Serving with Casey!

I would love to introduce this sweet mama, Casey, and her darling family! Casey was sweet enough to take over Serve Together this week and share with us her service idea! I love the pictures of the cute little kids bringing smiles to their neighbor's faces! Happy Serving! 

Casey blogs over at: Casey Land!

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A few weeks ago, I was watching a Periscope by one of my favorites, Ani Taylor. If you don't know who Ani is, you should, because she is a truly wonderful person! Years ago, I stumbled across her blog  and I was truly touched by her story. Ani's little daughter Ruby was diagnosed with a liver disease and sadly wasn't able to get a transplant in time. Ani documented their story, and people all over the country were touched and many people reached out and donated blood or money to their cause. After Ruby's passing, Ani decided she wanted to give back the service she had received, and it's really amazing all the great things she and her family have done! They started an Instagram account called ServeTogether to document the fun little acts of service their family does together, hopefully to inspire others to reach out. 

So a few weeks ago on Ani's scope when she mentioned that she wanted other people to be involved in the Instagram page and serve together with their family and friends, I emailed her right away! I knew that it was something I wanted to be involved in. Since I've moved across the country from everyone I knew, I've started to try to reach outside myself and find ways to create happiness wherever I go. Nothing makes me more happy than being able to serve somebody else, and it's truly an attitude I want to share with my children. Nathan may be just a little baby right now, but if he grows up in a house where service is the norm, I hope he'll always have the attitude of wanting to serve others as he grows up. 

When Ani said she'd be happy to accept my help, I was so excited! I reached out to some cute friends I've met here in my ward, and they were more than happy to help. Service doesn't always have to be something really big, it can be a small act of kindness that brightens someone's day. I know for me I love having flowers outside and inside my house. I feel like flowers bring lots of beauty and cheer to any space, and I love giving and receiving them! I went to the store and picked up a couple bouquets, and then we walked around the neighborhood and passed out flowers to neighbors! It was so fun to see their faces light up when they realized the flowers were for them! I am challenging all of you to get out and serve someone this week. It can something simple like giving someone some pretty flowers, making someone dinner or writing someone a nice note, do it as a family or group of friends! We had so much fun, and the children really enjoyed making others happy. 

This house was funny. A bunch of little boys answered the door and they were like, "we don't want any flowers!!" but in the end they couldn't say no to Emily and Evelyn's cute faces.

Be sure to go follow ServeTogether on Instagram to see some of the other fun projects Ani and her family have done! I'll be posting there a couple times this week!

#passiton

 This week pick any of the service projects we have done, and include a little #passiton card to encourage the service to continue!

My Testimony this Easter Sunday

The Small Seed asked me if I would share my story of faith this Easter, and I was privileged to do so. I would like to share it here, and also invite you to share your testimony whenever, and where ever you are.

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I had never known the depth of my reliance on the Atonement until the night my heart broken into a million pieces.

My 7-month-old daughter, Ruby Jane, had been in the hospital for months, waiting for a liver transplant. We had every hope that she would receive that transplant, and live a long, happy life. The first week of August things started to go downhill very rapidly, but we still did not fear the worst. After being intubated and placed at the top of the transplant list, she started to slip from this world. Ruby’s mighty heart stopped beating one night, and I had never felt so afraid. But through the fear was my faith in Heavenly Father. I pushed my husband through the chaos of doctors and nurses, and asked him to give her a priesthood blessing. He reached through a small opening and laid his hands on her head and blessed her. Her heart eventually began to beat normally, only to crash several hours later. I pleaded with Heavenly Father, like never before, to please save her life. I was holding onto Ruby and fighting with every fiber of my being to keep her here on Earth. Again, her heart started to beat.

The next day I sat in a chair in the corner of her crowded PICU room. I was in a constant state of prayer that day. I remember looking out the window and feeling the hot August sun beating through the window on my face, and then closing my eyes. That is when my life changed forever. I had a very strong and clear thought in my mind, from Heavenly Father, that Ruby’s work on the Earth was finished. My eyes shot open and I pushed that thought into the deepest part of myself, wanting to ignore what Heavenly Father wanted me to understand.  Several hours later, Ruby’s heart stopped beating for the final time.

