Rededicated

I just got done reading the blog of a really amazing young woman in our ward. She has great perspective in life and in all that she does. It has caused me to re evaluate some basic things in my own life that have slipped again over the last 2 weeks. I am trying every so hard to re establish the patterns of daily prayer and daily scripture study and am realizing this has to go hand in hand with daily taking care of my self. I have to be focused in what I do during the day and in what I want to accomplish. Time is short and I want to do so very many things. I am realizing (in my middle years) that I matter. I have worth and I am good enough to do everything Heavenly Father wants me to do. So in that light. I re dedicate myself to daily scripture study...Study... not racing through the scriptures just trying to get done. Also to daily prayer. And with that, I am re dedicating myself to exercise, healthy eating and the lifestyle change that comes with it. It scares me death that I will fail...again. But if I fall, I can stand up again and get right back on the path. I am going to try some new things and am looking for the right time to go back to school (am i crazy?)

No unrealistic resolutions, just resolve to know that I am worth what I put into myself.

Is anybody out there?

Do you ever wonder if everyone you know and love has fallen completely off the planet?
I am definitely having one of those months.
Let me know if you still exist by posting a comment. I am seriously missing my friends!

The power of Prayer and a really cool Holiday Miracle!

So, my 1st counselor in our YW presidency is just an amazing woman. Her name is Elizabeth Giuliacci and I love her dearly. I have to preface this little miracle.... before I was called to be YW president, Elizabeth called me to come over and do a project for her. We worked on it, got it done and as I was leaving I turned and said..."I think we need to collaborate on some music". I then proceeded to explain that Kris was writing a musical and with her amazing ability to arrange music, I thought she might be interested in the project. I usually don't step on Kris's toes and invite people to work on a project with out his thoughts and go ahead. But I did with her. I told Kris I didn't know what came over me, but he seemed OK with my invitation to her. Since that day, I was called as YW president and I knew I wanted her for my 1st counselor, she accepted and now we serve together....**move to present day**
Elizabeth asked me if I would help her with the program for the Relief Society dinner (which was Saturday night) I sent her a few songs, she told me some she wanted to use and I suggested a program we used 2 years ago called "the women who knew Jesus" She thought it would be great, but we wanted to include some men as well as two Young Women and one Primary child. So I rewrote part of the script and we were figuring out songs to go with it. We did NOT have a song for  the Mother of the girl Mary. It was a part from the point of view of Mary's mother. It was beautifully written. We had a part for Joseph's mother, we couldn't just leave out Mary's mother. So last wednesday while we were at a luncheon, I said to her "why don't we just write an original song to use"..........What? What just came out of my mouth??? Why don't we just WRITE/COMPOSE a new song in 3 DAYS??? Well, it came out of my mouth and Elizabeth said "Sure, Im game" (or something like that) She said if I could come up with lyrics she would come up with the song. So I went home and in about an hour, the lyrics were there. Caitlyn did help me rearrange the wording and get it hammered out and I was so appreciative of that. :D Elizabeth emailed back and said SHE LOVED IT! Holy Cow...really? She loved it? I was so excited...we were moving forward. We she asked me if I had a melody and I did while I wrote it out, but it would not come to my mind when I pondered on it. Obviously it was NOT the right melody. So I woke up Thursday morning, said my morning prayers, not really even praying about the song. When I got home from taking Kris to work, this very simple and beautiful melody came to my mind. I sat at the piano and plunked it out and wrote it down. I immediately sent Elizabeth an email with the words and corresponding notes and told her that if she liked it she could run with it, if she didn't then she could use what she wanted. She emailed me back and told me how she had prayed Wednesday night, all MORNING long, Thursday morning and she prepared everything to sit down and compose and still had NO melody. She prayed one more time, opened her email and there was the melody that I emailed her. She cried when she sat down with it. It was the right melody. She worked Thursday and Friday morning she woke up and had the introduction and the feel for the accompaniment. She worked Friday in between piano lessons and being mom and wife and got me the almost finished music Friday night. She and I had about 20 conversations those two days making changes, tweaks, changing the tune and bit, it took on a sort of quiet, music box, hauntingly melodic sound that was just beautiful! I cried when I played through it. It even had a part for "Mary" to sing back to her mother. Caitlyn and I were able to learn the song and perform it together Saturday night for our Relief Society dinner. It was amazing. Such a miracle occurred, I was truly humbled to be part of it.
I have to say of my dear friend, I had longed to get to know her for almost the whole time we have lived here, she just is like a magnet, you just want to know her. Truly inspired, truly talented, truly and blessed daughter of God.
Here are the original lyrics

Daughter Divine

When I was younger, I had a dream

A dream of a daughter divine

I felt of her greatness, her purity and worth

I longed for her little hand in mine

If my faith were greater perhaps I could have seen

her standing right there by my side

But her spirit touched mine and I knew that soon

In my humble home she'd reside

Chorus:

Daughter Divine, daughter of light

Do you know your worth, do you know your might?

