Sabbath Day Scribblings - Rely on the Lord

“Pray for the strength to walk the high road, which at times may be lonely but which will lead to peace and happiness and joy supernal.....Never assume that you can make it alone. You need the help of the Lord. Never hesitate to get on your knees in some private place and speak with Him.”  
—Gordon B. Hinckley, "Stay on the High Road," Ensign, May 2004, 114

And Then There Were Six

"Until one has loved an animal, 

a part of one's soul remains unawakened".  

Anatole France

I had a dog when I was small.  He was my best friend.  He even rode on the back of my bike with me.  I cried the day my parents sent him away.  He was my confidant, my pillow for tears, and my friend.  All of my children have been raised with animals.  We have had cats, rats, gerbils, guinea pigs, lizards, dogs, and even a desert tortoise.  My children loved animals.  They were good with them.  The took care of them.  They loved them.
One of my favorite stories from their childhood is when they had a mama cat.  There were six children, roughly 3 to 10 years of age.  This cat got pregnant and was following me around that day.  Now, for some strange reason, no matter what type of female animal we had, they liked to follow me when they were getting ready to deliver.  So, I always knew it was close.  I kept an eye on her and had the kids watching too.
She disappeared from us and shortly thereafter and while I was looking for her, the kids disappeared too.  I went looking as I did not want her having her kittens outside.  I went through each room until finally walking into my daughter's small room.  There I found six pair of legs sticking out from under the bed.  I asked them what they were doing and they let me know that they were watching the new kittens being born.  The oohing and awing got more intense as each new life entered the world and the mother would lick them clean with the kids using old t-shirts to help.
The process took a couple of hours and when it was finished there were five new baby kittens.  I had to crawl under the bed and get the mama cat and the kittens to put them in the bed that had been prepared for them.  She was content to let them stay there as long as the kids did not bother them too much.
What a blessing it was for those small children to experience that moment.  They loved that mama cat and we had her for several years.   I think it is important for children to learn to love and care for animals.  They depend on us for food, shelter and companionship.  They teach responsibility and compassion.  I still smile when I see in my mind the picture of twelve legs sticking out from under a twin bed.

"Our treatment of animals is important

to our own internal state.

If we are to expand our horizons,

to grow to understand what the relatedness

of each and every thing means,

then our love and appreciation of all life is essential.

Our respect and reverence for all living things

will be reflected in our own living.”

(Bill Schul, Author)

Five Minute Friday - Friends

So let’s spend our five minutes of writing today, sharing about friendship. Fight it, love it, hate it, hurt or healed by it, we were certainly built for it.

Set a timer and just write. Don’t worry about making it just right or not.

Go all in with your words.

Are you ready?

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking

2. Link back over here at Lisa Jo's and invite others to join in.

3. Please visit the person who linked up before you and encourage them in their comments.

OK, are you ready? Give me your best five minutes on:

::

Friend…

START

A year ago, my life crashed in around my ears.  I lost my best friend.  She was a friend of my heart.  A friend of my soul.  Someone I trusted completely.  She turned away from friendship, from me, from all that I hold dear.  She broke my heart.
 I have always had a hard time making friends.  It is not something that comes easily to me.  I have always wanted them, needed them, but really struggled to find them.  I struggle to fit in with those who are around me.  It did not help that I uprooted our family to a new town seven years ago.  To a place where we had no family and knew no one.  My friends, that I had for most of my life, became, at that moment, out of reach.
I am a busy mom.  I work, I drive the kids everywhere, I teach, I try.  But lets face it, the time that I need to spend on my family is enormous.  The time I have for friends, not so much.   I have learned that friends require time.  They require nurturing, they require effort.  In the midst of my battle with depression and anxiety it is not the best time in my life to discover a way to change my focus outward and find new friends. 
I am learning.  I am starting all over again.  I am figuring out that there are people who care.  Who believe in me.  Who are there for me.  I am making new "best friends".  I am changing from having one friend to many.  I can't even begin to tell you how these amazing women have been there for me through this year.  I can't begin to describe the way they have reached out and taken me in.  How they remind me that I have worth and that everything will eventually work out OK. 
 I am learning that friends do not seek to destroy you; they lift you and help you, even when you are not in a place to return the favor.  I am finding love and friendship in places I never knew.  I find amazing friends in my own part of the blogging world, I find friendship in the minds and hearts of my grown daughters, I find friendship in an amazing doctor and a fellow EMT. 
I am finding friendship where I never thought to look before.  I am healing and being healed by the greatest Friend of all, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  In a way I don't yet understand, He has endured my hurts for me.  He knows the pain of depression and grief.  He loves me in spite of me and calls me His Friend.  And I am learning, that is enough.   

