Thumbs Up

Thumbs up for my 2010 Mother's Day! Roses and lilies, a yummy steak dinner, phone calls from some very special men, extraordinarily pretty cards, and a surprise gift still on its way. What a great big bouquet of blessings. Thank you, dear family.

Thumbs up on the creative writing skills of Shannon Hale! I enjoyed Princess Academy and plan to read The Goose Girl this summer. But, well, I can't recommend her book, The Actor and the Housewife. When a character has to wrestle that much with whether she's being faithful and true to her husband, the answer in my mind is a resounding no, no, no! Becky Jack, the Mormon housewife, is portrayed as having such a big, big heart and enlightened mind that she can love her husband completely and still talk on the phone almost every day at times, and sometimes all night, go on vacations, and be huggy-wuggy with her "best friend" Felix, the fabulously rich, talented, and handsome actor. He was sort of like a fairy godmother. Need any little old thing? Well, call Felix, or maybe that should be Fixix. Parts of the story were fun, but a lot of it seemed to be a creepy rationalization for emotional adultery at the very least, and maybe much, much more. Although if anyone suggested such a thing in the book, it was only because they were narrow-minded and judgmental. Sorry, this one's a thums down. Anyone else read it? What'd you think? It has mixed reviews on amazon.com, with 4 and 5 star ratings making up a little over 50% of them. Our book club discussion on this one is sure to be lively. Nice clip of Shannon Hale here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gppPUxebM18

And last, thumbs up on a few quotes from a great wife and mother, Marjorie Pay Hinckley!

"Be a Mother who is committed to loving her children into standing on higher ground than the environment surrounding them. Mother's are endowed with a love that is unlike any other love on the face of the earth."

"The family is eternal. Love must be nurtured. It must be spoken. We must put away our pride, our haughtiness, our shyness, our misunderstandings, and with humility say, "I love you. Is there something I can do to help you?" You can never be completely happy under any other circumstances."

"We women have a lot to learn about simplifying our lives. We have to decide what is important and then move along at a pace that is comfortable for us. We have to develop the maturity to stop trying to prove something. We have to learn to be content with what we are."

"Home is where you are loved the most and act the worst."

"Be kind. Everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle."

"The trick is to enjoy life. Don't wish away your days, waiting for better ones ahead."

"We are all in this together. We need each other. Oh, how we need each other. Those of us who are old need you who are young, and hopefully, you who are young need some of us who are old... We need deep and satisfying and loyal friendships with each other. These friendships are a necessary source of sustenance. We need to renew our faith every day. We need to lock arms and help build the kingdom so that it will roll forth and fill the whole earth."

"As we got closer to marriage, I felt completely confident that Gordon loved me. But I also knew somehow that I would never come first with him. I knew I was going to be second in his life and that the Lord was going to be first. And that was okay. It seemed to me that if you understood the gospel and the purpose of our being here, you would want a husband who put the Lord first."

"The grand and the simple. They are equally wonderful."

"There are some years in our lives that we would not want to live again. But even these years will pass away, and the lessons learned will be a future blessing."

"The thing about growing old is that when you wake up with a new pain, you can just about count on it becoming a permanent part of your life!"

"I don't want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautifully, tailored clothes, my hair expertly coiffed, and with long, perfectly manicured fingernails.

I want to drive up in a station wagon that has mud on the wheels from taking kids to scout camp.

I want to be there with a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt from making sandwiches for a sick neighbors children.

I want to be there with a little dirt under my fingernails from helping to weed some-one's garden.

I want to be there with children's sticky kisses on my cheeks and the tears of a friend on my shoulder.

I want the Lord to know I was really here and that I really lived."

"Elder Neal A. Maxwell once said, "We are here in mortality, and the only way to go is through; there isn't any around!" I would add, the only way to get through life is to laugh your way through it. You either have to laugh or cry. I prefer to laugh. Crying gives me a headache."

"Think about your particular assignment at this time in your life. It may be to get an education, it may be to rear children, it may be to be a grandparent, it may be to care for an relieve the suffering of someone you love, it may be to do a job in the most excellent way possible, it may be to support someone who has a difficult assignment of their own. Our assignments are varied and they change from time to time. Don't take them lightly. Give them your full heart and energy. Do them with enthusiasm. Do whatever you have to do this week with your whole heart and soul. To do less than this will leave you with an empty feeling."

"I know it is hard for you young mothers to believe that almost before you can turn around the children will be gone and you will be alone with your husband. You had better be sure you are developing the kind of love and friendship that will be delightful and enduring. Let the children learn from your attitude that he is important. Encourage him. Be kind. It is a rough world, and he, like everyone else, is fighting to survive. Be cheerful. Don't be a whiner."

"With intellectual curiosity the world will always be full of magic and wonder."