster kids. But once again...not my dream job.

Meanwhile I went on to have the most darling baby girl and couldn't bear the thought of handing her over to someone else to watch during the day while I went to work. Tyler supported my decision...technically our decision... and worked two jobs for years to support our family financially and I became a full time stay at home mother. Then when Ailey was a baby my mom and I started talking about having a little crafting business of some kind together. I loved being creative and crafty and was just starting to have a little more time to actually do things like that by that particular stage in my life. My mom and I loved going to antiques shows and vintage sales together and we thought that it might be something fun to do. So we signed up to do Farm Chicks for the first time and actually got in. We convinced Stacey and Kelley to join us. We had a very successful show and were bit by the vintage bug. After a while Kelley dropped out of the business and Stacey, my mom, and I began going full force. This worked out well for me as it was something that I could do from home, on my own time, and that worked around my kids, and my family's schedules. Our business continued to grow and evolve and here we are today.

It was a wonderful realization to know that I AM doing my dream job. I am a full time mother and I have this business on the side that allows me to do fun things, work with my mom and sister, meet amazing people, travel, is a fantastic creative outlet, and brings in supplemental money for our family. I am doing my dream job. It was so nice to realize that... It brought such contentment and peace to my life. Of course, Sisters Creed is still expanding and evolving. We are probably adding a California show to our roster for 2015 and we still have dreams of Round Top, Texas and shows back east. There are still big goals to accomplish, and my full-time mothering is in full swing, but I absolutely love it! There is never a dull moment around here and I still find being a stay at home mother rewarding.

What a blessing!! So many people are discontent. They aren't doing what they want to be doing or aren't in the career that they wish they were in. I am grateful that I am on the career path(s) that I want to be on and that I am doing what I want to be doing.