simple inspiration

about a dad

The night before John was to leave on a business trip last week Loaf curled up to snuggle and after a few minutes started vomiting on him.  I marveled as he calmly caressed her head and waited until she finished. It was an awesome sight.

I thought back to when Whitney was a baby and John's dry heaving the first few times he changed her diaper or cleaned up her vomit.  It was a lifetime ago and now he is the champion of disgusting things. Of course this is not the reason I love this darling man, although it is a good one.

After 21 years of marriage I have come to know this gentle man inside and out.  I can tell when he walks into a room what he is looking for without him having to say anything. I smile at his quirks and feel eternally grateful for his strengths.  He comforts, protects, inspires, guides, serves, and blesses our lives in too many ways to innumerate.  He treats me with respect and honor.  He loves me more and more each day.  I don't know how it's possible with all my flaws, but he does and he tells/shows me in ways that make my heart swell with gratitude.

His greatest desire is to serve God and his family.  He loves to spend time with us, to be with us.  If I had the ability to express with words my love for him more powerful words would not be said, but instead I fumble over this simple expression.  He is a giant among men.  His quiet manners leave him in the background observing and serving.  His love not only for all of us extends to everyone he meets. He genuinely loves all people.

I love you darling husband and father of my children.  Thank you for choosing me.

my temple (free download)

I marveled at its spires. My little girl fantasy of princesses and castles presented a modern day fairy tale of the life I would some day lead.  It was my temple, the Salt Lake Temple, and someday my dreams would come true.

I thought about those feelings as I preparing my Relief Society lesson. I taught  last week:  "Chapter 10: Come into the Temples"  and I made this sketchnote that I refered to during the lesson.  It was so helpful for me as my mind was a little fuzzy from being my first time out of the house since my surgery. I was experiencing a little censory overload and fatiuged.  However I was so grateful to be a church again and I loved preparing for my lesson.

Since those first moments I have always had a kinship to the Salt Lake Temple,  my ancestors helped build it (one example here). I was married within it's walls, as were my parents and my grandparents. Generations of families have been linked with the sacred ordinances that take place each day.

It's my temple.  I feel possessive about it, not because I think no one else should enter in, but because I have had such sacred and special expereinces that have blessed and changed my life.

However, I rarely visit my temple these days.  Instead I worship in the Bountiful Temple a little closer to home and although I have been within it's walls hunderds of times I have had a hard time feeling a connection to this temple  until the big boys sealing.  This beautiful temple suddenly became mine.  A sacred place that I would always cherish and a place that I yearn to go.

I thought about these feelings as I decided to start a new project (I hardly need a new one, but I started it none the less). I drew a simple outline sketch of the Bountiful Temple and I'm going to create a simple book of all the temples I have been able to be in and record a few of the special experiences and feelings I had within the walls, making it my temple.

It's going to be a slow project, I can't imagine I would get more than one temple done a month and the sketches are just that sketches, nothing fancy.   If you are intersted in something more dimensional I noticed this designer had some lovely digital images available.  I printed this first page on a old 6.5" x 9.75" Rusty Pickle album (they are no longer in business sorry) that I've had in my storage bin.  

I also created these 4x6 tags as a lesson handout.  Both files are included in the zipped download, as well as the original png.  Enjoy.

Download Akimball_temple_Bountiful 

 

lazy morning

These two are usually the last to get out of bed and they usually spend a few hours in my bed in transition.  It's part of their morning routine.

When Loaf saw the camera she immediately wanted to give Dash a kiss and to have her picture taken in the process.  I was happy to oblige.

Dash's love for Loaf shines in his smile.  These two have become really good friends this year. They fight and argue, but they are best buddies and it's been wonderful to watch their relationship grow.

After each camera click they want to see the resulting image.  Dash loved them so much he wanted to give Loaf a kiss.  Their expressions make me smile.  Such love and happiness, wonderful little siblings.

Later that morning, after I had made the bed, Loaf climbed back into the bed with some crackers she pilfered from the pantry.  This is the resulting conversation:

"Loaf, you're making a mess on my bed."

"Sorry"

"Well, quit it."

"Okay, I'm NOT sorry."

Love this sassy girl.

