New Year, New Goal

I have been terrible at writing in my journal for the past year and a half.  So many things have happened and I hardly made a record at all.  As such, my goal for the beginning of 2019 is to reflect daily.  It doesn't have to be long.  It can even be one word.  My goal is to focus on the positive and to record things of a spiritual nature for the purpose of blessing the lives of my posterity.  I have failed in the recent past, but there is no better time than now to change and do better at keeping a personal record.

I don't want this to be a public blog.  It is for the eyes of family members alone.

That being said, let me do a quick re-cap of a few things that have happened recently.  In December, the church announced age changes for young men receiving the Aaronic priesthood and for young women entering the Young Women program.  Each primary child will advance to the young men and young women programs in January of the year that they turn 12.  This means that my little Lizzie got to start YW in January!  She will also get to go to the Temple to do baptisms for the dead (as soon as she can get an interview with the Bishop).  She just went to mutual for the first time today.  I am so incredibly proud of her and the young woman that she is becoming.  I couldn't be more proud of her.  This past year her and I worked together and memorized "The Living Christ".  I wouldn't have been able to complete such a feat without her by my side.  I consider that experience one of the best experiences of my life so far.  And to have a document like that ready to repeat from memory is such a blessing.

This January also marks the beginning of "2 Hour Church".  President Nelson initiated a new change.  We attend sacrament meeting and then Sunday School twice a month and Priesthood Quorums, YW, and RS twice a month.  Primary meets every week after sacrament meeting, with 20 minutes of lesson followed by 20 minutes of singing time.  So many changes!  These, followed by the changing of the names and focus of Home Teaching and Visiting Teaching to "Ministering" as well as getting rid of the High Priest Group and having the priesthood meet all together instead as an "Elder's Quorum"...all of these changes have definitely kept us all on our toes.

Jon is currently serving in the High Council of our Stake.  I was just released as the RS secretary and am now the Ward Communication Specialist.  My tasks include creating a newsletter each month as well as sending out weekly reminders regarding what we are supposed to be studying in the new Come Follow Me Curriculum (another change).

I am so excited to be studying this new curriculum.  It is only the beginning of week 2 but I feel like I have already learned so much.  And I have really enjoyed teaching these lessons to my children.  I feel lots of pressure to teach my children.  They will not really be learning at church.  Rather than us sitting around the dinner table and asking each other what we learned in church...we will be sitting in church and asking each other what we learned at home that week.  Such a shift.  Home centered, church supported.  That's the new motto.  I love it.

Even the youngest of our crew, William (age 2) and Caitlyn (age 4), have found joy in reading the scriptures.  These pictures make my heart happy.

 This past year or so our family has really worked hard at developing a habit of regular prayer and scripture study.  We say a prayer together in the car on the way to school.  I think this needs to change, however, and I would like to kneel in prayer before we even get in the car.  Baby steps.  We have also found that reading the scriptures after pajamas are on and teeth are brushed seems to work out fairly well and consistently for us.  Now, with having the extra responsibility of learning the Come Follow Me Curriculum together as a family, we are spending even more time together discussing the gospel.  I really love it.  It can only get better as the kids get older and we are able to get into deeper religious discussions.  Starting the habit out now, while they are young, will prove to be a big blessing for our family.

Truly, for as long as I can remember, the only thing that I ever desired was to get married, have children, and raise my family in righteousness.  I wanted to be a Mom who cooked good meals (still working on that one, ha ha), I wanted to be there to help my kids with their homework, I wanted to pray and read scriptures with my children, and I wanted my home to be a place where the spirit can dwell.  I still desire that every single day of my life.  Our home isn't always peaceful...and I lose my temper at times...but I am working on improving.  With God's help I will be able to accomplish this goal.

As we learned today in our Come Follow Me lesson, "For with God, nothing shall be impossible".