be in the world but not of the world

The Lord wants us to remain true to His standards and not partake of the evils of the world.
At the same time, He expects us to be a good influence on those around us.

There are so many worldly influences around us, making so very difficult to remain strong in our faith.
The Young Women of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, meet often each week.
They learn together, encourage each other, and serve others.
They strive to live the Young Women Values:

Faith • Divine Nature • Individual Worth • Knowledge • Choice and Accountability
Good Works • Integrity • and Virtue

By living these values, they become stronger in their faith in our Savior, Jesus Christ,
they are more aware of who they really are, what they are capable of, and better prepared for living in the world but not of the world.

This video serves as a reminder to all of us, to remain committed to living church standards.

You can learn more HERE.

straightway

Last week, I was riding Trax from home to downtown where I was going to meet my husband for dinner. Along the way, at one of the stops, two individuals boarded the train. One was clearly helping or tutoring the other. She coached him as he stepped onto the car and reassured him along the way. They were both blind. At that same moment, a man that was already on the train, jumped up to help. He spoke to them, told them were handles and seats were, he took them by the arm and guided them. He made sure they were both OK. He did so, WITHOUT HESITATION. His act of kindness and service was immediate.

The most interesting moment of this incident was not the act, but what I learned about this kind stranger as I heard him talk to a woman (also a stranger to him) on the train as we continued the trip north. She was having a hard time holding a job and finding places to live. Again, without hesitation, he tried to help. He encouraged her. He tried to give her hope. He explained to her that he was just released from prison. He was in a halfway house and trying to get his life back in order and that he understood her difficulties.

I couldn’t help but ask myself…. why did I hesitate when two blind children of God stepped onto the train. Why was I not the one to come to their aid and to be the one to ensure their safety and well being? How many other times did I hesitate. How many times did I not act immediately on promptings? How many opportunities have I missed because I put them off?

I was ashamed to admit that there was any.

Matthew 4: 18-22

18 And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.
19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
20 And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.
21 And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them.
22 And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him

Choose

Choose good friends!
We tend to become like those whom we admire. Just as in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s classic account “The Great Stone Face,” we adopt the mannerisms, the attitudes, even the conduct of those whom we admire—and they are usually our friends. Associate with those who, like you, are planning not for temporary convenience, shallow goals, or narrow ambition but rather for those things that matter most—even eternal objectives.
https://www.lds.org/youth/article/how-to-choose-good-friends?lang=eng

Choose wisely!
I believe it is of particular importance in our day, when Satan is raging in the hearts of men in so many new and subtle ways, that our choices and decisions be made carefully, consistent with the goals and objectives by which we profess to live. We need unequivocal commitment to the commandments and strict adherence to sacred covenants.
~Elder Quentin L Cook
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/10/choose-wisely?lang=eng

Choose eternal life!
…we have only two eternal choices, each with eternal consequences: choose to follow the Savior of the world and thus choose eternal life with our Heavenly Father or choose to follow the world and thus choose to separate ourselves from Heavenly Father eternally. We cannot successfully choose both the safety of righteousness and the dangers of worldliness.
~Randall K Bennett
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2011/10/choose-eternal-life?lang=eng

Choose charity!
”charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever”

Do we judge one another? Do we criticize each other for individual choices, thinking we know better, when in fact we rarely understand another’s unique circumstance or individual inspiration? Have we ever said, “She works outside the home.” Or, “Her son didn’t serve a mission.” Or, “She’s too old for a calling.” Or, “She can’t—she’s single.” Such judgments, and so many others like them, rob us of the good part, that pure love of Christ.

We also lose sight of that good part when we compare ourselves to others. Her hair is cuter, my legs are fatter, her children are more talented, or her garden’s more productive—sisters, you know the drill. We just can’t do that. We cannot allow ourselves to feel inadequate by focusing on who we aren’t instead of on who we are! …We simply cannot criticize, gossip, or judge and keep the pure love of Christ.
~Bonnie D Parkin
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2003/10/choosing-charity-that-good-part?lang=eng

Choose not to be offended!
When we believe or say we have been offended, we usually mean we feel insulted, mistreated, snubbed, or disrespected. And certainly clumsy,embarrassing, unprincipled, and mean-spirited things do occur in our interactions with other people that would allow us to take offense.However, it ultimately is impossible for another person to offend you or to offend me. Indeed, believing that another person offended us is fundamentally false. To be offended is a choice we make; it is not a condition inflicted or imposed upon us by someone or something else.
~David A Bednar
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2006/10/and-nothing-shall-offend-them?lang=eng

