Now, What...?!

May and June were busy.  I had trips to look forward to and goals and new adventures to accomplish.  I was a little overwhelmed and focused on surviving those, so once they were over it was nice to have a little relief and time to reflect, but soon (within about a day) I found myself asking what's next?!  :)  Thinking about what's next I realize how important it is to have goals, to have a purpose and to focus on moving forward.  Without goals for progress we hit a plateau, get comfortable, and maybe even a little bit lazy (at least I do).

At the same time as I'm sitting here thinking about what to do now....I've come across a few ideas in some books I've been reading and in talking to some friends and family that have been insightful about the topic of "now, what?!"  One thought is from a book called More Holiness Give Me.  The author shares the story of a faithful couple, active in the church, raising a righteous family and doing their best to live the commandments. They wonder, "Is this it? Is this all there is? Is this what we prepared all our lives for? Where do we go from here (p. 2)?" I think this is an interesting question that many of us get to at different points in our life, usually when we're on some kind of plateau, but we must see and remember the end goal to become like and return to God. There is much to learn and more progress to be made in coming to know Him.  In another quote from the book:  "Like the brother of Jared we too often fail to 'cry unto the Lord' in the sense of seeking his mind and will, striving to find new ways to accomplish his purposes, and going to work to achieve his ends.  We get comfortable.  We get content.  We even get lazy.  We pause on life's plateau's too long.  We lose our spiritual momentum and eventually our interest in climbing higher (p. 34)."

Another thought is from a great book called Strengthening Our Families, which includes this great tidbit:  "Many forms of wholesome recreation, require thoughtful planning, creativity, and effort--they are intentional, deliberate activities....To Aristotle, the crowning virtue of the good life is leisure. But leisure does not refer to idleness or napping; it refers to activities by which human beings learn and acquire intellectual virtues. The intellectual virtues, such as art, knowledge, understanding, and wisdom, are the highest virtues of the good life. For Aristotle, thinking or using our minds is a distinctly human activity and the ultimate purpose of leisure (p. 194)."  So, I need to find a passion, be creative, set another goal to learn something and progress....some of the first things on the list - a Spanish class, family history, a half marathon, and maybe a trip somewhere new.  :)

One thing I learned as a part of my most recent adventures is the importance of enjoying the journey and forgetting yourself.  Looking back on recent experiences I wish I had been less worried about myself and more focused on learning and loving and experiencing the people around me and the moment and being open to how to help and support those around me.  I think I did do this to a certain extent, but in the future I'd like to try to stress less, enjoy the preparations, and help others, in order to enjoy the journey....basically forget yourself!

On a related note(s)....

I was inspired by our lesson in Relief Society today (you'll notice I'm in the habit of posting things a bit behind schedule).  The sister teaching shared the sweet story of how she grew up gardening with her mother and she looked forward to the day when she'd have her own house and could build her own garden.  Her life hasn't progressed the same way she expected and since she doesn't have her own home yet she'd been putting off starting her garden.  She was waiting for something....waiting for a house in order to move on.  Finally, after realizing she'd been living in the same apartment for four years and she had a little bit of garden space she decided she should go ahead and plant something, start a small garden with the area that she had.  Because she had neglected this little spot of ground for the past several years many weeds had grown in.  It took her the whole year just to clear the weeds and she didn't have time left to plant anything that year.  Although she was a little bit discouraged that she hadn't had time to plant, she was glad she had at least made progress and gotten rid of the weeds.  She would have to wait one more year to start her garden.  Then, a beautiful thing happened.  As spring came the next year a full box of tulips came up.  They had been there all along, but the weeds had crowded them out.  She just needed to clear the weeds and the flowers were always there for her.  This story brought tears to my eyes as she shared this blessing in her life.  I feel like this often.  Waiting.  Overwhelmed.  Discouraged.  Wondering.  But then if we get out there and work a little bit, move forward, pull the weeds, make something happen....the flowers come!  :)

Elder Oaks attended our ward today, too.  He shared his testimony at the end of the meeting and said something about how old people talk about and look to the past because they have no future, young people look to the future because they don't have an experienced past yet, but he said that we were somewhere in the middle and have both, which to me means that we should be doing something meaningful now.  We have some experience and lots to look forward to.  He also said that with many decisions to make we need to stay close to the gospel.

And here's another sweet reminder, Fear Not, Little Flock, from President Howard W. Hunter in 1989.

So, all of this is saying (I think) press forward, saints!  :)

Stuck

Have you ever felt stuck?  That's kind of how I'd describe some things for me at the moment - unmotivated, holding pattern, waiting for something, temporary.  It can be hard to move forward when you're waiting for something - I partially don't even know what it is I'm waiting and I don't have full control either.  That's hard.  It' reminds me of this little video from my childhood:  Winnie the Pooh and the Gopher

     "Are you stuck?"
     "Oh no....just resting and thinking and humming to myself."
      ....      "What's your problem?"
     "First thing to be done is to get rid of that bear.  He's gumming up the whole project."
     "...He is the project!"