STOP

Five Minute Friday - Jump

“Write like you used to run. For the pure joy of it.”

On Fridays around these parts we like to write. Not for comments or traffic or anyone else’s agenda. But for pure love of the written word. For joy at the sound of syllables, sentences and paragraphs all strung together by the voice of the speaker.

We love to just write without worrying if it’s just right or not. For five minutes flat.

Here’s how we do it:

1. Write for 5 minutes flat on the prompt “After” with no editing, tweaking or self critiquing.

2. Link back over to Lisa Jo's Website and invite others to join in.

3. Go and tell the person who linked up before you what their words meant to you. Every writer longs to feel heard.

OK, are you ready? Give me your best five minutes for the prompt:

JUMP

START

Every child starts out as a baby who just lays there and needs.  They progress to rolling, sitting, crawling, standing, walking, running, and finally jumping.  Jumping does not come first, or even in the middle.  It comes at the end, after everything else has been accomplished.  

We jump higher, further, faster.  We jump up toward His reaching.  We need, we learn, we grow, we play, we work, we need some more.  He is there.  He is always reaching toward us.  He wants us to come to him, to jump to His arms and to His love.  

Jumping, flying, reaching, stretching comes as we work to become more than we thought we could be.  Jumping takes us places we can't get to by other means.  He knows what you need.  In the black hole that surrounds us, all we have to do is jump to Him.  He knows our pain, He knows our sorrow, He knows our needs.  But we cannot see the ending of our story.  Only He knows the colors that go into the making of the tapestry of our lives.    

As we jump in faith, surrounded by darkness, we will find His light.  We will find His path.  We will find His blessings.  We will find that we are never alone.  

Jump, jump with all your might into the arms of His Love.

STOP

  Now it is your turn.  What can you write in just five minutes?  Don't forget to go over to Lisa Jo's and link up with the rest of us.  I can't wait to hear what you know about JUMP.  

What to Leave Undone

"The whole point of getting things done 

is knowing what to leave undone".  

Oswald Chambers

I think this is one of the hardest things to learn for me.  My list of "to do's" is way too long.  I also don't feel that I have been successful unless I have everything done.  My list is too much like the family laundry, no matter how many times you do it, it is never entirely finished!  After all, someone is wearing the clothes today that I will need to wash tomorrow! 
My problem with trying to do too much is on-going.  My husband is fond of telling people that he doesn't need to do any volunteer work, his wife does it all.  There are just so many good things that need doing and so few people to get them done. 
I remember when I would volunteer to do something and there would be so many people to help that I would have to go home early.  Now, I am lucky if I am not the only one doing it.  That is so sad to me.  If everyone pitches in, the work goes fast and it is fun to do.  Then we all go home to whatever else needs doing.  
Too many people just don't want to do their parts.  They want to have to fun without the work.  I see it more and more.  It is the same women that bring dinners.  The same people who stay to clean up.  The same ones who leave early.  It makes me so sad to think of all the things that we could be doing just a little bit better, if we would just work together to get things done.
I am still planning on helping where I am needed, and pitching in where it is necessary, but I am also going to work on being a little more careful of what I volunteer for.  Life is full of good things that need doing.  It is full of worth causes.  I just don't want to be choosing a good cause, when I should be spending time on a more important one.
So today, I am trying to learn to leave the unimportant things undone, so that I can spend more time on those things that are most important.  The things that truly hold my heart in all of their wonderful hands.  Today, I am going to pause, breath and just enjoy the many gifts that the Lord has given to me.  I am truly blessed.  I am wanted.  I am loved.  I am with family.

1000 Blessings
31.  A mid-west thunderstorm.
32.  A visit to my Grand-daughters classroom.
33.  Others who love my children.
34.  All the work and effort that teachers put into their classes.
35.  Andy's Frozen Custard (need I say more!).

