Batter Up!!!!

Today has caused me to really think about where I am going .  I am so truly blessed to have people in my life that help me and encourage me on my way .  I pray that I may be able to do the same for others .  What is my " blueprint " ?  Is the foundation strong and secure ?  What do I need to do to anchor myself ,  make sure I am strong , secure , and moving forward ?  If we are not moving forward will not achieve the things we want .  Whether  it be spiritual , emotional , financial , physical we must move forward . I believe that when we are what the world says " in the right place at the right time " ,  we are really just showing up on time to receive the blessings that were intended for us .  I believe God wants us to come to him with a plan , a plan that has a foundation , strong walls and roof for protection . He wants to know of our desires big and small . He is waiting for us to lay the blueprint out , to let him know of our intentions and then to take action . I believe that as we ask with humble hearts , and gratitude for the blessings we have been given , he will bless us more than we can possibly imagine .  If we live and make decisions where we want to be ,  rather than where we are at , doors will open , blessings will be manifested , and gratitude will be present .  A baseball player steps up to the plate , swings ,  hits a home run , get on base , or strikes out and goes back to the bench .  Either way , the player steps back up to the plate again and again throughout  his career ,  he does not give up. This is what makes life so wonderful... we can come to the plate again and again , if we strike out , we have not failed .  We simply must redirect ourselves and swing again .  Hank Aaron went 0 for 5 his first time at bat with the Milwaukee Braves. And we all know Babe Ruth is famous for his home run record, but for a long time he held the record for the most strike outs. He hit 714 home runs ,  but he had 1330 strike outs in his career, by which he said " every strike brings me closer to the next home run" . So the key is to not focus on our strikeouts but rather on the next home run. Playing in this game called life , we can strike out , and come back to the plate to get that home run and be grateful to live , this WONDERFUL LIFE !

BELIEVE

When do we stop believing....in things , in people , in ourselves ?  Why are children so eager to believe , but as we get older it sometimes seems impossible to believe ?  I am thinking in anyone has ever stopped believing in themselves it would be me .  When you do a Google search for the word " non-believer " , yeah... you guessed it ...my picture ! A few days ago someone said to me " Take confidence in who you are and what you can do ,  I believe in you. " . The words " I Believe in You "  ring so loud , and so powerful . So powerful they can cause change in us .  E.E. Cummings said  " We do not believe in ourselves until someone reveals that deep inside us something is valuable , worth listening to , worthy of trust , sacred to our touch . Once we believe in ourselves we can risk curiosity , wonder , spontaneous delight or any other experience that reveals the human spirit "  .  I believe That people come in our lives for reasons and not just by chance  .  I believe that sometimes they act as the messenger . The messenger that gives you that glimpse of  who you are ,  and what you are capable of , so that we might know our divine purpose .  I believe we came to this earth , each of us with a divine purpose and a belief  . Somewhere along the journey some of us lose that belief  . We buy in to the lie that we are of no worth , and we lose the spark , the belief, the knowing who we are . Sometimes we just need to hear ,  four simple words  " I Believe In You "  to be able to reach deep inside ourselves and find that core belief and to know we are here with a purpose .  God wants us to believe in ourselves . He wants us to be happy and to succeed in all that we do .  He wants us to help one another along this great journey called LIFE ! Here once again we face the truth ,  the truth that we MUST believe in ourselves , even if we think no one else does . But what a blessing it is to know that someone believes in you . It amazes me to think ,  and more importantly to know that we are all sent here with purpose , That we matter and that we are of worth., divine worth . We need to believe in ourselves and to believe in one another , and to know we are able to create  an absolute WONDERFUL LIFE .

