Living Joyfully In Big and Small Ways!

What brings happiness and joy into your life?

 I would say that we will each have a variety of small and big things that bring happiness to us. I would note that each of us as individuals will have different ideas on what brings happiness to us.  I also maintain that our attitude towards life can have a huge effect on whether we find happiness or not. 
We will all have moments of despair and discouragement because that is part of our life experiences. In my life I find that with faith in our Heavenly Father I can have an optimistic view of life and I can find that inner peace I desire.
There is a verse about Joy in The Book of Mormon found in 2nd Nephi 2:25; " Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy." We are on this earth to experience happiness and Joy. This is part of our Heavenly Father's plan for his children.
So today, I thought I would share with you what brings Happiness and Joy into my life. 
I have often thought that happiness is easily found in our everyday life where joy is more like an exquisite moment in time. 
Here is a short list of what brings me happiness on a daily basis: 
1. A happy husband 2. A clean house  3. A good novel 4. A warm bubble bath 5. A new pair of shoes 6. Sweet moments with my grandchildren. 8. Lunch with a friend 9. My Dog, Sammy 10. A great movie 11. Time outside to enjoy nature and the different seasons 12. Time to work on Family History 13. A piece of Chocolate Everyday 14. Listening to beautiful music 15. Creating blogs and reading posts from my blogging friends 16. Time with the scriptures 17. I love my friends and they bring me great happiness

The following is a list of those moments that bring me great joy. 
1. My husband brings me great joy. He is such a good man and I know and feel how much he loves me and I know he knows how much I love him. Every Saturday morning he leaves earlier for the temple and when I get up to get ready I have been finding a sweet note from him. Sometimes he write these in the form of poetry. I seriously feel like I  am on cloud 9 throughout the day at the temple. I feel so loved by him. 
I will share with you just one of his poems:

"The fairest girl in all the land - 

The sweetest heart, the softest hand.

 Warm to touch and warm to hold.

The first time we met, I was sold.

With a smile of joy that filled your face

 and eyes that sparkled with perfect grace

I knew in a moment what I must do,

From that minute forward - it was only you". 

Travel with care to the temple~

2. My Children, spouses, Grandchildren and Great Grandchildren bring into my life great joy. Of course, sometimes I do have despair over my family struggles. However, I would say most of the time they bring me great happiness and  moments of pure joy. 

One of the sweetest moments of joy was the day when the last daughter was married in the Salt Lake Temple. Inside our temple are beautiful sealing rooms and all of my children and their eternal companions were seated around this lovely room that day. The joy at that minute of time was truly overwhelming and I cried silent tears of joy.

3. My testimony of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints brings such wondrous feelings of exquisite joy into my life. I know that I have a Heavenly Father and a Savior Jesus Christ that know me by name and love me. I know that my prayers are heard and answered.

 I know that our Church is true. I know that we have a Prophet who lives today and holds the keys of the Priesthood.

 President Thomas S. Monson - Our modern day Prophet for the world~

I know that the church was restored by the Prophet Joseph Smith. I know that Our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ appeared to him in the 1st Vision in 1820.

  I know that he translated the Book of Mormon from ancient writings found on golden plates. The Book of Mormon is about a group of people who came from Jerusalem around 600 BC where they eventually settled in the America's. This is the story of those people and what happened to them over 100's of years. I know that Christ visited them after his Atonement, Crucifixion and Resurrection. 

One of my favorite stories in The Book of Mormon is when the Savior called the little children to come forth unto Him and he ministered to them and then Angels surrounded them. You can find this beautiful story here.

This book is compelling and I have read it many times and taught lessons from it's pages. 

We as a family have had many experiences with the power of the Priesthood. Blessings have been given for comfort, healing and guidance. I have witnessed many times the fulfillment of those Priesthood blessings.

4. I love the temple. I have enjoyed every moment that I have spent within the walls of the temples where I have served. There is a peace and a beautiful feeling within these sacred buildings. If you ever hear of a open house for one of our temples; take the time to go through one and you will feel what I mean. 

6. I believe in Service and the joy that you can feel when you assist individuals and or families around you who are in need. I love to serve in callings and have felt great joy when given the opportunities to teach and or lead in one of the organizations. I have also been the recipient of true Christ like service from others. 

