Emily Belle Freeman - Love Life and See Good Days

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Photo credits: p. 10, Anan Kaewkhammul/Shutterstock; p. 11, Thinkstock; p. 26, Don Bayley/iStockphoto; p. 52, Kali Nine LLC/iStockphoto; p. 60, Gordon Dixon/iStockphoto; p. 74, Silke Dietze/iStockphoto; p. 90, Jeffrey T. Kreulen/Shutterstock; p. 120, Hayley Alberts Photography. All other photos courtesy of the author.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Freeman, Emily, author.
Love life, and see good days / Emily Freeman.
pages cm

Acknowledgments

With much gratitude...

To Amy Sabin, Sarah Smith, and Verda Dallon for welcoming me into the conversation that is your life.

To Fred, who introduced me to the Story Tree on the Trail of Wonder in Coalville, Utahmany of these pages were crafted under those shady boughs.

To my mom, Megan, and Grace, who accompanied me through many of the learning moments that fill these pages. It is our crazy excursions that make life especially sweet. I wont ever forget our early-morning drives through Pleasant Grove, the dandelion fields of Heber, or the long walks to the beach for French fries on a stick and pink cotton candy.

To a great team at Deseret Book. Emily Watts, who was my editor second and my friend first. Your love of words and your gift for phrasing are truly remarkable. Jana Erickson, who has a unique vision for making words on paper become an experience for the heart. Laurel Christensen, cheerleader extraordinaire, for your suggestions, ideas, and support. Shauna Gibby, thank you for welcoming my thoughts. Tonya Facemyer, I wont ever forget you at the back of the chapel with this galley held close to your heart. You are good to me.

And, after all, to Greg, who married me even though I was a rainbow chaser, and who has found as much joy in that pursuit as I do.

Introduction

Love Life, and See Good Days

Several years ago my husband, Greg, was called upon unexpectedly to travel to China. He would leave on December 26, and he wouldnt return home until the kids were back in school, which meant he would miss all of Christmas break. I was worried that the Christmas holiday would be ruined, so I decided to try to salvage it by taking my four kids up to Heber, a small town in the mountains of Utah, to stay in a cabin with some of my extended family. All of my kids had purchased season ski passes, so on our way to the cabin I stopped at Costco and bought some inexpensive passes for myself, thinking that if we went skiing every day, the time would pass more quickly.

That was a really good idea for the first two days, but by the end of the third day I could no longer walk. I dont ski that often, and I was using muscles I hadnt used for a very long time. When we returned home on that third day, I went right downstairs and put on my pajamas. Now, you need to know that my pajamas were cute! The pants were black flannel with red and cream stripes. I put on a red thermal shirt that matched, along with a cream-colored hoodie lined with fur.

After changing, I came upstairs to the kitchen to find that my mom had made white chicken chili for dinner. I love white chicken chili, but my kids dont. So I decided I would run down to the little market and buy chicken nuggets and French fries for them. That way everyone would be happy. My two sisters-in-law were sitting at the kitchen table, and I asked them, Do you think it would be a big deal if I wore my pajamas to the grocery store?

Their reply? No, you will be there for five minutes; no one will even notice what you are wearing.

So I went to the store. As I drove into the parking lot, my cell phone started to ring. I answered as I walked into the store. Just inside the doors there was a Redbox machine, and I immediately noticed there was no one in line. (As I am sure you are aware, that never happens.) I had three DVDs in my purse that needed to be returned, and I decided right then and there that this was my chance! I would return my DVDs while I finished talking on the phone.

I dont know if you know this, but the Redbox is the slowest machine ever invented. I stood there and patiently waited while each of the three DVDs was returned to its correct location in the box. By the time I was inserting the third DVD, a line had formed behind me. So, as I happened to be first in line, I decided to rent another movie for the night. To make things even better, the movie I wanted was right there on the first screen, so I selected it and waited for the movie to vend.

As I waited, a lady from the back of the line came up to me and asked, Are you on the phone? I looked at her and smiled and waved. Of course I was on my phone; she could see me talking into it. She continued, Because you cant use this machine while you are talking on the phone. Now, in my defense, I thought she was telling me that you dont have to be a rocket scientist to use the Redbox machine, so I giggled and winked and waved again, and she got back in line.

My phone call ended just as my DVD came out of the slot. As I turned to leave, the woman from the back of the line returned and said, You are rude! And youre wearing your pajamas! I was mortifiedand not quite sure what the correct response would be. I took my DVD and my cart and wandered into the grocery store, completely forgetting why I had come.

I walked aimlessly through the produce section, thinking to myself, That lady is right, I should never have been talking on my cell phone while I was using the Redbox, I am rude. By the time I got to the frozen food section I was saying to myself, What were you thinking? You should never have come to the grocery store in your pajamas! How embarrassing! By the time I got to the checkstand I was thinking, If you would just act your age and hadnt gone skiing for three days in a row, you wouldnt have had to put on your pajamas at five oclock in the afternoon. By the time I got into the car I was thinking, If you were a better mother you would have taught your kids to eat white chicken chili and then you wouldnt have had to come to the store for chicken nuggets and this would never have happened. By the time I drove to the first stop sign I was in tears. Greg was in China and I had managed to ruin the entire Christmas holiday.

I walked into the house past my two sisters-in-law, who were still sitting at the kitchen table, and said, The pajamas were a bad idea! They watched me in silence as I opened the bags and started throwing frozen nuggets and fries onto two cookie sheets. Finally one of them asked what had happened. By the time I finished telling them, we were all hysterical with laughter. Through her laughter, one sister-in-law asked, Why didnt you tell her, I know I am wearing my pajamas, I dressed myself? (Why is it you never think of the right thing to say in the moment?)

Isnt it amazing how one second we can be completely on top of the world, and all it takes is one person questioning our actions to make the whole world come crashing down around us? We begin to doubt ourselves. We become engulfed by discouragement. Sometimes these moments are funny, like when we wear our pajamas to the grocery store. But sometimes these moments are painful, like when we begin to doubt our abilities as a mother, a spouse, or a friend. We wonder if we can receive answers to prayer; we question our ability to understand the scriptures. All of a sudden it doesnt feel like a good day anymore. In those moments, it is hard to be happy.