Winner Winner Winner St. George trip
Somewhere between “I do” and the 5 o'clock wake-up alarm that sounded this morning, life lost its luster. The shimmering dreams my wife and I shared when we married in St. George 15 years ago have faded and torn. The rock-solid plans have been ground to sand and our once-sharp enthusiasm worn smooth, casualties of the daily grind and the scars of years.
Sometimes I hardly recognize My Love as the girl I married a decade and a half ago. But she is there, at least pieces of her are. She has been shattered into a thousand tiny pieces by the blunt trauma of carrying a load much too large for any one person to bear: being led to believe that she’s not good enough, not strong enough, not… enough. And sometimes, when life is quiet, I see those pieces like shards of a scattered puzzle urging me to come and put them back together.
So, this year, I want to make my wife whole again. This year I will become the friend and husband she deserves. I will stop being critical and help her stop being critical of herself. I will get on my knees, beg her forgiveness, and help My Love remember the radiant beauty of her spirit and see that she is… enough. And then—together—we will stand.
Happy New Year!
Rob R.
Sometimes I hardly recognize My Love as the girl I married a decade and a half ago. But she is there, at least pieces of her are. She has been shattered into a thousand tiny pieces by the blunt trauma of carrying a load much too large for any one person to bear: being led to believe that she’s not good enough, not strong enough, not… enough. And sometimes, when life is quiet, I see those pieces like shards of a scattered puzzle urging me to come and put them back together.
So, this year, I want to make my wife whole again. This year I will become the friend and husband she deserves. I will stop being critical and help her stop being critical of herself. I will get on my knees, beg her forgiveness, and help My Love remember the radiant beauty of her spirit and see that she is… enough. And then—together—we will stand.
Happy New Year!
Rob R.
Each year for the past 4 years I have chosen a word to center my goals on. This has made accomplishing my goals a lot easier and I remember them better throughout the year. This year I wanted to incorporate the "WORD" into our family. The tough part each year is picking the word that really sticks out. A couple of months ago I was getting my hair cut and in the salon I noticed the word "SHINE". My mind just kept going back to that word the next week.
I began studying the word "SHINE" and wondered if that was going to be my word for 2016. I worried about this word because I didn't want to present it to my family in a proud way. I wanted it to be used to help us improve but not be proud or boastful. That is when I stumbled upon the scripture Matthew 5:16 "Let your light so SHINE before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven." I knew I had found my answer. The word SHINE was just what I wanted to teach my family about, but to SHINE so others can glorify our Heavenly Father, not us.
We talked about the light within each of us and as we follow the commandments that light becomes brighter for others to see. We also talked about how living the gospel is where true happiness lies and when we are doing that our light will SHINE brighter.
So as a family, in 2016, our goals all center around the word SHINE...and no matter what our goals are, our main goal is to do our best and SHINE for others as an example of true happiness. We want to be living examples of joy and let our light SHINE as "an ensign to the nations" in a world full of turmoil.
My mom passed away suddenly a little over a year ago and we are all still learning to adjust to that. She was very close to my kids as their grandma. She always had a huge smile on her face and loved life. Part of our word SHINE also represents what our mom/grandma stood for. We want to SHINE like she did and make every day count so we can some day be with her again. It's the little day to day things that matter most. We miss her dearly!
As my kids grow and my oldest son will graduate and leave on a mission next year, I want to continue to instill in their minds that our most important goals center around our Savior and our family. Our ultimate goal is to return to live as families in heaven so our smaller yearly goals should center around our ultimate goal.
My goals this year include:
1. Attending the temple 3 times a week (once with my husband as one of our weekly dates and 2 times during the school week while my kids are at school.)
2. Track 1000 miles on my Fitbit this year and eat more fruits and veggies
3. Make a scrapbook about my mom.
4. Finish my kids' quilts with their help (quilts that we made using my moms clothes)
5. Learn more about the atonement and it's healing power.
6. Continue doing weekly dates with my husband and take my kids on lunch dates with their mom
7: enjoy each day and find happiness each day and not fear!
Each of us is in a different stage of life and have different goals in mind. I love having a word to help me do my best at my goals. We each get to determine how night our light will SHINE for others to see! We choose each day and I want to make a difference by SHINING and being the daughter of God our Heavenly Father intended me to be!
Thanks for doing this giveaway. You are an amazing lady! You SHINE through this blog and I love reading it! You have made a difference in many lives, but the ones that matter most are those sweet kids you have! Have a great year!
