Living With Fullness

By Mary Stosich.

My daughter Lisa is expecting her seventh child. Above the varied comments of her friends and neighbors, ranging from congratulations to condolences, is her joyful acknowledgment of Heaven’s consideration and blessings. Lisa concisely chose motherhood over medical school. Admittedly her life is not exactly what she thought it would be. Surprisingly she lives not with regrets over what she might have missed, but with awe over her circumstances and opportunities.

Living with fullness is the art of loving the life with which we have been blessed, including its restraints and requirements. Living with fullness is a plan that begs us to build upon lasting values instead of pleasure and to live with a thirst to drink in every moment with appreciation. Living with fullness is having the testimony that the same God who created the world, who filled the ark with animals, who parted the sea for Moses, who restored the gospel to the world is the same God who answers our individual prayers and presents the perfect opportunity for growth to each of his children in each of their needs in each of their details.

It is a testimony of appreciation. This appreciation is not limiting, but empowering. It fosters individuality instead of jealousy. It teaches us patience instead of annoyance and mercy instead of unrealistic expectations. Through this basic yet beautiful paradigm we are able to develop an eye for the art of a beautiful, important life.

Applause From A Most Unexpected Source

When I'm not plotting or characterizing I'm still reading books at the local library during pre-school story hour. This past week our subject was the alphabet and how it spells our names. One of the books I chose to read had the charming old song that goes, "A," you're adorable, "B," you're so beautiful, "C," you're a cutie full of charm..." Of course I couldn't just read the words when the tune was haunting me from the back of my brain. Even though I wasn't 100% sure of the tune, I did my best to sing what I could remember, and ended joyfully on the final line of, "It's fun to wander through the alphabet with you to tell you what you mean to me."
Just as the final note drifted off to silence, a cute little girl with brushy horizontal pigtails sticking out behind her ears put her small hands together and clapped. Startled, I looked down into her adoring blue eyes staring up at me. Then I said, "Thank you," and gave a little bow.
I've been floating on that tiny bit of appreciation from a tiny little person for days.
So say something nice. Give a smile. Clap for someone. It doesn't hurt a bit, and it will help more than you imagine.
Shirley Bahlmann