I have a dream!

Life is so full, but today I thought I would ponder my future. What is it that I would most like 'become'on my journey? What am I creating to help my family prosper? Although the answers of these questions and many like them are far reaching, I believe that like most things in life if I search the scriptures and pray and ponder that the answers will become clearer to me.

So, to begin...In looking at prosperity I am not alone in my pondering of such things. Across contless generations have these things been written...1 Nephi 2:20, Jarom 1:9, Mosiah 1:7, Alma 37:13;49;30;50;20 

"If ye keep commandments, ye shall prosper"

It can't be much clearer than that! I guess, then in the living of Lehi's dream(1 Nephi Chapter 8) to walk unwavering the strait and narrow path we become more ready to receive the 'fruits'of HIS blessing.
I like everyone that I know often over look these blessings each day. It is only when I STOP and pray with a grateful heart for these blessings that  I even mentally acknowledge these otherwise insurmountable feats. I am reminded of revelation given by Elder David A. Bednar ...

"The tender mercies of the Lord are real. They do not occur randomly or by coincidence."

 Now, that I have established that I have come to discover that I must strive to live the commandments to the best of my ability - nothing like setting a MEGA sized goal straight up on my journey to prosperity :) The one thing that stands out for me about Jesus was that he 'created' so much in his own likeness. He created a beautiful world with stars,trees, plants and wildlife -for me, the world created was purposeful and not without perfection like himself. I believe that in order for me and my family to prosper I need to also 'create'. Unlike Lehi in his very specific dream, I have a dream that I can create things to remind people about the 'Light of God' and in the Importance of staying Clean (Spiritually speaking ). I am about to embark on the journey of creating and marketing my own "candles and soaps'' to prosper as promised in scripture.
Have I ever made soap or candles? NO! Have I all the equipment to do it? NO! Do I know about marketing and sales trends of home industries? NO! ........I think that just like when Jesus created the world - it took TIME, when Nephi and Noah built there ships having never crafted one before I believe it was there FAITH that enabled their craft to develop, when Joseph Smith and the early saints endured such hardships not only was there faith developed but their resolve to stand for TRUTH. I too hope to grow in my KNOWLEDGE that "  he is like a ^crefiner’s ^dfire, and like fuller’s soap; " I want to be able to look back to today and remember a point in time where i set my worthy goal out, pondering it , praying for his guidance in it all that I may in the process be 'refined' and come to know HIM as I come to learn of soap and candles.

First Mobile/Cell Phone Post

Today I am weary from asthma and a rather exhausting week!
I am grateful that on this beautiful Sabbath day I have my family around me and good friends looking out for us.
As I type today I am mindful of the busy fortnight ahead of us. Master One has been selected to be part of a leadership camp for school. As this will be his first ever school camp he is very excited and so are we for him. Just this week he managed to achieve his level 6 for his bronze medallion . A true outdoors lad who loves to tackle projects I would never dare! For his art assignment this week he has created a sculpture to reflect "a day in his life" - he has hand made an enormous sculpture of a hand with clay ! This is my same cherub who broke that hand in 5 places a year ago- yep a day I bet he will never forget !!! :)

My Master two however, has been mega busy creating a website about his nan and life in the 40's . He has needed to overcome lots of challenges independently to achieve this task - because I for one have never built web stuff like it!


Mr lovely gave our miniature horse a bath last night, I think it was the funniest thing I have ever seen. I think hubby ended up more covered in bubbles and water :) True Love!
Well this entering a blog from my phone has not been really hard at all! Yay for me - still living, still loving and best of all - still learning!

Out with the Old and In with Contentment

Having spent much of the past month and a half relocating , I have found myself confronted with so much excess that has accumulated since baby Thomas passed away. I now realize that my hoarding/collecting has inhibited my growth and ability to move on in a healthy way. However, maybe it was that i was not ready to 'part' with another thing - so perhaps it was the healthiest way to do things : FOR ME!!!


I guess that untimely cultural expectations of 'get over it', ' move on' all come into how well we mum's of small infants who have died cope. Most of that type of banter we have little to no control of at the time , well meaning people just unfortunately open their mouths instead of their ears and hearts. I guess I have learned so much from the experiences of life, it has not all been easy , but at the same time it has not all been bad either. I have begun to not hold onto reminders of our sweet little boy and the things we had hoped for him, his bath tub, his bike seat, his bath ring and the endless list...instead i am trying to cling to the belief that one day in the heavens I will be re-united with my 'too fragile to hug' little one's and will greet them with open arms.


So with Thanksgiving on the horizon in just 4 weeks time, I am planning to begin a 'new' family tradition of celebrating and giving thanks for family and friends with a special dinner. Part of my preparation is to get rid of that which has been accumulated over time and make room for new things and people in my life.

Who is Thomas S. Monson?

http://www.thomassmonson.org/

This is a great link to a wealth of information…enjoy!

