Just a little hug

My son is not a snuggler. Sad, I know.

Gone are his newborn days when he would fall asleep on my chest, head nestled under my neck. Now any time I try to hold him close for too long he pushes back and turns around so he can see everything around him.

I miss those precious moments I had to hold him close, soak in his newborn smell and nurture our mother-son bond.

 But, I'm also glad that my son isn't needy. I'm glad he knows we are here to take care of him, but he doesn't need us to hold him 24/7. I'm glad he has a sense of adventure and wonder. He wants to learn about the world around him and be independent.

I hope my son knows that no matter what his dad and I are always here to help him. But we'll also let him out of our arms to explore, fall, bump, cry, etc., so he can learn and grow to reach his potential.

Despite his non-snuggling nature, my son has recently started to give me hugs. Occasionally when I pick him up he rests his head on my shoulder as if to say, "Thanks mom. I love you." I squeeze him back and say, "Thanks buddy. I love you too."

They are small moments, but I cherish them all the same.

As I thought about this new sign of affection, I thought about our Father in Heaven.

I know there are times when I feel that I'm alone, like I'm out of my Father's arms trying to make it through life. But just like I'm helping my son by letting him be independent so he can reach his potential, God is helping me learn and grow by letting me make choices, make mistakes and become better.

Sometimes it hurts when we have to learn things on our own. But those lessons are the ones we remember most. God is always keeping a watchful eye over us, so He can help us when we turn to Him. When we're feeling lost and weary, afraid and hopeless, He gives us a little hug to remind us He is there.

His hugs come from the service of a neighbor, the smile of a stranger, the beauty of a sunset, the majesty of the mountains. Whatever touches your hear and reminds you of Him. That's His little hug for you. That's the moment He's inviting you to cherish and remember Him.

"My child, I love you."

He'll let you keep learning. He'll let you keep working through your challenges, but He'll always be there for you with a little hug along the way.

Photo credit: lds.org

Believe you are wonderful

Have you ever experienced the following situation?

Someone pays you a compliment such as, "You look great today", "You are a valuable asset to our company", "You are a great mom" or "You are such a kind person."

Out of your mouth comes a gracious reply such as "Thank you", "Oh, you're so nice" or "Haha thanks."

But in your mind you're thinking..."Haha, yeah right. If they only knew what I know about myself" or "Could they really be talking about me?"

I've had a few of these moments this week. When someone has paid me a compliment, I initially believe them and am sincerely grateful, but then the doubts enter in.

"What, me wise?" "You think I'm pretty? I haven't showered in two days and my hair is greasy."

Tonight I had an experience that sparked the idea for this post. My grandma passed on a compliment from a friend of hers who I met just a few days ago.

Her friend said, referring to me, "Before she opened her mouth to say a word, I knew she was a wonderful person."

I felt grateful she would say that about me, but I didn't really believe it. Let me tell ya, I sure don't feel wonderful right now. I'm tired, stressed, overwhelmed, messy hair, messy house...yeah, not feeling super positive.

As I started to have these negative thoughts, I had an important realization. These thoughts were not coming from God. They were coming from someone who wants me to be miserable, someone who wants me to feel worthless so I'll doubt myself and turn away from God.

Satan wants me to think I'm worthless because he knows how much worth I have. He wants me to stop trying because he knows how much I can accomplish. He wants me to reject God because he doesn't want me on God's team. So I decided I'm going to do better at believing in myself and believing the positive things people say about me.

Sure, we are our own harshest critics, but we can also be our own biggest cheerleaders. So cheer away! Tell yourself you are wonderful. Believe the compliments when they come. Kick out the negative thoughts and doubts. When someone pays you a compliment, it is God's way of telling you He loves you and reminding you He's there. Sometimes we don't hear His quiet whisperings in our heart, so He uses the voice of another to send His love:

"I made you. I believe in you. I love you."

Believe you are wonderful. Believe you are capable. Believe you are incredible. Believe you are [insert every positive adjective here]. :)

Marianne Williamson beautifully states:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” 

Belief has power. So believe you are wonderful, and help others do the same. :)

Baby meets dog

Our son had his first encounter with my husband's family dog two weeks ago. Until now, Roxie has been outside whenever we were over because our son was so young. Here's a picture from the encounter.

We also took a video, but I can't get it to upload after multiple tries. Our son was pretty excited and liked touching Roxie's fur. He pulled it at one point. Oops! 

Roxie liked his binki and knocked it out once and almost twice. :) At one point it sounded like our son was talking to Roxie. It will be fun to see him interact with her and other animals more as he grows up.