CONTENTION: an act or instance of contending,
an idea or point for which a person argues, competition.
"We women can be messed up emotional little things under the best of circumstances. Thank Heavens for the wonderful men that love us." ---BoyMom [she has 7 boys...one husband !!!THANK YOU BOY MOM...!!!]
Okay, I am always dissecting words and their meanings. I find that for me the process of working through things comes from true understanding of them.
Tonight we went to an LDS Temple Open House.
I wrote on my family blog the positive highlights and infer that there are two sides to the story. [if you want an invite to my family blog, please leave your email with your comments.]
in the meantime...
This is the other side of the story.
If you aren't in the mood for a moody rambling, SKIP this and tomorrow I will post about our ANNIVERSARY celebrations. After I work a much needed forgiveness for my reaction...it should be a delightful day.
I find by looking at words, you can really move mountains...
... contention, KNOWING full well that that WORD is what caused my grief tonight amidst the peace of the Temple experience.
I even dissected the experience on I-15 as we drove out there. TELLING EVERYONE ELSE THAT CONTENTION IS the awful root of DESTRUCTIVE REACTIONS that potentially can RUIN family experiences that would OTHERWISE be meaningful memories.
CONTENTION. So destructive, and truly satan's way of COMPETING with the spirit.
Let me suggest something that I discovered. Usually in any given situation which contains CONTENTION, you just have to change a little something here or there. ie: a reaction, a choice of feeling a certain way because of someone else, forgiveness, hope, peace.
When I looked up the word contention I found the word CONTENTMENT right after contention. Actually I found a lot of words surrounding contention, and none of them were as negative. In fact they included:
contemplation: the act of thinking about spiritual things: MEDITATION
contend: COMPLETE, to TRY HARD to deal with
...change one letter...
contenT: pleased, satisfied with what one has to do.
content - 2: to make content...[imagine..an ACTION], to SATISFY
content - 3: freedom from care or discomfort
contented: satisfied, or showing satisfaction with one's possessions or one's situation in life.
and FINALLY I want to get to the word: CONTENTMENT
contentment: FREEDOM FROM WORRY OR RESTLESSNESS:
now, i find in breaking apart these words that when you get rid of ION in contention and replace it with MENT that you have such a better SITUATION.
Here is where I have to suggest that there is two more really important words and definitions.
Tonight the Temple Presentation suggested the definition of restore as being to give back, to return and to put back to use or service. They talked about the RESTORATION of the church, the gospel, and the truth that Families can be FOREVER because the church was restored and our covenants and promises, potentials were restored to us through our Prophet. I felt peace with this.
THEN I REACTED to the contention...rather than minding my own business and peacefully appreciating the moment.
So, tonight, I looked up the word contention and found contentment right next to it.
I thought how perfectly interesting. contentment has MENT, like in the word Atonement.
I have always seen the word ATONEMENT as being AT ONE ME N T....to be at one with me and Christ. The T is the cross, Christ's sacrifice for each one of us and when we become ONE with HIM, he heals us, he carries our burdens, he makes our forgiving others possible, and he makes our being forgiven possible.
All this restored to us through the gospel, and our belief in it. My believing.
So tonight's CONTENTIONS really take on a new light, as I pick apart...I guess I don't need to really do the complaining about each incident. In this new light those circumstances are forgiven and forgotten.
I sat down with the intention to vent my frustrations, thinking certainly that someone would read them and feel really sorry for me. Then I picked up one of my Family History's: The Bigler Heritage. I opened it to page 106, the middle of the book and read from Daniel Erins Autobiography written one year before his death [makes writing a bit of personal history mean so much more to me]:
quote:
"This has been one of the grandest experiences that any man could have--to live with a wife of 56 years. Oh, we've had lots of fights, but they were never serious. My father told me the night I was married, he said, "Now Erin, (he called me Erin, everyone else called me Daniel) I want to give you a little advice. Regardless of how much trouble you and Jenny get into, when you kneel down to pray you put your arm around each other and kiss each otheer good night. The next morning there'll be a happy rainbow for you." I never forgot that. That has been the thing, we have never failed.
The night we were married, we knelt down by the bed and thanked God for the privilege we've had this day in His House of receiving the blessings of eternal marriage. From that day til this, there's never been a night but what she and I have knelt together and prayed and thanked the Lord for our children, for our grandchildren, and all our friends and neighbors and people who've come about us, and pray that we may be able in a pleasing manner to impress them with the principles of the Gospel that has kept us clean and pure all our lives."
Okay, this is a bit long, and it is getting late. But I had to say that I am VERY grateful for the wisdom of these historical words, and the blessing of being pushed a bit to open the book and instead of complaining away my whoas finding a way to show GRATITUDE for being blessed. Contention turns to contentment. And while the problems that happened tonight are not yet resolved, and I have some forgiveness to ask for [my being really mean; REACTING, and such], I HAVE HOPE. And the tools to now move on.
TODAY, our 16th anniversary, which celebrations I was ready to THROW away, and said hurtful things to my husband, and decided to write a rampage rambling, has turned soft.
I have to say thanks to someone for commenting tonight:
Tonight we went to an LDS Temple Open House.