Many years ago I was a Hospice Home Health Nurse. This job brought a great deal of joy into my life. It was hard in many ways but very satisfying. I loved the individuals that I cared for and their families. I had some very sweet moments at the time of their passing. I have a strong testimony of life after death. Many times I could feel the presence of loved ones who had gone on before and that they were there to help in the transition at the time of death. I felt true joy in knowing that they were leaving their world of pain into the comforting arms of loved ones in the spirit world. 

7. I love the Sabbath Day. It is a joy filled day for me. I look forward to it each week. The best part of the day is the Sacrament meeting where we partake of the sacrament and renew the covenants we have made with our Heavenly Father. This is the time to reflect on all that my Savior has done for me. It is a moment to think about how to overcome struggles or sins in my life and how to be a more dedicated disciple of Christ. 

8. My friends bring me a great deal of joy. I have the blessings of having some awesome friends. I have made friends where ever I have lived. I often go to lunch with friends from High School, College and those in my LDS ward. I have met and had lunch with some of my blogging friends; which I love dearly. I have many that I consider my Forever Friends~

Perhaps you can answer this question; "what things big and small bring you happiness and joy". I would love to hear what makes you happy??

The Power of Prayer~

My dearest Grandmother taught me at a young age what the power of prayer could be in my life. I remember her telling me; "always carry a prayer in your heart. You can pray anywhere."  
I love to kneel in prayer morning and night and at other times too. I like the idea that I have a Father In Heaven who loves me and wants to hear from me on a daily basis. I feel so blessed to know that I can pray anytime, anywhere and under any circumstance.
Just recently I received a call from one of my children. It was a deeply heartfelt call. I didn't know what to say to her, but I said a silent prayer and the words just came as to exactly what I needed to tell her. There are other moments when I need an answer for a question that I have had and after praying, I have felt that I should look at the scriptures and or other resources and there the answer would be.
"I believe that prayer will open doors; prayer will remove barrier; prayer will ease pressures; prayer will give inner peace and comfort during times of strain and stress and difficulty".

 ~ President Ezra Taft Benson 

 I do thank God for prayer. 
I have always loved President Ezra Taft Benson; he married my husband and I almost 48 years ago. We had the privilege to visit with him a couple of years after we were married. This was a sweet moment for us. I have always enjoyed his messages. This year in our Relief Society meetings we are studying his teachings. I want to share a few of his Quotes and thoughts~
"I would humbly urge all...to keep in close touch with our Father in Heaven through prayer."
"Jesus Christ has taught that we should pray always,"
"Families that pray together are blessed with stronger ties of love and the peace of heaven."
Here are just a few things we can do to improve our communication with our Heavenly Father: 
1. "We should pray frequently".
2. "We should find an appropriate place where we can meditate".
3. "We should prepare ourselves for prayer".
4. "Our prayers should be meaningful and pertinent". 
5.  We should ask for strength to overcome our problems. 
6.  We should pray for inspiration to guide us in daily decisions.
7. "We should always pray with a grateful heart for all we have been blessed with". 
8. "After making a request through prayer, we have a responsibly to assist in its being granted."  We should listen. Perhaps while we are on our knees, the Lord wants to counsel us". 
"Remember God is mindful of us and ready to respond to our prayers when we put our trust in Him and do that which is right. There is power in prayer. All things are possible through prayer." ~ Pres. Ezra Taft Benson

Here is a sweet poem on prayer~

"I know not by what methods rarer,

But this I know, God answers prayer. 

I know that He has given His Word, 

Which tells me prayer is always heard, 

And will be answered, soon or late. 

And so I pray and calmly wait.

I know not if the blessing sought

Will come in just the way I thought:

But leave my prayers with Him alone,

Whose will is wiser than my own,

Assured that He will grant my quest, 

Or send some answer far more blest".

~anonymous

I'm not sure what I would do if I didn't have the opportunity and ability to pray to a very loving Heavenly Father. I know that our Savior Jesus Christ lives and that He is there for us. He is our Advocate with the Father. They love us all and they know our names. I have had countless prayers answered and miracles have occurred. I have never doubted the power of prayer. 

All quotations are from President Ezra Taft Benson's message and can be found here.

The Simple Woman's Daybook - "See What Is Going On In My Day~

For Today... April 10th, 2015~
Take a moment and visit other Simple Woman's Daybook entries; Enjoy!

Outside my window...it is a beautiful partly cloudy day. I love it when there is sunshine because it elevates my mood.

I am thinking...that it is time to make some appointments with physicians that I need to see. I keep putting it off. All I need to do is pick up the phone and dial. What I dislike about making appointments is that you never can get to a receptionist anymore until you go through a menu of options. Then when they do answer they put you on hold. Ugh!! 

