Gifts, Lisa

I was able to go to Time Out for Women in Richfield, and I wanted to write down my thoughts before they were gone. TOFW is always such a great experience for me. It rejuvenates me, and there is always something that I need to hear and learn from! Learning has definitely been my tender mercy of the weekend.

Most of this weekend, for me, was focused on gifts and motherhood. The theme scripture was in 1 Timothy 4:14-15. It says:

"Neglect not the gift that is in thee meditate upon these things give thyself wholly to them."

The theme quote is from Elder Lawrence C. Corbridge from the Ensign, September 2011. He says:

"For those of us who feel wanting when it comes to talents and gifts, it is encouraging to know that this invitation is not to dazzle others with who we are or what we know. Rather, our light is the Light of the World reflected in us as we simply strive to do as He did. That's it. The Lord tells us to follow Him and not be ashamed or unwilling to stand out. Do not be ashamed to hold up His light. Do not be afraid to shine. Do not worry about the outcome. your light, which is His light, will shine, and whether or not you choose to want it, you will be a city set on a hill. Your light will shine as an inevitable consequence of faithfully choosing t follow the Lord, whatever the cost."

The first talk of the weekend was probably my favorite. She based her talk around finding light at the end of the "Mom Tunnel". She said that as she was planning, she realized that there is no light, because there is no end to the mom tunnel. Instead, she suggested that we take light with us in the tunnel, then it doesn't matter if we make it to the end. The Light we bring, she suggested, is the Light of the World. If we bring the Savior with us on our motherhood journey, we will have light.

Another woman talked about the gifts our children have. She suggested that when our families are whole, it is because we have all the gifts our family needs to make it to eternal life. Each child is different and each has different gifts. Our jobs, as mothers, is to ensure that their talents are shining through. I started to think about Macey and Cooper. They are so different, but their spirits are such an important part of our family. I love that with their gifts, our family is on the way to becoming whole.

It was a great weekend to realize that I am doing okay. I'm not alone in the whole motherhood thing. It's hard for everyone, and that's okay :)