When I saw the screen with a neon green flat line, I just kept sobbing to Ruby, “I am so sorry, I am so sorry, I am so sorry.” As a mother, I felt like I had failed her in every way. I had always been able to protect my children. Looking at her little body, I could not believe I had let this happen. For days, the suffocating fog of grief and shock overpowered most everything. One night laying in my bed, my tears silently fell in a constant stream down my face. My chest physically ached. It felt like a ton of bricks were placed just over my heart, pushing down harder and harder. I remember thinking that it was so heavy, that I just couldn’t take another breath. I even started to count, telling myself that I would breathe when I got to 3. 1…2….3…the breath wasn’t coming. I had never felt so alone in my life. No one could understand this type of pain.  And then I remembered.

I remembered that I was not alone. There was actually someone who had felt this exact heaviness in my heart. Jesus Christ had felt the pain and grief of MY heart, over losing Ruby, all those years ago in the garden of Gethsemane. This allowed me to take a breath. And then I started to pray. I asked for relief. I asked for comfort. I asked for an escape from the heavy pain, just for a moment. Relief came immediately, right when I had asked, washing over my body. I was able to catch my breath, and then fall asleep.

After that night, my relationship with Christ changed. I now knew how much I needed him. I needed him to survive spiritually and also physically now. I had always had a strong testimony of the Atonement, but I have never used the Atonement in the way I had that night. When I thought there was no one, there He was, carrying me, protecting me, saving me.  And that saving continues.

Easter is different for our family now. It is a very tender reminder that there is life beyond the grave. There is life for our Ruby.  We know that her soul lives on, and that she will be reunited with that tiny perfect body someday. Hope , happiness and joy have prevailed through our trial because we know that “he breaketh the bands of death, that the grave shall have no victory, and that the sting of death should be swallowed up in the hopes of glory” (Alma 22:14).

Our family’s testimony and understanding of the resurrection provide the hope we need to endure. It is because of the Atonement that I am able to withstand this mortal trial I have been given to live without one of my daughters. It is because of the Atonement that I am able to repent and become the best possible daughter of God that I can be. This Easter I cling tightly to the promise that My Savior Jesus Christ’s Atonement overpowers temporal death through the Resurrection.

“I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.” John 14:18–19

Christ Centered Easter Basket with The Small Seed

For the full project this week please visit: The Small Seed for the idea and free downloads!

 

I have loved following The Small Seed, and the inspiration they give to their readers to become more focused on Christ and His gospel. I asked them if they would like to come up with a project for serve together, and of course they delivered! Big time!

 

I love their idea of a Christ Centered Easter Basket. The idea was to give it to a widow, or someone who could use some extra love. The items in the basket all  have a scripture reference on a cute tag that is even free to download from their blog. I was able to do this project with my daughter for someone from my church, and it was really fun to put together. It also helped me to explain Easter to my daughter and keep the focus of the holiday on Christ rather than candy!

Easter Eggs filled with LOVE notes!

Ready for an Easter themed project!? 

This week with the help of 4 darling boys, 2 little girls, and few adults we filled Easter Eggs with notes of love and encouragement!

 We hid them around the park and on car windshields. The kids had a blast watching from afar as people opened up the eggs with huge smiles! As busy moms sometimes these projects feel a little crazy to care out, but the smiles on the kid's faces after serving another is WELL worth the effort! Examples of notes: You are LOVED! Have a good day! Whatever trial you are facing, you are not alone. God loves you! Keep going, you can do it!

 We also used the hashtag #projectservetogether on the back of our notes. This one was really fun! #easter #service #sharegoodness #passiton #fhe

Pass along the Good!

Today we were part of a chain reaction of good! 

We were at a snow cone truck and the man gave me a discount when I ordered 3 snow cones, and that resulted me having a few extra bucks in my hand. A little boy ordered after us but only had about 50 cents. I quickly handed him our extra money after the man explained he was short. The man looked at me surprised, then smiled, and gave him an extra large snow cone. There was a little girl in line with the little boy, and she also didn't have enough, so the little boy said, "It's ok, grab a spoon, we will share!" 

This all happened in about 30 seconds and it was the happiest part of my day. 

The challenge this week is to look for little opportunities to pass along the good given to us, no matter how small! #sharegoodness #passiton #projectservetogether Photo cred: @sylvanauribe

Free High Fives!

This project was my favorite project we have done so far!

 It cost no money, took 2 minutes to prepare, and we had SO MUCH FUN! 

 

We stood on the pathway that goes around a lake, and offered "Free high fives!" 

We gave out about 30, and the best part was the smiles. 

 Once everyone saw the sign they started smiling and not one person passed up our offer. We got to talk to so many people, and it made us all feel really happy.

 You could do this anywhere, front porch, corner of your street, at work, at school or at the park. It just felt good to get out and interact with strangers!