I am thankful...today for a very attentive husband that is always willing to listen to all my thoughts. He is a very loving and tolerate man. I am very blessed. 

I am wearing...Gray jogging pants, red top and black slippers. I am dressed well enough to go out front and pick up  my mail.

I am creating...genealogy and family history files. I have been having fun looking at old pictures. 

Here I am searching for some chocolate~ The beginning of my addiction~

I am going...to the temple tomorrow for my morning shift. I love the assignment I have right now. I work with the sisters that are coming to the temple for the first time. After the temple we are leaving for Rexburg, Idaho. Our grandson Austin will be ordained to the office of a Priest in the Aaronic Priesthood. We are going to have with us our grandson, Joseph and Christian who are all the same age. I love getting them together; it is the best. 
We just had Austin's family here for three days and we had a lot of fun with them. I will be doing  a post on our family visits soon. 

I am wondering...why life seems to go by so fast. I am starting to feel my age more and I don't know if being old is all that much fun. However, I love life and plan to live a good one. 

I am reading...The New Testament with a commentary. I love The New Testament and I love reading about the Savior's life. It is the study this year in our Sunday School Class. I have been behind for a while; but I am now caught up.

 I will be going back to reading the Book of Mormon which I loved to read over and over. It is another Testament of Jesus Christ. 

You can obtain a free Book of Mormon Here~

I an reading the Novel, "Fire and Steel - A Generation Rising" by Gerald N. Lund. It is volume one so it is a series book. I really love Gerald Lund as an author. This book is set in the era of the rising of Nazi Germany. Thus far it is very captivating and I am loving the plot.

 Here is the link of info on this book~

I am learning...to play some mind strengthening games. I worry about getting Alzheimer Disease. My father had it. I am finding it challenging to do some of the games but I feel like I do well on some of them.

You can find free on line games here~ 

In my garden...there is nothing right now. However, I have decided to do a deck garden this year. I don't think that my husband and I can really do a big garden. I am planning on planting tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, carrots and some herbs. We will also be doing some landscaping with bushes and flowers. 

In my kitchen...there is nothing cooking. It will be a simple fare tonight. In fact, my husband hasn't been feeling very good; so I don't know what he will feel like eating. He has had an upset stomach today. 
Something new about me.......I love to decorate my home. I am getting ready to purchase some curtains for a few of the rooms in my home. I am also redoing some things in my kitchen. I am excited to brighten up that area. 

A favorite quote for today...

A peek into one of my days...

Here is my dearest husband with our youngest grand-baby, Haven~ 

One of my favorite things...is go to movies. I am sure I have mentioned this before. I will recommend two movies that we have gone to recently that were outstanding. I loved; "Macfarland USA", and "Cinderella'. Macfarland USA was such a marvelous movie of courage and endurance. I hope all of my children will take my grandchildren to this movie. I have always loved the story of Cinderella and of course I had to see this one. By far this is the best movie of them all. Both my husband and I cried in this movie.There are many values that are learned from this plot. The best of all was to always be Courageous and Kind. I love those qualities. I want to go to the movie; "Freetown". This movie is the inspirational story of missionaries that are caught up in a Civil War in Liberia, West Africa. I have placed links to all three of these movies. 

May You Celebrate This Easter That "He Lives" ~

Last Sunday I was giving an Easter Lesson on the Savior's Resurrection to three little boys in my Primary Class. At the beginning of the class I asked them what they thought about Easter. Of course, I already knew what they would say. They were excited for the Easter Bunny and the goodies they would get. I then taught them about the reason we have Easter. 
I know that my Redeemer Lives. I am so grateful to have the testimony that I know that our Savior Jesus Christ went through the Atonement in the Garden of Gethsemane; followed by the cruel Crucifixion for us. Then Three days later He was Risen. Our Savior appeared to a sorrowful Mary Magdalene; the very first to see the Risen Lord.  Oh, what joy Mary must have felt to see that He had truly risen as He and Prophets of old have foretold.    
Take a moment and view and feel the sweet warmth of the Spirit testifying that "He Lives".

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir  Sings"I Know That My Redeemer Lives". 

This Easter Weekend The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-day Saints will hold General Conference. Come and Listen to The Prophet and Apostles of today. You can find information for viewing this conference Here.
Have a wonderful Easter Weekend - Sending love and hugs to you all!
#BecauseHeLives