Some choices may seem more important than others, but no choice is insignificant.
  ~Thomas S Monson

women’s meeting

some of my favorite quotes:

“As the temple is prepared for people, people need to be prepared for the temple.”   ~Linda K. Burton

“Covenants with god help us to know who we really are. they connect us with him in a personal way.” ~Jean A Stevens

“Remember being a daughter of God is not a distinction you earned or will ever lose.”  ~President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

“We need to accept that the commandments of God aren’t just a long list of good ideas. They aren’t ‘life hacks’ from an Internet blog, or motivational quotes from a Pinterest board. They are divine counsel, based on eternal truths.”
~President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

“Heavenly Father is constantly raining blessings upon us, it is our sins, that like an umbrella, are keeping them from us.”
~President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

“He knows of your sufferings. He knows of your remorse for the times you have fallen short or failed. And still He loves you.”
~President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Healing

Today, on the anniversary of 9-11, Taylor and I continued our tradition of visiting Healing Field in Sandy, Utah.
I will never forget where I was the day this event happened.
I will never forget calling my parents in Canada while they were serving their mission.
I will never forget gasping out loud as the first tower fell
…and again with the second collapse.
I will never forget the power of a Nation, that raised above this tragedy
and came together in such a remarkable way. With pride. With faith. With God.

It is a shame, that while we will never forget what happened our our land
we easily and often forget our God.
May we turn our thoughts to Him daily and enable Him and our Savior
to heal us and make us stronger.
Physically. Emotionally. Spiritually.

It is constancy that God would have from us. Tragedies are not merely opportunities to give Him a fleeting thought, or for momentary insight to His plan for our happiness. Destruction allows us to rebuild our lives in the way He teaches us, and to become something different than we were. We can make Him the center of our thoughts and His Son, Jesus Christ, the pattern for our behavior. We may not only find faith in God in our sorrow. We may also become faithful to Him in times of calm.   ~Thomas S. Monson

Greed

Tonight, my daughter and I left to grab a bite for dinner.
My dog, Chester, wasted no time and ran downstairs into the room where
my daughter is [temporarily] storing her boxes after moving back home.

He managed to locate a bag full of chocolaty cookies.
He carefully pulled the package out of this bag and pulled it into the hallway.
He then went back into the room to find more yummy treasures.
As he did, somehow, the door to the room shut.
Trapping him inside, and worse, separating him from his cookies.
My husband came home shortly after and discovered the dog in his predicament.
Chester was freed from his prison, and never got to eat his treasure.

We make poor and irrational decisions if our decision is motivated by greediness: greed for monetary gain; greed that results in a conflict of interest; desire for power, titles, and recognition of men.

“He that is greedy of gain troubleth his own house; but he that hateth gifts shall live.” (Prov. 15:27.)

Robert D Hales

Whirlwind

I just finished stuffing  over 100 strawberries with a cheesecake filling (recipe HERE)
for the Pot Luck after church today.

I am now reflecting on the whirlwind of the past two weeks.

• We drove up to Idaho with Tay do drop her off for her 2nd Semester. She will be gone for a while this time. Two semesters, back to back, with only a month in between for summer break. It was so nice having her home (since Christmas) but I am happy that she is back at school and excited to be learning!
• Kylee has been busy preparing for finals, fund raising for her trip to India and applying for Graduation. She has only 2 more semesters left and I could not be any more proud. I LOVE it when my daughters excel and accomplish more than I did.
• Last week, my Sunday School lesson was on The Healing Power of Forgiveness from the Marriage and Family Relations manual. As always, Evan sits by my side and assists me in my lessons. I love that we teach Temple Prep/ Marriage Relations TOGETHER.
• Evan and I cleaned out the garage yesterday. A two hour project lasted ALL day. There is noting like two old people groaning from aches and pains after a full day of active work. The spring cleaning will continue as we purge the house of unwanted/unused items. We will be holding a garage sale later this spring to help Kylee raise more money.

I am looking forward to this day of rest.
HERE is the link to an article that inspired my lesson last week. I hope you find some inspiration too.

Joy

After a plethora of errands, I finally sat down to start putting the finishing touches on my lesson for Sunday School tomorrow. While studying supplemental material,  I came across this quote from Richard G. Scott.

