By Small and Simple Things . . .

I love the new year. It's so refreshing to set a few goals, clean your home after the holidays, clean out and put away new Christmas toys and cloths. I love it. It makes me feel so in control of life. Last year around this time my parents were leaving on a mission and I felt inspired to do something spiritual in my life. I hadn't been very diligent in reading my scriptures or saying my prayers, but I always feel like life hounds me about all the things I am not doing and therefore this leads to far more sins of omission than things I am actually doing wrong (side note, the previous year I kicked swearing which was a feat for me, but I set it and did it so I figured to give goals another go around and see where it took me). So I decided to tackle a big one, reading my scriptures and saying my prayers. Yup', I was bad at it and in hindsight I wasn't as disciplined in my behavior as some like to profess from the pulpit, but I figured any effort was better than what I was doing, but also in hindsight, I was far better than any of the years before.

I started off the year by praying and asking Heavenly Father to help me "find the time, discipline and a way in my life" to better read the scriptures (side note, don't ask if you don't want an answer because sure enough I found it and here is the rest of the story). That next morning I woke up about 4 am, this is strange as I am normally a good sleeper. I tossed and turned, turned and tossed. It was too late in the night to take Advil pm (yes I take drugs when I can't sleep), too early to get up and do anything so I was just stuck in bed. Until I had the thought that I "could" grab my iphone and read my scriptures. I always have my phone on me. I don't have a problem, I just always have it on me when I am around the house or out of the house because of work. Anyway, I picked up my phone and started reading somewhere in Moroni because heaven knows I have started in Nephi chapter one verse one a million times and that hadn't gotten me anywhere so I decided to mix it up a bit. I started Moroni and read until I got tired. I said my prayers in the morning and felt like I was out to accomplish something this year instead of nothing.

The next morning at 4 am the same thing and I grabbed my phone. The morning after that again 4 am wake up call to read. After I read I was always able to go back to sleep and woke up fine in the morning. This happened for a month and whenever I was in a doctor's office, in the car waiting for something or someone I would pick up my phone and read. I find it funny now that the only time my Heavenly Father could help me find a time to read was in the middle of the night, when none of my four children/husband/work/phone/or all of my other "distractions" ie, waist of things I do with my time during the day could pull me away from something that is important enough to wake up in the middle of the night to do. Perhaps funny is the wrong word, actually it is the wrong word, but the right word is escaping me right now. I'm happy to say I made it through the whole Book of Moron. If fact as the past few weeks have gone by I have thought what New Year's resolution I should undertake.  . . and then it happened.  .  . this morning I woke up at 4 am.