It’s Sunday morning and oh how I cherish mornings like
these. No need or rush to get out of bed and scurry off to our daily
responsibilities. We’ve always been lovers of 9 o’clock church, but now our new
ward starts at 1. I guess either one works but its refreshing to stay in pj’s
till the afternoon (something that really never happens).
When I was a lil tot I absolutely loved to read! The Boxcar
kids, Bailey School kids (‘Pirates Don’t Wear Pink Sunglasses’), Goosebumps,
Babysitters Club and anything with a horse in it. It didn’t even matter if the
horse was apart of the story, I was sold.
Those days quickly passed when school got tougher and more
of my attention was dedicated to who knows what. I joke about having ADD- but I
swear everyone has it. The fact is, my love for reading faded away. I regained
that love once I began preparing for my mission. Hours and hours of studying
and preparing for lessons and searching for answers in the scriptures- I created a deep love for the bible. It’s
something I never really read before my mission. Of course the obvious books
about Christ birth and life filled the walls of my home and Sunday school
growing up. I guess when the other books were spoken of I apparently wasn’t
listening. The New Testament spoke words of missionary work and the same love I
felt for the people I served in Pittsburgh. I felt as though I knew Paul, a
missionary- just like me.
Since then It’s been so hard for me to find the right genre.
I’d felt a sense of guilt anytime I’d pick up a book that wasn’t gospel
oriented. I’ll never forget the first time I read my most inspiring book…
‘Tuesdays With Morrie’. This book touched my heart during an English assignment
in Mr. Davis’ class. Since then I’ve read it so many times I can’t count. It
makes me feel so grateful for all of the blessings that I have in my life. The
book is full of life lessons- I could actually get something out of it.
Anyways… One of my clients told me about a book that she had
recently read. I figured I’d take the plunge again and attempt to finish a book
after starting it. (That’s usually my MO I’ll start all gung hoe and then it’ll
quickly fizzle after a few days).
I began reading it last week- wow. What a life changer.
‘Heaven Is Here’ –Stephanie Nielson
I find myself staying up late next to Mike both of us
reading. When normally I’d be watching Seinfeld or begging to go to sleep.
Michael LOVES to read! He can finish a whole book in less than a week-
something that seems impossible to me. He’s slowly been rubbing off on me since
we’ve been married. I can’t tell you how many books we’ve read together. Him
reading of course, doing all of the voices J oh I love it, he’ll
pause and look at me as if he’s acting the whole book out. He inspires me (in
many ways). We’ll take long drives to St. George and he’ll read the whole time,
we’ll finish a book in a day! I love listening to his enthusiasm and every
other emotion he acts out. One of our favorite things is to visit DI and buy a
bunch of mystery books preferably ‘The Hardy boys’ or ‘Goosebumps’. We can
discuss for hours about a book and who we think is the bad guy and why.
‘Daddy’ is my best friend (we thought calling each other by
‘Mommy’ and ‘Daddy’ would be so weird and hard to get used to. But it wasn’t at
all! I’m ‘Mother Goose’ and will answer to it always).
My inspiration for writing down my thoughts came this
morning while reading Stephanie’s words. She was in a plane wreck and over 80%
of her body was badly burned. She speaks of her pain and anguish she felt while
lying in a hospital bed after waking from a coma for over 3 months! She left 4
little children for those long months and hasn’t seen them yet (so far). Her
eyes had to be sewn shut for over a week and she tells of her despair. Her life
will never be the same.
Reading this book makes me take a step back and look at life
as it is. Look and my two loves and appreciate every minute I have with them.
Just the other night Mike and I were watching my friends
little girl. It was getting late so we got the girls in their pajamas and
cuddled them with blankets and turned the lights out. The Chirstmas tree and
garland going up the stairs were lit which gave off the perfect amount of light
to set the mode. Brielle to the left of me, I ran my fingers through her hair
as Anna laid on my chest fast asleep. Michael sat to the right of me and read
‘The Hardy Boys’. I took a mental picture praying that I could remember the
feeling of that moment. Boy am I blessed. Michael, Anna and I… three pees in a
pod. I love them so much and I’m so thankful for them in my life. Mike’s such a
wonderful Daddy. He adores Anna, she kinda has us wrapped around her little
fingers. It was the perfect night.
I love us.
