Reflection

We've been a little under the weather the last few days, both physically and emotionally, so today has been a nice day of relaxation and reflection. On Wednesday this week, Maddy and I  both woke up with a bad cold, I realized I was coming down with mastitis again, and Henry was particularly fussy - basically crying and wanting to be held  the entire day. By the early afternoon, I was completely depleted physically and emotionally.  My friend and fellow young women's presidency member, Shonda, came over to borrow my church keys for mutual that night.  When she came to the door, she found me in a puddle of tears. One of the many things I love about Shonda is that she feels what other people feel.  Upon seeing my distress, she immediately started crying with me. I love that about her - she listens and then cries with you. I knew she had a crazy day herself between multiple soccer games, her daughter's birthday, planning and executing a mutual activity, dinner for her family, etc. Somehow amidst all of this, she managed to go home and cook a completely separate meal for me and my family, just to show me she loved me. My other friend, Cassidy, showed up with her three kids in tow and let me borrow her rectal thermometer because I was panicking that Henry was spiking a fever and I couldn't find my own thermometer. She came back unexpectedly a few hours later with groceries and other goodies to brighten my day. The next day my friend Grace brought us dinner and the following day my dear friend Becca brought us dinner. As I reflect on this week, I am humbled and overcome with gratitude for the sweet selflessness of these friends. They truly are marvelous women. They juggle so much themselves, and yet they are constantly reaching out to others who need them. I hope I can be more like them.

My mom and dad were planning on coming to visit this weekend after taking care of Kami in Ohio during her recent chemo treatment.  My mom unexpectedly developed a bad urinary track infection and is currently being hospitalized there. We've been so worried about her, but she's doing fine now and we're looking forward to seeing her and my dad here in a few days.

This afternoon I started reading through some of my emails that I sent home during my mission. It brought back memories of so many things I'd forgotten and instantly transported me back to that time and land that I love. I realized today how important it is to frequently remember and reflect on these important experiences in our lives. Today I read about pretty incredible things that happened on my mission that I had completely forgotten and it helped me to connect with a part of my soul that has been seemingly dormant. It made me want to be better. Reading those stories also made me want to dive into the scriptures on a daily basis and have a closer relationship with Heavenly Father. It made me want to live life more fully and joyfully. It made me want to practice my diminishing Portuguese vocabulary! Yikes.

Well, that's it for now. Kids are finally asleep, so I should join them.

Goodnight.