-Simplicity-

This is our extended family's cabin. It's small has one bedroom, one living and kitchen combined, and one bathroom. It's simple, but absolutely wonderful! Life has no schedule on the mountain and your just able to slow way down and enjoy your surroundings and most importantly your family. We go there twice a year and have been blessed to be able to create many fond memories. There is great beauty and happiness in simple things, the trick is to be able to slow down long enough to see and enjoy them. A couple quotes from Dieter F. Uchtdorf's talk this past conference that I love are, "At times of stress and fatigue....slow down." "There is more to life than increasing your speed." "We would do well to slowdown. Open our eyes and truly see what matters most." What an inspired man!

We are not alone!

This is my brave little Tank at the age of 2. Up at the cabin last week he fell and landed on the corner of a tool box slicing his eyebrow open. He was one tuff little kid through the whole ordeal. We had to drive down the mountain, a 20 min drive, to get to the hospital. At the hospital the Dr. didn't have anything to take the edge off of the shots to numb his cut. So after having an amazing blessing they wrapped him up like a little burrito in a blanket. Then went straight for the kill with the needle right into his cut. I know TAnk can be really tuff, but I was amazed....he didn't even flinch just layed there motionless. The spirit was definetley there you could feel it so strong, as well as the presence from those close to us that have passed on. It was an amazing experience. It got me thinking of how even a 2 year old little boy is not alone, that he doesn't as well as all of us have to face any kind of trial alone. Wether that be a physical pain, spiritual, or mental. He is always there as well as those that love us who have passed, and they are all just aching to help us! How amazing and true the Gospel is!

Charity, characteristic of a true Cheerleader!

The other day I was talking to my mom, she had had a ruff day. As I listened to her, I told her how much I loved her and reminded her of how amazing she really is. She thanked me............ for being her cheerleader! I said mom I will forever be your cheerleader!

This got me thinking of how we all need cheerleaders in our lives. And I wondered how many times I had been the critic in the back watching when I could have been the supportive cheerleader on the front row. So what kept me back in the crowd? There could be many reasons but two aspects that were definetly lacking was support and charity. A good cheerleader has support and charity for that person. Which makes perfect sense, Mother Teresa said it well, and I'm paraphrasing, ....If you judge people you have no time to love them. If we don't have charity for tha individual we most likely are judging them.

I pray that I will always seek out opportunities to exercise charity and be the loudest cheerleader on the sidelines! :)

THOUGHTS:How much do our thoughts effect our world????

When I was playing Volleyball at CGCC my coach several times told me that I was my own worst enemy. And I knew it too. AS hard as a tried I just couldn't break through my own barrier.And in consequence, was never  able to reach my full potential.

What was my barrier?? My own Thoughts. To be honest I never realized how much our thoughts affect us. Before we do any kind of action you have to first think it, everything starts in our mind.

" As a being of thought, your dominant mental attitude will determine your condition in life. It will also be the gauge of your knowledge and the measure of your attainment. The so-called limitations of your nature are the boundary lines of your thoughts, they are self-erected fences and can be drawn to a narrower circle, extended wider, or be allowed to remain.
You are the thinker of your thoughts, and as such you are the maker of yourself and condition. Thought is casual and creative, and appears in your character and life in the form of results. There are no accidents i your life. Both its harmonies and antagonisms are the responsive echoes of  your thoughts. A man thinks, and his life appears."
As a man thinketh Volume 2
By James Allen

At times I believe we all can be our own worst enemies. But if we can learn to conquer our thoughts than we can extend our boundaries and dissipate our limitations.

Laughter

Proverbs 17:22: "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine, but a broken spirit drieth the bones."  Laughter, and humor is medicine to any situation. Especially ones that involve little guys. For instance being at the grocery store with 3 boys all under 4, and realizing half the food in your cart you didn't put in there. Or just needing 10 min of quite time so you send your kids outside to play, only to find in 30 sec they are covered in mud you didn't even know existed out there!



