Be in the Moment...

As the month of January closes, three thoughts come to mind that I’d like to share with you.

·        Wherever you are, Be There.

·        I get to!

·        Let go of “that”… 

Wherever you are, be there. 

I have been striving to BE IN THE MOMENT, to really be where I am, in presence and in heart.  There are times that we are physically present with our kids or our spouses, but our minds, our thoughts, and our attention wander elsewhere. I don’t want to miss out on the things that are right in front of me and I realize that those who are most important in my life deserve my full attention when I am with them.  This is applicable in ALL situations of our lives.  Wherever you are, whatever you are doing, with whomever you are engaged…be there, FULLY.

I get to!  

This thought is a big one for me.  Years ago, I watched as the health of a dear friend of mine deteriorated until the disease she had been stricken with took her life much too soon.  I can still hear her voice as she answered a question I had posed to her as she sat in her wheelchair one afternoon.  My question had been a simple one, inquiring of what was most difficult for her and how I could help.  Her response touched me in a way I had not expected and has forever changed my heart.  She had one little boy that she adored, with the progression of her disease, her days of playing with him had changed.  As she pondered my question, her eyes looked upward, a smile crossed her face and then a tear welled in the corner of her eye as she told me how much she missed being able to sit on the floor and play with her little one.  She still did all she could with and for him, but life had changed for her.

 For the next several weeks, I rolled on the floor with my babies, I played Legos and Barbie’s every time I was asked; I was consumed with the time I had taken for granted and wished to capture every second of the time I had with my beautiful children.    

I also changed my thought pattern…I get to make breakfast for my kids, I don’t have to.  I get to take them here and there and everywhere, I don’t have to.   I get to do math with 5 or 6 kids all at the same time while they are all at differing levels, I don’t have to…I made this choice and I get to!  Having this pattern of thought helps me to be more grateful and aware of the blessings that surround me.

Let go of that…

“That” being anything you cannot control, change or fix.

Why hold onto these things any longer?  Let them go…let the happiness and the peace in.  We already hold so many things that we are responsible for, allowing ourselves to let the things go that just weigh us down unnecessarily is a gift we owe to ourselves.

My hope for each of you is that you focus on the things that bring joy to your lives.  Wishing you a month filled with magical moments!

Stacey

  

219 days gone and 2 weeks worth!

Sister Danielle Brieanna Lytle 

has 

been 

gone 

for 

219 

days, 

today...

Yep, I miss her.  

But she is doing great!

AND I have a couple photos to share that I received from a sweet lady she is with.  

I was in the middle of our co-op classes a couple weeks ago when my phone "dinged" at me that I had a message...

the kids were busy doing a writing assignment, 

so I took a quick peek, then I gasped!!!  

I always do that when I get a message about Danielle.  :)

AND this message gave me a BIG reason to gasp!!!

WOW ~ check it out...

 I LOVE IT...her hair looks so healthy now...

and check out what some lucky person is going to be blessed with.  

Her hair was donated.  (love!)

This week I decided to cut my hair, and I cut 11 inches off of it! 

The morning before I got it cut, we were working at a soup kitchen, and some homeless man came up to me and said, 

"Wow, if you let your hair keep growing, you're going to look like somebody-something-or-other. She's a singer. Her hair is so long she walks on it. You should probably cut it." 

THAT'S when you know it's time to cut it. 

Hahaha. 

I was so embarrassed. 

This week a really cool miracle happened. 

We were dropping by a lady named Judith, who I've never met. She just lost her mother last month, and we were going to see how she was doing. 

When we got there she was doing fine, but after a few minutes she broke down and just cried and cried. She was so stressed and overwhelmed with life, trying to get caught back up after everything the month before. We could have sat her down and talked to her, but instead, we decided to ask her what was on her chore list. We did all KINDS of chores! After a hour or two of cleaning, she just looked at us and started crying. 

"I was praying so hard that you'd come, but I didn't think you would." 

Man, God really does love each of us. 

I'm so grateful He let us take part in that little miracle, and we had no idea what was happening. 

The church is so true! 

Love ya all!!

Sister Lytle

AND Week #2...THIS WEEK!  

So sorry, I'm just behind on posting...

This was a fun week! 

We had so much going on. 

We had a 24 hour exchange on Tuesday, and an ice storm that night. Most of our appointments were without power and cancelled because of it. 

Then Sister Richards, the mission Presidents wife, studied with us on Thursday, AND we had clean checks. 

We decided to go to Randallstown without our car, and carpool to each appointment on Saturday (that was scary!!) It's about 15 miles one way to Randallstown, so we had a member drive us out to our first two appointments, then drop us off at our dinner, who drove us to another appointment, which tried to CANCEL as we showed up on the doorstep without our car/ride! Luckily we got in, and then our member showed up, and she's the one who took us home after the lesson. 

What would have been a 50+mile day was so much shorter! 

It may not sound like a big deal, but for us, that was pretty huge. 

Especially since it was forecasted to snow, and if it did, we'd be TRAPPED in Randallstown with no way home! 

I'm not sure how people figure it out, but somehow people just sense that I know how to braid hair. 

And so I've braided a few little girls on my mission who have crazy hair. The most fun have been Terri Ann's girls, Patrice and Shyann. Their dad is from Jamaica, so they have LOTS of thick, curly, black hair. A week ago I did Shyann's hair. She's two, and I had to walk around the house with her to get it in the braids 'cause she would not sit still! but it was a fairly simple task. 

Then I showed up Saturday and Patrice had just washed her hair for the week. 

It was HUGE! 

I've never seen it down! 

It was spectacular. 

I have to adopt one of those. 

Anyways, that took an entire hour to braid it. but it was so much fun. 

Haha she is a gem :) 

We also had a super funny lesson with a niece/aunt. We asked them what it would mean to them to be baptized and have all their sins washed away. 

"Oh that would be amazing." 

"Yeah, that WOULD be amazing, Kesha has a LOT of sins to wash away!" Hahaha. 

Then in the closing prayer they said, 

"And please bless all the Mormons." 

So funny.
Well, this week has been great. 

Life is good! 

Love you all so much!