May Visiting Teaching Lesson

This month we get to pick our lesson from the conference talks. How fun is that? So many really good talks and thoughts it is hard to choose just one. But, for me after thinking about the sisters I teach and my own needs I selected Elder M. Russell Ballard's talk entitled, "Daughters of God" found on page 108 in the May Ensign.

I loved this talk because I see my daughters trying to do TOO MUCH. I think as women we often time try to do it all. Sometimes we stop and compare ourselves to others and then try to do more. Elder Ballard's thoughts give us all pause; to stop, decide what is important, take time for ourselves, and enjoy the season of life we are in.

I loved it when my children were little. What a joy. They were fun and full of energy. Everything was an adventure. I was exhausted most days. But, now they are all grown and gone. I'm rested. I have good memories of their childhood, but it is clouded with regrets. I wish I could remember more.... But I was soooooo busy. I wish we had more family home evenings. I wish we had more family picnics. I wish we had taken more family vacations. I wish I had taken more pictures and put them in clever scrap books. I wish, I wish. The list could go on and on.

Elder Ballard's advice is not just good, it should be an road map for all young mothers. Your kids don't have to be in every activity that comes around. What they need is to sit around the table at dinner time together and share their day. They need to participate in Family Home Evenings, Family Prayer and Scripture Reading. They need to go out in the yard and "play" with their family. Sometime a quite board game with spirited conversation tells a lot about your kids.

They need to know Mom needs help and a little time to herself. It was years before I could run a bath without have a rubber duck and naked kid standing in the bathroom. No bath for me! But now no rubber ducks, no naked kids. Just a warm bath. But I miss the duck and kid!

So follow Elder Ballard's good thoughts and take time to enjoy and be with your children. They will be gone soon enough and you can finally take that bath or read that book!

April 's VT Lesson - April Ensign pg 64

Marriage between and Man and a Woman Is Ordained of God

What I liked about this lesson is it made me stop and think about my own marriage. This is something all sisters can think about, married, widowed or single. As a married sister I feel so fortunate to be married to a good man who has always done his best. How fortunate I was to be able to raise my children with the help of this good man. Even though sometimes I wished I could pack up my kids and send them to Dad's for the weekend like so many of my divorced friends. Oh, the challenges of family life!

I'm sure widowed sisters can pause and think about the good times and love of their husbands and single sisters can ponder on what type of marriage they are looking forward to either in this live or the next.

I liked Elder Nelson's comments about appreciating each other and communicating with each other. Looking for the good and paying compliments to each other. And (this is important) actually talking to each other. These two suggests could make any marriage stronger and more rewarding. What good advice for us and the world! In conference during President Monson's remarks he encouraged us to think about good things. So why not think about the good things in our marriages?