A Work in Progress

Today has been a wonderful day. We went to the Temple dedication with family after a great weekend at our family reunion. It was a special spiritual experience and I for one am so grateful that I was able to attend. Our children came over after for a fun afternoon. The house really seemed empty after they all left to go home. Some of them left to get ready for work tomorrow and others go back to school. We are so blessed to have such wonderful children. It was really fun to listen as I made dinner in the kitchen to them laughing, joking around and playing together in the other room. We have been so lucky to have 2 new children join our family and they fit right in. Again I feel so blessed.

So as I was sitting here tonight pondering after such a great day and spending time with Hannah and Sam tonight about where my life has lead to this point and the things that I have done. I had an ah-hah moment --

Ya know there are things that we do throughout our lives, really dumb things. We say something that hurts another or we act out in a really stupid (for me emotional) way. Those things that show how really truly human we are. Well, I've had quite a few of those in the past year. Things that I'm really not proud of in the extreme. Things I've learned from and hope to continue to learn from. Things I hope to always keep in my heart so that I won't ever hurt anyone in those ways again (regrets). But this weekend has brought forgiveness, healing, love and gratitude. I am so thankful for those people in my life (family and friends) that have been so willing to forgive me for those times that I really screw up. Maybe they see what I have the potential to become. It makes me want to be a better person. It really makes me want to show them that I can be something better. It makes me want to improve and try harder - to make them proud that they knew me and could call me their mom, their wife, their daughter, their sister and their friend. I guess that is why we are here to learn and to grow. To learn to love and forgive and to try to get it right. I am a work in progress as we all are. I'm just grateful to have people in my life that are willing to work with me, to love me and to forgive me.

I'm glad Heavenly Father is so patient with us. That he blesses us with friends and family that he knows will be a blessing in our lives. I guess sometimes we also need to remember that we are human, we make mistakes, and hopefully we are granted opportunities to make up for the mistakes we make. I surely hope so because I seem to make alot! I am grateful for the lessons I've learned thus far in my life. . . but I sure hope the lessons aren't as abundant as they have been this year. Thanks to all of my loving family and friends.