"That's Enough Happiness With the Dog!"

Today is an interesting one for me. My husband has gone hunting for the week. My kids are all grown up and gone... It's an odd state to be in after all the years of happy hub-bub of our home.

I remember times that I actually wished for days like these. Oh, you know what I mean. Those days when all the kids are up all night with high fevers. or in the hospital with things you can't fix or take away...

There was one moment I wish I could take back.

Our kids had two of their best friends over for lunch. I was exhausted and sleep deprived. One of our sons decided to be extra sassy that day.

I remember grabbing the family size bottle of ranch dressing at one point and fighting the impulse to hose him down with the dressing!

I placed the bottle firmly on the table, in order to resist the temptation. Some of the kids went silent.

Then, Ryan said yet another sassy remark to me... Before I knew what I was doing, I had that plump bottle back in my hands and growled while a guizer of white dressing shot across the table. I hosed him from head to toe with the white, sticky mess!

Finally, the nasty look was off his face replaced with horror. I too was horrified at what I had done. As the empty bottle fell limply from my hands to the table top, I wished I could go back in time.

All was silent for a moment. I heard a snort and then giggles from the other boys and then outright laughter. Ryan, ran from the room in mortification.

I sat heavily in a chair. I realized I'd never done such an awful thing to my kid. I felt crushed with guilt.

A few minutes later he came out and ate his lunch with more respect that I had ever witnessed. An unusual calmness washed over me as I apologized to him in front of the others.

Yes, moms do make mistakes. Our son often brings up the story and hugs me and tells me how much he loves me. All is well thank goodness! My son realized he was a handful back then. There are days that try our very last nerve as parents. There are times we feel repentant as well.

Do you have moments when your heart feels like it will expire, because it's filled with happy moments it might pop? I sure have.

One of those such happy moments could be when I happened upon our youngest, now serving a mission. Hunter was playing with our golden retriever in the living room. The young dog was bounding from the couch to the floor and back again. Hunter was giggling, silky blond hair shining in the lamplight as he twirled to keep up with where the dog landed. He was tossing a ball on the couch as the dog followed. They both looked so happy I couldn't bring myself to scold them for throwing a ball in the room and jumping on my best couches! So I watched quietly and felt their joy, if only for a moment.

Suddenly Hunter reached out to the dogs collar, knelt down on one knee, then placed both his chubby hands on either side of the dog's face and said these memorable words...

"That's enough happiness with the dog now." Then he walked away.

Such a simple way of telling the dog and himself it was time to settle down. Happiness was the feeling I'd gotten from the childlike scene I'd witnessed. It's a moment I draw from when I miss my boys.

After 25 years of being a stay at home mom and wife, I revel in the joys that are mine to keep in my heart during these times I'm enjoying now.

This season in my life is a time for reflection until things pick up again. I'm sure they will when all our kids are done with college and return home once again. I'm looking forward to those years with anticipation.

Copyright 2010 by Valora A. Otis

The Key to Happiness

"When Jesus gave His disciples a new commandment to 'love one another; as I have loved you' (John 13:34), He gave to them the grand key to happiness in this life and glory in the next."Love is the greatest of all the commandments--all others hang upon it. It is our focus as followers of the living Christ. It is the one trait that, if developed, will most improve our lives."

I learned a while back, that I am in charge of my own happiness. What a concept! My husband can add to my happiness as can my children--but ultimately I am in charge. Since realizing this amazing concept I have searched for the keys to happiness and found them in what Jesus has taught us. He lives and loves us so much and does want each of us to find joy and to be happy.
Recently I read an article in which they stated that those who have hope and are not clinically depressed, can find their way out of depression without medication. I was one of those people. Hope seems to be the key. Jesus Christ gives us that hope over and over in his teachings, both in ancient and modern times.


When we love one another, we give the other person hope through our love. Hope that whatever ails us can be lessened. Hope that we can help bear each others burdens and we are not alone in our affliction. We mirror what Christ feels for us through our actions. Hope does proceed the miracle. The miracle is that life will improve during hard times and that we can hang on if our life is difficult.

When all else fails and we are truly alone, our Savior holds us and comforts us as he is willing to do even when our lives are full of loved ones! Never forget that we are never alone.

