Even with a full shopping cart, it was a Bigger Than Me Day!

I woke up this morning with my heart aching! I was sad. It kind of surprised me, that is not how I usually feel. I normally can hardly wait to wake up because I have so many great things I want to do with my day. I usually wake up happy and very grateful for each new day that I get. I usually realize how full and blessed my life is, but today was different. I tried all the things that I know my Mom would have told me to do today...if she were still here. I said my prayers and prayed to know what was wrong, I listed all my blessings down, I read my scriptures and I also did some service and still my heart just kept aching. I felt like bawling all day but didn't ( probably should have ).
 I had a visit from a dear friend and it felt good when she was here, but then the feeling came right back. 

I called a couple of friends and they convinced me that I was just tired from all the excitement of the last 2 weeks. That was probably a big part of it. My house has been full and happy for the last 2 weeks with kids home and getting ready for Lee and Caitlin's wedding reception. Now everyone has gone home and my house is quite ( too quite ). So I think missing my kids is a big part of it too!

But then it goes a bit deeper than that, I am overwhelmed at how far I still have to go on really getting LynnMade out there with a lot of visibility. We have started...but only scratched the surface on all we need to do to make this Business really soar. I think I am a bit overwhelmed at all that needs to be done. Probably I feel overwhelmed because it is all the Social Media stuff that I really don't understand much. This seems like I have bitten off more than I can chew! 

Also I am mourning a loss of a dear friend, there seems to be a hole in my heart that can't completely heal. After almost 40 years together, I guess that might be a normal feeling?

I am also still in the mess of trying to get to appointments for Physical Therapy, after this car accident and now we just found out that the person who ran the red light and hit me, is now saying they weren't claiming to be at fault at all. I don't like having to deal with those sort of things. Plus, it is just hard to hurt so much again!

Well, I didn't sit down and have a good cry, I just kept going today, I kept praying and kept counting and recounting the many, many blessings I have. 

We had someone over for dinner tonight and that felt good. I dropped a treat off to a dear friend and their family...that felt good.

I even video taped another free video for LynnMade.com ..and that felt good.
 Then I read this wonderful talk that I found HERE:

and I realized that I felt a bit better. 

Perspective is a wonderful thing! It was ok to had a tough day, everyone has them. But remembering that my Heavenly Father knows me, and is aware of my good days as well as my bad days, is quite a comforting feeling!
How grateful I am to remember to see the bigger picture. How grateful I am to know that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are always there with me.. so that I don't have to do any Bigger Than Me Days alone! That makes me smile!

Good Night dear friends!

Loss!

A dear friend of ours passed away last week. It had saddened my heart. What an amazing lady she was and still is. She will be missed by so many, especially her sweet husband, kids and dear grandchildren. Like everyone else, you ask yourself what can I do? Realizing that there are soooo many friends that asking this too and yet all the family have asked for is their privacy. Through church, the other families in their ward... have taken care of needs while all the family is in town.

Last night when Jeff and I were talking about what we could do, he reminded me of one of my favorite books about grief and loss called ..Tear Soup: A Recipe for Healing After Loss
by Pat Schwiebert and Chuck DeKlyen.I had loaned the last one out and don't know where it is...so I just forgot about it. We decided to go pick one up at the book store for their family. Then tonight I made some tissue holders, for her kids or grandkids. Wish I could have done more, I just didn't know what to do and thought that tissues would come in handy. I dropped the stuff of to some of their other family that lives near, and asked if they would give them to the family for tomorrow. I cried on my way home. 

Just imaging what their family is going through, made me sad. Loss is hard. My prayers and thoughts go out for them and everyone who has to go through such loss and heartache in their lives. May we all pray to know what we can do... to help others in their time of need
Good Night dear friends!

Don't forget to smile!

