Counseling

Lily looking beautiful at McDonalds
Two little cousins in green church clothes.
Lucas looking like an angel at his name blessing and Sammy looking a little angry.

Sunday at the park with Jensen. Here's something to think about on the Sunday before Mother's day. I'm so thankful for a responsive, valiant, unselfish mom. I have a client who’s mom was a pretty good mom until the dad had an affair. Then the mom seemed to shut down and spent her whole day in bed, only coming out to make dinner. My poor client Lisa was abused by her brothers and basically had no parents. She fell away from the church during high school but ended up at BYUI and got a testimony, married a nice returned missionary who loves her and her big problem is she just wants a mom, didn’t have a mom and now her mom does all these awful things to get attention like start fights so bad the police have to be called and gets arrested for stealing right in front of her new LDS in-laws. The woman is a selfish narcissist who needs tons of attention, but can't give love herself. Lisa cries and cries every week that she’s scared of being a mom, she doesn’t know how to do it. She’s so afraid she’ll be a horrible mom like her mom was. We’ve talked a lot about the atonement and that if you put yourself in a position to receive revelation and inspiration, the Savior helps us overcome infirmities. So she started feeling inspired to write her mom a letter and tell her that she just couldn’t have contact with her any more. One night her husband and her talked until 2:00 am about how hard and sad that was not not have contact with a toxic mom, but it had to be done and the husband said “even Nephi was commanded to cut off Laban’s head in order that a whole nation not perish in unbelief.” Then he gave her a blessing and she went to the temple. In the temple she read the psalm of Nephi and felt like it was written just for her. It is amazing to see her changing and growing every week. I am so proud of her and so thankful for the atonement. I really do believe that miracles can happen through the atonement of the Savior.

It’s fun to have JJ here. We went to the park today. He talks more every day. He calls me baggy because he can’t say grandma. I don’t particularly like the whole baggy thing, that makes me sound ....well BAGGY.