It's the small things

I have a little story.

Over the Christmas break I took a nap at my parents house. I was wearing some gold plated stud earrings and took one of them out to sleep as it was jamming into the side of my head and placed it on the arm of the rocking chair next to the bed. An hour or two later I woke up, hung out with the family and then packed the kids in the car to head home.

And totally forgot about my earring.

I had the other one still in my ear when I got home and put it away for safekeeping.

A few days later I wanted to wear that set of earrings and realized again that it was at my parent's house. I texted my mom to have her look for it but she couldn't see it anywhere. It was so small and people had been in and out of her house during the holidays so I kind of gave it up for lost.

It wasn't a major thing to lose it- but I was bummed as I wear that pair often and didn't have money to get a new set.

So then a few weeks went by and I totally forgot about it.

Until one morning this week when a little miracle happened.

I was in the car driving Lauren's carpool to middle school and happened to look down on my floor mat. I felt my foot slide over something as I was getting situated and once I parked I took a minute to look down.

And there on the mat was my other earring.

I couldn't even believe it.

It was weeks later, I had taken it out and put it on a chair in my moms house and had given it up for lost. But there it was, shining up at me from the floor of my car.

I don't know how it happened. It seems almost impossible that it was gone and then there one morning as I drove kids to school.

But there it was and now I have my complete set again.

I know that for most people this would be just a matter of coincidence.

But for me it was a direct message from heaven.

The past week I have been pretty discouraged and feeling a bit alone and adrift. Life can be hard and with sick kids and dreary weather I was feeling overwhelmed and forgotten.

But finding that small stud earring this week was a message to me that I am known to God. He is aware of even the smallest, insignificant details of my life and cares for my worries and troubles.

And if He cares enough to bring one earring of a set back to me, then I can believe that He cares SO much more for the little souls I am raising and my own worries and troubles. He cares that I am found-kept-and bound to Him by the love of the Savior.

And He cares that much for you.

Alma 37: 6 Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise.

It really is the small things.

2019

Happy New Year!

I have been seeing a lot of things about goal setting and new years resolutions. This is the time of year those ideas are buzzing around like crazy.

I used to love making new years resolutions. Setting goals and making big plans for the future.

Oh how things have changed.

I still love to plan and am naturally a goal oriented person, but realistically my aspirations are much simpler. Wake up. Care for kids. Care for home. Love God. Try and be good to others. Make it through the day. Crawl into bed. Repeat.

Reflecting back I can see that 2018 was a year of healing.

Daily living is not so hard and taxing and draining and unrelenting as is was in previous years. That is miraculous and gives me hope for continued incremental improvement.

But I still don't completely have my sea legs under me for this widowed life and the illusion of setting goals for a whole year- 365 days that I can neither anticipate nor control seems kind of laughable and ridiculous to me now.

So if you ask about my new years resolutions I'll tell you that I have none. I hope to be here still loving God, caring for our children, and being good to others at the end of the year. Mas nada.

I did talk to the kids about making some goals for this next month using Jake's balancing wheel. You can print one HERE if you're so inclined. The balancing wheel was the strategy he used to keep his life in balance and set things straight when they were off. That feels possible and like something we can actually achieve.

So we've got our pages printed out and will talk and write down some ideas this Sunday.

I am grateful for Jesus, who grew from boy to man increasing in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man and for the opportunity each day I live and draw breath to do the same.