The Fishpond: LOVE

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

LOVE

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

Yesterday we had fun with our traditional valentines dinner.

(A day early since Tuesday's are pretty crazy around here).

I truly love these guys!

Lately I have been thinking about the word love and my family in a new light.

I thought it a neat coincidence that our relief society lesson on Sunday was "Love Thy Neighbor as Thyself" A sister brought up how sometimes it is easier to love a stranger than it is to love someone you know. This can definitely be the case in a family.

A few weeks ago, I was reading the well known scripture about charity found in Moroni 7:44-47 The words, And charity suffereth long jumped out at me. There are times when dealing with my children where it can be pretty hard to be patient. It can be hard to not take offense to what they may be saying. Hard to not lash back at them and "defend" myself. Lately the phrase And charity suffereth long has come into my mind when I'm frustrated with my children.

In our relief society lesson this quote was shared, "Love is not an emotion. It is a policy." by Madeleine L'Engle. I love my children but sometimes in certain situations it can be hard to feel that love at the current moment. I realized that at these times we have to make it a policy to show love even if we may not be feeling it. Not an easy task. I left relief society with more of a resolve to make love a policy no matter the situation.

Yesterday I read this article. As I went about my tasks I kept thinking of these lines,

I’m not asking anyone to do any more, but if you’re already doing, doing, doing, for your children, why not try to infuse a little more love into that doing? I think everyone would agree that there’s a big difference between doing what you do as a mother simply because you have to or you feel obligated to, and doing it with the intent of blessing your child’s life and helping them to feel your love for them.

I realized how just changing my focus mentally can make a huge difference. To think about the task I'm doing and how it shows love and blesses my child rather than the task itself. The task then no longer feels a burden and something I do that I just wish someone would show appreciation for.

Now off to show some love this day!

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I should write that down

"Shut up and listen to what I meant", Minnie
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Important decisions need prayer!! Heavenly Father can answer our prayers with a Yes, No, or Maybe So. "When He answers yes, it is to give us confidence. When He answers no, it is to prevent error. When He withholds an answer, it is to have us grow through faith in Him, obedience to His commandments, and a willingness to act on truth. We are expected to assume accountability by acting on a decision that is consistent with His teachings without prior confirmation. We are not to sit passively waiting or to murmur because the Lord has not spoken. We are to act." Elder Richard G. Scott
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