I am Bigger

 

I needed this one for myself today.  Each day of our life is a choice.  We can't choose the trials, or the heartaches, or the tears, or the problems, but we can certainly choose how we are going to live with them.  We can choose to be surrounded by fear, or by courage.  We can choose to be positive or negative.  We can choose to be scattered or focus.  We all get to choose. 

I like that word unstoppable.  I like the idea of letting the strength of others inspire me.  In short, I like the idea of remembering who I am and where I have come from. 

Life is hard and messy.  It is not an easy road.  It has bumps and bruises along the way.  Some things get broken and can't possibly be fixed, but we never know until we look back, just what it was that Heavenly Father was leading us through and to. 

Sometimes, for me, the hardest thing to learn is to simply let go and trust God that all will be well. 

Sometimes, being courageous is simply being willing to put one foot in front of the other and keep going forward toward a new ending. 

Being unstoppable, doesn't mean you do not have problems and concerns.  It simply means that I choose to take a step forward in spite of them.  It means I am making my choice to live. 

 

The First Prompting

 

This one has been proven true in my own life.  No matter how hard I try, it always seems so easy to ignore those first promptings.  Sometimes I wonder what Heavenly Father must think of us as we go on our merry way and ignore Him.  A really good example of this came from a friend of mine.  I really felt like I needed to go see her.  I really wanted too, but life has gotten so much in the way of things, that I put it off.  In putting it off, I received word that she was in the hospital and soon passed away. 

To this day, I feel regret that I did not go and see her before she left this world.  I feel sorrow that I had such a strong impression to be with her and that I ignored that feeling for the chaos around me.  No matter how busy I was, I know that I could have made time to go and see her.  I just did not believe that prompting. 

I could tell you of so many instances when I was prompted to do something.  When I felt the need to help or just be there, but I made excuses as to why I couldn't go.  I can also tell you of times that I felt that strongly about something and went anyway.  There are so many times that the spirit wants us to act in His behalf.  That we need to help, or just be there for another of God's children. 

That first thought that runs through your mind, that first impression, that first moment of decision making, is the one that counts the most. 

Do you listen to His promptings?  Do you hear the sounds of need?  Do you care enough? 

My prayer today is that each one of us may stretch our spiritual selves just a little bit further to hear His voice and do His work.  My we all be a little kinder to our neighbors and our friends.  May we feel the promptings of pure inspiration and help serve those around us.   

His Spirit to Comfort

I like to find Memes with meaning.  Ones that help me through the hour, the day, the week, the life that I am living.  This one reminded me today that I really am not alone.  And when I think very hard about it, I realize that His spirit does visit me in my sorrows, and it is always uplifting.  Sometimes it doesn't take away the pain or the suffering, but it does give me the strength I need to endure. 

The past several years have been hard on me.  I feel like I have aged 10 years for every single one of them.  I feel tired and drained.  My mind spins with the need to defend myself against the slander of others.  Yet, when I pray, I feel His peace.  No defense is necessary.  Somehow, everything will work out.  Maybe, not quite the way I would wish, but it will work out nevertheless. 
Letting go of negative feelings can be hard.  Letting go of feeling wronged can be even harder.  But I know that it is necessary to move on.  I am trusting that God has my back and that someday, all will be made right.  I don't know how, I don't know when, I don't even know what He will do, but I believe He has the power to change hearts and soften them.  I believe that He knows what needs to be done. 
So, although He never takes away another's free agency, He also never takes away the consequences of the sin.  He lets us make our own decisions and our own choices.  I believe that someday, those who do not repent will end up feeling the pain that they have caused others along the way.  I think they will come to a realization of the magnitude of suffering that they have inflicted on others.  I think that, in the end, they will come to know the pain that I have felt. 
His redeeming love and the atonement are there for each one of us.  Even (or especially) when we make terrible choices in our lives.  Part of repentance is to feel sorrow and make amends.  I can wait with the surety that all will be made right. 
So today, I choose to be comforted.  I choose to be encouraged and inspired.  I choose to forgive. 

Letting Go

 

I forget to find joy in the moment.  I have an entire laundry list of Should have's and could have's, but I really need to figure out how to burn that list and come up with all the things are really ARE. 

When I was young, I really wanted to be a doctor, but life stepped in and I became a mother instead.  I am not sorry for a single moment of not doctoring that happened.  I am sorry that that dream took me so very long to let go of.  I started going to school to be a nurse, but found myself in the position of being a single mother instead.  So, I went to work.  I have waited tables, been a nursing assistant, delivered papers, taken pictures, been an EMT and even been a telephone solicitor.  I have done anything and everything that I could to support my family and raise my children. 

But I have never let go of the should have's and could have's.  Perhaps it is time now. 

I love my EMT job.  It doesn't really pay, but it is truly a job of love.  I love being able to help people who are hurting and see direct results because I get them to the care they need.  I love my family.  I have been able to raise and love my children.  They have become adults that I can be proud of.  They are truly better than I have ever been, and that is all I could ever ask for.  I think that my life looks exactly how it is supposed to.  It might not be the way that I imagined it, but it is a life that I can celebrate.   