Bullied in Silence

"Never allow yourself to be bullied into silence.  

Never allow yourself to be made into a victim.  

Accept no one's definition of your life.  

Define Yourself".  

Harvey Fierstein

This quote hit me this week.  How many times have I allowed myself to be bullied into silence, simply because no one else is speaking out.  Life can be uncomfortable.  It can be hard.  We all have our crosses to bear.  But I am hoping that I do not make anyone else's cross any heavier than it is already. 
I think that my Heavenly Father would want me to lighten their burdens, not weigh them down with more difficulties.  So, I continue to ask myself, am I a bully?  Or am I a comforter?  I hope that I never allow another person to suffer because I choose not to speak out.
I have known that my girls have been bullied.  I have tried to stop it.  It is so much harder to fix when it is accepted by others around them.
I just have to love the parents who say, "I know that my child would never behave that way", when I saw it happen.  Basically, they are calling me a liar.  Or the ones who say, "that is part of growing up".  I hope that none of us stand by and watch while someone is bullied.
And parents, if another parent comes to you, please listen.  Don't get defensive just because it is your child.  Children and adults can be so cruel.  They can say things and do things that are very much bullying behavior, and yet they think they are standing up for something.  Just because you don't agree with me, doesn't make it alright to spread rumors, lies or half truths about me.
That makes you part of the problem and not part of the solution, (just saying).  So, this week, lets all make a stand and agree not to be a bully.  Even if you think you are right, let's make a stand to allow others the opportunity to disagree.  Define yourself, not everyone else.

1000 Blessings.

26.  Airplanes to bring me closer to family that is far away.

27. Good counselors who help me cope with the difficulties.

28.  My husband’s willingness to drive three hours one way to take me to the airport.

29.  Only a 15 minute wait at security.

30.  Parents who believe me when my child is having problems with their child.  

Song of my Heart

"A friend is someone 

who knows the song in your heart 

and can sing it back to you 

when you have forgotten the words".  

Bernard Meltzer

We all walk though trials in our lives.  Times when we feel lonely and alone.  But some people seem to go through more than others.  I know there are people around me whose crosses I would never want to bear.  The difficulties can be different things for each of us.  For some, the loss of a job or a family member.  They can be illness, debt or wayward children.  They can be family issues with parents or siblings.  They can be the loss of one home.  A true friend is one who stands by, with solid determination and love no matter what is being endured.  That friend helps heal the pain with laughter, encouragement, and filling a need.  They are truly a song of hope in the darkness. 
This past year has been a very hard time for me.  I have lost a lot.  The hardest was my best friend.  I have also learned a lot.  I am learning all over again how to make friends that are healthy for me and that treat me well.  I am learning to find love in the strangest of places.  I am learning to give a little more of myself.  As I learn these things, the aching grows a little less every day.  There are still trials, there are still heartaches, there is still grief.  But I have found goodness and mercy and hope in the eyes of my new friends. 

“And again, verily I say unto you, my friends … —
“Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me; ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
“Whatsoever ye ask the Father in my name it shall be given unto you, that is expedient for you.” (D&C 88:62–64.)

How can we help a friend? An Arabian proverb helps us answer: “A friend is one to whom one may pour out all the contents of one’s heart, chaff and grain together, knowing that the gentlest of hands will take and sift it, keep what is worth keeping, and with the breath of kindness blow the rest away.”

Yes, a friend is a person who is willing to take me the way I am but who is willing and able to leave me better than he found me.

Sabbath Day Scribblings - Our Best Selves

"In the search for our best selves, several questions will guide our thinking: Am I what I want to be? Am I closer to the Savior today than I was yesterday? Will I be closer yet tomorrow? Do I have the courage to change for the better?"
—Thomas S. Monson, "Becoming Our Best Selves", Ensign and Liahona, April 2006

Trust in Him

For me, this one small picture says it all.  How many times in my life have I banged on the door, because it was something that I thought I needed or something that I wanted.  Trusting Him means to believe that He knows that I don't need what is behind the door.  It is to put aside myself, for something else.  For Some One Else.  It is to trust that I will become who I have always been meant to be.  So today, I am going to stop pounding on the door and listen to the silence around me.
It is amazing to know that He is in control.

