Five Minute Friday - Grasp

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 and encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community..

Here is my best five minutes on:::

Grasp…

GO

Many years ago, when I was much younger and more limber, I used to climb cliffs for fun.  My favorite type of climbing was face climbing.  This is accomplished by looking for a crack that runs along the face of a cliff and putting your fingertips and toes into that crack, grasping with all your might and then climbing the long, difficult journey to the top.  Sometimes, the climb would be so difficult, that I would slip from the crack and fall on the rope until I could grasp again and continue onward.  Most of the time, my fingertips and knuckles (and even my knees and elbows) would be scrapped and bleeding long before I was done.  I would arrive at the top, bruised, out of breath, heart racing, and completely relieved that I had made it at last. 
Today, I might not grasp at the edge of real cliffs anymore, However, the metaphorical and less physical ones seem to abound and still manage to exhaust me in the climb.  I grasp at hope each inch of the way.   I grasp at friendship to help me make the journey, I grasp at love and hold it tight so that I might not forget what is best and good in this world.  I grasp at faith that all things will somehow work out and most of all I grasp at trust.  Trust in His vision for what I need.  Trust in His knowledge of what is to come.  Trust in His ability to catch me as I struggle and fall. 
I grasp and in the grasping I lean and learn that it is alright to let go.

STOP

Now it is your turn!  What can you write in just five minutes?

I Have Mountains To Climb

I know that it has been a long time since I have written.  I really can't share all the reasons why, but I can say that currently I am climbing a mountain that I have never had to climb before and that I never imagined I would ever climb.  I felt like I couldn't find anything positive to say.  I have felt lost, sad, depressed and anxious. 
Anyone that reads me regularly, knows that I really do try to keep the positive going on my blog.  That is not to say that I don't have trials.  It is just that I have learned so much be trying to focus on the things in life that really are good.  That bring me up instead of pulling me down.  I have chosen to honor courage and strength through the trials. 
But, for a while now, I could not find courage and strength within myself.  I am still out here.  I read many of you daily.  I am working through this, and I do know Heavenly Father loves me.  I also understand just how hard  life can be.  I know that I will learn and grow from the trials, it is just that sometimes, I don't want to.   
I will keep writing, it might not be as often as before.  I am going to take it slow and easy and just start to find myself once again.  I listened to this wonderful talk in conference two weeks ago.  I found peace in the words and wanted to share a small measure with you.  I hope that it reminds you how very much you are Loved, that you have always been loved, and you will always be loved.

"If we have faith in Jesus Christ, the hardest as well as the easiest times in life can be a blessing. In all conditions, we can choose the right with the guidance of the Spirit. We have the gospel of Jesus Christ to shape and guide our lives if we choose it. And with prophets revealing to us our place in the plan of salvation, we can live with perfect hope and a feeling of peace. We never need to feel that we are alone or unloved in the Lord’s service, because we never are. We can feel the love of God. The Savior has promised angels on our left and our right, to bear us up. And He always keeps His word."


—President Henry B. Eyring, "Mountains to Climb", General Conference, Apr. 2012

May you feel the comfort of those angels bearing you up through your burdens is my prayer for you this day.

Sabbath Day Scribblings - Believe

“God is eagerly waiting for the chance to answer your prayers and fulfill your dreams, just as he always has. But he can't if you don't pray, and he can't if you don't dream. In short, he can't if you don't believe.” ― Jeffrey R. Holland - 

Five Minute Friday - Trust

Around here I like to participate in an exercise called Five Minute Fridays. We write for five minutes flat. We write because we want to, not because we have to. We write for fun, for joy, for discovery.

On Fridays we just write without worrying if it’s just right or not. Won’t you join us?

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

2. Link back to the Gypsy Mama and invite others to join in.

3. Please visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them.

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

Trust…

START 

Hebrews 13:5  Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

My life has been filled with too many dark things. I learned early that trust was not something to take for granted. I learned to do things by myself and for myself. I learned that I could depend on myself and not those around me. 

