I really like Mrs. Freeman

just minding my own business and "BAAAAM!!!"

I needed to watch this clip this morning...now I will be giggling all day thinking about this man. Enjoy:

He is describing a car wreck he was in that involved a telephone pole and some down electrical wire.

" Whether it is the best of times or the worst, He is with us."

Our Prophet Thomas S. Monson wrote the following article in the Washington Post regarding 9-11. I love this simple article. May we remember God always and not only during the trials and tragedies of our lives.


Posted at 11:38 AM ET, 09/08/2011
9/11 destruction allowed us to spiritually rebuild
By Thomas S. Monson

The calamity of September 11th, 2001 has cast a long shadow. Ten years later, many of us are still haunted by its terrible tragedy of lost lives and broken hearts. It is an episode of anguish that has become a defining moment in the history of the American nation and the world. This week, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, along with Tom Brokaw, will pay its own homage to the unforgettable events of September 11, 2001.


There was, as many have noted, a remarkable surge of faith following the tragedy. People across the United States rediscovered the need for God and turned to Him for solace and understanding. Comfortable times were shattered. We felt the great unsteadiness of life and reached for the great steadiness of our Father in Heaven. And, as ever, we found it. Americans of all faiths came together in a remarkable way.


Sadly, it seems that much of that renewal of faith has waned in the years that have followed. Healing has come with time, but so has indifference. We forget how vulnerable and sorrowful we felt. Our sorrow moved us to remember the deep purposes of our lives. The darkness of our despair brought us a moment of enlightenment. But we are forgetful. When the depth of grief has passed, its lessons often pass from our minds and hearts as well.


Our Father’s commitment to us, His children, is unwavering. Indeed He softens the winters of our lives, but He also brightens our summers. Whether it is the best of times or the worst, He is with us. He has promised us that this will never change.


But we are less faithful than He is. By nature we are vain, frail, and foolish. We sometimes neglect God. Sometimes we fail to keep the commandments that He gives us to make us happy. Sometimes we fail to commune with Him in prayer. Sometimes we forget to succor the poor and the downtrodden who are also His children. And our forgetfulness is very much to our detriment.


If there is a spiritual lesson to be learned from our experience of that fateful day, it may be that we owe to God the same faithfulness that He gives to us. We should strive for steadiness, and for a commitment to God that does not ebb and flow with the years or the crises of our lives. It should not require tragedy for us to remember Him, and we should not be compelled to humility before giving Him our faith and trust. We too should be with Him in every season.


The way to be with God in every season is to strive to be near Him every week and each day. We truly “need Him every hour,” not just in hours of devastation. We must speak to Him, listen to Him, and serve Him. If we wish to serve Him, we should serve our fellow men. We will mourn the lives we lose, but we should also fix the lives that can be mended and heal the hearts that may yet be healed.


It is constancy that God would have from us. Tragedies are not merely opportunities to give Him a fleeting thought, or for momentary insight to His plan for our happiness. Destruction allows us to rebuild our lives in the way He teaches us, and to become something different than we were. We can make Him the center of our thoughts and His Son, Jesus Christ, the pattern for our behavior. We may not only find faith in God in our sorrow. We may also become faithful to Him in times of calm.


Thomas S. Monson is president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

"safeties"

I kind of embarrassed myself...multiple times...in front of a bunch of people and it's seriously consuming my thoughts...nothing major- but I'm sure there are people in my life who had a late Sunday conversation where my name popped up "April's kind of weird isn't she?"

Yes, I am.

In embarrassing moments like these I find myself "again" praying that I will let go of replaying the silly moments in my head and just forget about it.

anyone relate?

Even though I am surrounded by people who are amazing and full of love...there are only a few that I feel 100% safe with.



You know those people, who no matter what, love you regardless. They hear you say something kind of weird and awkward and they just laugh because it was weird and awkward and not suddenly categorize me as a weird and awkward person forever.

Sometimes I will ramble on to Joette about the stupidest things...things that are seriously not that important but my sub conscience must need to fill space and time with verbal nothingness to give me a sense of security or something...example: I will talk to Joette about different types of wood...yes, wood and neither Joette and I really honestly care about the different types of wood but maybe I just want to feel smart for a second or something. Joette will just listen. She will just listen and yet love me the same...because pine is softer than oak...and even though that is weird, I can always feel safe with Joette.

I can call Emily and tell her how awkward I was that day and how I didn't feel like I was April that day. She will always shoot back some comforting words "Don't you just hate when that happens?" Yes, yes I do.

I always felt safe with Mom. Why are you dead Mom? I mean seriously. Talk about BAD TIMING. When all my friends are calling their mom's to ask them that daily question "How long do I bake the bread for?" "Did you cry for a week when you sent me off to Kindergarten?""How do you get hard water stains off the toilet?" "Did your periods get worse after each child?"....when everyone seems to be going to Mom for help....

I have Google. I went from having a Mother to relying on Google. PATHETIC.

The other day Kenzie and I were searching for her lost shoe. Logically she attempted to solve the problem: "I bet the computer knows where my shoe is" So we Googled, "Where is Kenzie's shoe?" No answer. I had to teach her a vital lesson. Google doesn't have all the answers. There isn't a little man living inside the computer who cares and knows about every little move we make. Although I think a lot of us like to pretend there is or at least act like there is.



So we prayed to Heavenly Father to help us find the lost shoe. 5 minutes later we felt impressed to lift up the couch. There it was...along with $3 in change. Double blessing.

I feel safe with Heavenly Father. I know He loves me regardless of my weird and awkward moments...and for my really bad moments as well. I didn't always feel that way. It wasn't until I started to understand the atonement of His Son, Jesus Christ that God's love was always available and never had to be earned. It was a liberating moment for me.

No matter what I do, I will always be hot and juicy to Chay. I could pick my nose and I'm still forever his girl. I am safe with Chay. Phew. Life would be a royal mess not feeling safe with him.





I have others "safeties" too. Close friends and even friends I have recently met that I just feel safe with. You know, the kind you can easily share the details of how you tried to cure a yeast infection with a garlic clove. (it works by the way)

Connection. I love connection. I can't wait to ask God or the angels about instant connection with certain people. Were we buddies in the life before earth? Or what?

And then the question arises "Do people feel safe with me?"

How can I be completely embarrassing one day and then turn around and judge someone else "they are so weird" or "they aren't very kind" or "they hoard money" or "she smells like cheese" Usually someone will have one cheese smelling moment and they smell like cheese forever. Judgments can be so cruel and they stick around for a long time it seems...probably because they turn into fun stories to tell others I suppose...and then the vicious cycle continues.

*side note: I just asked Julia if I smell like cheese...just so I can hear what funnies will come out of her mouth. She said, "nope, well yeah, but you smell more like Jesus than cheese." Oh how priceless she is... my little Ju Ju bean.



I pray she will always feel safe with her mommy.

Who do you feel safe with when life is bumpy?
You should tell them thank you.