...In this life I shall have Joy... Moses 5:11

So here is another thing that brings me joy.
My son Daniel is the handsome boy with the cute girl in the blue.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mp-OvONdZhA

And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom...

My favorite book of the Book of Mormon is 3rd Nephi, but a close second is Mosiah. I love King Benjamin. His counsel brings me JOY! When MY children heed his counsel that REALLY brings me JOY!

Last Friday my oldest daughter Krysta graduated from the CNA (certified nursing assistant) course that is taught at Salt Lake Community College. ( I love that high school students can go to college and high school at the same time, you COULD do that when I was in high school but you had to have a perfect ACT and SAT to do it, now anyone who really wants to can do it)
I am really proud of Krysta. Not just for graduating from this program but for heeding the counsel of King Benjamin.

And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God. (Mosiah 2:17)

Krysta loves to serve and care for others. She has chosen nursing as her career. I cannot imagine her doing anything else. She is not afraid of senior citizens and does not mind caring for them in the even in the most personal ways. She loves to listen to them talk, she loves to tease them (ask her grandparents) she loves to respect them. In the same way she can care for the littlest children too. (she wants to be a newborn intensive care nurse) I am grateful she likes to serve. I am grateful she has chosen to follow in the path of some leaders she really admires.
So my thanks to Sherri Murray, Viki Bailey and Meleta Egbert for being not just great nurses in their own right but amazing Young Women Leaders too. They helped a struggling mom teach the wisdom of a beloved King to a beautiful Daughter of God.

Now if that same beautiful daughter would find what she did with the camera so her mom could post her graduation photos on this blog you would "see" my JOY!

Added pics 2/1/09 finally pics are off the camera and on the blog. JOY!!

Men are that they might have joy...(2 Nephi 2:25)

When I was 14 I met DeAnn Hansen. She has been one of my idols for ... ok a number of years.
She really introduced me to a love of the scriptures. Before DeAnn, when i read them they were words i did not understand. One of the very first scriptures she introduced me to was 2 Nephi 2:25 Adam fell that men might be, men are that they might have joy. (her blog is called Joy in the Journey. Are you surprised) Now joy at 14 means that the cute Bodily brothers knew you existed, and joy at 41 means snowed in at Christmas with no power!
Finding joy in the journey is my main goal this year! As my kids grow and leave home i realize i have been blessed with a lot of joy, but i am sure i did not appreciate it as i could have (that's a lot of i's). In the most recent General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, President Monson spoke on finding joy in the journey. I think it was my favorite talk. One of the quotes he gave was from the ancient roman philospher Horace. “Whatever hour God has blessed you with, take it with grateful hand, nor postpone your joys from year to year, so that in whatever place you have been, you may say that you have lived happily." This is my new mantra! Life can be ugly if that is all you look for or it can be an amazing journey with lots to be taught and gained and lived and given.

President Monson also said "Stresses in our lives come regardless of our circumstances. We must deal with them the best we can. But we should not let them get in the way of what is most important—and what is most important almost always involves the people around us. Often we assume that they must know how much we love them. But we should never assume; we should let them know. We will never regret the kind words spoken or the affection shown. Rather, our regrets will come if such things are omitted from our relationships with those who mean the most to us. Send that note to the friend you’ve been neglecting; give your child a hug; give your parents a hug; say “I love you” more; always express your thanks. Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved. Friends move away, children grow up, loved ones pass on. It’s so easy to take others for granted, until that day when they’re gone from our lives and we are left with feelings of “what if” and “if only.” Said author Harriet Beecher Stowe, “The bitterest tears shed over graves are for words left unsaid and deeds left undone.”

If I get to live as long as my grandpa i have 63 more years to ENJOY. I know chances of living that long are kind of slim but even if i only live another 41 years that's a lot of joy too. So if you are a part of my life and i blog about you or you get a note in the mail or an email or better yet if i show up at your door, know that it is because you bring me joy! I hope over this coming year to share with you the joy i am finding in my journey.