Allow the Savior to give you comfort and solace during difficult times. Remember to share your lives with your loving Heavenly Father during good times as well as bad. You will feel His love if you allow yourself to do so prayerfully. The more you exercise your spiritual muscles the more you will feel His love for you during your days and your nights. You will be amazed at how you are in charge of ensuring that you feel the spirit as you strive to bask in it's light. What a blessing it is to know this to be true!

Many people have been calling the members of our church "haters". If you know members of the LDS or Mormon church, you know this to be so untrue. We have been taught to love our brothers and sisters no matter what color our skin is, what religion we are-- or even if you are heterosexual, gay or lesbian.

We are all brothers and sisters and children of a loving God. We are not taught to hate. Hate is a choice individuals make on their own when they stray from the path Christ has taught us.

Our Savior taught us to obey the commandments and to love our neighbors as ourselves. My neighbor is so different from myself. When I first met him he had tobacco stuffed in his lip and he used the Lords name in vein. His wife works in a liquor store and wears revealing clothes. I may have been a little shocked at first, but I didn't allow this to cloud my vision of who they are. I saw past all of that to see what good people they were and have been so blessed!

When my husband got into his car accident, Mike was the first person to help me. He drove me to the accident. He has since fixed our car and brought us food. He has called to check on my husband and how he's doing. I'm grateful we've developed a respect and friendship for each other despite our differences. I would have missed out if I had stood in judgment of this good man.

To stand up for righteousness and goodness and truth is something I teach my own children through Christs example. He taught us to have hope and to pray for those who might offend us. Hate was never in his teachings. So we must also not be haters of men. If we can develop love for our neighbors, we will improve the lives of others, as well as our own. Hope is a natural by- product that I have felt through our most recent experience with Terry's accident. All because so many reached out to us with so much love from places all over the world.

Thank you dear friends. Your love has been amazing!

Joseph B Wirthlin, "The Great Commandment," Ensign, Nov. 2007, 30 31

Keep Hope Strong

A question was asked in our missionary mom's group this week. It was what, or how much we should tell our kids about our struggles while they are away on missions. This was my answer.

We recently received a phone call from our son's MP. He started out putting me at ease with the tone of his voice (WHEW was I ever relieved, he wasn't hurt or worse!) telling me that our son was doing an amazing job and would be a wonderful Branch President for his branch in Russia. He said that our son had been concerned about how we were doing and about our present struggles. Even though I had only told Matt the basics about my health problems and not necessarily how extensive they were--the spirit whispered to him that they were extremely serious.

We have to remember that our kids are very in tune with the Holy Ghost and will know when something is wrong. Some of our sons and daughters MP's don't just concern themselves with our kids, but with their families as well. WE are all in this together as we support our kids. I'm grateful for Yekat Russia's MP--President Allen . He was deeply comforting to me that week. It was a boost to my spirit to know that Matthew is doing an amazing job and obeying all of the commandments and that President Allen knows he is who Father wants to serve in that position. I know Matt never aspired to that calling--he's just willing to do anything he's asked.

I needed to hear President Allen's words to keep going that week. I was able to tell him the details of my illness and our and that we are faithful and full of hope for the future. We will stay positive for our Elders in the field and for our third son who will be joining them soon.

I think Matthew has a friend for life in President Allen. He has shown an amazing capacity to love our missionaries under his stewardship---and their families as well. He is an example of the fact that we can do more than we think we can and that Heavenly Father is mindful of each of our struggles and of our needs. We are never alone!

Share with your kids prayerfully about your families struggles. Your hard times as well as your good times will bond you together as eternal families. Sandwich bad events between good things that happen and things you've learned from situations that have made you stronger as a child of God. Keep hope strong in your families. I have a testimony that the opposite of hope is fear and without hope, it's very difficult to have faith. Read Moroni chapter 7, it says it all. For more encouragement read Matthew 14:30-31. There are two more that I'll list later on. Do read them all. Your heart will be lighter for having read them.

Share the ways you overcome and handle obstacles in your life with your kids. I have found that it moves us to make good choices in our own lives and to handle the negative aspects of situations life throws at us so much better. May God bless each of you as you press forward through life's challenges.

Here are some "Tips" that might come in handy in the days ahead.

Survival Tips for Faith

• Call on your Heavenly Father for help.
• Avoid anything addictive.
• Let faith and reason work together.
• Leave the dark side alone.
• Wash away sin with repentance.
• Prepare for a long and happy life.