 

family: our greatest work

(part of my mother's family)

“Brethren and sisters, material possessions and honors of the world do not endure. But your union as wife, husband, and family can. The only duration of family life that satisfies the loftiest longings of the human soul is forever. No sacrifice is too great to have the blessings of an eternal marriage. To qualify, one needs only to deny oneself of ungodliness and honor the ordinances of the temple. By making and keeping sacred temple covenants, we evidence our love for God, for our companion, and our real regard for our posterity—even those yet unborn. Our family is the focus of our greatest work and joy in this life; so will it be throughout all eternity, when we can ‘inherit thrones, kingdoms, principalities … powers, dominions … exaltation and glory’ (D&C 132:19).”

(Elder Russell M. Nelson, “Set in Order Thy House,” Liahona, Jan. 2002, 82)

forger

Brick is an independent little man.  He likes to do things his way and in his time frame.  This past year he has had a little reading chart that I was to initial when he completed reading his book proficiently.  He would become quite irritated with me when I would tell him that he needed to keep the book one more day before passing it off.  

Then one night at the dinner table he learned something brilliant as he listened to his sisters tell John the reason they never let him sign any of their school papers: they forge his name.  They all decided that my name was too difficult to forge and so when they remember and need something signed they come to me, but if they forget a reading log or something trivial at school they forge his name.  Not having John sign gives credibility to their forged signatures.  

We laughed and laughed.  Now please don't misunderstand, we are not encouraging our children criminal activities, but there is a ridiculous amount of paper signing that happens day to day with each of the children.  Our girls are great students so their forging plan makes sense.

Little boy Brick saw this as the perfect solution to his pesky mother problem and this is what I found several days later:

Little man got tired and decided to forge my initials.  All I could do was laugh. I did try with my stern mother look to chastise him.  However clearly it did not work because I found another forged signature a few days later.  After serious conversation the forgery ended, but not without photographic evidence of the crime.  

I sure do love these criminals of mine.  

scriptures defiled

My parents gave me this set of small scriptures when I started my freshman year at the University.  This compact set went with me to all my classes as it sat in my backpack with all my other books.  I learned great truths from it's pages as my life changed. I married, started my family, moved a few times.  These precious words followed me from one event to another adding peace to my life.

Then one Sunday while teaching a group of young 14-15 year old girls the unthinkable happened.  I let a couple of the girls use my scriptures for the lesson.  It was a lovely lesson and each of the girls participated.  As I was preparing for bed that night I opened up my scriptures to find scrawled within the pages the most vile words and statements I had ever read.  I wept as I found page after page of hatred written over the word of God.

These blessed friends had been defiled and I felt violated.  I ripped the pages out and threw them away, but every time I looked at these books I felt only sadness and betrayal. How could something so beautiful suddenly be a filled with such darkness for me? When I opened up the book all I could see were the horrible things and not the beautiful message of hope and peace. I wanted to throw the whole book away. I didn't want to be reminded on a daily basis of the hurtful words. Besides how could one read from the texts with so many pages missing here and there.

John in his wisdom encouraged me to keep this precious volume of scripture that had been such a big part of my life.  He said they were still good and of value.  I didn't know how it would be possible, but I put my trust in his judgement and kept them.

Years later this particular set of scriptures is still used in our home.  It's in the bathroom and when someone soaks in the tub this is the set they can pull from the drawer and read from.  Long soaks (and occastional plunges in the water as you can tell by the warped pages) have been filled with great power as the word of the Lord pours from it's pages.  I weep as I write these words because I still feel the sadness of that day, but amazingly I don't remember the exact words that were so meanly written.  The Lord has helped me forget (a tender mercy)and taught me a great lesson.

I understand that like these scriptures we each have our horrible moments, our mistakes and sins.  We each have things than need to be torn out of our lives so that we can be made pure once again.  Sometimes the cost of repentance is great and painful. Often it feels hopeless, but we can not give up.  We can move forward through the pain.  The Lord will always be by our side and His strength and power will pour from His words to lead, guide, and bring peace to our lives.

Whenever I look at these scriptures I always remember.  Some scars are like that, ever present and visible, however the pain is gone.  Repentance, forgiveness, and peace fill the place where the pain once stood.  In it's place shines beauty, power, and hope.

"No matter what our transgressions have been, no matter how much our actions may have hurt others, that guilt can all be wiped out. To me, perhaps the most beautiful phrase in all scripture is when the Lord said, “Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more.”¹¹

That is the promise of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Atonement."  (President Boyd K. Packer, "The Atonement", General Conference October 2012)

If you would like a copy of my favorite book: The Book of Mormon, please go here.  I would love to send you one.

to be so lucky

I love these beautiful daughters!