 

2 Nephi 2:25    Adam fell that men might be;
and men are, that they might have joy.

Heavenly Father did not send us here to be miserable.  He wants us to be happy.  He wants us to have joy.  He wants us to celebrate the good things in our lives.  He wants us to celebrate our blessings.  I love that He is mindful of our happiness.  I love that He wants us to be positive about our lives.  So today, I am going to trust that He knows exactly who I needed to be and that all these experiences shall be for my good. 
Today, I am letting go of the past and moving forward toward a new future. 
Today, I am going to find my joy. 

Restored

 

Oh how I love listening to this man speak.  He really gives me hope.  I know that I have felt like my own life is shattered, especially lately.  I have even had times when I couldn't see how I would make it to tomorrow.  Not because of my own sins, although they are more than I would wish, but mostly because of others that affect me. 

This quote is my new mantra.  There will be better days ahead.  There will be cause for rejoicing.  All that is lost will someday, somehow be restored.  I won't miss out on it forever, just for this moment.  No matter what is happening in each of our lives, we need to know and believe that Heavenly Father knows exactly what we are going through.  He knows our heartaches, He knows our suffering, He knows what we need. 

We can all have hope in His love and His mercy.  We can all rejoice in the knowledge that He wants to bless us.  Somehow, in ways that we probably can't understand right now, everything will work out for our good.  The shattered windows of our life, will all be made whole.  I wish I could explain how I know that, but I do.  I absolutely believe in the truth of that marvelous teaching.  We will all be made whole.  All the wrongs will be made right.  All will be restored. 

Memoir Monday - Talent

Describe a special talent you have used to your advantage.

I suppose that the only talent I have used to my advantage is writing.  I never knew how to write.  When I was young, I did not get good grades in English.  I did however, read like a crazy person.  I was reading at college level by the time I was in 7^th Grade.   I wrote for the school newspaper in 7^th grade, but did not do it for High School.  I also wrote poems about things that I felt strongly about.  Funny thing, I found out after my mother died that she even saved some of them.  I never felt like they were very good, but it was nice to know that she thought so. 

When I finally got to go to college, I did not know the first thing about writing formats or how to put together a paper.  I did not know what MLA was or APA.  I did not even know there was a difference.  Imagine my shock when I had certain teachers that wanted it one way, and others who wanted it a different way.  I had a lot to learn.  I took classes in writing.  I learned how to format papers and how to research.  I learned how to write and what to write.  When it came time to work on my Master’s Degree, I even had to write a 5 page paper every single week, along with a 10 to 15 page group paper.  I learned to write. 

Once I had an MBA, then I was able to put that to use and write in my job.  I wrote reports, I did investigations.  I learned how to put the: who, what, where, when, why and how, into everything. 

I learned that I actually like writing.  I like doing investigative reports.  I like interviewing others, I like hiring, I like writing grievances and arguments. 

But the best thing I write is not for work.  I like writing on my blog.  I like finding the positive in my very ordinary life.  I love to share the Love of my Heavenly Father with others.  I know that not everyone believes the way that I do, but I really want to share the personal love of our Heavenly Father.  I hope through writing, that I can help others to see and feel and know some of the things that are most important to me. 

Writing has been an advantage in my work, in church, and even in my family.  I write because it frees my heart from struggle.  Writing gives me wings of words to carry me on and to send a little hope to others.  Writing lets me work through my hurt and through my lack of understanding.  It is a way for me to express how I am feeling and even why I am feeling that way.  Some of my writing is dark, but most of it looks for the sunshine behind the clouds.

Someday, I dream of writing a book.  Interestingly, as much as I love fiction, that is not what I want to write.  I want to write something that reminds others that they are better than the think, that they have more than they could ever imagine, that they are loved more than they can possibly believe.  I want to write something that leaves people with the knowledge of who they are and whose they are. I want to write something that makes a difference in the lives of my own posterity.   

Words on a Page

by Patricia A Pitterle

Words on a page, flowing forth 

Good and bad, all in a row.

Each sentence now becoming clear  

With words that make them flow.

Sometimes, life throws obstacles

Like rocks, along the way.

The words I write will help me know

The darkness isn't where I'll stay.

I keep searching for the positive,
Hidden here along the trail.
He suffered too, I'm not alone

and His love never fails.

He won’t stop protecting me,
He won’t forget I’m here.
He knows all about me.
He knows I need Him near.

And so I keep on writing
Words of truth to help me see.
His love burns within my heart
His hands reach out to me.

I have seen His miracles,

And I have felt His grace,

He holds me tight within His arms

Safe in His embrace. 

Now it is your turn.  What talent to you have in your own life?  Don't forget to link back up and share.  

Failure by Default

I love this quote!!  There is just something wonderful about Harry Potter and his world.  He teaches us that there is really evil in the world, but also that people you think are bad, can change.  He teaches us that he world is not always what you see.  That there is so much hidden from muggle view. 

