IN AWE OF THEE.....

    I have been contemplating a topic for a while about being  in "AWE" of my children and husband.  I know... you might be saying... WHAT? YOUR CHILDREN AND HUSBAND???  So I started with looking up the definition of AWE and here is what I found...
 an overwhelming feeling of reverence, admiration, fear, etc., produced by that which is grand, sublime, extremely powerful, or the like: in awe of God; in awe of great political figures. 
    Now looking at that definition makes me laugh due to the ending. They have two different beings as examples of AWE-NESS. How on earth do you put a politician and God in the same awe power?? Interesting to me, but its true... people link AWE to all sorts of things, except... in my opinion, what or WHO it should be applied to.  For the record, I AM JUST AS GUILTY!  YEP I AM!  But that is why I am writing today...because I want to really put it in perspective for myself, so that I might make important changes.

   Lets start back 18 years ago, I was married for almost 4 years and Todd and I were going through some difficult times. Our relationship was not where I thought it should be, so we decided to invest in it by buying some marriage videos. *BEST THING WE EVER DID*

    There were 40 something videos or maybe 50, I can't remember... I think we only could afford up to 34 or so.... anyhow.. .the ones we got were amazing. By GARY SMALLEY! *I still have them* In one of these, he taught about HONORING and GIVING RESPECT,  AWE even, to our spouse.  I remember back when Todd and I were not as happy with one another, that was a challenge for us. But we did it and it helped our marriage so much.

   Then when our family grew and we had our hands full... five very small children. We found ourselves struggling being "GOOD" parents and we went to a parenting class through our church.

   Carleen Tanner, an amazing teacher,  has 10 children of her own.  All her children have grown up to be amazing people. They are confident, successful, loving and great leaders in their community and in our church.  Her lessons taught pretty much the same concepts as Gary Smalley's tapes taught us, except she taught to be in AWE of our children. 

I will be honest, I tried doing that for a while, but life happens, old habits come back and you get back into your old ways. *not that I never felt like my children weren't amazing, I just didn't always show it as well*

Then Conference comes... and a speaker talks about our families and how we need to view them. How we need to be IN AWE of them.

SOMEONE PLEASE HIT ME NOW!~ I am not sure about you, but sometimes it takes a lot to get through this thick skull of mine to catch on... or to GET IT. Which leads me back to where I am now... contemplating how I will change my life's habits and show the ones I love how AWE-SOME they are... and be in AWE of them.
    

Its so simple to apply AWE to major leaders/ actors/actresses/ political figures/successful business people/ even the rich and the list goes on....  Giving  AWE  TO ANYONE, OTHER THAN OURSELVES EVEN!

   Why can we not see ourselves in AWE-NESS? We are all children of our Heavenly Father. All given the same abilities to become more and great. We are all created in his own image. We are daughters and sons of a King... and we think the world of PRINCESS DIANE AND HER KIDS... so why can't we see ourselves and our own potential??? Or our loved ones as easily? A question I must too ponder and correct :)

The person I feel immediate AWE towards is Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father. Then the Prophet, his counselors and the apostles, the seventy, all the way down to the Bishop and the leaders in our own ward. But I need to feel and show AWE towards my husband and children.


Let me share some things with you about someone... there is this person I know... this person was born with a cleft lip as a baby. Had numerous procedures done to fix the lip, painful for the infant, scary for any parent to endure. The lip was fixed, not just merely fixed but beautifully done, to where others hardly notice that it was ever an issue. This person grew up and got into two horrible car accidents. At the age of 15, another car hit the side where this person sat, going about 60 miles per hour, this persons head went thru the dashboard, broke the windshield and then he was thrown out of the car,  he walked away with a concussion and cuts all over, but survived... Another time this person fell asleep while driving and hit a power pole, breaking the steering wheel with his chest and  he once again walked away with a broken hand and some bruises.... putting that power pole right through the middle of the car into the passenger seat and broke the power pole in half. ( I think we can agree this person must be pretty special to have survived those two accidents without more injuries or death... to me that is an  AWE  moment) While growing up, this person went to church by himself. No one else in the family were active. (that takes courage and integrity to do that) This person went and serve his country. On a sonar submarine, he experienced many scary moments and brave moments, moments I can't share because he took an oath to keep the works they did quiet. But I can tell you, I appreciate what he did for all of us today! This person has had many opportunities to lie and to go higher in his work, with more pay and privileges but due to his integrity chose to be honest and to stand for what he believed was true and right! ( I am still in awe over some of those decisions because so many others would of jumped for those opportunities at whatever the cost) He has served so willingly and loving in many callings with in our church and on his own in the community. He has offered things he had to those less fortunate. He is always putting others first and their needs. He is one of the hardest working people I know... Oh the things I could share with you about this amazing person. Who I am sure by now you have all guessed was the man I married, Todd. 

    
When you list the things that make a person amazing... from their talents to the things they do... it is easier to put the AWE  before them.

      I could share with you about each of my children. The things they have over come, the challenges they have been thru, the many accomplishments and talents they have but this would  beomce a very long  post! :)  So I will sit and ponder them to myself and hope that maybe you will do the same about your family.

     My lasts thoughts on this topic,  is being in AWE of Jesus Christ my Savior.  The many great things he did while alive. The many great lessons he has taught us and left in our scriptures to ponder, learn from and to live. His sufferings and Atonement that makes it possible for all of us to be with him again. To always be able to find hope, even in our darkest hours.  I am in AWE  of him. I am striving to be able to be in HIS  presence once again... so that I might be able to wipe his feet with my tears of gratitude and love. To be in his loving arms once again and feel his pureness and GREAT AWE-NESS. 

     I am really going to evaluate the people I am in AWE over... and try to show my children and husband as they walk through our front door... WOW... YOUR HOME! HOW BLESSED I AM TO KNOW YOU, TO BE IN YOUR PRESENCE! I AM IN AWE OF YOU, YOUR TALENTS, BEAUTY AND LOVE!  and be ever so thankful for them in my life!!!