1000 Blessings.

21. Faith in all things that are His.
22. Trust in Him as well as His timing.
23. Repentance, that I may receive forgiveness.
24. The atonement, that takes away my sins. 

25. The scriptures, that act as the rod to lead me home to Him.

Five Minute Friday - Here

Here is my favorite time of the week.  I get to unwind, get out my slow computer and just type.  It is relaxing, it is encouraging, and most of all, it is fun.  Now, set your timer, clear your head, for five minutes of free writing without worrying about getting it right.

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back over at Lisa Jo's and invite others to join in.
3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. 

OK, are you ready? Please give us your best five minutes on:::

Here…

START

I used to live in the "later" in my life.  I used to think that "when this is over", or "when the kids are out of diapers", or "when I have money", then all would be well and I would be happy.  I am older now and hopefully just a little bit wiser in my life.  I want to live in the here and now.  I want to relish the experience and the blessings that are around me.  

I am learning to savor life and all it's possibilities.  Even the bad is still a moment in life.  It is to be cherished and revered.  It is to be learned from and listened to.  It is a part of who I become.  Each part of life is a blessing.  Each one of us is cared for and loved, right now and right here.  He knows our hearts and our souls.  He knows our reaching and our anguish.  He knows what we need to become closer to Him.  

He wants us to experience joy.  He wants us to live and learn and return at last to Him.  He wants us just as we are right now.  He wants us to bring our sorrows and our tears to His engraved hands.  He wants us to come to know Him and to need Him in our lives.  Both in our times of sorrow and even in our times of joy.  He teaches me to not take anything for granted.  To realize that I am surrounded by blessings and by love.  He teaches me that He is HERE, right now, with me.  I am learning that HERE is right where I need to be most of all.  So, for this moment, I am here.  

STOP


This is my year of 1000 blessings.  I am trying to recognize and find them day by day.  It reminds me to keep focused on the positive, in spite of myself.

1000 Blessings

16.  I am grateful for Humor.  It helps me to get through the hard times.
17.  Learning, that it continues on.  Each day I learn more and more.
18.  Good Speakers, who teach me those things that make me grow.
19.  The support, encouragement and inspiration of good friends.
20.  Goodie gifts from the trauma conference, first aid kits for my girls, chapstick and about 100 ink pens.  All of which will be used with gratitude.

Healing Continues

I went to the doctor today to check out my broken arm  The last time I went in, the bone had not even started healing.  That was eight weeks post op.  Now, six weeks later, it is finally showing signs of healing. That is a relief.  I have not been looking forward to the prospect of another surgery, so this was welcome news. 
I can't believe how amazing our bodies really are.  Here I am, with an injury that the doctor told me would be a long time healing.  He told me that I am doing much better than he thought I would.  Here I have been so frustrated because I am not "good as new", when I was never supposed to be. 
I find it amazing that my own body has the power to heal from something like this.  That I can manage to do all of the things I used to do (even if they can be a little more difficult than before).   I am so aware today of the intricacy of the creation.  All of the things that have to go into making each and everything on the earth.  I am so thankful for the blessings that have come to me in these wonderful days on earth.  For the technology that we have in modern medicine.  For the blessings that we have from the miracles that it is so easy to take for granted. 
I am thankful for those in my life who have kept me in their thoughts and prayers.  Who have believed when I wavered and who have trusted when I was afraid.  It has been a humbling experience to have people come into my office on a daily basis and tell be that they are still praying for me in their prayer circles and their homes. 
It is so beautiful to realize that most of them do not go to my same church, or share my exact beliefs, and yet, they have taken me in and prayed me through this.  We are all children of God. 
Today I am thankful for the promise of enough.  That whatever I have will be enough for me.  That He knows me and is aware of my needs.  That He has miracles in store for me if I will just have faith in Him and trust in His timing. 
Today, I have seen a miracle in the gift of healing and the love of many.

1000 Gifts: 

11.  Physical Therapy, that has given me to tools necessary to work and get back my mobility.
12.  Movement, even in the pain it is a blessing to be able to take care of myself.
13.  Education, my doctors being able to learn what they need so that I don't have to be an experiment for anyone else!  Also thankful for my own and it means alot to me to have achieved it. 
14.  Missionary work - It has brought so much joy into our lives to be able to share the things that we love mose with our friends and neighbors.  It has also given one of my daughters confidence in herself and taught her to speak up and to not be afraid. 
15.  Take out food - I could not have done my trip without it.  Plus, it was so nice not to worry about taking a cooler and enough water, snacks ect.  It is so convient to be able to stop and grab and keep going.  We don't do it often, but when we get to, it is so appreciated.  

