"Be happy. This is your life."

That quote used to be my quote on my Facebook page... Lately I've been needing to take my own advice! Life has been so unpredictable for us. It has been a very long and ever-changing road. As soon as we think we've "figured it out" and we know what we're doing, our plan quickly no longer becomes a plan and we are back to square one. I frequently ponder what lessons my wise Father in Heaven wants me to learn from all this.

One of them is to be happy now. Even if you are making no money or you still don't have that degree or you are ten pounds overweight or your house is anything but blogworthy or you have relationships that a little rocky. I have heard this cliche quote a hundred times, but as I recently read it in the book "Heaven and Back" by Dr. Mary Neal (highly recommended), it left a hankering on my heart.

"Life isn't about waiting for the storms to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain."

I heard myself tellin gothers, "I'll just be happy when we find out where we're going...". I was essentially saying, "I'm no thappy now, but I will be when _____." That is a dangerous place to be. Happiness comes from within. Not from Birmingham, AL or San Antonio, TX.

As we find this happiness, we can also find peace. As we learn to let the Savior deep into our hearts, center our lives on serving and loving others, and focus on what matters most, we can find peace regardless of our circumstances. I have a sure knowledge of my purpose here on this Earth, that I am a daughter of a loving Father in heaven who knows me and wants my happiness, and that I can be with my family forever and dwell with Heavenly Father and Jesus. These truths, if I let them, should cause "happiness" seep out of every pore of my body.

At times I find myself in a frenzy of this's and that's that seem so very important. I found myself unconsciously comparing my life to others. This blog world is a very interesting community. It brings great support and continuing of friendships but it can also be dangerous. We may find ourselves comparing our lives to others when all we can see is a small slice of their life, usually their most sparkly and delicious-looking slice. Can we all commit to loving our much-nicer-and-prettier-than-we-think selves, our cute, imperfect husbands who may not always know how to eloquently express themselves in our love language, our beautiful children who don't sleep as long as we wish they would or eat as many organic non-GMO's as they probably should, our unorganized home that we doesn't have one DIY'ed piece of furniture in sight, our hair that is not currently in a "Braid Wrapped Chignon," and the fact that we do not own a coral-colored tulle skirt and probably never will? 

I am blessed beyond any comprehension and if I can't be "happy" now, when will I be? What matters is that I sincerely enjoy being with my son and husband every day, that I love them with life and passion, and that  I try to strengthen my relationship with my Heavenly Father and Savior. If I can really learn to do that every day, everything else will be okay. Let's chose to see the good in our days. There's a lot to be seen!

I am happy now. I am thankful for my mind and my Spirit and my spiritual inclinations that cause me to ponder and try to better my life and the life of my family. I am thankful for these hard times because I'm learning a lot!