Hope

Depression is a lonely road consumed by darkness and often paralyzed with fear. Like others, I have struggled on my own "long, lonely" road of depression and anxiety. 

And yet, this truth has always rested sweetly on my soul...

"One of the great consolations of this Easter season is that because Jesus walked such a long, lonely path utterly alone, we do not have to."

I do not have the words to express my gratitude, but I do have the feelings of my heart that rejoice to know this is true. I know that one day the precious lessons we have learned through our trials will culminate in a perfect understanding. No matter how hard this journey gets I know that I am not alone... ...and that the struggle will be worth it.

Please read the whole talk here.

Thought for the Day...

My Friend the Owl

There is an owl that lives in the pines across from our apartment building. 

I love it. 

He has greeted me coming home from the gym several nights in a row now. I think we are becoming friends. I did some research and I've narrowed him down to one of two species.

Long Eared Owl

Asio Otus

Their song, heard from January or February to May, is a series of low monotonic hoots at three to five- second intervals. They are often found in southern Idaho, and are rare to see anywhere else in the state.

or...

Great Horned Owl

Bubo Virginianus

Their song is a mellow hooting “ho- ho-hoo hoo hoo” rather like a far-off foghorn or a distant mourning dove. In Idaho, great horned owls are common and widespread except at the very highest elevations. They frequent large trees for shelter (which would make those large pines across from my apt a perfect location).

Either one would really be spectacular to see. Until then... I'll settle for his late night chats.

(information found here)

Let It Go

I just read the most inspirational story. Actually, I've read a couple amazing books lately. I'll tell you about them sometime. Anyway, this one in particular...

...was phenomenal.

Here is a shorter version of his story:

Every single day do something that makes your heart sing.

- Marcia Wieder

Study: To Live

Your time is limited, don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma, which is living the result of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinion drowned your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition, they somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.         [Steve Jobs]

This thought hits a chord in my heart. Here is my problem...

I have fear. A lot of it.

I'm afraid of everything. What people think. What if the house burns down. What am I going to do with my life (now... "our" life). I can't go snorkeling... I'll get eaten by a shark. I can't go float down the river... I'll drown. (this tends to happens with water)

Did you know that fear is a learned behavior. It's true. (Here comes my psychology self...) We are conditioned to fear things. Little Albert anyone? 

But I've been asking myself lately...

Is fear worth it?

I decided its not.

It's not productive. It isn't efficient. It doesn't accomplish anything but ulcers. It wastes time, energy, and emotional construct.

Life IS for living. 

Life IS NOT for worrying about everything.

I've discovered an even greater appreciation for optimism. Sometimes it can be difficult to muster, but it conquers fear in a split second. I am in love with the observation made in "We Bought a Zoo"...

The word "COURAGE" is my life mantra. It has been for years. And honestly, I love it. I love being reminded that we have one life to live. Sometimes I need the reminder to do those crazy, out of the ordinary, spontaneous, memory-making experiences. Our every-day lives need those.

So here is my little blog post to myself as a reminder. I can do hard things. I can have courage. I will cultivate optimism... and I will enjoy what life has to offer. 

Just because its been on my mind...

Let us earnestly seek the light of personal inspiration. Let us plead with the Lord to endow our mind and soul with the spark of faith that will enable us to receive and recognize the divine ministering of the Holy Spirit for our specific life situations and for our challenges.

Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Elephants

Goal #22: Ride an elephant

This really has nothing to do with me riding an elephant since I still haven't. But look how incredible this is!

I know some animal activisit disagree with me but no one (including the elephants) were hurt. The people in torn Joplin could use as much help as they could get. I think it would have put a smile on my face if I was there cleaning up the wreckage of my house and saw an elephant helping out.

Why are we so hard on ourselves?

I had a nice long chat with a dear friend of mine today. I told her she is to hard on herself. She told me the same thing.

Why do we compare ourselves to the ads we see of size -2 women?

Why do we criticize everything we do? We don't do that to anyone else.

Why do we assume the best in others and the worst in ourselves?

Why do we choose not to see our own talents?

Why do we only recognize our failures and never see our successes?

It's time for a change.

I am and you are too. Admit it.

Don't believe me...

Study: Hope in a Troubled World

When I watch the local and national news I get the sense that our communities are drowning. However, when I watch this I am reminded of the power of the gospel to not only heal individuals but communities as well.

There is so much good around us. I needed that reminder.

Success

I saw this online today. It spoke truth to my soul! ha ha.

Comfort...

This was a BYU devotional given by Elder Busch. It was shared at church a few weeks ago and I've had to listen to it several times since. What beautiful counsel!

