Happy

I'll see, smell or experience something and think "There are few things in the world that make me happier than....."  So, I thought I'd share a little list of some of those things.

There are few in the world that make me happier than.....

Waitress
A newborn baby
Lilacs
Moses
Ballet
The smell of Christmas trees
Talking to my mom and sisters
Opera
L'Heure Exquise
Lars and the Real Girl
Valentine
The smell of books
The Temple
The feeling my babies' skin
Drew
Drew's hair
Drew's smile
Hydrangeas
The smell of unsalted butter
Baking
Singing
Amelie
Pies
Christmastime
Springtime
Halloween
My children's big, dark eyes
Time alone after the children are asleep
Peeta
Drew's kisses
Dresses
Tulle
Pointe shoes
Little kids with glasses
Reading
Peonies
Like Water for Chocolate
Anything Jane Austen
Semi-sweet chocolate chips
My pillow
My Gucci perfume
Washington D.C.
Impressionism
New Girl
Cookie dough
Trees
Holding my babies
Harry Potter
The smell of the ocean
Chubby baby legs
Paris
Glitter
Pregnant bellies
The Book Thief
Art Galleries
Anne of Green Gables (and puff sleeves)
Billy Elliot
Drew's made-up songs
French
The Swings at Kings Dominion
Elephant Love Medley
Rubber Spatulas
My Family
The Giving Tree
Shel Silverstein Poems
The Nutshell Library
Mashed Potatoes
The smell of fresh baked bread
My Grandparent's house
Being outside in the warm sun
My babies' kisses
My babies playing together
The first ten minutes of Up
The smell of Fall
Pumpkins
Sufjan Stevens
Flight of the Conchords
Spirituals
Ice cream
Lucketts
Musicals
Milk
Swings
Puzzles

This Mother's Day....

This might seem a little redundant if you saw my latest facebook post, but whatever.  I just read another woman's blog post entitled, "the mommy-war for the motherless child."  I was intrigued by the title and read this article by a woman who is disgusted with our media and society picking fights between moms- whether it's breast-feeding or formula, working or staying-at-home, or 100 other things that we moms kind of (or a lot) judge each other about.  She went on to say how can we have fights between mothers when ultimately IT DOESN'T MATTER.  The children at least mothers who are caring for them, providing for them, raising them, LOVING them, and there are hundreds of thousands of children in just the U.S. who are orphans.  Children who have no mom, no families.  I have always had a deep interest in children in need.  Until I started studying voice I had wanted to be a social worker- I didn't finish college either way.  Then I had Valentine.  And then I had Moses.  I had no idea that my heart could be so full.  I had no idea that I could love so much.  I have completely devoted my life to my children for the past 4 years- they are everything to me.  I remember one day at church a friend came up to me (I only had Valentine at this point and she was the only grandchild on my side) and said how lucky she is to have a mother and to have so many people (my whole huge family) who love her so much and care for her.  She then told me a story about another woman in our ward who lives outside of the U.S. a lot with her family.  In one country (can't remember which) this woman would frequently visit an orphanage.  There was one boy, about 4 years old, who would just lay in his crib and cry all day.  She asked the workers about him and they explained that he had a very delicate condition and an extremely frail body, so they never moved him unless absolutely necessary in fear that they would cause him harm.  The woman went over and very gently picked up the boy, who had very very rarely left his crib in four years, and he instantly stopped crying upon being held.  She took him outside and sat on a bench with him for a long time, and she said that he just stared in wonder at the sky.  She realized that that was his first time ever being outside and ached for him and the life he had lived.  While there she would visit him everyday and take him outside.  Eventually her family moved.  A few months later they were back in that country again and she went back to see the boy.  The staff told her that he had died while she was gone.  She asked if there was a funeral, or if anyone came to see him and the answer was a definite no.  She realized that she was the only person in the world who cared about this poor boy.  This story just breaks my heart.  Every time I tell it, think about it.  It makes me so sick that there are little children (or big children) just like my Valentine and Moses who have no one.  Who have no mother.  No one who is looking out for them or who loves them or who would do anything to help or protect them.  It makes me so angry and it makes me so sad and it makes me want to be that mother to every child who doesn't have a mom.  Every child deserves a mom.  Every child deserves some one who will watch over them and love them unconditionally.  On this Mother's Day, please let us think about those children who have none.  Let them always be in our thoughts, prayers and actions.  Let us do something for them, let us help them.  My only two comforts in this are: 1- that I can make a decision to actually do something about it- as small and insignificant I am, there are things that I can and will do to make a difference for these children who have no one and 2- that although on this Earth these children don't have a mother, I KNOW that every single one of them has a Heavenly Father and a Heavenly Mother who love them so so so so much.  Who are watching over them.  Who do love them unconditionally.  Who do help and protect them, and whose hearts break more than mine when seeing their afflictions.  I take comfort in knowing that They are there, and although life does not seem fair, when we have so much and so many others have so little, They are there bringing love and balance and in the next life all will be well.  Those children will be so warmly welcomed by their Heavenly Parents and so loved.  I can only pray that those children will be able to feel that love now in their lives and know that there is someone watching over them and that it will be better.  And I can only pray for the help and guidance that I need so that I will do what I can to help them and to be someone to love and watch over them.

A Child's Prayer

Valentine said the prayer tonight before going to bed.  This is how it went:

"Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for this day, thank you for Mommy, and Daddy, and Valentine and Moses....  thank you for our family, thank you that Grandma Hafer's here (she left on Saturday by the way), thank you for her sleep on our couch, thank you for we go to the store with her, and thank you for we go to the park and see animals.... thank you I can go on the plane... and go to Grandma Hafer's house and sleep and play....  thank you for we watch shows.... thank you for we can go play and play with friends and thank you we can be in bed... thank you for Jesus- help us be like Him... thank you for Jesus. In the name Jesus Christ- Amen.

I really really love this girl.