LIfe Happens

Confession: I didn't reach my goal of 10 hours last week.  I was feeling kind of blue and with a little upheaval at work, It took me three days from the time I finished my last drawing until I put a new piece of paper on my easel.  I will correct that problem, from now on one will go up as one comes down.  Another obstacle--I began to feel a little sheepish about the whole blogging thing.  Putting my thoughts and dreams out there for anyone to read is a little unsettling.  But whatever else a blog is, It is therapeutic and  motivating to me.  It helps to put my thoughts into words and makes my goal seem more real.  As I told some friends, a goal shared has BIGGER teeth. So I apologize if any of this sharing seems vain, I am doing it mainly for myself and possibly my posterity may gain something from it in years to come. At least they will know what grandma was thinking.  I'll try to share something uplifting along with my disappointments.  
     In a recent LDS Living magazine, Julie B. Beck (LDS General Relief Society President) was interviewed.  I marched as a Dixie College Rebelette one year with Julie.  I'm sure she doesn't remember me, but she was quite a spectacular girl, even back then.  In the article, Sister Beck was quoted, "Nobody can have everything, and you especially can't have it all at once...There's an opportunity cost to everything."  How do we know if our choices are correct? "First, 'Am I aligned behind the Lord's plan for me'? Is what I'm doing moving me toward eternal life or am I just enjoying my time in Babylon."..."How do I feel? Is the Spirit confirming my choices?...I've learned that the world teaches us that we can have the dream now.  They express the dream as what Adam and Eve had in the garden--you don't have to work for anything and everything is peaceful and happy.  That's really where the adversary still is.  But we chose to have a mortal experience to prepare for the real dream, and that dream is eternal life. Eve was willing to go through a long, hard mortal experience in order to work toward the promise of the dream--I don't think most women realize that.  They're trying to make it be the dream now.  We don't get that here.  What we get here is the experience."
   I've probably lived about two thirds of my mortal life.  I made the choice to have faith and family.  They are my most important assets and my greatest joy.  Wanting to develop the artistic ability I have is just one of my hopes for the future.  I would also like to serve an LDS mission with my husband. I would like to have the means to provide for our old age.  I want to stay connected to and continue to enjoy my family.  And I want to continue serving in the Church. 
   Life happens, but the most important things seem to be in place.  I am blessed and I am happy.