hmmmmm.... as in release the stress!

life, it isn't easy for anyone...it is hard for everyone... but... it can be so beautiful... in between loosing my brain years ago and the credit card at the store today... are little clips of beauty... smiles from my children... a husband who loves me and respects me... sleeping through the night (yes... it is beautiful)...hugs and giggles... good movies... good food (especially when shared with someone else)... brief visits with friends and family... well...

my parents came down to utah in a whirlwind trip... it is always a whirlwind trip when they come down... i am lucky enough to have siblings and aunts and uncles and grandchildren with which i have to share my parents (really, lynaea shared with us because it was her daughter's graduation)... sometimes it feels like "Horton Hears A Who" with only so many minutes allotted to everyone "i got an A on my whostory test!"... sadly, it is one of the only times i do see the afore mentioned people too! so, although i have to share (like sharing a good ice cream cup (two spoons) with a best friend ... it is good... good to see family, good to talk for hours and hours about really important stuff... like respect... and what it really means to us (lynaea prompted me to believe that even children deserve our respect)...and the atonement (we all need it)... and what my children do and say(today, asher was a super airplane and isaac tried to eat everything on the floor... again)... and what i do and say (that is when the uncomfortable silences begin)...and parenting... and well...

the list goes on and on...we talk about most everything except pebbles and liquid (josh has a conversation starter on his ipod... and those were the suggestions! what silliness!)

we did watch Pirates of Penzance! how i love that movie! i finally found a few other people... mostly nola... a little michealynn... who will laugh and laugh until it hurts, with me... not many will submit to the humiliation of actually acknowledging the humor in that musical... but i love it!
sadly, i have no pictures to show in this post that are relevant to my experiences.... i may  post a few...to give people something to look at... well, i did post a few... but they pertain to a different sunny day that wasn't as strenuous...


side note: it was so beautiful i just had to share, although it will feel like preaching :)
my sister lynaea said, remember when you make a mistake, how nice it is when you are forgiven, how nice it is when someone puts their arms around you and treats you with respect still... even though you have just done something stupid, silly or bad... remember how much easier it is to pick yourself back up and feel good about yourself and life when it isn't made into the end of the world... imagine, your children now and how much they would appreciate your respect even though they make mistakes too, none of which will end the world... how much more loved they will feel when they are forgiven easily and lovingly... end of quote that wasn't really a quote but a summarization because i can't remember the exact words :)
at least that is what i, andy, felt and heard when she said something a lot more concise... but it spoke these words to my heart