Up late

The house is quiet, and I can't quite bring myself to go to bed. These peaceful moments are few and far between. I don't have a book to read right at the moment. I finished the first Fable Haven this morning and have to wait for my husband to finish the 2nd one before I can start it. It's very imaginative, and I recommend it to people who like fantasy books. Children's literature that an adult can also enjoy.


You know what I wish for? Peace. Peace among my children. Internal peace even amid the pressures of work, etc. I accompanied my friend kristen as she sang in church today, and the words of the hymn really spoke to me.
Be still my soul
The Lord is on thy side
With patience bear, thy cross of grief or pain
Leave to thy God to order and provide
In every change, he faithful will remain
Be still my soul, thy best, thy heavenly friend
Thru thorny ways, leads to a joyful end
Be still my soul, Thy God doth undertake
To guide the future as he has the past
Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake
All now mysterious, shall be bright at last
Be still my soul: The waves and winds still know
His voice who ruled them while he dwelt below.

The melody to this hymn is absolutely gorgeous, as are the harmonies, and so I think that most of the time when I sing or hear this hymn, I pay more attention to the music, but today I was really listening to the words. The poetry is lovely, but beyond that, isn't it comforting to think of the Lord as close by to "order and provide?" That he is nearby to "guide the future as he has the past." I wish I had thought more about this last week as I was agonizing over the school decision. I think sometimes I take things a little toooo seriously, when I should employ more trust.

I have a plan for trying to bring more peace into our home. First, I'm going to pray for it daily, and ask for this to be included in family prayers as well. I'm going to talk this all over with Trevor, too, and ask him to help me with this goal. Second, I"m going to search the scriptures for references to peace. Third, I'm going to consciously try to compliment everyone in my family at least twice a day. 4th, I'm going to handle discipline items more quickly and calmly before the explosions surface. 5th, We can center family home evening discussions on respect, love, and obedience within our family. 6th--when problems have already occurred, I want to help the kids learn remorse and repentance, sincerely. I'll be praying over exactly how to do this--besides obviously by example. I'm hoping that these efforts will help to change feelings and that we can all learn how to peacefully resolve conflicts and work through frustrations. The sibling rivalry has been really heavy lately. And everyone has been feeling stressed out, including the kids.

Be still my soul
The Lord is on thy side
l