Bumpdate: Spiritual and Physical Lessons through Pregnancy

As an organized, creative, and slightly impulsive person I love to find and nurture beauty and truth so I can share it with others. I recently learned that the archaic meaning of the word prove is "to learn from ones own experience." I hope that some of the experiences I share resonate with you on your life journey, but more so I pray that you'll be inspired to seek out your own learning opportunities.

Living in God's Rest through Pregnancy, Birth, & Motherhood

I recently watched a Youtube video from A Heavenly Welcome and was struck by how versatile and applicable this lesson was. What does it mean to you to live in God's rest? How does that affect your day to day actions as a spouse, a parent, a neighbor, and even just as an individual?

There are two ways that I have experienced God's rest and His presence in my life recently: 1) discovering the symbiotic relationship of faith and hope and 2) God is enough and He wants to share His abundance.

Relearning faith and hope

Faith and hope in God look different at different times in my life and even feel different for people who seem to be going through similar circumstances. Because it was difficult to get pregnant again, I had to relearn and rebuild my relationship with God. I had grown up having young faith in Him and His will, which I knew would always prevail. But I didn't understand hope.


Hope means that I can feel blessed with peace when I don't understand or I feel unheard and misunderstood. It means that even when God says, "No," or "Not yet," to a good wish or righteous desire, I can choose to have joyous hope in His goodness. Many times God doesn't immediately deliver us and yet at the same time, He does. God could have helped us conceive much sooner than the seven years it took, but I've learned not to begrudge Him those growing pains that I needed. During the drawn out process of conception and confirming that my body wasn't going to miscarry, we had many angels help us in IL, CT, and WA. So many people were praying for us!

One of the last testing days 
at Yale's infertility clinic

Kyle S. McKay testified that:

God also gives immediate hope for eventual deliverance.6 No matter what, no matter where, in Christ and through Christ there is always hope smiling brightly before us.7 Immediately before us.

Moreover, He has promised, “My kindness shall not depart from thee.”8

My Shepherd will supply my need

This pregnancy I have been praying to understand and receive God's love so that I can be more compassionate. It is a necessary resource I find myself constantly running out of. Do you ever feel yourself frustrated running out of time, patience, or even money? God wishes to share His abundant goodness with each of us as His children: HE IS ENOUGH. So what does that mean for your fears and frustrations?

One way God has been enough for me lately is by sharing His love. Throughout my life but especially this pregnancy, I have yearned "to taste and savor His delicious love." (Song of Solomon 2:3-4) In answer to these prayers He has been teaching me about His joy.

When was the last time you witnessed joy? So many times in my first trimester I was grateful for the joyful support for friends and even strangers: the staff workers at the Navitat ropes course in TN when they found out why only Greg and Victoria were participating; the cashier at Michael's in WA when we purchased supplies to embroider Victoria's "big sister at last" T shirt; and my aunts who supported us in grad school during the initial infertility diagnosis and rejoiced with us in our pregnancy announcement this summer. Their happiness for me allowed me to choose my own happiness over the creeping doubts and worries that so often accompany a pregnancy.

My favorite scripture regarding our joy in the Lord is Alma 26:16.

Therefore, let us glory, yea, we will glory in the Lord; yea, we will rejoice, for our joy is full; yea, we will praise our God forever. Behold, who can glory too much in the Lord? Yea, who can say too much of his great power, and of his mercy, and of his long-suffering towards the children of men? Behold, I say unto you, I cannot say the smallest part which I feel.

Ask and Ye shall Receive

John 15:7, 11 reads: If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ...I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

See also John 16:33. While declaring my faith in the Lord's promises, I have been careful to ask in prayer without a sense of commanding God. I've sought out many promised blessings and received many more as I laid my cares at the feet of Christ. Matt 11:28-30.

I had very few fears of childbirth from my previous experiences but as I mentioned earlier, I had sort of lost faith in my ability to work with God because of how long it took us to conceive. So I learned to play this great game called "Worry with God." Anytime I found myself worrying about a scenario I learned to lengthen my "what if..." question: What if the worse case scenario happens and God shows up in a miraculous way? This has reinforced the lesson that God is enough; He is not limited by my circumstances and will provide for my needs and wants.

