His Gentle Commands

As I ran around this morning getting my children ready for school, my mind was able to focus on other things...on them. I was able to get rid of some of those thoughts that have been causing me stress and I found that my body was beginning to relax. It wasn't that this morning was restful. I start my morning at 6:30am by getting TJ up. He showers while I begin to make lunches. Once he is done I wake another child and get him into the shower while I continue to make lunches, clean the kitchen and get caught up on communication to the school. This morning I found Alex's math homework in his backpack blank. So, I got him up earlier than usual, as he is the last one I wake up, and sat him at the kitchen table while I made lunches so that I could help him with his homework.

When Todd was leaving for work this morning I had been up for almost an hour. My brain just wouldn't shut off after putting Alyssa back down after feeding her yet again. He came to hug & kiss me and asked how I was doing. On the verge of tears I mentioned that I think I might need a blessing. He hugged me and let me explain why. He would give me a blessing regardless, but I share everything with him, so we talked. Then he went off to work.

I kept a prayer in my heart all morning asking Heavenly Father to help me to know how to reduce this stressful feeling is am having.

I have begun practicing the piano again. It has been years, but I am trying to get my mind and my fingers back into the habit. So, I sat at the piano when the kids went out front to wait for the bus. I played a few hymns over and over again. I can't sing with them or I totally screw up playing! I can't play very well when other sings either. That will come again. I needed to get up and give Lady Bug more cantaloupe and as I was taking care of her the words of the hymn I had been playing came to my mind.

"Why should this anxious load
Press down your weary mind?
Haste to your Heavenly Father's throne
And sweet refreshment find."

What a wonderful reminder. I just need to leave this burden at the feet of the Lord and do my best to continue on and He will help me through. He will carry me.
I am so grateful for the beautiful hymns and the blessing that they can be in my life and others lives if we so choose to utilize them. The hymn continues:

"His goodness stands approved,
Unchanged from day to day;
I'll drop my burden at his feet
And bear a song away."

So, I will continue this day with a prayer in my heart and a song on my lips as I continue forward. What a wonderful blessing it is to have the gospel of Jesus Christ to guide and direct me in my life. I am so extraordinarily grateful to have a loving Savior who died for me and knows exactly what I am going through; no matter how small or how large it may be.

(How Gentle God's Commands, Hymn #125)