For the past several weeks I have been going through pictures and trying to organize them. Each picture created a memory and gave me a chance to reflect on how our family has evolved and grown over the years.  The experiences captured in these pictures not only tell a story, but they also create feelings of love that have deepened over time through shared experiences.  Usually, the way we process the experiences in our lives is what creates the feelings we have about that experience. Our perception of any experiences creates an emotion.  And it is those emotions that jog  our memories. There are many times in our lives when we feel something, a feeling so strong and undeniable during certain experiences.  These feelings can bring tears of joy.  Have you ever experienced something like that in your life?  I would be willing to bet we all have a time or two.  These strong, undeniable feelings can fill you with so much joy and happiness, it’s as if your very your very  soul fills up  with light, even for a moment.  These are the experiences we always want to remember.  But if we are not careful, they can be so easily forgotten. In today's episode I will share with you what I am learning about the importance of remembering, why we forget so quickly, and how we can make sure to keep these memories from fading away.  To connect with Angela AdamsShoot me an email: adamsangela707@gmail.com

Over that last three months a lot has happened with our family.  So many wonderful and hard experiences at the same time.  And in the middle of all of it,  my faith and trust in God and my Savior was stretched more than it has ever been.    In today's episode I will share this personal experience with you and how I am learning that faith and trust in God, and surrending my will to His is hard.  And it is an every day process.  To connect with Angela AdamsShoot me an email: adamsangela707@gmail.com

I am learning that after experiencing a traumatic event, your mind is constantly on high alert, just waiting for the next traumatic thing to happen.  This is quite normal, but it is not easy to go through.  In this short episode I will share an experience that is helping me to put it all into better perspective.  To connect with Angela AdamsShoot me an email: adamsangela707@gmail.com

This month was filled with celebrations, and also many "firsts".  During the first year after a loved one dies, you experience the holidays and celebrations for the first time without them, and it can be so painful.  I've struggled a lot this month, and my tears flow daily.  But as I have reflected on the memories each "first" presented, I'm seeing  the miracles we've experienced along the way.  Ronald A. Rasband reminds us that miracles are a lifeline from heaven to earth.  And I believe that 100%.  As I have been finding and reflecting upon my own miracles, the sorrow has become less heavy.  When we seek for our miracles, with even just a tiny particle of faith, God will show them to us.  To connect with Angela AdamsShoot me an email: adamsangela707@gmail.com

Over the last 8 months I am learning what it means to become resilient.  Some people think that resiliency means that you brush off your challenges, pull up your boot straps, and move on.  But as I continue on this journey, I am coming to understand that resiliency is definitely not that at all.  On today's episode I will share what I am learning  about becoming resilient and how it has helped me.  To connect with Angela AdamsShoot me an email: adamsangela707@gmail.com

There will be times in our lives when we receive strong impressions.  Sometimes those impressions make sense, but more often than not, at least in my life, they don't.  Today I will share one such impression with you and why I am so grateful that I followed it even though at the time it didn't make complete sense.I will also share with you what I learned from feeling angry.  I am realizing that anger is a natural emotion that occurs when going through any type of grief.  When it hit during these last few weeks, it was difficult.  I tried to ignore it, I judged myself for it, and then I decided to let it be there.  Today I will share where the anger was coming from for me and how I let it teach me.  To connect with Angela AdamsShoot me an email: adamsangela707@gmail.com

Two months after Jessica's death, I would consistently wake up in the middle of the night with my stomach in knots.  I would try to figure out what triggered it, using some familiar tools, but nothing worked.  In this episode I will share what I am learning to do when sleep doesn't come.To connect with Angela AdamsShoot me an email: adamsangela707@gmail.com

The way we experience grief can be so different in the way others do. One of the things I am noticing in my own grieving process is that I am moving at a much slower rate than I ever have been.  On today's episode I talk about what this looks like and how I am learning to embrace this in myself.  To connect with Angela AdamsShoot me an email: adamsangela707@gmail.com

I thought I knew what it meant to mourn with those that mourn and comfort those that need comforting.  But I didn't quite fully undersand.  In this brief episode I will share with you what I am learning and the impact it is having on my family.To connect with Angela AdamsShoot me an email: adamsangela707@gmail.com

