Expressions of Love

A little something that lifted my soul today. Enjoy friends!

$20.00 MOVIE GIFT CARD GIVEAWAY!

Ok so WHO DOES NOT JUST LOVE A GIVEAWAY!?  

You will get a $20.00 Gift Card to Cinemark Theaters!

This is how this works

RULES: AND YOU MUST FOLLOW ALL OF THEM!

1- You MUST follow this blog!

2- You must share this post on FB or Twitter and invite others to follow this blog as well!

3- Leave a comment ON THIS BLOG telling me you did these things, AND tell me why you think you should win!  

You do not need to know who I am!  I will mail the GiftCard to the winner!

My blog is to lift the souls of others, and giveaways are always a great way to do it!  And of course they are fun!  Good luck!  And I will be picking the winner on September 8th!

Love

I had the pleasure of having my father come over this morning.  He is always fun to have around.  My children love him, he is smart and fun to talk to.  We got on the topic about how you really start to understand what love really is.

As a child I remember having this enormous love for my parents.  I would cry when they left to go on a date, and eagerly await the moment they would come home.  When I was sick I desperately wanted my mother at my side.  Her just being near me helped enormously.  I remember feeling so comfortable wrapped in a blanket snuggling with my father.  Those are moments I treasure and love to remember.  Moments that went by far to quickly.  And I remember loving them with all my heart and soul.  And I still do.  As a child, that is what love was to me.  Simple, comfortable and blissfully innocent.

As a teenager, I always had a crush on someone.  It would change from week to week.  I read some journal entries not long ago, and oh my how dramatic and silly I was.  I thought I knew what love was.  I remember when a boy I said I "loved" went on an LDS mission.  I cried and told my father that I loved this boy.  My father laughed and said, "Laura, you really don't understand what love really is."  I of course knew he was wrong, and I was smart and I knew exactly what I was talking about. LOL, right?  My father then said this, "Laura you are in love with the idea of being in love."  Oh how wrong I thought he was.  Didn't he realize that I knew everything already?  I had so much to learn.

Then as I grew into and adult, and found my first love.  He was someone who came into my life very unexpectedly.  And changed my life forever.  I did love him.  I was in love with him.  But he was dangerous, and was a "predator" in my parents eyes.  But there was nothing they could say or do to change my mind.  And I remember a specific conversation  I had with my mother.  She was trying to warn me.  I had made the decision to move to where this man had moved for school.  My mother did not want me to go.  She was telling me how much she loved me.  And how she wished I would reconsider and wait to move, at least until this man and I were married.  We were engaged at this point,  and I would come to find out later how much the engagement devastated my family.  Because this man was NOT good for me.  She began to tell me that she was worried, she did not want me to go.  She told me, "Sweetheart, I would go to hell to get you if I had to.  I love you that much."  I still made the choice to go, and since she loved me, she did her best to support my decision.  And onto a dangerous adventure I went.  But my mother was right and I would later need her love and support more than ever only 5 months later, when she came to my hell and retrieved me from it's fiery realms.  I understood a little more about love then.

When I was 23 I met a man, a wonderful, handsome, smart, spiritual and just all around amazing man.  He fought for me when I felt weak or scared about our relationship.  He loved me, he really loved me.  And I fell in love with him, a love I never thought I could feel again, a love that was beyond my comprehension of love.  He and I decided to get married.  We chose a date made all the arrangements, he gave me a beautiful ring, and we were sealed in the Salt Lake City Temple for all time and eternity.  He gave me the Temple marriage that I always wanted.  Something I almost missed out on.  And I understood that my father had been right, I did not know what love was when I was 17 years old.  And now that I had my husband, I knew.

When I was 25, I gave birth to a beautiful little girl.  The moment I heard her cry, I began to sob.  My baby, she was my baby!  I stared at her, and I then knew what love truly was and is.  The love you have for a child is something that you cannot describe with words.  It is overwhelming and joyous!  It is remarkable.  At that moment I understood what my mother meant when she said, "I would go to hell to get you if I had to."  I understood what love really was that day.