What plans does our Father have for you?

Daughter divine, You are great in his sight

My daughter, your here, so tender and pure

It is you I felt so long ago

To raise you in faith is my mission divine

But your mission is greater, I know

You've cried in my arms, you've told me your fears

To carry the Christ child and love him so dear

You are the one, my daughter divine

To be his sweet mother to hold him so near

Daughter Divine, daughter of light

Do you know your worth, do you know your might?

This is the plan Father has for you

Daughter divine you are great in his sight

(Daughter)

Can I raise the Savior, this Holy King

Will I rejoice , lift my voice and sing?

You taught me well, right from birth

Of who I am, and of my worth

Mother divine, Mother of light

Do you know your worth, do you know your might?

Did you know the plan Father had for you?

Mother divine, you are great in his sight.

(Sing both Choruses together with parts. )

 if you want to see the final version with the music, email me at cheryl.polson@hotmail.com and I will email it to you. We are going to post it on my friends website for FREE download. I am also rewriting the lyrics so they aren't just about Mary and her mother but about mothers and daughters.

How grateful I am for prayer and for this very special Christmas MIRACLE

A season to be Thankful

Isn't is wonderful to experience this time of year?

A season, literally, to stop, pause and ponder on what we are blessed with 

And what we are THANKFUL for?

I love the song "Count your many blessings"

Think of what God hath done.

In the spirit of the season, I am Thankful for

My Heavenly Father, My Savior, Jesus Christ, My family-- my brothers and sisters who set such a great example for me, my own family-- Nate, Nick and Caitlyn who are completely amazing and who are talented, respectful, kind and who love their mom and dad, for my husband and all that he is and does, for his great respect of me, I am grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ that allows me opportunities for growth, for stretching and understanding. I am grateful for the comfort of the Holy Ghost and for the inspiration and personal revelation that comes from prayer. I am thankful for modern technology which lets me stay in touch with my friends and family, which lets me see pictures of my sweetest little great nieces and nephews and lets me see what my family is doing. I am grateful for blogger, to let me read about the lives of my amazing friends and all the goodness they are doing. I am thankful for my husbands great job and that he is happy and that we can support our family. I am grateful for a home and a car and for the little things in life that are wonderful like fleece blankets and falling autumn leaves and hot cocoa. I am thankful to live near the ocean and to experience that vast wonders and beauties of the earth. I am grateful for the example of those around me, young and old, who teach me each day. I am thankful for my calling and for the amazing Young Women in our ward, including my own daughter. I am grateful for a wise and prayer Stake President who understands and teaches us how to invite those around us to partake of the gospel. I am thankful to a wise and prayerful Bishop who guides our ward. I am thankful for talents, both my own and those I see around me. I am thankful for silly things like chocolate and comfy sweats and fluffy warm towels and big slobbery, cuddly dogs.

In all the world around me

The harvest fields abound

Bringing forth abundance

In all the lands around

The season of work has passed

The reaping has begun

From that which we plant and sew

Richness can be found

And in this season of

great Thanksgiving

my thoughts quickly turn

to all the riches in my life

from family and friends and to all that I have learned

I stand to count my blessings

of the things God brings to me

The riches in my life

It is plain to see

In this season of remembering

And with a thankful heart

Give love to those around you 

and Thank God for the blessings he imparts.

May you have a joyous and blessed Thanksgiving Day

 

Ella Marie

I just had to make a quick post because I am feeling such gratitude for the safe, albeit, early arrival of my newest great niece, Miss Ella Marie Gunn. Ella arrives 2 months early and weighs in at 4 lb 8 oz. Her lucky and proud parents are Ali and Erik Gunn. Ali is my niece and I introduced her to Erik. They are amazing and will be such fabulous parents. So far Ella is doing really well. She is breathing on her own. She is in the NICU and there is not a time frame on how long she will be there, but she is loved and being taken care of. She has tons of black hair and beautiful eyes. She is so tiny and sweet!

Welcome to the world Ella!!

