Ponder The Path of Thy Feet

President Monson's talk "Ponder the Path of Thy Feet" from October 2014 General Conference really touched me.  And as the afternoons have been getting shorter I realized it had been a while since we had gone on a hike together.  And THEN I realized that a family walk on a path through the mountains would be a great opportunity to review these words from our prophet.  

 I wrote out 10 points I wanted to make sure we discussed by quoting and paraphrasing in more simple terms key parts of the talk.  Then I stuck each one in an envelope and hid them along the trail.

 The kids took turns finding and opening their mail from the prophet!

 Sammy got a little too eager!

 Although the focus may have started to shift on finding the envelopes quickly, before others walking the path could mess with them, we did our best as parents to slow things down and focus on really understanding what the paper said.

 Here is what we felt was important our family remember from this talk:

1)Heavenly Father made us and made a way for us to become like Him.
"All of us commenced a wonderful and essential journey when we left the spirit world and entered this often-challenging stage called mortality. The primary purposes of our existence upon the earth are to obtain a body of flesh and bones, to gain experience that could come only through separation from our heavenly parents, and to see if we would keep the commandments." -Pres. Thomas S. Monson
2) He did not send us here alone though.  He gave us tools to help us know how to return to Him.
 "Although we are left to find and follow that path which will lead us back to our Father in Heaven, He did not send us here without direction and guidance. Rather, He has given us the tools we need, and He will assist us as we seek His help and strive to do all in our power to endure to the end and gain eternal life." -Pres. Thomas S. Monson
3) "We have the words of God and of His Son found in the holy scriptures."
4) "We have the counsel and teachings of God's prophets."
5) "We, with Jesus, can walk the path of obedience."
6) "We, like Jesus, can walk the path of service."
7) "Jesus walked the path of prayer."
8) Jesus was merciful, a peacemaker, & brave. (This idea really stuck out to the kids.  The idea of it taking more courage to be humble and turn the other cheek was a little hard for them to wrap their head around.  But I'm so glad we talked about it!  It was a good lesson and trait of the Savior for me to remember too!)
9) He asks us to let our lights shine.
10) Jesus tells us it is much more important to lay up treasures in heaven than on earth.

Learning from Daddy.

  Such a pretty day!  I told the kids that after the last paper was found we had to search for our hidden treat.  First though, I wanted to try taking a family feet picture.

   These were my first two attempts...I love them though!

 And there we are in our favorite footwear and with my youngest on his toes!

And there's the snack!

 I went with powdered doughnuts for a couple reasons.  I wanted something that was convenient, but I also wanted something with some symbolism.  We have been journeying and progressing as a family, which is what we do everyday, in hopes we can be an eternal family someday in heaven.  The white of the sugar represents heaven and the circle shape is never-ending, just like our forever families can be.  Maybe it sounds like a stretch, but the kids loved it.  It was great to find at the end of our path!  And that's because not only were they delicious, but it meant no one else had snatched our treasure!

 Kids being silly... (redundant, I know)

 And asking for seconds...

 As we headed back I made sure hubby took a picture with me in it to show I really was there too! LOL

 The kids wanted to run up and down the paths at top speed.  I wanted to take pictures of their free spirits!

 These little faces are the reminders I look at each day that help me remember I can be better.  I need to practice what I and the prophets preach.  I want to do a better job of pondering the path of my feet and the words I speak to them.

   As we walked back to the car my daughter put her arm behind me and started trying to walk in sync with me, as though we were in a three-legged race together.  I find it ironic, considering the lesson topic.  Am I walking in sync with my Savior?  Am I going where he would go and doing what he would have me do?  Have I chosen to stay close to him, linked and ready to keep up with his pace? 

I sure hope so.  Love, Eva

FHE Can Be A Bowl Of Cherries...LITERALLY! :)

Although June is passed (WOW!  Is it just me or is summer flying?!) I wanted to share a really fun activity we did along The Friend's theme of working together...we picked cherries!

It was so nice to be out in God's beauty, working in the sun and gathering food as a family. 

 

We do have our own garden, so we've discussed the idea of sowing seeds, watering and nurturing the plants in order to have the reward of eating something yummy.  But it was much more fun to be in someone else's orchard, reaching up high and then hearing the plop as a cherry landed in the old tin bucket.

 

 

There I am too!  :)

 

And I think being on ladders always "tops" pulling weeds in the dirt. LOL 

 

 

After we got home we ate our spoils (at only 50 cents a pound!  Yay for cheap orchards!) and of course read Alma and talked about the seeds of testimonies we all have.  My husband held a tiny cherry pit in his hand and explained that those big trees came from little seeds like that one.  Isn't that incredible?!  Just think of the BIG effects our little efforts as a family will yield as we nurture each other!  I do know that as we nurture our testimonies, feed them and ponder on them they can grow and be just as sweet as those yummy cherries we enjoyed on a summer evening.
The Gospel IS true!  Love, Eva

 

Writing Before Sunrise...And the BEST Family Home Evening

Today I am writing before the sun comes up.  This seems to be the best time for me to write, as once kids are up and the day is rolling it is so hard to pull myself away from them.  Mostly, because I don't want to. :)

But not writing makes me grumpy, and evening time is hubby time.  So this is how it will be at least on those blessed mornings where Samuel actually sleeps 6 hours straight!  I have a feeling today is going to be a great day!

I wanted to share a quote I've been thinking about for weeks...

"...insisting that you have a picture-perfect family home evening each week—even though doing so makes you and everyone around you miserable—may not be the best choice. Instead, ask yourself, “What could we do as a family that would be enjoyable and spiritual and bring us closer together?” That family home evening—though it may be modest in scope and execution—may have far more positive long-term results.

Our journey toward perfection is long, but we can find wonder and delight in even the tiniest steps in that journey."  

The entire wonderful "Forget Me Not" talk is linked below...

http://www.lds.org/broadcasts/article/general-relief-society-meeting/2011/09/forget-me-not?lang=eng&query=forgotten,+%28name%3a%22Dieter+F.+Uchtdorf%22%29

It's true.  My favorite FHE from the past month was not the one were we went out to the lake as a family, or started our own journals.  They were fun, but it was the most simple one that meant the most to me.

 We made lemonade.  I did some mock-whining and kept trying to drink it before it was done, to explain the need for working.  This made the kids and Daddy laugh.  "You have to stir it Mom!"  "Your arms aren't tired!"  We talked about how work brings us blessings.  So important for all of us to remember sometimes!

 Then we just played a memory game with pictures of the prophets that I bought at Dollar Tree.

We flipped over the card said a sentence or two about the picture and then tried to find the matches.  It was simple, sweet and taught our family at the same time.

I hope you have an enjoyable and spiritual moment as a family today!  Happy Monday Night!  The Gospel IS true!  I'll leave you with one more wonderful quote from President Uchtdorf's talk "Forget Me Not"...

Dear sisters, many of you are endlessly compassionate and patient with the weaknesses of others. Please remember also to be compassionate and patient with yourself.

In the meantime, be thankful for all the small successes in your home, your family relationships, your education and livelihood, your Church participation and personal improvement. Like the forget-me-nots, these successes may seem tiny to you and they may go unnoticed by others, but God notices them and they are not small to Him. If you consider success to be only the most perfect rose or dazzling orchid, you may miss some of life’s sweetest experiences.  Luv, Eva