I am supposed to teach a Relief Society lesson this coming Sunday and it is entitled, Love Life and Learning. I have been feeling very unqualified to give this lesson because I struggle with loving life sometimes. Don't get me wrong, I am grateful for my good life and do feel very blessed, but I am not one of those people that can always just "roll with the punches." I tend to fight unpleasantness all the way, and....I don't have more than a high school education so what am I doing? As I have been pondering what I should say some things have come to mind for me. First of all, I don't think that life is meant to be easy, or necessarily fun, but we are to glean from our experiences lessons which give us perspective, wisdom and joy. This is learning. I came across something I wrote a couple of years ago, struggling to make sense of some of the adversity in life and here is a sampling of what I learned that year.
*I cannot get along in this life without my Heavenly Father.
*I can receive comfort and peace whenever I ask in faith and humility.
*His timing is better than mine, and He does not always give me the direction I want when I think I need it. He gives it when I am still enough to hear and accept it.
*His creations bring me joy.
*I am never alone.
*Jesus Christ loves me.
*Faith is not the absence of doubt, it is the choice to trust and obey in spite of doubt.
*I've learned to appreciate "old" mothers, especially my own, who have raised families.
*I know what it feels like to have "joy and rejoicing" in my posterity. This is GOOD!
After I read over my list, I felt more confident in my ability to give this lesson. I think we are all too hard on ourselves sometimes, and not hard enough other times. Does that even make sense? I think we can rationalize things away when we maybe should be doing better, in some things, for me that would be wasting time etc., but then I am way too hard on myself when it comes to human tendancies and weakness when I should just give myself a break and know that I really do try to "give my all" most of the time. I love my children so much. 
They are more precious to me than life itself but sometimes I focus on the things I didn't do or did wrong. I hope that I can learn to just let go of things I can't change. I believe our God is a "God of compensation", and where we lack, He will will make up the difference. That is Grace to me. Enjoy your day. I love you all!
They are more precious to me than life itself but sometimes I focus on the things I didn't do or did wrong. I hope that I can learn to just let go of things I can't change. I believe our God is a "God of compensation", and where we lack, He will will make up the difference. That is Grace to me. Enjoy your day. I love you all! 
Calvin and I both needed a "getaway" and the Oregon coast is one of those places that help me to refocus and gain perspective. It is the most spectacular place and unbelievably beautiful to look at. We saw a one hundred year old light house and visited the tide pools when the tide was low so we could enjoy the starfish, sea anemone and all kinds of wonderful creatures we don't ever get the chance to see. It was wonderful to play and visit and just relax. I feel blessed to have this beautiful world to live in. We enjoyed the Madsen family they have such good kids and a beautiful home. I miss the funny things Andrew and Spencer said all the time. Needless to say, it was a fun and relaxing trip and I'm glad we could go. It always feels good to "come home" after being away, though. Dorothy was right when she said, "there's no place like home...." 
We had a fun Kremin Family Reunion in June with the usual, silliness, laughter, campfires, pranks and everything that accompanies these great get-to-gethers with the Kremins. This bunch really knows how to have fun!
We followed up with a Brimhall reunion in Colorado which was just as fun. It was good to see my Mom and see that she is being cared for. I loved seeing all my family and reconnecting with almost everyone. We would be so lonely without our loved ones. Well, to all of you reading this,here are a few pictures from our summer adventures. Have a great week.