I have 2 children now.  The love I have for them grows and grows.  I amazed at the love they have brought to my life.  And now as I cuddle my children, or comfort them when they are sick, or sad.  When they cry when I leave for an hour or 2, I remember the love they also have for me.  And I am thankful for love of all kinds.  And as I look at my children, I am reminded that, as much as I love them, I know it is only a glimpse of the love that our Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ have for everyone in this world.  I know that my children are a gift.  And I am forever thankful for this gift.  

My favorite scripture:

1 Corinthians 13:1-13If I speak in the tongues of men and angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a tinkling symbol.  And if I have prophecy and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.  And if I dole out all my goods, and if I deliver my body that I may boast but have not love, nothing I am profited. Love is long suffering, love is kind, it is not jealous, love does not boast, it is not inflated. It is not discourteous, it is not selfish, it is not irritable, it does not enumerate the evil. It does not rejoice over the wrong, but rejoices in the truth    It covers all things, it has faith for all things, it hopes in all things, it endures in all things. Love never falls in ruins; but whether prophecies, they will be abolished; or tongues, they will cease; or knowledge, it will be superseded. For we know in part and we prophecy in part. But when the perfect comes, the imperfect will be superseded.   When I was an infant, I spoke as an infant, I reckoned as an infant; when I became [an adult], I abolished the things of the infant.  For now we see through a mirror in an enigma, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know as also I was fully known.  But now remains  faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Respecting Those Around You

 I had a conversation yesterday with a good friend.  We talked about lots of different things, and I really enjoyed talking with her.  We also talked about how people should always respect other peoples beliefs, even if they don't share the same beliefs.

In this world today it seems no one can really respect one another, it is as if you are not supposed to love those around you if they don't think like you do.  But that is SO WRONG!  I have many friends of different beliefs, weather it is their religious belief that is different or political beliefs that are different, we don't all think and feel the same way.  But they respect me in my beliefs, and I respect them in theirs.  And that is how it should be.  But when you watch the media, that is not how it is.  People are more interested in showing their hatred for those who don't feel the same way they do.  And I have a hard time understanding why someone would rather hate?  It is as if you are not supposed to love someone who is not like you.  But I have always been taught love the sinner, not the sin.  Because we are all sinners.  We all make mistakes in this life, so should we just continue to hate?  I know that God loves all of us, regardless of our mistakes.  Of course I believe that he hopes we become stronger and do our best to be  good people, and I think we are responsible for correcting/repenting for our sins.  But he has given us the way to do so through our Savior.  So that way we are not left here completely helpless in this life.  I love all my friends, they all mean a lot to me and I hope to never offend them.  But I know that they know who I am, and they respect me for who I am.  It is so nice to have that.  We may not all share the same beliefs, and we may not live our lives the same way.  But we respect one another for who we are, and  we love one another for who we are.  And that is how it should be.

Peace in Forgiveness

We all make mistakes in this life.  And when we make these mistakes how do we get past them?  We can let it rule our life and let it cause us continual grief, or we can rule that mistake, learn from it, and become better.  I always try to rule the mistake, so then I can move on and become a better person.  I hope that we can all try to do this.  May we seek the forgiveness that can heal us, the forgiveness that has been made possible by the only perfect being, through our Savior Jesus Christ.  May we always come unto him.  May we allow him to buoy us up.

 My heart aches for those I may have wronged in my life.  I pray they know my sorrow for my false.  I pray they can forgive me. I pray that my father can forgive me, for all  my imperfections.  May I always try to be an example of peace and love, as my Savior would want me to be.  I love him, I believe in him, I will continue to come unto him.  He is the light and life of the world.  It is in him that we can all find that true eternal happiness we all desire.  Everyone in this world seeks for happiness and peace.  I pray that I can help others feel the peace and love that this Gospel has to offer.  May we be the peacemakers of this world.  And allow ourselves to be healed through the atonement of God's only Begotten Son, our Brother, Redeemer, our Savior Jesus Christ.

