Gratitude

The other day I couldn't help but remember blessings that have been streaming into my life so I thought I would list a few:

- Family that is close in proximity and relationship
- Health
- Health of family
- Air conditioned car and home (this was especially true this summer)
- Car that runs and won't leave me stranded in the ghetto
- Job that doesn't require me to travel to the ghetto anymore
- Job where I can help people
- The Gospel (this encompasses a lot and what I am feeling most grateful for)
- Friends who understand my point of view
- Live in America, land of freedom
- Being a woman at this time with all the rights that accompany this time in the world
- Being a woman period.
- The freedom to have a blog and voice my opinions
- Pets. I love small creatures and appreciate having them around.
- My education. My time at BYU helped me solidify my testimony and opened doors. Earning my master's degree in psychology helped me develop emotionally and put me in a position where I can help others.
- The ability to involved politically in my community.
- Technology

What Matters Most

I fell in love with this video. I was checking my facebook one last time before going to bed on 9/11/11. I had spent the day feeling a mixture of feelings ranging from sad to agitated to peaceful. I was all over the place emotionally that day. And a relative posted this video. As I watched it, my frustrations melted away and I was reminded that it's okay to laugh, smile, and be grateful to be alive. It's important to remember what matters most.

Peace

"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." - John 14:27

The Reality of Faith

I stumbled across Elder Richard G. Scott's talk, "The Sustaining Powers of Faith in Times in Uncertainty and Testing." And if ever there was a time that we were in times of uncertainty, now was it. I find that when I take these principles into action, my faith is increased and I am filled with joy. When I don't, confusion surrounds me.

"...never doubt the reality of faith. You will gather the fruits of faith as you follow the principles God has established for its use.

Some of those principles are:

• Trust in God and in His willingness to provide help when needed, no matter how challenging the circumstance.

• Obey His commandments and live to demonstrate that He can trust you.

• Be sensitive to the quiet prompting of the Spirit.

• Act courageously on that prompting.

• Be patient and understanding when God lets you struggle to grow and answers come a piece at a time over an extended period."

Reminder of Faith

“Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” - Hebrews 11:1

"Only when our faith is aligned with the will of our Heavenly Father will we be empowered to receive the blessings we seek." - Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin October 2002 Conference

“Faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith.” - Ether 12:6

9/11

September 11, 2001 - I was at home in Provo, Utah and my older sister (and roommate) received a call stating that a plane flew into a building in NYC. She and I couldn't get it on tv so we rushed up to BYU campus. I had to work so I ran from building to building, watching the televisions in various buildings with what seemed like all of campus. I arrived at work and stood with dozens of students crammed into a lobby of the business building of campus and watched in horror what occurred. My younger sister was working in the same building and ran to my work with horror on her face as she said the pentagon was hit - we had an uncle that worked in the pentagon. We ran back to the lobby and watched and prayed and waited. Later, BYU held a prayer meeting and the building was packed. We cried and prayed. I felt like my heart broke that day. My uncle lived but so many didn't.

What I choose to think of today are the brave men and women who fought back on the flight in Pennsylvania. I think of the firefighters, police, paramedics, civilians, preachers, and so on that ran in to save those who were trapped.

"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." - John 14:27

Love Is

What a great video! Love is good. Binding. Eternal.

Good Things To Come

I am pretty sure I have posted this video before but I had to post it again. It's one of my favorites. I sure love Elder Holland and his reminder that good things are to come. Stay with it. Have faith and be believing.

"Don't you quit. You keep walking. You keep trying. There is help and happiness ahead. Some blessings come soon, some come late, and some don't come till heaven. But for those who embrace the Gospel of Jesus Christ, they come. It will be alright in the end. Trust God and believe in good things to come."

Girl America To The Rescue!

Life is interesting. One moment, you're blissful and content, the next you're in the throws of sadness and confusion. It's not that I am bipolar or anything, it's just that every so often, my buttons get pushed. Lately that button has been the "why am I not married with kids" button. And it's come at a weird time. I have been so grateful for my life - good job, close friends and family, church, callings, hobbies...everything is good. And then out of nowhere it seemed, my button got pushed.

I called my friend Girl America and poured out my heart and soul. (As an aside, one of the things I love about my friendship with Girl America is that I can call and say "my world is falling apart" or "my heart is broken" and we start the conversation there. We don't have to spend 30 minutes working our way into a conversation.) Anyway, one of the things I love about Girl America is her constant connection with the Gospel. She immediately recognized that Satan, or as she calls him, Uncle Lui (Loui, Lewey...not sure how she spells it) was whispering in my ear and hopping up and down all over my insecurities. She was 100% correct and after a few tears, I had regained my perspective. I have a good life. I have been blessed. My Heavenly Father loves and blesses me. And I will be faithful no matter what, even if things don't happen in my own time.

