As I type...

This is how I feel I look:

Me: Hmm, I'm not sure if I like how I worded that.                                                           Her: I think you're using semi-colons wrong.


This is how I actually look:

Me: Yay!! Dress up time!                                                                                             Her: I think it's time for me to retire to my crib chambers.

Heaven's slice is knowing that you are a princess (a daughter of the most high) and playing dress-up.

Beauty is based on numbers

I realize I am totally contradicting my statement on the Why we can't be friends post where I said that basing beauty off of numbers is absurd... But I really thought about it and I came to realize that YES, beauty is based on numbers.

It's the # of lbs on that scale, # of inches your waist is, # of inches your hips are, # of inches your thighs are, # of inches your arms are, your cup size's #(letter), your face symmetry's scoring #, your dress size #, your shoe size #,  # of pimples, # of freckles, # of birth marks, # of physical handicaps...   It's the # of times a day you flashed your pearly whites or yellows in a smile to someone. It's the # of times your hands came together in cheering for someone else's accomplishment. It's the # of songs your voice sang just for others sheer enjoyment. It's the # of tears your eyes shed in mourning for another's loss. It's the # of times your hands played peek-a-boo with a baby. It's the # of times your knees hit the floor in sincere prayer. It's the # of compliments that came out of your mouth. It's the # of times your arms folded around someone right when they needed it. It's the # of times you said the phrases 'thank you', 'I love you,' and 'I'm sorry' whole-heartedly. It's the # of talents you gained for another's benefit. It's the # of times you got back up after falling down. It's the # of steps your feet took. It's the # of times your heart skipped a beat over a tender mercy revealed. It's the # of meals your hands prepared lovingly for your family. It's the # of good books you read. It's the # of times your eyebrows raised in excitement over a surprise. It's the # of times you forgave someone's trespass. It's the # of times you felt true joy, peace, and hope. It's the # of laughs your your whole body felt. It's the # of late nights caring for someone who was sick. It's the # of times your eyes saw the artistry in each day. It's the # of times your nose smelt something that made you smile. It's the # of times you rocked a little one to sleep. It's the # of hours you spent at work so your family could have their needs provided for. It's the # of times your brain brought up a sweet memory from the archives. It's the # of people you have served selflessly .

Little does the world know that we as man do not have a measuring tape or scientific calculator strong enough to calculate beauty, nor a camera mighty enough to capture it. However, our Heavenly Father does and it's based on the simple things we tend to overlook on any given day. Beauty cannot be seen with the naked eye, only felt by the open heart.

Our body houses our spirit, we are all children of God. Knowing this, we should of course take proper care and attention to our bodies. BUT we all need to remember that whatever the condition of such body, every body has beauty, as every body houses a spirit which is a creation of our Heavenly Father. Everything that He has created is beautiful and divine.

Heaven's slice is knowing what beauty is.

Roping

I really like to take the trivial things I have in my life, study out what I know about them as they apply to me, then ponder on how I can twist them into a profound life lesson.  So... I figured I'd throw roping into the ring and see what would come out.

Roping When I was a kid I distinctly remember watching 2 girls, older than me (by like 8 years) whom I knew, breakaway rope at a rodeo. Seeing that a girl could be tough enough to rope like that and go against the grain of the stereotypical barrel racing was something that sparked a fire in me. To me they were true tom-boys, which is something I always tried to pursue as a kid; I so hated how much I loved playing dress-up, barbies, and polly pockets. I grew a little older and this desire to rope stuck with me, so I took that first step. I asked my dad to teach me to rope. Being a rancher and rodeo cowboy, he was the perfect teacher to learn from. He taught me the basics on how to hold, swing, throw, and coil the rope. Then he told me to start roping the dummy. I threw countless loops near that bale with little success. My dad would come back and give me more pointers and I'd continue on. A clean catch was sporadic, but I practised on. Almost daily I'd be out at the barn throwing a loop, with my dad popping in here and there to help. It took a long time, but I finally mastered roping the dummy. The next steps were swinging the rope on the horse standing, swinging the rope on the horse walking, and swinging the rope on the horse running; which were all learned fairly quickly and mastered. Then there was the next big step - roping an actual running calf off the also running horse.  I fell off the horse... lot's. What can I say, inertia is my kryptonite. What do you do when you fall off the horse? You get back on. I was very resistant to this concept by the third or fourth consecutive fall. I was done, but my dad, by divine design, has this gift of simply and effectively getting me to do what he wants. I got back on. The horse I was using was my dad's calf roping horse. He was a bit wide for my legs to get a good hold on and very powerful. We then tried something different; I got on a different horse, his older rope horse whom he was not using as much in rodeos anymore. Success! He was little enough to get a good leg squeeze on and manageable enough to slow, quicken, and turn at my desire when chasing a calf. I fell off much less, but even though I still fall off on occasion, I know the cure for it - to get right back on. I became a member of the High School Rodeo Association from grades 10-12. Each year I did a little better at rodeos and ended my grade 12 year going to the province's finals where I placed 2nd in the average, then was qualified for the Canadian High School Rodeo Finals and the National High School Rodeo Finals in Illinois as well- where I didn't do so well, but it was an awesome experience none the less. I continue to rope in a local rodeo association and southern circuits on occasion. I made the finals in that association a couple years back and due to my pregnancy and mommyhood only hometowned one a year the last couple years with out much success. I hate missing at rodeos, I get super down on myself and it just sucks. When this happens though it forces me to look at why I truly love roping. It's not the rodeo arena's competitive adrenaline. It's not to win that buckle. It's not the prided cowboy-hat-tucked-in-buttoned-shirt-wrangler-butt-number-on-the-back-spur-jangling-brag-without-words-of-my-cowgirlness. It's not any of that... It's spending time with my dad and learning from him. It's being on the back of that horse that I shared so many secrets to and whom I became a loyal partner in crime with. It's making a desire a reality. It's that at home feel of a rope in my hands. It's the practise arena. It's my adolescent years and one of the only things that remained a constant controllable essence of my day. When I haven't tried roping a calf in a long time and I go back to the arena, I generally do ok, but with me, it is not something that can be picked up right where you left it. I have to practise continually to keep my skills up or have to face being a few notches behind because I have waited too long to pick up the rope. I hope to continue to rope throughout my life.