Time passed and I grew up. One of the hardest lessons in my life has been to learn to trust again. To learn that I do not need to carry all the burdens for myself, that I do not need to depend only on myself. I had to learn that there were those who could be trusted and would not let me down.

Trust is something that I still struggle with.  In those struggles, I have learned to trust the only One that really matters. I have learned to know that He is there.  That He loves me.  That He is mindful of me, and that He cares for my needs.  I have learned that He will be with me, not only in the good times, but also in the difficult ones.  That although He doesn't take away the trials, He can and will heal the pain.  

I have learned that even in the darkness, there is peace.    

STOP

Now it's your turn.  What can you write about trust in just five minutes?

Don't forget to join us over here with your words.  

Writer's Workshop - My Valentine

Today I am joining with Mama Kat for her weekly writer's workshop. The rules are simple:

Choose a prompt, post it on your blog, and go over to visit at Mama Kat's and add your name to the link list posted there. For good comment karma try to comment on the three blogs above your name!!

The Prompts:
1.) Who was at your front door?
2. Start with the phrase “Ten years ago on this day, I was…”
3. If you give a Mom a Blank…a post written in the style of the children’s “If You Give A Mouse A Cookie” books.
4. Without social media I…
5. A poem for your valentine.I chose to write a Valentine poem. 

To My Valentine

by Patricia A Pitterle

I loved to make sweet valentines

When I was just a little girl,

With red hearts cut in perfect lines

and ribbons long and curled.

I folded up the paper

And cut the halves just so,

Then opened up a perfect heart

The two halves made a whole.

I wanted life to be much like 

Those simple hearts I made

Where both sides would fit perfectly 

Together as I bade.

Yet life is not a paper heart

Cut evenly, I've learned

That each side will do as it will

No matter what I've yearned.

The edges fray and stretch and bend

Each one with different needs

And yet the middle meets and melds

Becoming one indeed.

And so at last I have let go

Of dreams of perfect lines

I choose to let the edges go

That two might be combined.

The edges aren't important

They don't define the pair

It's the fold right through the middle

That joins the other there.

Now two hearts beat together 

In strength and love divine

The two are meshed and solid

Withstanding the tests of time.

The middle of two hearts become

The place of love and care.

The perfect whole made from two halves

That found safe refuge there.

Not Good Enough

Today, actually everyday, I struggle with being enough.  With feeling like I make a difference.  With my need to matter.  It is so easy to look around and find my failures.  

• I don't keep the house as clean as I should.
• I don't dress up, actually, I dress comfortably 99% of the time.
• I take things personally, even when I don't want to.
• I yell at my children when I get frustrated.
• I don't trust my Heavenly Father enough.  
• I try and do too many things.
• I don't fix dinner every night.
• I would rather read than do my chores.
• I don't say, "I love you" often enough.
• I feel overwhelmed most of the time.  

And that is not even the tip of the iceberg of my faults.  Realistically though, I know that I am not alone.  I know that when I look at myself this way, I am in the business of comparing myself to the woman I think I should be.  The woman that criticizes me.  The woman who knows what I could be if I would only try a little harder and do a little better.  
I am only looking at half the picture of myself.  I am looking at what I could be if I were perfect.  I am looking at the goal without seeing the good things that surround me.  I am not looking at my own successes.  My own triumphs.  
I think that I am probably a lot like you.  We each see more of our faults than our good part.  We see more of the would'a, could'a, should'a that surrounds us, and we forget the half that is the  will, shall, and can.   Yet, that half is part of me too.

• It is easy for me to love.
• It is easy for me to take care of people.
• It is easy for me to worship.
• I have faith.
• I write poetry
• I have the ability to overlook the faults in others.
• I love to teach.
• I love to share.
• I love to write about my Heavenly Father.
• I cherish all things family in my heart.

And that is not the tip of that iceberg either.  There are many more things that I also do very well.  I think one of the biggest mistakes we make is to only share our faults and our failings we forget to share our triumphs and our joys.  
Maybe, just maybe, if we are brave, we will find out that parts of us truly are wonderful too.  So, my challenge to you today is to find ten things that you are good enough in.  Ten things that show who you are and what you do.  Ten things that are unique to you.  


