Good-bye My Friend

WE LOVED HIM BEST

By Patricia A. Pitterle

Now you come together

All those who loved him best,

To share his stories and his life

Before he is laid to rest.

You mourn his missing presence

Vanished from this earth.

You miss his hugs and smiles,

You miss his sense of mirth.

He loved his friends and family,

And his Savior he held dear.

He shared his testimony

With those who chose to hear.

He was always an example

In what he said and did,

Seeking to follow Jesus Christ

And willing to be led.

Though his body is not with us now,

His spirit lingers near.

He wants to comfort those he loves

To wipe away their tears.

To let them know that peace is his.

He is gathered now in love.

His work continues somewhere new 

He is welcomed up above

Though your hearts are sorrowed

And your souls cry out in grief,

Remember he has not gone far

He only rests in sleep.

This life is swift in passing,

You never know the day,

You only have these moments

Of love to show the way.

No one can take your memories

His love is yours to keep.

When he rises in his glory

You once again shall meet

Families can be forever

You know that this is so,

Though your hearts are longing now

His comfort you shall know.

The Gospel tells us surely

As you strive to do your parts,

He is still part of your life

And you’ll feel him in your hearts.

This is all part of God’s great plan,

Earth-life is not the end.

He is as close as your memories,

You will see him once again.

A Rendezvous With Life

I Have a Rendezvous With Life

by Countee Cullen

 

I have a rendezvous with Life, 

In days I hope will come, 

Ere youth has sped, and strength of mind, 

Ere voices sweet grow dumb. 

I have a rendezvous with Life, 

When Spring's first heralds hum. 

Sure some would cry it's better far 

To crown their days with sleep 

Than face the road, the wind and rain, 

To heed the calling deep. 

Though wet nor blow nor space I fear, 

Yet fear I deeply, too, 

Lest Death should meet and claim me ere 

I keep Life's rendezvous.

Somehow, when I read this, it spoke to my heart.  It is too easy in this life we live in to forget that we are here to LIVE.  Not cry, not sleep, not hide our heads in the sand.  We are here to embrace the lives that we have been given and to make something that is not forgotten.  So, on this beautiful Sabbath morning, won't you take a moment to thank Him for all your blessings.  Won't you also keep your rendezvous.  I, for one, think that life can be so amazing.  We just occasionally get stuck in a moment and forget that this too shall pass.  Let us face the road that we are on and just enjoy every single moment of this journey.  

Sisters in Zion

"...we simply cannot call ourselves Christian and continue to judge one another—or ourselves—so harshly. No mason jar of bing cherries is worth a confrontation that robs us of our compassion
and our sisterhood."

Patricia Holland, One Thing Needful.  

Oh how I loved listening to that quote again tonight during the Women's Conference.  It was amazing.  It reminds me how important we each are as children of a Loving Heavenly Father.  He loves each and every one of us.  Not matter what we do for a living, or how good we are at it.  No matter if we like to sew or bake or clean.  No matter if we are perfect or just in training.  He still loves us.  We can be so hard on ourselves.  We can be so judgmental, not just with others, but also with ourselves.  Sometimes, I think the greatest gift we can give anyone, is just a little more kindness.  I believe that is exactly what Jesus taught.  He wants us to love one another, strengthen one another, lean on one another, and help one another through the marvelous and often difficult journey.  That is what being a Sister of God is all about. 

Mighty

Today is Friday.  Yes it is!  One of my favorite days to get together with friends over at Lisa Jo's.  We all write without worrying whether it is just right or not.  So, here is my five minutes on...

MIGHTY

GO

I can't think of this word without thinking of the mighty love of my Heavenly Father.  He gives us everything we have.  He blesses us with all that we need.  He is mighty in gifts, mighty in forgiveness, mighty in revelation, mighty in acceptance and mighty in love.  All that I am, I owe to Him.  He has brought me through my trials, each and every one.  When I could not find my way out of the darkness, He found me.  I can promise that He can find you too.  He reaches out his hand and grasps ours in our trials.  He knows the things we have endured.  I know that He gave His only begotten son for each and every one of us.  No matter what choices we have made in our past,  every single one of us can start today and change the end of our own story.  We don't have to live with the pain.  His brings the mighty gift of healing in His wings.  He has provided the way that we can rejoice with Him again.  We will rest in His love if we will only trust in Him. 

Zephaniah 3:17  
The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.

 STOP

Now, what can you write in your own five minutes?  Don't forget to join the rest of us over at Lisa Jo's. 