"Let us relish life as we live it, find joy in the journey, and share our love with friends and family. One day each of us will run out of tomorrows.
my sincere prayer is that we may adapt to the changes in our lives, that we may realize what is most important, that we may express our gratitude always and thus find joy in the journey." ~~ President Thomas S Monson

Tagged It's all me....

So i have recieved many "tags" and i just have not taken the time to reply so here it goes...
For all of you have tagged me for my "quirks"...

1. My husband and i are both OCD. Only his are good, for the most part. And i love his OCD!
He is a "neat freak"! A place for everything and everything in it's place. When he gets undressed he neatly folds his dirty clothes and puts them in the laundry basket. He keeps our house organized as best he can with a wife he lives with piles. "this is my RS pile, this is my kids stuff pile etc" If he touches my piles i am lost. I am the same way at work (huh Kenz). His one negative OCD is that he CANNOT multi task. do not talk to him while he is driving he wont remember the conversation, don't ask him to take out the trash if he is folding laundry he won't remember you aksed, don't give him anything while watching John Wayne he will lose it!


2. I am a Christmasaholic. I love all things Christmas. I can watch Christmas movies all year, I can listen to Christmas music all year, I could have a tree up all year. So the fact that i have not been the one to put up the Christams tree or play the Christmas music for the last few years concerns me. Thanks Katee for stepping up for me.

3 I kind of like my gray hair. Ok I know that sounds weird but here is the deal. it reminds of where i have been and what i have been thru and that i am still here. It tells me i am ok with who i am and where i am at. I will admit that if i lived in Idaho i probably would have had Kenz color it but i don't have some one in Utah that i feel comfortable asking to do it. My beautiful aunt Mary used to always be my go to girl but i am not agile enough to get around her bathroom or kitchen sink. If i colored it myself i am sure i would turn it orange or green or worse cause it to fall out. and i would really rather be gray than bald, we will leave that for my husband.

4 I love blogs. Ok i am not the kind of person who lives to read strangers blogs. I just love spying on my friends thru their blogs. sometimes i comment but most the time i just read. i learn a lot, i feel connected to them and it makes me happy. i will confess there are 4 blogs i read, that are from people i admire but have never met, they probably think i am a stalker. Hey i figure its better than sitting at home watching tv all night.

5 i love to read. i am very particular about what i read though. i will read fiction if it has a good moral, or it takes me to a better place. i mostly read LDS fiction when it comes to fiction. I love good mystery, i love a good conversion story, i am ok with a romance or two but i DO NOT read Anita books. i love a good general authority book, or a self help book that is real. i generally do not read Oprah's picks, they tend to be too graphic for my tender heart.

6 i have a tender heart, but an irish temper. (i have no idea if i have any irish ancestry) i cry easily, i laugh easily and i get angry easily. work with me you'll always have a place in my heart, cross me or anyone close to my heart and well....

7 i love email forwards. i hate when they say i have to send it to 27 friends or my luck will run out. i usually take that out before i send it on, but when i get a forward it tells me someone thought about me today. maybe it was just so they had 10 people to send it on to, but hey i am still on their email list right.

8 i am a collector. it makes my husband crazy (see #1). i collect books, statues, people whatever i can find. i am sure it comes from losing a lot as a child but as an adult i hang on to things. if its broke i think one day i will fix it. if its a book i know one day i will read it, if its people, well i don't have any of them hidden away in boxes at home just in my heart. (it's probably the reason for my faccebook fascination). i moved a lot as a child and i never wanted that for my kids but alas thru the many moves i have collected many dear friends and never want to lose them

9 i am looking forward to being a grandma (see #3). I had amazing grandparents. My grandma Coombs always my role model, i want to be just like her ok without the scary basement and mice. i will will have sleepovers, we will watch Lawrence Welk (i hope the reruns are still on when i am a grandma) we will have bbq's and family picnics. we will love shopping for underwear and jammies and avon perfume (ok if i have grandsons i may be in trouble here). i will take them visiting teaching with me and let them help me cook. Like my Grandpa Fillmore i will send birthday cards in the mail cause it's always more fun to "get good mail".

