Floridagal

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Posts posted by Floridagal

  1. This isn't terribly far from where we live. (we are right between tampa and orlando in the woods).

    I hate seeing what has been done to Florida-once I could drive down hwy 50 and see nothing between clermont and orlando but orange groves and pastureland. Now there is absolutely NO break between clermont and orlando and the groves and pastures are gone. And yes, I hate Disney and Universal for what they have turned FL into.

    Now because of developers the area and surroudning towns where I live has been or is in the process of being rezoned NON agricultural. Understand that this used to be the green bean capital of the world out here-more peppers and peas and cuckes and melons came out of this area and shipped out of the packing houses on trains into the early 90's. No longer since developers moved in.

     

    Now, my family on my dad's side have been farmers and ranchers since before FL was a state-and now the lands out here are being bought up because the farmers and ranchers can no longer afford the taxes because everything was re calssified non agricultural...and subsequently there is more housing developments. THere is a big housing boom going on here now...really big, and very few can afford to farm.

    That being said-if this boom has to happen I at least am glad the Church will be a strong presence. I am holding on to the hope that the Church will continue the ranching and groves and such and treat the land and aquifer with respect as they build the city that is planned.

    I guess I just liked the old swampy and woodsy Florida best. :)

  2. Absolutely. And before this I was all about feeling free and unhinged by any religion. (I have studied religion just about my whole life) yet now...it's exactly as you say. I am happiest now since joining the church than on my worst day-than my happiest back then. Overall I find it ironic that I feel more free now by being in the church.

    Great stuff. :)

  3. First thing I did when I got baptised was start importing my already existing Ancestry account to familysearch and start preparing to start doing the Temple work for my family. I was really very happy to think about havin my son do my grandfather's work. My grandfather passed less than 15 years ago at the time and my son actually shares his birthdate. I quickly found out someone else did the work-and should not have as there are no relatives that anyone knows of who are in the church, (other than myself and husband and children). A recent convert cousin of mine found the same thing with HIS grandfather-same person who won't respond to emails.

    Ironically, on my mother's paternal side-the one with many LDS relatives in Utah and Iowa-there's a lot of Temple work left to be done!

    It was a little painful, so yeah the same thing has happened here.

  4. I've been a stay at home mom to my 6 well...forever, haha! Seriously-we have 6 ages 21(and newly married) 19, 17,15,7 and 2. The biggest thing I have learned is that the dishes will keep, and childhood is a short season. Go easy on yourself and have fun. Yes, housework needs to get done but it can be made fun with little ones. It really can. :)

     

    I'd also say to get the little one involved in some (age appropriate) crafts that require some time to do-clay, sewing, loom crafting. Keeps the hands and mind busy. I have been known as the craft mom for years-when things get nuts out comes the clay and glitter and glue, etc.

  5. Another voice to the chorus saying to go with your gut and give this time, his actions aren't just cold feet or 'normal'.

    That being said I don't believe 'once a cheater always a cheater'-but honestly there needs to be such a level of transparency and openess that needs to happen in order to regain trust. Is this happening? Any 'questionable' moments" that he can't explain?  Any hiding of the cell phone or anything? That's not transparency, and that is a major red flag.

     

    Anyway, yeah, listen to your Bishop and good luck.

  6. Thanks for all the help!

    I ordered the first two of the 'Work and the Glory' series and also downloaded the Church history in the fullness of times...I'm sure I will get to all the recommendations eventually. Right now I am reading 'The God who Weeps' by Givens. Anyone have any opinions about that one? (I know it's not historical-just ran across it and it looked interesting.)

  7. Morning all-

    Basically I would like to learn more about the early pioneers (before the handcarts). My (5g)grandfather and his family were Baptised early on in the church and helped build the first Temples and I would love to know more about that period in Mormon history. I don't mind if it is Non FIction or historical fiction-just basically would like to know more about my heritage in the church. Any suggestions welcome. Thanks!

  8. Very thought provoking. Genealogy is one of my favortie passtimes and I often find myself identifying as 'this much Irish or this much German or this much N.A.' etc. It is good to read something like this.