Fake Friends

Life is too short for

Fake Butter,

Fake Cheese,

Or Fake Friends.

For a long time, I did not know how to make friends.  I tried to belong.  I tried to be a good friend, but I really did not know how friendship was supposed to be a give and take opportunity.  I did most of the giving, and not too much of the receiving.  As a consequence, rather than getting my feelings hurt all the time, I chose not try and have too many people around me.  

I learned to make friends after my feelings got hurt way too many times.  I learned how to make lasting friends.  I learned that real friends are there for you, no matter what, even if you are in a place in your life that makes you not as available as you should be.  I learned that real friends are willing to talk when you need them to talk and listen when you need them to listen.  

I learned that friends accept you, with all your faults and baggage and that they choose to overlook those things that you don't want pointed out.  They also can choose to tell you the things that you couldn't handle hearing from anyone else.   Most of all, I have learned that being a good friend takes work, but it is so worth the effort.  It means sometimes you give, and sometimes you take and sometimes you just lean and love together.  

There is nothing in life quite like a real friend.  

As for fake butter and cheese, well, I think those speak for themselves!  I happen to love the real in life.  I love what I am learning to be and I love those who are willing to walk this journey with me.  

Joy

Joining with the other writers over at  Lisa Jo's today.  I might be late, but I know I haven't missed the train yet!  This is where we write for five minutes flat without worrying whether it is write or not.  Hope to see you there. 

Today's prompt is:

JOY


START

We live in a world today that is always talking about personal happiness; about doing things for yourself,  about “finding” yourself.  There is nothing wrong with personal happiness, in its right context.  We may think we are happy when we are really being selfish.  Happiness is never about who we are.  It always is about what we are doing and who we are helping.

joy

noun \ˈjȯi\

: a feeling of great happiness

: a source or cause of great happiness : something or someone that gives joy to someone

: success in doing, finding, or getting something

 2 Nephi 2:25   ….men are, that they might have joy.

I love that our Heavenly Father wants us to have joy, not just happiness.  I love that joy is more than just being happy.  I love that it is greater than happiness could ever be.  I believe that Joy only comes from doing what our Heavenly Father wants us to do.  It comes as we seek Him and strive to follow His example in all the parts of our lives. 

Joy is the middle name of one of my daughters, and one of my granddaughters.  They love their name.  I love it too.  I gave that name to my daughter because I waited so long for the blessings of these last girls.  I wanted her so much.  I wanted her to understand that she was and is always a joy and a blessing to us. 

When I think of joy, I think of something a little extra.  I think of something added upon.  Being happy is wonderful, but being filled with joy is something really special.  I wanted her to know that she has always been really special to our family.

Being filled is like having no room for any other feeling.  Having no room for anything else.  Joy fills us right up.  It covers our spirits and our souls.  It is so much happiness that we can hardly contain it all.  Joy is a gift from our loving Father to each and every one of us.  All we need to do is seek Him.  When we find Him, we will also find our joy in serving Him.

“One ship sails east.
One ship sails west.
Regardless of how the winds blow,
It is the set of the sail
And not the gale
That determines the way we go.”
(Author unknown)

STOP
Now, what can you write in just five minutes?

Who You Are

Your age doesn't 
define your maturity,

your grades don't 
define your intellect,

and rumors don't 
define who you really are.

I have heard that you are only as old as you feel.  I have met adults that act like my own children.  I have seen youth that have more maturity than most adults, and I have known adults that need a little maturity in their lives.  I think that some of us need maturity, but we also need to be like children every once in awhile.  

When I was in school, my grades meant everything to me.  They were the things that mattered most.  I felt important if I could get straight A's.  It has taken me years and years to learn that my grades don't define me.  I have to define myself.  Even in college, I had to get A's.  Even when I had papers to write and kids to take care of, I had to get A's.  I had to get through school to see how much those grades did not matter.  The only person they were important to, was me.  

You can get lost in the people around you.   In the way they think about you.  In the way they treat you, in the rumors they spread.  I live in a small town, I like to call it "Rumorgaard".  The rumors spread from one side of town to the next, faster than you can pick up a phone and talk to someone about it.  That has been the hardest challenge for me.  

People gossip and spread rumors everywhere, but in a small town, you get to live with those rumors.  They surround you no matter where you go.  People you don't even know, have no problem coming up to you and asking about it.  I have never been so overwhelmed about rumors.  