I testify that God's grace is enough. It is enough to support me through the ups and downs of infertility, pregnancy, cross-country moves, and so much more. I love that as I prepare for the birth physically and spiritually, and as I show my gratitude and faith through obedience, I build hope and trust in Him.

It's Never Too Early to Celebrate Christmas: Our Pregnancy Announcement

I've got a few confessions to make:

1. I've started listening to Christ-centered Christmas music every other day now. I suspect it will soon become a daily occurrence, and I'm not sorry for it.

2. For those who haven't heard the good news yet, I am about half way through my second pregnancy! Through the grace of God and a round of IVF we were able to conceive again. We'll find out the gender Christmas morning.

Christmas is Worth the Wait

Two years ago the following note was left in my otherwise empty stocking. I found it when packing stockings for our family's trip to Uncle Kent and Aunt Heather's for Christmas morning in Indy.

Dear Danielle,

Your stocking is empty because I am working on a very special present for you at the request of your daughter, Victoria. She would really like a baby sister. That's not the kind of gift we make at the North Pole but I have passed this special request along to the proper authorities. I look forward to the possibility of delivering the good news myself next year.

Wait and See,
Love, Santa

P.S. Please be patient and a little less bossy with Victoria.

Victoria's stocking had several treats and toys but also this note:

Dear Victoria,

I received your last minute Christmas wish list this afternoon. As I told your mother, that's not the kind of gift we make at the North Pole; but I have passed this special request along to the proper authorities. The elves also reminded me that you'd like a bunny or a doll. We didn't get those requests to the workshop in time this year, but perhaps my friends the Easter bunny and the Tooth Fairy will be able to help.

Remember, it's easiest for me to do my job when you can't see me. But just like God, you don't have to see to believe!

Love, Santa

P.S. Remember to stay off the naughty list by talking in a kind tone of voice no matter what!

On the back she wrote in gel pen, "Mom and Dad don't be mane [mean]".

April 2019 brought a round of IVF that yielded 10 fertilized eggs and ultimately 6 embryos for freezing! That's better than any Easter Bunny gift so we give credit to God.

2 days before moving to the west coast (end of May), we did a frozen embryo transfer that successfully implanted. So we're due with Baby #2 in February 2020!

We'll find out whether Peanut is a boy or a girl when we open our present Christmas morning. 

Feel free to post your guesses here.

Modesty: A Promised Attitude of Preparation

Wherever you go in the world, there are opinions and traditions that you may not agree with. Some differences are obvious and some differences are subtle. Sometimes even if our actions are quite similar to another's, we can feel divided or misunderstood because our reasons are quite different. Ironically, I have found that these differences often feel as big as when I openly disagree with someone.

Even in places of supposed unity (the Church, ones family) there are inevitable differences. Today I feel the need to address a subtle difference I have when it comes to the Christian attitude of modesty. If you're a member of The Church of Jesus Christ I can almost feel you eye rolling. Please take a deep breath, read the title of the post, and consider what modesty means outside the realm of dress code.

A Promised Attitude

In the temple we covenant to obey 5 laws, the fifth of which is the law of consecration. As an endowed member of The Church of Jesus Christ, I have promised God that I will use all the blessings He has given me to build up His kingdom on the earth. This promised attitude applies to my actions as well as my motivations. 

Let me explain. If I for example, help shovel snow for an hour before church meetings only to find out that the meetings were cancelled, I don't need to feel like that was wasted service because no one was around to appreciate my efforts. Instead I can be like the reformed, repentant Jean Valjean from Les Miserables. "He went about doing his good deeds as secretly as most men go about doing their evil ones." This to me is the epitome of modesty.

A scriptural example of modesty can be found in the Pearl of Great Price when reading of the grand council in Heaven where God presented His plan for the eternal salvation of man. This plan needed a savior in order for us to have a chance to return to Heaven. Two volunteered but only one demanded the Father's glory. Jesus Christ was modest and meek; he willingly volunteered to be the savior and redeemer of us all, without demanding anything in return. Of course he does receive crowning blessings of glory for his actions and for making the plan possible. His infinitely virtuous atoning sacrifice was truly an expression of love.

Sow a Thought, Reap an Action

Now I'm not going to save the world with my modesty and meekness but my humble expressions of these attitudes are also actions of love. 

