Sometimes when you sit through church meetings with small children, you wonder why you even go. My kids are usually at their worst during church meetings, especially the big one in the chapel where we are supposed to be extra quiet during the sacrament. That is when they turn all of their charm on :)
I am not a good mom - I don't have a bag that I take for them full of activities and paper. I'm lucky if I remember
sippy cups, a treat and a diaper. Oh, I have lots of ideas for things to help them be quiet; I've even made a few of them and still, we don't remember to take them or they aren't where we left them the last time... You get the picture.
Today, one of my dear friends was giving a talk about the sacrament. She was telling about how when Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane, he pleaded with the apostles to just stay awake one hour with him - they could not. She said that made her think that sometimes it's even difficult for us to give 10 minutes fully to the Lord during the Sacrament. And I started to think...
Now, let me tell you another story before my "What I Learned From This Moment". Another dear friend of ours, currently is housing her 15 year old cousin for a year. This cute girl has moved far away from home and is living here now. She misses her family and friends terribly. She was telling me yesterday that when she first moved out here, her friends would call her and text her all the time and now she doesn't hear from them much. She said she recently called a friend and was telling her how hard it was, moving so far away during her
sophomore year of high school, how she missed her friends and their activities and her friend said, "Heather, you are tough, you can get through this." As she was telling me this, at first, I thought, "Oh, her friends don't know what else to say, they are tired of hearing it and so they are just coming up with that." However, sitting in church, I came away with a different perspective for me. (This is all about me, I'm not secretly talking about someone else, just me!)
So - "What I Learned From This Moment"
First - Sometimes the things thrown at us in life are ONLY things that WE CAN GO THROUGH! No one else can do it for us. Just like when Christ was in Gethsemane, only he, alone, could go through that.
I can do hard things.
Second - No matter how much I complain (me, not Christ) about what I am going through, it is not going to go away - I have to learn how to deal with it. My mom can't take it away, my husband can't, my friends can't.
I can do hard things.
Third - I am the one who chooses how I will act and react every single day. (This is going to take some work - I'll let you know how it is going.)
I can do hard things.
Disclaimer: I do not in any way think that I have harder things to deal with in life than anyone else. In fact, compared to many people, my trials are small - but to me, they seem to gain a life of their own and get bigger and bigger, making me feel like there is no way to get through them. I feel a little overwhelmed.
From LDS.ORG: Adversity - As part of Heavenly Father's plan of redemption, all people experience adversity during their lifetime. Trials, disappointments, sadness, sickness, and heartache are a difficult part of life, but with the help of the Lord they can lead to spiritual growth, refinement, and progress.
And to all who have listened to me, countless times, THANK YOU! Thank you for being patient with me. I appreciate you! I guess I still have a lot of growth, refinement and progress to do!
Our little family - Carson didn't know what to think of Morgan when he was first born. She sure loves him now.
Still having a little dark hair but it's fading fast... (Jan 2007)
I'm all blonde now - Don't blondes have more fun? (Feb 2007)
Lovin' summertime - (June 2007) 
Learning to walk. All smiles and giggles. (September 2007)
Turning one and more than happy to play in his cake. (October 20, 2007)