For me, this quote is timely and wonderful.  I need to remember that the rumors never have and never will define me.  I get to define myself.  And for me, that means everything.     

Hitting and Biting

"You knew it was a good day
if you didn't hit or bite anyone".
Nathaniel Age 4

I love this for some reason.  And that face!  It just reminds me of being a child. Maybe it is because, as an adult, I have to stay more in control.  I can't behave badly and get away with it any more.  Not that I really did as a child, but at least it was a little more acceptable.  

I remember the day in sixth grade, one of the boys would not leave me alone.  I had the misfortune of being the girl that everyone picked on.  They tried to get under my skin by calling me names, taking my stuff and even beating me up.  I did not make friends easily, and got my feelings hurt way too often.  

On this occasion, the boy would not quit calling me names.  The rest of the class was laughing at me and I was humiliated and embarrassed.   I lost my temper and picked up my dictionary and hit him right over the head.  The entire class was silent in shock.  I had never fought back before.  He was fine, other than a slight headache.  I got detention (not for the first time I might add).  I had a knack for being the kid that always got caught.  

Anyway, that day was not a good day.  However, good things came of it.  I ended up making a friend with one of the girls that actually stuck up for me after that.  Her name was Fern and she taught me how to fight.  Instead of being the one beaten up, I learned to defend myself from the others.  I never did get good at hitting first, but I got very good at defending myself so that I didn't get hurt.  

It is amazing to me how much our perspective changes with time.  When we are young, controlling ourselves has more to do with how we behave physically.  It is learning to control our impulsive actions.  As we get older, we have to learn to control our physical reactions as well as our words, our thoughts, and even our desire to get even.  We have to learn to choose our actions and not choose to react to what is done to us.  We hopefully become adults.  

As we grow, our ideas of what is acceptable change.  I know that I would never want to hurt anyone by hitting or biting.  Nor would I want to intentionally hurt them with words or actions.  I think as we grow, we start to learn that anything not done with compassion and caring becomes unacceptable.  Kindness really does begin with me.  

Crowded in my own mind

The Crowds In My Mind  

by Patricia A. Pitterle

Time does not stand still.

My thoughts crowd with images

Of things past and 

Things to come.

My imagination takes flight

In worry and frustration.

I am exhausted 

And overwhelmed

With yesterday’s to-do list

And today’s need-to get done list.

Everything demands my time

And attention.

Mind racing from one thing

To the next

And round and round again.

Never quite arriving 

at the destination

That I planned on.

Dirty dishes, 

Unswept floors,

Laundry in piles 

Clear ‘till next week

I fight the crowds of "should have's"

inside my brain.

The ones that tell me 

I will never be 

more than this.

I will never be good enough.

I will never become 

Who I should be.

A waking child, 

Her eyes heavy with slumber, 

stumbles into the room 

and pulls herself 

into my lap.

“Grammy, I need to hold you”

I don't need to fight 

the noise anymore.

The crowds will wait 

until another time.

I sweep her tightly

into my arms.

For a moment,

I am exactly 

what I am made to be.

I am a heart to love,

arms to hold

and songs straight from heaven.

To her, I am enough.

She is loved, she is safe,

And we go over the edge,

Blissfully wrapped up together,

Into the oblivion

Of sleep.

Wedding Day

For My Son

On His Wedding Day 

By Patricia A Pitterle 

I held you

One heart beat 

Next to mine. 

Tightly in my arms. 

Wide blue eyes looking 

Into my brown-green ones.

I loved you 

More than I could explain 

As I watched you crawl 

Across the floor 

Then walk and run 

And leave my side at last. 

I watched you grow 

I watched you change 

I watched you become 

The man you are today. 

Life often hands us gifts 

We never planned on. 

I am proud of you son. 

I am filled with love 

And joy and memories 

For the young man 

    That stands waiting 

At the alter. 

I watch your face 

The smile that lights your eyes 

As she comes. 

Slowly walking, 

One step at a time, 

Toward her beckoning future. 

I see her gaze 

Looking up into yours. 

Love shining in her eyes. 

Her heart 

Worn on her sleeve 

For everyone there to see. 

You look at her 

And take her small hand 

Gently in your larger one. 

You both smile 

And lovingly 

Whisper your “I do’s”. 

It is finished 

You are now a pair. 

A new life together; 

You turn as one 

And greet the crowd 

Heart and soul complete. 

Two hearts 

Once lonely and alone, 

Now beat together in symmetry. 

You walk together 

Toward your destiny; 

Mr. and Mrs. at last. 

