Let The Light In

My life is full of light. I make a deliberate effort to "let the light in" my life. I recently heard someone share in church that light is just another form of love: God's love. I loved that thought. Perhaps that is why the holiday season is filled with a vibrant and tangible glow that hangs in the air, because it is a time of compassion, giving, and charity. It is a time of love; a time of light. It is true that all good things come from God, especially things of light! 

God is Light! 

I purposely chase the light in my life. I look for it, I seek it. As I seek it, I find it. Sometimes I have to look harder than others, but light is always there! Sometimes I just have to remember to turn on the light inside of me. I can let the light go out, if I am not careful. One thing that has had a profound affect on my internal light is The Book of Mormon. The light that comes from that book is magical. When I read The Book of Mormon, I feel like Christmas morning. Why? Because both Christmas and The Book of Mormon are about Christ, and the Savior is The Light of the World. 

So, that is what I have been doing with my time lately, I have been letting the Light in more fully. 

Here is some insight into my light (and life)... 

Sometimes I drink herbal tea (non-caffeinated), especially the kind that helps with sickness. I enjoy lemon ginger, peppermint, chamomile, and others. There is one called "throat comfort" and that one really helped when I was coughing. Some of my teas have a message on the bag, like a fortune cookie. This was one of my herbal tea fortunes. 

I am still working on setting up Christmas. I want to have it done so we can fully enjoy December. It takes some time, because I have inherited things from my mom, and, well, I love Christmas, so I make a big deal of it. One of my favorite things to do is get ribbon and tie it on everything. Along with hints of garland everywhere! It is really enjoyable for me to create Christmas. It gives me an outlet for my desire to create. My mom had a saying when I was growing up. As we decorated our entire house, she would say, "Light every corner!" I think about that as I decorate my own home. I also think that is a profound statement for life. We should definitely "light every corner" of our lives! And share our light with others!

I am still not eating sugar (except for my treat of berries, cream, and super dark chocolate). One of the ladies I visit teach gave me pumpkin bread to bring home to my family (pumpkin is my favorite, and I think I would go into a pumpkin-frenzy if I had even one bite). I brought the bread home and I opened the bag to cut it for my kids. I caught a whiff of the intoxicating smell, and I started feeling very weak. But, I did not eat it. Nope. I just smelled it, and that was enough. (Or so I told myself, it smelled heavenly! Thanks for the temptation test, Lyn!)

I will, however, be choosing a special treat to eat for each of the holidays coming up. I am still trying to decided what my treat should be for Thanksgiving next week.... hmmmmm....???

If you could only pick ONE sugary treat to eat, what would it be?

 A nice lady from church sent me this picture from Trunk or Treat.

Henry runs around the house saying, "I love Christmas!" He is super excited about everything. And that is fun, he brings joy and childhood fantasy into our lives.

My room is still staying mostly clean, it is no longer the laundry dump. It somehow feels so much lighter now with the bed under the window. I also love to have the window open to smell the lovely outside air. Before I even get out of bed in the morning, I reach for my scriptures and read. That helps to start my day with light.

 I have been working on window snowflakes. They are kind of fun. It is really beautiful when the sun shines through the window.

I found these bubble lights at the store! They remind me of my childhood. I remember just laying on the floor and staring as the lights made bubbles. I am just not sure where to put them, they are so delicate, I think I already broke a set.

William performed in the Veteran's Day parade at his school. It was very emotional. I was standing in the back, because I knew it would knock me to the core. If anything is even slightly emotional, I can't hold back the tears. One thing that helps with crying is chewing gum. I can kind of bite down on the gum and try not to get the lip-quiver going.  But my free-flying tears are really starting to bother me! There was this one song, and one of the students was up there just bawling while singing, and I about died.

