Debbie Downer . . . with a little hope :)

So this is how I'm feeling in my career as a Mother right now . . . a little "wilty". It's ironic that these flowers were fresh and beautiful a week ago for Mother's Day - sort of like I felt some (nearly 31) years ago when I first became a Mom - full of hope, optimism, enthusiasm, confidence and etc.. Lee and I went to the adult session of stake conference last night and the topic for the evening was "healing", meaning that we heard from several people of hardships they had gone through, how they had managed, and what they had learned from their adversities. One man talked about how they had just enjoyed a visit from a daughter with her 1 year old who was just learning to walk. They had taken this little one to the park, and because he was still wobbly on his feet, he would fall over sticks, rocks, inclines/declines, and etc. and how they allowed it to happen - knowing that he would "learn and grow", become stronger/more capable, and eventually be able to handle the terrain without difficulty - but we have to be patient and willing to wait for the learning to occur . . . and at times it's painful to watch our little ones get hurt. When you think about it - no matter how many times the parents (or grandparents) would have showed this toddler HOW to step over the sticks and etc. without falling, this little guy still HAD TO LEARN ON HIS OWN. I guess patience has ALWAYS been a struggle for me, so the waiting for the "fruit to ripen" is a difficult and painful thing - but as conveyed last night, we need to be cheerful in our disappointments, mindful and thankful for the good things, keep a sense of humor, do our best to be obedient, do all WE can, . . . and wait. A while ago I heard a saying that I'll always remember and TRY to go by; "Life isn't about waiting for the storms to pass - it's about learning to dance in the rain".