Rules We Try To Live By

This hangs in my dining area where we gather daily.These rules have been in force in our Kingdom  as  long as I have been married and we just celebrated 21 years on Feb 3.

I'd like to say that these rules are read everyday by every member of my Kingdom, but they are not...
I think they are visible to everyone, but they are not necessarily read line by line as they should be, for a reminder of comfort and peace. 

I can say that when any issues arise that are adversarial, we go straight to the rules of the kingdom. If the parties involved have broken more than 5 of the rules, the phones are turned into the Dungeon for a full 7 days and grounding to the castle accompanies the seven day sentence. This may seem so lenient...5 broken rules before the 7 days, but if you notice , the majority of these rules are closely connected, so if you have broken 1, you may very well be guilty of several.

I also can report that when the guilty parties are reading over the rules after a poor choice has been made and then asked which ones apply to their issues, it is very interesting how tenderhearted they become when they have to identify the broken rules out loud.

    
How to keep a spirit of Love in our Home has been the greatest test above all others for me as the Mother or" Queen of  my Kingdom". My entire family would probably tell you that I, "THE QUEEN" have the hottest temper and that I roar the loudest. I am fierce and true to my reflection of my Leo nature. It does not always serve me as well as I would like. In keeping to my Lioness attributes, I am very protective of my cubs.

I love to watch them play with each other and enjoy  family time together. Now, in their teenage years it seems they want the normal independence of me, trying out their worldly adventures and always expecting triumphant returns. If only life worked that way.........licking their wounds is just part of the healing process, but it is hard to watch from my seat on the Throne. How will they learn if I do not let them try?

I can say that my prayers are filled with hope for strength and guidance to know what is right as their Mother?
That they will make better decisions than the day before, be a little kinder and judge a little less, be a good friend and say "I LOVE YOU"....it sounds easy enough...doesn't it?? ah only if it were so easy, than Life wouldn't be so HARD!
It seems that we only have today...and the promise of tomorrow...

I am so humbled in gratitude, that the promise of tomorrow brings me the hope of strengthening my weaknesses and it gives me another chance to endure faithfully.

I do hope that they will be forgiving of me when it comes to my weaknesses, and that they will know always  that my eternal love for them resonates above all else.

How I pray that they chose these rules to live by for their own Kingdoms someday.... 

Home Rules courtesy of www.deseretbook.com
PHOTOS courtesy of
freaking News .com
jungle walk .com
castles from google