I read this quote and thought how true it is. Let's face it, some days it is just hard to smile. Especially if you let all the negative things you've experienced lately, become the main thing you think about. Pretty soon, it becomes a burden and a heartache and ... you are no longer smiling.
But I know from personal experience, if we stop thinking as much about those things, and think about all the people and blessings in our lives...it is hard not to smile. The truth is most of us have a lot to smile about if we think of it. And when we realize that if we are sad and carrying big burdens around then we are no longer smiling and chances are ... we really aren't changing the world for that day. This was a great lesson for me.
I had a dear friend come and visit, that I haven't seen in a couple of years. It was if we had never been apart. I realized then, how blessed I am to have soooo many dear, dear friends.
 I need to remember them and all my blessings and bring that smile back onto my face and keep going!

Good night dear friends!

A time for all Seasons!

I liked this article by Jason Wright about his daughter getting ready to head off to college.  I well remember when Amy was getting ready to leave for college. I remember feeling like my heart was going to break. Even though I am not sure she felt the same way at the time. She was the oldest and ready to head out the door and have some new life experiences. Although I felt like I was losing one of my best friends, my right arm and my baby ( who grew up way too fast ). I remember wanted to make a slide show or something with a song that would tell her how much we loved her and yet have photos of all of us together, so she would know her family would miss her terribly. I guess now I am glad that I didn't make that slide show...it probably would be the big JOKE of the family. But still to this day when I hear that song, I think of Amy! She was a big part of my world, my first child and I couldn't hardly comprehend having her go. 

Now years later, I am grateful that I did let her go, did let her experience life and the choices that she needed to. I am thankful for the education she got. I am grateful for all the learning experiences that she had and for the great Mother and Wife she has become. The hard thing is...I felt the same way with all four of my kids. Yes, my heart has taken a beating with these kids. But what a blessing to see what wonderful adults they have become and how much better the world is ...with them in it! I am proud and like I said...I totally know where Jason and his wife are coming from. I know everything has it's time and season but it doesn't make any easier on a parents heart. 

This advice to High School Graduates, is great advice for actually all of us. 

Good night dear friends!

5 Things every High School Grad should do this summer!

This week my oldest child Oakli graduates from high school. Where did the time go?

Last year she was learning to walk; now she’s walking across the stage.

Last week she was in the 3rd grade; now she’s 3rd in her class.

Yesterday she answered everything we said with one word: “Why?” Now she’s heading to the “Y” – as in BYU.

As you might guess, I've thought a lot about this transition and I’m not sure which one of us is less prepared for it all. (Oh, who am I kidding? It’s the guy on the byline.)

With summer here for my daughter and several million other graduating seniors across the country, I've been considering the must-do items before we pack her for Provo. Perhaps these suggestions might work for your grad, too.

First, every child leaving the nest this fall should spend as much time as possible with s, iblings. Take them to lunch. Read them books. Push them on the swings. Grads, your relationship with them is about to change - forever. Savor summer afternoons with them while you can. If you don’t have siblings, get permission and borrow the neighbors. They won’t mind.

Second, if you don’t already have a few go-to meals to cook in a pinch, find them. Even if you’ll be living in a dorm and eating in the cafeteria, spend time with mom or dad in the kitchen learning how to make a few things that remind you of home. Take long breaths at the oven. Wear your mom’s ugly apron. Stick your finger in the bowl. Learn the recipes and discover that the experience really isn’t about cooking.

Third, make a list of people who've impacted your life for good and write them a letter. No emails, texts or Facebook messages will do. Splurge for stationary or “borrow” from your mom’s stash, sit at your dining room table and write them by hand. Knock out a few every week and you’ll be done in no time. Let them know what you've learned and how they've been a blessing in your life. Tell them you love them and recognize their role in your long arc to heaven will never be forgotten. If there isn't a minimum of ten people on your list, try harder.

Fourth, learn to really listen to your Heavenly Father. If you’re like most teenagers, you've done a lot of talking to God through the years. “Bless the food. Help us to drive home safely. Help me get an A on this Geometry test. Please make my parents less crazy.” You’ll still do plenty of asking, but use this time to really listen to your Father in heaven’s plan for you. With diligence, sincerity and by investing real time on your knees, you’ll discover that prayer isn’t a monologue. It’s a conversation.

