“Let us be very sincere in our dealings with each other and have the courage to accept each other as we are.”
-Mother Teresa

I’m trying to be like Jesus,
I’m following in His ways.
I’m trying to love as He did
In all that I do and say.
At times I am tempted
To make a wrong choice,
But I try to listen
As the still small voice whispers:

“Love one another as Jesus loves you.
Try to show kindness in all that you do.
Be gentle and loving in deed and in thought,
For these are the things Jesus taught.”

I’m trying to love my neighbor.
I’m learning to serve my friends.
I watch for that day of gladness
When Jesus will come again.

I try to remember the lessons he taught,
And the holy spirit enters into my thoughts, saying:

“Love one another as Jesus loves you.
Try to show kindness in all that you do.
Be gentle and loving in deed and in thought,
For these are the things Jesus taught.”

Maybe they’ll send him to Siberia. :}

“God is eagerly waiting for the chance to answer your prayers and fulfill your dreams, just as he always has. But he can’t if you don’t pray, and he can’t if you don’t dream. In short, he can’t if you don’t believe.”

― Jeffrey R. Holland

“Born in a stable, cradled in a manger, He came forth from heaven to live on earth as mortal man and to establish the kingdom of God. During His earthly ministry, He taught men the higher law. His glorious gospel reshaped the thinking of the world. He blessed the sick. He caused the lame to walk, the blind to see, the deaf to hear. He even raised the dead to life. To us He has said, ‘Come, follow me.’

“As we seek Christ, as we find Him, as we follow Him, we shall have the Christmas spirit, not for one fleeting day each year, but as a companion always. We shall learn to forget ourselves. We shall turn our thoughts to the greater benefit of others”

Thomas S. Monson

“If you desire to find the true spirit of Christmas and partake of the sweetness of it, let me make this suggestion to you. During the hurry of the festive occasion of this Christmas season, find time to turn your heart to God. Perhaps in the quiet hours, and in a quiet place, and on your knees—alone or with loved ones—give thanks for the good things that have come to you, and ask that His Spirit might dwell in you as you earnestly strive to serve Him and keep His commandments”

Howard W. Hunter

“Shall we make a new rule of life from tonight: always try to be a little kinder than is necessary?”
― J.M. Barrie

“Whatever our individual troubles and challenges may be, it’s important to pause every now and then to appreciate all that we have, on every level. We need to literally “count our blessings,” give thanks for them, allow ourselves to enjoy them, and relish the experience of prosperity we already have.”

— Shakti Gawain

Photo: Ireland Sunset by Jillian

There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.

- Albert Einstein

Fear not. I won’t be singing to you anytime soon–or dancing, for that matter. Either option would be an unpleasant experience for both of us.

Last Friday, I was invited by LDS Philanthropies to a Blogger Luncheon to learn more about a new scholarship program for single parents.

(I’m the little hobbit in the back.)

We heard all kinds of facts and statistics about the difficulties of raising a family as a single parent. Even though I’ve been a single parent for 12 years, I was still stunned by the numbers. For instance~

Did you know that:

• 28 percent of children now live with just one parent.

• 40% of children under 18 experience a parental breakup.

• 90% of single parent families are headed by females.

• 60% of children living in mother-only families are impoverished.

• Single moms median income is only about 25% what a married couple make.

The truly moving part of the meeting was when Megan Fletcher–the sweet little gal in the middle–got up and told her story. Receiving the *Stella Harris Oaks Scholarship to LDS Business College changed her life and gave her and her daughter hope for an amazing future. And she’s positively adorable besides.

Beat that.

The kind fellows in charge of the meeting explained that they were several Scholarships short of meeting their fundraising goals for the coming year. In the month of November and through the magical powers of the blogging world, they hoped to raise $7,200 total–the cost of one full scholarship–for some deserving young parent. Hmmmm…

Helping others and offering a bit of hope is quite an inspiring thing…

but then so is a focused group of mom bloggers.

We came to the conclusion that helping one parent just wasn’t enough and that with all the incredible bloggers out there in the world–with all their amazing readers, we should be able to do much, much more.

I told them that Gracious Rain was “in.”

So, here’s the simple bottom line. If you’d like to hear Megan’s story yourself–click on the widget on the left. Then see if it doesn’t inspire you to do something…wonderful. If it does, please give, whatever you can. Any amount–no matter how small will help.

And if you’re inclined to share this message, they’ve even made that easy too–just click “Share.”

With your help, we can see to it that–

a little hope goes a long way.

:}

*Stella Harris Oaks–a single mother who raised three children alone, after the death of her husband. One son became a world renowned eye surgeon and another became a University President, State Supreme Court Justice and inspiring religious leader.

“God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage. If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.”

~unknown