Listening To Each Other's Heartbeats

Hello, my Fellow Awesome Humans!.

It's been forever since I blogged. 

I have been thinking and thinking about something

for a couple of months now.

I have talked to some, maybe all of you about it,

but I would like to put my thoughts in writing so

I have a place to refer back to, and so you

can add your thoughts to the pot.

We are smarter all together, I think.

Also, this is as good a place as any to share

 some of my photos I took Saturday when

 Dad and I went to Minnehaha Falls.

It was gorgeous, by the way.

Although, so so grey!

(and there I go rhyming again)

So, what I've been thinking about is family unity.

It's something that we were known for, 

as a family,

as you all were growing up.

I taught Relief Society classes.

Dad and I talked in church.

We had many other parents ask us about

 it privately. For many reasons,we were 

a close group as you grew.

The biggest thing that I credited it to was TIME.

Time together is such a huge thing.

When you were young we didn't have internet or cell

phones (or money. Ha!) and we played together.

We read together. We went for drives together.

We explored, we sang, we talked, 

we ate, we laughed, etc.

We weren't perfect, but we did a good job, I think.

But times. They change.

You have all grown and are working on your own

 lives, and some of you, your own families.

But we are still an awesome family, 

albeit a larger one.

How do we maintain unity when we are in different 

states and busy  with such different things?

I think a big piece of that is still time. 

And I get that that is super tricky now.

But we have to KNOW each other to be connected.

To listen to "each other's heartbeats",

as it were.

Anyhoo, so I am asking you smart, grown up people:

How do we maintain that unity? 

I am really interested in your thoughts and ideas.

A couple of thoughts that I had were to

1 Have common things we all pray for, like

 specifically for family unity, or 

if we know someone is struggling,

 has a big test, is sick, etc.

 I know we do some of that already.

2 Have quarterly family fasts

3 Have some common goals?

4 I don't know. I'm reaching here.

Do you have some personal or family goals

 that you are  willing to share here?

 I would love to be  inspired and motivated.

You have always done that for me.

Do you have any ideas to promote family unity 

through our growth, change, and distance?

 (and help the newer folks feel included and part of the family)

Please share!

Guys, I like us.

I think we are pretty great.

And I like that whole forever family thing.

Seems like a good idea.

And to be honest,

I could use some bolstering.

Also, I really like being your mom.

It's pretty cool.

Sometimes our hearts get tangledAnd our souls a little off-kilterFriends and family can set us rightAnd help guide us back to the light.~Sera Christann

And a story for your enrichment:

The story is told of a young boy who visited his uncle, a lumberjack. At the lumber camp, the boy saw a massive tree standing alone on the top of a hill. He enthusiastically pointed the tree out to his uncle, saying, “Look at that big tree! It will make a lot of good lumber, won’t it?”

His uncle looked down at the boy and shook his head. “No, son, that tree will not make a lot of good lumber. It might make a lot of lumber but not a lot of good lumber. When a tree grows off by itself, too many branches grow on it. Those branches produce knots when the tree is cut into lumber. The best lumber comes from trees that grow together in groves. The trees also grow taller and straighter when they grow together.”

Drawing a lesson from this story, Elder Henry D. Taylor (1903–87) of the Seventy said, “It is so with people. We become better individuals, more useful timber when we grow together rather than alone.”

This is an article from the Ensign on

unity that I thought was nice.

https://www.lds.org/ensign/2016/12/why-is-unity-important?lang=eng

Okie. I have nothing else to say, except I love you 

all and I'm proud of the

people you have grown up to be.

I clearly put an annoyingly way-too- many 

nature pictures on here.

Hehe.

So write some stuff.

And let's build each other.

Love,

Mom

 The happiest moments of my life have been the few which I have passed at home in the bosom of my family.  ~Thomas Jefferson