Modesty affects how I think. Since my thoughts cause my feelings which lead to actions or repeated thoughts known as beliefs, there's a variety of end results from thinking modest thoughts. Thinking modestly can sound like "using clean and intelligent language [as] evidence of a bright and wholesome mind" or graciously thanking someone for a compliment while giving God the glory. It  feels like versatile comfort for me and those around me as I don't call undue attention to myself (use your imagination here because there are lots of ways to help others feel uncomfortable.) 

What does modesty look like?

Modesty is so much more than a dress code and often when it is taught in such narrow-minded application we misunderstand the eternal principles of agency and accountability as well as the gospel laws we covenant to obey in the temple and elsewhere. Modesty in action is almost invisible because it does not draw attention to itself, but think of someone you know who serves behind the scenes. This is what modesty looks like.

When my daughter wants to wear something that is deemed too revealing or otherwise inappropriate for said activity (a swimsuit in the library for example), here is how I teach and why:

Modesty is a way we prepare ourselves to make and receive sacred promises from God in His holy temples. This includes but is not at all limited to our manner of dress. So if my attitude and actions are preparing me for the temple then they're definitely "appropriate."

MORE THAN A DRESS CODE
My 7 year old told me the other day, "You know the primary song 'Reverence is More Than Just Quietly Sitting'? You should write a verse about modesty being more than just covering up."


So what attitudes have blessed your life? I'd love to hear about them! How has an attitude affected you and those around you?

What I got out of listening to a prophet this weekend

Home Can be a Heaven on Earth

"God's objective should be our objective. He wants His children to choose to return to Him prepared, qualified endowed, sealed, and faithful to covenants made in holy temples." President Russell M. Nelson taught in his concluding remarks this April 2019 conference. I love how this doctrine highlights God's respect of our agency and His unyielding expectations of us. I want to find this balance and understanding in my own parenting.

He spoke much on the holy work and preparation of temples as well as the conversion that can and should be happening in our homes. While we don’t perform saving ordinances in our homes, there is a significant way in which our homes can be like the temple. Modern-day prophets have repeatedly taught that, “Only the home can compare with the temple in sacredness.”

• How do you feel about that? What was your first thought? Read D&C 88:119-120. Is your house a…?

Studying patriarchal blessings together today
as they both stayed home from church due to illness.

For me this promise of holiness in our homes used to inspire feelings of confusion and guilt. While I grew up in an amazingly Christ-centered home eating and breathing the doctrines of Christ’s gospel, but out home didn’t always feel like a super holy place to me. I think part of that was the lack of responsibility I felt to maintain our home's holiness.

The following quote from President Russell M. Nelson's closing remarks, answered several questions and concerns I have been pondering in preparation for conference: "We hope and pray that the each member's home will become a true sanctuary of faith where the Spirit of the Lord may dwell. Despite contention all around us, one's home can be a heavenly place where study, prayer, and faith can be merged with love." 

Invitations to Act

• As you study [general conference] seek to learn what the Lord is trying to teach you through His servants.
• We can truly become disciples of the Lord, standing up and speaking up for Him wherever we are. God's objective should be our objective.
• Ours is a sacred responsibility to care for them [pioneer era temples.]
• Brothers and sisters, we regard a temple as the most sacred structure in the Church. As we announce plans to construct a new temple, it becomes a part of our sacred history. Now please, listen carefully and reverently. If I announce a temple in a place that is special to you, may I suggest that you simply bow your head with a silent prayer of gratitude in your heart. (8 new temples announced)
• As we speak of our temples old and new, may each of us signify by our actions that we are true disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. May we renovate our lives through our faith and trust in Him. May we access the power of His atonement by our repentance every day. And may we dedicate and rededicate our lives to serving God and His children on both sides of the veil.
• "So, what is required for a family to be exalted forever? We qualify for that privilege by making covenants with God, keeping those covenants, and receiving essential ordinances." He continued, "The Savior invites all to follow Him into the waters of baptism and, in time, to make additional covenants with God in the temple and receive and be faithful to those further essential ordinances. All these are required if we want to be exalted with our families and with God forever."
• Pour out your heart to God. Ask Him if these things are true. Make time to study His words. Really study! If you truly love your family and if you desire to be exalted with them throughout eternity, pay the price now—through serious study and fervent prayer—to know these eternal truths and then to abide by them.
• Do the spiritual work to find out for yourselves, and please do it now. Time is running out.

