What Really Matters, According to Me

Years ago a storm blew through Harwood, Texas. I believe it may have been 1993, but don't quote me on that. The day before, two identical peach trees stood in the yard of Clint and Julie Fairchild; neighbors of mine to the West. I remember when the Fairchilds planted those two trees several years earlier, and now, in May of that year, they both were laden with fruit. Both were mature and beautiful trees. No one may have ever known how the two trees differed if the storm had not come to town that year. The day after the winds howled and the rains came down in sideways sheets, only one of the trees was standing. The other was laying on its side, uprooted and dying. One survived the storm; the other did not. What was the difference? The roots. A tree with roots sunk deep into the earth is more likely to withstand the storms that rage. A tree with shallow roots is more likely to topple in the wind... And what good is a dead tree? What fruit does it offer next season? What does it matte...

I had a weird experience today that has caused me to reflect on what I might want to avoid in the future. I invited some people to share in an activity with some of my kids and me in a public venue. One of those whom I had invited said some things to me in front of other guests and my children that should have been discussed in a more private setting. I was concerned about the subject matter, yes. However, after pondering the whole situation, I came to more fully realized that the root of my upset about the whole thing was that it happened in front of my kids and others. What was discussed should have been discussed privately. I thought, at first that I should avoid anything that may upset my guest. Now I have come to think I should avoid keeping company with those who show little prudence and who see the world through a negative lens. It's possible I am blind to some ugly things. It's possible I am ignorant to some sad and unfortunate things. But, I prefer to see beauty in the...

It's been so much fun this summer,though the time is growing short. It always amazes me how quickly time passes. Today, if what might have been had come to pass; we would celebrate Heather's 20th birthday. Instead, those of us who are able, remember her and think about what might have been. I was talking to a sweet friend of mine who recently gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. She told me her relationship with her infant daughter has been touched by my remembrances of Heather and my relationship with her. If you are curious as to how that may be, you may read some of my blog posts from last year or so to get an idea. It is very meaningful to me that Heather's life, though a brief moment on earth, touched Baby's life. With the lives of all of my children: though the moments of their lives spent under my roof seem brief, their impact on my life has been profound. Philip will leave here on September 7th. I remember the day I first put him to my breast like it was yester...

My son Philip will report to the LDS mission training center on 8 September 2010 to serve a two year full time mission in San Bernardino California. I will miss him. Many people have told me it will be more difficult than I think to be parted from him for two years, with only email contact and two phone calls per year. I'm sure they are right. It will be difficult... but... Most people I know haven't experienced the death of a child. I know three other women personally who've lost a daughter, as I have lost one to death in childhood. My mother would have made four, but she is gone now. Knowing your child is parted from you for the duration of mortal existence is painful. There is hope, of course, through the atoning sacrifice of Christ, but death still retains her sting to a degree difficult to bear. On 9 September it will have been twenty years since my husband carried the small casket in his arms from the country church in Harwood, Texas to the cemetery in the field beyon...

 

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...