Move from Barriers to Breakthroughs!

After taking a year off of my mentoring to focus on my little darling Gabriella, I am back at it!   After seeing the doctor recently with Gabriella, she has gone from below 0% to 40 % in height and weight and went from being malnourished and lethargic to energetic and rambunctious!   It’s amazing what love, encouragement and good nutrition can do.

The same is true for ourselves!  I’m excited to share some powerful tools and to be working with some wonderful individuals.  I hope that you’ll consider joining us!

The mentoring program is symbolically represented by a fruit tree.

We will focus first on the roots – nourishing the body, heart, mind and soul.   Second, we will focus on the trunk – developing structure and support in our daily lives (am/pm routines, daily/weekly schedules, effortless meal planning and shopping, dressing your truth, etc.). Third, we will focus on the branches – discovering your purpose and passion in life.  Fourth – the fruit represents your gift and offering to the world.  By the end of the program, you will share with the group what this is for you and how you’ll change the world for the better because of it .  The weekly calls will be Friday from 1-2 pm Mountain time (the calls will also be recorded for you to refer back to or if you happen to miss a call). We will begin April 6 and will run for 6 weeks.    Please respond back to me if you are interested in participating: stacy@stacyharmer.com.  The mentoring program is $97.00, but for the month of March, I am offering all of it for only$39!  But, if finances are an issue for you, please talk to me personally, and we can work something out.

You can click on the testimonials tab to see what others have said that have participated in past programs.  I’d love to connect with you!

My Favorite Christmas Traditions

What a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend we had!  It was filled with family, food, music, games and holiday decorating.  Now it’s officially okay to focus on Christmas .  I love Christmas traditions and below are some of my favorites:

1.  Going to the Festival of Trees-  I’ve taken my kids to the Festival ever since my oldest children were just young.  I can’t hardly walk down an aisle without my eyes filling with tears as I witness the love of so many people coming together for such a good cause.  Most of the trees are dedicated to loved ones that have passed on, and each tree is filled with so much love and with memories of the lost loved one.  The fun children activities are always a highlight as well as the hot scones!

2.  A Christmas Carol- This classic play is such a great story of redemption and changing one’s life around to fill it with goodness and generosity.  We’ve taken our kids for many years to this play at the Hale Center Theater and love to go out to dinner afterwards.

3.  A Candlelight Christmas – Last year was the first year we had tried this, but it was a lot of fun.  It is at This is the Place – Heritage Park.  There are decorated pioneer homes, crafts, carolers, hot chocolate, train ride and fires to warm your hands.  We’ll be doing this again this year.

4.  Scripture Advent – This is another tradition we’ve done for many, many years.  It is entitled:  In Search for Jesus.  Starting on December 1st, we read a scripture passage exemplifying one of the traits of Jesus.  We do this by candlelight and also add in a Christmas story afterwards.  If you are interested in getting a copy of the daily scriptures, just email me, and I can send it to you.

5.  Stew Dinner – This is a Harmer tradition, and we read a sweet story every Christmas Eve about a family that had so much love even if they didn’t have all of the material blessings.   Then we have a stew dinner.

6.  Nazarene Dinner – This is one of my favorites.  We usually do this on a family home evening before Christmas.  We dress up in clothes like they would wear during the time Jesus lived.  We sit around and have a dinner on the floor like they would.  We eat the foods they would eat – dried meat, olives, grapes, cheese, crusty bread  and then share what gift that we are going to give the Savior for the upcoming year.

7.  Nativity Play – We get together with extended family on Christmas eve and have our stew story and dinner and then the cousins dress up and act out the nativity.  We sing songs and exchange cousin gifts.

I love the Christmas season!  Families are gathered, music is played, gifts are shared, and  hearts are softened.  Enjoy the holidays!

What I’m Grateful For

My little daughter, Isabella, is giving a talk in Church this week on Thanksgiving.  As we were preparing it, we decided that she would talk about all of the things she is grateful for.  She started listing things off…..my family, butterflies, birds, flowers, the world and Jesus.  I love looking through the eyes of a child.  Everything is so wonderful.  It got me thinking of what I’m grateful for.  There are too many items to list, but I have to say that one over arching thing for me is to be a mother.  I received a birthday card this year from my oldest son.  It stated, “…..I love how much you love being a mother – I mean, you’re still at it 23 years later!”  It seems crazy how long I’ve been at this, but I do admit, I do love being a mom.  What an absolute blessing it has been in our lives to add our little Gabriella Grace to our family this year.  Losing a child was definitely the hardest thing I had ever experienced.  Olivia is always in our hearts and has still been a blessing to us in her absence.  I feel her in the breeze, in the sunsets, in the flowers and butterflies, and I see her love in my other children.  It is interesting how loss in many ways has bound us closer together.    My heart feels like it will burst sometimes with the feelings of gratitude and love I have for my family and Father in Heaven. I see His goodness and am grateful for the adventures we have every day!  Today, we sang songs, read stories, cleaned up toys, played paper dolls and tonight we get to watch our son, Hunter, play his first basketball game of the season.  With all of the riots and unrest going on in the world, I’m grateful for home, family, my faith and all of the experiences that weave those things together.

5 Ways to Increase Your Happiness NOW!

When was the last time you were truly happy?  What did it look like?  What did it feel like? The key to happiness is identifying the things that bring true joy into our lives and do them more often!  I’ve identified 5 things that you can do immediately to raise your happiness quotient.

