"And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily..."

Over the weekend I was able to have a girls weekend with my mom and some family friends at Time Out For Women.  What a great uplifting couple of days it was!  I learned so much and am so happy to have another look on things I can do to help better my life.
One of the most touching close to home talks was given by Chris Williams.  His story of forgiveness is incredible and one that truly touched my heart.

A few of my favorite things said over the weekend:
"Be taught patience by remembering we are all children of God."
"Have a vision of life, picture our family all together with the Savior with no one missing."
"When things aren't going well pray with gratitude, we will be blessed"
"Spare your successes, everyone grows from challenges."
"Look at yourself and appreciate the good that is already there"
"As we search for the good, his blessings will find us"
"Own your strengths and weaknesses"
"It's not I'm right He's wrong, it's 'He's' right, I'm wrong"
"Don't wait for tomorrow, find joy today"
"We want to feel mercy rather than misery"
"The honest cry of a breaking heart is better than a hallelujah sometimes"
"We compare our whole selves to someones one good idea"
"Find joy in the journey- it's hard to find joy when looking at your piles of chores, because we are looking too much into the future. We miss the joy that's right in front of us."
"Summum bonum- the highest good"
3 Myths-
1. I am supposed to be happy all the time- Feelings are an amazing gift Heavenly Father gave us, Christ had a full range of motion that was used for good. "Christ like"
2.  Taking care of myself is selfish. - Think of something that brought you joy as a child and bring it back into your life today, it's crucial information about why we are here.
3.  If I acknowledge my strengths it is prideful. - When ever we talk about our strengths we are so quick to back it up with several weaknesses
"Look at yourself and appreciate the good that is already there"
"Seek the good"
"Good does not always reside in your comfort zone"
"Think of this game we are in called life.  Who might be watching me today trying to understand this game."

A few talks given over the weekend were dead on to what I needed to here.  So often I find myself comparing myself to others and all that they do, they are a better mom, their house is always clean, they have the perfect body, cute clothes, they are so patient, they cook the top of the line meals every night and flat out they are better than me.  It was very rejuvenating to me to find out that so many women do this exact same thing.  A quote that I absolutely love that I found on pinterest the other day is:

It's so true, the minute I start comparing myself to others all of my joy is gone and I feel as if I have failed. We are our greatest critics, and can easily believe that we don't have enough, or do enough, or do it well enough. I have had several conversations with friends and family members about how my kids are always so cute and happy and that we are always doing something fun and exciting but that's not what my days are always filled up with.  I am a mother.  Anyone else who is a mother knows what I am talking about.  I use my blog as a journal, yes maybe I should document all of the tantrums that were thrown, the piles of laundry to do, the scrubbing of toilets and the mopping that I have to do at least 3 times a day.  But I spare all of that because everyone does this. Motherhood is not glamorous.  I cherish it, and believe is is a gift.  Does this mean I am a perfect mom, and never lose my patience?  I wish!  Does it mean motherhood is easy?  No, it's quite possibly one of the hardest things I have done.  Motherhood is rewarding though, it's fun, and a great blessing. Of all the amazing happenings in my life, none are more amazing than my kids.  If ever I am having a hard day or running low on my patience, I try to remind myself just how precious they are.  Not only to me, but in the sight of God, for they are ultimately His. Our children know pure and simple joy.  We can be reminded to stop and find that joy in our busy "adult" lives, through them.