The End of a Year

As I sit looking at my calendar I find, as I'm sure most people are, that January is fast approaching. Many things have happened this year, and for what's hopefully the best, I am a different person then when the year began.
I think the most life changing event for me has been trying to find my way through a mass of information that's available. I am (frantically at times) attempting to revise who I am as a wife, mother, teacher, student, and most importantly a daughter of God. I feel like I hardly sleep at night as my mind sifts through who I am and who I want to become.
I find myself contemplating life more then I ever did before, and because of this I find myself having to rely on God more because I see so much pain in the world and cannot fix it all. I have to remind myself that there are angel's among us very literally in many different forms. Not only can I be an angel to others, but I can pray for those that I cannot protect or care for myself, and they will be cared for by other angels either mortal or heavenly.
It's my prayer that I might be able to create leaders within and out of my home who will be strong, moral, virtuous, and strive for liberty and equality wherever they find themselves in life. I pray that I will be inspiring, and see others the way that God sees them. I pray that love and respect will guide our nation into the new year and the presidency that will lead it, and that peace will be our mission.
I pray for strong families who rely on good principles to lead them. I pray that whatever a persons religion, that they will hold fast to it and instill values of service and hard work in their children.
I pray that we will not idly let another day, week, month or year go by. May we push ourselves a little harder, be a little better, and strive a little harder to find our mission in life and pursue it with all our hearts as we surrender to God's will.

A Gem about motherhood

As "curriculum" for our daily devotional, I signed up to receive different "Gems" from lds.org. Today's Family Gem was truly a gem indeed: Women Have a Great Influence for Good

“Too frequently, women underestimate their influence for good. Well could you follow the formula given by the Lord: ‘Establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God’ (D&C 88:119).“In such a house will be found happy, smiling children who have been taught, by precept and example, the truth. In a Latter-day Saint home, children are not simply tolerated, but welcomed; not commanded, but encouraged; not driven, but guided; not neglected, but loved.”

Thomas S. Monson, “The Spirit of Relief Society,” Ensign, May 1992, 101-102