If you don't love it - Change It!

I love life!  I have a great life!  I just don't understand sometimes how some people can be so grumpy and unhappy with their lives, when they are in control of it.  If you don't love it, change it!  I know that you are probably saying that it just isn't that simple.  You just can't go and change everything in your life and all of a sudden be happy! You are absolutely right!  You have to first of all make a decision, then make a plan, and

I love my sunflowers.  Oh ya the guy in the pic is pretty sweet too!

then make that plan work.

First of all making the decision to change your life - for the most part, is pretty easy.  Making the decision that you are not happy and you want to change.  Now comes the harder part.  What things about your life don't you love?  What things do you need to change to make you happy?

I know that so very many people think that money will make them happier.  And to some extent that may be true, so if you think you need more money, then what will YOU have to do, to make that happen?  Because it won't just fall in your lap.  Perhaps you need a career change, perhaps you need to cut back on your spending habits, perhaps you need to go back to school and earn a degree of some sort to create that career change.  Whatever it is, YOU need to do it.

Do you need to fix a broken relationship?  Do you need to discover who YOU really are?  Do you need to get healthy?  What is it that you need to make you happy?

Are you in an unhealthy relationship that needs to be fixed, then what are you going to do about it?  Make a plan, and put that plan into action.  Do you need to go on that self discovery journey to find out what you really want out of life?  Make a plan to do it, and carry out the plan.

Luffa Gourd!  I am gonna love making soap with you!

Know that as you move along the road, along your plan, there will most definitely be bumps and curves and things that will make you want to quit.  Things that will make you want to cave and return back to the unhappy life, perhaps because it was easier.  Don't quit, don't give in.  If you know what you want, keep at it, one step at a time, one day at a time.

I am always on a self discovery journey.  I love learning new things about myself.  I have my plan in place to help me get to where I think I want to be, and I am going through the journey.  It isn't always easy, in fact sometimes it is down right discouraging, but I keep going, and you can too.  Nobody can do this for us.  It is all up to YOU to do it for yourself.

If YOU don't love your life - Change it!  Life is just too short to not love it.

Family History - Handcart Companies

This story is told in as part of the history of Reuben James who was the son of William James and Jane Haynes.  Reuban was the brother of one of our great grandmothers.  

As I have been doing some family  history and reading some of these stories again, I so appreciate what they went through, so that we might have what we have today.  They sacrificed, struggled, and had enormous trials, just as we have trials today.  Our trials are different, but not any less significant.  We all fight for what we believe in, fight for our families, and fight the world against all that we don't agree with.  No less than what these people did, just in a different way.  I hope you enjoy this story of my ancestors.  Perhaps it might help put into perspective some of our own challenges.  I am so grateful that they kept records of these stories.

In the Church History Sunday School lesson for November 8^th 1931, we read, “When they arrived at Rocky Ridge, another terrible wind and snow storm come upon them. As they went up over this ridge, they had to wrap themselves in blankets and quilts to keep from freezing.

On this day, Jon Chislett was appointed to help the rear of the company along. After the company had left the campground, he buried one of the brethren that had died during the night

and then set out on foot alone. He had not gone far up the ridge when he overtook a family who were unable to pull their handcart through the snow, which was here knee deep. He helped them pull their cart on up the ridge, and soon overtook another family, likewise unable to pull their cart. Now all pulled one cart a short distance, then returned and brought up the other. He and these families struggled up the ridge and overtook other families who were too tired to pull their handcarts. But by each family helping the other all managed to continue on.

He and these families now over took a wagon drawn by an ox team. In this he placed many who were utterly exhausted. All continue on and soon came upon an old gentleman and his family sitting by the roadside. The old gentleman, whose name was James, was unable to pull his handcart any farther. Jon Chislett could not place him in the wagon because it was already too crowded.

This elderly gentleman had a shotgun with which he had provided food for his family on many occasions. Jon Chislett took the gun from the handcart, tied a small bundle of necessities on the end of it, gave it to the old gentleman, and started him on his way, accompanied by his twelve year old boy. The old gentleman's wife and two daughters who were older than the boy took hold of the handcart and pulled it along. Soon all reached the summit of the hill.

They now journeyed on more easily and after several hours overtook two more wagons loaded with sick and several handcarts being pulled by tired out immigrants. There were now in the rear three wagons, eight handcarts and forty five people.