I think I'm an empath. (Click HERE for more.) I take on the emotions of others. For example, if someone is crying, I don't just see them crying, I feel them crying, and I hurt. Which is one reason I am kind of careful with my time with others, because I literally soak in their feelings internally, and their feelings become my own. I've been talking about it more with my daughter, and she is the same. At our "resting states" when we are alone, and doing our own thing, we are super peaceful and happy. But too much people-exposure and we can get totally overwhelmed, because of the emotional drain of soaking in all the emotions around us. If I have lots of people time, then I need down time to regroup and recover. (Mostly big group things are draining.) It's never personal, it's just emotional. I've yet to figure out how to change.

I am learning more about it, and how to protect myself from the negative effects of being overly empathetic. It is not a bad thing to be an empath, but I do have to learn how to sort out which feelings are mine, and not just feelings I'm soaking in from someone else. I love people, and I love being with people -- especially one-on-one -- because that is my ideal way of connecting with others. I just need to kind of brace myself when I enter a social gathering, because I never know what I am going to feel from the people around me.

If you think I am crazy, you are right. I am coming to terms with it.

That was a random tangent, but there you have it.

William did so great. He made his mama proud. He sang his little heart out. And he stood true and steady, while being part of the flag ceremony.

They had the Veterans stand up during a song when they announced the different organizations. I chomped down really hard on my gum during that song, because my whole everything was quivering. I am so glad I was standing up, because I could move around and pace in the back, and take pictures rather than focusing too much, it just hurt too much. I knew one of the men from our ward, and his story of being bent in half while on duty.  He should have died, but he didn't. Watching him stand, knowing his story, made me feel so grateful to him, and all who serve our Country, so that we might live in a land of freedom. It was a beautiful tribute from the school.

 I am starting a new tradition of getting a Nativity each year. I love Nativities. I love Jesus.

I love Christmas decorations, they are so cozy. This was once a closet, but has been turned into a little entry cove.

I am so grateful for my home. I acknowledge my gratitude for my home everyday. After a few years living here, it really does feel like home. It is a home that Charles never lived in, but because some of our friends owned it before us, he had been to it before. It is a home of light. That doesn't mean we only float around treating each other angelically, and perfectly. No, we are nuts. Crazy, nutty, nuts. But there is love here. We do love each other. And love in a family is really everything.

 Light every corner!

 I almost died spraying the snowflakes on the window. I lived, so I guess it wasn't my time to go.

I got a "kissing ball" and put it in my entryway. If you know any handsome, available, single, charming, age-appropriate, men -- send them my way. He, he. I'm just kidding. Sort of.

You know, I seek daily rainbows... sometimes they show up in really funny ways. And I wonder if they are trying to tell me something?

 I discovered command hooks. I'm not sure why I have never used them before? They are fantastic for hanging things, like wreaths in weird places.

Someone pays for my family to have a flag put in our yard on the holidays. To whomever the donor is, I thank you, so very much.

 Henry loves to jump on Daniel and drive him bonkers.

We had a night of family dancing, and being goofballs. Sammi is going to have to tap dance in their upcoming high school musical, Anything Goes. Even the background people will need to tap dance. So, guess what Sammi is getting for Christmas? Yep, tap shoes. Inspired by a Nutcracker Hallmark show we watched, we all started dancing around and being dorky. 

At one point, Daniel wanted to see how strong he was, and he decided to put me on his back. He could handle me easily on his back (he is SUPER strong), so he thought that a better challenge would be putting me on his shoulders. 

I was very hesitant to get way up on his almost 6ft shoulders. It was scary! He was so confident in his ability to lift me up and carry me, that I let him have a go. 

But once I got up there, I freaked, and I did not want to let go of the kitchen cabinets. I was ready to climb up on top of the cupboards, to avoid Daniel carrying me around the house. Apparently, I have some trust issues. I did not want to let go. And I wouldn't. Until, finally, I had no choice as Daniel pulled me away from my comfort zone, out into the open air of riding 6 feet off the ground. (Daniel is a beast, I want him on my handcart pulling team.)

He pranced around the house, laughing so hard, as he shouldered my body with ease. (I am no light-weight fairy princess.)

