Disconnect to Reconnect

Here is some advice for myself.  If I live this advice it will automatically trickle down to my children.  We have so much technology all around us.  It's everywhere.  Are we taking some time each day to just be still?  Put down the phones, stop texting, get off Facebook, turn the phone to silent, stay off the computer and turn the TV and radio off.  Just be quiet.  30 minutes... quiet time.  What do I hear?  What do you hear?  Learn to be ok with the quiet.  Trust that you will hear and feel.  

I would like my kids to know that when I am not taking that time for myself to listen and ponder and read my scriptures and think and pray and just BE STILL, ... I start to notice myself feeling insecure, unsure, and looking to others for answers.  I have finally come to know and accept with faith that all my answers are in me as I communicate with my God.

I would like my kids to know that a person needs to stay connected to our Creator to feel grounded and secure.  When someone says, "all I want is security", they begin to search for "true friends", "financial stability", emotional reliance on others and how they make them feel, advice from others, validation, and "sideways" connections.  These are all very temporary, and very insecure.

Real security comes from connecting to God.  We can just sit and think about ourselves being the only ones on the earth and it's just "me and God".  The connection that happens there is powerful and one that I cannot get any other way.  THERE is our real security.  There is the link to connection and gaining wisdom and truth.  There is the way to know who we really really are.  And once we consistently do that, other things fall into place with much more peace and joy backing them up.

Here is my challenge to my children, my husband and anyone else who is searching for truth.  You must be consistent in a daily routine in which you are quiet and listening to what Heavenly Father wants you to know.  Spend that time praying, reading scripture and journaling.  You will hear your next step, get comfort, answers.  For me the most important part of that is the feeling of BEING GROUNDED.  When I am connected to God, I don't care what anyone else thinks of me.  Because it doesn't matter and it is none of my business.  I can respect their opinions and ultimately know their opinion doesn't really affect me.  I love this truth and want my children to be able to be spiritually confident in this way.  

This is also the way to learning how to love deeply and unconditionally.  We feel the love from our Father, learn how to love ourselves because we can see ourselves the way He does.  Then we can take that love to all those around us.  We can see them also as He does.  We can see others' gifts and talents and amazingness.  All because we can see our own.  We begin to understand that no one person is more amazing than the next.  I am not.  But I am just as amazing as another.  This is how unity is created.  As soon as we begin to separate ourselves out from others we begin to feel that we are different, more special so we separate.  But as we see ourselves the same as everyone else (of course all unique), we draw connections of love between one another.  It's our human-ness that wants to stay separate and feel special.  (Which means more special than another.)

I have a hard time staying grounded.  I am in constant reminder mode... about what Becky Hooley must do to get back on track.  Am I ok with that?  Yep, I am learning step by step.  There is no way I would be able to do this learning without the help of my biggest sources of learning and growth.  I have 5 (no 6 counting Eric) main people who teach me day by day.  Everyone I come in contact with is here to teach me more, but these children are my favorite to learn from.  And a special shout out to my husband Eric who knows just as well as I do that we agreed long ago to be each others' teachers.  He is this way, I am that.  It's clear that we have to fight for our love and mutual support and respect.  I feel so grateful that both of us still wants the learning and growth in the right direction.  I feel so grateful that we haven't lost sight, that we are being patient with ourselves and even grateful for the challenges.

So here is to staying GROUNDED.  It's a daily thing.  You have to ground yourself only on the days you need physical food and water.  That is how important it is.  We are such influential and forgetful beings.  All for a reason.  All for our learning.  I am so very grateful.