Hey Everyone!
I have been working on my blog, and it is under construction still, but I have had SO many thoughts that I felt I just didn't want to wait on the construction any further.
So here we are, in a blog post.
A few months ago, my husband got offered an internship in Idaho.
We actually were really excited because we had been praying and praying to know where we needed our family to be, somewhere that Trevor would enjoy his job, and where we could do the most good. It was odd, we thought we'd end up in some distant land, and actually had that opportunity, but when we looked at our children and their ability to thrive, we felt family was what we needed right now.
We accepted his offer and then I got on to looking for housing.
And nothing felt right.
We finally found something, and it fell through.
We didn't want to sign a 12 month contract on a house we didn't see ourselves in, so we bunked up with my parents. It has been a hard adjustment, but the fact is, our children get to see their Nana and Papa everyday. They get to be loved a little more everyday.
And that's ok with me.
About a week ago, my dad and I were talking about his yard. Last Fall he ripped out his yard so he could kill all the crazy weeds that overtook his back yard. He bought the best grass seeds, the best weed killers, spent countless hours prepping and preparing his yard before the snow fell.
I'm sure he dreamed of a beautiful lush green grassy yard. The kind of grass that you could lay and sink into as you watched the white clouds float away.
He saw the end result first, and then worked his way to that.
Unfortunately, the winter was warm, and the weather very unpredictable, so when the snow melted, his luscious yard, was again, left with few grass spots and mostly weeds.
My dad has been heartbroken of the countless hours he spent, trying to get his yard the way he wanted. What he didn't know, was that there was a few weeds that sprout thousands of seeds and jump off the plant like tiny baby grasshoppers. They go everywhere!
He now has to rethink his yard, rethink his tactics, and probably hire a professional to redo his yard.
I vote sod!
Seems easier.
But my dad is a dreamer, a life long learner, and loves to take time to learn everything so he can be an expert in that area. He loves helping people through his experience.
So, he will find a way to get his dream and put in the work to do it.
And I'm sure the reward will be great.
Anyway, we were talking about the weed problem, and he came home from a long days work and looked out his back window. He rubbed his tired, long bearded face with one hand and just said, "Those weeds are taking over! I just wish I had time to get them out!"
Insert me, with no car, and two children with a bounty of energy.
I took them out back yesterday and showed them a few tools and began to clean up the yard.
The weeds came out very easily because of all the rain we've been having, the ground was nice and soft. My kids took turns playing with the hand powered rototiller, and then collecting ants and ladybugs. I turned on my music, and just sunk my hands into the wet soil.
I began to dream of a yard, with a little garden my kids could eat from.
I wanted them to taste the freshness of a carrot they helped plant, watch excitedly as their watermelons or pumpkins grew big, enjoy popping open sugar snap peas, and eating strawberries without washing them first.
Those are some of my fond memories of a child, and I wish them for my kids.
Its times like these that I feel the Lord's answers to my prayers, not in my way, but His.
As I pulled weeds, I thought, I'm going to buy a tomato plant.
I'm going to plant a row of carrots.
More weeds came out, and I thought, this would be a beautiful area for strawberries.
Before pulling weeds, I never had that vision.
It was the work that gave me insight.
I thought about farmers, and gardeners, and reflected on the analogy I heard in one of my previous self development times.
The quick analogy goes, A farmer would never procrastinate his planting season and hope for a full harvest at harvest time. He couldn't decide in August, he was ready to harvest without first putting in the long hours in the spring to plant, water, and protect them throughout the summer.
It is also an analogy the Savior used in the New Testament while teaching His disciples.
You ready for me to connect my storyline?
There are times in our lives where we will work and work, and sometimes not get the reward we were desiring. Like my husband and I, we would have preferred to have our own home after a long 7 years of schooling. We would have preferred an adventure out of Idaho where we could be greeted with diversity. We would have preferred to have graduated with a job, and had an internship after his undergrad. We would have preferred instant wealth.
But there would be no reward sweeter than seeing the labor and sweat of our own brow.
My dad would have preferred a long luscious grassy backyard.
But it didn't work that way.
I'm sure America would prefer to buy their produce at reduced prices, and I'm sure the farmer would prefer to sell his labor for more.
It doesn't work that way.
I'm sure we would all prefer a healthy, slim fit body, while eating our oreos and doritos, drinking our 44oz sodas, and downing a gallon of ice cream at 10 pm.
But it doesn't work that way.
There will be times, when we dream and wish for something, and even work really hard, and then
we don't get it.
Maybe we haven't invested in the time necessary to attain it.
I want a garden, a big house and all the free time in the world to play with my kids.
I want my husband to be home with us, enjoying a summer water fight.
I want to help people feel the love of our Savior.
I want to go serve with the missionaries anytime they call and need someone.
I want to help stop childhood obesity.
I want to let my kids dream bigger than me!
And there is good news for me.
I am not yet 30.
I am not yet 45.
I am not yet 75.
I am not yet 95.
I am not yet dead.
Today is a great day to put in the work necessary to live any dream I desire.
I am not limited to my conditions in life.
I may not have earned it yet, but I will.
I will invest in the time necessary to have my dreams.
I will go to the gym, and eat a little less chocolate, I can sacrifice a soda a day, I can put in an extra half hour of personal development while I'm cleaning, so that one day, WHEN I achieve my goals, my labor and sacrifices will be worth the reward.
No one will give me my dreams, and I will never appreciate them as much.
Time is on our side.
Time is all we have.
And it will pass whether you are dreaming and achieving or not!
Sometimes, we will have to take an alternate route.
You just may have to humble yourself, and let someone help you.
My parents are helping us, and we are helping them.
Its not the way either of us probably hoped, but it is working and we are able to help each other's dream come alive.
What is your dream?
Are you living it?
Do you need help?
Let someone help you.
Help someone else.
It may not be WHAT you want now, but I can promise you, the reward will be even sweeter!
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