Okay, so I'm obviously not perfect and missed several days between blog posts. But it doesn't mean I haven't still been trying to see the tender mercies in my life. Over this last weekend I have had quite a few...laughter (which hasn't happened in way toooo long), reconnecting with a friend, being there for a family member when they needed help, having prayers answered in the form of conversations, websites, facebook posts, and even pinterest, an awesome swimming day with my girls, safe travel, projects going smoother and quicker than planned, and a huge release of guilt! Maybe more on the guilt thing later, since most of us ladies really need to let it go!!!! I am way to tired to go into detail right now about any of these things...maybe tomorrow...maybe not. But know that in my quest for being my best grateful and happy self, I am making progress. I felt and said things this weekend I didn't think I would ever be able to say out loud and it felt awesome! I feel a burden off my shoulders and God's love all around me. He truly is mindful of me and my needs. He is guiding me down some very different paths right now, but I know he won't leave me. And by golly, things are just getting fun!
Changed my mind...more on laughter!
I recognized this last weekend that it's been a really long time since my husband, kids, and I actually did something fun. Just sitting there laughing our heads off fun! I had been wondering why things seemed so gloomy in our home, why we just weren't coping with regular life. Then it donned on me! When was the last time we quit talking about how hard life is, and just did something fun? Something that made us laugh? Ummmm...if I have to think that hard, it's really been tooooo long! So I told my husband that we needed to do something about it. A few days later a friend came into town whom I dearly love and admire (and whose husband can make me laugh at the drop of a hat) and I laughed all night long-till 4:30 in the morning. I felt like a giddy school girl (essential oils had a little do to with it). The next morning-once I dragged my sorry self out of bed-I felt energized and motivated to do something I was scared to do-rip out a wall. We had so much fun! And we laughed some more. I couldn't believe how much it changed my outlook on life. By darn it...I have to find something everyday to laugh at!
At church on Sunday the Relief Society lesson was on being happy. I was taking copious notes! The teacher gave some references to some talks that made me laugh. She quoted (mistakingly) President James E. Faust as saying "If you want or need to laugh and you don’t—if you suppress laughter—it goes to your hips and spreads out." I was busting up. To imagine that man saying that...ha ha ha. I had to find the quote. I looked all over, in the talk she referenced. Couldn't find it. What I did find was a talk by Mary Ellen Edmunds that she gave at Women's Conference in 2004 entitled "If thou are merry, praise the Lord". It's all about humor. It's a great one... absolutely worth reading. http://speeches.byu.edu/?act=viewitem&id=1397 She said that she had heard the thought about suppressed laughter going to your hips. In her talk it was right after a quote from President Faust and appeared to be from the same reference, although it wasn't. Either way, I love the thought (it's going in my kitchen) and I got a great kick out of imaging President Faust saying it. One other quote I loved from this talk was...
"Sister Hinckley had (and I’m sure still has) a delightful sense of humor. She said: “The only way to get through life is to laugh your way through it. You either have to laugh or cry. I prefer to laugh. Crying gives me a headache” (Virginia H. Pearce, ed., Glimpses into the Life and Heart of Marjorie Pay Hinckley [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1999], 107)..."
Love that lady! Crying gives me a headache too.
So my question to you is...When was the last time you laughed and what did you laugh about? Let me hear it! Maybe we can all get a good laugh today!
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