By dark they came to a stream of water which was frozen over. They could not see where the main body of the company had crossed. They started an ox team over, but one of the oxen broke through the ice and refused to go any farther. They thought it inadvisable to go on and leave this team of oxen and the wagon, yet they knew they could not camp there because there was no wood. John Chislett was therefore sent on foot to find the main company and secure aid.

Soon he came upon the old gentleman William James, and his little boy sitting by the roadside. The old man was worn out. John Chislett goe him to his feet and helped him along a short distance. Realizing that he had to hurry on to get help for his struggling party, he took the quilt which he had wrapped around him, and rolling the old gentleman up in it, left him by the roadside. He told the little boy to walk up and down by his father and be sure not to sit down or he would freeze to death. He also told him to watch for teams which would soon be coming back. John Chislett then went on in search of the company, which by this time had encamped. After walking several hours he saw the campfires and at 11 pm aroused Captains Willie and Kimball, who immediately got their horses and wagons and went back and brought in the straggling families and ox teams. It was five o'clock in the morning before the last of them got in camp.

The brethren found the old gentleman James as he lay sleeping wrapped in the quilt, and his little boy walking up and down, faithfully keeping watch over him. Father James and his son were placed in the wagon and taken to camp However the old gentleman died before morning. His wife and two daughters faithfully pulled the handcart with its load into the camp.

On this morning Captains Kimball and Willie, because so many were dead and dying, decided not to travel on this day. During the night thirteen had died. The brethren dug one large square hole in which they buried these faithful saints. They covered the bodies with willows and then with dirt. Two more died during the day and were buried in one grave. This encampment was on Willow Creek, a branch of the Sweetwater River.

The next day the company journeyed on through the snow; crossed the Sweetwater on the ice and at night camped a little northeast of South pass. Here two more of the faithful immigrants died and were buried. The following day the saints continued their journey, and near the South pass they met more relief wagons from Salt Lake Valley. These were filled with clothing and food.

After crossing the South Pass, the weather was warmer and nearly all were permitted to do away with their handcarts and ride in wagons. By this time about sixty seven of the number had died.

The Willie Handcart Company finally arrived at Salt Lake City on Sunday, November 9^th 1856.

They were received with every possible kindness. The saints in the valley took them into their homes and made them comfortable.

They whipped Reuben to get him to move around to get the circulation in his body. He lived but never grew any after this experience.

He married Sarah Briggs Allen who had been married twice before. Alice Foutz is one of his step-children. She told me Uncle Reuben used to tell her mother about this experience He said it was more painful to get well from this than it would have been to die.

He was a good reader and would bring books to their home and read to them and their mother married him. They were married in the St. George Temple, 20 Feb 1878. They had no children. He was always stiff from this experience and it was hard for him to get in or out of buggies.

He died in Provo, Utah, and is buried there.

What makes you happy?

I have been thinking on this lately, what really makes a person happy?  I have a friend, that no matter what she has before her, it seems like she just can't be happy with it.  It isn't good enough for her.  She wants more, different, better, and I just don't know how to help this friend.  I know that she is not alone in this.  The world of full of people who are looking for the thing that will make them happy.  Nothing is ever good enough.

I have found that I am happy with my life and who I am. I honestly can say that I don't care if I have more or

Be happy with whatever road you are traveling!

different, or better.  Those are just things, and things can't make me happy.  If you are one of those kind of people who always want something different, or more, or better, then I have some sorry news for you, I don't think you will ever be satisfied.  I honestly don't know if there is that peace to be found.  Perhaps I am wrong, but happiness is a choice.  It isn't made by having something different.  It isn't made even by someone.  It really is a choice to be happy with who we are.

I have found that being with my grandkids and my own kids makes me happy.  Family is where it is all at.  I hurt for people who do not have family, who for

Grandkids are the best!

whatever reasons haven't had family, either by their own choosing, or not.  Either way, it must be painful, and I hurt for them.  My own little family, we are very close, and that is what life is all about.  Family.  What a crazy, distorted, twisted world we live in, where people are so messed up that they don't put family first.  I am afraid it will be the undoing of us.