It is impossible to live without failing something, yet I face my life trying to never fail at anything.  Failure makes me feel like a "loser".  Failure is not something I want or desire.  Yet, it happens one time after another. 

No matter how hard I try, I fail at something each and every day.  Maybe that is why I love this quote so much.  It reminds me that no matter how good we are, we will all experience failure.  Failure is how we learn.  It is how we progress.  It is how we move on.

Take for example, one of my sons.  He was an amazing athlete.  He could play any sport.  His favorite was football and he played from the time that he was seven years old and could go into Pop Warner.  Not only did he play, but he learned to do it very well.  So well, that he was able to go to college with a scholarship.   Football was good to him.  But not good enough.  His dream was always to play for the NFL.  He never got to do that.  

Once, when he was very young, he played little league.  He quickly became good at that too.  He was the only one on his team that could hit a ball thrown 90 miles per hour.  In 8th grade, one of the coaches wanted him to go out for baseball.  He even said that they would teach him everything he needed to know.  He thought that my son had what it would take to become a great catcher.  But my son would not play.  He wasn't as good at that game.  He hadn't played all his life to do baseball.  His dream was football and he wanted to chase his dream.

He never tried baseball because he wouldn't have been the best at it.  

Sometimes we are all a little like my son.  We don't want to try new things.  We don't want to risk failing and looking bad to our peers or our friends.  We are taught that failure should not be an option.  

But I believe that failure is simply a way that we learn.  We keep trying until we get it right, or until we don't want to try anymore.  Everything in my life, I learned by failing.  When you skate, you fall, a lot.  When you drive, you speed or stop or can make the gears go in right and they grind.  When you learn to run, you come in last, you keep trying and increasing your speed and pushing your limits.  And you get better.  

So, live and fail and live some more.  This life is amazing.  There are places to go and things to see and wonderful experiences.  Don't be afraid of a little failure along with all the possibilities of success.  My greatest lessons in life have come when I have failed at something.  And perhaps that is what really living is all about. 
President Monson has told each of us that we are runners in the race of life.

“Comforting is the fact that there are many runners,” he said. “Reassuring is the knowledge that our Eternal Scorekeeper is understanding. Challenging is the truth that each must run. But you and I do not run alone. That vast audience of family, friends, and leaders will cheer our courage, will applaud our determination as we rise from our stumblings and pursue our goal. ... Let us shed any thought of failure. ... Let us seek; let us obtain the prize prepared for all, even exaltation in the celestial kingdom of God” (“Happiness—The Universal Quest,” Ensign, Oct. 1993).

Being On the Fast Track to Nowhere!

"There is more to life, than increasing it's speed". 

Sometimes, I think that I never really understood that.  I had to become a Grandparent to see how much they really needed me.  Don't get me wrong, I love, love, love my children.  I have grown up ones and I still have ones at home.  The ones at home usually need me more right now, but that will change.  

All my life, I had to worry about paying the bills.  Where the money was going to come from for the little extras that all kids need.  I worked three different jobs at one time.  One for the Post Office, One delivering newspapers every night with the kids sort of taking turns.  And one job on the weekends shooting weddings and doing outdoor photography.  I used to take one of the kids along to carry the bag.  

All in all, I did my best.  I do think they know that they are loved so much.  But if I could go back and change things, it would be simply to spend more time with them.  To be where they needed me to be every single time.  

Believe me, I have been to football and basketball and track and music and singing with them, but there were always things that I could have done better.  I wish just once, that I could have been a chaperone on a field trip with them.  That I could have been home when they walked in the door.  I really wish that we could have slept through the night and not had to get up at 1:00 to go throw papers.  

The speed of my life has always been fast and busy.  I am not sure that I even know how to slow down.  I suspect that day is coming and that it will happen.  

I just want you to know that there is so much joy in life.  We experience less of it when we are so intent in increasing it's speed.  So, just for a moment today, stop and enjoy the journey.  Whatever part you are in, or wherever you may be on your own road.  Take a second and just enjoy your life.  Believe me, tomorrow it WILL change.  

“It is good to have an end to journey toward, 

but it is the journey that matters in the end.” 

~Ursula K. Le Guin~

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.

Value

A well known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $20 bill. In the room of 200, he asked, "Who would like this $20 bill?"
Hands started going up.
He said, "I am going to give this $20 to one of you but first, let me do this." He proceeded to crumple the dollar bill up.
He then asked, "Who still wants it?"
Still the hands were up in the air.
"Well," he replied, "What if I do this?" And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe.
He picked it up, now all crumpled and dirty. "Now who still wants it?" Still the hands went into the air.
"My friends, you have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20.

Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way.  We feel as though we are worthless. But no matter what, was always have value to others and to our Heavenly Father.  We are never totally lost, or totally wasted.  It is up to us to figure out what we need to do in order to get to where we need to be.  
I was looking at a project that I am trying to do for my grandkids this morning, and I thought about how nobody really cares about a project that is not completed.  Halfway done, is still not done. 
I think life just might be a lot like that.  We judge ourselves as if this moment is all we are ever going to be.  It doesn't matter how much good we have done, how many projects we have completed, it only matters for this one thing I haven't gotten to yet, this one flaw. 
We see this mistake if you will, as the one thing that will keep us totally out of our Father's presence.  We see ourselves as if we can never change. 
Isn't it a wonderful thing that Heavenly Father looks at the entire story of our lives, and not just the parts that are in shadow?  Isn't it wonderful that He sees the entire project and not just our own judgements of it? 
Maybe today, the person that you should be a little kinder to is yourself.  You might be crumpled, stepped on, dropped on the ground and injured or sick, but you are still a child or God.  You are of infinite worth.  You are needed.  You are wanted.  You are loved. 

What is a Friend?

I have been able to use the internet for many things.  I blog, I facebook, I research, I write, I learn.  They are all wonderful things for me to be able to do.  I must say that I love the ability to research and find the answers to nearly any question (although, I will be the first to admit that you need to check your sources carefully). 
That being said, one of the things that I have been most appreciative of is the ability of the internet to help me find people.  I have found many wonderful people who have meant a great deal to me at different times in my life.  I have been able to reconnect in many ways.  Sometimes it is just a Christmas card, or a facebook status, sometimes it is more meaningful to both of us. 
However, I have to admit, that along with the pleasures has come a little pain.  I was able to find someone that I had thought of many times through the years.  We used to be best friends.  I spent time at her house, she occasionally spent time at mine.  We shared, we trusted, we played, we gossipped, we cared for each other. 
Then boys entered the picture and things changed.  Overtime, we drifted apart.  We both married and moved to other States and other locations.  We kept in touch for awhile, but then addresses were lost, and there was no way to contact each other any more. 
Enter the internet.
One of our mutual friends found me on facebook.  I started communicating and found her through him.  I was so excited.  Through our writing, we set up a time to talk on the phone.  We talked that one time and she told me that she lost touch because, when I was a teenager, I was always so needy.  That hurt, that really hurt!  It made me so sad that someone I remembered with gladness, didn't see and remember me the same way. 
It has been a couple of years since that conversation, and I have had a long time to think about it.  No excuses here, because she was actually right.  During the time that I thought we were friends, I was needy.  I didn't have many friends, I did not have a close family.  There were a lot of pretty bad things going on in my life.  So I am pretty sure that I was clingy, and moody, and probably very, very needy. 
But, in reflecting on this, I have come to realize that perhaps we all are.  There are times in our lives when each one of us is in difficulty and trials.  When we need others there to help lift us up and carry us through on part of our journey.  That is one of the reasons that we each need friends in our lives. 
Friends help us to feel useful, loved, cared for, and complete.  They help us to see ourselves through slightly different eyes.  They teach us to be social, adaptable, and helping individuals.  Friendship teaches us to give and to take at different times.  I think it teaches us to be more Christlike and Sisterlike in our relationships with others.  Friendship brings us so many blessings.  I am grateful that she was willing to be a friend at a time in my life when I needed someone to be there for me.  I am also sorry that she was unable to look through the years and find the me that I have become. 
I have discovered through this simple, hurtful moment, that I have indeed, come a very long way.  I am not the young girl that I was then.  I have endured the hurts that life has handed me, I have learned from the experiences and grown in courage and conviction through the years.  I know and believe in myself.  Best of all, I now know that my Heavenly Father loves me, He knows exactly who I was then, and who I have become. 
I have also learned that we can never completely erase on our own past.  We need the Lord to do that for us.  I can't fix the person that I used to be.  I can only change the person I am today.  I want to be the person that people remember with love.  I want to be someone that people want to be friends with, someone they want to be around. Those things I can do now, here, today.   Today, I have learned to be a better friend. 
Elder Ronald A. Rashband, while speaking at a CES fireside, said:

"It would be difficult to exaggerate the importance of being good friends. Becoming such friends is not always easy. Ralph Waldo Emerson gave great counsel when he observed, “The only way to have a friend is to be one.”  And the old cliché “Birds of a feather flock together” is still true. To have friends who live high standards, who stand for virtue and goodness, who are faithful and true to their covenants, you must be such a person to them.

In this world where there is so much sleaze, permissiveness, and immorality, having good friends will go a long way in ensuring our ability to withstand the evils of this, our day".

It was the Savior who said to His disciples, “Ye are my friends” (D&C 84:63).
It was the Savior who taught his Apostles, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).
It was the Savior who beckoned all to: “Come unto me” (Matthew 11:28). I
It was the Savior who reminded Joseph Smith while he was in the liberty jail, “Thy friends do stand by thee, and they shall hail thee again with warm hearts and friendly hands” (D&C 121:9).


Jesus Christ is our example in every part of the Gospel as well as in the ways that we should lead our lives, and that includes friendship.

May we each go forth today and be better friends to those around us.  May we truly change from who we were, to who we need to be.  

