Thanks November

My family....Halloween

I love my family. This was the first time my Dad has EVER dressed up. I thought it was awesome that he and my Mom matched. 

I think it is interesting that Veterans Day and Thanksgiving are both in the month of November. At school we had a Veterans Day assembly and I will be honest I was very choked up hearing 700+ children sing the National Anthem and recite from memory the Bill of Rights. I had a deep feeling of gratitude for all of those who have had to fight for our freedom. 

Fighting for our freedom is not a new theme in America. The opportunity for religious freedom is how this amazing nation was born. It seems that we must continue to fight for what we believe in and hold fast to truths that we know.

Thanksgiving is around the corner. I have so many things to be thankful for. Choices. I am thankful for choices. I am thankful for family, my children who are my joy. I am thankful for a healthy body. I am grateful for the ability to work and that my children can come with me. Today, I am thankful for cold medicine and early bedtimes as I've been fighting off a fever. I am also really thankful for dinner. When you are watching what you eat and you are in deprivation mode eating a carb is like the best gift on the planet. THANK YOU FOR TORTILLAS! I am grateful for so many other things but right now, I am thankful to take one day at a time. 

XOXO The Sunny D

Single Sacrament Meeting Struggles

I found this note on my desk Friday. My kids were with their Dad this weekend. A year or so ago I was really struggling with going to church. It can be hard being a single parent..period. However, going to church brought a whole new set of struggles. I was trying to keep things together in my home, run kids to sports events and games every Saturday. There was no time to get things done around the house and I was harried, frazzled, and completely worn out. I was SO tired that on the Sunday's I did not have my kids it felt like a burden have to go to church. I had a lot of excuses as to why I could stay home, all of the things I could get done, etc. They were good and legitimate reasons. I muscled through those Sunday's. Going to church felt like your second cleanse day on a diet. It was hard, took a lot of will power but in the end I was glad I went. Here are a few things I have learned along the way.

Church Attendance

Just Go. I did not feel like going, my testimony was solid in many things but shaky in others. Why if I had always tried so very hard to be so very good did I have to face the trials I was facing? It was lonely going to church on the Sunday's I did not have my kids. I felt lost at church. I looked around at all the families and thought WHERE do I fit in here? Every Sunday morning I woke with an excuse as to why I didn't need to go, but every Sunday I went. Most Sunday's my heart wasn't in it and my effort was feeble. I had been in this ward for 10 years. It wasn't like I was new, or people treated me differently. I had friends at church, it was just that I was tired. I was tired of being alone. 

Every Sunday that I made an attempt I learned something new. The Holy Spirit would whisper something to me that would keep me going for just another week. A song would touch my heart or sometimes JUST a SENTENCE of truth in a talk would resonate with me. The bottom line is the Lord loves me so much how could I ever turn my back to him? I could not. I had too many personal experiences over the course of my life that I knew he would help me through this slump. He had helped me before he would help me again. 

The Primary Calling

It was around this time that I was called to co-teach a primary class. I accepted the calling knowing that it would help push me to church on the weekends my kids were with their Dad. Through teaching I was taught about the Savior and I shared my testimony of my love for the Savior. I had been in this calling for a year when the schedule began to take the wind out of my sails. I was a school teacher five days a week, and a single Mom the rest of the time. I had started a new teaching job that was eating up all of my free time. When my children were with me they were number one and my life revolved around them. I was running on fumes and knew something needed to change. I was overwhelmed. Through prayer I knew that I needed to ask for a change in my calling. I had worked hard for a year in Primary and I knew that it would be ok for me to tell my struggles to the Bishop. It felt as if my job never ended. I was teaching six days a week. Don't get me wrong, obviously I love children and teaching. I loved teaching Primary I just needed a break. After all, how would anyone know how I felt if I didn't say something. I talked with the Primary presidency that Sunday. The next Sunday I met with the Bishop and he released me and extended a new calling to me. 

Balance

Another thing I have learned is I need to be balanced. This year I did not enroll the kids in any extra activities. It has helped us to not feel like we are in a whirlwind rush every day. Since we are not in such a rush I have noticed that Sunday's are more relaxing. I am able to get things done on Saturday instead of rushing all day Sunday to do them. I have devoted more time to scripture reading, prayer, monthly temple attendance. There are a lot of things I still need to work on in this area but the bottom line is if I am not exhausted I have noticed I look forward to going to church. 

I guess the bottom line is if you are struggling with church attendance: keep going, talk to friends, look at your life as a whole and see if there is anything you should cut out as a family, be proactive and pray about it. I didn't all of a sudden enjoy going to church again. It was a challenge I had to work through and gradually going to church became easier and was sweet to me once again. I am so grateful for family members, friends, church leaders and a loving Father in Heaven who lead me along line upon line, precept on precept. 

XOXO- The Sunny D