A Tough Day

Today has been a tough day. When I began my prayer I was not even sure what to pray for because I was struggling so much. I want whatever the Lord wants for me, and I also want to do all I can to care for and comfort my family while that privilege is still mine. However, even when I am optimistic, the stress of what will we do can be hard. So I finally decided that when we struggle perhaps the best thing we can pray for is the patience to make it through the tough days.

I am so grateful for my testimony in a Loving Heavenly Father that enables me to have comfort when things are difficult.

Faith, Hope, and Charity

When I first began to study the scriptures I would read that Faith Hope and Charity were related. I understood a little about Faith and Charity, but I didn't even understand what Hope was. I knew what it was to hope for something, but what did that have to do with Faith and Charity. Over the past few years I have began to understand that Hope is one of the most precious gifts that we have been given and that the scriptures help us to have Hope. What exactly than is Hope. Well Hope is exactly that Hope that after all we have done ( the good and the bad) that the Atonement will work not just for someone else, but that the Atonement will work for us. Hope is the gift that despite our mistakes, our transgressions, and our sins that we can apply the atoning blood of our Savior to our lives. Hope is never giving up on those we love and Hope is never giving up on yourself.


Charity is the pure love of Christ. Hope says that Christ's love applies to each and every one of us.

Faith is the belief that we lived before we came here as spirits, that this life is for us to learn, and that after this life we can live with our Father in Heaven who loves us with our families and friends we also love. Hope is never giving up on our Faith because we Hope that as we are going through this life and learning that we can apply the Atonement to our lives.

Isaiah 5:25

25 Therefore is the anger of the Lord kindled against his people, and he hath stretched forth his hand against them, and hath smitten them: and the hills did tremble, and their carcases were torn in the midst of the streets. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

Hope is believing that when we sin there is a Father in Heaven waiting for us to turn to Him and He is ready to help us and He loves us.

I don't want to make bad choices, but like most everyone who is subject to an earthly body even the best of intentions sometimes get pulled apart by the smallest things when I am overloaded with stress or I am really tired or hungry or perhaps I am struggling with something that someone said to me that was cruel. I have off days and sometimes off weeks, but I hope and pray that I will never give up on myself because I know that through all my mistakes I have a Father in Heaven who loves me and is waiting with His hand stretched out still.

Homeschool and Homesteading

Our homeschool experience like so many other experiences in our life and like the experiences of so many other homeschool families in an evolving process. Sometimes we find something that we really like and enjoy doing and other times we put time and money into something that is just a complete bust. I have to say that one of the things that has cost us a bit of money and is a very real part of our homeschool experience is our homestead, however it has not been a bust. Our experiences on our homestead have been very rewarding and we have learned and lot and we continue to learn a lot every week. I am so grateful for the experiences we have here.

Sometimes I have to remind myself of the great blessings we have had here (like some mornings when we have to unfreeze the water pipes).  However, I don't have to do it too often because we love our experiences here.

In the Doctrine and Covenants in Section 88 verse 118 we read: "And as all have not ^afaith, seek ye diligently and ^bteach one another words of ^cwisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best ^dbooks words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith."

Here on our homestead we have been learning and teaching each other, and I am so grateful for all we have been able to do together as a family. We have moved large piles of rocks and a lot of dirt. We have pulled out fence posts and burned tumbleweeds. We have built walls in our cabin and built and rebuilt shelves. We installed tiles and we have hung, textured, and painted drywall. We installed windows and dug trenches. We raised chickens and pigs. And through it all we have learned and grown together as a family while we learn. We saw hearts soften and miracles as we purchased this land, and so with confidence that our Father in Heaven was watching over us we moved here to begin our Homesteading Homeschool experience 8 months ago.

Unemployed Again

It has been 9 years since we have faced unemployment. We saw this one coming, but we were unable to find a new job before the ax fell. In addition, we now have our homestead that we have been working on that we don't want to abandon. We are hopeful that we will be able to find a job that will pay our bills and allow us to keep our homestead. We continue to move forward, and when I feel discouraged I just remeind myself (usually out loud because that works better) that faith and fear cannot co-exist.

I am so extremely grateful for a Father in Heaven who I know loves me. I hope and pray that I live worthy to receive answers to my prayers. I hope and pray that my husband and I can find a solution to our current employment problem. I know that living on our homestead has drastically reduced our cost of living and moving elsewhere will increase our cost of living. This is especially true if we still have the payments on our cabin and our property in addtion to an home where we find work. We understand that a lot of people live seperate lives when they have to get a new job. I really don't want to have to go with that option. Although it might seem okay at first, I know that the stress on our family would be really hard. And yet many families are left with no other option. A friend of ours was living without his dear wife as she was taking care of her grandchildren while their daughter went back to school and work following the death of her husband. Tough trials like this seem to be the norm instead of the exception as an increasing and steady pace.

I am grateful for the scritptures and for Temples because these things help me to feel comfort during my times of trials.