Building a Temple

In the Book of Mormon, we read in 1 Nephi 22:25  And he numbereth his sheep and they know him,  and there shall be one fold and one shepherd; and he shall feed his sheep, and in him they shall find pasture.
As I read these verses today, I wondered where it was that we are trying (in our lives) to find pasture?  Is it in the "excitement" of the world?  Is it by having "fun"?  Is is your career? Or is your pasture found as you strive to follow the teachings of the Savior?
What are you looking for? 
When you continue on to the next verse, it says, "And because of the righteousness of  His people, Satan has no power, wherefore, he cannot be loosed for the space of many years, for he hath no power over the hearts of the people, for they dwell in righteousness and the Holy One of Israel  reigneth"
Think about this seemingly simple scripture for a moment.  When we are righteous, Satan is bound.
I find it interesting that he has no power over the hearts of the people.  As I ponder this, I think that the reason he has any power in the first place is because we give it willingly to him.  We may not realize it, but we do.  We choose his way because of our unwillingness to live the laws and the ordinances of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  We choose his way when we want the path to be easy and the grass to always seem green.  We choose Satan's way when we do not lay the foundation of Christ upon our soul.   "As the foundation of the Salt Lake Temple was being laid, with footings sixteen feet wide, President Brigham Young discovered the workmen were using a soft stone. The work was halted, the soft stone taken out and replaced with giant blocks of granite. He declared: 'We are building this temple to stand through the millennium' (LeGrand Richards, Ensign, Dec. 1971, p. 81.)
As big as those stone were, I doubt that it was an easy task to take out a stone and put another in it's place.  Our bodies are supposed to be temples too.  So, are we building both our bodies and spirits to last through the millennium?  Or are we just kind of coasting along with soft stone for the corners?
I think what I am trying to say is that it is up to us to make sure that Jesus Christ is our cornerstone.  If  He is not, than we need to take the steps to put Him there. 
So, what is one thing that you could do this week to bring yourself closer to God?  What is one habit you can change?  One thing you can do?  (or not do for that matter!).  What do you need to do in your life to bring Him back to the cornerstone? 
Notice, that I did not say how many things!  I just asked for one.  I have found that when I change the soft stones out of my life one at a time, they have the tendancy not to move back in.  So this week, I only want you to change one thing and see if it makes a difference.   

The Packages

The Packages come into the Post Office every day.  I receive anywhere from 100 to 300 every day of the week.  (Except Sunday's when there is no one in my office!)  We have ten shelving units that we place the packages on.  They wrap around in a u-shaped configuration.  They are in numerical order for the last digit of the address.  If your address ends in one, that the package is on the "1" shelf.  If your address ends in a two, than it is placed on the "2" shelf.
It is a good system, but can be just the slightest bit confusing when there are a lot of packages to look through.  Sometimes the small packages end up under a larger one and the "get lost" until something is cleared out of the way and they are "found again.  The bigger, bolder boxes are always the easiest to spot and the ones that get noticed the quickest.  The smaller the package, the easier it is to lose it in the shuffle of all the other packages.
The one thing I have noticed is that everyone wants their packages.  They don't care if they are large or small, big or little, wrapped in brightly colored paper or just a plain, brown box.  The people in my town want to receive every package that is for them.

Sometimes, I think that life is a lot like the Post Office where I work.  People are like the packages that I receive.  Some people are large in stature and importance.  They put themselves forward with flashy containers or fancy papers.  Some are quiet and reserved.  Hiding behind the bigger, more easily spotted people.  Yet, each of us are just as valuable as the other in our own way.  We each have a purpose and a calling.  It doesn't matter what we look like.  It only matters that we are willing and able to serve.  So, don't be intimidated by what you perceive as the packaging of others.   You also have your place.  It won't be the same place as anyone else.  After all, think how boring this world would be if we were all Postmasters!  Our Heavenly Father does not need or want us all to be the same.  There is a job and a purpose that only you can fill.  It is up to you to step up, step out, and just do it!