When I finally realized he could handle carrying me, I kind of enjoyed the view from up high. It was hilarious, fun, and a great exercise for me to learn to trust. Yes, I had to trust my 14 year old son! And the whole time, he knew he had my back. (And my butt, and my head.) He would not let me fall. It may have seemed a small moment, but for me, it was huge! I was able to "let go." And it was FUN!

The kids continued dancing and doing cartwheels, and all sorts of fun things. They were having a blast! 

(Those are mostly empty Christmas boxes ready to be stored in the garage.) 

And also... that vacuum. The Dyson vacuum. Have I ever said how much I love my vacuum? I do not promote things on my blog, because that is not its purpose. But let me just say, we bought the Dyson from Costco over 10 years ago, and that thing still works beautifully! We were getting cheap vacuums and having to replace them every year, because they were crud. But we invested a bit of money into the quality product, and 10 years later, it is still amazing! Sometimes it does pay to buy quality. 

 Just hanging upside down.

 Wheelbarrow.

 Shoulder angels.

Running in circles. 

 Another tea-fortune. I'm not sure how I feel about it? I kind of feel like I need love?

 Letting the light in. I love mornings, when the sun comes blazing through the window.

We got some lights to line the outside of the house. But it is fixing to be a little more difficult than it originally looked.

 Joy to the World! My Nan made these crocheted decorations by hand.

 Some rainbows shining in my room. I feel like Pollyanna sometimes.

 I have rainbow makers in my window.

I seek the light by being outside in nature. Henry loves to come along for the ride. It is getting colder, but that just means time to layer up! I run in all seasons. When I lived in Alaska, I ran in some pretty ridiculous weather conditions, requiring spikes on my shoes. Last year here in Idaho, it was pretty crazy, and some days were too treacherous to even venture outside! I hope this winter is kind to us, and that we have the mild knd of winter that I had come to love.

 Fresh air is the best!

 Soaking in the light! The sun still produces some warmth, for now.

Sammi went on a trip to Seattle with her choir. Here she is enjoying the lights of the city. Most of the following pictures are from choir friends. 

The bus they traveled in. 

Practicing. 

Choir family. 

Her teacher is pretty phenomenal. He puts on some fantastic concerts. 

They performed in a Methodist Church on a college campus. 

Choir Cheese! 

Exploring the city. I love that Sammi has the chance to go out into the big world and see new things. I think it is great preparation for life! And so much fun for her! 

This place reminds me of one of my favorite movies, Sleepless in Seattle. 

I am so happy that Sammi has the chance to perform with people that she loves. There is, of course, a lot of drama with relationships and things, but that is part of life too. They call it a "Choir Family" for a reason. They spend so much time together, there is bound to be drama. But there is love, too. And love drama. 

Sammi found this sign and took a picture of it. Fits perfectly with this post! 

The gum wall. Sammi added a piece to the collection. It is fantastically disgusting. 

It was wet. It was Seattle. 

They went to the top of the Space Needle. 

The ocean. So beautiful. I miss the ocean sometimes. I grew up by the ocean in Alaska. 

Cool buildings. 

The view from the Space Needle. 

She saw a rainbow on the journey. She had a great time, and so much fun! 

 

And here we have Henry, a Christmas Ninja? I don't know, he just wanted a Christmas bow on his head. He is a gift to us, for sure. 

 The kids have been getting the roof ready for the lights.

 Henry cheese.

We have some of the roof done, but most of it to go. It is tricky with the location of our power outlets.

Christmas candles. I love the smells of the season. I also love the light that candles make, it is really romantic. I know it is not quite Christmas season yet, but around here, we just start early, and feel the glory longer. December is so full, and I just love to enjoy the extra lights, and the magic glow that fills our home, for more than just a few weeks. I'm not just letting light in, I'm putting lights up, everywhere! And I just love it!

May the light and the magic of the season fill your soul with JOY!