Share Goodness

Lately I have been inspired to do more, to share more of my life experiences with other people, to be open and authentic, to just share more!  I have to be honest, sharing my personal experiences with other people, people I know, people I don't know, people who may or may not judge me, people who have similar or different experiences...you get the point 😉 ...but it scares me to death!!  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE sharing my experiences with people when it happens organically through conversation, but to just put a thought or experience out there is a little frightening to me!

I have been thinking alot lately about what my contribution to the world is.  What am I doing that could benefit someone else??  I feel like I live in a unique situation.  I am the wife of a widower and a stepmom to 3 adorable kids, a mom to 1 amazing daughter and a survivor of someone close to me who ended his life by suicide.  I know that none of these experiences are unique alone, but together they give me a perspective on life that few people have experienced.  I am feeling more and more that I need to share my experiences with others to lift and guide others to a positive place in their own lives.  To spread goodness to all that I can.  I know that life can get hard, but I also know that there is so much joy to feel too!!

I am kind of new to the podcast world, but I have been listening to some that have given me courage to do what I didn't do before...begin sharing...and know that its ok that it might be messy as I'm learning how to do that and I don't have to be perfect in doing it, and it's ok to fail and start over again.  It will be more real and authentic as I find my way through this and share my thoughts, feelings and experiences as I go along.  I want people to remember me for trying to do good, to share real feelings and experiences and to love and help people through my journey so they can also see the goodness inside themselves!!  There are soo many good people out there and it's been inspiring to me to hear some of them through these amazing podcasts that are out there!!  I'll start sharing them as I listen to something that has lifted me up!!

So for today, this will be enough!  I am starting on the journey that I hope will change my life and your life, if anyone is reading this, for good!!  I will post a little get to know me soon!  Go out and do something kind for someone else today!  A small good deed can change someone's life 😊

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Heather

Updated: Blended Families Part 3

Here we are again...another year gone by and more lessons learned in the world of blending families.

We have been married for 3 years now.  This year has had it's up and downs too.  I feel like this year has been smoother in most aspects.  Everyone knows the rules and has their own space.  They are integrated into their schools and social lives.  They are thriving and are such great kids.  Rex and I always comment on how our kids have been through so many hard things and yet, they are great kids.  They don't have major issues, just the normal growing pains.  They might be intensified by their losses, but they are amazing and always find a way to cope.  We feel so lucky to be their parents.

This year our oldest daughter, Lucy, graduated from high school and left for college.  This totally changed the dynamic of our home.  She was the most responsible one.  The one who helped and nurtured our youngest the most.  She was the one we knew we could rely on.  BUT...it was time for her to start her own journey, which we are thrilled for.  She has been looking forward to this for a long time and we know she will do great!

The other kids are adapting to life without Lucy.  They are building their relationships with each other much more.  They are coming closer and learning more about one another, which doesn't always result in happy endings.  There is still teasing and fighting and learning that they aren't always right, but I would say that overall they are doing great!  Cole is now the oldest child at home and he has taken that role on willingly and does what he can to help his siblings and us, the parents as they like to call us!  Kaylie is becoming the fun sibling that Cecelia needs and entertains her and does fun things with her.  Cecelia is growing up quickly.  She is curious about the things around her, which sometimes gets her into trouble because she is always wanting to try new things!  There are small changes in the household like chore charts and other household responsibilities, bedtimes, who gets to stay home and watch Cecelia instead of going out with their friends, and who gets to pray or read scriptures AGAIN since you just did it at the first of the week, but it's your turn again.

Rex is amazing as always.  His patience with all of this is almost superhuman.  He is constantly building me up and helping me through the challenges of life.  We still make all of our decisions together...kids, house, work, everything really.  It makes it easy to support each other and our family because we both have ownership of the life we are building together.  I know that doesn't work in everyone's situation, but for us that has been essential.

We are excited to see what great things are to come this year!  We feel lucky to have so much love and support from our families and friends!!  This blended family business is challenging at times, but it is so worth it every day!!  Here's to another year!!!

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Heather