Promised Blessings

"Truly conference has been a spiritual feast for us all."

"[R]evelation continues in this the Lord's church. And it will continue until the purposes of God shall be accomplished..."

So I say let the personal revelation begin as we accept these invitations to act!

What's a goal you have as a result of listening to general conference?

Christ-centered Scavenger Hunt and Other Easter Traditions

Childhood Memories

I grew up hunting for Easter eggs with my fellow Sunday school students or sometimes at a cousin's house, but we didn't really get visits from the Easter Bunny. I don't feel deprived now and I didn't then. Instead of looking forward to getting a fancy new dress or more candy than I could eat (which only sometimes happened in the spring of my childhood, to me Easter meant a time to gather with family and friends in gratitude for the new beginnings given to us by Christ.

2018 annual Easter egg hunt at a CT park with friends

2017 Easter egg hunt in Indianapolis
with Hansen cousins & their friends

Helping younger cousins serve as
we all learned a fun new skill

                                                                         Traditions Then and Now

One of the best things about new beginnings is review what we know and learning something new, whether that's a scripture story or a skill like napkin folding and setting the table! This gratifying, emerging tradition is one I hope to continue for years to come and not limit to Easter celebrations alone.

Now that I am a mother myself and given that we often are away from home on Easter in order to be with family, I have been more mindful than ever of the traditions that keep this holiday special for me and my family. We have loved participating in a wide variety of Easter egg hunts and potluck feasts over the past few years. Recently, Victoria gets a small basket with maybe 4 eggs filled with candy, but there's a scriptural scavenger hunt to find it. Last year's clues were based on different names of the Savior and where they might be found in our home: Bread of Life, Living Water, etc. Below are this year's clues.

1. Mary poured this on Jesus’s feet. He said she was anointing Him for His burial. (John 12:2-8) Where does Mommy keep hers?


2. People ______ palm branches and laid them in the streets when Jesus entered Jerusalem. (Matthew 21:1-11) Where do we see Daddy wave?


3. As part of the very first sacrament Jesus broke this, blessed it, and then shared it with His disciples. (Matthew 26:26) Where do we keep ours?


4. Some of the Pharisees paid Judas Iscariot ______ to betray Jesus. (Matthew 26:14-15) Where does Victoria keep hers?


5. The Roman soldiers made a _______ of thorns and pressed it onto Jesus’s head. (John 19:2) Where does Victoria keep hers?


6. The soldiers gave Jesus this to drink on the cross as a medicine. (John 20:1) Where do we keep ours?


7. The marks caused by these helped Thomas identify the resurrected Jesus. (John 20:25) Where does Daddy keep his?


8. ______ were used to prepare Jesus for burial. (John 19:40) Where does Mommy keep hers?


9. What remained in the tomb after Jesus rose? (John 20:6-7) Where do we keep ours?


Mom's answers/where to hide the clues: Perfume in the bathroom, back/dining room window, bread in the fridge, money in the piggy bank, crowns in the top costume drawer, vinegar under the kitchen sink, nails by/in Dad’s toolbox, spices in the kitchen, and clean sheets in the linen closet

We have also enjoyed making resurrection rolls with friends in Illinois and in Connecticut. We look forward to doing so again this year with a couple of my piano students. I still haven't decided if we'll have a fish and honeycomb dinner for just the three of us or a traditional all-you-can-eat spread and try to invite friends.

What are your favorite traditions, edible and non-edible? I'd love to hear them!

One fun thing we did in Illinois that isn't religious whatsoever is that for several years we enjoyed helping walk and feed the Valencic's bunnies at the Winfield Village park. Oh and it turns out that Victoria isn't a fan of Peeps candy: ha ha!

Finding God's Grace Through Productive Thinking

When I am "stuck" doing things I don't really want to be doing but I do them anyway (as a wife and mother I have many tasks that float in and out of that realm,) I am learning to be more like Christ. He didn't want to sacrifice but was willing to do it anyway. While none of my sacrifices will compare in significance and impact to the world, I have countless opportunities to

• do things for others that they cannot do for themselves.
• do things for my household that no one else can do.
• enable others to do what they need or want to do.

