Peace & Happiness

You know, even though there's a LOT going on in our lives and we've been through a LOT since we've been married, and especially in the last 3-4 years, we still feel peace and happiness of a special type.

No matter what happens and the crap we go through and the crap that is said about us and to us and how we're treated by those who should be called "loved ones" and no matter how much we're judged and how hard we work to be put down again and again we can always know that we're doing our best and that we don't give up.

We've been hearing more and more of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, ones that have been to the Temples and been sealed for Time & Eternity, dropping away, losing their faith, and even some of them becoming agnostic or even Atheist.

How have we not done this ourselves?

Well, it's really simple, and because of how simple it is it's hard for people to really believe it and to know how to grasp and understand it.

Tyler and I may have a lot of gospel knowledge and yada yada, but the bottom line is this: keeping the commandments of God and keeping our covenants we've made with God from our baptisms and going through the Temple and then getting sealed.

The LITTLE things matter the MOST.

Reading the scriptures, praying daily, going to church, paying tithing, going to the temple, having Family Home Evening, etc. It does not require much at all to do these things. Oh, and a BIGGIE. Keeping the Word of Wisdom.

The Word of Wisdom is exactly that. A WORD OF WISDOM. It comes from God.
Those who choose to smoke and drink are literally clogging their spiritual pores. Oh sure laugh it up if you want to, or better yet, get offended LOL. But it's true. Just plain and simply that, it's true.
Doing things that are contrary to what God has asked us to do is damaging and damning in every sense of those words.

Tyler and I have been very, very careful to never break the Word of Wisdom, to always pay a full tithe, and keep up with our reading and praying and these things alone have kept our testimonies firm.

There have been countless chances we've had to leave the church or start to look into another religion or just quit, but how can one do that when they're sure about what they're doing is right and that the Spirit is with them, building them up, strengthening them, guiding them, supporting them, loving them, comforting them, and blessing them with miracles every day?

How could Tyler and I turn our backs on our ETERNAL FAMILY and our testimonies when God has given us so much and done so much for us?

If anybody needs a sign of proof about God's love and existence it's not in material blessings, it's not in healthy bodies, it's not in fame and fortune or recognition or a calm and event-less life. It's not a constant SUREITY of God's existence or of miracles or angels or truth or anything like that. It's not getting what you want or what you think you deserve or what you think would be best for you or your family. It's not even saving a loved one from death.
It's the fact that he let his Son suffer, bleed and die. It's the fact that he allowed his earthly children to torture, ridicule, reject, beat and then ultimately kill His Only Begotten Son. He allowed this because it was THE ONLY WAY that we could receive Salvation and hopefully Eternal Life if we so choose it. JESUS CHRIST IS THE SIGN. He is the proof.

No matter what happens to Tyler and I, or anybody else we know, Tyler and I always have this great PEACE and HAPPINESS that we feel on a daily basis, if even for a moment, that we have an Eternal Family. That we will be together forever, perfect, immortal, glorious, and with our family and friends who so choose to follow the same path. We know that there is a greater reward waiting for us after this life and it's worth all the hell and torment we could possibly endure in this life to attain all that God has promised us.

I know for a certainty that's indescribable that Jesus Christ lives and that he died for every one of us and lives now. I know with a strong hope and faith that my family, Tyler, Lacie, Sophie and I, will all be together forever and ever, never to die again, never to suffer again. I know that no matter what people say or do all around us, and while friends and family and people we don't know very well fall away and deny the faith and lose their faith and go off on their own ways and who snub us for our faith, that we are doing what is right and we are doing our best and we are choosing to keep the faith and we are choosing to do what's right and work as hard as we can to keep this.

Nothing is worth losing your family after death.
NOTHING.

And please don't try to comfort yourself into thinking that EVERYONE will be with their families forever, because they will not if they choose not to do what's necessary to receive this gift. Sure, we'll all live again one day, but there's a difference between being SEALED to your family and just living again. Tyler and I know this, and we're staying away from the things that could tear our Eternal Family apart, including not breaking the Word of Wisdom and all that other stuff I already mentioned.