The Whiteness of a Winter Snowstorm

Last night, just when I was thinking that Spring had come at last, we received a little white surprise.  Four inches to be exact.  I looked out my window to a blanket of crisp, white snow.  I have to admit, it was beautiful.

It drew me out the door, camera in hand, to try and capture some of what I saw.  The snow glistened.  The trees were covered.  The air was cold.  I could smell the moisture in the air and feel the ice against my cheeks.

I can never see a snowstorm without thinking of how it covers all the faults in the world around us.  The mud disappears, the potholes are hidden, any perceived faults are gone in the blink of snow.  It reminds me of the scripture that says:

Isaiah 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

I look at the muddy world that surrounded me before the storm and I think of how the Love of our Savior covers us.  He doesn't just hide our faults, He takes them into Himself.  In a way we don't understand, He has already suffered for our sins.  He knew we would make mistakes.  He knew we couldn't walk this path alone.  He knew how much we would need Him.  Oh, how very much I need Him. I need His forgiveness, His atonement, His mercy and most of all, His love.  
There is nothing like a winter storm to help me put things in perspective.

My 1000 Gifts

6.  The whiteness of a winter snowstorm.

7.  The gift of doctors and modern medicine.

8.  The healing of injuries.

9.  The speediness of modern transportation. (I drove nearly 400 miles today).

10. Home

My Heart Hurts

Today, my heart hurts.  I am feeling so tired.  It has been a very long year, and it is not over yet.  I think I need just a little kindness from those around me.  Instead, I am still faced with anger and resentment. 
There are those who don't like me.  I know, it sounds silly, but in a small town it can make a big difference.  It is to the point where I don't like to leave my house.  I never know who I will run into or what they will say.  Even work is difficult, and church has become a place I face with tripredation.  My heart hurts, with every single breath I take. 
Still, I keep going on.  I keep being where I am supposed to be and doing what I am supposed to be doing.  I keep trying to make a difference in my own way.  I keep trying to love, even when I don't want to.  I am trying not to judge or hold a grudge.  I am trying to forgive.
In my prayers, I think that I have found the answer.  There is a book called 1000 Gifts.  In the book, the author invites us all to take the time to embrace and recognize the blessings that are around us.  It is only for expressing the gratitude for the life that we already have that we discover the life we have always wanted.  This book is to help open our eyes to the amazing grace that surrounds us.
There are a group of bloggers out here over at A Holy Experience who keep a journal of three blessings every day (they have to be different) and then blog about them on Mondays.  I think that I will do the same, except that I will blog about my blessings every day.  I will list at least three (probably more since I am behind and the goal is 1000 gifts in 2013), and then blog about them in my life.  I will still keep my blog what it is, but maybe, in discovering my own blessings, I will help you find joy in yours. 
I have decided not to name all the people that are blessings to me  (I have 11 children, 5 inlaw children, 11 grandchildren, numerous aunts, uncles and cousins) instead, I will group them together and find other blessings in my life.  They are one of my greatest joys and I know and appreciate each of them.  By grouping them together I am hoping to recognize even more gifts that the Lord has for me. 
Perhaps if I focus on all that the Lord has given me, I will find less time to focus on all the things that I am unhappy with. 
I have done similar things before, and I know it works if I focus on the joy instead of the sorrows in life.  So, today, I am thankful for:

1.  My Lord and Savior,

2.  My Family, 

(yes, all of them, each and every one, 

with their differences, their joys, their sorrows, 

and their amazing love.)

3.  The Gospel in my life. 

4.  The kindness of friends.

5.  The gentleness of strangers.

Today, I am thankful for those things that bring me happiness and joy.  Today, I am starting my journey to heal my heart.  Today, I am going to make a difference.  Even if the only person I change is myself. 

