A Canoe and a Camera and An Important List:)

One of my very favorite stories about my Mum is about this one time she really, REALLY, really wanted a nice camera and a canoe, but she couldn't afford it.  She was raising seven kids and just couldn't justify the expense when there were so many other things our family needed.

My Mum LOVES taking pictures.  Her pictures of Europe are incredible.  I love vacationing with her because I am TERRIBLE at remembering to take pictures, but she always takes a million.  And her pictures always come out great!

My Mum and Pop also LOVE TO CANOE.  They love going up into the mountains and canoeing on the lake.:)  Someday they have a dream of having a cabin on a lake, and I am sure canoeing in the moonlight is part of that dream.:)

My Mum didn't have the money for these two things, but she really wanted them.

So you know what she did? 

She made a list of things she really wanted, but didn't really NEED(mainly a nice camera and a canoe).

THEN she said a prayer.  She told Heavenly Father she didn't need these things, but they were part of her heart's desire.  Knowing my Mum she probably also thanked her Father in Heaven for the blessings she DID have in her life.:) Then she tucked her list into her drawer and went on with the business of family craziness.

A while later she was at the store and randomly entered one of those contests where you give your name and contact info and put the little paper in the box.  She never does stuff like that, and she NEVER would win if she randomly did.

THIS TIME SHE WON.  She won A THOUSAND DOLLARS.  And she felt that this money was a gift from a loving Heavenly Father who knew that even though she didn't need a nice camera or canoe, that she could have them anyways. She knew that this was Heavenly Father telling her that needs AND heart's desires are important to Heavenly Father.  He won't always give us EVERYTHING we want, but He helps us attain our dreams and desires as much as is good for us and as much as He can.  Like any good parent.:)  (BJ adds-especially when we are working as hard as we can at the really important things in our lives.)

*****
I love that story.  I know that Heavenly Father cares about our needs AND our hearts' desires.  Our dreams are important to Him, and I will even go so far as to say that many of our dreams are FROM Him and inspired by Him.

Lately I have been making my own list of MY heart's desires.  I don't know why exactly that this is important to me, only that I need to do it.  I need to be specific in my prayers about things right now.

Maybe part of writing them down and praying about them is important because it reminds me Heavenly Father cares.  I know He cares. And my dreams are there for a reason, and not just to make me unhappy that they aren't all coming true in this moment of my life.  Cause that is how it feels sometimes.

Some of my heart's desires are very down to earth. One I am constantly battling and working on is getting healthy so I can be a person/Mum/wife/friend/etc...  This is a TRUE heart's desire for me.  And it is one of the first things on my list.  I truly believe that putting it on that list is important.  Not only to me, but to my Heavenly Father.  It is important for me to talk to Heavenly Father about it.  I can read a million books on health and make a million plans and spend a million dollars on said plans, but Heavenly Father can do more.  He can guide me.  He can map out the perfect way to integrate real health into my life.  He knows how to make things possible and how to make them happen.

Health may seem totally weird to put on a list like I am talking about.  It is totally different than a canoe.:)  And almost more in the NEEDS category. But it feels right for me to put it on that list.  It is difficult for me to put it into words. Maybe it is on that list because there is only so much I can do.  I need that extra amount of miracle.  That extra amount of grace to make it just that much better than a need fulfilled.  I want true health.  I want something I can't usually do alone by my own efforts. There is a lot you can survive with poor health.  So it feels like more than a need to me right now.

Clothes not full of holes were on my list.:) Believe it or not my ENTIRE wardrobe was basically holey clothes.  I had maybe one or two shirts that didn't really go with anything that didn't have holes in them.   The other weekend I woke up and Heavenly Father said it was ok to go shopping.  I felt like I should have been packing, since we were moving the following week, but the Lord knew what I needed right then.  I needed to feel good about myself in a way that clean, comely, un-holey clothes make you feel.  During and after the move I can't tell you how comforting those clothes were.  This last weekend I was SO SICK from the unhealthy "moving food" we had eaten all week.  Wearing cute clothes while I was sick TOTALLY lifted my spirits.  I know that that was a blessing from Heavenly Father.
He planned for my needs when I was sick: a husband with the priesthood to give me a blessing, food that would heal me, herbal knowledge to heal me, an awesome midwife that I could call up, etc. BUT Heavenly Father also provided for my hearts desires.  He gave me a cute little bedroom with lots of light in the windows and lace curtains to lift me.  He gave me cute clothes to lounge in bed in while I felt SO SICK.  He is SO kind and generous to us.  It is amazing.

The above two things sound kind of more like needs in some ways.  I guess when you are living in less than survival mode for so many years it is amazing to see what REALLY is a NEED or want.:)  Hopefully, un-holey clothes and great health will get better so they will not have to be such a luxury. I have other things on my list. Things more like a canoe or nice camera. They are so personal to me though, it is hard to write about them publicly.:)  These kinds of lists can be very personal, or not.:)  But I have been feeling that they are really important to write down and to talk about with our Heavenly Father.:)

Anyways, just something to think about today.:)

Today's question: What are your heart's desires?  What are your canoes and nice cameras?  You don't have to post them, but do write them down today.  Talk with your Heavenly Father about them.  Even if it is in an informal thinking-type prayer. Heavenly Father loves you so much and wants us to live our dreams and to have the things we need as well as the things we desire in our hearts. He wants us to communicate our heart's desires to Him.  He wants to be part of our journey and our adventure here.  He wants to be part of the planning process, and He wants to bless us.  Maybe that is the BEST reason to follow this idea today.  When we tell Heavenly Father the inmost desires of our hearts, and THEN He helps fulfill them, it is much easier to see His hand in our lives.  Just a thought.  Happy Wednesday!