This is my testimony and I just felt to share it.
In Jesus' Name.

Another Day Among Days Of Some Progress

Well right now Tyler is in Dallas, Texas, for a seminar given by Dani Johnson. I've listened to her off and on now for several weeks and bought some material of hers.I am really putting my faith in this woman. We've spent a lot already. I was supposed to go with Tyler to Dallas but two things happened: we couldn't get the money in our account fast enough to buy the plane tickets for the price we could afford and 2nd we could not find anybody to help watch our kids on three of the fours days we'd be gone. Thanks to my sister, Andrea, she would've been able to stay the nights and my brother, Glenn & his wife Andrea, would've had them all day Sunday. But Tyler's mom wouldn't take them on Saturday and our sister-in-law on Friday or Saturday and my mom on Monday. They had a couple things going on, but mostly I think it's that they didn't want to bother with it so much. A 3 and 1 year old are hard ages to watch sometimes. My 1 yr old especially is hard to watch! She gest into EVERYTHING. She's a busy little thing! She reminds me of her father in that way. Silently getting into mischeof (I know I can't spell!).Anyway, so here I sit, all alone at home. Right now the girls are with some friends of ours watching a movie and goofing around. It's 11:20pm!! But Sophie took a 5 hour nap today!! Yikes!! I hope this helps them sleep through the night because neither of them have been sleeping well for awhile now.Today I went to see a psychiatrist. YIKES I wasn't excited about that. I'm sitting there gabbing away and he wears his thoughts all over his face!! Oh my gosh. Yeah. It wasn't a miserable time but boy was I being read and judged. Oh my gosh.He diagnosed me with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (the Spirit told me I had this about a week ago already) and Depression. LOVELY. He even suspected a type of bi-polar.Oh my gosh I'm just a big mess. It sucks. He gave me a prescription for a cheap and good medication that should help calm my overly stressed out nerves and such. I hope I like it. I hope it's okay with my thyroid medication, which it probably is, but you know.And that brings me to my next thing: My Thyroid. Damned thing just doesn't want to work anymore!So it's a HYPO problem and I started medication not even two months ago. So far I can tell it's helping some. I'm losing a lot of hair though. I have been losing water weight and that's good. People say I'm looking better.I attribute to that to the GoYin I'm taking, though. Well, mostly anyway.It's done some amazing and neat and miraculous things for some people already. I've tried to take it consistently for 2 months now, but it's not been completely consistent. I can sure tell when I haven't taken it!! Tyler does great on it too, and so do my girls. It's such good stuff. And now that I'm talking about that I might as well mention here that in our OFFICIAL first week of being in GoYin (not on the TV show thank goodness) we made almost $1,000.00!! Yeah, great huh? But none since, dagnabbit. Of course that's only been like two weeks ago, but still.Tyler has been ON FIRE about it. I just wish others would BELIEVE us and catch the vision of it! Tyler wants this to be his way out of HAVING to work every day and living a better life. He is talking to so many people! I have been lazy in it, though. I actually have been lazy at EVERYTHING though! It's my depression. I seriously cannot help it. I'm too tired and losing interest in all sorts of things. IT SUCKS.And one of my friends let herself be convinced from her mother not to do GoYin. I'm so sad for her!! I was so excited for her to get somewhere and make a good life for her and her daughters! She reminded me of Dani Johnson herself in a lot of way. But what a sick and sad surprise. It broke my heart. She, of course, couldn't understand why it bothered me so much. I just hate seeing people giving up something that will change their lives for the better and forever.Just like when someone rejects the Gospel as I believe it and know it to be. It's a very sad day when someone says NO to something that will bring them better happiness, success, knowledge and peace in their lives.Oh I'm so tired! ack. I wish I was with Tyler! I NEEEDED this seminar!! I really hope Tyler's fire catches on to me. I really do!Okay, now to get off of this thing and see if I can clean up this messy office/toy room.And sit in front of the TV again and watch HGTV like usual.And pray that things start to turn for the better around here!