Doing what I am supposed to do makes me happy.  I am a Christian, and I believe that doing what we are put here on earth to do, makes us happy.  We can choose to whine our way through it, or we can choose to make the best of situations that we don't necessarily like.  Again, it is a choice.  We all have callings to fulfill in life, we all have jobs to do, and obligations to meet.  Meet them all with a smile, a for real smile, and it will make the difference to whether you are happy or miserable.  We don't have time to waste being miserable.  Make it right!

Writing makes me happy.  I was going through a tough time a while back.  I was finding that I was struggling with being happy at some times.  Finances would get me down, being too busy would get me down, and feeling sorry for myself would just make it worse.  I decided to start another blog, this one in fact, because I wanted to remember why I should be happy, and how I could get there again.  I also started several other blogs shortly after, because I found that writing is a great release, and it not only helped me, but others out there listened.  They listened and mentioned to me that I had helped them too.  Now, I don't write for others, for the most part, I write because I love to do it.  And if in the process it helps someone else, then all the better.  Maybe if you need a release, you could start a blog and write.  Help yourself and help others.  In helping others, is often when we find our true selves and become the happiest we can be.

Memories and Atwood's Front Porch Banner

Memories make me happy. I am big on making happy memories.  I believe when we die and move onto the next life, we only can take with us what is in our noggins - our knowledge and memories.  I also believe that our memories are what get us through the tough times here.  Making happy memories, top of my priority list.

I am creating a little place of Zen in my backyard right now.  I love creeks, and the sound and looks of water

Not my back yard - I wish - but beautiful

trickling over the rocks.  It brings back memories to me that are so peaceful and calming.  I will be posting it in the next few days as I get close to having it done.  I love it.  We all need to have that little place where we can go and escape the stresses and craziness.  Often when I am out there, I purposely will leave the phones in the house and not answer them, because it is my zone of happiness and peace.  I know it might seem silly to some, but to me, it is what works.  Xander, 2 years - almost 3 - was helping us build the river / creek the other day, and it is so fun to make those memories with him. 

So what is it that makes you happy? Do you have a place where you can escape to? And I am not meaning a bar or someplace like that, but a place that really brings peace to your soul.  Maybe it could be a place like your garage, your craft room, a special park, your parents home, your church building, or a field that you like to walk in.  It doesn't really matter where it is.  If you don't have one, then what would your special place be, and how can you create it.  Can you make it happen for the sake of your sanity? 

I don't care if you are rich, poor, famous, or not.  It doesn't matter if you think you have the perfect life, or even if everyone else thinks you have the perfect life, you still need to figure out what makes you happy and hold onto that, because the world tries really hard to suck it away from you.  Stress, anxiety, depression, are all very real diseases and are rampant in the world today and they are no respecters of persons.  Meaning they don't care who you are, they will attack you and rip your life apart.

Find what makes you happy. 

What makes you happy?  Really deep down happy?  Find it and hold on tight to it, and don't ever let anyone steal it away from you.

What If..........

I have always loved a good quote that makes you think a bit about life.  The other night I actually sat down and watched a movie from front to finish, which is rare for me.  I usually have a million things on the go and Letters to Juliet.  It was a great piece!  And of course, I found the great quote / piece of advice in it, right at the very end.  It is a letter that the main character wrote.  I don't want to tell you the story, because it is a movie worth watching, but here is what the letter says:

only get to see bits and pieces of it. 


Dear Claire,

'What' and ‘if’ are two words as nonthreatening as words can be, but put them together side-by-side and they  have the power to haunt you for the rest of your life: What if?.. What if?.. What if?

I don't know how your story ended, but I if what you felt then was true love, then it's never too late. If it was true then it why wouldn't it be true now? You need only the courage to follow your heart...

I don't know what a love like Juliet's feels like ... a love to leave loved ones for, a love to cross oceans
for... but I'd like to believe if I ever were to feel it, that I'd have the courage to seize it.

And if you didn't, I hope one day that you will.

All my love,
Juliet

A fabulous letter!  WHAT IF?.......  What if can have the power to haunt you for he rest of your life!  Oh how true that statement is. In all aspects of our lives, we have the choice to say, "what if", and then go and make the choice we think is best.

Maybe we all should say "what if" more often.  We should ask ourselves "what if" whenever there is a decision to be made.  It could really change the way we live our lives.  Your "what if" question could be so different than mine, but yet it could have just as profound an effect on my life as yours, if we pause just long enough to ask it, and then move forward.

WHAT IF............

What if.........
What If........
WHAT IF....??

The possibilities are endless!