Sadness, disappointment, and severe challenge are events in life, not life itself. I do not minimize how hard some of these events are. They can extend over a long period of time, but they should not be allowed to become the confining center of everything you do. The Lord inspired Lehi to declare the fundamental truth, “Men are, that they might have joy.” ~Richard G. Scott

I appreciated the gentle reminder to seek for the joy in the simplest of things. Sunsets. Twinkling Stars. Changing Seasons. Music. Smiles. Fresh Baked Cookies. Service. Family.

Where do you find your joy?
Maybe you can find joy in his talk HERE

Patience

The lessons we learn from patience will cultivate our character, lift our lives, and heighten our happiness. ~DIETER F. UCHTDORF

And patient we are trying to be!

Dad is still in the hospital. Going on the third night. The Doctor is keeping him for another night. Both the Cardiologist and the Neurologist have given him the thumbs up, so once they get a handle on his heart rate it should be go time.

The most difficult part for dad is the fact that he feels fine. Other than his “episode” he has felt strong and healthy. It is difficult to understand and determine what it is that his body it trying to tell him.

As I was visiting with mom and dad in the hospital today, he admitted that he is impatient. Perhaps there is some spiritual growth that will be gained in this experience… for all of us.

…patience is a purifying process that refines understanding, deepens happiness, focuses action, and offers hope for peace. ~DIETER F. UCHTDORF

Forget Not

As expected, President Uchdorf did not disappoint as he spoke at the General Relief Society broadcast.
I cannot wait to listen, read and watch him again. You may want to do the same.

He used the flower, forget me not, as a metaphor.
I took some artistic liberties…

Read some of his words HERE

Inspirational

“Life is perfect for none of us.
Rather than being judgmental and critical of each other,
may we have the pure love of Christ
for our fellow travelers
in this journey through life.”

~Thomas S. Monson~

Bridges

I read a quote posted on a friends blog.
I immediately looked for the source so I could read the rest of the text.
I am so thankful I did.

In May, President Monson spoke at Dixie College
as they celebrated 100 years.

He spoke of three bridges:

1] the bridge of attitude

"Attitude can make all the difference in our lives, and we control our attitude," he said. "It can make us miserable or happy, content or dissatisfied. To a great degree, it can make us strong or weak."

It was the philosopher William James who developed the "as if" principle: If you want a virtue, act as if you already have it. If you want to be brave, act as if your are brave. If you want to be happy, act happy.

"Change your attitude by trying the 'as if" principle — it can work for all of us."

2] the bridge of integrity

"Being true to oneself is anything but easy if the moral standards of one's associates conflict with his or her own," he said. "The herd instinct is strong in the human animal, and the phrase 'Everybody else is doing it' has an insidious attraction. ...

"Nothing takes more strength than swimming against the current. You, my friends, are strong and must at times decide to swim against that current."

3] the bridge of service

"During your life you may achieve wealth or fame or social standing," he said. "Real success, however, comes from helping others."

All will have opportunities to serve.

"The blind and the handicapped need friendship; the aged are hungry for companionship; the young need understanding guidance; the gifted are starved for encouragement. These benefits can't be conferred by reaching for your checkbook. Personal service is direct and human."

… one's personal service may not be dramatic, but it can bolster human spirits, clothe cold bodies, feed hungry people, comfort grieving hearts and lift precious souls to new heights.

"My young friends, your life will be fuller, richer and happier if you seek for and find opportunities to be of service."

I find myself, again, full of short comings.
It seems, that the simplest things, are the most difficult to live by.
I believe my attitude and integrity are in line with His teachings,
but I struggle with the simple acts of service.
I tend to “pick and choose”.
I know I need to just “go and do”!

I think I will start with Visiting Teaching…

Perfect Balance…

Above, is a list I compiled for myself after today’s Relief Society lesson.
We talked about how we should

”take care of the essential things which will save and sanctify
us and the things which are necessary to make us personally
self-reliant and useful in the Lord’s kingdom.” Julie B. Beck

I believe, that as we focus on the essential’s, and prioritize that which is necessary,
those things that seem nice become less significant, less important.
I also believe in this irony: as we focus on the essential,
the necessary and nice fall into their appropriate place in our lives,
and we find ourselves, being able to manage (and enjoy) all of these things
in our crazy, busy lives.

I know that I have a lot of work to do!
As I review my list, I know that the least of my attention it on the essential.
I know that I must refocus my attention, and only then, will I find the
perfect balance.

Unnecessary family loss…

It has been a great week.

Yesterday…  I hosted a brunch for the young women in the Ward
that are graduating from High School.
We ate well, and learned some things about each other.
We also learned how much we have in common.

