5 passions for my list of 30 things my kids should know about me.
5. My relationship with God and Jesus Christ. How can I express things that can’t be put into words? I feel their love and care for me. I’m passionate about that feeling. And I’m passionate about the eternal perspective religion offers me. I’m grateful that I can pray and talk to Heavenly Father about my deepest thoughts and feelings and feel heard and completely understood. I’m grateful for Jesus’ Atonement and the knowledge that He’s felt everything I have. I can think of Him and feel better, feel His hand in mine helping me move along during the struggles. I am passionate about the peace I feel about everything in life when I’m actively pursuing my relationships with them.
1.
One of my favorite things of all
time are my journals. I don’t know if
I’d say I have a passion for writing necessarily but I’ve realized that I do
have a passion for writing in a journal to
myself. I really enjoy looking back and
learning from my own life put in my own words.
I feel like it’s my safe place. My
journals contain cherished memories that definitely would have been lost if I
hadn’t written them down. Memories about
middle school and high school friends, memories from mine and Andrew’s dating
years and early marriage years, memories from those first few emotion-filled
months of Audrey’s life and my journey into motherhood. Times of struggle and pain along with times
of such happiness that it took five pages to describe. It’s all priceless and I feel like it’s such
a treasure to have. Andrew has also kept
journals every now and then throughout life and I love reading them now. When posed with the ‘what would you grab in
an emergency’ type of question, whether a flood or a fire or whatever, after
grabbing my kids and my husband I always say I would grab our mission letters
and our journals. They really are my
most prized possessions. And I’m
determined to reawaken this passion when it occasionally starts to fade. Sometimes when I realize I haven’t written in
like three months I get a little panicky about what things I’ve missed, what
memories I’ve now lost because I didn’t record them. Life is only going to get busier, I know, but
this is one of my most important goals for the rest of my life. Reading family history stories have fueled
this desire in me as well. I think most
people want someone to read their story.
I don’t want to miss anything and I don’t want to forget.
2.
Nature. I was blessed to grow up extremely close to
the ocean- an amazing view from our living room window and at least three beaches
within walking distance. I love and
adore the beautiful pink and orange sunsets, the cool air, the fog, the cliffs
overlooking the sea. Then living in Utah
I came to know the beauty of mountains and the big blue sky, groves of trees
and little streams. The peacefulness of
sitting alone among flowers and trees just thinking, writing, or drawing. I have been sorely missing peaceful time
outside in cool air. I realize the
things I’m passionate about more when I’ve been without them. I miss long walks outside. I hope to make my kids into nature lovers
along with me. I hope someday soon when
Hannah’s a little older we will spend long periods of time outside everyday.
 |
| a block from my childhood home |
3.
Home and family/children. I’m not a very opinionated person, but this
is one thing I do feel strongly about. I
think I feel strongly for two reasons- first because I grew up with a loving
family, children around, and a pretty traditional home and have had a very
happy life, so much so that I’m working hard to have us live our life the same
way. And second because I’ve learned so
much in my major (Family Studies) statistically about the effects of families
structures on society and how the last few decades have suffered as family
values have disintegrated. I could go
into all of this another time, but for now I just want to make sure my kids
know that I’m passionate about it. I
believe whole-heartedly in all the cliché sayings about families- the phrase
“the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world” and others like it are very
true. I’m currently obsessed with trying
to make our little apartment a home, sincerely thinking about every decoration,
every habit, every word we say and how it will affect our kids personalities
and memories about their home as they grow up.
I truly, 100%, believe that marriage, parenthood, and happy home life
are the absolute most important and most influential things in the world. So I feel very good about the job I’ve chosen
as a full-time mom.
4.
Good entertainment. Movies, musicals, tv shows, plays, books, music,
artwork. I didn’t even realize that this
is something I’m passionate about until recently. I thought that it seemed kind of frivolous to
be super passionate about, (specifically the ones that have to do with a
screen) if it’s not your career, but recently I’ve just had to admit to myself
that movie and tv watching is a hobby of mine and accept it. Since elementary and middle school when I
first started watching Anne of Green Gables for comfort, I’ve used movies and
shows as companions. I have a specific
taste for inspiring feel-good movies, even sad ones. I also for some reason love movie
musicals…like LOVE THEM. A good
triumphant song can fill me up and make me tear up so fast. I just get so inspired by the movies and
shows I get into. I also have a passion
for theater. There is something so
amazing about seeing a story told on stage and hearing big crescendos in person
and not on a cd. I love historical
fiction in movies, shows, or books. I
love reading because I enjoy imagining each person and place, creating my own
world in my head from what I read. Art
is a passion for me because it is like the ultimate eye candy! It satisfies my eyes, makes me think, and
makes me feel good. Good entertainment
sometimes even strengthens my testimony, even if it’s not about anything gospel
related. There’s so much good stuff out
there.
5. My relationship with God and Jesus Christ. How can I express things that can’t be put into words? I feel their love and care for me. I’m passionate about that feeling. And I’m passionate about the eternal perspective religion offers me. I’m grateful that I can pray and talk to Heavenly Father about my deepest thoughts and feelings and feel heard and completely understood. I’m grateful for Jesus’ Atonement and the knowledge that He’s felt everything I have. I can think of Him and feel better, feel His hand in mine helping me move along during the struggles. I am passionate about the peace I feel about everything in life when I’m actively pursuing my relationships with them.
