Deep Roots are Not Reached by the Frost

This morning I talked with my roommate about how sometimes when I'm really happy it's hard to focus because all I want to do is talk to everyone else and share my joy with them! I don't want to focus on reading anything or focusing on school work...I want to talk to people and smile and laugh and just talk and talk about how blessed life can be, because that's what my life is and always has been.  Now, mind you, there have been times when I've been blinded from seeing those blessings due to my own internal conflicts, but that doesn't mean my life wasn't blessed at those times. After I talked with her I was reading Alma 22.  Can I just say that Alma and Amulek, Ammon, Aaron, and the other sons of Mosiah went through A LOT to share the gospel.  They had such faith and strength and confidence in the Lord and thus were able to have a good deal of success.  But something else I noticed:  along with their faith, strength, and confidence, they also had a great de...

Feeling down?   Turn on an upbeat classical piece and dance around the kitchen as if you're the most spectacular ballroom dancer in the entire universe.  Let every worry, sorrow or fear drop at your feet for just 1 minute and dance your heart out.  Grab a roommate, a sister, a brother - anyone!  Let that music guide your movement, but don't think about it.  Just listen and move those feet. Those worries and sorrows and fears will stay on the ground if you let them.  Keep that smile on your face and move forward with a perfect brightness of hope, with a love of God and of all men. It was hard for me to do that today.  And I didn't do it as well as I could have.  I didn't even want to dance; my roommate asked me too because she was listening to a string quartet.  Because of the smile on her face and the work I knew she'd gone through to put it there I accepted the outstretch hand and danced.  I'm very glad I did in the end.  ...

I stumble out of my bed and drag myself to the mirror where I turn on the straightener begin straightening my hair.  The stiffness of my muscles has yet to catch up with my desire to look presentable.  Eventually I successfully look like a human being rather than a zombie and get some shoes, my backpack, and a coat then open the door. A yelp escapes my throat and I involuntary close the door, never having exited the apartment. Outside, there is snow falling down, down, down.  The quietness seems to mock my desire to be back in bed. I turn to my roommates and say with a pout, "It's snooooowwwwinnnngg."  I look down at my shoes, knowing they will not make it 2 minutes out in the world now being covered in white.  I can't find my boots though and class is starting in 2 minutes.  I'll already be late. Rachel hears my predicament and asks if I'd like to borrow her boots, but alas, they are too small.  I get a thought that maybe my boots are stored away ...

Tonight I made some final decisions after talking with a friend.  Hard final decisions. I wasn't looking forward to the rest of the evening after that.  Walking into the apartment I felt confident in my decisions, yet I felt a sense of loss.  I sat down at the table, sat there for a few minutes, then took a 20 minute nap until a Relief Society Activity I didn't really want to go to.  Lindsey came in, woke me up, and I dutifully got up because I wanted to support my Relief Society leaders.  I went to the Relief Society activity.  It was good, it was fun. Through out the activity I was victimizing myself and wanting pity. I ran home to grab some spoons for refreshments and when I walked into my apartment there stood, with Rachel and Ryan, two adults I had never seen before in my life.  I was on a mission though and I needed to get some spoons.  I quickly said hello and made my way to the kitchen when I found out that these two lovely people were R...

GUYS!  Guess what I remembered today?? As long as I've got my family, everything is good. I may not have what I want when I want it, but I do have what the Lord needs me to have right now.   "The family is ordained of God" and I'm so glad I've got the family I do. They may not be around me all the time, but when I do talk with my family they always bring the most clarity and understanding to my questions.  I am surrounded by amazing people, and they are all blessings in my life, but my family is sealed to me and that sealing brings power which is manifest in how much strength I glean from those relationships. Eventually I'll bring someone else into this family and hopefully that man will be integrated into my extended family very well.  And then he and I will be sealed and that power will strengthen us and our marriage, but that adventure won't be happening for a while.  For now, the family I have will stay the same (apart from new babies) and th...

Alma 26:1-3 "My brothers and by brethren, behold i say unto you, how great reason have we to rejoice; for could we have supposed when we started from the land of Zarahemla that God would have granted unto us such great blessings?  And now, I ask, what great blessings has he bestowed upon us?  Can ye tell? Behold, I answer for you; for our brethren, the Lamanites, were in darkness, yea, even in the darkest abyss, but behold, how many of them are brought to behold the marvelous light of God! And this is the blessing which hath been bestowed upon us, that we have been made instruments in the hands of God to bring about this great work." - Ammon As I read this, my thoughts turned to asking, "Do I have great reason to rejoice since the time I have started from the commencement of college, and could I have supposed God would have granted unto me such great blessings? Can I recognize those blessings for what they are?" These questions immediately turned to a pivota...

This weekend has been one of great upheaval and I've yet to recover from it, though I do declare I'm on my way. For those of you who don't know, missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have been allowed, for the past who knows how long, to leave on their missions at the age of 19 for guys and 21 for girls.  This past weekend my church had this big meeting we refer to as our General Conference where the living prophet of God, his two counselors, and the 12 apostles on the earth today along with other church leaders all speak to the general populous of the church in 6 sessions - four general sessions two hours each, and a session for the women or young women on the Saturday prior to the general sessions, and then a session for the men, known as the priesthood session. Now, the way it works is like this:  the prophet opens the conference with a short address generally welcoming us to conference and some general announcements.  Most often he annou...