Morning Ritual

About 20 years ago when I was a young mother I decided that after my children left for school in the morning, I would take 30 minutes from 8:30 -9:00 a.m. to read my scriptures and write in my journal. It was a rough time for me. I had suffered a miscarriage and then kind of a nervous breakdown from the stress of four young children, a large house on an acre of land, a husband that was never home due to work and church responsibilities and other physical problems.
Last week as I was back in that dark abyss of my life, I decided to start my morning ritual again and see if maybe I could get some relief. I picked up the scriptures and then started reading a book a friend of mine gave me for my birthday in May. It is written by President Hinkley's daughter Virginia Pearce called "A Heart Like His." I just finished it this morning so I felt a need to write a little bit about what I learned or felt from this little book. She talks about filling our heart up with the love of God and then opening up our hearts to others. I know that for a lot of times in my life I have had a hard heart, a sad heart, an angry heart, and sometimes a cold heart. After Kamber passed away I would have to say I had a broken heart that I'm still in the process of mending. The very last paragraph of her book she tells us how important it is to be filled with the love of Christ. She says, " It doesn't just make life nicer or more pleasant and comfortable. Being filled with the love of God actually changes everything because it has the power to completely change us inside. You seen, over time, it changes us from the natural man into a true son or daughter of God, a sanctified being-one who has finally become like Him. And that's what we're here on earth to do-to become like Him and help other do the same." That is what I want for me and for all my family and friends to have a heart like His.