I love check marks.

Remember last month when I said that I was going to read the Book of Mormon before my birthday?  Well I did it!  I actually finished this last weekend.  It was awesome.  It really helped me to refocus my life.  I found that I would turn off the TV more so that I could squeeze in some reading time.  I found myself wanting to play more with Jack and read to him.  It was a good month.  When I finished, Ben asked me if there was anything that stuck out to me when I was reading, it made me think. 

Here is what I gained/learned:

• An appreciation for my kids.  When I was reading in Third Nephi when the Savior came to the people on the American continent, he wanted to spend time with the children.  He took each child one by one and blessed them and prayed for them.  When He had blessed each one, He said "behold your little ones."  I know that Christ knows each one of us, and that our children are precious to Him.  That each of us is precious to Him. 
• As I started putting more energy into reading, I felt closer to my Savior.  As I felt closer to the Savior, my relationships also grew stronger.  I found that as I spent more time reading and pondering what I was reading, I felt an increase of love towards those around me. As soon as that happened, it was easier to have patience with my kids, my husband, and myself.  Reading truly helped me become more Christ-like. 
• I gained an appreciation for those who wrote the Book of Mormon.  Many times, they mention their weakness in writing.  Sometimes I think when we put ourselves out for others to judge, we can be quite hard on ourselves.  Like writing a blog, speaking in church, teaching a lesson, calling a friend when you have the feeling they might need to talk, or making new friends.  However, when we follow our promptings, the Lord will give us the ability and strength to do what we need to.

I am grateful for this month that I had to really put a lot of effort into reading the Book of Mormon.  It has blessed my life.