My heart is broken, and I suppose it will be for a very long time.   As I am mourning, I am learning what it is to be comforted, truly comforted in very personal way.  Today I want to share with you what I am learning from my broken heart.To connect with Angela AdamsShoot me an email: adamsangela707@gmail.com

It's a new year.  In the past I would be excited for the new year, making long lists of resolutions and goals for myself.  But this is year is different.   Honestly, the thought of making any type of resolution or goal for this upcoming year seemed to be too much and I decided I was just going to let this year happen and push through.   But a couple of things brought me to me knees, so to speak, and helped me to figure out what it is I truly want for 2024.  Today I wanted to share it with you. To connect with Angela AdamsShoot me an email: adamsangela707@gmail.com

This Christmas is going to look a lot different for our family.  And to some, it might seem like we are going to have a terrible Christmas.  Today I will share, briefly, my thoughts as to why I will have a good Christmas this year.  To connect with Angela AdamsShoot me an email: adamsangela707@gmail.com

Four months ago my life took a very unexpected turn.  In today's episode I will share with you where I've been and the impression that has carried me through.  If you are willing to come on this journey with me,  maybe together we can learn how to embrace even the emotion of grief.   To connect with Angela AdamsShoot me an email: adamsangela707@gmail.com

I confes,  I am a self-improvement junkie, so to speak.  My bookshelf is lined with a wide variety of self-help books spanning the topics of, marriage, motherhood and parenting, spiritual growth,  goal setting, productivity, mindfulness and meditation, personal growth,  mental health, etc. In most of these types of books, the authors usually have some type of formula, or how-to tips or lists to follow  in order to succeed in  whatever the topic is they are writing about it.  And, like you, I try to do all the things, most of the time following them to a "T".  The interesting thing, though, is that I'm not always happy or successful. In today's episode I share with you another thought that has helped me understand the reason why I am not always happy or successful after doing all the things on those how-to lists.  This thought is:  What I do doesn't make me happy; what I think, does. And spoiler alert, this thought can be applied to aspect of our life.  To connect with Angela AdamsShoot me an email: adamsangela707@gmail.com

When we are feeling stressed, often our brains get stuck thinking that there is only one option regarding the situation.   For many, thinking there is only one option available, causes immediate overwhelm and sometimes even a little panic.  In today's short episode, I will teach you why your brain wants to hold onto this belief and the most effective tool to help your brain let go and step into believing that you really do have many options available when it comes to any situation.  By intentionally using this tool, the stress will disapate and you will feel much calmer and reassured.  To connect with Angela AdamsShoot me an email: adamsangela707@gmail.com

I don't believe in coincidences.  I don't.  I believe that God always has my back and what some people call coincidences, I call tender mercies.Tender mercies are described  as very personal and individualized blessings, strength, protection, assurances, guidance, loving kindnesses, consolation, support, and spiritual gifts we receive from and because of and through the Lord Jesus Christ.  (David A. Bednar)Knowing that God has my back and will bless me with the tender mercies I need, gives me hope and assurance, especially when I’m going through a personal challenge.  Tender mercies remind me that I am never alone, and knowing that gives me the strength to keep going .On today's summer short episode, I share a few personal examples when it was clearly evident that God always has my back.  God doens't work in coincidences.  He extends to us His tender mercies.To read more, vist the link below:The Tender Mercies of the LordTo connect with Angela AdamsShoot me an email: adamsangela707@gmail.com

I have come to realize that before I can make any type of improvement or progess in my life, I have to create shifts in my thinking and belief first. These shifts don't have to be big.  In fact, consistently making small shifts in my thinking have created amazig results.  Massive success doesn't always require massive action, or massive thought change.In his book, Atomic Habits, James Clear states, " by making 1% improvement in a host of tiny areas, the cumulative benefits would be extraordinary."   And I would add that this is only possible when we make those 1% shifts in thinking first.  We can do all the things on someone else’s list that they claim will make us successful, but until we make those 1% changes in our thinking, bridging the gap from unbelief to belief first, we will only get frustrated.  In this short and sweet episode I share the story of how  this principle created remarkable results for the Brittish Cycling team, as well as my own personal example.  I will also introduce how to bridge the gap between unbelief to belief.  https://jamesclear.com/marginal-gains To connect with Angela AdamsShoot me an email: adamsangela707@gmail.com