I love how they are sitting flopped on one another in such a comfortable manner.  It's always this way, it always makes me smile.

Fred is shy of the camera right now, Arnold not so much.  Don't you love Gus' expression?  It speaks volume of their relationship.

Fred can't help herself.  She has to smile that big, there is no going half way when it comes to her enthusiasm!  Can you see Gus' hand sneaking in back behind Arnold's leg?  Trouble.

There is always ticking.  Always.

Sisters gang up on each other.  Elbows fly.  Legs are the "tickliest" spot, but only with sisters with other people they are bugged. It makes me laugh.

I surely do love these daughters of mine!  We miss you Whitney. She would be part of this giggle, torture moment if she were here.  

sketchnotes and another pen review

I'm a note taker, if you've read my blog for very long this is not a new fact to learn about me: example 1, example 2, example 3, and of course the scripture journals. This is what my notes look like, a fury of jumbled things there and there. I occasionally look back at my notes, but not very often.  I take them so that I remember them better, but really I don't after a few months, or even weeks for that matter.  I've tried adding a few of them to my simple testimony blog, but I eventually toss the note book away.  

Last week I while I was looking for a something my amazon account suggested this book:

The Sketchnote Handbook. 

I researched the author and found out more about what he was teaching and decided to take the plunge and by the book.  It was the end of my birthday week so why not, right?

I think I might has let out a little squeal when it finally arrived and I poured through the pages absorbing and having a million little light bulbs go off in my mind.  Why hadn't I thought of this before?

This technique that Mike Rohdes is teaching is not just about doodling while you take notes. It's about more attentive listening, letting go of trying to write down everything and focus on what is most important.  

I practiced with a talk that he has as part of the dvd presentation.  It's much harder than I anticipated. I had to listen to the talk twice to finish this simple sketchnote, but guess what I loved it and realized I would never take traditional notes again.  He provides some amazing examples from other sketchnote artists who design wonderful examples of from simple to detailed.  Mike has even set up a site called "Sketchnote Army" that features different people and their work.  One featured person as a high school history professor and featured some of his students work.  This is definitely something I'm going to teach my little man who is a visual learner and my analytical guy keeps pouring over the things I'm creating. 

One of the things in the book that each of the artist talked about the pen they use while sketchbooking and of course having pen fetish I had to try each of them out as I was practicing.   I had just received Whitney's latest letter and had Italy on my mind as I was trying out the different pens.

All of them were lovely, I did find that I preferred the smaller barrels.  I had better control over what I was drawing.  I have always been partial to the uniball brand, just love the way it glides.  The Pilot G-TEC-C4  was tiny and I was surprised how much I liked it. I preferred the mirco pens best.  It has been a fun experiment.   I added the shadows with a faber castell Pitt pen.  You can find my first pen review here.

My notes from my lesson on Sunday. It makes me happy. I listened to the audio while I took these notes on "Chapter 10: Come into the Temples" and it offered a different perspective and thoughts as I prepared.  As you can see my drawing skills are limited, but I'm excited to practice.  I plan on adding these to Simple Testimony as I generally read/listen to a conference talk everyday.

I'm adding the other drawing pages just for documentation purposes. The ideas where based on things I learned and was trying to recreate.  I can still hear my 7th grade art teacher's criticism (that's a story for another day) as I draw and just practice.  I love practicing!

PS. I despise this sketchbook! However I am going to fill it up before I start a new one.  The spiral makes me crazy, maybe it's a left handed thing.  All the pens dried quickly so no smudging, which if you are a leftie you understand.

One bad thing about inking directly is that if I misspell something it's stuck, but at this point in my life I'm not overly concerned.  There are more important things to fret about.

beauty secret

(John's grandmother and some friends)

“We have been taught that ‘the gift of the Holy Ghost . . . quickens all the intellectual faculties, increases, enlarges, expands and purifies all the natural passions and affections. . . . It inspires virtue, kindness, goodness, tenderness, gentleness and charity. It develops beauty of person, form and features’ (Parley P. Pratt, Key to the Science of Theology, 10th ed. [1965], 101; emphasis added). Now, that is a great beauty secret!”

Elaine S. Dalton, ”Remember Who You Are!” Ensign, May 2010, 122

seasons

I love where I live! I love the change in the seasons.  I love that the light is constantly changing in hue and intensity not only depending on the time of year, but the time of the day as well.   I love the majesty and power that creates the beauty that is all around us.  

I love today.