Important life lesson Look at the people around you. Who are you inspired by? Who do you look up to? What is the Christlike attribute that they possess that makes you want to be like them? Once you know the trait you wish to obtain in yourself, let this desire enthral you. Then start putting it to action by asking the master teacher for help AKA pray to your Heavenly Father. Listen to what your Heavenly Father has to say. Use your resources to begin taking steps to incorporate this trait into your life. Practise it daily through scripture study, pondering, and serving those around you. Continue to listen to your Heavenly Father's guidance through this journey of self mastery. Acknowledge when you fall short of the task at hand and listen to your Heavenly Father's voice. Press forward after you have fallen, and continually repeat your try after every fall. If there is something that is holding you back simply change it until it works well for you. Beware of pride with this new trait. It is not to be flaunted and paraded for others to see, it is simply for you to become closer to humility. Always remember why you started this journey to begin with. Remember what you have first started to seek and let the WHY heal your pride. If you don't use this trait constantly you can begin to lose it. It is not something to lay aside and pick up at your convenience. It needs your constant attention. Endure to the end with this precious godly trait.

Heaven's slice is self improvement.    

                                            

Allowing yourself to be happy

In my oh-so-wise early teenager-dom I came to the conclusion that it was better to be merely ok than happy. Happiness was the peak of a roller coaster ride. It seemed to me that being truly happy was always cursed with falling into utter sadness.  Joyous occasions were only a precursor to a trial or tragedy. However, if I chose to not get too excited on the incline, then the decline would have less terrifying side-effects. So, with this wise clarity I developed a fear of being too happy. Therefore, I tried not to allow myself too much happiness.

Thankfully though, with new experiences came knowledge and maturity. I've grown to see happiness in a different venue: Happiness is a tight rope. To walk on a tight rope is so exhilarating and fun, but keep in mind you are human. You will fall from this tight rope. Even those who have seemingly mastered the tight rope walk, cannot stay on it 24/7 without falling here and there. So what can catch our fall? Hmmm... why the safety net of course! The stronger your faith the closer the safety net is to that tight rope, the lesser the fall, and the softer the landing.


We do not have to fear our happiness. We need to protect our happiness.

(The photo featured above is our very first photo as husband and wife. Clearly we're walking on our proverbial tight rope, as you can see by the GIGANTIC smiles we're flashing.)

The safety net of faith - What do you believe in? When it comes down to the nitty gritty bottom of lows, what do you believe in? Who do you cry out to? Who do you start to plead with? This is your faith in God. Your safety net can always get closer to your tight rope, no matter how strong you think your faith is. Improvement is eternal when it comes to your relationship with God; there is no end. How do we get it closer? Prayer, fasting, scripture study, charity/service, repentance... the list goes on and on. The thing we need to understand though, is that the safety net is personally woven by you and God. You cannot enlist the generous offer of hands to help from friends and family, you can not pay someone to do it for you, and you cannot weave it by yourself. It is a partnership of love between you and your maker.

Sometimes we stay on the tight rope for so long that we forget about our net and start becoming prideful in our talent of walking the tight rope. We get cocky. We get braggy. We get selfish. Thankfully the net will still be there when a burst of wind blows out our balance. The net will be much lower than before, but through the insight needed from the fall we are able to build our net back up closer to the tight rope again. Hopefully learning in the process to remember what brought us back to our happy and learn to value humility. This fall will have in turn marked the start of an even greater personal record of happy times.

Sometimes we fall out of happy. The reasons for this can vary from outside pressures to an inward desire to just stop trying. Whatever the reason we fall out of happy, we can find refuge and comfort on the safety net. It may be a long time before we can gain the strength to step back on the scary rope, and that's ok. The net is there for the weary heart that just needs rest; the length of stay is as long a it needs.

There are of course other helps for when we fall out of our happiness and don't know how to extinguish the fear to get back up. But, at it's very core, it's the safety net of faith that is the MANDATORY standard of helps.


Heaven's slice is allowing yourself to be happy through nourishing your faith.