1.  Simply receive God’s love for you.  Are you ready to receive it?  It is a free gift and can only be received by faith.  He loves us because He wants to, not because we deserve it.  His love is unconditional and never ending.  If you have a hard time believing that he really does love you, begin by stating out loud that He does and take notice of every manifestation of His love.  I find so much of His love in the beauty of nature around me.

2.  Connect with other people.  Relationships are the heart of happiness.  If you want to be happy, be a true friend.  Especially be a good friend to the most important people in your life…. your spouse, parents, children, friends, etc.  Make a conscious commitment to being the most loving person that you absolutely can.  When you set this as your intention, you attract so much love back into your life, and there really is no difference between happiness and love.

3.  Live in gratitude.  The more you practice gratitude, the more you will be grateful for. When we have an attitude of gratitude, we are living in the “present”.  Being “present” is a “gift” to all those that we associate with.  For more ideas on gratitude, check out my post on Tips on Being Thankful.

4.  Let go of your hurt and pain.  This may be easier said than done, but when we hold onto a grievance, we cannot be happy.  Resentment keeps us stuck in the past, while forgiveness brings us back to the present.  Keeping a grudge is really a decision to keep suffering. Resentment is like a ball and chain and forgiveness will set you free again.

5.  Have fun!  We have many responsibilities, but we shouldn’t forget to do fun and enjoyable things in our lives.  Make a list of the activities that are fun for you, and make a point to do them often.  When we can laugh and relax, we relieve stress and can live more in the present.  Make memories with the people you care about most.  A family that plays together, STAYS together!

Transform Your Mind

I know the power of thoughts! Unfortunately, I used them in a negative way to almost completely destroy myself. I didn’t realize what I was doing at the time, but I was digging a pit deeper and deeper for myself. The journey out of the pit and to the promised land has been an adventure indeed. The amazing thing is that I believe that my path was to go to the pit, the dark abyss, for a time to know what it really feels like to be lost and alone. It has birthed a new level of compassion within me for those that are struggling that I never had before. I feel so deeply for those that have lost hope and struggle with depression, anxiety, grief, pain and low self worth.

I realize that I had placed so much of my worth in the label I had as a mother. I wanted nothing more than to be a wonderful mother. When my little daughter, Olivia, unexpectedly passed away in her sleep following a brief illness, so did my worth and value in my own eyes. I felt as though I had failed her, God and myself. I didn’t get angry with God, but I did take my pain and anger out on myself. I crucified myself with my own thoughts, and in doing so, I spiraled down to the dark place.

So why is this liberating to me? If I could create a Hell with my own thoughts, then I had that much power to create a Paradise for myself. We really are creators of our own destiny. In Romans 12:2 it reads “…..be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind……” We need to think different thoughts and look at life differently. As we fill our mind with the TRUTH about who we are and have always been, our inner lives become transformed. Our outward actions are an expression of the inner transformation.

In my own experience, that transformation comes as we allow Jesus Christ to change our hearts. When we seriously take His name upon us, He begins our transformation from the inside out. It doesn’t happen over night and may seem very slow at times. He has given us permission to leave our past behind and move forward in faith.

I really love the poem by Helen Mallicoat ~

I WAS REGRETTING THE PAST,

AND FEARING THE FUTURE…..

SUDDENLY MY LORD WAS SPEAKING;

“MY NAME IS I AM.” HE PAUSED.

I WAITED. HE CONTINUED,

“WHEN YOU LIVE IN THE PAST,

WITH ITS MISTAKES AND REGRETS,

IT IS HARD. I AM NOT THERE.

MY NAME IS NOT I WAS.

“WHEN YOU LIVE IN THE FUTURE,

WITH ITS PROBLEMS AND FEARS,

IT IS HARD. I AM NOT THERE.

MY NAME IS NOT I WILL BE.

“WHEN YOU LIVE IN THIS MOMENT,

IT IS NOT HARD.

I AM HERE.

MY NAME IS I AM.“

Have a joyful journey in transforming your mind!

Tips for Being Thankful

Welcome to my blogsite!  I hope you’ll stop by often.  I feel a great passion and drive to help others heal from past wounds, find clarity and live joyful, purpose driven lives. November is the month of Thanksgiving and a time when we focus on gratitude.  Below are a few tips and activities to do this month.  As you do these, be prepared to have the floodgates of love and joy open in your life.  Another benefit is when our lives flow with gratitude and praise, we develop a greater immunity to paths of darkness.

Tip #1 – Before you get out of bed in the morning or fall asleep at night, think of 10 things that you are grateful for.  Make this a daily practice.  Once we seriously start praising God for our blessings, our troubles and burdens seem to lighten.

Tip #2 – When someone does something nice for you, let that person know how much you appreciate it.  A simple smile, note, phone call, text or facebook message can really brighten someone’s day.

Tip #3 – Even with every difficult trial we go through, there is a lesson to be learned and a silver lining.  Think of a challenge you’ve had recently.  Who have you become because of it?  What character trait have you developed?  Not everyone can rejoice and give thanks for their suffering, but we can give thanks in the midst of it.  Believe it or not, God has our well being in mind, and we can trust that whatever happens in life will work out for good, if we continue serving and loving Him.