Five Minute Friday - After

Oh, my favorite time of the week is always Friday.  However, some weeks, my Friday is just a little bit behind.  So forgive me for taking my Friday on a beautiful Sabbath morning.  We like to write over at Lisa Jo's' every week.  Not for comments or traffic or anyone else’s agenda. But for pure love of the written word. For joy at the sound of syllables, sentences and paragraphs all strung together by the voice of the speaker.

We love to just write without worrying if it’s just right or not. For five minutes flat.

Here’s how we do it:

1. Write for 5 minutes flat on the prompt “After” with no editing, tweaking or self critiquing.

2. Link back over at Lisa Jo's and invite others to join in {you can grab the button code in my blog’s footer}.

3. Go and tell the person who linked up before you what their words meant to you. Every writer longs to feel heard.

OK, are you ready? Give me your best five minutes for the prompt:

After…

START

AFTER

By Patricia A. Pitterle

After the heartache, comes comfort,

After the pain, comes relief,

After the tears comes the healing,

After our faith comes belief.

After the darkness, comes light

Sent from our Father above

And with that light comes His mercy

And His redeeming love.

He is aware of our sorrows.

He is aware of our grief.

He knows our names and our trials,

His arms reach out in relief

So though our struggles seem lonely

And though our trials seem fierce,

He has not left us alone here

For us, His body was pierced

For us, He endured anguish.

For us, He atoned for our sins.

For us, He died upon Calvary,

That we may return unto Him.

And so, as we think of His blessings,

And as we consider His strife,

We realize the good that comes after

The trials we endure in this life.

STOP

Sabbath Day Scribblings - Who defines you

Men sometimes identify themselves by titles, observed President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, who then went on to suggest the titles he believes apply to all priesthood holders in the Church.

"One title that defines all of us in the most fundamental way is 'son of Heavenly Father,' said President Uchtdorf, second counselor in the First Presidency. "No matter what else we are or do in life, we must never forget that we are God's literal spirit children. We were His children before we came to this world, and we will be His children forevermore. This basic truth changes the way we look at ourselves, our brothers and sisters, and life itself."
Knowing that, yet coming up short sometimes, can be discouraging, he acknowledged. "The adversary likes to take advantage of these feelings. Satan would rather that you define yourself by your sins instead of your divine potential. Don't listen to him."

This is the very beginning of his talk, and I loved reading the highlights this morning.  So, who defines you in your own life?  Is it your Father in Heaven, who knows you and loves you in spite of yourself?

Or is it Satan who wants you to define yourself by your sins instead of your heritage?  Who we are, seems to depend on how we define ourselves.  

The Liahona

  

I bought my husband a tie for Easter.  It has small pictures of something called the Liahona on the grey of the tie.  I love the story of the Liahona.  It has a very special meaning for me.  For those of you who don't know what the Liahona is, it is a ball that helped to lead Lehi and his family out of Jerusalem and into the promised land.  The ball was round and had two spindles that worked like a compass.  However, there was one big difference between the Liahona and the compasses of our day; the ball only worked if the family was righteous.  If they wavered in doubt, or fought among each other, or didn't listen to the Lord's guidance, the ball would cease to work and the family would be left on their own, lost and uncertain of the way to go.  The direction from the Lord was contingent upon their faith. 

“And now, my son, I would that ye should understand that these things are not without a shadow; for as our fathers were slothful to give heed to this compass (now these things were temporal) they did not prosper; even so it is with things which are spiritual.
“For behold, it is as easy to give heed to the word of Christ, which will point to you a straight course to eternal bliss, as it was for our fathers to give heed to this compass, which would point unto them a straight course to the promised land.
“And now I say, is there not a type in this thing? For just as surely as this director did bring our fathers, by following its course, to the promised land, shall the words of Christ, if we follow their course, carry us beyond this vale of sorrow into a far better land of promise.
“O my son, do not let us be slothful because of the easiness of the way” (Alma 37:43–46).

So we see, when we look closely, that the words of Christ can be a personal Liahona for each of us, showing us the way back Home to our Heavenly Father. Let us not be slothful because of the easiness of the way of the world around us. For the world will not lead us Home.  Let us take the faith of the words of Jesus Christ into our hearts as we read and study the scriptures.  Let us feast upon His words that they might become our own personnel Liahona, our compass if you will, and light our way in the darkness that surrounds us.  

John 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.