Come on, try it.  You really are good enough!  

Sabbath Day Scribblings- If You Have Been Wronged

"If you feel you have been wronged—by anyone (a family member, a friend, another member of the Church, a Church leader, a business associate) or by anything (the death of a loved one, health problems, a financial reversal, abuse, addictions)—deal with the matter directly and with all the strength you have. “Hold on thy way” (D&C 122:9); giving up is not an option. And, without delay, turn to the Lord. Exercise all of the faith you have in Him. Let Him share your burden. Allow His grace to lighten your load. We are promised that we will “suffer no manner of afflictions, save it were swallowed up in the joy of Christ” (Alma 31:38). Never let an earthly circumstance disable you spiritually. "  Donald L. Hallstrom 

A Simple Moment - Teaching Others

This Moment

A single photo 

– no words –

capturing a moment from our lives.

A simple, special, extraordinary moment.

A moment

I want to pause, savor and remember.

A moment

that brings a smile to my lips, 

and joy to my heart.

Five Minute Friday - Real

Today is one of my favorite days.  It is a day when I relax, when I think, when I ponder and when I share.  I join with others and write without caring if it is "right" or not.  I just write, for the fun, for the adventure, for the joy of putting words on a page.  So, come on over to The Gypsy Mama, and join us for just five short minutes of wonder.  
The prompt today is:

REAL

START

I love the word Real.  It is an amazing word to me.  I can't even talk about it without including and excerpt from my all time favorite children's story, The Velveteen Rabbit.  

"What is REAL?" asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room. "Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?"
"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."
"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.
"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."
"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"
"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."

Real to me is really simply love in action.  It is giving something my all.  It is the way I feel about my family and my children.  It is the tears, the sorrow, the fighting, the messes, the laughter, Christmas morning under the tree, the hopes, the fears, the love that is all wrapped up into what family really means to me.  
Being real is when the people you love most of all, understand you and love you just how you are.  It is the ability to forgive each other, care for each other, and accept each other.  It is something that a family becomes, as they learn to put the needs and wants of others far above their own.  Being REAL is what makes my family exactly who I want to be with.  With all our craziness and chaos, we love each other, we need each other, we want to be with each other.  But the best part of all is that we are REAL with each other.  Home is a place where you can take your hat off, be yourself, and still be loved.  I am not sure that you can get anymore REAL than that.  
STOP


Now it's your turn.  Write about real and come over the The Gypsy Mama and join us.  

Wordless Wednesday - Nanny, Nanny Boo Boo

"It's funny that those things your kids did that got on your nerves seem so cute when your grandchildren do them"

Things of the World

Doctrine and Covenants 25:10

And verily I say unto thee that thou shalt lay aside the things of this world, and seek for the things of a better.

I have teenage girls.  I know, you should feel very sorry for me!  It is a hard time of life for us all.  That being said, I have learned that girls live in the world.  They are engaged in how they look, who likes them, and what they need to do to be better than their peers.  The things of the world are not the same as the things of God.  They are there to persuade us.  They are full of deceit.  They are full of falsehood.  They are not to be believed.  
If you think I am wrong, look at any magazine in the grocery store that those teenage girls just might be seeing.  Look at the advertisements for makeup, for clothing, for all the things.  Then ask yourself, how did those women get to be so beautiful?  
Let me tell you.  
They start with a plain canvas.  A woman's face.  Then they have professionals fix her hair and her make up.  Those people have degrees to do that.  They know exactly how to bring out her best qualities.  Then there are professional photographers that take the beautiful pictures.  Then those pictures are taken to a computer and "photoshoped" to take out all the "flaws" and minor blemishes.  The finished picture is not even the model that started the session.  It takes her basic features and makes them different and that is what our girls are competing with.  How can anyone compete with something that isn't even real??