I can't explain all the reasons that I feel like this describes the situation exactly, but it does....and it makes me laugh and "hum to myself" instead of cry.  :)

The other day while walking around Temple Square I heard one of the sister missionaries ask a tour group as they were standing by the Seagull Monument, "Do you have any crickets in your life?"  :)  Do you know the story of the miracle of the seagulls?  They saved the pioneers' crops from being eaten by the crickets one of the first years the pioneers were in the Salt Lake Valley.  Those faithful people lived right here in my neighborhood, 165 years ago.  They fasted and prayed and Heavenly Father sent the seagulls to get rid of the crickets and save their crops.

That reminds me of this article in the Deseret News - the miracle of the cancelled fishing trip.  Life is full of unexpected changes, cancellations, and LOTS of waiting (I was reminded by my sister who is nine-months pregnant that we're all waiting for something).  :)  But we can choose our destiny and move forward in faith.

And we just need to move one day at a time.  As Elder Christofferson teaches, "I think it's not by chance God has created us in a way that we have to have daily physical sustenance."  We must turn to God for our Daily Bread.  We must look to Him and have faith in Him and remember Him as the source of our blessings.

Here's an interesting and timely article, The Key to Immediate Happiness, that has helped me think about the importance of getting unstuck, moving forward and "unpacking my bags."  I think I also need to go re-read A Single Voice.  :)

My heart hurts....

....it has ever since about 9:00 Tuesday night.

For almost six years now I've hoped that Tuesday night would have been different. I saw so much hope for the country and the future in a President Romney. I am grateful for his example and efforts and service and am excited for him that he doesn't have to put up with the political garbage as much anymore, although I have to say I'm very disappointed in anyone still bashing him and finger-pointing and blaming him for mistakes. I didn't read any of these articles, but saw a few headlines. We all make mistakes. Why blame? Why can't we assume that others are doing the very best they can? I admire Mitt Romney and his family and those that have worked so hard to serve and help make our country better. I'm grateful for their sacrifice and efforts and graciousness. One of the last things I saw before going to bed was a picture Mitt Romney shared on Facebook waving to the crowd with a big "Thank you." What an example!

My heart hurts for our country. We can and need to do better….working together and working hard. We need to protect family, freedom, faith. I went to bed sad and woke up sad. It was hard to get out of bed, but here are a few things I'm grateful for today that have helped me remember that life is bigger even than a presidential election at a critical time in history:

Today I'm grateful that I'm in Utah. I know that there is NO way I could have gotten out of bed and gone to work in DC today - it definitely would have been an emotional sick day.

I'm grateful for my job working at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - a lasting and eternally important cause. I'm happy I have the chance to help build the kingdom of God in a small way each day. I'm grateful for the eternal perspective it reminds me of, which was particularly important to me today.

I'm grateful for a reinforced confirmation about personal decisions I've made about where to be and what to be doing this year. I'm grateful for a reminder of the importance of a balanced life and focus on most important priorities. In some ways maybe this was a wake-up call that I may have been distracted and too invested in things that were less important.

I'm grateful for the opportunity to vote and to vote in such a beautiful place and day.

I'm grateful for my family. As I was reminded by someone on Facebook today, President James E. Faust said, "Your success as a family, our success as a society, depends not on what happens in the White House, but what happens inside your house."

I'm grateful for a sweet six-year-old niece who was excited about our election night party and knew exactly what we were hoping to hear. When she learned that Mitt Romney didn't win she turned so humbly to my sister and said, "I'm sorry, mom" and gave her a hug. It was so sweet and poignant, I thought. I was reminded of the importance of future generations in the decisions we make today. How can we make life better for these sweet children? …even for the three-year-old who was running around trying to rile us up a bit and have fun with the name, chanting "Obarack Obama winded." :)

I'm grateful for Christmas decorations going up all around me on Temple Square.

I'm grateful for another BEAUTIFUL fall day and lovely lunch time walk.

I'm grateful for a meaningful project at work that helped me focus on the joy and miracle of missionary work....and the importance of the restored gospel and any sacrifice to accept it fully and share it with others.

I'm grateful for the temple. I think that's where I want to live now. :)

I'm grateful for other inspirational thoughts and reminders:

·         Scripture study – the doctrine of Christ – 3 Nephi 27

·         President Thomas S. Monson: "My beloved brothers and sisters, fear not. Be of good cheer. The future is as bright as your faith. I declare that God lives and that He hears and answers our prayers."