I wrote on my family blog the positive highlights and infer that there are two sides to the story. [if you want an invite to my family blog, please leave your email with your comments.]
in the meantime...
This is the other side of the story.
If you aren't in the mood for a moody rambling, SKIP this and tomorrow I will post about our ANNIVERSARY celebrations. After I work a much needed forgiveness for my reaction...it should be a delightful day.
I find by looking at words, you can really move mountains...
... contention, KNOWING full well that that WORD is what caused my grief tonight amidst the peace of the Temple experience.
I even dissected the experience on I-15 as we drove out there. TELLING EVERYONE ELSE THAT CONTENTION IS the awful root of DESTRUCTIVE REACTIONS that potentially can RUIN family experiences that would OTHERWISE be meaningful memories.
CONTENTION. So destructive, and truly satan's way of COMPETING with the spirit.
Let me suggest something that I discovered. Usually in any given situation which contains CONTENTION, you just have to change a little something here or there. ie: a reaction, a choice of feeling a certain way because of someone else, forgiveness, hope, peace.
When I looked up the word contention I found the word CONTENTMENT right after contention. Actually I found a lot of words surrounding contention, and none of them were as negative. In fact they included:
contemplation: the act of thinking about spiritual things: MEDITATION
contend: COMPLETE, to TRY HARD to deal with
...change one letter...
contenT: pleased, satisfied with what one has to do.
content - 2: to make content...[imagine..an ACTION], to SATISFY
content - 3: freedom from care or discomfort
contented: satisfied, or showing satisfaction with one's possessions or one's situation in life.
and FINALLY I want to get to the word: CONTENTMENT
contentment: FREEDOM FROM WORRY OR RESTLESSNESS:
PEACEFUL SATISFACTION
now, i find in breaking apart these words that when you get rid of ION in contention and replace it with MENT that you have such a better SITUATION.
Here is where I have to suggest that there is two more really important words and definitions.
Tonight the Temple Presentation suggested the definition of restore as being to give back, to return and to put back to use or service. They talked about the RESTORATION of the church, the gospel, and the truth that Families can be FOREVER because the church was restored and our covenants and promises, potentials were restored to us through our Prophet. I felt peace with this.
THEN I REACTED to the contention...rather than minding my own business and peacefully appreciating the moment.
So, tonight, I looked up the word contention and found contentment right next to it.
I thought how perfectly interesting. contentment has MENT, like in the word Atonement.
I have always seen the word ATONEMENT as being AT ONE ME N T....to be at one with me and Christ. The T is the cross, Christ's sacrifice for each one of us and when we become ONE with HIM, he heals us, he carries our burdens, he makes our forgiving others possible, and he makes our being forgiven possible.
All this restored to us through the gospel, and our belief in it. My believing.
So tonight's CONTENTIONS really take on a new light, as I pick apart...I guess I don't need to really do the complaining about each incident. In this new light those circumstances are forgiven and forgotten.
I sat down with the intention to vent my frustrations, thinking certainly that someone would read them and feel really sorry for me. Then I picked up one of my Family History's: The Bigler Heritage. I opened it to page 106, the middle of the book and read from Daniel Erins Autobiography written one year before his death [makes writing a bit of personal history mean so much more to me]:
quote:
"This has been one of the grandest experiences that any man could have--to live with a wife of 56 years. Oh, we've had lots of fights, but they were never serious. My father told me the night I was married, he said, "Now Erin, (he called me Erin, everyone else called me Daniel) I want to give you a little advice. Regardless of how much trouble you and Jenny get into, when you kneel down to pray you put your arm around each other and kiss each otheer good night. The next morning there'll be a happy rainbow for you." I never forgot that. That has been the thing, we have never failed.
The night we were married, we knelt down by the bed and thanked God for the privilege we've had this day in His House of receiving the blessings of eternal marriage. From that day til this, there's never been a night but what she and I have knelt together and prayed and thanked the Lord for our children, for our grandchildren, and all our friends and neighbors and people who've come about us, and pray that we may be able in a pleasing manner to impress them with the principles of the Gospel that has kept us clean and pure all our lives."
Okay, this is a bit long, and it is getting late. But I had to say that I am VERY grateful for the wisdom of these historical words, and the blessing of being pushed a bit to open the book and instead of complaining away my whoas finding a way to show GRATITUDE for being blessed. Contention turns to contentment. And while the problems that happened tonight are not yet resolved, and I have some forgiveness to ask for [my being really mean; REACTING, and such], I HAVE HOPE. And the tools to now move on.
TODAY, our 16th anniversary, which celebrations I was ready to THROW away, and said hurtful things to my husband, and decided to write a rampage rambling, has turned soft.
I have to say thanks to someone for commenting tonight:
This comment...made me think about my behavior. The influence we have on one another here is tremendous. Don't take it lightly, for your words made me rethink my reaction and now my actions to heal the hurt I caused will be softer.
And hopefully our 16th Anniversary will be as memorable as the many before, and we will be on our way to 56...g'nite and hugs and love to you...thanks for sharing our adventures! I am glad you are here with me!!!
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