“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.“For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.“And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.” (1 Jn. 2:15–17.)

It is obvious the “world,” in these scriptures, does not mean the planet on which we live, but the environment that is created by individuals who live contrary to his teachings.  The world in this case is everything that distracts us from God.  It could be our books (that is a hard one for me!), our music, our movies, our hobbies, our freetime, our desires, our accomplishments. It could even be our total business with the things around us.  We are supposed to live in the world but not be of the world.  I think that means that we need to be around all the distractions, but we have to choose not to follow them.  We have to choose to turn away for the things that aren't real (meaning eternally) and turn toward the only real there ever has been.  The concern is not where we live in the world, but how we will live in it.  It is choosing good in spite of the evil that surrounds us.  It is walking in His paths, and following His teachings.  It is in living a life that will allow us to return to His presence.  It is remembering that Gods plan for us is not a plan for pleasure.  It is the plan of happiness.  

Through the atonement of Jesus Christ, we can each put aside the cares of the world and come to Him.  Isn't it wonderful that God, how knows everything, still takes the time to listen to our prayers?  To comfort our hearts?  To forgive us our sins? Compared to those unmistakable facts, what does the world really have to offer us?  

O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I'm constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee: 

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it;
Seal it for thy courts above.

Poverty Is.....

"We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty. We must start in our own homes to remedy this kind of poverty."   ~Mother Teresa 

Oh, I love this quote.  I think this woman, Mother Teresa, was simply amazing.  I am awed by her service and dedication to God.  I am in wonder at her willingness to help the less fortunate.  Sometimes, it seems as if I struggle just to get by, yet she was willing to give everything up to help those who needed it most.  She was willing to live and work in conditions that I have never had to be in.  She was willing to learn that what the world thought is not what mattered most. 
I have known poverty in my life.  I have lived with bugs and dirt floors.  I have lived in bad neighborhoods.  I have had holes in the walls and no air conditioning or heating.  But, I know that what Mother Teresa taught is true, To be unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty of all. 
I have been accused of being needy at times of my life.  Mostly, when I was much younger.  I have felt the poverty of being unloved and unwanted.  Of never knowing if you are noticed, of being sure that if you died, you would not be missed.  I have felt the hole that leaves, and the aching in my heart as I struggled to find someone, anyone, who needed me. 
I have learned that His love can heal all things.  When it fills our hearts we can endure pain, overcome fear, renew our strength and bless and help others around us.  The more that we love God, the more that we desire to help others.  

Luke 10:27 And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.

When we are filled with God's love, we can do and see and hear things that we wouldn't normally do otherwise.  We can be a light in the lives of those around us, especially those in our own families.  We can help to lift each other out of the poverty of the world.  We can help to lift each other from the pain and fear that surrounds us as we strive to bless, forgive and help.   

I know He lives.  I know He loves us.  I know that he smiles and cares and forgives.  I know that He wants us to know Him.  I know that He is filled with gentleness, kindness, mercy, charity, and forgiveness.  We only need to cast off the poverty of the world and come to Him.   

Linking up with A Holy Experience  and Joy in this Journey, Life: Unmasked, to share today. 

Sabbath Day Scribblings - A Christ Centered Home

This poem by C. C. Miller titled “The Echo” illustrates the importance and impact parents have as they influence their children:

’Twas a sheep not a lamb

That strayed away in the parable Jesus told,

A grown-up sheep that strayed away

From the ninety and nine in the fold.

And why for the sheep should we seek

And earnestly hope and pray?

Because there is danger when sheep go wrong:

They lead the lambs astray.

Lambs will follow the sheep, you know,

Wherever the sheep may stray.

When sheep go wrong,

It won’t take long till the lambs are as wrong as they.

And so with the sheep we earnestly plead

For the sake of the lambs today,

For when the sheep are lost

What a terrible cost

The lambs will have to pay.

Let us do everything within our power to establish a Christ-Centered home.  One where our children learn and know that they are Children of God.  That He loves them and they love Him.  That we show our love through obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.  Let us teach them who they should follow.  