I began studying the word "SHINE" and wondered if that was going to be my word for 2016. I worried about this word because I didn't want to present it to my family in a proud way. I wanted it to be used to help us improve but not be proud or boastful. That is when I stumbled upon the scripture Matthew 5:16 "Let your light so SHINE before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven." I knew I had found my answer. The word SHINE was just what I wanted to teach my family about, but to SHINE so others can glorify our Heavenly Father, not us.
We talked about the light within each of us and as we follow the commandments that light becomes brighter for others to see. We also talked about how living the gospel is where true happiness lies and when we are doing that our light will SHINE brighter.
So as a family, in 2016, our goals all center around the word SHINE...and no matter what our goals are, our main goal is to do our best and SHINE for others as an example of true happiness. We want to be living examples of joy and let our light SHINE as "an ensign to the nations" in a world full of turmoil.
My mom passed away suddenly a little over a year ago and we are all still learning to adjust to that. She was very close to my kids as their grandma. She always had a huge smile on her face and loved life. Part of our word SHINE also represents what our mom/grandma stood for. We want to SHINE like she did and make every day count so we can some day be with her again. It's the little day to day things that matter most. We miss her dearly!
As my kids grow and my oldest son will graduate and leave on a mission next year, I want to continue to instill in their minds that our most important goals center around our Savior and our family. Our ultimate goal is to return to live as families in heaven so our smaller yearly goals should center around our ultimate goal.
My goals this year include:
1. Attending the temple 3 times a week (once with my husband as one of our weekly dates and 2 times during the school week while my kids are at school.)
2. Track 1000 miles on my Fitbit this year and eat more fruits and veggies
3. Make a scrapbook about my mom.
4. Finish my kids' quilts with their help (quilts that we made using my moms clothes)
5. Learn more about the atonement and it's healing power.
6. Continue doing weekly dates with my husband and take my kids on lunch dates with their mom
7: enjoy each day and find happiness each day and not fear!
Each of us is in a different stage of life and have different goals in mind. I love having a word to help me do my best at my goals. We each get to determine how night our light will SHINE for others to see! We choose each day and I want to make a difference by SHINING and being the daughter of God our Heavenly Father intended me to be!
Thanks for doing this giveaway. You are an amazing lady! You SHINE through this blog and I love reading it! You have made a difference in many lives, but the ones that matter most are those sweet kids you have! Have a great year!
And to all the moms out there. These two made me feel calm and ready to face another year as a parent.
My name is Jennifer. I've been working for two years on refining myself and my marriage. On being a giver, more positive and having the strongest marriage possible. This year my goal is to see others more authentically. To recognize and understand that pain and heartache and vulnerability is hard. I want to inspire positivity and change, but I want to have patience as I know inner change does not happen at rabbit speeds.
Lastly, I want to learn to look THROUGH my children to see their vulnerability and be their soft place to fall. Give them space, give them grace, and teach them to love more.
I will not be perfect. I will have tough days. I will be gentle with myself through them...grace not perfection...(my favorite quote from Emily Ley).
Thank you for your story, example and the way you are inspiring change. The world needs more people like this!
Lastly, I want to learn to look THROUGH my children to see their vulnerability and be their soft place to fall. Give them space, give them grace, and teach them to love more.
I will not be perfect. I will have tough days. I will be gentle with myself through them...grace not perfection...(my favorite quote from Emily Ley).
Thank you for your story, example and the way you are inspiring change. The world needs more people like this!
My goal is to slow down and focus on what's important. I have three little girls who need me to just be a mom. I so often worry about having a clean house, worrying about Facebook and instagram and being "that perfect mom and wife" (the list goes on and on) when in reality none of that stuff really matters. I hope I can put the electronics down, let the messes pile if needed and sit down and laugh with my kids. Be a mom who helps them create happy memories they can cherish as they get older and help build them up to be amazing women.
Thank you to everyone who inspired me tonight. I wish I could send all of you on a trip!! Happy New Years. Let us all strive to be a little better than last year, remembering the storms will still rage, the sun will not always shine, and the responsibilities will never seise . . . but there is happiness to be found in every minute. There is love to give in every day. There is joy to be seen, as we step outside of ourselves and be the light that helps others find God's love. It is there. No matter who we are or where we have been. He knows our efforts as we strive to overcome the past, live in the moment, and prepare for the future to fulfill the purpose only He knows He sent us here to live.
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2 comments:
Congratulations Rob R! Those were inspiring words, I hope your wife read them, that would definitely be a great start to a great year for her!
Congratulations Rob R! Those were inspiring words, I hope your wife read them, that would definitely be a great start to a great year for her!
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