Seasons of Life

I have been thinking about life & the different stages that we go through. I am seeing many of these stages right now in my life, some are very happy & care free stages, others are more difficult & challenging. I see my children & the sweet simple life they have with the choices they have to make, what kind of cereal they want, what story they want me to read, what toy they want to play with & the list goes on. I know that these simple choices are not going to last very long for them & then they are going to be making some very critical choices, that really could dictate how their life will go. I hope & pray that we can teach them well enough to make good choices & that they will want to choose the right.

I'm also seeing others lives that aren't quite so carefree, with many stresses & worries of the world set in with age. Jobs, providing for families, money. This is the point where we are. The state of the world right now is a scary place. I'm so thankful for the chance we had to watch General Conference last week. I absolutely loved Elder Uchdorf's message on Hope. How important Hope is in a world of insecurity. It is critical for us to have hope & faith, and to teach this to our children.

I think that one of the most difficult stages of life that I'm witnessing right now is that of old age. My grandparents have been a major part of my life. When I was a little girl, I knew, and I mean I can actually remember 7 of my 8 Great Grandparents. I was 18, when my last great grandma died. So, for me my grandparents have been very involved in, not only my life, but also, in the lives of my kids. I am seeing the heart ache from my dad & his sister's over the quality of life of my grandpa right now. This is such a hard thing for me to see. He feel last winter, and it seems that since he just keeps on falling. He has broken his hip. His legs are so weak that he continues to fall, even with his walker. For the first time in my life he looks like a frail old man. It truly is heart breaking for me to see. This is a man who taught high school for close to 40 years. He was very involved in his community & he is well known & people love him. He has been known for speaking his mind & saying just what he thinks. He has been to almost every sporting event to watch his grand kids play, & he has been known for screaming & saying a few choice words. He has been a hard worker his whole life. He is extremely frugal with his money & has spent alot of his life saving & investing. I know that a lot of you don't know him & don't care, but I do!

These years that we have here are so much more than where we live, what we drive, what kind of clothes we wear, what movies we watch, ect. Life is so much more! I'm going to be having my birthday in a couple of weeks. The reason that I"m mentioning this, is because I feel like I'm going to be a pretty significant age. I am recognizing that as we get older, we tend to feel different about life & especially the different stages that I have already been through. I'm thankful that I'm done with my teenage years. I had incredible friends & I feel like I made pretty good choices through out my high school years. Really, not many regrets! Then I hit 20, I was so unsure about my life, what I wanted to do & where I was going. I hit a few road bumps, about this time. This was about the time, that I decided to serve a mission. Two months before I was to enter the MTC. I went in to re-new my drivers license, & they would not let me have it, due to my vision. Now, I know that most of you, have never had to go through this at such a young age. It was honestly devastating to me! Heart Breaking! I did not know how I was going to live my life, not because I was losing my vision, but at my young naive age of 21, all I cared about was not being able to drive. Believe you me, life goes on, even without a drivers license. I went on my mission. It was an amazing & literally a life changing experience for me. I gained a new kind of confidence I never had. Upon coming home, I had no idea what I was going to do. This is where my aunt Shelley comes into the picture & she found me housing & a job in Provo, & I lived there for 6 years. I had a great time. I was very independent, I had amazing room mates, incredible friends, & awesome opportunities. I was able to do some traveling & see some of the world & experience fun things. Looking back though, there were times that I was unhappy about the fact that I was not married. I moved home in 2001, yes with my parents. I was 27 years old. I lived at home & worked for 6 months. I felt like I needed more out of my life. In January of 2002, I moved up to Moscow, Idaho with my aunt Shelley. My first Sunday at church, there was a certain not-so-young man, who was teaching Sunday School, and afterwards, he just couldn't get to me fast enough. We started dating & the rest is history!

The reason that I have shared my story is, because for me personally, the stages in my life have been times of growth & learning. Now, don't get me wrong I had a lot of fun & I'm so thankful for the years that I had being single. It's so funny, because looking back on them now, if I could go back & change them, I wouldn't! I wouldn't change anything! Because it's through all of these experiences, both the difficult & the happy times, that have made into the person that I am today! And, I have to say, that I am quite comfortable with who I am! Am I perfect, absolutely not! But, I feel like I am continually learning & growing!

I'm thankful for the stages in my life, & I'm thankful that I'm out of many of those stages. I feel like I'm more able to trust my instincts & judgements when it comes to people & situations around me. I am thankful for my friends & for all the support you have given me. Yesterday, Libby I went to the Chiropractor together, yeah it's our girls day! Fun Times! Anyway, as we were going into the office, we were laughing & talking & when we got in there. The Dr. said, I knew it was you two, you should be sisters, with how you act & are with each other. It made us laugh. This is what life is all about! Having good people to share different stages in my life with. What a Blessing!