10 last but not least, i am usually OCD about grammar except for blogging and facebook. for some reason ll that goes out the window.

so that's me, all the weird things you never wanted to know.
I guess now i am supposed to tag my friends, and about the only ones who have not tagged me are Aunt Mary, Denalee and Katee so consider yourselves tagged!
love ya!

They had been taught by their mothers...

Yesterday was my Mom's 80th birthday. I love MY Mom. She is amazing. Almost everything I hold dear I learned from her. She was not the mother that gave me life, but she is the mother that gave a purpose to my life. I met her when I was 14. She had a heart big enough to love all the almost 200 youth in our stake. She had a testimony to share with us and a calling to watch over us. A calling she took very seriously.
My fondest memories of MY mom are the ones when she was sacrificing her time and talents to serve the Lord, and she let me tag along. I loved helping her with YW conferences, Youth Conference, Snow Carnivals, Girls Camp. Every one of these activities strenghtened my testimony. Not just attending or spending hours making handouts, or cookies, but watching MY Mom sacrifice out of love for OUR Savior. We had so many great talks late into the night.
MY Mom was also the Mom all the friends loved. Oh sure sometimes she made us crazy with the 20 questions, 3rd degree and guilt trips, but we KNEW she loved us. She let us party at our house all the time. never complaining, and often times hanging out with us.

My Mom taught me to love and serve the Lord.

My Mom taught me about family. My Mom taught me about loving family, sacrificing for family, about being there for family. My mom worked hard all day and came home at 7 pm and worked hard at home, taking care of us. I remember many nights when she did not feel well, but she set her feelings aside. I know she went with out a lot of her own dreams to let us have ours. She taught us the importance of extended family. Reunions were here priorities. Her door was always open to anyone. (we often joke that there house is the Fillmore hotel, but we would have it no other way) Holidays were important to her and she made sure she never left anyone out.
MY mom and MY dad have been married for almost 60 years. They aren't perfect, but they love each other, and that love inspires me.

MY Mom taught me to love and serve family.

MY mom is a pilar of strength, a beacon of light and a fountain of faith! I am so grateful for he example, sacrifice and love. MY Mom IS all the things I hold dear.

I was taught by a mother, and I have NO DOUBT MY mother knew it!

I love you Mom! Thanks for all the sacrifices!

O my son Daniel....

Recently my 18 year old son Daniel told me he is leaving home and moving to Idaho. I have so many mixed feelings about his decision. What i have come to face though is it is his decision.

He did not choose to move to Idaho when we first moved there in 2004. He was "drug". We had been praying for a long time for a change when the option for Idaho was put before us. When we left Idaho in 2007, he again was "drug". So to be perfectly honest i am surprised it took him 5 months from high school graduation to tell us he was moving back. heck i would move back too if i could.

Here is my dilemma. what do you say to your son when you only have 5 days left with him.

I cried all thru church today, KNOWING it would be the last time i sat with him. As i watched the young mother in front of me struggle with her boys, i longed for those "simpler days". I wish i had treasured them more. Noah is the little boy who often sits in front of us. He is 2. my family hangs on to his every word. After church we share our favorite Noahisms on the way home and all thru out dinner. Why did i not hang on every word of Daniels?

Dan and i have always been opposites. I hate a "scary" ride he loves them. I have never been comfortable in my own skin, i have never been sure of myself. i have never been confident.
Daniel is his own person. He knows what he wants, when he wants it and usually how to get it. Much like the prophet Daniel, my Daniel stands up for what he believes in, doesn't allow others to bully or intimidate him or anyone he cares about. Daniel is the kind of person I think the Savior would have been. for example, Dan has many friends who use language i do not feel comfortable with. I cannot be around this type of language for it seriously hurts my soul. Daniel is not offended by others lack of knowledge. I do not say anything to people who use offensive language out of fear of ridicule. Daniel doesn't say things to his friends because he believes he can be a good example, as the Savior would. I come from the teachings of being around that type of talk can drag you down, Daniel believes he can build people up. I am so proud of him. Often times I wish i could be more like him.

