What Matters Most

My life is overwhelmingly crazy and busy right now.

I imagine many of you feel the same way.

This video was a good reminder to me of
What Matters Most.

I love the end...

"Never let a problem to be solved become more important
than a person to be loved."

Each Life That Touches Ours for Good

This morning, I went to the funeral services for Capt. Cory Jenkins. He and his wife, Brooke, were two of the many great friends I made in the (one and only) University 7th Ward. Granted, I wasn't extremely close to Cory, but I did know him enough to count him among my friends. I was touched to be at Cory's funeral services. The Stake Center was packed with family, friends, and even strangers who came to honor Cory, a Physician's Assistant for the US Army, who was killed in a road side bomb, just one month after being deployed to Afghanistan. Cory left behind his wife, Brooke, and their 10-week old daughter, Reagan.

It was the closing song of those services that has prompted me to even write this post. We sang, "Each Life That Touches Ours for Good":

Each life that touches ours for good
Reflects thine own great mercy, Lord;
Thou sendest blessings from above
Thru words and deeds of those who love.

What greater gift dost thou bestow,
What greater goodness can we know
Than Christlike friends, whose gentle ways
Strengthen our faith, enrich our days.

When such a friend from us departs,
We hold forever in our hearts
A sweet and hallowed memory,
Bringing us nearer, Lord, to thee.

For worthy friends whose lives proclaim
Devotion to the Savior’s name,
Who bless our days with peace and love,
We praise thy goodness, Lord, above.

This song was fitting for a man like Cory and even more so for Brooke, who has always been a strong woman and a great example of faith and charity.

The song was also a timely reminder for me, in two ways.

First of all, I have been so blessed with friends and family and acquaintances who have touched my life for good; whose Christlike examples have filled my life with peace and love. I need to remember and show more gratitude for that amazing gift in my life.

And, secondly, it made me think about the kind of person I have been, the kind of person I am now and the kind of person I hope to be. Would a song like this be fitting for me?

Do my words and deeds
reflect the love and mercy of the Lord?

Am I the kind of person who will strengthen the faith of others?

Will people's lives be enriched through knowing me?

Does my life proclaim devotion to the Savior's name?

I do not have intentions for this post to be a pity party for me and an invitation for all of you to comment on how my life has touched yours for good. I know that I am a fundamentally good person, and there are special people in my life who have privately and sincerely told me of how I've touched their lives for good. I am indeed grateful for that. My intentions, instead, are to remind myself (publicly, I guess) that I can do better. I can be more kind to everyone. I can be an energy giver, and not an energy taker. I can make it my mission to touch every life for good.

The passing of Cory (and other friends) is a good reminder to me of how fragile life is. How unexpectedly things can change. How crucial it is for me to "be content with the things which the Lord hath allotted unto me." I have a good life now. Heavenly Father blesses me daily. I just need to choose to feel gratitude for the life I've been given and not wait for some future moment of happiness.

I <3 Kathy!

I just got an email from Kathy, my blogging inspiration, that simply says,

"I think Target just dissed you"
with this picture attached.

Love it.
I want one of those posters when Target's done with them.

Really? Seriously?

Am I really on my way out the door to start my 7th year of teaching? Am I seriously still doing a career that I only wanted because it would work with being a mom?? That's a bunch of bullcrap. Doing a mom career with no kids to show for myself.

Oh well. It pays the bills... kind of.

Here's the many faces/emotions I'm experiencing today:

The "Don't Mess With Me Kid!" Look

Very appropriate for all 180 days of school.

The "Stressed Out about Life in General... and I have to WORK on top of it??" Face

Sure hope my car starts this morning...

"The Way I Really Feel" Face

Will my kids be able to read the insecurities written all over my face??

"The Way I Should Feel" Face

Check back later... I offer no guarantees this face will exist anytime soon.

Alright... I'm out! The teacher can't be late for the first day of school!

How I spent my summer... bonus

After taxes took just under HALF of my bonus, I used the rest on this stuff.

First, Wendy's bathroom needed a serious bath in some color. It was so drab and ugly, despite her buying cute matching shower curtain, towels, soap dispenser, etc. So, we finally decided on the Sherwin Williams color "Butter Up" and went to work with only about 3 hours of free time on a Saturday.

I taped off (in my sweaty work out clothes... Love Fitness Works!)

then we both quickly painted two coats, only to find the next morning that it looked like this:

NOT "Butter Up"... More like "neon yellow with a tinge of green"

The picture doesn't do it justice. Just take my word for it
(and my silly face for it)...
it was bad.

So on Monday morning I went back to Home Depot and had them recolor match until they got it right. And I was able to re-butter up the bathroom, the right way this time. Then, I innocently called my friend Karen to ask about how they did their wainscoting. Next thing I know, she's offereing her husband Matt's services a few evenings that week. And then my neighbor Jake offered his time too, and next thing you know... I'm reminded what great neighbors I have! Check this out for a reminder. Anyway, the wainscoting got done in two nights and now the bathroom looks soooo much better!

Next up, some tile and a new vanity... But not for awhile. I've got some trips coming up to save for!

Then, I also decided I'm tired of not having enough comfortable places for people to sit... in the same room. The leather couches I bought back in January are nice, but I had them split up into two different rooms. One of the rooms is the TV room but as good as those couches look, they are not comfortable to curl up and watch a movie. So we moved both of the leathers into the great room and it's become a great place to sit and visit. In the meantime, I found an awesome purchase! Two words: Big Lots.

Grand Total: $850 for the sectional with chaise lounge and ottoman.

It's a really comfortable sofa too! We've only had it for two days and Wendy and I have watched TV two nights in a row. We never ever watch TV, so that's pretty incredible for us. In fact, I'm sitting on it now watching "So You Think You Can Dance?"

And I got this shelf at IKEA. I've wanted it for awhile and it finally went on sale for half off! $80!

It still needs to be decorated... I just haven't made time to do that yet.