Remembering all this helps me when I lack the motivation to do the unwanted. I may not have the will power to change that task into a want-to-do item, but I can do it anyway because I do want to enable others and empower them. By doing so I enable and empower myself!

Sometimes I am overwhelmed as a house wife and mother to a young child because of all the things I feel I need to do. But some of that overwhelm is of my own choosing and completely unnecessary. When I get fearful that if I don't do something it won't get done, sometimes it's best for me and those I am serving to experience that thing not getting done so that others can recognize the task as being one worth doing.

For example, I really want to teach my daughter responsibility by having her do a daily chore or two; she knows what they are. When I am tempted to feel frustrated with her for not setting the table and we are hungrily waiting to eat dinner because there's nothing to eat it on or with, I can choose not to set the table and we'll just joke about eating with invisible dishes before saying a prayer and then she'll make her choice from there. Or if she doesn't put her dirty clothes away, I can go about my day and move them out of my way but not put them in the laundry until she notices the pile and/or runs out of things to wear and then she'll make her choice from there. In order for her to learn responsibility, she needs to discover her own life moments where if she doesn't do it then it doesn't get done! I can also try and notice what she is doing instead of whatever I was hoping she'd do, so that I can try to see value in her current choice instead of the choice I was expecting her to make.

And if I end up doing something myself I can replace with resentful self talk with positivity like, My family is so blessed to have someone like me and I am so blessed that I am physically capable of doing this work.
Sometimes we struggle to reconcile our reality with what we want or feel is supposed to be. This made me think of a people-pleasing anecdote that can work for when we are at odds with ourselves. The following poem is by Dr. Kent M. Keith that is inscribed on the wall of Mother Theresa's orphanage in Calcutta, India.

People are often unreasonable, illogical and self centered;

Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;

Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;

Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;

Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;

Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;

Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;

Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;

Give the world the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and your God;

It was never between you and them anyway.

When I am being unreasonable or illogical and self centered I can forgive myself. I can always strive to do the right thing for the right reason and try to presume others will do the same. I can overcome my fear and spend monumental effort creating because even if it is not fully appreciated or gets destroyed, I know that it was still worth doing. I can forget the good that I or others have done and feel handicapped in my ability to do and be good; but I will strive to do and be good anyway and work hard to recognize and remember the goodness of others and especially God. Because in the end it's all between Him and me anyway.

How have you been enabled by grace lately? How have you enabled others through your service?

Perfection Pending: Learning From Life's Broken Moments

This morning at the bus stop Victoria told me, "I don't like it when you talk like that." I asked her whether she was referring to my use of the adjective broken or my tone of voice and she without looking at me she replied, "Both."

Disclaimer: While I try to only apply the label broken to myself, it sometimes is one I use in front of my daughter when we are both upset so that one or both of us are knowingly thinking thoughts and making choices that don't serve us. 

"You know the scriptures use the word broken so I'm okay with using it but I will try to only ever use it in a pleasant, calm tone of voice." 

Second disclaimer: In the future I will try to never use broken to describe anyone since there are similar labels that can serve us better. More on that in a minute.

I feel like the word broken is offensive to many people. But God requires us to be broken. How many times in the scriptures do we read the phrase "a broken heart and a contrite spirit"? It turns out that brokenness is involved before getting into heaven so my dear sweet daughter, please don't be offended if I use broken to describe either of us. There are so many things that can be broken about us. But that doesn't mean that it's permanent or that we're somehow inferior. It means that we're in a position to realize just how much we need God! Brokenness will be my companion and yours in this life but when we recognize it as the opportunity for God's grace to change us, in that moment we are becoming unbroken and saved beings.