Yesterday I saw a sign that read, “Don’t look back.  You’re not going that way”.   This has become a very popular sentiment, especially when it comes to our mental health and well being.  But, I don’t fully agree with this idea of not looking back.  I think there can be real value when we look back. In this short and sweet episode I will explain the three different lenses that we most commonly look through when we "look back".  The lens of regret and shameThe lens of nostalgiaThe lens of accomplishment and growthI believe that there is a very real difference when we look back and stay in that space, vs. looking back to see where we've been.  I will share a personal example that shed some light on this for me just recently.  I do believe that sometimes looking back can actually give us the momentum to keep moving forward. To connect with Angela AdamsShoot me an email: adamsangela707@gmail.com

Sarah and I are back to discuss even more ideas on how to create positive and loving relationhsips.  It's no secret that men and women think differently, act differently, and feel love differently.  And because of this, marriage relationships require a lot of time and effort to create the love we desire.  In this episode, Sarah and I will discuss:What love looks like within a marriage, How to understand your spouse’s love language and why that is important, Why the popular belief that we can fall into or out of love anytime is not true.  Why marriage and family relationships are so importantJoin us as we share what we have discovered within our own marriage and family relationships.Below is a list of references:Carroll, J. S., Badger, S., & Yang, C. (2006, July). The ability to negotiate or the ability to love? Evaluating the developmental domains of marital competence. Journal of Family Issues, 27 (7), 1001-1032.Gottman, J. M., Coan, J., Carrere, S., & Swanson, C. (1998, February). Predicting marital happiness and stability from newlywed interactions. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 60 (1), 5-22.Gottman, J.M. & Silver, N. (1999). The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work. Terry Baker, “Don’t Let Negativism Ruin Your Marriage,” Ensign, March 2001.Chapman, G. (1992). The Five Love Languages.Lynn G. Robbins, “Agency and Love in Marriage,” Ensign, October 2000.To connect with Angela AdamsShoot me an email: adamsangela707@gmail.com

Episode 100 is here, and I knew I wanted to discuss something that is extremely important to me.  This topic is something that I am so passionate about, and one that I have devoted most of my life, my time, and my energy into.   Over the years I have learned that anything that is important to me, requires a lot of attention and work, but the rewards along the way are amazing.So the topic I chose to feature on this 100th episode is creating strong, positive and loving relationships, particularly  Marriage and Family relationships.   Of all the roles I hold in my life, being a wife and a mother are the two most important to me. Because this topic is one of great importance, I invited Sarah Curtis, an expert in the field of Marriage and Family relationships, to discuss these things with me.  I have a very special guest with me here to discuss how to create those strong, positive, and loving marriage and family relationships, because this is something we are both passionate about.  Not only is Sarah a wife and mother of five sons, she holds a Ph.D. in Marriage, Family, and Human Development and taught marriage courses at BYU for several years.  She is fun, positive and passionate about sharing her knowledge.On this episode we will be discussing:the definition of marriage competence positive Affect within your marriage what to look out for when it comes to resolving conflict within your marriageBelow is a list of references she shares:Carroll, J. S., Badger, S., & Yang, C. (2006, July). The ability to negotiate or the ability to love? Evaluating the developmental domains of marital competence. Journal of Family Issues, 27 (7), 1001-1032.Gottman, J. M., Coan, J., Carrere, S., & Swanson, C. (1998, February). Predicting marital happiness and stability from newlywed interactions. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 60 (1), 5-22.Gottman, J.M. & Silver, N. (1999). The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work. Terry Baker, “Don’t Let Negativism Ruin Your Marriage,” Ensign, March 2001.Chapman, G. (1992). The Five Love Languages.Lynn G. Robbins, “Agency and Love in Marriage,” Ensign, October 2000.To connect with Angela AdamsShoot me an email: adamsangela707@gmail.com