My Conversion Story & Testimony

As you will discover by my blog i am not some 'articulatedly (if that's a word)gifted member' such as yourself. But still learning and pressing forward in faith.

I suppose this is a good challenge to me to reflect back on not only the past few years when i came into contact with Church members for the first time but to look further back knowing that Heavenly parents sent me here with a divine mission in mind. I was born into a Christian home with rich traditions and values, I am one of 5 children to a family. Family was essential to me right back then as was the rich knowledge that God's love was 'unconditional'. As i grew, i discovered very painfully that love like that was often not my experience in day to day life. But with every hurt, abuse and violation experienced i continued to know that Heavenly Father's love was -unconditional.

It my early 20's I entered formal religious life with a congregation based on being like Mary and serving God with a wholehearted "Yes".The congregation I was most closely drawn to was one that was imaged on the "Family Tree", in that it had Priests,Sisters,Brothers,Missionaries and the Laity all working, living,serving and growing in the charism of Mary (Jesus Mother). However, despite my deep love for the sisters and this congregation I knew deep down that I could serve the Lord better without taking vows. So press forward i did, leaving behind a depth of gratitude, love and respect for my 'religious life' companions thus far.

It seemed like seconds after that transition that my darling dad began a fight with Leaukemia! I was totally gutted. My dad had been a sheep farmer for most of his life and a wonderful example to me of the 'good shepherd' ... a friend, a guide and a spiritual example to me throughout my life. I then met my now husband who I married feeling a sense of stability and love that I had long thought impossible from anyone other than God himself! We began our family with two beautiful sons. I don't think i had fully appreciated what a 'miracle' was until giving birth.God's hand was definitely involved in bringing these babes into my arms - how else can you fit something the size of a watermelon through a key ring!!!!!! My beautiful dad died three weeks before my second son was born. A bitter sweet moment for me...but i knew then like now that my dad would be with me still - just from Heaven! We then had a miscarriage whom we call (Joy) followed by a beautiful little boy whom we named (Thomas) who was stillborn whilst he saved my life...i could not save his. Grief and loss seemed to surround me...questions about the eternities were not forth coming from my Church I had always known and grew up with.......yet i had a reassurance like never before that my babes and my dad were indeed in Heaven and that Mother Mary would help dad with those babes until it was my time to join them!

I began to quilt...trying to make something beautiful from scattered pieces of fabric seemed like therapy that reflected my struggle of life and my new found desire to "Know my purpose for being here". In a Church that could not acknowledge my sweet Thomas(because he was 6 hours too young in womb, to be given a full birth certificate!) I was sent home to bury him myself on Mother's Day with my husband. A Church who believed a life is a life from the moment of conception, I was now faced with a search for 'truth' like never before...which Church is true???whilst trying to continue raising two boys and loving two babes in heaven and a husband as Christian. We visited and were fellowshiped by other Churches during this time of 'ecommunical' searching. I then had phnemonia and passed it on to my husband and nearly killed him with it....

It was time to prioritize our health like never before...we began a home delivery run of 'organic' fruit vegetables and groceries......and strangely enough i started to feel like i was coming alive again. One of our customers was Sister and Brother Stevenson and their family of 10 (mostly male) clan. Sister Stevenson and her ideas of provident living matched mine, she too knew that my 'angel' children were in HIS fold in heaven ...we became great friends. Brother Stevenson was a fishermen with stories of faith through trials that would capture all of my families attention and appreciation for 'truth'. One day, that I am moved to tears at fondly remembering...Sister and Brother Stevenson sat me down (as they often had at the end of a busy delivery run), however, this time was different! This time they acknowledged that I had come from a Church background and that they respected me in my search for truth. They told me how much they would like me to read a book and ask the Spirit to testify if it was true...but above all not let the book come between our friendship. (i think i failed 'em on that last one- cos i think it kind of built a bridge between us but i guess that wasn't what they feared). I folded the book in my arms and assured them i would read it. Why wouldn't I ...this family had some of the most amazing teens I had ever met - i wanted my boys to be like that!

Well please don't ask me what my family ate that week... I just thank heavens that I did come home with not only the Book of Morman but also with several boxes of organic produce that kept the family all nourished as I chewed my way through the book...I read it cover to cover...not stopping ...night and day...with the exception throughout - i paused to ask what Brother Stevenson had said "ask the Spirit to testify of the 'truth'"...................Walla! I was balling, reading, balling,reading (in australia balling is when we cry enough to break the even the worst drought) ....it was true...it matched everything i knew from life's experience to that point...even the unexplainable events......Thomas and Joy did have a heavenly purpose....to get me to search for "truth". We had wonderful missionaries, who had times taught us much more than the Plan of Salvation! David my husband was baptized two years ago on Joy's birthday(this past week) and in turn baptized the boys on their birthdays and me on Thomas' birthday.