Finally, when your mom and dad look you in the eyes, put their hands on your shoulders and take advantage of yet another teaching opportunity, just listen. Because, hypothetically, when your dad was young, he might have rolled his eyes at those moments. When his own father offered a loving course correction, too often that petulant kid may have thought he already had life all figured out. But now, as an adult with kids of his own, he’d give anything to go back in time and have his dad, smelling of grass clippings and hard work, wrap his big arms around that boy’s scrawny frame and turn the most mundane moment into a life lesson.

Don’t leave home with a list of what ifs. Remember that regrets are the permanent tattoos of emotions, and you know how parents feel about tattoos.

There is no guarantee these five suggestions will reduce the torrent of tears for anyone when the rental car pulls away from the crowded dorm parking lot. But if you give them a try, you just might have the best summer of your life.

And even if you don’t, your family sure will.

You can read more of Jason's articles HERE:

Olympian says "It's Family First"

Watch the video here:

'It's always been us': Noelle Pikus-Pace on how family healed her from heartache, injury to compete in Sochi

    
 

Video: Noelle Pikus-Pace, who traveled to Sochi with her husband and children, joins Matt Lauer in Sochi to chat about competing in the Games in the women’s skeleton. She credits much of her success to having her family around. Her main goal? “This time, it’s about getting on that podium,” she says.

More than anything, a win would be a true celebration of their partnership, which has endured both tragedy and triumph as Pikus-Pace pursued Olympic greatness over the past decade. Pace has been there at every turn, offering council and support. When Pikus-Pace kept struggling to get comfortable on her sled about five years ago, her husband even decided to use his engineering experience to brainstorm the “perfect piece of equipment.”
Hurtling downhill headfirst at over 80 miles per hour, she competed victoriously on that sled in recent races, and plans to use it again in Sochi.

LIONEL BONAVENTURE / AFP - Getty Images

Pikus-Pace trains for Skeleton on February 10.

Their path to the 2014 Olympics has been anything but conventional. Last year, Pace, 33, left his job at a steel fabrication company so the couple and their two young children could attend Olympic-qualifying competitions together. Lacee, 6, and Traycen, 2, posed many times with their mother on the award podium, where she has been decorated with World Cup gold and silver medals in skeleton.
Globetrotting with two small children in tow might look daunting to most families, but the Paces have embraced the challenge. “Teamwork is really what it’s all about,” Janson Pace told TODAY.com.
Now that Pikus-Pace’s goal of an Olympic medal is within reach, the Paces are hopeful their hard work and sacrifices will lead to victory — so their regular Valentine’s Day dinner will have to wait until the Paces return home to Eagle Mountain, Utah.
“After being with the kids non-stop for the past 3 months straight,” Pikus-Pace said via email, “I am pretty sure we'll be looking for the grandparents when we get home so we can make that date happen!”

TOBIAS HASE / EPA

Pikus-Pace kisses her son Traycen after winning the women's Skeleton World Cup in Koenigssee near Berchtesgaden, Germany, on January 24.

Delayed date nights notwithstanding, this is exactly what the couple wanted: an once-in-a-lifetime experience as a family.
Just a few years ago, Pikus-Pace didn’t expect to compete in the 2014 Olympics. A decade ago, she was considered the best in her sport, having won the overall World Cup title in 2004-2005. But when a runaway bobsled struck her at a 2005 competition in Canada, her leg was badly broken, and the accident ended her chances of competing at the 2006 Olympics in Turin, Italy. A comeback was marked by disappointment when, at the Vancouver Olympics in 2010, Pikus-Pace placed fourth and didn’t medal.
She retired soon after, but returned to the sport after experiencing yet another tragedy — a miscarriage— in the spring of 2012.
“I really needed the distraction, turning my mind from loss and heartache to compete again,” she told TODAY.com. “I was looking forward to another goal, and it was chasing this Olympic dream together with my husband, something we felt strongly that was meant to be.”

Scott Halleran / Getty Images

Noelle Pikus-Pace and her family in the Olympic Park in Sochi, Russia on Feb. 3, 2014.