Evidence of The Fall

If you're feeling uncomfortable with the word broken consider these similar thoughts from my dear friend Summer Harper:
I think it's a cool concept and it actually made me think of a similar word which is also scriptural but would maybe serve me personally better: fallen. We're in a "fallen world" and we have these fallen, less-than bodies. But I don't think it does the emotional heart-wrenching of broken... I never thought of the word broken. I see where it's in the scriptures. I think that before meditating on it, it isn't a word that serves me but it's cool that it serves you. As for telling it to a child, I would make sure not that they don't just simply understand it but that they can see it and understand it from the perspective of the scriptures. But as far as my kids and using the word broken, they're going to think "worthless and not good." Because when a toy breaks we through it away. We get rid of it [because] we don't keep broken things. At least, that's the way we've structured our home and the way I think they would first thing of it. And fallen isn't a word my kids would associate with anything else so I could teach them that principle. And even if they may not grasp it at first, they're not going to associate it with something else that's commonly used [in a negative way.] 

The last time I intuitively ate lunch: apple and cheese
quesadilla on GF spinach wrap with GF chicken nuggets.

I am broken and fallen. I've been feeling less broken in that I am overcoming my battles with anxiety and depression; and I feel hopeful that our secondary infertility is not meant to be a permanent battle. But I am broken because intuitive eating is something that doesn't consistently exist in my world. While I wouldn't say that I have anorexia anymore, I would say that I am currently suffering from "disordered eating" as some therapists call it. And it makes it hard to take care of my body. But I still try to love my body. I'm not not eating because I'm self conscious about the shape or weight of my body. I'm not eating because I don't know how to process the stimuli around me. I am making food a lower priority because there are more pressing things on my mind right now, so my fallen body refuses to let me prepare, eat, or otherwise enjoyably digest food. And that makes me feel broken. And I'm okay with that.

It's not something I'm going to accept lying down and not doing anything about. But I am accepting of it. Which is the first step in being able to choose to change. This also allows me to continue living a life that's worth living! I have the choice to not stay fallen but rather be lifted by the grace of God as I try to make better choices and rise above any less-than-ideal circumstances.

Redeemed by Grace

When people are thinking and acting in ways that don't serve themselves or anyone else, I can still believe in their potential for perfection. Their lives are worth living and if they're not living up to their potential that is between them and God. I too have the potential to be perfect! Speaking as the scriptures do, we all liven in a fallen world with fallen bodies. "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." 1 Corinthians 15:22 "For Adam fell that men might be; and men are that they might have joy." 2 Nephi 2:25.

Let me give you a few more examples of perfection-pending moments from my life.

Feeling Frustration

I feel like my daughter doesn't get frustrated often but when she does, it's often a big deal because she doesn't know how to process it and isn't open to suggestions. In those moments especially, I feel like I'm failing her as a mom when I see her failing to work through her emotions. But I need to remember that that's. Her. Choice. It is perfectly fine for me to leave the room when she's screaming and crying, so that I can hang on to my sanity and positive vibrations. I would like to eventually learn how to model other ways of working through uncomfortable feelings for when you cannot leave but for now, we're both still in our emotional childhood, learning and growing together. So of course emotional moments are going to feel messy and big.

Me nearly 8 years ago, waiting to give birth to my daughter

Summer suggested in response to my desire to learn other ways of processing uncomfortable emotions when you can't leave to think of it like the labor and delivery of a child. That is something the really resonated with me and was a connection I immediately made to her initial thoughts but one that she made for herself later on in our conversation. "That's when you simply feel it. You don't have to do a model on it. You just sit there and feel it and it feels like whatever emotion...and you can close your eyes if you want. Kind of like when you're in labor! You can't avoid it. You're experiencing it but you need to just feel it and let it process, you know?"

Learning from Acceptance

In the midst of writing these realizations my phone went off to let me know that it's lunch time and I thought, "Oh really? Because I'm still finishing breakfast. Hmm, I guess it's going to be one of those days." I found myself in a conversation with myself.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean one of those I-am-still-finishing-breakfast-but-I-guess-I'll-start-lunch-now kind of days."

I didn't beat myself up for losing track of time to the point of not noticing my body's needs. I also didn't deny that it's wrong to starve myself. Instead of there being any judgement, negativity, or guilt there was acceptance. And that's a beautiful new thing for me. I could then move onto thoughts like, "Well, I'm still feeling tired and hungry and a bit unmotivated. Okay, well let's do something about that."

In conclusion I offer us this pearl of wisdom from Patricia T. Holland: "We must have the courage to be imperfect while striving for perfection."

What evidences of the Fall are you working with in your life and how are you doing that?