The blessings of the Gospel are true. You can ignore them or run from them but the truth of the matter is if you are faithful and endure to the end, Heavenly Father will bless you. Heartache in this life due to sin and missteps can be avoided. Eternal joy is possible. Sometimes I just have to be reminded. :)

Pioneer Woman

I have fallen in love with a new blog, The Pioneer Woman. Ree is amazing. I love reading about how her entire life was flipped upside down by the love of her love and she went from city gal to country woman. It's a great blog...check it out!

Surviving

I know I have said this before, but I love Stephanie Nielson. She is the blogger who suffered severe burns in an airplane accident. What I appreciate about Stephanie, or NieNie as she is called, is that she is surviving. While she survived the plane wreck, on a daily basis she has to make decisions about whether or not she will continue to survive and so it becomes an action verb...surviving. I read this post and was reminded how simple and easy my life is.

Happy Pioneer Day!

Happy Pioneer Day! What a great opportunity to celebrate the sacrifice of wonderful people who have gone before! Pioneers, whether or not they are related by blood, are related by belief. Because of early pioneer efforts, my church family has grown.

My mom was also a convert to the Gospel and has been a modern-day pioneer. I think of President Hinckley's talk on not being the weak link... I am grateful all the pioneer's sacrifices, which were great.

Awake, My Soul!

While watching Elder Jeffrey R. Holland's talk, Place No More For The Enemy of My Soul, several thoughts came to mind and I desired to share them.

- The first thing that struck me was how much Elder Holland loves his Savior and the people of this church. This message in particular, shows his passion and love. He is pleading with us to make good choices. He refers to unwanted thoughts as "rascals," which I loved.

- I was struck by how much power righteous children of Heavenly Father have, especially when living worthy of having the Holy Ghost. On a daily basis, I do not think of myself as powerful. I go through my life, day by day, and accomplish the tasks set before me, but rarely do I think of myself as a powerful woman. Imagine superman walking through the world as Clark Kent, having a desire to save others but not knowing his real potential. I was reminded that as children of a loving Heavenly Father, we have endowed powers. If worthy, we can have the Holy Ghost with us always and spread light and life where we trod. When we feel insignificant, it is Satan using the tools at his disposal to chip away at the greatness of our inheritance. We are more than we think we are. If I can remember that, every decision of my day will be better.

- The final thing that hit me is that I need to make sure that each place I am needs to be a place He could be. If the Spirit cannot dwell in my home or be with me throughout my day, I should change how I live. As I listened to Elder Holland, I found myself evaluating the media of my day. Do the shows I watch or music I listen to invite the Spirit?

How grateful I am for a loving Heavenly Father who loves me and wants me to return home to Him. I love the leaders of the Church and appreciate the sacrifice they make to spread the Gospel. I pray to live the life my Father would have me live.

“Awake, my soul! No longer droop in sin. Rejoice, O my heart, and give place no more for the enemy of my soul.” (2 Ne. 4:28)

Watch Your Step - A Pleading Based In Love

I loved this video and the pleading in Elder Holland's voice. It reminded me of how much Heavenly Father loves us and has given us choice. Satan can tempt us but we have the right to choose. What a wonderful gift from a loving Father in Heaven. May we make choices that lead us home, even in the midst of the but if nots of life.

Not Alone

One lesson that has become clear over the past month or so is that I am not alone. Sometimes as a single gal, I feel misunderstood which leads to feelings of loneliness. I have been blessed with a wonderful ward filled with sisters from all walks of life. It is a good reminder that there are many different types of heartaches that occur that can lead a woman to feel alone - never married, widowed, divorced, unable to bear children, losing a child...the list goes on and on. What is so important to remember is that a person's life circumstance does not define them. And when someone labels themselves and holds to the label, they can miss out on so much of life.

Soon I will be moving and leaving the ward I love so dearly. I am grateful for the remembrance of this lesson so that as I enter my new "family," I can focus on the person not the title. As I do so, I believe Heavenly Father will bless me to see each person for who they are.

Missed!

Aaahhhh blog, I have missed you. I know I stray from your periodically as life gets crazy but this last absence was too long. Now that the virus has left the computer, I hope to visit you more often. :)

Happy Indepedence Day!

Happy 4th of July! What a wonderful day! I am so grateful for opportunity to live in this land of freedom and liberty. Each year on this day, I read the first chapter in 2 Nephi, which talks about the promises of this country and serves as a warning if we turn away from our Father in Heaven. I have included some of the verses below. May our Heavenly Father be with those in harms way defending our freedoms this day.

And now it came to pass that after I, Nephi, had made an end of teaching my brethren, our father, Lehi, also spake many things unto them, and rehearsed unto them, how great things the Lord had done for them in bringing them out of the land of Jerusalem.