Three Strings

By Jack Riemer

On Nov. 18, 1995, Itzhak Perlman, the violinist, came on stage to give a concert at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center in New York City. If you have ever been to a Perlman concert, you know that getting on stage is no small achievement for him. He was stricken with polio as a child, and so he has braces on both legs and walks with the aid of two crutches. To see him walk across the stage one step at a time, painfully and slowly, is an awesome sight. He walks painfully, yet majestically, until he reaches his chair. Then he sits down, slowly, puts his crutches on the floor, undoes the clasps on his legs, tucks one foot back and extends the other foot forward. Then he bends down and picks up the violin, puts it under his chin, nods to the conductor and proceeds to play. By now, the audience is used to this ritual. They sit quietly while he makes his way across the stage to his chair. They remain reverently silent while he undoes the clasps on his legs. They wait until he is ready to play. But this time, something went wrong. Just as he finished the first few bars, one of the strings on his violin broke. You could hear it snap - it went off like gunfire across the room. There was no mistaking what that sound meant. There was no mistaking what he had to do. We figured that he would have to get up, put on the clasps again, pick up the crutches and limp his way off stage - to either find another violin or else find another string for this one.  But he didn't. Instead, he waited a moment, closed his eyes and then signaled the conductor to begin again. The orchestra began, and he played from where he had left off. And he played with such passion and such power and such purity as they had never heard before. Of course, anyone knows that it is impossible to play a symphonic work with just three strings. I know that, and you know that, but that night Itzhak Perlman refused to know that. You could see him modulating, changing, re-composing the piece in his head. At one point, it sounded like he was de-tuning the strings to get new sounds from them that they had never made before. When he finished, there was an awesome silence in the room. And then people rose and cheered. There was an extraordinary outburst of applause from every corner of the auditorium. We were all on our feet, screaming and cheering, doing everything we could to show how much we appreciated what he had done. He smiled, wiped the sweat from this brow, raised his bow to quiet us, and then he said - not boastfully, but in a quiet, pensive, reverent tone - "You know, sometimes it is the artist's task to find out how much music you can still make with what you have left." What a powerful line that is. It has stayed in my mind ever since I heard it. And who knows? Perhaps that is the definition of life - not just for artists but for all of us. Here is a man who has prepared all his life to make music on a violin of four strings, who, all of a sudden, in the middle of a concert, finds himself with only three strings; so he makes music with three strings, and the music he made that night with just three strings was more beautiful, more sacred, more memorable, than any that he had ever made before, when he had four strings. So, perhaps our task in this shaky, fast-changing, bewildering world in which we live is to make music, at first with all that we have, and then, when that is no longer possible, to make music with what we have left.

Sedona - A little bit of Heaven

Sometimes, we all need to have a little fun.  I am going to sneak in a few pictures of a recent family fun outing that we have had.
We have a friend of ours with us for a month.  Her name is Laura.  She lived with us for a year as a foreign exchange student.  We enjoyed our time with her so much, that she came back to visit us this summer.  We decided, because she won't get to visit us very often, that we would go to some of her favorite places.  The first place she wanted to go was Sedona, Arizona.

Now, in case you have never been there, the rocks really are red.  Most of the time, they even look more red than this!

They can also be white, and black, and brown, and just beautiful!

This formation is called Madonna and child.  It is next to the Chapel on the rock and is one of my favorite places to see.  Can't you just imagine Mary holding her infant child?

One of my favorite parts of Sedona, is how the vegetation grows nearly everywhere.  It grows in sand, in dirt, and if you look closely enough, you will see that it puts down roots even through solid rock.

It surprises you with it's simple tenacity to endure.  With it's ability to acclimate to the harsh, high-desert conditions.  There is no running water next to these green areas.  They get their moisture from the rock and the rain (which doesn't fall nearly often enough!)

I love the way that the plants and animals adapt to life in this beautiful place, providing a beauty all their own.

When I think about Sedona, I think about the ability to bloom where ever I might be planted.  To take whatever I am given and make it beautiful.  To endure my trials with faith, strength and willingness.  To give my Heavenly Father something of myself that only He can make beautiful.
May we each remember to be just a little like one of my favorite pieces of Heaven on Earth, Sedona.

And may we also strive to have just a little bit of fun on our journey!

The Beautiful Place

What do you do when you need to hear the still, small voice?

Sometimes, I just have this need inside of me to get away for awhile.  I always choose to go somewhere that I can feel peace.  Somewhere that I can seek out the spirit of my Heavenly Father.  Somewhere that reminds me of my perfect place.
 

On this day, it was a peaceful, beautiful, serene lake.  The woods were filled with birdsong, the water rippled lightly in the breeze, the day was warm and inviting.

I went where peace filled my soul and I could hear the still small voice. 

I love the scriptures in 1 Kings 19:11, 12 that says: 

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:

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

I use this scripture to remind myself that we live in a very noisy world.  It is hard for us to hear the sweet, simple voice of the Spirit in our lives.  If we do not take the time to find those peaceful moments that we need, how can we ever expect to hear the answers to our prayers?

And my new, almost favorite Old Testament verse is found in Psalms 34:4

I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.

I promise that if you will take the time, when you seek Him, you WILL find Him.  He is listening, He is waiting, He wants to hear from you.  He will deliver you from your fears.  My you find peace in your life and in His solace. 

I Know That My Savior Loves Me

by Tami Jeppson Creamer and Derena Bell

A long time ago in a beautiful place,
Children were gathered ’round Jesus.
He blessed and taught as they felt of His love.
Each saw the tears on His face.
The love that He felt for His little ones
I know He feels for me.
I did not touch Him or sit on His knee,
Yet, Jesus is real to me.

Chorus:
I know He lives!
I will follow faithfully.
My heart I give to Him.
I know that my Savior loves me.

Now I am here in a beautiful place,
Learning the teachings of Jesus.
Parents and teachers will help guide the way,
Lighting my path ev’ry day.
Wrapped in the arms of my Savior’s love,
I feel His gentle touch.
Living each day, I will follow His way,
Home to my Father above.

