my attitude adjustment

When will I learn? Why do I always have to feel put-upon when I have to leave my house? (except for book club or scrapbook shopping) Why do I dread things only to realize once again that when I actually get out and do something it's usually pretty fun?

My mother-in-law Mim planned an outing several weeks ago. She bought tickets for me and my sister-in-law Michelle to go to a garden luncheon at Thanksgiving Point today. (She was originally going to join us, but then ended up being out of town.) When she proposed it to me, I thought it sounded fun and was pretty enthusiastic about it. Then yesterday, when it was looming closer, I started to dread it and feel like I didn't want to go. (Why? I have no idea. Because I'm weird.) It just felt like an obligation.

Well, I'm so glad I went! It was a very enjoyable experience. I met Michelle and we went and found the room where the luncheon was being held. They served us a yummy lunch. It was nice to have some one-on-one time talking with Michelle, as we don't get that very often. They then announced that Jenny Frogley would be singing before the speaker. She was in Young Ambassadors with Marc way back when. That's all I knew about her, so I didn't really know what to expect. She was amazing! She is quite a musician and a songwriter, which always really appeals to me. Michelle said to me afterwards that she didn't know there was any LDS music that she would really like. I totally agreed. I think I want to get her CD. Such a pleasant surprise.

Then Mary Ellen Edmunds spoke. I had forgotten what a fun speaker she is. The title of her talk was: "Seeds of Spring: Zippity-Doo-Dah". Just for fun. And it was very funny, but then she segued into some very profound thoughts. I was so glad to have my tiny notebook that Jill made me ages ago in my purse so I could take some notes:

• Seeds have within them their full potential from the beginning. (it would be good to remember that we do too, as well as our children)
• Do we ever plant one kind of seed by our actions and then hope or pray for another kind of flower to result?
• What if we don't plant anything in our hearts? Weeds spring up with absolutely no encouragement. When they are small, we can easily pluck them out. But when we let them get established, they become rather difficult to get rid of.
• To soundly plant good seeds in your heart requires profound and consistent effort. (paraphrased from a quote by Joseph B. Wirthlin)
• We simply cannot become what we are not thinking about -- and we cannot help becoming what we are thinking about. (That really got me pondering on what I spend my energy thinking about.)
• There are miracles in each of us, just waiting to blossom, but we have to nurture them and provide the right environment.
• Are we providing our children with all that they need -- the environment necessary for them to develop and reach their full potential? She quoted a poem called The Rose (I missed the author.) It talked about how we don't criticize a plant for being immature when it is still developing. Instead, we marvel at every stage of its growth. I wish I could find this poem because the whole thing was really interesting and not trite like it might sound!
• What we plant will grow.

Thoughts? I felt really foolish for not being excited about going today. It was a real attitude adjustment. Thanks, Mim, for providing me with a great experience and for getting me out of my cocoon!

p.s. one more plus: they gave us a free ticket to explore the gardens at Thanksgiving Point. Michelle and I decided not to use it today because it was pretty windy, and the gardens are not yet at their peak. So now we get to go back with our kids when the tulips are in bloom and the trees are leafed out. Another fun outing to come!