Gratitude Inspires Happiness

I'll never forget hearing a talk given by a very well spoken three year old. She was a tiny little thing with big brown eyes. She stood on a stool in sacrament meeting, with her mom at her side and told us the true meaning of gratitude. As she pronounced the word, the consonant-- letter T was emphasized. It was not only an adorable talk, but it was memorable due to the content. It was also not just a memorized speech, you could feel the spirit with each sentence this precious little girl spoke. Her eye contact was penetrating and her voice filled with conviction. By the end of the talk, all of us felt gratitude in our hearts for our Savior, Jesus Christ and our loved ones. It was an amazing moment in time for our congregation.

Bonnie D. Parkin, once said, "When we communicate gratitude, we can be filled with the Spirit and connected to those around us and the Lord. Gratitude inspires happiness and carries divine
influence." I have found these words to be so true in my own life. I have often been inspired to be kinder, gentler and more appreciative as I show gratitude towards those around me. The spirit fills me many times over as I put this into action. Just by being grateful I change not only my demeanor, but the people who surround me begin to communicate better and pass on what they have learned as well.

Now, as I hear the word gratitude I'm filled with familiar spiritual feelings. I have become spiritually aware due to the influence of the spirit I had once so many years ago.

I've found that gratitude is a spirit-filled word. Once aware of this your heart fills quickly with the knowledge of its blessings. I can now find Gods love in the smallest things.

Today as I was fishing with my son, I watched the lake who's surface was covered with two feet of ice a month ago--now had given way to a late spring thaw. The fish were eager to bite our bait and we enjoyed the blessings of nature and spending time as mother and son.

I saw a musk rat swim back and forth gathering nesting materials for his new family home. Red winged black birds, were doing their mating dance oblivious to all who watched. The far edge of the lake shimmered with ice crystals as the seagulls swept in to pick up dead fish littering the surf. Life was happening all around us as we felt the gentle cast of a worm and heard the subsequent plop of a bobber hitting the surface. The ripples multiplied tenfold on the glassy surface--then all was still.

If we can all cause ripples to flow out from ourselves in positive ways-- filled with gratitude for our blessings, those ripples will be long lasting in many peoples lives.

I'm so grateful for the rich blessings in my own personal life. I know that each of you must feel some amount of gratitude for your own blessings or for people in your lives whom you love. Try telling them how grateful you are for them today. I bet your words will mean so much to them as they think about what meant the most to them about their day.

If a brown eyed three year old standing on a stool, can speak to a single congregation and make a difference, you can share your gratitude and inspire happiness in other peoples lives too.

Cultivate an Attitude of Happiness!

“I believe [the Lord] is saying to each of us, be happy. The gospel is a thing of joy. It provides us with a reason for gladness. Of course there are times of sorrow. Of course there are hours of concern and anxiety. We all worry. But the Lord has told us to lift our hearts and rejoice. I see so many people . . . who seem never to see the sunshine, but who constantly walk with storms under cloudy skies. Cultivate an attitude of happiness. Cultivate a spirit of optimism. Walk with faith, rejoicing in the beauties of nature, in the goodness of those you love, in the testimony which you carry in your heart concerning things divine” (Gordon B. Hinckley, “If Thou Art Faithful,” Ensign, Nov. 1984, 91–92).

I felt such joy as I read Gordon B. Hinckley's quote! It is only as we look to Christ and His example, that we can deal with all that life throws our way some days.

There are times when I'm asked how I can be so happy? I answer that I have given my worries and my fears to my Savior when I can no longer carry them myself. I choose to look for the light and the good in my life rather than dwell on the pain, the suffering and the lack of.

My life then flows with blessings and as I count them they are without number! We can each do the same. From the smallest thing to the most magnificent!

I can find the love of what our Heavenly Father has given me in plain dirt if I have to! yes! Dirt! A handful of dirt has millions of granules each with a purpose, each with a history! That dirt can be carried to the far corners of the world and grow almost about anything that is planted in it with a little care and some water and sunlight.

I often stand in my veggie garden in my bare feet feeling the dirt between my toes, it's soft, warm goodness all around me-- growing my tomatoes, zucchini, green beans and water melon too! Flowers blossom, bugs wriggle through it as I stand in one place watching miracles pop up all around me in a whirl of life. I imagine my cares going into the dirt through the bottoms of my feet. Soon I forget what was bothering me as I bend to pull a weed.