You have waited 

All your life 

For just this moment. 

It is a good day 

Full of devotion, joy and 

A love worth waiting for. 

Five Minute Friday - Crowd

Got five minutes? Come and write with us; it’s the best kind of free therapy.

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking
2. Link back over at Lisa Jo's place and invite others to join in. 

3. And don’t forget to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments.

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

CROWD

GO:

“I don't even remember the season. I just remember walking between them 

and feeling for the first time that I belonged somewhere.”  

Stepen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Life seems so hard when I was young.  It was hard to make friends, it was harder still to keep them.  I never felt like I belonged anywhere.  I always seemed to be on the outside looking in and wanting, desperately wanting, to be a part of the crowd.  

I grew up and I had children.  One right after the other.  Sleeping, squirming, kicking, talking, screaming, laughing, running, no time for anyone else children.  I remember them coming into my bed at night to cuddle and talk and giggle and tell me about their day.  I remember squishy hugs and sticky kisses all covered with love.  I remember feeling and knowing that I was right where i was supposed to be.  That this crowd, my family, was my place of belonging.  

A spot that nestled right in my heart, growing bigger with each and every child.  Satisfying my every dream, my every want, my every wish.  Being crowded is all I have ever needed.
Walking through them all, I know that I belong somewhere.  Right here, with them.  I have finally found my crowd.

STOP

Now it is your turn.  What can you write in your own five minutes?  Don't forget to join the rest of us over at Lisa Jo's!  

Littering Negativity

 

You can't litter negativity everywhere 

and then wonder why 

you've got a trashy life.

 Yep, negativity, my nemesis.  It is so easy to get sucked into that aspect of life.  Take yesterday for example, I got up early and went for an hour walk.  I came home to take a shower only to discover that our septic had overflowed.  So yes, it started out to be a slightly negative day.  No shower.  That is so not my favorite way to go to work.

My husband was sick all night, now one of the girls are sick.  It is so not a good time to be without our septic.  Who would ever have imagined such a small seeming thing could cause so many problems.  

We had to call someone to pump it, check the leach lines, check the pipes and get us up and running once again.  A shower never felt so good!  

Seriously though, all that, well, negative stuff, in the septic, reminds me that we can't allow the negative to overwhelm us.  We can't allow it to fill us up and leave no room for anything else.  At some point, we have to dump the negative and move on with our lives. 

Just like my shower felt so very fresh and clean, so can we feel that way through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.  We were not sent here to be negative.   We were not sent here to fail.  Our Heavenly Father wants us to be able to come back to Him.  So, lets all work on getting rid of the trash in our lives and Come Unto Him.  

The Devil

The devil doesn't come to you

With his red face and horns.

He comes to you disguised

As everything you've ever wanted.

I found this one on pinterest of all places and I loved it.  I have learned that it is so true.  We imagine that the devil is responsible for our problems.  We imagine that we can recognize him and so avoid him.  We imagine that we can recognize evil easily.  The problem is that the devil does not come to us a pure evil.  Normally, at least in my life, he comes as something that I wish for.  He comes as something that I want.  He comes with a portion of the truth, but not the whole truth.  He adds to the truth with a little lie here and a little lie there, until at last, we swallow it all, hook, line and sinker.  

The other thing that I have discovered is that the closer I am to my Heavenly Father, the easier it is for me to recognize those things which are not of God.  It become easier to discern between what is right, and what is merely wanted.  Our wants are not always the things that we need.  They are not the things that help us to remain in our Heavenly Fathers presence.  They are never the things that invite us to come closer to Christ.

I love reading the scriptures.  They invite us to come unto Christ.  

Come, for he stands “with open arms to receive you”  (Mormon 6:17). 

Come, for “he will console you in your afflictions, and he will plead your cause”  (Jacob 3:1)

“Come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him”.  (Omni 1:26)

As Moroni closed the record of the Jaredite civilization, he wrote, “I would commend you to seek this Jesus of whom the prophets and apostles have written”  (Ether 12:41). 

In Moroni’s closing words written toward the end of the Book of Mormon when the Nephite civilization was nearly destroyed, he said, “Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, … and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you”.  Moroni 10:32 

I love the old poem that says:

All the water in the world

However hard it tries,

Can never sink the smallest ship,

Unless in gets inside.

All the evil in the world

The blackest kind of sin,

Can never hurt you one least bit,

Unless you let it in.

