The Key

I often wonder what it would be like to not have a family.  I watch people who struggle but hang on to the hope that even without their family they believe that things will work themselves out and someone will emerge as their support.
Life is so busy and there are so many distractions.  Some of the distractions are good and others feel like meaningless distractions.
There is an analogy that illustrates life's various activities.  Visualize in your mind a large delicate spider web.  The ornate nature of such a creation is mind-boggling yet extremely fascinating.  Most times our lives become filled with so many different activities that we become 'stuck' in the web of life and it's hard to maintain balance.  What began as just one or two things multiplies into too many to possibly handle.  We become overwhelmed and life begins to 'cave-in' on itself--or that's what it feels like.  Once stuck in the web it requires a lot of energy to break free from it's bond.
The feeling of hopelessness sets into people's lives because there is no balance to sustain them when the times get rough.
Maybe you feel like this and there doesn't seem to be a solution to the problem.  There is always a solution!
I watched a fly get stuck in a web but his overpowering will to survive was too much for the prison device of the hungry spider.  His desperate flailing motions worked just enough to loosen the death grip that bound him down.  The fly flew away and the disappointment was apparent on the spider's countenance.
Life's death grip seems to smother as the pressure is intensified but the will to survive is completely in our court.  With every passing day muster up the energy to stand up and fight.  Just like the flailing fly we too will break free from the bondage that we often experience.  Simplifying our lives will also contribute to the freedom that feels so much better.
Life is great and we can all win the battles that we face.  Stand up and fight until the very end.  Endurance is the key and the fight is always worth it.

Press Forward With A Renewed Energy

Today was one of those days that you 'bookmark' in the book of life.  Our family had tickets to attend the morning session of General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  It couldn't have been better if we would have planned the entire experience ourselves.  From the talks that were given, to the music that was sung, and the conversations we coincidentally had with people we didn't even know.  It was a day for the record books.
I am so grateful for the life that I have.  I am thankful for Becky and the light she brings into my life.  I am thankful for our children and the perspective that they give to me of life and the important aspects of it.  I am thankful for the knowledge that I receive through the whisperings of the 'still small voice', even the Holy Ghost.  I know that we have a Father in Heaven who loves us dearly.  He wants the very best for us and stands ready to hear and answer the desires of our hearts.  He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to show us the pathway that we must go, and then He did what only He could do.   It is only through His Atonement that we can overcome the heartache and sorrow that come from the mistakes that we make, make the necessary corrections on our part, and gain complete forgiveness for those errors and then draw closer to our Heavenly Father.  It is only by Him and through Him that we really come to understand the divine Plan of our Heavenly Father.  I am grateful for these truths that carry me forward, day by day.
There is a drive to do a little better each day that passes by.  Just a little at a time makes a huge difference.
How thankful I am for the eternal blessings that are showered upon me in my life.