Personal Revelation

We had ward conference Sunday and as a result had the Stake YW leaders come in and teach our girls about personal revelation. I was so grateful for this lesson and that they were prompted to teach this.
When I was called to be the 1st councilor in the YW presidency in July I was so happy. A week or two later I had the impression that I would not work with our YW president for a long time. I was concerned as to why because she had been having some health issues. I also had felt the promptings that I this calling was preparatory to a future calling. I had a feeling that at some time I would be called as the YW pres of our ward. I was grateful for these promptings because when I was in Utah for my moms funeral I got a text from Celeste, our YW pres saying she had been called as 1st counselor in the Stake YW presidency. She was sad to leave her YW and her current calling. She said a new YW pres had not been called yet and that she thought it might be me. I knew at that point that it would be and the thoughts of counselors and such began to run through my mind.  I prayed many times while in utah to know whether or not this was going to be my calling and I had peace about it each time. As I returned home, no phone calls came from the Bishop. No "hey can I meet with you and your husband" etc...It wasn't until a week and a half ago that I got home from YW's and Kris said "oh, the Bishop called, he wants you to call him back" So I did and he asked if he could come meet with us.
At this point, I KNEW that the calling was coming. I was so excited and had many names going through my mind, some of the names were just the same name going through my mind over and over and over. Bishop did extend the calling to me and after asking him if he had any suggestions of who I could choose from he told me...you can have anyone except the Relief Society Pres. :D I was so happy because it confirmed a few names I had thought about.
This past Sunday (yesterday) I was sustained a the Young Women's Pres of the Hidden Lake Ward. My two counselors were called as well as a new Beehive advisor. I am so humbled and blessed to have strong women working with me. I am thrilled and am grateful for the mantle placed upon me as well and am excited to work with these beautiful, amazing girls. There are challenges and concerns and feelings of joy and appreciation for each of them. They will teach me so much. I hope that I can prepare myself each day to teach them, and to be prepared to listen to the spirit in their behalves. What a blessing.
I just wish my mom were still here so I could tell her about it. I think she would be pleased and excited. Let this new journey begin!

Dear Mom

Dear Mom,
      I have with held posting much about your illness or your bravery for that matter, on my blog. I think it was because I didn't want you to worry about how I was holding up. It would have been very hard for me to think you were reading my words of sadness or anxiety about your cancer. As I reflect now, I think I could have written and posted everything and you would have understood.
      I had the opportunity to talk to you the Sunday before you left us, before you were reunited with dad. You sounded tired and your voice was raspy but we talked for 30 minutes about everything. I wish I had had the kids talk to you as well, but you seemed so tired. I am sorry I didn't call the week before. I was having an emotional meltdown and was crying most of the day, everyday. I didn't know how to call you and just cry on the phone. It didn't seem like a burden I wanted to put on you.
     Diane called me Thursday Sept 15th, Alan's birthday  to tell me you could not talk to us anymore. She told me that she was with you and that Kathy was with you too. She told me of your conversations with those allowed to greet you on the other side of the veil. She said dad had been with you but you could not go with him yet. We all just wanted you to be able to peacefully finish your earthly mission without pain or discomfort. It seems very surreal now that you have finished your mission here. That you are reunited with dad and many other loved ones.I am grateful that you were not alone during this transition from earthly life to spirit life again. I am grateful to my sisters who held your hand and whispered in your ear that it was ok to move on. I am grateful to dad for comforting you and letting you know your time was close to join him.
Diane called me around 11 pm, right after you passed and told me she had just witnessed one of the most spiritual experiences of her life. Handing you off to those waiting to greet you. She said you looked like a princesses as those from the mortuary came to take you from your home.
I wanted to thank you for the sacred and spiritual events that took place for me personally after your death. I have written them down and will do my best to live up to what you want of me.
I wanted to share with you some of the pictures from the services we had for you. We all were hoping you were pleased and felt honored. We love you and I am so grateful to have a mother such as you, gracious, loving, full or charity and wanting only the best for your children. You would have LOVED seeing Nate in a suit! As well as Nick. Beautiful grandchildren!!

 These flowers, from friends, were so beautiful

 This particular arrangement is from your children. A little bit of classic with the roses, a little bit of organic with the greenery and the "twigs", I think you would have enjoyed this

 

 And what a tribute to have your grandsons and sons carry you to your final resting place. Until we are reunited again, this ground is dedicated for you.

 Simply sweet and humbling to watch these men take off their flowers and lay them on top with your other flowers. I cried during this.

 I think all in all, you would approve and would think this was beautiful

 Another classic and stunning floral tribute to you.

I love you mom. I love all the things you taught me from being a mother to being a leader and to remember when things get crazy, get out there and give service. I am grateful for you teaching me to cook and clean, to pray and read my scriptures. I am grateful for your support as I told you and dad I was going to serve a mission. I am grateful for all you did to give me the wedding of my dreams. I am grateful that you never wavered from being the most amazing grandma around. Thank you for allowing me to be born on your birthday so that we could share that throughout our lives. I love you mom. Til we meet again