    It's good to know where you come from and I believe one can gain insight into their own nature by knowing their background (not saying you are dismissing heritage) but yeah, it's important to think on what you have posted. Thanks. :)

  9. The fact that he can't take responsibility for his actions (constantly blaming your daughter for being unemployed) is another massive red flag.

    I would say be careful. You don't have to have 'the conversation' where you gently tell him you are leaving (or he is leaving) and expect him to accept it peacefully, or to see the error of his ways and start to behave as a responsible and loving husband and step-father. You can file for a restraining order and divorce without a big conversation. I would also consider having an officer there as you move out (or ask him to leave). He is dangerous so protect yourself and your daughter.

  10. I needed Jane_Doe's perspective to understand your issue. Thanks for confirming that.

     

    I have always seen God as part of me and not foreign or controlling. The gospel is part of me. Understanding the gospel is understanding myself. If you are concerned about participation in the Church as controlling your life, maybe my perspective will help.

     

    I don't get bogged down in "church" definitions (i.e. I separate church and gospel). The church is a means of administering the gospel and therefore necessary, but I don't define myself by the church. In other words, I don't give in to all the political struggles within a ward. I don't sweat people's perception of if I am a good "Mormon". I seek to be at peace with my participation in the gospel, not church.

     

    Having said that... I am a good Mormon. I do fully participate, hold a temple recommend, have a calling, and do my visiting teaching, etc. I do it because it brings me joy and like I said, the Church is where the gospel is administered and I want the Church to be successful. But, I'm not going to let what goes on in a building dictate my happiness or my relationship to Heavenly Father.

    Thank you for this. :) Sometimes I do think 'so and so at Church  probably doesn't think I am a good Mormon' and I am trying to not let that color my perception of myself or my calling or place in the Church. I am slowly getting over a lot of self judgment and that voice of 'I'm not good enough' can often be pretty loud!

     I have been thinking deeper on it since I started this thread and I do believe it has something to do with being roughed up a lot in the past and feeling very little love as a child...and yes, there was a lot of fighting and sometimes it's hard to let that go and as Jane Doe mentioned to find or feel peace-that's hard! 

    and maybe I am waiting for the next 'shoe to drop' or that I will let my guard down and be made a fool of or something of that nature.

    Again, thanks for responding and I am feeling like I am sorting this out bit by bit.

  11. Hi Floridagal, 

     

    I don't know any magical solution to your situation, but perhaps sharing my experience will help.

     

     

    I too went through some abuse in my background.  Like you, I did eventually find healing in the Lord, through the Mormon church.  Things were great for a little while and then... I had this itch I couldn't shake.  I just felt like I had to keep moving, had to keep fighting, had to keep struggling, else... to be still felt like it was death or something.

     

    Eventually I realized that I had been fighting for so long, I didn't understand what "peace" was... and what a strange concept it was!  You want me to be happy?  And not expect the some boulders to fall out of the sky and ruin my day?  This place... it's a home... a place I can stay and be happy and safe?  What is that?  It was all so foreign...

     

    So I undertook a quest: to learn about "peace" and "home", and maybe feel them in my own heart.  It took a while, but I did eventually learn about "home", "safe", and (surprisingly) "sovereignty".  Because one of those deep fears I had, is that if I stopped fighting, that I would just become a stagnant pawn in the system-- that by accepting Christ as my King, I would loose my hard fought autonomy and my identity.... but it's not like that... and I'm struggling now to express that magnificent difference in words... 

     

    Christ is my king, but I am no pawn.  It is *essential* to God's plan that I have a choice in every little thing.  I study Him and His words, trying to emulate Him, but not in any fashion that makes me a borg drone.  Rather, I strive to emulate His deeper qualities of love, forgiveness, wisdom, etc.  And that... that makes me a greater person than I could ever be without Him at the helm.  Surrendering myself to Him was the greatest move towards true independence I have ever made.

    THIS! Yes, you have described it perfectly! It does feel like I will lose the me I fought for so strongly-it does feel like boulders will fall out of the sky. Yes, this is it. And you have really helped me with this post. thank you.

    Thanks for all the responses so far, I appreciate all the kind words!