We are so different though, that i know he wont be back. He may be back for a night here or there, but he won't be back. There is a poem that says "a daughter's your daughter all of your life. A son's only a son until he takes a wife." My mom tells me this is true. I know my brother does not do near as much with our family as he does with his wife's family and we do not do near as much with Earl's family as we do with mine. (in my defence Earls family doesn't have a lot of traditions or get togethers.) I KNOW i only have one Sunday night, one Monday night, one Tuesday night, one Wednesday night and one Thursday night left with him. I am making a huge assumption that he will be home these nights and not out saying goodbye to his friends here.
With only five nights left. what do i say to him that will be most meaningful? What do I say to him that won't offend him. (If I say to him read your scriptures every day, and say your prayers morning and night, he will think I don't think he is already doing it. When really I just want him to know I have learned it's important.)

I have made so many mistakes in my life that i don't think he will want to hear what i have to say. He has an amazing memory and he can recall every time i was wrong, misjudged, jumped to a hasty conclusion, reacted when i should have acted. spoke when i should have listened, criticized when i should have comforted. I should have had more faith and been home more for him.

I have been thinking a lot to today about the chapters of Nephi and Alma, where Lehi and Alma are saying good bye to their families. What can i say to Daniel that will let him believe what i feel for him. The tremendous love i have for him, the tremendous belief that i have in him, the faith i have in him? I also want to let him know of my testimony of our Savior, and how important it is that he has the testimony and faith to turn the Lord in times of trial, and to stay close to Him always. I just don't know what to say or how to say it.

Here is the best i could come up with...Alma 37:35-37,47.

What do you say when you know you are saying good bye to your son, before you are ready to say good bye?

"Goodly Grand Parents" 1 Nephi 1:1

I have so much i have wanted to blog about for the last 6 weeks. new job, layoffs, letting go saying good bye to a son, but today those will have to wait... today is a day to pay tribute to my grandpas.
one memory I have of my Grandpa Coombs is him singing O Holy Night. I was just a young girl maybe 5 years old, we were in Sacrament Meeting. I remember sitting next to him. I don't know if his voice was one others would say was great but for me i remember him sounding better than any man i have ever heard. A voice that Josh Groban would envy. O Holy Night has always been my favorite Christmas song because of this one memory. The only other memory I have of him was when he was ill with pnuemonia, sleeping on the couch and Lawrence Welk on the TV. Yep i still love Lawrence Welk. Although we lost both Grandma & Grandpa Coombs around the holidays, it is still my favorite time of year because to the closeness i feel to them. They are the parents of 9 great kids, of whom i love very much. My aunts and uncles have loved me unconditionally. they have blessed my life

Today we have been asked to fast for my other Grandpa. Grandpa Fillmore. Garrick. Isn't that a perfect name. Grandpa's birthday is the 29th of october. He will be 104! 104, amazing!
Grandpa has 8 incredible kids. Oh they have had their share of struggles, and a few have strayed from what he would have them cling to but they are amazing nonetheless. Grandpa lives with my perfect cousin Julie. She has been such a great role model. The hospice workers who come to help her and Grandpa, say that Grandpa is hanging on for someone, or someone with unsettled issues with Grandpa is keeping him here . We know Grandpa misses Grandma Sarah, He celebrated 50 years with her. After a few years of loneliness, he married his friend who became our Grandma Gaye. I never knew Grandma Sarah, but Grandma Gaye loved me as if I was her grandaughter, Grandpa misses her too.
It is with a heavy heart I fast Grandpa. I want him to be with Grandma Sarah. He loves her so much, but we love him and will miss him if he gets called home.
Grandpa I know you will never be able to read this post but I thank you for taking me in. You accepted me as one of your own, even though i was not born into your family. Grandpa you taught me to love others despite the trials and choices they make or create. you taught me to love with my whole heart. I love to hear you sing, i love to hear your stories. I will always love Idaho because of you. My testimony of Jesus Christ is greater and stronger because of you. you taught me so much about the atonement. you taught me about love of family, marriage, of forgiveness and charity.
My head knows its time to let you go, but my heart is selfish. I love you, I will miss you, and will forever be grateful for you!