To live with a Purpose

How do we know what our purpose is ?  I have asked myself this to many times to count .  What is my purpose ?  What does God want me to do while I'm on this journey ?  I know my journey was to Love , Serve , Learn , and to Laugh !  I believe that our core purpose never changes . But I believe there are many other things that come in to our life and cause us to live with purpose .  I believe our trials cause us to have purpose .  I believe Humility gives us purpose .  I love to serve with purpose and I will find any reason I can to Laugh !  Tonight I got to see old friends that I have not seen a while .  I LOVE LOVE the Petersen's . But then who doesn't love the Petersen's ! I could talk to Becky for hour's .  And what I love most about her is she makes me laugh !  This is one of my most favorite fun times . We went over to Coronado Island with the Petersen's one summer , one never to forget ! Fun time driving over there...me and Alicia and some of the kids in one suburban and Kevin and Becky in another suburban . We drove at night so when we got to Coronado I had no clue ....and I mean no clue as to the size of the bridge !  It would be the next day when I realized what we had come over on !!  Kevin left the next day ( i think) maybe the second day...He and Rob were both going to fly back over at the end of the week . Not long after getting on to the Island , we pulled up to this mini mansion that Kevin rented for a few weeks. This was a Victorian Home , Beautiful inside and out. But what was to come would make us laugh for the rest of our lives !!  Just NOT during the time we were there. We walked inside and passed thru the  "parlor"  (can I just say Scary!!)  the fire place was grand, but the 2 portraits that hung on both sides were not !  Oh yes they were grand in size and that was it ! One was a painting of a older man and the other was a painting of an older woman .  Yes you got it ...their EYES would follow you as you walked by !  That should have been a clue as what was to come . We walked up the stair case and started choosing bedrooms. Oh the infamous  "wood Room" !! SCARY!!!  Kevin and Becky went into the Master suite and me and all the kids went exploring who was going to go where . We went into one room ,  and i think the girls said they would sleep there . We went into the next room and I said me and the 2 little kids would sleep here...them we passed thru the bathroom to get to the WOOD ROOM!!! floor to ceiling wood paneling . It was dark and it was so far beyond scary !!!  We all ran out , locked the door ,  ran thru the bathroom which led in to our room and then out the door , down the stairs ! Yes it was HAUNTED! We were convinced .  Kevin I think tried to calm us all down but I don't think we did for a bit . So we go to bed and I promise you I never slept that night... I prayed all night long till the sun came up ! SERIOUS!!!  It was like someone was watching you sleep !! That is why , I took the liberty to PRAY my guts out, and never come out from the covers!!  So Kevin leaves the next day.... you got it just me and Becky and all the kids...ALONE  in a haunted house !  That night the kids moved a piece of furniture away from the wall....and what do you think was behind the hutch...yep, a DOOR!!! I kid you not !!  Not just a closet door, NO, it was a door with a long stair case that lead you Down to a cellar ! not a wine cellar, not a cool basement ...no it was a scary cellar, dark and scary !!  Now , there is no question , we are in for one heck of a week... and did I mention,  WE ARE ALONE!!! ...to crazy chic's with a bunch of kids in a haunted mansion ! Bryce I think was the one who went down the stairway ? Could have been Adam or Kustome...I think Tanner was just as scared as all us girls .  One small detail I failed to mention ,  when you walk in you pass thru the parlor ,  huge black and while tile floor . Come to think of it ...the floor was similar to the checkered floor in the clue game!!! aahhh no wonder ,  this place was so , so Haunted !  It had a huge grandfather clock inside the parlor and each time Becky or I would pass by thee clock it would chime! One night me and Becky were standing at the top of the stairway and we heard a baby cry all of the sudden all the kids were running up the stairway...they heard it too!!!! Yes ,  we were officially in a haunted mansion!!  And we had to stay there for 2 more day's with out the guy's . How could we add more excitement you wonder ? I am sure it was a sight to see us go on and off the Island we would hold up traffic as we drove probably 10 miles an hour over the bridge , white knuckled and I do believe we shed a few tears as we would have to drive over the bridge ( to big to high) we were like Lucy and Ethel , with a 9 little tag~ a~ longs ! I love the memories we make especially when we laugh . I can not Imagine life with out laughter and friends.  I love that we can live our lives with purpose, and that we can find new purpose each day.  I am so so grateful to have so much fun in life ,  and to have friends to laugh with . This really is a Wonderful Life !

Through It All

While today may be our last June 1st ,  life still has to move forward . I was thinking about 22 years ago . I had my wedding dress on , and he was in a white tux. .  As we walked up the stairs to be sealed ,  we stopped for a minute before we went in . He told me he loved me and wiped away my tears.  If you know me ,  you know I cry !  We walked into the sealing room and all our Family and friends were there . This was it , we were going to be together forever !  One of the greatest gift's God gives us is the Eternal Family .  I feel so blessed to have 3 wonderful kid's . I am so grateful for the happiness they have added to our Family . I think one of the hardest lessons I have had to learn was that we all are given agency . And that we are given this agency to choose , because our Father in Heaven loves us so much. Often times I have fought that idea and wanted to make him choose us , our Family , to choose me . I know all I can do though ,  is make my own choices . Thru all the heartache, the tears, the laughter, and the smiles ,  I still am so thankful I chose him . There is no one in the world I would rather have spent my life with than him  . I am grateful for all I have . I am  thankful that through trials we are blessed , and when we choose to see what we are truly blessed with ,  we can see...this really is a Wonderful Life