Thursday… pork tacos for 30.
I lugged a pig over to the choir room at JHS for the end of year party for the Madrigals. 
It was a bitter-sweet ending to our last year of public school
as we thanked her Choir teacher for his influence in the life of our youngest daughter.

Monday… Memorial Day
A house full of family and friends.
Two ingredients for a perfect party… TONS of food, LOTS of noise.

Each of these events required much preparation, and even more cleaning up.
During of which, time was spent reflecting and thinking.

My thoughts were focused mostly on family relationship’s
and all of the growing experiences being a part of a family provides.
It must have been my trip to the SLC Cemetery to visit the gravesites of family members,
combined with the gathering of family over the holiday, that started this thought process.

What weighted most heavily, was the thoughts of lost relationships.
Not the relationships that were lost with the passing of a loved one,
but the relationships that were lost because of misunderstandings, stubbornness
and unwillingness to apologize or forgive.

A mother and a son, both went to their graves, after having not spoken to each other for years.
Neither was willing to go to the other and make things “right”. They both cleaved unto their pride.

The mother was the first to pass away. I don’t ever recall if the son was at the funeral.
What I do remember, however, was this pride and anger towards his mother
was deflected now, towards his uncle… the man who attempted for years, to reunite the two.
What a tragedy it was, when this man died 11 years later. Prematurely, and alone.

I know this is why, whenever there seems to be contention among family members,
I grow an enormous pit in my stomach. I worry that this family history will repeat itself.

One of my greatest desires is a close and happy family. It is not easy, but it is possible… with effort.
I encourage each member to heed to these words from Jeffrey R. Holland:

Is there someone in your life who perhaps needs forgiveness? Is there someone in your home, someone in your family, someone in your neighborhood who has done an unjust or an unkind or an unchristian thing? All of us are guilty of such transgressions, so there surely must be someone who yet needs your forgiveness.

And please don’t ask if it is fair that the injured should have to bear the burden of forgiveness for the offender. Don’t ask if “justice” doesn’t demand that it be the other way around. When it comes to our own sins, we don’t ask for justice. What we plead for is mercy—and that is what we must be willing to give.

Such perfect words, not only to apply in family relationships, but in ANY relationship!

The birds and the trees

I have many friends, but only a few I count among my best.
One best friend, in particular, I have thought about more recently.
She is a wife and a mother.
Like most marriages, they have had their struggles.
Like many of us, they work through them as they work together and rely on a loving Heavenly Father for strength and guidance.
They have endured and succeeded. There is no doubt that they love each other.

Last night, a had a dream about this friend.
He was a tree, she was a bird.

The tree needed this bird. She ate the bugs, nurtured it and kept it healthy.
The bird needed this tree. He provided her with safety and shelter.
Together, the met each others needs and kept each other happy.
They loved each other, deeply.

For whatever reason, this tree had deep seated roots.
For other reasons, this bird loved to take flight often.
Sometimes, the bird cannot understand why the tree could not follow her when she wanted to fly.
Other times, the tree cannot understand why the bird loved to go so much.

In spite of a storm or two, this bird and the tree have always remained strong and sure.
They have always come to realize their devotion to each other and more importantly
they have humbled themselves enough to realize each others differences and embraced them…
because these differences are a part of who they are.

These differences are what attracted them to each other.
These differences are what makes them stronger as a couple, 
They grow together and become better, as they draw from each others strengths.

What this dream taught me is this:

This tree must love this bird, simply because she is a bird.
This bird must love this tree, simply because he is a tree.
This, is the Pure Love of Christ.

"The pure love of Christ.... What does this phrase mean? We find part of the answer in Joshua: 'Take diligent heed... to love the Lord your God... and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.' Charity is our love for the Lord, shown through our acts of service, patience, compassion, and understanding for one another....
"Charity is also the Lord's love for us, shown through His acts of service, patience, compassion, and understanding.
"The 'pure love of Christ' refers not only to our love for the Savior but to His love for each of us....
"Do we judge one another? Do we criticize each other for individual choices, thinking we know better?"

Bonnie D. Parkin

Choose the better part…

What an honor it is to know such a remarkable woman.

I love…

Hope you are enjoying Conference as much as we are.
I love that I get to spend the full weekend with my family!

Thanksgiving Daily . . .

Don’t worry, Be happy!

“And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the
blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God.
For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual;
and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven,
that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness.
O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it”

(Mosiah 2:41)