Life is good but Life is Hard.
So, what are you going to do about it?
Who am I? After years of helping, counseling, speaking, teaching and sharing, I have had many requests from people who have requested a blog and web site to share some of the things I have learned over the years. All things are spiritual, whether we think so or not. If we allow God-given principles to enter our lives, our behavior will change. I was placed in an orphanage shortly after birth. I was classified an un-adoptable because I had a leg that was shorter and didn’t have a knee area. Even though I was adopted at age three, there were some definite issues that took me a while to overcome. It wasn’t easy for me to join a family, and it wasn’t easy for them. I would say that my teen life years and my years well into my twenties were fraught with danger. I lived on the self-destructive side, for I felt as though I had no worth. Then I had a powerful experience that told me that God knew my name and what I felt and was reaching down for me. I grabbed hold and my life changed.
I eventually joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in my twenties and from that time on, my behaviors changed, and my happiness increased. Did that mean life was easy? Not at all! I got married, and I had a son who died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome almost within the first year of marriage. It was very tough, and I can remember realizing that I had a choice in front of me. I could be very bitter and angry at God (because I could feel those feelings inside of me), or I could put it all in the hands of God. I made the choice to put all of this in the hands of God and told him in a long, cold hospital hallway that night that “he was your son before he was mine. I give him back with love and gratitude that he will be eternally part of my family.” As soon as I made that decision, it was as though a powerful arm went around me and bore my agony. I was able to function and had some very powerful spiritual experiences.
Life went on and I now have four children, the youngest being a son who has Down syndrome. He is now 30. He is still bringing spiritual experiences to our lives. So, all totaled my oldest son is living in California; I have a daughter who is a teacher in the Salt Lake area and another daughter who is living in Nevada and has five “bouncing off the walls” children. Life is good. I am married, attend the temple regularly, and at present I am teaching an Adult Religion class held on Tuesdays nights. My husband and I are over the Emergency Preparedness program in our ward as well as the Young Adult program. I still teach at a university as an adjunct professor.
Professionally, I have been a principal over both a middle school and an elementary school. I have been a private counselor for well over fifteen years and longer working in the addiction fields. I have been a school counselor as well, along with my years of teaching before becoming a vice-principal and principal. I have been the counselor assigned to our EMS system here as well. I have also been an adjunct professor at Southern Utah University in their Special Education Department both in their masters and undergraduate programs for the last ten years. In my church experience I have been both a Seminary teacher and an Institute teacher in California as well as in Nevada. I have been a speaker both in California and Nevada to both youth and adults. I have been a Relief Society president and have served in a stake Relief Society presidency as well. I have trained stake leaderships on drugs and alcohol and other addictive behaviors.
So, what made all of this work?
I would like to share what made life work through all of the ups and downs. Early on, after being baptized, I realized that I would have to make some significant changes in my life to really make it back to my Father in Heaven. I spent some time really looking at my life. I had become quite atheistic and then due to a powerful spiritual experience, I looked at all religions…and then Father found me. He knew I was looking. As I looked at what I could be and what I was, I decided to make an agreement with Father. First, he could do to me whatever it would take to help me change, so that I could come home again. My part was I would not yell “Uncle”. Years later, I have changed and I have not yelled Uncle! There were some close times, but the yell didn’t come out.
Since that time, and after getting my degrees, I have worked with countless people. I believe in hope. I don’t care where a person has been; it is where are they going? So, in our own lives, as we grow, ponder, and struggle the question always is, “so what are you going to do about it?” In all of our lives, we need to ask ourselves that question when it comes to our individual needs and weaknesses. It is a question that when asked is echoed in the heavens as well. “What are you going to do about it? Would you like some help?”
So, on this site I will share some thoughts or experiences that I, or perhaps someone else has had, and will share these with you (Names withheld of course). Life is good, but life is hard. Perhaps these thoughts and shared experiences will give you hope, or cheer, or guidance. This is a site only for sharing of ideas. It isn’t a counseling site; just some life coaching. My professional counseling days are over, and I may advise you to go to a counselor, but I am happy to share what I have learned.
Love in Christ, Roberta