Words

I feel the need to write. It's 1:30 a.m. and you say, "go to bed, Mary" but my thoughts will not go to bed. Night is when I come alive. My mind settles and my thoughts become clear. Clear enough to see the bottom of my pool of to-do lists, distractions, priorities, weaknesses, anxieties and all of the other things that clutter my mind during the buzz of daily living. I like quiet nighttime pondering. It shapes not only what I think, but who I am and what I am choosing to become.Writing helps me ponder.

We all have that opportunity, to choose what we want to become. And becoming is a process, not an achievement. It is a long journey. I can decide to become more patient, but never will I fully arrive at patience like we arrive at a destination. Even the most patient people on earth are still human. And humans fall short. Always. No one will get out of this life perfect. That will take longer than this life to achieve. So becoming, then, is more significant to me than achieving. Someone who is still in the process of becoming shows commitment. Willingness to try again. Refusal to quit. An accepting attitude. Humility. All of those things that allow us to recover from our mistakes. And we all make mistakes. What would this world be like if we didn't? If people could just reach all of their goals and nail it all of the time? I think it'd be awesome, but there would be nothing left to learn. And when we learn we grow. I am not done growing yet. We all have a lot to learn.

So, back to becoming, what am I going for? What is it I want to be? Hopefully, some beautiful arrangement of these attributes:

patience love wisdom kindness  

creativity joyfulness obedience passion holiness  

motherliness beauty gratitude humility

and a hundred others, this list is but a beginning.... I have such a long way to go. But since we all do, I am in good company. I am thankful to not have to make this journey alone. I could not handle learning all that I have to learn surrounded by constant perfection. It would frustrate me to the point of failure. I am bad enough comparing myself to others as it is. I know I would do worse if all of my examples and role models lacked weaknesses. If they were flawless versions of everything I aspire to be. I am thankful we have One example, Jesus Christ. He has shown us the way to live and I find comfort in the fact that He has been the ONLY perfect being on this earth. That places us all back on the same line. The mortality-weakness-imperfection-falling short-you name it-line. I like that line because that is where I am. And until I have outgrown it, that is where I will continue to be as I strive to become, as the Army puts it "all I can be."

Lover's Day

My poor Paul spent Valentine's Day sick in bed. I did my best to help him feel better. I made him some homemade chicken noodle soup and brought him a personalized "I [heart] Paul" cookie from BYU, but it was still a bummer to have him so miserable on such a special day. And he was pretty miserable...

Don't let that worry you though, the sly fox still found a way to surprise his sweetheart. On a quick dash out to pick up some medicine (which he insisted on doing so he could get a "break" from the house), he got me some beautiful flowers and delicious chocolates, all without raising a single suspicion.


That evening, we joined my family for their traditional candle-lit dinner of chicken cordon bleu. We doorbell ditched them with their valentine and enjoyed our surprises from them. Then we all watched Chocolat, overdosing on chocolate and candy the whole time. It was a wonderful day. And Paul is better now. I love my husband. We heart you all and hope you had a happy holiday too!!!