It didn't happen over night...we took 18 months to begin to learn from a 6 week cycle of missionary talks...but I wasn't going anywhere - I KNEW like i have a nose on the end of my face that this book is true and that unlike Pinocchio...my heavenly babes "were REAL" children and they like the Stevenson Family and so many others were great missionaries that helped get us this far...as did our "FAITH". I will be 'eternally' grateful for the courage and Faith it took for the Stevenson's to share this little book with such a HUGE impact on our family!

In December of last year we went on our first ever international trip...to UTAH........we were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple after taking our endowments. It was the most beautiful day with my family all sealed and aknowledged as a "Family Forever". Our life leading up to and even after the temple has not been smooth sailing.Indeed there have been times when if it were not for 'taking the Saviours hand' I like Peter would surely have drowned. However, faith moves me forward through those trials when I place trust in HIM and 'not look back' i feel HIS reassuring Love and Companionship again.

To catch a glimpse twice of our beloved prophet along with Elder Ukdorf and Elder Eyring was like seeing the snow and how beautiful things are clean...beautiful people are of God!

I testify that we do have a living prophet and of the prophets since Joseph Smith that have so truthfully restored the Gospel. I believe that when we too share this Gospel in our lives and how we live in Faith knowing and learning of "truth" that My Redeemer Lives! I testify that the blessings of the atonement are real and that when we take the Saviour's hand we can have the Holy Spirit's peace and our Heavenly Father's love with us daily. My name is Tanya Boylan and I am a Latter-Day Saint who writes this testimony and story of my conversion in the name of Jesus Christ.

Countin' Sleeps!

Where has the year gone???We are now counting the sleeps until we fly to Salt Lake City to celebrate "Family Forever" :) and Christmas in the snow. It is hard now to contain my excitement let alone the children's.

This having been our first year at homeschooling has been full of benefits for our children, despite the occassional hurdles with health, growth spurts , massive work load etc etc to cope with. I feel that the boys in years to come will be able to feel the appreciation of having been taught through distance education.

This will be my first Christmas away from home........and the first non summer Christmas Dinner. So many traditions ...hard to forego. I have always had my tree up and my house adorned in decorations and lights. It seems almost unlike our home right now. I like tradition and am struggling to let go....but I also realise that what we hold onto can hold us 'back'! Maybe we will still get to make some ginger bread men so the house at least smells of Christmas.

After a rather sudden and alarming brush with my mortality again I can only say I feel very blessed to be here. I  know that life is full of trials but with faith comes the sure sign that we are never alone. I really do not know how people go getting through day to day life without faith in God.

I don't know if anyone ever reads my little blog ...and that  it makes a difference to anyone .......but it does make a difference to me :)

Love, Peace n Joy of Christmas 2010
xoxo

The Power of Words: 50 words that lift, motivate, and inspire from a LDS...

I LOVE THESE WORDS....I MIGHT TRY TO MAKE THEM INTO A QUILT, WHILE I PLAY TUG A WAR WITH A COUPLE 'IN LIFE' :)

We attended our first ever Ball 'TOGETHER' in 2010!

Changi Prison

This sketch was created whilst in Changi prison.It is of my nanna's brother Patrick Quirk. Puddling around doing family history brings to life not only the names of ancestors but the stories of their lives. I can recall how nanna told of the story of when as a small child she hid behind a chair hiding from the man in a uniform who made her mother cry...it was Pat on the day he had enlisted coming to tell his mum he was off to the war.

A Credo -For my relationships with others

You and I are in a relationship which I value and want to keep. Yet each of
us is a seperate person with unique needs and the right to meet those
needs.
When you are having problems meeting your needs I will listen with genuine
acceptance so as to facilitate your finding your own solutions instead of
depending on mine. I also will respect your right to choose your own beliefs and
develop your own values, different though they may be from mine.
However, when your behaviour interferes with what I must do to get my own
needs met, I will tell you openly and honestly how your behaviour affects me,
trusting that you respect my needs and feelings enough to try to change the
bahaviour that is unacceptable to me. Also,whenever some behaviour of mine is
unacceptable to you, I hope you will tell me openly and honestly so I can change
my behaviour.
At those times when one of us cannot change to meet the other's needs,let us
acknowledge that we have a conflict and commit ourselves to resolve each such
conflict without either of us resorting to the use of power to win at the
expense of the other's losing.I respect your needs,but I also must respect my
own. So let us always strive to search for a solution that will be acceptable to
both of us. Your needs will be met, and so will mine - neither will lose, both
will win.
In this way, you can continue to develop as a person through satisfying your
needs, and so can I. Thus, ours can be a healthy relationship in which both of
us can strive to become what we are capable of being. And we can continue to
relate to each other with mutual respect, love and peace.

by Thomas Gordon,PH.D.
Founder & Effectiveness Training,Inc.

Family is..... a work of HEART!!!

Somedays my life is like a base thread in a good stitchery, it weaves and winds it's way amidst family life...I think that gradually I have come to realize the true purpose in my life....

FAMILY CAN BE......

FOREVER!