What Really Matters, According to Me

When my husband and I got married 1 June 1985, my mother bet my aunt $5 that we wouldn't make it a year. It's been 25 years, as of 1 June 2010 and I am wondering if my aunt ever collected? Life is a continual climb. If anything worthwhile were easy, we wouldn't have to be commanded to endure to the end, now would we? To endure is not the same as 'sit back and enjoy to ride'. Endure hints of difficulty. Marriage can be difficult. But, no question, it has been well worth the effort. I once told my husband that the relationship between him and me has been the most difficult relationship I've ever had. But, I told him, it is the one through which my greatest joys have been realized. It is the relationship that has brought me the most happiness and fulfillment. I've said before that relationships are like camp fires; Cozy at the proper distance, but you can get burned if you get too close. You have to know where the boundaries are. I think I'm re-thinking my ...

Many women spend years of life searching for what they believe is happiness. We feel unfulfilled or unappreciated, and often less-than-swept off of our feet by our husbands after many years of marriage and wonder if life was meant to be more than this? It is easy to seek and find joy in motherhood. But, what about when the children are grown and gone? So many years of life are centered around raising children while they are growing, as well life should be during those years. However, if it's done right, a marriage is intended to last at least until death do you part, if I recall correctly from all of the weddings I've attended over the years. If husbands and wives are joined in the Everlasting Covenant of Marriage, as is availed to us within the walls of the Temple of the Lord, then marriage, if it's done right, is intended to last into the eternities, for what God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. Considering the eternal prospect of marriage, it is wise to not...

You’d think I have it figured out- I’ve seen this place before. No stranger is my broken heart Nor tears upon the floor. Yet, here I am adrift Where no sun falls, neither rain- And know too long the time will pass ‘Till all is well again. How strange it is that I am lost In such a place as this How odd to be a stranger; Lost and wand’ring in the mist. Like seas unchartered, though I should Have known the waters well, (I’ve been here more than once, you see, More than I’d like to tell.) Can any tame this shadow land? Can any find his way? Can any find the speedy course That leads from night to day? You’d think I know these answers, Having traveled here before. I do recall, though vaguely, now A distant, sunny shore.

Although dandelion greens and roots are good for food, (my sister and her ex-husband used to 'harvest' them), I don't like for them to grow in my yard. Something about dandelions, they are relatively easy to pull. They do have those spiky leaves, but if you get underneath the whole of the leaves, the thorns point slightly upward and you can mostly avoid the prickles and pull the whole thing, simple root system and all. There is one main root that grows downward and a bunch of little root off-shoots, but it's a pretty easy weed to rid yourself of... unless... Sometimes we're tempted to just mow down the dandelions when we cut the grass early in the season. This is a mistake. Although the weeds aren't noticeable for a time, the root remains. The root grows while the top of the weed regenerates. When you finally get around to really 'weeding' and pull the weed from the ground, you find shorter, more prickly leaves, with sharper thorns, and a deeper, thicke...

A sweet friend of mine has asked how I teach my children to share. Well... I had to think about that one. Here are a few positions my husband and I agree upon, which positions our children accept as the way it is. It was comforting to me when Gordon B. Hinckley said something to the effect that we are stewards over our wealth. We do not own it. It belongs to the Lord. And one of these days we will have to answer to the Lord for the way in which we exercised our stewardship over our riches. So-- here are some basic principles accepted by the Windham Family: 1. This is the house the Lord allowed Dad and me to provide for the use of our family. It is not your house. 2. This is a bedroom in the house the Lord has allowed Dad and me to provide. It is not your bedroom. It is my bedroom, or Dad's, if it belongs to anyone here. 3. These are clothes purchased with money I earned/Dad earned. They are for your use. They are not yours. If to anyone, they belong to Dad and me. 4. These are not ...

Disclaimer: the statements contained in this article are the views of the writer developed over a 27 year period in childcare, early childhood education and by way of living life as a mother of 9 children. No offense is intended. Every child and parent is different and it is the view of the writer that God specifically matches each child to his parents. He will and does provide guidance to each parent as to how to best rear his or her own children by the power and direction of the Holy Ghost, if parents will seek His guidance. No counsel nor philosophy should take the place of this divine guidance. Having said that: There are many philosophies relative to children and their 'things'. One school of thought is that children feel comforted and gain a sense of security in possessions. When a child says: that's mine! and is able to claim physical possession of an item from another child, some believe it is a manifestation of self-affirmation and is related to the growth of conf...

It occurred to me when speaking with my brother the other day that I've forgotten to walk forward after having closed a door behind me...It's like I stepped beyond the door and now, I'm just standing here, not knowing where to go. My mother has recently passed away and so the chapter in my life in which she plays a current role is passed. I have been very busy closing that door neatly; making sure I'm OK; making sure the kids are OK; making sure I call my sister to see if she's OK... It's like when I'm running out of the house, going back a couple of times to get my purse, get the snack, get the sipper cup... On the last trip out the door, I have to make sure nothing gets caught as it closes. I carry an envelope in my teeth that needs to be mailed, I have a book under my arm that needs to go back to the library, I have a bag of clothes ready for the donation drop box hanging from my wrist; none of these will I catch in that door as it closes behind me. I...