Pace knew it would be easier for his wife to endure the grueling qualifying season with the children in tow; there would be no anxiety about being away from home. Yet, this was an expensive proposition. The U.S. covers some of Pikus-Pace’s competition costs, but the family had to spend a small fortune last year to fund both her race-related expenses and the family’s travel.
Luckily, they received support from unexpected places. Inspired by Pikus-Pace’s story, one woman handed her a check for $30,000. Friends and fans donated money, coordinated a bake sale, held a 5K race, and put on a golf tournament. Corporate sponsors, including Kellogg’s, have since eased the financial burden.
The family is grateful: “Our team is a lot bigger than just the four of us,” said Pace, who will also be watching his wife from the point of view of his role as "sled-builder."
“If she can compete on that sled and win a gold medal, I’m going to be ecstatic and it will be a story that we’ll remember for the rest of our lives,” he said.
For Pikus-Pace, the custom sled is a reminder of the couple’s enduring partnership. “It’s never been only me crossing finish line,” she said. “It’s always been us.”

True G.R.I.T.S.

 

Well, we have about 6 inches of snow outside and it is still falling. I have hot water in the crockpot which is all ready for Hot Chocolate. I have in the other crock pot Chicken’s and Dumplings. And then a huge pot of Pinto Beans and Ham on the stove simmering. Now you can probably tell by this menu that I am a True G.R.I.T.S. ( Girl raised in the South ). The funny part is, Jeff is looking at me wondering who in the world is going to eat all this food. I know, I keep forgetting it is just us two, oh how I miss my kids! There is just something about a Snow Storm that makes me want to prepare ….just in case the neighborhood needed some help!

I have done that since the kids were little, when the weather gets bad outside…I start cooking. Old habits are hard to break I guess! Oh well, unless a cold and hungry stranger comes knocking at our door to come eat, I guess I will just freeze some of it. I guess being prepared is better than NOT being prepared!

 

I received an email from a dear friend of mine tonight, and she reiterated what some other Empty Nesters have told me. That having your kids leave is really hard and it really hurts, but only because that meant I really loved my kids. She also reminded me that it will come and go in waves…since two of my kids have already left home earlier and now are married, I understand what she means. Still knowing that they are still only a phone call or an email away helps. How grateful I need to be that we do love each other and miss each other. Many families don’t have that.

So tonight I actually went to my sewing room and created something. It felt good, I need to do more of that. Plus, I need to remember we G.R.I.T.S. ( southern girls ) are tough, I need to toughen up and keep moving, because if you aren’t moving, then you are actually going backwards…so true. Gotta go and put the stuff in the freezer before I go to bed!

Good night dear friends!

“Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.”  ~ Elizabeth Stone

It's not only children who grow.  Parents do too.  As much as we watch to see what our children do with their lives, they are watching us to see what we do with ours.  I can't tell my children to reach for the sun.  All I can do is reach for it, myself.  ~Joyce Maynard

“The love of a family is life’s greatest blessing”

Heartache

    Once again I am trying to find the energy to write. It was a long day, I was up late with Lee, and today he isn't doing that much better. He went to a half day of school and then to the Doctor's office for more tests. Not sure how long those results will take? Then on Weds. they will have him do an MRI, so he will miss school that day.
    The hard part for me is the heartache, watching your child suffer and hurt, and not knowing what is wrong or not being able to help the pain stop. I may not be making a lot of sense, I am over tired, sleepy and worried. I am trying to remember to turn this all over to my Heavenly Father and ask for peace, as well as to be guided to the right Doctor, the right test and the right diagnosis. I hope we find out those things soon?  Please keep us in your prayers, we could sure use them! Thank you!

Here is a great story to remind us... that it is up to us, to be the change we want to see in the world! Enjoy! 

Last Respects 

One day not too long ago the employees of a large company in St. Louis, Missouri returned from their lunch break and were greeted with a sign on the front door. The sign said: "Yesterday the person who has been hindering your growth in this company passed away. We invite you to join the funeral in the room that has been prepared in the gym."
At first everyone was sad to hear that one of their colleagues had died, but after a while they started getting curious about who this person might be.
The excitement grew as the employees arrived at the gym to pay their last respects. Everyone wondered: "Who is this person who was hindering my progress? Well, at least he's no longer here!"