Chorus:
I know He lives!
I will follow faithfully.
My heart I give to Him.
I know that my Savior loves me.

Copyright © 2002 by Tami Jeppson Creamer and Derena Bell. All rights reserved. This song may be copied for incidental, noncommercial home or church use.

Jessica's Daily Affirmations

"Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around." - Leo Buscaglia

Everyonce in a while, I think we need to remember to exercise the smallest acts of caring upon ourselves.  We are often our worst critics.  Instead, we should work a little harder on being our best cheering section.  The life we turn around, might just be our own. 
I received this in my email and loved it. Don't you wish that you could feel this way about yourself, everyday?





Sometimes, I think that the best thing we can do is just believe in ourselves. After all, we are all children of a loving Heavenly Father. Therefore, each of us is unique and absolutely amazing.

"Your aspirations are your possibilities. "

~ Samuel Johnson

When Necessary Use Words

“The peril of this century is spiritual apathy. As the body requires sunlight, good food, proper exercise, and rest, so the spirit of man requires the sunlight of the holy Spirit; proper exercise of the spiritual functions; avoiding of evils that affect spiritual health, which are more ravaging in their effects than typhoid fever, pneumonia, or other diseases that attack the body” (Gospel Ideals [1953], 360).

This has been an interesting week for me.  To start with, I began a real, honest to goodness, diet.  I must admit that it has been far from easy.  I fell OK, but I do miss some of my favorite things.  Ice Cream probably comes to mind the most.  I might not have eaten it all winter, but right now, it is a serious craving!  Perhaps I should start at the beginning in explaining this new resolve.  
I have been unhappy with my weight for a number of years.  I don't diet often, but did cut back on what I was eating and increased the exercise I was getting.  I have lost 40 lbs since I moved up into the mountains.  That was not a small feat, but it was relatively easy and painless.  Mostly, I just quit eating seconds and started buying small things instead of large or king-sized portions.  Kid portions work very well and still allowed me to feel like I was "normal".  However, time not being my best friend, I seem to have stopped losing weight and stayed right where I am currently for the past year.  I haven't gained any more weight, but I am not losing it either.  
Have you ever noticed how you can look in the mirror and be totally shocked about what you see?  I always feel like the real me is hidden somewhere inside the person that I have become.  When I imagine my spirit, it is not and never has been, "fat".  I finally decided that I am going to have to do something a little more concentrated that I have in the past if I want to lose this weight.  Once I get it off, I think I can keep it off and maintain.  It is the getting it off in the first place that is so difficult.  
I have a good friend who used to be about my weight and size.  She went on a dedicated diet a year ago.  She lost 55 lbs and now wears a size 4 in clothes.  I have known her before, during, and after her diet.  She did not talk about it at all until she had lost about 30 lbs and everyone started noticing.  It took her 5 months to lose all the weight and reach her goal.  She has kept it all off for the rest of the year.  I am really proud of her and I know that it is quite a victory.  
I was in the valley on business with her all week.  It is one of the reasons that I did not blog very much this past week.  (I don't have easy access to a computer or the internet when I am not home).  We were finishing up our Stamp destruction detail and counting all the remaining stock before taking it to destruction.  She talked to me about her diet and what she is doing to keep herself at her current weight.  Somehow, I ended up trying her food and her diet for the past week.  I have lost 5 lbs.  So, with a new found conviction, I have joined the ranks of dieters everywhere.  So far, I am not cheating.  Hopefully, I will be able to say that in a few weeks!  
I am blogging about it because, if there is one thing I have learned about myself, it is that I need to be accountable in order to be successful.  I need to feel as if someone will notice.  Maybe, someday in the not so distant future, I will do a before and after photo!  (Maybe not as I hate being in pictures!  I much prefer to be the one taking them!)
Now, what in the world does dieting have to do with the gospel?  
Sometimes, in our lives, we all stray away from the truth.  We add little things we learn and incorporate them into our habits and teachings.  We sometimes pick things up that we enjoy doing, but those things aren't good for our spirits.  For instance:  We might watch suggestive movies; we might enjoying reading suggestive books; we might spend too much time doing things the world values and not enough time doing what the Lord would have us do; or we might not treat our family quite the way we know we should.  There are so many more things, but I will start and stop with these four.  You can make your own list for the things that you might value that are not healthy for you.  
These things that we do, might not be as terrible as other things that we can think of. After all, it is not pornography, it is not R rated movies, it is not working in other countries and leaving our children with nannies, it is not like we are abusing our children or our spouses.  It is just that we are not doing some of the things as well as we could be doing them.  We are making choices that don't add to our progression here on this earth.  We are making choices that contribute to our spirits becoming unhealthy.  We are taking things into our spiritual bodies that we don't want or need to be there.  Sometimes, we need to go on a spiritual diet. 