A Simple Moment - Want to Cheer

This Moment

A single photo 

– no words –

capturing a moment from our lives.

A simple, special, extraordinary moment.

A moment

I want to pause, savor and remember.

A moment

that brings a smile to my lips, 

and joy to my heart.

Five Minute Friday - Tender

Around here we write for five minutes flat on Fridays.


We write because we want to, not because we have to. We write for fun, for joy, for discovery.

We just write without worrying if it’s just write or not.

Won’t you join us?

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

2. Link back over at The Gypsy Mama and invite others to join in.

3. Go a little overboard encouraging the writer who linked up before you.

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

Tender…

START

Psalms 145:9 The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.

So many times in my life, I have felt the quiet, comforting, tender mercies of my Heavenly Father.  I have come to realize that He is always there when I need Him. 
It doesn't matter if I do not see Him.  I know His peace in my heart. 
It does not matter if I do not hear His voice,  I know His Words through the Scriptures. 
It doesn't matter if I can't touch His hand, I feel His Love in my soul. 
In quiet moments when my heart is full, He whispers through His tender mercies that I am loved and He is here.  The Lord's tender mercies are very personalized and individualized.  They are a message to each of us that we are not alone.  That He cares for us.  That He is mindful of our needs.  
He loves each of us with all the tenderness of a perfect parent.  Not because we are perfect, but because He is.  He loves us in spite of ourselves.  He loves each of us even if we are flawed, rejected, imperfect, or broken.  Because of His tender love, there is hope for us.  No matter what has been in our past, no matter how we have lived the beginning of our stories, we can yet change our ending.   
Through His tender mercies, we can be healed and made whole. 
 
STOP
 
Now it is your turn.  Spend five minutes just writing and come link up over at The Gypsy Mama.  I promise, you are going to love it!!

Writer's Workshop - Healing From The Storm

This is the usual Thursday writing challenge from Mama's Losing It.  Choose a prompt, post it on your blog, and go over to Mama's Losin It and add your name to the link list.

The Prompts:
1.) Return to work after baby was born or stay home? How did you make your decision?
2.) Write a poem about inspired by the word: Storm
3.) You know the stories that are retold a million times at family gatherings? I call them Life Stories that you just never live down. List your Top 10 Life Stories.
4.) Describe a time you saw someone getting picked on.
5.) Write about one of your childhood heroes.

I chose number two this week and wrote a poem inspired by the word:  Storm

Healing From The Storm

Lightening flashes

Across the blackness

Of the winter sky.

Thunder rumbles

Through the air

In a breathtaking

Display of noise.

The rain comes down

In a curtain

Of icy wetness.

It pounds

In a loud cacophony

Of drumming sound,

And beats upon

The hard ground,

Turning,

All the dusty land

Into thick,

Oozing mud.

The trees lash

In the wind

Back and forth

In a macabre dance,

Sending branches

Crashing dangerously

To the earth.

I watch the storm

Blow through

My mountain home,

In all it’s terror

And it’s glory.

Remembering,

That this too

Shall pass.

That after the storm

The rainbow

Will come,

And there will be

Peace at last.

My life is full

Of storms that come

In the darkness

Of my aching.

The thunder and lightening,

That is the world

Around me,

Rumble in my ears

Deafening

My heart

From feeling the comfort

Of my God.

Trials rain

Upon my soul

And I struggle

In the mud

Of uncertainty

And despair.

The winds

Of life’s heartaches

Lash against my spirit

And I turn away

From His peace.

Finally,

When I can bear no more,

I fall upon my knees

And turn to Him

Now, at last,

Seeking His way

I bow to His will.

He teaches me

That this struggle,

Like any earthy storm,

Shall pass away.

After the tribulation
Comes the blessing,

And the Son,

And His healing,

At last.