One by one the employees got closer to the coffin and when they looked inside it they suddenly became speechless. They stood over the coffin, shocked and in silence, as if someone had touched the deepest part of their soul.
There was a mirror inside the coffin: everyone who looked inside it could see himself. There was also a sign next to the mirror that said: "There is only one person who is capable to set limits to your growth: it is YOU.
You are the only person who can revolutionize your life. You are the only person who can influence your happiness, your realization and your success. You are the only person who can help yourself.
Your life does not change when your boss changes, when your friends change, when your parents change, when your partner changes, when your company changes. Your life changes when YOU change, when you go beyond your limiting beliefs, when you realize that you are the only one responsible for your life.
"The most important relationship you can have, is the one you have with yourself."  ~Unknown

"In all things it is better to hope than to despair"   ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

"Hope never abandons you; you abandon it"   ~ George Weinberg

"Hope is faith holding out its hand in the dark"  ~ George Iles

From darkness into light

I have to admit that for some reason the past few days, have seemed very dark for me. I couldn't find much to be happy about and the feelings I had about myself, were very self defeating to say the least. I sorta felt that this darkness, has been creeping up on me for the few weeks now. I cry more than normal, everything seems too big to handle and the worst is, I felt a sadness about myself and my life that really wasn't healthy at all. I was sharing these feelings with a dear friend and her comment was, 'you need to go easy on yourself Lynn, for the past 3 weeks  you and Jeff both have had pneumonia, you had a friend pass away, Lee was sick, your granddaughter got really sick and because of your illnesses, you haven't been able to keep up on the exercises that the PT has given you, so you haven't really had very much improvement on your back, neck and knees. You have had a lot on you.'

Well, that is good and true but the truth is, that is exactly what most of what my life has been and yet I usually can always find things to be happy and grateful about. I even noticed a week or so ago, that I was jealous of someone, for something! That is really not like me, oh I some times wonder what it would be like to have health, money, resources to go on vacations and so on, but I am truly not jealous. And yet I was, and it felt bad. I noticed that my communication with my Heavenly Father has even been less and that always makes me feel sad too. Probably it also makes Him sad.
So the past couple of days, I have tried to stay off to myself, keep my mouth shut, so some of the discouraging things...didn't come out, and then I just prayed and prayed hard to know what was going on. Last night after another sincere, and heartfelt prayer, I felt a bit of light coming through. I felt hopeful that this darkness that was around me, didn't have to stay forever! Today has been even better and once again, even though I am still in pain, still make the same amount of money, still have the same limitations and restrictions...I feel happy and I am soooooooooooo grateful for that.
Another dear friend of mine spoke in church lately, and her talk was about prayer.  She compared it to light. She was kind enough to share her notes with me so I could use it in my blog. I will only use part of it tonight, but it was exactly what I needed to read again. What a great friend she is to me. So I will leave you with these words, and tell you that I probably did take for granted these last few weeks, my communication with my Heavenly Father. I was too sick, too tired, or whatever, to do what I needed to do...which was  pray for help and strength. Prayer has always been essential in my life, I am not sure why I let that slip?  I now can feel the light, and it is something I need not take for granted anymore! Good night dear friends!

The Power of Prayer

Since 1879, the electric light bulb has changed the way we see the world. Small shacks may be merely lit by a dusty yellow street lamp outside, and lavish mansions are illuminated by great chandeliers. Because of them we can work 24 hours a day, we can perform surgery in the dead of night if we need to, we can illuminate anything, almost anywhere, at the flip of a switch. Think of the hope and joy that comes to one, struggling in a dark cave or well, when finally they see the lights of rescuers coming to save them. Rescuers who will call their name, until they hear a response….

What power is behind that little carbon filament, what power behind that light we take so for granted.

Prayer is something that many of us may take for granted, perhaps we do it, but it has become too routine, mundane. We underestimate the power it can have in our lives. The truth is, sincere, heartfelt prayer has the power to save our souls, our marriages, our families, and enable us to be a light to others.

 

“God knows our needs better than we can state them, but He wants us to approach Him in faith to ask for blessings, safety, and comfort.”   ~ James E. Faust

"The value of consistent prayer is not that He will hear us, but that we will hear Him."  ~William McGill

"Prayer may not change things for you, but it for sure changes you for things."  ~Samuel M. Shoemaker