Let's Try This Again

I explained it better to my mom than I did in the post that I deleted (which you can still read in Google Reader, because you can't delete posts there, darn it!), so I'm going to try to explain it in a better way. I hope. Apparently, someone I know (because who else could it be?) got super offended by my post (don't really blame them, it was hastily written), and chose to blast me for it. Anonymously. Which ticked me off more than anything. So, guess what?? No more anonymous comments, dear reader. For the first time in nearly four/five years, I'm turning off anonymous comments. That's right! If you'd like to insult me and everything I believe in and all of my opinions and my hair and the way I raise my children, then you'll have to do it TO MY FACE.

Anyway.

So, here's the simple explanation. Sort of:

I know that the ideal family life the Church teaches us about is not always attainable. I know divorce, illegitimacy (illiteracy, too), infertility, abuse, death, lack of money, education, and opportunity exist. But the Gospel teaches the ideal because it's still what we're supposed to be striving for. It's still truth. It's still Gospel. It still works. That's why it's called the ideal.

Sometimes I am overwhelmed with gratitude at my life. I don't know why I got so lucky/blessed. I don't know why I live in a free country, have the Gospel, found an intelligent, kind, funny, good-lookin' man who actually loves me back and wanted to marry me. I don't know why I was blessed with fertility and five gorgeous, bright kids. I don't know why I was lucky enough to get to stay home with them to raise them. I feel like I've won the lottery. Depression, financial problems, falling-apart-house aside --my life rocks the freakin' world. I'm really, really, really blessed. And I know this!

But I'm tired of feeling like I have to apologize for it.

Marriage, children, and being able to raise the children at home are a part of the ideal. This is why, as I said in my last post, that I felt like I was living the ideal. I still feel that way. I can't apologize for that. I know this "ideal" isn't possible for everyone, and sometimes, not even wanted by everyone! But for me, I'm glad I have it. I'm glad my kids have it. Because I was raised in it, myself (you had summers off, mom!). It's awesome.

It's really easy for me to get distracted by the stuff that really doesn't matter. I'm betting it is for you, too. I think that sometimes I allow myself to get distracted by the voices of things that are trying to hurt me on purpose --as in, they want me to get distracted. That's the whole point. Thus my declaration in my last post. I am done taking orders from them. I don't want to focus on all the naysayers, the mudslingers, and the "intelligent" or "hip" members of society anymore. The strength that I pass onto my children will be founded in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It will be founded in the truth about strong marriages and families.

People will take from this that I'm judgemental and bigoted. But anybody who knows me --actually knows me personally --will know that it's not true. I have a deep love for people. I know life isn't easy. I know it's usually never ideal. But I'm through being nervous about and apologizing for my testimony of these things. I'm not going to pretend, for the sake of someone being offended, that my life isn't awesome. I'm done listening to that kind of garbage. Nobody can convince me that listening to, arguing with, or even discussing alternatives to what the Gospel teaches is the way to go. That's another reason why I shared that video (which I will share again). The world is so quick/loud/distracting. The only way to sift through the wheat/chaff is by heeding the whisperings of the Spirit. Elijah knew about it. As did the people in Bountiful. So do I.

So do you.