Wordless Wednesday - Attitude

I'll Be What You Need Me To Be, Dear Lord

“And now I would that ye should be humble, and be submissive and gentle; easy to be entreated; full of patience and long-suffering; being temperate in all things; being diligent in keeping the commandments of God at all times; asking for whatsoever things ye stand in need, both spiritual and temporal; always returning thanks unto God for whatsoever things ye do receive.
“And see that ye have faith, hope, and charity, and then ye will always abound in good works” (Alma 7:23–24).

The scriptures bring me so much guidance and comfort.  This one is Alma is one of my all time favorites.  It reminds me of the type of person that I am supposed to be.  Not the kind that the world wants me to be, but the kind that my Heavenly Father needs me to be, and the kind of person that I need to be in Him.  The older I get, the more I find myself working toward becoming this kind of woman.
Pondering the scriptures gives me the courage to change and gives me guidance to work toward the changes that I need to make in my life.  The scriptures touch my heart and fill my life with blessings.  They remind me that my Heavenly Father loves me and is mindful of me even with all my problems and sin.
I have discovered that the scriptures can communicate different messages at different times of my life.  I can't tell you how many times I find the answer to prayer in the pages of scripture that I read every day.  I also can't even begin to describe the number of times a scripture speaks to my heart and I don't even remember reading it before.  Suddenly, it becomes like a new and valued treasure in my life.  One I study and ponder eagerly for the message.
The scriptures can chastise me, calm my soul, comfort my heart, bring me to repentance, speak peace, encourage me in my journey, or just remind me that I am not alone.   They give me a path to follow if I would be more like Him.  May you find comfort and peace within those wondrous pages.

For days when you feel overwhelmed

Helaman 12:1 And thus we can behold how false, and also the unsteadiness of the hearts of the children of men; yea, we can see that the Lord in his great infinite goodness doth bless and prosper those who put their trust in him.

Monday's are not my days.  They are so busy, so hectic, so unbelievable.  I have been busy from sunup to sundown.  It started right though.  We had scriptures.  We have been reading the Old Testament and the Doctrine and Covenants.  We are in Chronicles now and there are a lot of names.  It has been rough going for the girls.  The pronunciation can be rough when you are reading things you have never read before.  Nevertheless, they keep trying.  We spent 45 minutes reading this morning and everyone struggled.  But, we made it through and had a family prayer.  The girls are wonderful about it.  I don't know if I would be able to do it without them.
Today, we woke up at 5:30AM, we read scriptures, got everyone ready for work and school, took the girls to school, went to work, had way too much mail and way too little help, struggled to get everything done, took Miracle to her lessons and finally made it home about 9:30PM.  I am exhausted.  I am running on empty.  I need a couple of days sleep.  I need to slow down.  I need to find peace.   I need to breath; breath and turn to Him.
So, I pulled out my scriptures and read a little.  The above verse is the one that spoke to my heart today.  I rely too much on what I can do, and not enough of Him.  In my desire or need to do everything, I am discovering that I cannot do it all.  I need to ask for His help in my struggles.  I need to remember that these days will pass, I will not always be busy, I will not always be tired.  I will not always be overwhelmed.  Most of all, I need to remember that I am not alone.  He is here, He is with me, He wants me to do well.  He loves me.  I need to look again.  Just look again.

Linking in for Life Unmasked over at Joy in this Journey; hope to see you there. 

Sabbath Day Scribblings - Commitment

“Commitment is a little like diving into the water,” President Uchtdorf said. “Either you are committed or you are not. Either you are moving forward or you are standing still. There’s no halfway. We all face moments of decision that change the rest of our lives. As members of the Church, we must ask ourselves, ‘Will I dive in or just stand at the edge? Will I step forward or merely test the temperature of the water with my toes?’

“As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we have committed to walk in the path of discipleship. We have committed to follow the example of our Savior. Imagine how the world will be blessed and transformed for good when all members of the Lord’s Church live up to their true potential—converted in the depth of their souls and committed to building the kingdom of God.

“In some way, each of us stands at a decision point overlooking the water. It is my prayer that we will have faith, move forward, face our fears and doubts with courage, and say to ourselves, ‘I’m committed!’”