HAPPIEST MEMORIES

Three things come to mind right away. 1) When I reached a childhood dream of becoming a cheerleader (Yes, I do know this is shallow, but it WAS very important to me). 2) When I became a mother.  3) When I found Paul.

RAH! RAH! RAH! As long as I can remember, I wanted to be a cheerleader.  Looking back, I'm not sure why this was so important to me, but it was.  When I think of all the stereotypes that come with being a cheerleader, I'm embarrassed that this was so important to me - perhaps the stereotype that "cheerleaders are popular" was a motivating factor...like most young girls, I did want to be popular in that I wanted people to like me, but I did not want to be a cheerleader so "boys" would like me.  I've already mentioned this as one of my "proudest moments" from the very first chapter/post.  But I LOVED being a cheerleader throughout my high school years & I loved teaching cheerleading camps those few summers after high school.  The activity itself was so fun to me & I loved the friends I made along the way.  It was the happiest part of my high school years.

Being a MOM is another of my happiest memories.  Although I am STILL a mom & I always will be, my role has definitely changed through the years.  My greatest joy has been in & through family life, but being the mom of infants & toddlers was a VERY happy time for me.  It's interesting because we were pretty poor & we couldn't afford a lot of the things we would have liked, but I was happy to be able to care for & feel loved by such special little people.  Children have a way of making life exciting & fun.  Perhaps this is why the Savior encourages us to be more like a little child?  The Prophet Mormon taught that "little children are alive in Christ."

I found this to be true, perhaps because they are so fresh from heaven when they come into our homes.  I have felt closest to the Savior as I welcomed each new little one into our family.  There is something truly sacred about a baby.  As they grow & learn, they are blessed with the light of Christ, a natural reverence for truth & love.

Elder Boyd K Packer said, "One of the great discoveries of parenthood is that we learn far more about what really matters from our children than we ever did from our parents.  We come to recognize the truth in Isaiah's prophesy that 'a little child shall lead them.'"

I was happy as I learned about life & love from my little ones.  Children are treasures...I wish I had smiled at my children more, hugged them more, & encouraged them more! 

Finding Love - It amazes me how resilient the heart is...sometimes life sends us on quite an emotional roller coaster.  It is difficult to describe the joy of falling in love & the grief one feels when that love is lost...it is even more difficult to endure it.  There is such a deep sadness & darkness you feel when it seems like you are alone.  I believe life is meant to be shared.  My life was given a deeper meaning when I was given a second chance at love.  After Jeff died, I assumed I would be alone for a long time.  I did not believe I would be able to find someone who would accept & love my children.  When I met Paul, I was crazy about him right away...even more so when I realized that he was a "kid person" - definitely one of the happiest times of my life was finding someone who was willing to share this life with & take on five more kids.  That happiness just continued to increase as we worked hard to put two families together successfully.  My heart is full as I realize how blessed we have been through it all...we survived 10 terrific kids & we still love each other!  A good relationship takes effort...if you are not growing together...you will grow apart.