100/100!! #15 The Only Way

Gratitude

I'm so grateful for the last

100 days of being able

to write on this blog.

I'm thankful for a husband

who took on putting 

the baby to bed most

of those nights so

I could do this.

I'm thankful for the

strength I found

in writing about my

life and search to

uncover more strength.

I'm grateful for a 

Heavenly Father who

loves me unconditionally

and for my brother

and Savior, Jesus Christ

and all they have done

to help me uncover

the strength I have

with them.

The Word

Mosiah 3:17

"And moreover, I say unto you, that there shall be no other name given nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent."

On my heart...

Well on my last day of this project

I thought I'd share the only

thing that really matters in

this search for strength.

I have learned and relearned when

I have forgotten that the only

way to have real lasting strength

is to come unto Christ.

He is the way.

Only we are weak,

but with Him we 

are strong.

I have learned this many time,

but still often forget.

I decide to do things my way.

I decide to do things myself.

I have learned that you can't

be strong by yourself.

BUT when I invite Christ

in, I find more strength than 

I ever imagined.

1 Nephi 15:15

"...receive the strength and 

nourishment from the true vine..."

I am taking this scripture

from a question Nephi

asks his brothers.

I love that it says it all.

The true vine is Jesus Christ.

He is where we receive 

strength and nourishment.

If you only get one thing

from all these 100 days

of reading my blog,

I hope you remember 

this one thing.

Christ is the only way.

Come unto Him

and you will find strength.

I know that it's true!

I love my life!

God is good!

P.S. I'm going to be taking a short break from writing.  But don't worry!  I'll be back August 1st with more exciting words!:0)

99/100 #14 Gratitude

Today I'm thankful for...

Today I'm thankful for

all of L's new toys

from her birthday

that keep her busy.

The Word

Doctrine and Covenants 78:19

"And he who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more."

On my heart...

Read this.

There are more great posts

from my Soulful Brillance Sisters.

Go check them out at soulfulbrilliance.com.

Just type "gratitude" in to the blog search.

I'm so grateful for that time in

my life when I worked with my 

sisters to write on my blog.

Gratitude is one of the best 

ways to feel happier and

full of strength.

Heavenly Father really

blesses us with so much,

even in our trials.

We just have to open up

our eyes to see them.

Things I am grateful for:

-spending time serving my grandma

-my amazing husband

-my sweet baby

-that I get to be a SAHM

-being able to write this blog the

last 99 days

-the chance to share the Light of Christ

-the scriptures and words of prophets

-to live in a time with the fulness of the Gospel

-a home to live in

-good working cars

-friends

-family

-a nice bed to sleep in

There is so much more!

When I need strength

I start listing all the things

I am grateful for and 

I am reminded that I

have Heavenly Father

blessing me and guiding

me each day.

I love my life!

God is good!

98/100 #13 People

Gratitude

I'm so thankful for

all the amazing people

around me who help me

find strength and lift

me up when I need help.

The Word

Eccles. 4:9-10

"Two are better than one; because they have good reward for their labor. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellows."

On my heart...

It's been so important 
in my own journey
of uncovering strength
to have good people in my
life who lift me up.
People who help me
work through the tough
times and help me work
through my thoughts.
People who don't judge me
and criticize me, 
but who encourage and
support me.
People who love me 
no matter what and
cheer me on in whatever
I am doing.
Their numbers in my life
have been few, but
they have been key
in helping me discover
my greatness--
my Soulful Brilliance--
over the years.
I have been blessed
with fabulous family
who know me well
and help me.
The best part is
that I always find a
way to help them back.
So we are always
helping and supporting
each other.

I love my life!
God is good!

97/100 #12 Celebrate

Gratitude

Grateful for friends and family

and time out in nature today.

The Word

 Alma 25:17

"And now behold, Ammon, and Aaron, and Omner, and Himni, and their brothren did rejoice exceedingly, for the success which they had had among the Lamanites, seeing that the Lord had granted unto them according to their prayers, and that he had also verified his word unto them in every particular."