I challenge each of you to look for the love of our Father in heaven in your daily life too. Look for the miracles that abound all around you. Let the hours of concern and anxiety be smaller. Dwell on the possibilities of life and learn and grow doing something you love. Seek those things that will make your spirit sing! Let go of the past, the pain and the negative. It will leave you if you let it. Then allow our Saviors love to encompass you in all it's sweetness. I know you can.....I did it and if I can, anyone can do it too.

A Quote Full of Wisdom

"You have a choice. You can wring your hands and be consumed with
concern for the future or choose to use the counsel the Lord has given to
live with peace and happiness in a world awash with evil. If you choose to
concentrate on the dark side, this is what you will see. . . . Now the
brighter side. Despite pockets of evil, the world overall is majestically
beautiful, filled with many good and sincere people. God has provided a way
to live in this world and not be contaminated by the degrading pressures
evil agents spread throughout it. You can live a virtuous, productive,
righteous life by following the plan of protection created by your Father
in Heaven: His plan of happiness."

(Richard G. Scott, "How to Live Well amid Increasing Evil," Ensign, May 2004, 100)

I thought that this quote was appropriate for the times we live in. I rarely watch the news these days, but when I do there seems to be more stories about the bad side of humanity. Where are the human interest stories, I wonder? It's rare that they print or talk about the people doing good out in the world for each other. So here on The Silver Lining, I'm going to be printing stories from time to time-- like the one about my son in my previous blog entry.

We all need to feel lifted up. We need to know there is hope out there. There is good, there is virtue and there is a plan that our Heavenly Father has given us to live righteous lives.

His plan of happiness gives my life substance and meaning. When I pray or read the scriptures I feel hope! It's a tangible thing in my world. I do believe with all I am, that there is more good than evil in this world. We are very blessed to live here on this earth at this time in history.

"If we are prepared, we shall not fear." Is one of the quotes I love to remember best. I know that it's easy to panic with regards to food storage in these trying times. As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I have been taught most of my adult life to have food storage for times like these.

Food and gas prices are rising. Wheat is being imported to our country for the first time in history. War is raging....It's easy to be caught up in the fear and peril of our times. If we are prepared, the fear leaves the equation. If you carefully plan and gather information about how to store food for hard times, put enough money away for three months, get out of debt--you will be more at ease and better prepared for the times ahead. It will also be easier to be positive about your own situation in life.

We've been counseled to not panic. To carefully plan. To live within our means. We can strive to do so if we simply try. I for instance don't have a huge budget to work with. So when I go to the grocery store I pick up an extra item just for food storage. I do have my year supply of wheat and dry goods. I supplement the rest with my garden in the summer. I can a lot of fresh veggies and fruits and make stews and salsa and jams. It's very fulfilling to see the fruits of my labors on the shelf for my family. It's healthier too. Our foods these days are filled with chemicals and preservatives and things you can hardly pronounce! My health has taken a hit through the years because of those things. I now eat organic and am regaining my health a little each month. It's such a blessing!

The best thing that's happened this week was that my neighbor came over and gifted me with ten pounds of venison. I in turn was able to give him a gift of home made applesauce, salsa, plum jam and stew. He seemed to think he got the better end of the deal. It made me smile. I plan on using the venison to make him more stew next week. You see, I had run out and he was an answer to my prayers.

There are still so many good people in this world. My neighbor, had I judged him--would have been the last person I would have sought out. He works hard as a crane operator. Had a foul mouth when I first met him. He drinks and we don't. But we have been taught to not judge so I saw past the exterior and we found a family friend. As it turns out, he is the type of person who would give you the shirt off his own back if you needed it. He helped my husband get our car home last winter when the tire broke off. He gave my son a ride to work when he didn't have transportation. When we had a bunch of break ins in our neighborhood he looked out for us at night. He is such a good man, the salt of the earth and we are blessed to be his neighbors.

The other thing I must share. Our backdoor neighbor let my son barrow her truck this week. We had no way to get him to work because our wonderful car had broken down again. Smile...If she hadn't insisted on him just taking her new truck to work, he wouldn't have been able to help the homeless gentleman he assisted that day. It sure makes you grateful to know that Heavenly Father does have a plan for us each day. He is still with us and watches over us daily. He will never leave us or forget us in our hour of need. I remember this as I thank Him each day in my prayers for all the blessings in my life.

This world is indeed, full of good and sincere people. Take the time to get to know your neighbors. Your kids teachers your church members. It's time to look for the good in the world. I know you'll find it if you just try a little harder.