Things I love

Today is the first day in a very long time that I have had time to sit down at the computer for longer than 3 minutes.  I realized that I have not been taking enough photographs lately and that I wanted to change that because it makes me sad when I don't.

There are just too many silly moments and fun things that I forget about when I don't take millions of pictures and I confess that I would rather photograph them than write them down in each of their journals.  I did a little writing in journals today and, well, it was March of this year when I last did that.

What I realized at the computer tonight is that my love of photography is live and well.  What I also learned is how much I LOVE looking through photos of my family.  I actually found myself laughing out loud all alone here in the office late at night.  Just by looking through these photos I remember the  epic General Conference weekend we had celebrating Christian's 10th birthday, Clark's newly lost tooth (the first one!), Faye's sassy personality, how I felt watching my children in their primary program and then later singing 'The Family is of God' for us at my niece's baby blessing, how much we all love Sheffield, what it feels like to say goodbye to summer and hello to fall, how much I love my parents and how thankful I am for the time they have spent here this past month doing my laundry and taking care of children for me while I rest, how messy my kitchen is on a daily basis because of all that we do in it (and it's a great kitchen and I'm thankful!), and truly how beautiful the world is.

I also remembered that I love to write and that I stopped writing here because I thought that I needed to have a bunch of people who read my blog or that I needed to have something exciting to report about or some amazing project to show off.  Guess what?  My family is my amazing project, they followers who matter, and they are what fills up my heart.  I'm blessed and I forget just how much I am blessed way too often.  So here's to remembering what matters most and for doing what brings me joy.

Sometimes I spend time wishing I could give my children more trips, more 'opportunity' (whatever that means), more lessons and a bigger house with their own bedrooms.  Today I just wish for them to be able to retain and remember some of the happiness that they have felt this year.  I wish for them to love their siblings for their entire lives the way they love little Sheffield right now and for them to be the best they can be as they follow God's plan for them individually.  I wish for them to remember to be as happy as a two year old licking cookie dough off of a beater, and, most of all, to always remember that the family IS of God.

Sailing On,
E