Heaven.....

Last night Toby and I were watching a wilderness survival show; where there was a group of people trying to make it to their journey's end...not knowing where the next shelter is; or how long they have until the finish line is among them. They had several checkpoints to make it to; and were allowed to rest in between the long hikes. Sometimes they had plenty and sometimes they had want. They relied on themselves, each other; and their faith with maps and instructions to get to certain checkpoints. There were people that quit before the end. At the end of the show; the remaining people that hung in there were greeted by their families and loved ones...lots of tears; laughter and happiness!!! I was a little taken back by how emotional I became. I started crying and felt so happy that they had made it back to their families even through the hardships that they had faced; never losing hope or faith that they would finish and be reunited with their loved ones. It reminded me that we are all on our own personal journey here on earth; and we all face different ups and downs of life; we have certain checkpoints we need to make along our way to make it back to our Heavenly Father. We have our faith; our family; and our loved ones and a loving Heavenly Father helping us a long our journey. We may be weary at times in our lives and may need to rest; but we must never quit!!! We must keep moving forward to our eternal goal!! We will lose people we love when it is their time to go home....but in the end...we will all be reunited...and what a joyous, awesome day that will be with tears of happiness, reunion and love for one another that we are together again-that we didn't give up or lose hope or our faith! When my grandpa Higley passed away, I remembered a time during one of our family Christmas get-togethers when he stood and said that the thing that matters most to him is being with his family in the here after. He didn't want anybody missing from our family circle. Enjoying life's journey; even during the storms of life...is something I am getting at least a little better at. Learning to dance in the rain; rely on faith; and have complete trust in Heavenly Father's plan. It isn't always easy...but I find when I do; the moments in my journey; even the tough ones; have deeper meaning; the highs are higher and the lows are more easily worked through and I am always able to find joy through the gospel; in times of challenge. I am so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father, who has given us tools to help us along our journey here on earth. We are never; ever left alone...he is always there...helping us along...even carrying us along at times; but I have always felt that we are expected to keep moving forward; learning from and cherishing the past; while keeping our focus and eyes ahead to our destination. I am grateful for an eternal perspective. I've been talking to my kids a lot lately about counting their blessings; life isn't always fair; and having positive attitudes and choosing to be happy even when it's not easy...focus on the positive and your blessings...try your best and let go of the rest...have faith and trust in your Heavenly Father and make him a part of your life..he cares and loves you so much! The little things in your life even matter to him; because you are his child. He desires for your happiness and well being. When life seems tough and unfair; it's not because he doesn't care...it's because he loves you and wants you to learn and grow. There are commandments and rules to follow for your happiness. If we think about why we are here on earth to gain experience; a body and strive and work towards being with our Father in Heaven again and those we love that have passed on...it makes life's challenges and every day decisions easier. I am trying to teach them that we don't have control over some things that happen in our lives; but we always have the free agency to choose how to react to them...and Heavenly Father is always there to help us along our way. Our faith will be tested; we may become weary; we will always have faith and hope to see us through. We may not always know why or how. We must keep our focas on what really matters and forget about the distractions in life that really don't matter. One of our favorite songs that we love to listen together as a family is the song at the end of the Disney movie "Meet the Robinson's". "Keep on Moving Forward!!!!!" We can do all things through Christ. I think we can learn so much through challenges if we have the attitude of "What can I take from this and learn from it?" It helps our spirits be in the right mode of growing our testimonies. I know when I have this attitude; my testimony grows even faster; and I seem to forget that it's been a challenge..before I know it; I find that my challenge has become a blessing!!!! And it may not be what I wanted..often times it's not..most of the time it's what I need. And needing something isn't always fun or easy to go through..but in the end I know I am happier. I am grateful to my Heavenly Father for his love and support..for the times when he has carried me. I am grateful for my three beautiful kids and the lessons they teach me every day...they are really the teachers in my life!! :) I pray I am teaching them the things they need in this life and the life after.