President George Q. Cannon (1827–1901), a counselor in the First Presidency, had something to say about our recreation:
“The mania for recreations of various kinds which has seized upon many of the people is harmful in several ways. It unfits them for the regular duties of life. It renders them restless and impatient of proper restraint. It obstructs business. It tends to contract habits of dissipation. It throws our young folks into the company of persons whose society should be shunned. It cultivates worldliness. It conducts to many evils, and the spirit of purity, temperance, holiness and peace will not abide in resorts such as have been established for the purpose of enticing the Saints into folly. …
“We have no disposition to deprive either young or old of proper amusement. It is necessary to perfect health and rational enjoyment” (Gospel Truth, sel. Jerreld L. Newquist, 2 vols. [1957–74], 2:147).

 We need to focus on the things that are most important of all.  And the funny thing that I have learned, is that when you focus on what is most important, you find that the other stuff doesn't seem to matter quite as much as it used to.  May each of us reflect on what we need and strive to change our lives so that we can do those things that matter most of all.  

"Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words."  

St. Francis of Assisi

Is it all about "ME"?

 "Sing unto the Lord; for he hath done excellent things; this is known in all the earth. 
Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion;  for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee".   2 Nephi 22:5-6  

We had an interesting weekend.  A few weeks ago, my daughter and I were asked to sing at the local "Sing and Celebrate" community event that is hosted every year by the Methodist Church.  We invited a few people to come to the event.  It is something that the kids really enjoy every year.  The music is fun and upbeat and it is all about the Savior.  One of the people that we invited stated that they did not like it because it was the same thing every year.  I told them that we have been going for the last several years and that it was all different and had different people every year.  This person than said, "If they want me to come, someone needs to invite me".  Miracle and I both said that we would love to have them come.  This person replied, "No, I only come if I am invited to perform."
I thought about that and I have to admit that first I was a little bit "miffed" about the attitude.  Then, I got over it and just felt genuinely sorry that someone would refuse to attend, simply because they were not in the show.  I am sorry for what they missed by choosing to have that attitude.  We have been here for four years and this is the first year that we have been asked to perform, although we have attended every year.  We have always watched others with enthusiasm and enjoyment.  It is one of the things the girls look forward to and a way to help bring our community together, no matter what the individual beliefs are. 
There were several people who were amazing last night.  One was the Lutheran minister.  He also teaches my girls (and myself, although I think I may be his biggest challenge) to play piano.  He did some amazing numbers.  Everyone of the girls loved the piano, because they finally appreciate how difficult those pieces are to play.  They all looked at each other and said a reverent "Wow!"  I told them that my dream is that someday they will play like that!  They let me know that I am crazy!
Miracle and I sang in the middle of the program.  She was wonderful.  We received so many compliments.  Many people could not believe how grown up her voice sounds.  She is quite the little singer and this year in College has been one of the best things that has ever happened for her. (Can you tell that I am so proud of her?).  The program ended with the barbershop chorus.  This is an all man group that sings in a city 45 minutes away.  They were so wonderful.  They sang completely without accompaniment and did it on tune and in harmony!  I loved the evening.  This year was so good.  They had many people that I have not heard before and they had so many different types of talent.  It was an evening of sharing and rejoicing in the gifts that Heavenly Father sends to His children. 

Are there things in our own lives that we choose to miss because we aren't involved in the performance?  Do we find excuses not to read the scriptures, because they weren't written about us?  Do we find excuses not to go to church or class because we are not the one speaking or teaching?  Many of the things that happen in our lives are not about us.  Sometimes we need to put those things in their proper perspective. 

We are each here to bear one anothers burdens, mourn with those who mourn, comfort those who stand in need of comfort, cheer up the sad, and gladden the hearts of our brothers and sisters.  We are each here to share the joys and the sorrows with each other, to share our talents and our testimonies, and yes, we are even here to sometimes clap and cheer others on in their pursuits.  We do those things that all may be edified and encouraged in their journey.  We cannot return to our Heavenly Father all by ourselves.  We need the encouragement and understanding of those around us.  We need to both, follow the examples of others and be examples to those around us, as we progress and come closer to our Heavenly Home.
 

Me and my Miracle

Lift Up Your Heart
by Sally DeFord

Lift up your heart in faith, for God is ever nigh you
Eager to bless his children
Mindful of every child
Lift up your heart in prayer, for God will ever heed you
Seek him in every sorrow
Find him in every need
Lift up your heart through tears of grief
He will give you peace
And heal you

Lift up your heart in praise of Him who hath redeemed you
Praise his unfailing mercy
Praise his unchanging love
Lift up your heart, for by his might
He doth guard your path
And guide you

Lift up your heart unceasing
Praising the Savior's name
Lift up your heart for he hath ransomed you
Lift up your heart for he doth succor you
Lift up your heart for he doth offer you
A crown of everlasting life.

I Could Call You By Name

This video (I AM Christ) was shown at a youth conference in Missouri in my daughter's Stake.  She loved it so much that she called me and shared it with me.  I also thought it was amazing.
I hope you hear the message and know that He lives.  You are never alone.  He does hear our prayers.  He is aware of each one of us.  He knows your trials and your heartaches.  He loves you.  May you have His spirit to be with you today.