There comes a point, for me at least, to choose one of two paths. Overreact and get mad or find the humor and let it go. So this is what I'm trying to aspire to be, the awesome mom that laughs instead of yells!!! :)

For your amusement here is a little video of my oldest Kolter gettin jiggy with it. The funniest part about this is he didn't know we were watching him. He could see himself in the window, so the whole time he's checking himself out! Hilarious!!

A revised,......Shape Yourself ???

Ok so I previously posted my reasonings of why I chose "Shape Yourself" to be part of the center of this blog. However, an amazing teacher, Kolette Butler,  I had in Jr. High had previously given me this lettle anecdote. I just came across it the other day, read it and it is exactly what I was trying to say but she does it a million times better than I could ever so.....I will quote her word for word. It is a little long but well worth the read. Enjoy!!!

                                                             Life is a rock tumbler
                                                               by Kolette Butler

"When you start the journey of life, not when you're born, but when you truly start the journey, you are as common a rock as can be found. You're like all the other rocks on the ground near the sandbox. People ignore you; they kick you aside. You are of no value or consequence to them.

At the time, somehow, deep inside yourself, you find the opportunity and the strength to climb into the rock tumbler. In that tumbler you experience harder times than you ever imagined. Friends use you and leave you. Parents don't understand. And most tumbling of all, you don't understand. No one knows you. No one cares. It's hard. Yet, you stay in the tumbler, and you make mistakes, and you learn. You give and give and give until there's nothing left, and then you give even more.

Now, someone comes along and looks in that tumbler. He chooses you above all the other rocks. He has begun to see what's inside, what you're really made of. You didn't break up and crumble like those other rocks. Oh sure, you lost a chunk here and there. You've been scraped and worn, but only now can others see you, and most importantly, now you can see and understand your core.

At last, you realize that all those beatings in the tumbler were good for you and not only do you accept those experiences, but you are grateful for them. They made you a beautiful, valuable rock. However, somehow you don't feel finished. You climb back into the tumbler, but this one is more intense than you remember. There is so much refining to be done. College is hard and not what you expected. Standing up for what you believe usually means you're standing alone. Your job isn't what you had hoped. You've never felt so alone. The beatings continue and worsen and just when you've given all you have and think the pressure will surely crush you this time, once again the tumbler slows, the door opens and a caring, gentle hand takes you and polishes you.

After you are polished and thoroughly inspected, you are given one more refining opportunity. This time you are being shaped into that which best shows your beauty and value. It;s not the shape you thought you wanted. It hurts to have a chip taken out here and to be ground down there, but you are strong now and you trust the one who is shaping you, completely. This time the stone worker customizes this tumbling experience, and now you realize that those other tumbles were cake and ice cream.

Finally, the shaping is complete. A few more bufferings and you are ready, finished. He carefully picks you up and inspects your every facet. You are precious to that one who shaped you, you are his work, and now you are complete. He gently places you among other stones like yourself and you can't believe what you see. Diamonds, rubies, sapphires and you. How did you ever get this far, so many miles and years from that common rock on the playground, kicked aside and thought to be good for nothing? You did it! You passed, and now you rest in the company of your heroes, because you, like they, endured the pressure and heat and grinding of the rock tumbler.

                                                Life is a rock tumbler."

Welcome to my blog!!!

Welcome, welcome!!! My name is Janalyn Van De Graaff, I am a wife and mother of three beautiful boys. I absolutely love being a mom and love life! However I found myself at times wondering were I was, I felt at moments I had lost myself...let me explain. Sometimes we pile our plates with so much that it's all we can do to get from one place to the other. I was just going through the daily routine, much like a robot. I wasn't striving or creating situations where I could grow and improve myself. And the Lord knowing what is best for me and my family has opened opportunities for me to push myself, to mold me into the person that I want to become, and the person that he needs me to be. And this is what has fueled this blog. And what I am going to center all my posts around.... Shaping Yourself into who you want to be by Aspiring us to be More!!!! To be more on all levels..... mentally, spiritually, and physically. I am not a specialist on any of these levels, and my intent is not to try and be one. I believe recording your thoughts, hopes , and aspirations helps to solidify them in your mind,and create real change. And so this is my intent, I also truly hope that something said on this blog will help you, uplift you and inspire you!!!!