To Be Who We Are Supposed To Be

Wow, it has been a long time since I last wrote. My computer caught a virus and it's taken me this long to get it fixed. I procrastinate things I don't understand and something I don't understand well is computers. :)

The lesson in Relief Society today was amazing. It was based on a talk of Elder Maxwell's that discusses foreordination. The point the teacher was making was that there is a role that we have been foreordained to do. Our job is not to look at other's roles and be envious or to try and be something we are not, but rather, to be the best version of who Heavenly Father wants us to be. As we do, HE will plug us into the roles that are best for us. This hit me hard because I have been suffering a little from the green monster - envy. This last week, I was feeling like other people were just so much more advantaged than me in a number of areas - money, marriage, looks, opportunities, etc. As a way to shake it, I have been counting my blessings. The lesson learned through this experience is that I don't know that I will be my version of perfection because what I see is not the full picture. What I pray for is that I can become who Heavenly Father needs me to be. And only at the end of this existence will I see the full tapestry, as President Monson would say. So, in the meantime, I will take step after step, confident in my faith and counting my blessings, like health, family, and wildflowers.

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day! What a wonderful tradition of pausing to celebrate such an important eternal role. Motherhood encompasses so much...from bearing children, to providing solace and comfort, to teaching and raising aright. I am grateful for all of the mothers in my life. My mother has given and sacrificed much for me and I am eternally grateful. To those who are mothers around me - thank you for your wonderful example of love, patience, kindness, and dutifulness. I have been blessed to have so many wonderful mothers around me throughout my life. From my own sweet mom to the woman my mom would trust in her place. To good friends and family. And now I watch my sister be a mom and I am amazed. What a blessing it has been to have Sister Dew articulate the truth that all women, whether or not they have children, can be mothers and provide support, love, and teaching moments to the next generation.

So thank you mothers. Your role is of eternal importance. Thank you for choosing life!

LDS.org

This week I have been feeling grateful for lds.org. I am sure this seems like an odd thing to be grateful for but it is my homepage on my computer. Everytime I log on, I am greeting with gorgeous images tied to articles that serve as reminders of why I am here. I am just grateful to have such a positive reminder each time I log on.

B-day Pics

So I know it's a little late but here are some pics from my bday. I sure love my family...they are so cute!

It was a yummy spread! Lil sausages, queso, cheese & meat, crackers, veggies, lil sandwiches

Fondue and yummy orange water!

Sweet little puppy. I love her so much! She looks like a fox here. She's not, but she's so cute!

My Whole Foods cake! I love WFs! The cake is made with organic

ingredients and eggs from cage-free birds.

We played silly games, each of which I won, and my reward for each win was a present. My fam rocks!

Lisa had her birthday celebration a few days later and we went to a Russian restaurant and bath. We didn't do the bath part, but it was certainly a cultural experience! There was a part of the business (in between the bath and restaurant) where I swear the Russians were planning a takeover. They speak with such passion and the language is so harsh, it probably just seemed like a war party. :) Shoes (my bro-in-law) and Lisa have the same b-day so we celebrated his birthday by babysitting Miles so that Heidi and Shoes could go away for a weekend.

Gratitude

Today is such a beautiful day! Sun shinning, cool breeze, spending time with my mom and her puppy...it's just perfect. I am grateful for days like today.

Birthday Surprise

Let me set the scene. I was turning 23. I was still in college, was unmarried, and had not served a mission. I felt like a loser and the last thing I wanted to do in the world was celebrate my birthday. I am usually very excited about birthdays but I let it be known, no parties, no dinners, no celebrations of any kind were to be had. Enter my sisters.

My sisters decided that they would throw a surprise party but not a birthday party. It was a cheese party (because they know I love cheeses) and it was great. They had a friend take me out for a few hours and when I returned, they had me change into a fancy dress. I came out and they were all dressed fancily for my cheese party. We played games and I miraculously won every game. For each game won, I received a "prize" (really a present). They were so creative in finding a way to celebrate me without focusing on my age. I love my sisters and am so grateful for them and their support. What a blessing for me to live so close to them and have their friendship.

This year for my birthday, my family gave me another surprise cheese party. I don't have the age baggage I had the first time but it was a great surprise with my whole family present. I am so grateful for the knowledge that families are forever and so blessed to be in my family!!!

All Is Well! All Is Well!

This has been an interesting few weeks as I have studied adversity. I can't think of a better way to bookend this thought process than to include the lyrics of a favorite hymn.

Come, come, ye Saints, no toil nor labor fear;
But with joy wend your way.
Though hard to you this journey may appear,
Grace shall be as your day.
’Tis better far for us to strive
Our useless cares from us to drive;
Do this, and joy your hearts will swell—
All is well! All is well!