Sabbath Day Scribblings - Love, The Great Commandment

“Love one another; as I have loved you” (John 13:34). On this simple phrase hangs the success of every marriage and family. In the light of Christ’s love we see our family’s divine potential. We love them with all our heart, soul, and mind. And as we do, our ordinary family is transformed into an extraordinary one.
My we each strive to see the extraordinary in those we love!

"Because love is the great commandment, it ought to be at thecenter of all and everything we do in our own family, in our Church callings, and in our livelihood. Love is the healing balm that repairs rifts in personal and family relationships. It is the bond that unites families, communities, and nations. Love is the power that initiates friendship, tolerance, civility, and respect. It is the source that overcomes divisiveness and hate. Love is the fire that warms our lives with unparalleled joy and divine hope. Love should be our walk and our talk.”        The Love of God Dieter F. Uchtdorf

My Entire Life

 

My Entire Life

Can Be Described In One Sentence:

It didn't go as planned,

And that's Okay. 

I am pretty sure that most of us can identify with this one.  I remember when I was a teenager and we wrote what our husbands were going to be like when we were older.  Mine was going to have blond hair and blue eyes and be six foot tall and be an athlete.  I never really thought about the traits I wanted in a man.  I thought mostly about the physical.  Instead, I have learned that there are so many more important things than looks.  Kindness is at the top of my list.  A willingness to let me be myself.  A love of Heavenly Father.  A testimony.  Love for my children.  A good father and a good husband.  There are so many more important things than what people look like or pretend to be like.  

For my own self, I should have wanted to be independent, with self-reliance and a strong testimony.  I never knew that I would need tenacity and love for the people in my life that would hurt me so much.  I never knew how important forgiveness would be, not only for myself, but for others in my life.  I think when I was young, I thought forgiveness was more between my Heavenly Father and me, I never realized that it would need to be part of many areas of my life.  

I have learned that it is okay to dream, but it is also okay to adjust our dreams to something we never imagined.  Life has never been what I imagined in would be.  In someways, it has been so much worse, but in the ways that matter most, it has been better than I ever could have dreamed.

If I could go back and change anything, I would not.  Don't get me wrong, I have made lots of mistakes that I wish I hadn't, but I have learned so much.  And everything I have been through has brought me to this point.  A place where I am happy, where I am needed and where I am loved.  A wife with an amazing husband, a mother with eleven amazing children, a grandmother with loving and wonderful grand-children.  

I have had a lot to learn and absolutely nothing has gone as planned.

And that is totally Okay!

Like A Blanket

I had a baptism to go to for a friend of ours.  It is one of the young women that has been attending with Miracle.  To celebrate her special day, I made her a white blanket and wrote a poem.  I seem to enjoy writing poetry quite a bit lately.  I just want her to know that the Holy Ghost is such a special blessing in each of our lives.  He comforts us and guides us and helps us to find the way.  

I love the scripture in 1 Kings 19: 11-12

11 And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake:

12 And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.  

The Holy Ghost is always there.  His is the still small voice deep in our hearts that will whisper the things we need to know, if we will only learn to listen.

Like A Blanket

By Patricia A Pitterle

When I am cold and sorry

And shivering in the night

I have a special blanket

That helps me feel just right

It keeps me warm and cozy

and brings me comfort too

I wrap myself within the folds

So soft and white and new.

This blanket has a meaning

I think of it each day

It reminds me I was blessed

In a very sacred way.

It reminds me I am not alone,

There is a quiet voice

The Holy Ghost speaks softly

And helps me make a choice.

He whispers with his spirit

right into my heart

I know that I am guided

As I seek to do my part. 

And as I learn to listen

And hear His gentle voice

He reminds me I am loved so much

The angels all rejoice.

And all my sins are clean now

and white as new found snow

Just like my special blanket

That reminds me it is so. 

