The Mirror...The Bread of Life Section

Sunday is the day I share a little of my soul. Enjoy.

My sweet cousin Todd passed away last week. He was a very special spirit who came to earth into a very challenged physical body. He wasn't expected to live past the age of twelve, yet at almost twenty-four, he finally passed-on. I've thought a lot about that valiant, strong, angelic spirit. I was unable to travel to his funeral even though my thoughts and prayers have been with his family. Death is always a time of introspection. I read the words Russel M. Neilson said, "Be we reminded that a perfect body is not required to achieve one’s divine destiny. In fact, some of the sweetest spirits are housed in frail or imperfect bodies. Great spiritual strength is often developed by people with physical challenges, precisely because they are so challenged. "

Selfishly, I thought of how down I had been on myself, as of late, for the weight I had gained, lost, and gained. I know I need to be better at taking car of this body and being a good steward, not because  I want to look like a super-model, but because I love this gift. I love this body. With all of it's curves and imperfections...it is perfect for me. God made it that way. I realized how ungrateful I had been by criticizing myself so harshly. I need to be more gentle with myself.  I don't know about any of you, but as a recovering perfectionist, when I do make mistakes, I'm even more critical of myself. I beat myself up for making a mistake. I dwell on it.  I think I'm pretty blessed with a forgiving heart when it comes to others who offend me. However, when I look in the mirror, that is a person I've struggled to forgive.  Then while driving to work, some powerful words entered my mind..."Sometimes, of all the people in the world, the one who is the hardest to forgive—as well as perhaps the one who is most in need of our forgiveness—is the person looking back at us in the mirror." Dieter F. Uchdorf

So, my challenge to myself this week is to wake up each day full of gratitude for the gift of one more day to be alive...and the blessing of having this body. I'm not going to look in the mirror and yell to the next room, " Hey honey, do we have any industrial-grade Spackle and high-gloss epoxy in the house?" I'm going to say out loud, "Thank you dear Lord, for this beautiful body!" It won't be boasting of my own beauty, but boasting of my God who made this gift for me. It will be a better direction.  I can do that.  Onward and upward my darlings!

There it is.

Always My Very Best,
Your Friend