This is a quote that I thought I’d share:
“Sometimes, my dear sisters, you feel inadequate and ineffective because you can’t do all that you feel you should. Rather than continually dwelling on what still needs to be done, pause occasionally and reflect on all that you do and have done. It is most significant. The good you have done, the kind words you have spoken, the love you have shown to others, can never be fully measured.” ~Thomas S. Monson
Happy Sabbath!
Love,
Laura
Hello friends! I am going to be on a webinar tomorrow, telling my story about my journey of mental, emotional and physical health over the last decade. If you’d like to join us, click on the link below. 7pst tomorrow night.
From my sister, Emily Shill of Shillmed:
“For anyone who knows and loves my sister Laura, she has graciously agreed to be my guest speaker on our webinar tomorrow night (7 pm). Our topic this month is self-care, and she has agreed to share her amazing story of overcoming significant health challenges, and achieving her best possible mental, emotional and physical health. I’ve already read her outline and she has some amazing insights to share. We would love for friends to join us!”
Sometimes I forget how long it’s been since I’ve had littles. You know- little babies, little toddlers, little elementary school kiddos. Littles. It’s been a while. This picture was taken when my youngest turned 1- 11 years ago! All mine are over 10 now and they can wipe their own faces, pee without oversight, and put themselves in bed (maybe more importantly- back in bed!). Halle-freaking-luia!
A few weeks ago I had a lovely conversation with my little sister, Robin. She has 4 littles and is a wonderful mother. After we talked, I was thinking about the load a young mother carries and wondered what I could do to support her. The thought came to my mind, “Tell this mother she is loved.” I thought how important it is for young mothers to know they are loved, and that their sacrifices don’t go unnoticed. I thought of how the excitement and fulfillment and joy of this motherhood stage happens during this time when our souls are stretched often way past capacity and we are often exhausted. It’s both.
I didn’t want to paint a picture of “motherhood is so much work, so hard and exhausting”- because I think that doesn’t represent the joy and delight of this stage. But I did want to be honest about the challenges that come with the little ones, and to send the message that Mom’s needs matter too, and there are moments when we as Moms can stop and breathe and do something to care for ourselves. After all, we are not alone in this most important work.
This song is dedicated to Robin Perry- Love ya, Sis!
Love
Laur
Hello friends! Hope you are having a great kickoff to your week! Today I finished my Creation! Literally! I wrote a song called Creation, as I referred to last post, and here it is! I have previously gotten so bogged down in the creative process that I’m trying to go as simple as I can and still get my message across. Today it’s all about the process of creating.
The most helpful thing I discovered recently is that writing music is a lot like going to the gym to work out. I have a new gym membership so instead of being part of the Core 620 classes 3x/week, I am going to a gym and choosing what to do. Every time I go, I need to make time to warm up so I don’t require my muscles to get up and going in 10 seconds flat, I need some time to get a good workout, and I need some time to cool down and stretch. I’ve realized that I can use this same template for writing music. Warm-up. Workout. Cool-down. I can’t expect my brain to just get in gear in 10 seconds and go hard for hours. I can play around with what warms up my creativity, gradually move into deeper work, and then cool down with something inspiring, or journalling, or walking to think about what I’ve been working on…etc. I’m hopeful that I can get into a really consistent routine this summer, writing/editing/recording about an hour a day. We’ll see how it goes!
This recording was done on my phone so you actually can’t hear the lyrics real well. Maybe I’ll do a nice recording with my new microphone later. Maybe not. Either way, you can follow along with the words on the sheet music if you’d like!
Toodles!
Love,
Laura
What do you think of creating? Stepping into the unknown…wishing you had some directions, wond’ring why you feel alone.
This is the first verse to my new song! This song is all about my experience with creating. It expresses the discomfort, the encouragement I need to give myself, the beautiful discoveries in the process, and the unfinished business that is music writing.
A few weeks ago, I read an article that talked about how we need to “sit chilly.” (See https://stevenpressfield.com/2011/03/sit-chilly/). I love this concept which refers to sitting on a horse and tolerating the fear without being fearful (and communicating that to the horse!). In the chorus it says “Feel the cool breeze and embrace it.” I am learning how to do that!
Have a happy Saturday!
Love,
Laura
MELODIES OF LIGHT 