Gospel Study Journal - A more personal approach

It's been a while since I've typed words on this blog, which seems to be a usual occurrence for me. I'm not sure why this happens - maybe it's because I don't feel the purpose behind what I type. However, I decided to write this post up and share it for someone who may find this as useful as I did.

Lately I've been feeling "nudges" to deepen my study and deepen my faith. My prayers have felt very one-sided and as I've yearned to understand why, I realized I was expecting God's conversation to be one way when it's entirely something else. God DOES speak to us, but it is through His prophets, His word, and His spirit and our hearts and minds need to be ready for Him. We need to put in an effort and show Him we are ready for an answer.

That being said, I've muddled my way through trying to figure out how to approach my spiritual seeking in a way that works for me. As I sought for guidance in this, I was inspired to type up this template and create a study journal for myself. I'm so excited to begin this journal and deepen my faith! Below is a link to my journal template for anyone who'd like to start this for themselves. Just click and print! I've hole-punched mine and put it in a three-ring binder. I'd love to hear if and how you'll use yours. Enjoy!

Love,

Natalie

Gospel Study Journal Template

A Mother Heart

Tyler took Deklen to his campus tonight, so I have a few hours and an empty house all to myself! I decided to sit and write my thoughts and reflections on motherhood.

Today, my heart has been overflowing with happiness and gratitude to my Heavenly Father for all of my blessings, and more specifically my ray of sunshine also known as Deklen. He brings so much joy and completeness to my life, and even though some days seem more than I can bare with exhaustion, frustration, and chaos, I would never trade him for anything. Today I have also reflected on the past Mother's Days I've had that were filled with sorrow when I yearned to be a mother. Looking back, I am thankful that I experienced that trial not only because I appreciate my motherhood more, but also because I can have empathy and an open heart for others who are experiencing those same feelings. I love that as women, we can celebrate the "mothers" we are, even if we don't have children of our own. Being a mother is so much more than birthing a child. It is loving. It is teaching. It is lifting someone up. It is nurturing. It is creating. Motherhood is a characteristic we can all develop with or without children. Julie B. Beck said it best when she called it a "Mother Heart".

"Paraphrasing Proverbs, a Mother Heart is...
Who can find a … woman [with a mother heart]? for her price is far above rubies. … She … worketh willingly with her hands. … With the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard. … She stretcheth out her hand to the poor. … Strength and honour are her clothing. … She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness. She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness” (Prov. 31:10, 13, 16, 20, 25–27). A woman with a mother heart has a testimony of the restored gospel, and she teaches the principles of the gospel without equivocation. She is keeping sacred covenants made in holy temples. Her talents and skills are shared unselfishly. She gains as much education as her circumstances will allow, improving her mind and spirit with the desire to teach what she learns to the generations who follow her.

Covenant-keeping women with mother hearts know that whether motherhood comes early or late; whether they are blessed with a “quiver full” of children here in mortality or not; whether they are single, married, or left to carry the responsibility of parenthood alone—in holy temples they are “endowed with power from on high” (D&C 38:32), and with that endowment they received the promised blessings and are “persuaded of them, and embraced them” (Heb. 11:13).

Every girl and woman who makes and keeps sacred covenants can have a mother heart. There is no limit to what a woman with a mother heart can accomplish. Righteous women have changed the course of history and will continue to do so, and their influence will spread and grow exponentially throughout the eternities."

I am so thankful for my mother and her special heart that showed me, taught me and continues to teach me how to develop a Mother Heart. I am grateful to my Father in Heaven for shaping, molding, and strengthening my heart to prepare me and develop me into my eternal destiny. 

Special thanks to my husband, Tyler, for capturing these special moments of Deklen and I. I love how these pictures turned out. We took hundreds of pictures and only about 20 or so turned out, but that's about how life goes! :)

Mount Wood Castle and Cemetery

This rainy, cold weather is making me reminisce on warmer, sunnier days. I stumbled upon these pictures tonight that we took last year and wanted to post them as I had been meaning to blog about them a while back.

We love how much history is out here in the East! Last summer, we visited a local spot here in Wheeling called Mount Wood Castle and Cemetery. There are so many old cemeteries and buildings here - it's incredible! Local legend claims that an unknown person abandoned the magnificent dream structure when the love of his life unexpectedly perished. However, local historians discovered that in 1925, this property actually belonged to a  local doctor who set out to build this dream home as a gift to his wife with the best views in the city (the view really is spectacular!) Before he was able to finish, the man was indicted for federal drug trafficking charges (The Ohio River seen in the view was perfect for transporting and facilitating all sorts of illegal activity back in the day) and the property was "donated" to the City of Wheeling. Sadly, what remains today has been defaced with graffiti and trash, but if you can look past that, the beauty of what could have been is enchanting. Between the spiral staircase, the rounded architecture, and carved out windows, I almost found myself wishing we could purchase this home and restore/finish it ourselves.... almost.

Across the street was an ancient cemetery full of the most eerie, yet reverent, graves. We enjoyed strolling the little paths and searching for the oldest grave we could find - we found one from 1772, over 235 years old! Another cool grave attributed a civil war vet! The mausoleums seemed to have come straight out of a scary movie, many of the tomb stones were cracked and had fallen over, and most were so weather-worn, they were illegible. I could have spent hours walking around this place! There were a plethora of children's graves and it broke my heart. How grateful I am to live in a time where we have medicine and sterile places for our children to be born!

I love the connection to the past that is felt all over this city and can't wait to explore even more this summer.