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.