  12. Magic? Knights? No? :D

    I have passes to the theme parks so I find myself in your neck of the woods a lot. Have you been to the LDS farm in... I think it's in Deland, or somewhere around there. I've never been but I heard it's amazing.

    Nah, my husband rigs and he does the hockey games sometimes and he digs that but I'm not a fan.

    I haven't been out to Deseret Ranch but I hear they do a good rodeo. I meant to go last year but couldn't swing it.

    I am one of those Floridians that doesn't have a whole lot of love for Disney and its ilk because we remember when it was all farmland and orange groves. :)

    But my husband does work over at universal on occasion putting in LaVoz so it's not all evil I guess. :)

  13. Very new here, been in the church about a year and a half.

     

    I will do my best not to draw this out, but I feel I should give a little background. I was raised pentecostal (my parents didn;t attend, my ggrandmother and grandparents had me in church every sunday). We're talking deep south, intense, holy rolling pentecostal in a little church in the woods. (this was the '70s but more like the 20's.)

    I got a lot of the 'your parents will be in hell cause they don't attend,' and 'you ask too many questions, you know too much about the Bible for your age so you must have evil in you' I read a lot, and actually read the Bible at a young age and had a few spiritual experiences but overall got tired of hearing I was evil because I wanted to know who cain married-etc. So I stopped going.

     

    Fast forward teenage years still interested in theology, studied many different religions, origins of Christianity, western occultism, paganism etc. Grew up, got married, had kids, decided I liked the way Judaism looked so we went to a synagogue for a couple years-that ended badly. (couldn't get over the whole Jesus thing!) I was religion-less for awhile but always, always searching and always felt led to some form of Christianity despite all my reading about the origins of Christianity, etc. (basically I was reading enough to make me feel stupid for being a believer but not enough to convince me that Jesus wasn't the Son of God.)

     

    So I have always been a huge genealogy buff and in fact my grandmother was a professional and worked very closely with the church. I made a genealogical breakthrough a couple years ago and found I am descended from Mormon Pioneers and felt a big 'click'. I study the BOM and meet with missionaries with my husband and kids and I find what I instinctively felt and knew about Heavenly father, afterlife, Jesus, are all part of the LDS faith. So we join. Everything is great in our ward-great people (a few annoyances but nothing bad) we feel loved but because of this , that and the other we haven't been to church in a few months and I want to get back but it's like I have a mental roadblock.

     

    Now it feels like I am battling pride or something.

    I feel like I can't give myself completely over to belief because of the most ridiculous reason: I will feel conquered. Yep, I will feel like I have betrayed my old Norse, fighting Irish, Native American roots by completely letting go of that fighting spirit and 'be conquered'. Now when you all stop laughing and eyerolling, understand I am as stumped by this feeling as you! :) It's like I just can't relax. Yet within all this I still don't think I have lost my testimony. I don't question if Joseph Smith was a Prophet or anything. I don't question the BOM in any BIG way. Yet I have this part of me that holds back.

    Now it may be from some physical and mental abuse in my background that I could never let my guard down and I feel like I can't let it down and have total faith in God, I don't know.

    I guess I am asking if anyone else can relate to that last bit of fighting pride.

    THanks for reading this far!

  14. Central Florida-right near  the woods and swamps. We got lotsa gators n' bullfrogs out here! (we really do! I grew up eatin my fair share of gator tail and frog legs!) That being said-right now we grow food for our family and extended family-lots of tomatoes, green peas, okra. We also have chickens, a couple hogs, looking to get some ducks. It's slow going but we're getting there! I grew up farming and ranching so it's what I love.

     

    As far as questions they are basically my own little personal crisis of faith and if anyone can relate I would always love input. I will go ahead and post them in the advice section.

    Thanks for the welcome!

  15. Howdy all-

    Just wanted to say hello. I have been a member of the church for roughly a year and a half-in a lovely ward and generally happy. I am a married stay at home mom on a little farm with 6 kids (ages span 21-2 years).

    I do have some questions regarding faith and belief in general and I feel like it would take a novel to really get all the pertinent info in there, :)

    Anyway, nice to be here and hi!