Response to Adversity, cont.

Still thinking how we are supposed to respond to trials and tribulations. I was re-reading the talk that inspired this blog and felt impressed to share the last little bit of it (for the full talk, click here).

"What does the Lord expect of us with respect to our challenges? He expects us to do all we can do. He does the rest. Nephi said, "For we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do."

Example of Overcoming Adversity

I saw this and had to post it. An amazing example of overcoming the sting of adversity. People are amazing. Love is binding. Life is eternal.

"A Son asked his father, "Dad, will you take part in a marathon with me?" The father who, despite having a heart condition, says "Yes". They went on to complete the marathon together. Father and son went on to join other marathons. The father always saying "Yes" to his son's request of going through the race together. One day, the son asked his fater, "Dad, let's join the Ironman together."

To which, his father said "Yes".

Stephanie Nielson's Adversity Response

As a follow up to the adversity post, I was thinking again about Stephanie Nielson. I think of her often when I think of adversity. She is the sister who was in a plane crash with her husband and a flight instructor when the plane crashed. The instructor was killed and she and her husband were burned severely. Stephanie was burned on 80% of her body and has had all sorts of surgeries since then. I am amazed as I read her blog and hear how she handles her trials and struggles...her but if not moments. (Click here to watch the video she taped with the Church to share her story.)

Responding To Adversity

"As part of Heavenly Father's plan of redemption, all people experience adversity during their lifetime. Trials, disappointments, sadness, sickness, and heartache are a difficult part of life, but with the help of the Lord they can lead to spiritual growth, refinement, and progress.

Where Much Is Given

I have been thinking lately about Luke 12:48 where it states, "For unto whomsoever  much is given, much is required." As a person who has been born in America, into the Gospel, into a family with two parents that have been together 35 years, I have been given much. I have been wondering what is required to my world family. What contribution to society should I be making with all that I have been given? I am not sure of the answers yet...just doing some ponderings.

Finding Joy

I have been thinking lately about all of the blessings in my life that I am able to enjoy at this time and season.

My older sister's kitty is so sweet. Her name is Jezebel but we call her Kiki. This is her on her ladybug. So sweet. While I don't any pets myself, everyone in my family does so I am always around sweet little ones.

I've taken a lot of cool trips over the past few years. My older sister and I went to Hawaii, France, camped in the "mountains" of Oklahoma, visited San Antonio, Washington D.C., and several beaches along the Texas shoreline (Padre, South Padre, Mustang Island, etc.)

I've started doing hobbies that I've always been interested in like photography and cooking. Spanish classes are my next step, I think.

Politics has always been a passion of mine but the past year, I have become much more active. I've attended several conventions, rallies, etc., volunteered for campaigns, and tried to become more informed. This is Mitt Romney at CPAC.

So, all in all, life is good. Still not what I thought it would be, but I have been richly blessed!

Snow Days!

Down here in Texas, we are not used to snow and ice. We don't even have snow plows. This year, we had a few days where we ended up with inches of snow and ice on the ground. With no salt or snow plows, it shut things down a little.

I love this pic! It's totally Texas. Hay bales in a field right in the

 middle of homes, apartments, and businesses.

This is my mom's precious dog that I love as though she were human. Hi Sunny! She was cold!

Watch For Ye Know Neither the Day Nor the Hour

Do you ever feel like the world is coming to an end? Everywhere I look, people are fighting, countries are uprising, and the economy is unstable. Here in Texas, we had some freak ice storms that shut everything down for a few days. I am afraid a time of great suffering is at hand and I am feeling like the one of the ten virgins with her candle only half filled with oil. In evaluating my food and water storage, I am grossly under prepared. My savings is not where it needs to be. My hope is that those ice storms were an opportunity to awaken and correct. I am grateful for the scriptures that help to remind us of our eternal nature and keep us heading due north.

"Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh."
Matt 25:13

Enjoying Life

This last weekend, I attended a political convention in Washington D.C. It was fantastic! One of my sisters and I went and got involved and had a great time. It was such a great experience and part of my goal to experience life more fully and enjoy my place in life.

SNOW Day!

This is the second snow day I have been able to enjoy...little work and lots of family. It's been great! Yesterday I was with my parents and thinking I would have to work today, I stupidly attempted to travel the 45 miles or so to my house. Didn't happen. I made 30 of those miles and hunkered down at my sister's house where I have been playing with my nephew and eating yummy food.

Discoveries

I discovered the other day that I was a microwave chef. Most of my food is cooked, heated, or reheated in the microwave. So I am taking strides to learn to cook well the old-fashioned way - stove and oven. :)

Lizz....ecca???

To celebrate moving into the second year of blogging, I've decided to make a few changes to the blog.

Year Anniversary

Can you believe it's been over a year since this blog was started???