Seven Days Without God Makes One Weak

I am loving this saying today.  Although I do think that "Fightday" just might come around more than once a week!  Of course, I have teenagers, so that seems to go with the plan. 
Actually, I love this because, in our busy lives, it can be so easy to take our Heavenly Father for granted.  It can be so easy to put Him aside for other things.  Sometimes, without even meaning too.  One of the things that I have noticed in my own life, is that when I let things go, for instance I forget to say my morning prayers, it becomes easier to not do my prayers the next time.  Soon, I am saying them in the car on the way to work, and pretty soon after than, they just disappear from my life all together. 
Satan doesn't tempt us with the big things.  No, he tempts us with the small things first, than as we move forward, he keeps tempting us.  At any time we are free to change, but change can be so hard.  We don't go from a covenant keeping, faith abiding people, to wickedness and evil in one action.  No, we think about what we would "like" to be doing first.  Then we watch those things, than we believe that one time won't hurt us, and soon we have lost our hold on the iron rod and wondered into the mists of darkness. 
We took the first step in taking God out of our lives. 
So, no matter what you are doing today, take a step back and thank Him for being there for you.  Put Him first and foremost in your heart and in your plans.  Involve Him in your day, and in your week.  He wants to be there for you.  If you feel that He is not, I guarantee that it isn't from anything He has done.  Invite Him back into your life.  Invite Him into your home and your heart.  He is waiting, hands outstretched, to meet you. 

Afraid

I literally,

Have to remind myself

All the time

That being afraid

Of things going wrong,

Isn't the way

To make things

Go right.  

One of my favorite quotes ever.   I am a well known worrier.   I worry about everything.  I worry about my children getting hurt physically, as well as emotionally.  I worry about mean-ness and lying and unkindness.  I worry about what people think of me.  I worry constantly about how good or bad of a mother I have been.  I worry about making such bad mistakes that my children will never recover from them.  I worry about things that have happened as well as about things that might happen.  I am afraid all the time.  

In the past couple of years, I have struggled with an overwhelming sense of anxiety.  I am literally scared of pretty much everything.  It has been so bad, that I finally went on medication to help me with the symptoms.  I am slowly getting better.  I am still scared, but it is more under control than it used to be.  I am learning that just being scared doesn't change anything.  The only way things change is action.  We have to choose the right, not just wait and worry.  

The picture above is one of my daughters.  She has always been terrified to try sports.  I have girls that sing and play instruments.  They are not physical.  Nevertheless, in our small town, nearly every kid plays at least a few sports.  She decided on her own, that she would learn to play. She started last year and totally believed that she was awful.  Last to play nearly everything she tried.  But she kept going and she kept learning and she is starting to get it right.  She is leaping and jumping and feeling good about herself for the first time in years.  I love this picture because it represents how far she has come.  It represents real effort and growth on her part.  Being afraid, never would have helped her to play a better game of Volleyball.  What helped her was her own willingness to get out on the court and learn.  

So go ahead and jump child.  You can do it, in spite of all your fears.  You are more than you ever thought you could be.  Just jump, and keep trying.  

He Never Fails

If what's ahead scares you,

And what's behind hurts you,

Just look above;

He never fails to help you.  

It is so easy to be overwhelmed in this life.  We are surrounded with business.  We work, we volunteer, we keep trying.  Our kids are busy too.  They are in sports, music, activities and school.  There are so many good things, that it is easy to be worried about whether or not we are doing the best that we can.  The future is the great unknown.  It could be better or it could be so much worse.  There are wars and rumors of wars.  There are gangs and violence.  There are evil and wicked people in the world today, as well as the righteous.  It is easy to look ahead and be scared.

Sometime, the past can be even worse.  We know what is hiding in our memories.  We know the demons that await us in the night.  We all have a past.  We all have things that have hurt us.  Sometimes it is people, sometimes it is events, sometimes it is our own mistakes.  Whatever it might be, the past can have tremendous hold upon us until we learn to let it go.  Until we learn that it does not have any more power today than we give it.  

So, in spite of our past or our future, we have to remember to look up.  He really is willing to hear our hearts and our prayers.  He is willing to be the difference in our lives, if we will only let Him.  My each of us remember to look up!

This is one of my favorite stories from General Conference a few years ago.  

At the end of a particularly tiring day toward the end of my first week as a General Authority, my briefcase was overloaded and my mind was preoccupied with the question “How can I possibly do this?” I left the office of the Seventy and entered the elevator of the Church Administration Building. As the elevator descended, my head was down and I stared blankly at the floor.

The door opened and someone entered, but I didn’t look up. As the door closed, I heard someone ask, “What are you looking at down there?” I recognized that voice—it was President Thomas S. Monson.

I quickly looked up and responded, “Oh, nothing.” (I’m sure that clever response inspired confidence in my abilities!)

But he had seen my subdued countenance and my heavy briefcase. He smiled and lovingly suggested, while pointing heavenward, “It is better to look up!” As we traveled down one more level, he cheerfully explained that he was on his way to the temple. When he bid me farewell, his parting glance spoke again to my heart, “Now, remember, it is better to look up.” 
Carl B. Cook  General Conference October 2011