Slowing Down

Slowing down has not been a part of my lifestyle pattern for quite some time.  I have almost prided myself on packing as much into a day as I can.  In the most recent General Conference,  President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Second Counselor in the First Presidency said,

"Isn’t it true that we often get so busy? And, sad to say, we even wear our busyness as a badge of honor, as though being busy, by itself, was an accomplishment or sign of a superior life."

As a stay-at-home mother I spend a lot of time with my children but as I look at my daily interactions I realized that I have found lots of ways to spend less and less time actually interacting with my children and even my spouse.  Of course I do not need to spend every waking hour interacting with my children (see my previous post here) or my spouse, but I do want to be sure I am not actually avoiding spending time with them.  President Uchtdorf counseled:

"Let us resolve to cherish those we love by spending meaningful time with them, doing things together, and cultivating treasured memories."

Over the past week I have consciously made efforts to slow down a little.  To take time to have more meaningful interactions with my family and also to take time to relax and listen for the quiet whisperings of the Spirit.  As a result I have had more promptings from the Spirit and I have enjoyed spending a little more meaningful time with my family.  

Surprisingly, the things I was doing to fill up my time have not been missed!