Adjust Your Eyes

I went skiing the other day (and it was AMAZING)... while I was up on the slopes, I learned some things from nature. We rode to the top of one lift and we were in a THICK cloud, you could see maybe 10 feet in front of you. As I timidly went forward, I saw a poor, little tree, I wish I'd had a camera to take a picture of. It looked like a combination of these two little guys (they still don't quite do it justice)...

I looked at the tree for a minute and I could tell it's had a rough winter. I wondered if it would ever have the possibility of seeing/feeling the sun, looking green again, and not be consumed by the snow and ice. So then I thought about life, isn't that sometimes how life feels? Being consumed by work, school, sorrows, etc. Even experiences you may be having where you can't quite see the light? I remember being on my mission for almost 6 months and having a freak out day where I thought I was going to be a missionary for the rest of my life, that's all I could see. So I was talking to my very wise companion and she said something to the effect of, "it's like you're in a tunnel right now. You can't quite see the beginning because you've been in the missionary world for awhile now, and you can't see the light at the end (with about a year to go), so just adjust your eyes." Very good advice. It helped me set the course for the next year of my life, to grow where I was and not wish for time or things to speed by me.

The other thought I had when I saw this nearly overcome tree was from a talk I read (which has been previously mentioned:)) with a quote by Albert Camus, "In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer." I know that's true, we all have something divine within us that allows us to overcome the sorrows and concerns of the world. I'm sure in just a matter of months that little tree will be standing strong and you'll be able to see what it really looks like with all that snow and ice melted away. I love the lessons nature teaches and that "all [these] things denote there is a God!" Have a lovely day.

Oh the wisdom of grandmas and grandpas

Last night we helped put on a late Valentine's day dance at a retirement home. Two of my dear friends have a grandma and a great-aunt who live at this home so we stopped in to talk with them and it was a lovely experience. They were both wonderful, strong women who you could feel and see in their eyes the love and faith they'd developed from their life experiences. They freely spoke about the Savior as if they'd walked with Him throughout their lives. They gave us advice to love and take care of our bodies because they're the instruments which help us accomplish our work on this earth. Great-aunt Marium told us to find true love and ENJOY life with that special person :) She is a particularly inspiring women. She was married at age 18 and had just had her eighth child at 36 when her husband was killed in a plane crash. About a year later she adopted another child from an indian reservation and pressed forward, putting complete trust in God and receiving support from her family. She has an incredible family now that has done so much good in the world, thanks to her not giving up, but moving forward.

I felt grateful for their cheerfulness about life and the simple wisdom they offered us. Even a tragedy can be made right and beautiful with time and become an essential part of our growth. It was a good reminder to me to find joy each day and know that there are always good things to come. The bumps in the road need to be there or we wouldn't grow!

The Abundant Life

So last night I was reading this talk by Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin about how to tap into the "potential that lies in each of us" and live an abundant life, one where we "radiate a confident inner peace... and [glow] with irrepressible joy." He shared three suggestions of what he's noticed that the happiest people he knows have developed into {holy} habits, so I wanted to share them with you...

1. drink deeply of living waters. "To embrace [the gospel of Jesus Christ] fully is to be filled with wonder and to walk with an inner fire. Our Savior proclaimed, 'I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.'"

2. FILL our hearts with love. I just think about the word fill, when something's full, there's no room for other less valuable things to be in our hearts. "Those who serve others 'will come to know a happiness... never known before.... Heaven knows there are so very, very, very many people in this world who need help. Oh, so very ... many. Let's get the cankering, selfish attitude out of our lives, my brothers and sisters, and stand a little taller and reach a little higher in the service of others.'"

3. "with the help of Heavenly Father, create a masterpiece of [your] life."

Enough said, I just wanted to share this light that I began loving several years ago when my mom first shared it with me. I know the peace and confidence we all desire comes from the Savior and it's through Him our lives can reach their full potential!

just a day

So my experiment has continued. I really have felt a greater peace as I've tried to consciously give thanks for my blessings. Today was actually a bit of a discouraging day though, just being tired, not too excited about some things that happened at work, etc. BUT tonight I was able to spend some time with two amazing friends I met just about a year ago. It was the greatest blessing of the day because it put my life into better perspective. I think it's important to step back and see the big picture and realize that even though we can't see the end from the beginning, there are marvelous things in store. So, I was grateful for the little message of hope Heavenly Father sent me through my friends tonight :)