In my family growing up my mom had us write letters to Jesus at Christmas. We would write a "gift" that we wanted to give to him. I have been thinking about that a lot the past month. I was trying to decide what I could improve and work towards this year. I got pretty sick this past month and Mike asked if I wanted a blessing. I accepted his offer and was surprised to find that he instructed me to be more organized and prioritize my life better. He blessed me to do these things so that I could be more efficient and therefore, able to rest and relax when I needed to.

The next day I read the talk by Sister Beck again. There were a lot of things in her talk that inspired me and one in particular since my mind was focused on becoming more organized. She talked about how we need to create in our homes an environment that allows for learning--be more organized and learn to be the best homemaker. I took from her talk the idea of eliminating the unnecessary and choosing the best activities for myself and my children.

I was reminded of an article I read in college. The article is awesome and I have read it multiple times since then. I remember being so inspired and so satisfied with the life I was choosing as a mother. At the time I wasn't a mother yet and I wasn't even married but I remember knowing exactly what Heavenly Father wanted me to do. The article really shows the importance of the everyday work of a mom. I think one of my favorite things from the article is the idea that we don't have to make our homes sacred like the temple, but that the sacredness is already there.

So this year I am focusing on becoming a better mom and within that over-arching goal, to be a better organizer and find ways for our home to run more smoothly so that I can have time to do the most important things--teaching my children about the Savior and bringing my own personal life closer to Him.