On my heart...

Celebrating L's first birthday!

Celebrate your success!

Even if it is something

that seems small

and unimportant.

Every little step you

take and are able to

do is getting you closer

to your end goal.

It helps to celebrate

those small moments

because they remind you

that you are amazing

and brilliant

and can do anything

with Christ.

This is something

I'm going to work on

this week to help me!

I love my life!

God is good!

96/100 #11 Faith

Gratitude

I'm so grateful for the last year 

I've had with this sweet girl!

The Word

On my heart...

Today's post is similar 
to yesterday's post.
We can dream and have hope.
But the big thing we really
need is Faith!
Faith in his timing that
we may not get the
dream we want
when we would like it.
We may have to wait.
For a long time.
We may be tempted
to give up wanting it.
But if we can have faith
in God and His plan
for our life,
we will be blessed
with exactly what we need.

I waited and prayed
and hoped and had
faith that I would
someday be a wife
and mother.
A year ago today
I became a mother.

Then I got to experience
a new level of faith in God's
timing when L was in the NICU
for 16 days after she was born.
I didn't get to cuddle with my
baby in our hospital room.
I didn't get to take her home
when I went home.
She would just start getting
to where the doctors and nurses
would tell us that it would only
be a couple days and then
something else would go wrong.
It was definitely a test of
my patience and faith,
but we got through it.
She came home and
now a year later she's
healthy and energetic.
You would never know
she had a rough start to life.
We're truly blessed!

A month or so ago
I was contemplating the
above quote again and
realized that when I think
about it I tend to think
about God's timing
as a time of waiting
for me because
that is what I've
experienced the most.
However, it could also
be when things happen
more quickly than you
were thinking.
That can be just as
scary and emotional
as having to wait.

No mater which way
it goes--having to wait
or having it happen
quickly--when
I have faith in
God's timing with
things in my life,
I get the most growth
out of those experiences.
They become less of
a "trial" or "hardship"
and more of a
"learning experience."
And thinking of them
in that way helps
me uncover strength
I never knew
I had.

I love my life!
God is good!

95/100 #10 Dream

Gratitude

I'm so grateful for

dreams that do come true

and prayers that do get

answered even if it takes

what seems like forever.

The Word

President Dieter F Uchtdorf
 "The Infinite Power of Hope", Oct. 2008 General Conference
"Hope is not knowledge, but rather the abiding trust that the Lord will fulfill His promise to us. It is confidence that if we live according to God’s laws and the words of His prophets now, we will receive desired blessings in the future. It is believing and expecting that our prayers will be answered. It is manifest in confidence, optimism, enthusiasm, and patient perseverance."

On my heart...

Today I've been thinking a lot about

what I was doing a year ago.

A year ago today I was in the hospital

waiting for L to come into the world.

I had dreamed about having a baby

for many many years.

Sometimes when I'd be 

feeling down, I would

feel like I wanted to give

up on the dream of getting

married to an amazing guy

and having a baby.

But dreaming is so important

in finding strength.

To help me remember my dream

and not give up on it,

I would find pictures like

the one above to put around

my space so I would see

them frequently.

It gave me hope.

And a year ago

my dreams became

my reality.

I married an amazing guy,

and I was having my baby.

Believe in your dreams!

And have hope that 

they will happen.

I love my life!

God is good!

94/100 #9 Service

Gratitude

Today I'm grateful for

little messes and
a little girl

who makes me laugh.

I turn my back for 

two seconds...

The Word

Mosiah 2:17

"And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God."

On my heart...

Need some strength?

Go find someone to serve.

It's hard when you are

feeling depressed or

exhausted, but if

you stop and look

around you can

find something small

and simple to do to 

help someone.

You never know 

what a difference 

you can make for 

someone else.

A text message.

A smile.

A quick call to say hello.

Do it and watch

miracles happen.