Words To Live By

I have been a bit MIA as we definitely got lost in summer this year. It has been too much fun. A very simple fun though. I have 3 pending videos and a million pictures that I should probably get posting but instead I can't help but post some thoughts that have been running through my head these days. Feelings schmeelings. 

It was President Thomas S. Monson's birthday on Thursday and to me he is one of the most inspirational men on this earth. Not just intelligent but witty and very comical. At 87 years old I just can't help but give a little hope and a prayer that I am still going strong at that age!

In preparing a lesson for today I came across a lot of his quotes. Here are a few that stuck out:

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 I remember a man growing up that always hung around up town. He was quite scruffy looking and I think a few of the younger kids my age made up some rumors that he hated kids. You know, kind of like the neighbour from Home Alone? Well, I got older and worked at my dad's pharmacy and would do deliveries to his home. It turned out we were related distantly (in this small town that is generally the case haha) and he quickly became my favorite visit because he was hilarious! He didn't eat children for breakfast and under that massive beard was the kindest man I had ever met. A friend even.

This one is the perfect reminder because I get caught up in ridiculous moments. You know, those moments of doubt, frustration, maybe even a little self loathing? Where you sometimes question if anyone truly cares? Where you find that your world is taking some crazy turns and things are out of control? Where your baby is flipping out and you wonder why on earth you decided to sign up for this job? (okay, maybe that one is mostly personal...) Give it a few minutes though and I remember, "DUHH!" I am really never alone.  HE IS WITH US. How could I forget? I also really like this quote because it isn't just the worst times we should remember He is there but also the best of times. I will remember that next time I win at something or Remi suddenly calms - He is happy with our happiness and He is unchanging.

Not actually from President Monson's talk but from him to another man. I laugh a little at this one because Remi is learning to grab things and anything she grabs goes straight to her mouth, constantly angled down. She is also figuring out her strength but when it fails she looks at her feet in her bumbo or face plants into the ground after she rolls onto her tummy. Her little noggin is just a tad bit too heavy at times! This quote always comes to mind as I laugh and try to have her look up. It's hard to "look up" though when things get too heavy - similar to life.

 This one is a bit personal but I grew up in a home where my dress was black and white. And no, I don't mean we only dressed in black and white haha, I mean that my mother lived by the standards of our church and that was the rule. I never questioned it and never argued as to why. She actually taught me this quote at a very young age and I had it stuck on my mirror that I stared at every day. My friends were all generally of the same religion and did the same as me! It wasn't until I was married did I feel the pressure of dressing outside those boundaries a bit. Fitness, freedom, friends, and finally having money to buy things kind of got the best of me and I'll admit, I tried some things out of my comfort zone. Those things weren't necessarily "bad" but I eventually learned that they weren't for me. I finally understood this quote for myself. Your dress really does reflect you and how you act. Lively, vibrant, beautiful. I like that. I didn't really see it at first but that is what my mother was trying to teach me all along and what she exemplified perfectly.

 This one is just really cute haha. Self explanatory and cute. 

Happy Sunday!