I hope that the video can bring you peace and comfort as it has me.  I love you all.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=coef8G5ax6E&feature=related

Stop, and be Thankful

Do you ever have those moments where you stop and think for a minute, "WOW! This is my life!" Whether for the good or the bad?

I remember being a teenager and wondering where I was going to be when I was older. Wondering if I was going to get married and have children before I was 30. Wondering if my husband would be cute, and if I would have boys or girls? I remember also thinking that it would be a long time before any of that happened. And well, here I am! I am married to a very handsome and WONDERFUL man! And I have the 2 cutest little girls imaginable! And 10 years ago, I could not have imagined it being this great! The love you have for your children is not something you can imagine, until you have them. And once you do know that love, WOW, how can you ever describe it in words!?

Then there are those moments when you say, "WOW, this is my life?" Like today when I was walking through the store looking at things I wish I could buy, but can't. And I start to feel bad for myself because I have a small house, with only 1 bathroom. I don't have the money to go on trips, or do all the fun things that I want to do. I start to complain and wish I had more. And then I stop and think about how silly all those "things" are. And I am thankful for what I have, I may have a small house, but it is my house. I may not be able to just grab things off of the shelf and buy it, but I have what I need! I may not be able to go on all the trips I would want to, but I have fun with my family here at home! I am able to stay home with my children, and that my friends is so worth it to me. How blessed I feel to be able to do that. And how thankful I am to my husband for making it possible. He works so hard to provide for us, and I love him dearly and deeply for that.

May we always remember that we all have a purpose in this life.  May we always being willing to get down on bended knee and thank our Heavenly Father for what we have.  Though there will be times in our lives when we are faced with challenges we are not sure we can overcome, let us remember to turn to the one who bled and died for us.  Let us remember that we are always welcome in the arms of our Savior.

So even though we all have those moments when we feel bad for ourselves, we need to remember to stop and be thankful.

I hope you enjoy the video below. And I hope you can also live by the motto of Thanksgiving Daily.

It has been a while, I have been in a spiritual low for some reason.  It has weighed on me a lot, and I have not expressed this with anyone really.  So I thought maybe I would write about it.  We all go through times where we feel out of it.  I think it is just a way for us to find our way again.  I am not lost, but I am just......out of it.  I keep waiting for something to bring me back up, but maybe that is the wrong approach.  Maybe I am supposed to work for it harder than before.  

 

Recently I ran in a 5k, and I had the pleasure of meeting a wonderful lady.  She and I talked until it was time to run, and we talked about things, that I would not normally talk about with a stranger.  But she was just a warm person, and her love for the Savior emulated from her.  And I think were it not for her, my run would not have gone as well.  I think that our Heavenly Father puts people in our paths to help us be more than we think we can be.  And it was the best run of my life so far!  I felt like I could go on and on,  and I know it was not because of physical strength.  So to this lady for helping me have the spirit with me as I ran, Thank You.

When we feel like our lives are not as exciting as we want them to be, or not as fulfilling as we think they should be, those are the times when we need to stop and re-evaluate ourselves.  When we need to step back and see what we need to change or improve. 

I have attempted to post on things of this nature for a few months, but, I never feel that what I write is post worthy.  I hope that by posting this, I can help myself, and maybe someone else.  

Regardless of this spiritual low....I can testify to you, that our Savior Lives.  I know that he wants me to feel the peace I am longing for.  And I know that it is through him that I can find it.  In Luke 8:46-48 it reads, 

  ⁴⁶And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me.

 ⁴⁷And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling, and falling down before him, she declared unto him before all the people for what cause she had touched him, and how she was healed immediately.

 ⁴⁸And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.

This is a passage that has touched me many different times, for many different reasons, in many different ways.  I hope you can also feel the peace it brings.  Because brothers and sisters, He is just waiting for us to come unto him.  What are we waiting for?  I hope that we can always remember the sacrifice that was made in our behalf.  I pray that peace can be with you all.  I love you all.  "My peace be with you this day, and always."