Temples

Why we build them:

Why I love them:

Elder Bednar last conference said:

The Lord declared, “I must gather together my people, . . . that the wheat may be secured in the garners to possess eternal life, and be crowned with celestial glory” (D&C 101:65).
Within the sound of my voice are many young women, young men, and children. I plead with you to be worthy, to be steadfast, and to look forward with great anticipation to the day you will receive the ordinances and blessings of the temple.
Within the sound of my voice are individuals who should have but have not yet received the ordinances of the house of the Lord. Whatever the reason, however long the delay, I invite you to begin making the spiritual preparations so you can receive the blessings available only in the holy temple. Please cast away the things in your life that stand in the way. Please seek after the things that are of eternal consequence.
Within the sound of my voice are individuals who have received the ordinances of the temple and for various reasons have not returned to the house of the Lord in quite some time. Please repent, prepare, and do whatever needs to be done so you can again worship in the temple and more fully remember and honor your sacred covenants.
Within the sound of my voice are many individuals who hold current temple recommends and strive worthily to use them. I commend you for your faithfulness and devotion.
I bear solemn witness that the fire of the covenant will burn in the heart of every faithful member of this Church who shall worship and honorably hold a name and standing in the Lord’s holy house.

A Prophet's Prayer

Every so often something touches your heart in a way that you will never forget. I remember the night President Hinckley gave his address to the youth, his famous 6 B's.

It was this moment that I will always remember feeling the special love of a prophet.

O God, our Eternal Father, as Thy servant I bow before Thee in prayer in behalf of these young people scattered over the earth who are gathered tonight in assemblies everywhere.

.

Please smile with favor upon them. Please listen to them as they lift their voices in prayer unto Thee.

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Please lead them gently by the hand in the direction they should follow. Please help them to walk in paths of truth and righteousness and keep them from the evils of the world. Bless them that they shall be happy at times and serious at times, that they may enjoy life and drink of its fulness.

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Bless them that they may walk acceptably before Thee as Thy cherished sons and daughters. Each is Thy child with capacity to do great and noble things. Keep them on the high road that leads to achievement. Save them from the mistakes that could destroy them. If they have erred, forgive their trespasses and lead them back to ways of peace and progress.

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For these blessings I humbly pray with gratitude for them and invoke Thy blessings upon them with love and affection, in the name of Him who carries the burdens of our sins, even the Lord Jesus Christ, amen.

Create

I watched this movie everyday last week. It seriously inspires me.

Response to 2/25

I was reading this today and thought I would share:

"The Lord gives us a "new heart' (Ezek. 18:31). Our heart has to be broken, in a way, so that it can be re-made. By that I mean more spiritual sensitivity, more empathy, and more capacity to be responsive to people. The natural man's heart is pretty self-centered and hard. If we can put off the natural man (see Mosiah 3:19), we can be given a new heart, and it will be enlarged without hypocrisy (see D&C 121:42). Adversity can squeeze out of us the hypocrisy that's there. [So, for me,] its been a great spritual adventure, one I would not want to have missed."

-Elder Neal A. Maxwell

Isn't he cool! Man... I love that quote!

You can do it!

"I salute you as kingdom builders and as a generation of destiny.

A whole nation can be leavened by a righteous rising generation... You bright spirits could not have chosen a better time to be born, with more neighbors waiting and needing to be shown the gospel.

I know you have been properly placed because God did it."

-Elder Neal A. Maxwell

BYU Devo "All Hell is Moved"

Mysterious

The Lord works in mysterious ways. He really does. But I guess its not so much the mystery of his works, but that He works.

I've been emailing a friend and was relating a few difficult experiences that have happened recently and I made this observation:

Something I've been contemplating is how sometimes we hit that point where we think we just can't handle life anymore. Yet, the Lord always seems to test our limits further. But when he does, and we realize we can't handle it anymore, we learn that we can find strength in the Lord when we literally have none left. And by doing so prove to God and to ourselves what we are actually capable of.

I'm realizing how true that is. The Lord has a heavy hand in our lives. He is there and he is actively participating in my life! But however true that is I've noticed that sometimes when life is hard it just gets harder. No matter how hard I pray (and work) it just doesn't go away, neither does it get easier for awhile. But I've discovered the Lord does it on purpose. I'm supposed to be learning and becoming something.

And those times that I just can't handle it, when I literally don't have the strength, he does. I find it in him. So when I do push forward and I keep enduring to the end is when I prove to Him and to me that I can do this and I do it with Him.

As my roommate would say, "What a blessing!"

Book Report: Running with Angels

I really enjoyed this book. It's an easy read, but it has some powerful lessons about life and about learning to love ourselves.

It's Pamela Hansen's very real experience with morbid obesity, life's trials, and how to endure and overcome. What I really appreciate is her application of Ether 12:27 of making weak things strengths. Its a success story of self-mastery, and that is absolutely inspiring to me!

"Dreams can be achieved when they are turned into goals" (pp 185)

I would recommend it for a quick, inspiriation read! For sure! I'm going to have to go run a marathon now! :)