I KNOW the heart of life is good

everybody everybody wants to LOVE...

I haven't shared many of my roses lately, but there's definitely been many. But today I just wanted to write about a movie I saw tonight. The main character's mother left her when she was 9. There's a point in the movie where someone accuses her of never having lost something significant. The wise, beautiful grandmother in the movie corrects the naive accuser. Later that night, this dear old women came in to the girl's room and brushed her hair and said with so much love in her voice, "one of the greatest pleasures in life is having someone brush your hair". That was beautiful.

I guess the reason I wanted to write about that was not to talk about how great hair brushing is but because I am so grateful for love. Especially love filled with compassion and understanding. That type of love comes from those who have experienced heartache, pain, loneliness, and so on. It just made me grateful for all that we can learn through our own heartache and how it can cause our hearts to become more tender and able to love so many who desperately need it. I'm also grateful for sometimes just being blessed to love people, even when I haven't gone through trial even close to what they have. I felt like I had an experience like that today and I was very grateful for it. A sweet new little freshman with some type of physical disability came to eat by my brother, mom, and I and just the person he was touched my heart and made me love him. There's so much to learn about love!

PEACE

Isn't that what everyone is seeking to have in this life? There's a quote by Elder Holland in My New Life that I have thought about several times lately. "When suffering we may infact be neerer to god than we ever have been in our entire lives, that knowledge can turn every such situation into a would be temple." I am grateful for the many moments the Lord has given me to feel peace, to feel the surety I feel in the holy temple. It's amazing how the Lord gives us opportunities to make our lives as holy as the temple.

One of the sweet moments today of peace came from thinking about what it would be like if I met myself 10, 20, 30, even 40 years down the road. How would I greet myself, what would show in my countenance, what advice would I give, what would I feel, how would I empathize with myself, etc. So healing in a way to think about those things. To know that the lessons we are learning now will in fact come to pass and through the trials, hopeFULLy we will become the people we desire to be one day. I think if I were to meet myself, there would be a long, warm embrace with some possible tears shed. I'm sure I would tell myself to have joy, trust that everything will work out, and to always love the people around me. I am excited to meet myself one day, but for now, I am happy being me.

heart lessons

I just returned from visiting the wonderful land of the Midwest. Really, a return from visiting a place so dear and precious in my heart. This was a healing journey for me to return to the field that I labored in for a year and a half of my life. I was able to reflect on the service I gave, how I have grown, and SO importantly, how incredible the pioneers were.

So as I was sitting in the airport, waiting to fly back home, I had some good time to reflect on what I learned on the trip and how it taught me about the questions in my heart. I had a few very sweet experiences on this little trip that helped me REMEMBER how much I was able to love on my mission and move forward with faith and confidence in the Lord that all things that needed to happen, WOULD.

I was reminded of the COURAGE the pioneers had in leaving everything they had behind, facing an unknown future, but facing it with faith. I hope I always remember the feeling I had when we drove up to the Nauvoo temple and I thought of the pioneers and the sorrow they probably felt leaving that behind, what they had given so much to build. They took what the temple stood for in their hearts on their journey, and it became something to look forward to, something to press onward to.

This brings me to my third heart strengthening realization I had on the plane, flying over Wyoming. I was reading a wonderful book called "Trusting Jesus" and thinking about HOPE. It is looking forward to the future, knowing that something good will always come because the Lord loves us and always will. It's trusting that although we may not see it now, there are GREAT blessings in store. But we learn so much in the journey, not necessarily in the end, that's just part of the icing on the cake:). It's the journey that makes it worth it. It's the rough spots that really strengthen us. I remember a conversation I had with a friend a few years ago when I was going through a difficult time when he reminded me that even though the journey the pioneers made was not easy, it didn't mean they weren't doing the RIGHT thing and the BEST thing. And now, look at what has come from their sacrifices!

I just love what I am taught when I LISTEN.

What is a rose?

As my first official post, I would like to explain myself... I am a very private person. I like recording my thoughts in my journal and keeping them to myself. A few weeks ago though, I had the thought come to me that I should start a blog. I don't know if anyone but my dear sister missy will even read it, but this is a way for me to remember to look for the good, the happy moments that remind me that God is involved in my life and that I am very blessed. A constant thought that comes to my mind is my need to be grateful for all the little things and if I am, how happy it will make me. So, my daily rose will be a reminder of just that.