Reading: Jesus the Christ. I decided to end this year with a month of Christ-centered reading. If you have any suggestions, please leave them in the comments section below.
Thinking about: Religion and church and the constant conflict that I feel in regards to what I believe and what I don't believe. It's all very confusing and trying to reconcile all of my thoughts and convictions into one belief system isn't easy. I know I'm a Christian and I know that I love God. That's about all I know, though. The rest of it is just a great big mess in my heart/head right now. I'd like to start going to church again and I'd really like to see Harper learning about Jesus and what's right/not right. I just don't know where we belong. I was raised as a Mormon but don't know if that's the right place for us.
Working on: Accepting Harper's new haircut. She decided that she wanted bangs ("like Matilda") but didn't have the patience to wait for an appointment with our stylist. Apparently, her hair was in her face (that's her story at least) so she just went ahead and cut it herself. Awesome.
Looking forward to: Time Out for Women! My friend Misty and I are going this weekend and I'm really excited. One of my preschool moms is the director of the whole program and invited me to attend the SLC event and I've been looking forward to it for a while now. It's going to be an amazing couple of days, I just know it.
I enjoy reading your blog from time to time. It is so fun to see your beautiful family and watch Harper grow up! You are both beautiful. I rarely comment on blogs, however, today I have not been able to stop thinking about you and this post. I want to share with you what I know in my heart and soul to be true. I know that we are children of Heavenly Father who loves us more than we can really understand. I know that somehow He is able to be aware of each of us and our needs and feelings. He desires us to have eternal joy and happiness in this life. I know that He sent forth His Son, Jesus Christ, to show us the way and to atone for the sins of the world. I know that the Atonement of Jesus Christ heals those who repent and those who experience grief due to the struggles of this life. I know that Christ was willing to make this great sacrifice because of His amazing love for us. I know that Heavenly Father wants us to enjoy eternal families. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. It is my experience that reading it each day brings power into my life--power to overcome difficulties, discern the truth, and press forward when things are difficult. I know that the Holy Ghost is real and is a gift from God that we can have as our constant companion to guide and direct us. I know that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God and that through him God restored the fulness of the Gospel to the earth. I know that Heavenly Father sends forth His tender mercies in times when we really need them. I have felt His love throughout my life. I am so grateful for this knowledge and I share this with you in the name of our Savior. Also, I am a little jealous about Time Out For Women. It looks like it was just awesome!
ReplyDeleteOh her bangs! I did that too when I was her age!
ReplyDeleteI love Thanksgiving. I think it's more family-centered than Christmas. You're focused on what you're grateful for...not presents. Plus football, yummy food, and family! I am annoyed the stores are doing their sales at 5:00pm on Thursday. Let people be with their families!
Congrats on reading "Jesus the Christ". It's really dense. I really liked "Broken Things to Mend" by Jeffrey R. Holland. It is excellent. I think it's great you want to teach your daughter about the Savior and God. Everyone's relationship with him is personal. If you feel that the LDS church is the best way to have her learn those things, then that's fine. You don't need to know everything or all the answers. Nobody does really. Focus on what's important to you and teach your daughter to figure out those things herself too. :)
Just curious, what made you leave the church? Were you older when you did so or did your family just stop going when you were younger?
Love your blog! Sorry for this epicly long comment!
-Jen