Reading "The Great Brain" to My Kids

Yesterday at the gas station I look to see a small farm truck parked a few pumps away. An older man with a cowboy hat was filling some gas cans in the back of the pickup. A feeling of gratitude sparked in me as I recognized him as my 3^rd grade teacher. I walked over to him as my vehicle was filling up, and he recognized me after almost 25 years. “I’ve been reading The Great Brain to my kids” I proudly said to him. He smiled and we shared a brief conversation, and I hope he felt the gratitude I have for him having read to us rowdy 3^rd graders. The Great Brain books by John D Fitzgerald were about a boy who grew up in a fictitious town near Cedar City, UT around 1896. The older brother, Tom, is known as “The Great Brain” and he uses his brain and his “money loving heart” to swindle almost anyone he can, but mostly his own little brother. Despite the series of stories of a possible crook in the making, Tom, often uses his brain to help others. The books always teach a lesson, and give you a few good laughs along the way.

So, last night, I read to my 3 girls in one of The Great Brain books that we picked up at the local library. We read how Tom used his brain to help an uneducated and untamed 12 year old tomboy of a girl named Dotty to learn to read, write, and get along with the other kids. Dotty’s mother died when she was young, and her father (like many of us men) had a hard time communicating with Dotty in a way that matched his love for her.[images style="2" image="http%3A%2F%2Fwww.jimmyandshelly.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2015%2F05%2Fphoto.jpg" width="541" caption="I%20love%20Mercer%20Mayer's%20illustrations!" align="center" top_margin="0" full_width="Y"]

Then came the part when Dotty receives a gift from her father.   It represented a significant sacrifice for a man down on his luck and even lower on his confidence. More so, it represented the love that he always had for his daughter, and somehow until then, wasn’t able to clearly share it. I lost it. My girls asked why I was crying, and I just told them that I understood what it means for a Dad to love his little girls. Then they all tackled me and smothered me in hugs and kisses.

What a blessing it is to be entrusted to raise these precious angels from heaven!  No matter the level of confidence. No matter our financial, social, or physical resources, we make all difference by loving them as best as we can.

So, if you’re reading to your kids already, consider The Great Brain in the line-up, and if you’re not reading to them, now is always a great time to start.

Jimmy Coray is the founder of Every Mountaintop, an addiction recovery support program that helps individuals and families overcome  the limiting beliefs and behaviors that are keeping them from blissful recovery.  Jimmy has felt the devastating effects of addiction in his own life, and is driven to reach out to strengthen and support others by connecting them with the most effective resources for success.  Jimmy is also the founder of 26 Peaks in 26 Weeks, a weekly hiking club that has hiked the tallest peaks in the Wasatch Mountains as a way of getting out of the world where the air and your mind are clear.  Jimmy shares his tips and thoughts on positive recovery on his youtube channel www.youtube.com/everymountaintop.

“I Knew Their Hearts” Jeff Olsen

I bought a copy of this book after spending the evening listening to the author tell the story.  Jeff Olsen lost his wife and small son in an accident while he was behind the wheel.  He and his older son survived the crash but came up against many obstacles on the road to recovery including several near death experiences.  These experiences helped comfort him in his time of doubt, renewed his faith in God, and solidified his testimony of life after mortality. I sobbed through most of his talk, thinking back to our own experience losing my mother-in-law and niece.  I must say that hearing it live was moving, but the parts he left out from the stage brought a new realization for me about how much my Savior and Heavenly Father really do care for us and are here for us.  This is a touching read, straight from the heart.

Find it on amazon.com, Deseret Book or your local LDS bookstore

Click here to see the author tell about one of the most touching experiences in his life (my favorite part of the book). 

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Shelly Coray is an inspiring speaker, trainer, coach, and mom. She has helped hundreds of youth and adults gain greater control over their thoughts and actions and achieve higher levels of success through her workshops, speeches and training programs. Find out more about her HERE.

Laura Story "Blessings"

After a long hard day, of my own doing, I put in my earbuds and set my phone's FM radio to scan for stations so I could listen while I washed dishes.  It finished the scan on 107.5 - K-LOVE.  I don't listen to this station all the time, but on occasion it really hits my heart strings with the right note.  This time it was perfect.  I'm grateful for inspired music that God sends us through tender hearts that listen and write what He teaches them.  Thank you Laura Story for sharing this wonderful melody. [video_lightbox type="embed" style="2" width="511" height="288" placeholder="http://www.jimmyandshelly.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/524c0c4b9894e.jpg" placeholder_width="225" placeholder_height="225" align="center"][/video_lightbox]

"Blessings"

We pray for blessings, we pray for peace Comfort for family, protection while we sleep We pray for healing, for prosperity We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering And all the while, You hear each spoken need Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things'Cause what if your blessings come through rain drops What if Your healing comes through tears What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguiseWe pray for wisdom, Your voice to hear We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near We doubt your goodness, we doubt your love As if every promise from Your word is not enough And all the while, You hear each desperate plea And long that we'd have faith to believe'Cause what if your blessings come through rain drops What if Your healing comes through tears What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us When darkness seems to win We know that pain reminds this heart That this is not, This is not our home It's not our home

'Cause what if your blessings come through rain drops What if Your healing comes through tears What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near

What if my greatest disappointments or the aching of this life Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy What if trials of this life The rain, the storms, the hardest nights Are your mercies in disguise

Writer(s): Laura Mixon Story, Liz Story Copyright: Story Duke Music, Laura Stories, New Spring Publishing Inc., Warner-tamerlane Publishing Corp.