Lifting the Burdens

Forgive me as I "detour" once again when writing a blog post. I've had many thoughts come to my mind these past few weeks.

How many times (a day) do I "beat myself up" because I don't possess "super powers" that allow to me say "yes" to every single person who "needs" a yes in their life? How many times do I look in the mirror and say to myself "I can't help because it won't be enough (so I can't do anything at all)." How many times do I look at someone else and think "how come I'm not (descriptive adjective) ... like them?" (The answer is, way too many times!!) I, more than I care to admit, find myself quite easily slipping into these lines of thinking.

But recently, my somewhat limited perspective changed.

"Hands often speak as voices can’t. A warm embrace conveys volumes.
A laugh together unites us. A moment of sharing refreshes our souls. We cannot always lift the burden of one who is troubled, but we can lift them so they can bear it well."

When I heard the sister speaking share this simple, yet profound insight (along with an excellent talk!), a flood of thoughts rushed into my head and my heart...

No matter how much we want our lives to be "perfect and uncomplicated" - it never will be. Life's highway is full of challenges, trials, and blessings. (Want to know the difference between a weed and a plant? The location. Same can be said about a challenge and a blessing!) It's during these crazy moments that we learn and grow the most.

It's easy to feel like we don't have the time, talents, or means to help lift others. But that doesn't mean that we shouldn't take the time to stop for a moment and think about what we can do to care for ourselves. Sometimes the person that needs the most love is US!

We often look at others and simply see the "exterior" - how they look, how they dress, how they present themselves - and all too often forget the "interior" - how they truly feel, what they worry about, what makes life worth living. We should never be quick to judge, but rather be quick to care (especially when sometimes we wonder if it is enough or if it will mean anything at all!)

We don't have to solve a problem to be helpful - sometimes the smallest thing turns out to be the BIGGEST thing to someone who is struggling. (I can't tell you how many times the smallest thing turns out to a "life preserver" during a time I feel that I am sinking!) It doesn't take much to listen, laugh, and love and for it to be meaningful and even cherished - which may be the very thing they need to keep going (so they can bear well their burdens).

Often, God touches our lives through another person and even more often, God touches our lives by asking us to reach out to another person. We should take more care to consider and follow the strong promptings and gentle nudges from the Spirit.

 Lost and Found, image by Greg Olsen

As I was once told:
Even though life is hard, keep going. Even though sometimes life may not feel like its worth living, keep trying. Each day is a new day. In the end, it will all be worth it.

Sarah

Eyes of a Child

I've been helping out in the Primary recently and have absolutely loved helping wherever they need me. I believe that I need and learn so much more in Primary and from these children then they do from me!

Today was no exception. The class was small, filled with lively but sweet little five year olds. It was definitely a rare opportunity for me to be the only teacher and at first I really doubted that I had anything "of value" to offer these children. I silently prayed all through music time about what would be the most important thing to teach these kids.

At the end of music time, I still didn't have any idea that I felt 100% good about teaching. Just before heading to class, the Primary President handed me a box of activities that I might possibly use. I quickly glanced through it while heading to our class and immediately knew where to start the lesson.

After the opening prayer (one of the sweetest little prayers!) I took a deep breathe and opened my mouth. I really felt "clumsy" compared to these children as we talked about missionaries - their answers truly blew me away (and made me smile too!)

Then the most amazing thing happened when we started talking about how we can all be missionaries (even though we may not be old enough yet). The most peaceful feeling came over the entire class as we talked about how bearing our testimony is a powerful tool when it comes to sharing the gospel. There aren't any words to express how the rest of class went, it was truly an amazing experience. The innocence and love I felt from each child is one that I always treasure when I'm with these kids.

It is these children and my experiences with them that inspired me today.

Sarah

"To truly see the beauty in life one must simply look into the eyes of a child."

 Click image to enlarge

 Images by Tacie Wright and Jason Lee

Finding Ourselves

For the past few months, I've simply not known what to write. At times I wonder why we felt so strongly about adoption last summer. The process is slow and at times confusing, but I've soon come to realize that this process isn't so much about "finding our children" but "finding ourselves."

Dream Castles. Image by Greg Olsen

Finding ourselves is not an easy nor a quick process. There are times when we feel like we have conquered one mountain in our life only to turn around to face another (that sometimes seems even more daunting!) There are times when it would seem so much easier to throw our hands up and simply stop - give up - quit trying.

This week I've definitely been reminded how important it is to keep going, sometimes during the most seemingly "random" of times.

• Inspiration for a character in my story becomes deeply personal and draws me to a talk by President Thomas S. Monson. (He defines "enduring" as "to withstand with courage.")

• In a book about running they note that the first "10 minutes are the toughest" - if you can push past that, its much easier to keep going (and that much more rewarding!)

• A general conference talk used by a sister during a visiting teaching visit notes that blessings can come from our challenges and can even "more than compensate for any cost" and that a "foundation of faith ... takes time to build."

It was during an especially hard moment that I realized: Our children (whenever and however they come) are special - so special that their parents need a little extra help before they can come! (I can just imagine them saying to each other, "Boy, our parents are taking a loooong time!!")

It is for them that I keep trying doing*. I keep going forward, allowing my Heavenly Father to help me become a better person through my challenges, and begin to find myself one piece at a time so that I can one day be the mother of these special souls.

Sarah


* Trying: "make an attempt or effort"
Doing: "perform, act, accomplish"

Read President Monson's talk here
Read President Eyring's talk here