Developing Eyes to See

 Happy Sabbath!

I've enjoyed feeling the presence of the Holy Ghost today as I've worshiped God at church, worked on indexing Family Search records, and spent time with my family. Today is a Fast Sunday, which means it's a special day for fasting and praying. We have Fast Sundays once a month in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and on those days we have a Fast and Testimony Meeting at church. During a Fast and Testimony Meeting, any member of the congregation is welcome to go to the pulpit and share a brief testimony of our Savior. I chose to do that today, and I shared my testimony of Jesus Christ and the miracles that He makes possible in our lives. It can seem easy to see the big miracles, such as the healing Ryan has been blessed with as he recovers from his brain injury. But if we choose to develop the eyes to see God's miracles in our lives, we realize that there are so many tiny miracles in every aspect of our lives! I challenge you to work to develop your eyes over the next week. What miracles has God blessed you with that you hadn't even noticed?

Today I felt especially grateful for God's help on my most recent weight-loss journey. I've had a LOT of ups and downs with my weight and my health over the years. Last year, I got up the motivation to once again work towards improved health. I wasn't perfect throughout the year, and I still had ups and downs, but overall I lost 40 pounds and increased my physical activity quite a bit. I found that by setting small goals, I made more consistent progress than by just setting one big goal and then feeling overwhelmed by it. I am still on a journey to better health, but I'm grateful that I'm not feeling burned out or ready to give up.

More than a decade ago, I bought a "goal dress" for myself. I thought it would help motivate me to lose weight...but really it just stayed in the back of my closet and gave me a sense of sadness when I saw it... After so many failed attempts, I didn't think I could ever fit in that size of dress... Well, I wore that dress today! I have not been this size since before I had Nicole! I'm so grateful for the little miracles that the Lord has blessed me with to make it to this point!

 

Ryan has still been dealing with a lot of unpleasant side effects from medications, and we are still working to find the right balance/treatments to help him. Despite his persistent depression and other struggles, we had a pretty good Christmas this year. We loved our annual Christmas tree hunt, where Nicole drove a pick-up truck for the first time. (Huge thanks to our wonderful neighbors for lending us their truck!)

For Nicole's Sweet 16, she invited a dear friend of hers to come stay with us for a week (I didn't include pictures of Nicole's friend to respect her privacy). Cole chose to have edible cookie dough instead of a birthday cake this year, so I made three different kinds of cookie dough (all gluten-free, of course). We had many adventures, including skiing, making and decorating yummy treats, and a day-trip to Salt Lake City. There were so many small miracles that allowed these awesome experiences, and we are so grateful!

 

 

 

 

For the first time this year, we stood in a long line so that Becca could sit on Santa's lap at our community Christmas festival. She was so excited about that! :) Becca received a cake decorating kit for Christmas, and she is loving using it! We learned how to make frosting roses by watching YouTube videos. :) And Becca just decorated a small cake entirely on her own (I didn't even help her fill the piping bags)! Oh, and Ryan gave me a crepe griddle for Christmas, so I've been having fun in the kitchen, too. ;) I sure do love crepes!

 

 

This new year has started out incredibly busy! Last fall I lost my job as a VIPKid teacher (oh, how I miss my sweet students!), and at the end of December I received the news that I was going to be hired by BYU-Idaho to correct English assignments. So in January I started that part-time, working-from-home job, which I am loving! I really appreciate the flexibility of being able to work when I can and still tend to my family's needs. Also in January, I started an online chemistry course -- the first step in getting the prerequisites for the nursing program. It's been almost ten years since I've taken a college class, so this is a pretty big leap for me! But I'm loving it so far, and I'm so glad I can take online classes -- technology is amazing! And then, towards the end of January, Miss Becca dislocated and broke her toe! :( Amazingly, having a broken toe has not slowed that girl down in the slightest! After a few days of forced relaxation, she bounced right back to her usual energetic self. Another set of miracles have encircled us throughout this experience!

In between all of the craziness, we have made time to attend the temple. We LOVE having the Pocatello temple open nearby! And we try to savor the small joys, such as Cole's artistic talents, and Cole teaching Becca how to ride Heelies. :D :)

Life really is a roller coaster. Make the effort to see God's hand in all aspects of your life, and I promise you'll find more joy in your journey! *hugs*