It's Been A Busy Day....

But my mind keeps wandering back over the years of training our children.

We started out basically two kids ourselves, Doc and I, having children in our early twenties.

What the heck did we know about raising kids? What we 'thought' we knew could have filled volumes. What we 'actually' knew would have filled a thimble. What we've learned and are still learning is vastly more than we ever thought possible.

Like most parents will say, we did the best we could. I think most of us look back on each day, weighing our words, actions, reactions- and we either feel really good (if we were really nice) or we feel the heavy weight of guilt because we allowed ourselves to let irritations, impatience, selfishness....whatever, get the best of us.

Our intentions were/are good, but our actions were/are not always the very best.

In this life, we get one shot. I know how terribly I've messed up at various times when all I've ever really wanted, most of all, was to be a loving, patient, supportive, godly wife and mother.

And I know it's only by the mercy, grace, forgiveness and love of a heavenly Father that I'm blessed beyond measure to be given second (and third and a million more) chances and am in the place where I am today. I have the love of my family, the joy of being at home with them or times of visiting with our older sons and their wives, and now, our precious grandson, and the chance to continue making memories- hopefully good memories- with each of them.

Yes, it has been an incredibly busy day. But it's been a day of working beside my three sons who are still at home. It's been a day of reflecting, and being so thankful that we raised them to know how to work, to help out, to be independent and yet able to see the needs of others.

It's been an evening of welcoming my hardworking husband home, having a healthy meal ready for him, sitting at our dinner table and listening to my sons' father read to them from the Psalms and then talking about the importance of following His statutes and principles in order to reap a life of peace and joy.

It's been a time of blessing after blessing. And as this day closes, I'm going to head back to each of them: Doc, Mike, Dan, and Ben- and wrap my arms around them and tell them how much I love and appreciate them for the blessings they are to me.

I pray that you're feeling the same measure of love, peace and joy in your own lives.

Our Greatest Blessings

Our greatest blessings aren't possessions. They aren't where we go and what we do.

They are who we're designed and destined to be with from day one: Family.

Friends come and go, addresses change, finances swing up and down- so many things are temporary.

But family is forever, and this blog is dedicated to mine.

Each person in this Holladay clan is so precious to me, so unique in our Father's creation, so worthy and needful of my grace, mercy, understanding, compassion, kindness, forgiveness, patience, encouragement, and most of all- love, which binds all of these attributes together.

The older I get the more I appreciate, pray for, want time with, and am thankful beyond belief for each one: my best friend and husband of almost 30 years-Doc, my firstborn-Kevin, his amazing wife of nearly 8 years-Deanna, their sweet new baby and my grandson-Kade, my treasure-Timothy, his darling wife of 5 years-Mallory, my heart-Jonathan, his beautiful wife-Chelsey, my genius and hero-Michael, my kindred spirit-Daniel, and my baby-Benjamin, who at nearly 13 isn't a baby anymore.

Each one is a gift from God, and each moment spent with them an even greater gift. I've learned with them to love no matter what- beauty and warts, good and bad- just like God loves us. And if we truly learn that, then we've learned the greatest lesson of all.