How can I be in the midst of a pity party with this chubby cuteness around?
But I was. I was tired and frustrated with my lack of "productivity" lately. And I say "productivity" because I haven't been able to get anything done that will stay 'done'. A lasting project, in other words. Devon has been sleeping like a champ at night, which is awesome. But his sleep patterns during the day are erratic, at best. He won't sleep for longer than 30 minutes, no matter where I lay him down at. It's as if he is trying to catch up for not eating all night, so he has to eat all day long. So when he does fall asleep, I rush around trying to cram as many necessary chores into his nap time, never knowing how long he will stay asleep. That leaves zero time for my free hands to do something, or anything fun. It's all work and survival around here lately.
The good: I am loving having a baby in our home again. The older boys (and Tyler) love it, too. Whenever Devon is laying on the floor, all three boys immediately gravitate towards him. They just can't get enough. Clayton loves him a little too much sometimes, and he has a hard time staying away to give Devon some space.
I know this time is short and just a phase, but still, I was just feeling 'done' today. And then for family night, we watched some highlights of General Conference. This one yanked me back to what's really important. It's not about me right now.
"My beloved brothers and sisters, I am not certain just what our
experience will be on Judgment Day, but I will be very surprised if, at
some point in that conversation, God does not ask us exactly what Christ
asked Peter: “Did you love me?” I think He will want to know if in our
very mortal, very inadequate, and sometimes childish grasp of things,
did we at least understand one commandment, the first and greatest
commandment of them all—“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy
heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all
thy mind” (Luke 10:27; see also Matthew 22:37–38).
And if at such a moment we can stammer out, “Yea, Lord, thou knowest
that I love thee,” then He may remind us that the crowning
characteristic of love is always loyalty.
“If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15),
Jesus said. So we have neighbors to bless, children to protect, the
poor to lift up, and the truth to defend. We have wrongs to make right,
truths to share, and good to do. In short, we have a life of devoted
discipleship to give in demonstrating our love of the Lord. We can't
quit and we can't go back."
I need to listen to this often.
When I heard this address for the first time, I resolved to do better, to become better.
What was your favorite talk from General Conference?
4 comments:
I think it has been in the air lately. I too was "done" yesterday. It is hard sometimes to keep a positive outlook when we are in the trenches of life. I just have to remember that this is our "season" in life. Seasons change and before long we'll be in a new stage. I too need to remember that its not all about me right now. Hang in there. And you have the cutest little family!
Good ol' Elder Holland. He always gives my favorite Gen. Conf. talks.
We come from a family environment that hinged on productivity. It's in our blood! I remember Gordon going through that short naps phase. It was so frustrating. (He didn't sleep at night though either). Give it another month, that magic "3 month old"
mark. You've got your focus where it needs to be, don't worry about everything else.
My favorite talk was Sister Ann M. Dibb "I know it. I live it. I love it." As members expand their gospel knowledge, they can know how to apply the gospel to their lives and will increase their confidence in their individual testimonies.
You are focused on your sweet family and that leaves very little "me" time, which is so important. Wish I were closer so I could help a bit.
It IS hard to be productive with a baby to take care of. I told myself when I was overwhelmed(and still do sometimes) that my one job for the day is to take care of my baby(ies) and keep myself healthy. You have always amazed me though, with all you do even with all your boys to take care of.
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