·         President Thomas S. Monson: "May we ever watch over one another, assisting in times of need. Let us not be critical and judgmental but let us be tolerant, ever emulating the Savior’s example of loving-kindness. In that vein, may we willingly serve one another. May we pray for the inspiration to know of the needs of those around us, and then may we go forward and provide assistance. Let us be of good cheer as we go about our lives. Although we live in increasingly perilous times, the Lord loves us and is mindful of us. He is always on our side as we do what is right. He will help us in time of need. Difficulties come into our lives, problems we do not anticipate and which we would never choose. None of us is immune. The purpose of mortality is to learn and to grow to be more like our Father, and it is often during the difficult times that we learn the most, as painful as the lessons may be. Our lives can also be filled with joy as we follow the teachings of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Lord admonished, “Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” What great happiness this knowledge should bring to us. He lived for us and He died for us. He paid the price for our sins. May we emulate His example. May we show our great gratitude to Him by accepting His sacrifice and living lives that will qualify us to return and one day live with Him.

·         Abraham Lincoln: "We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. They mystic chords of memory swell when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature."

·         Charles Nibley in 1922: "My brethren and sisters, I hope that we will go home from this conference determined as a great body of people, to stand for law, order, righteousness, justice and peace on earth and good will among all men. I believe as the Prophet Joseph has written, that the day would come when there would be so much of disorder, of secret combinations taking the law into their own hands, tramping upon Constitutional rights and the liberties of the people, that the Constitution would hang as by a thread. Yes, but it will still hang, and there will be enough of good people, many who may not belong to our Church at all, people who have respect for law and for order, and for Constitutional rights, who will rally around with us and save the Constitution. I have never read that that thread would be cut. It will hang; the Constitution will abide and this civilization, that the Lord has caused to be built up, will stand fortified through the power of God, by putting from our hearts all that is evil, or that is wrong in the sight of God, by our living as we should live, acceptable to him."

·         The First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: "We congratulate President Obama on winning a second term as President of the United States. After a long campaign, this is now a time for Americans to come together. It is a long tradition among Latter-day Saints to pray for our national leaders in our personal prayers and in our congregations. We invite Americans everywhere, whatever their political persuasion, to pray for the President, for his administration and the new Congress as they lead us through difficult and turbulent times. May our national leaders reflect the best in wisdom and judgment as they fulfill the great trust afforded to them by the American people. We also commend Governor Romney for engaging at the highest level of our democratic process, which, by its nature, demands so much of those who offer themselves for public service. We wish him and his family every success in their future endeavors."

A few other fun things I saw today that helped me almost smile:

·         "My newsfeed has never provided me with as much entertainment as it has tonight. Just a reminder from the Mayans: the end of the world isn't until December 21st."

·         "I love pottery. Just thought I'd give your news feed a break from all the election stuff :)"

·         "Can't we all just hug and then balance the budget?"

·         Mitt Romney's future plans, according to The Onion

·         Elder Holland's talk, Israel, Israel God is Calling

·         America the Beautiful

·         This Land is Your Land 

I don't think the world is going to end tomorrow, although I wondered Tuesday night and hoped it was all a dream when I woke up Wednesday. I admit that with the heavy heart I wasn't feeling very humble or willing to help. I was filling rejected and frustrated with those that won't listen or think or work or believe the best in others. I was done with politics, public administration and my desire to help and serve my country and fellowmen shrunk quickly. I realize that's not the correct response – regardless of the outcome and circumstances in life we must respond in love and humility.

I want to try to assume the best of others, especially those I don't agree with. I want to have the desire to pray for them and then be willing to work for their success and our success as we work together for good. I know that ultimate hope comes through Jesus Christ. I'm grateful for Him and His plan and I know that working together is the best way. I just need a day or week or two to mourn for what could have been with 50% of the country and 75% of the state. :)

Perspective

We did have an uncharacteristically cold couple of days last week and snow in October, but Sunday as I woke up to my twitter feed of information and updates from family, friends and news organizations about tsunami warnings in Hawaii and hurricane preparations on the East Coast, I was grateful to be where I was and I had a renewed perspective that life is fragile and there are things that are more important than current concerns.

It's good to have reminders about what really matters.  In the midst of political turmoil, stressful work decisions, personal setbacks, or other challenges or even joys, a storm (that no one has control over) can bring us together and remind us that God is in control!  We should remember and turn to Him, not just when we need help.  Nothing else is as significant or important!

We must also remember each other and come together in love and concern for our brothers and sisters everywhere.  :)  Although trials and hardships are difficult, times like this force us to be humble as a people and less distracted by things that would keep us from serving and loving and helping those around us.  I'm grateful for the goodness of people and the common humanity and brotherhood and sisterhood that we share and the reminder today to be humble, turn to Him and turn to others.

I also thought it was timely to be studying 3 Nephi yesterday in Sunday School and thinking about the people gathering together and helping each other after great destruction before the appearance of the Savior....and being reminded of how they did everything they could to gather as many people as they could to Him. <3

Hhhmmmm.....

I don't know how I feel about this.

Waiting For Superman

This was a depressing and yet inspiring movie. Go see it and then go do something to make education better....volunteer at a school, be a tutor, care about education, believe in kids, have high expectations, make something happen!

There are always two sides to a story (see link to another article). This is a complex problem and there is no simple solution, but we each should do what we can or feel that we need to do to make a difference. Education is important! There's no Superman, so instead of waiting let's all do something! :)