Lay Your Foundation. And Love It.

Saturday, July 5, 2014





I love these faces.  And these photos only represent a portion of my week last week.  We had a great week of beach, family and serious fun celebrating USA!

And I just have to say these past few weeks have been a bit crazy with several twists and turns I hadn't expected--which, I am aware that quite often, twists and turns are never expected...

So, in spite of it all, I must say that I love what I'm learning right now.  I love what my Heavenly Father is teaching me.  So often relationships represent a large part of our lives, and more often than not, the happiness or sadness we feel from them always spill over into our day to day.

I've noticed that some of my greatest challenges come from getting out of my own way.  And I've found that if I can frequently take inventory of my relationships -- all of them -- deep ones and surface ones -- I've noticed that forgiveness is an extremely powerful tool that I often overlook!

Here's what I've come to learn and now know:
When we are willing to forgive others and forgive ourselves, we can start making progress {of any kind -- personal, spiritual, professional} at a faster rate than we ever imagined!  I made it a goal to work on some relationships that needed some working out.  I had faith that as I forgave myself and others, I would feel a weight lifted and added strength.  I was nervous. I wasn't really sure what to expect.  I tried it anyway.

I made a list of people in my life that I blamed for something, resented for some reason or things I regretted.
The list was relatively long, and I knew I needed to spend some time working through each of these.

So often we learn about the Atonement and think, its just so BIG!  How can I really relate it to myself?  How do I make it mine, when it's often so overwhelming and seemingly incomprehensible.  How can the grace of God really relate to me?

I know in small ways we use the Atonement and see its value, but how often do we really make it ours?  I can say that through my "relationship inventory"  I was able to clear up some feelings that were weighing me down -- even though I never perceived them as "weight" or really even "that big of a deal", I have since come to realize that the negative thoughts, feelings and emotions we carry around every single day, quite literally "weigh" us down.  So much so that we become tired, weak and exhausted just doing everyday things, which is a huge deal!

So, I will say it again.  The negative thoughts, feelings and emotions we carry around every single day, quite literally "weigh" us down.

Going through this process of releasing negativity is incredibly powerful!  I was personally able to gain insight and strength from this process of forgiveness.  It is a beautiful gift from our Savior and we have a responsibility to use it.

I have been able to feel peace and freedom -- true freedom that comes from genuinely, and quite literally, letting things go...let it go! let it go! Can't hold it back anymore...

Sorry, I couldn't resist...you get what I mean.

But seriously, what I gained from beginning this process {because I havent finished my list yet} has been soo powerful.  I have had experiences that I never imagined could happen.  I have seen the hand of the Lord in my life in ways that have left me speechless.

I want you all to feel what I am feeling and to understand for yourself what an incredible life each of us can have if we are willing to take a few steps into the darkness and let it go.

Try it!  You won't even believe what will start to happen, so buckle up.

xo
Annie