...and we REALLY don't understand why. And, at least for me, I ask not only WHY some things happen, but also WHY does Heavenly Father think I can handle so much?! I was thinking this morning that every trial I go through is harder than the last. And it makes perfect sense, actually, because of our purpose on this earth. We're here to progress, to learn, and not to sit stagnant. If I didn't have challenges, I wouldn't learn how to deal with them, I wouldn't learn to trust the Lord, I wouldn't grow the way the Lord knows I need to. But golly, I just want to understand! The scriptures and prophets all talk about righteous desires, and mine are righteous desires, things I've felt good about for a LONG time, and yet....I guess the Lord knows what's best, but I wanna know too! So amid my trauma of the last couple of days, and my failure to understand WHY I've been faced with this new trial, with oh-so-many complications and no easy solution, I re...
Posts
Today at church I heard a definition of forgiveness that I'd never heard nor even thought about before, and it stuck out a LOT at me: "Forgiveness is repentance for a failure to love." Love who? Love of God. Love of others. Love of self. We are our own worst critics, and often the hardest person to forgive is ourself. But as we learn to love ourselves, we learn to love God, and to forgive ourselves, implementing the Atonement in our lives. As we learn to love God, and love as God loves, we are more open to speedy forgiveness of others. I think Nephi had this down...his own brothers tried to take his life, and he "swiftly forgave" them. That is just incredible. And often we are slow to forgive (others and ourselves) for even trivial matters that really don't matter in the eternal scheme of things. As we learn to love others, we automatically learn to expand out capacity to forgive. And that brings blessings beyond compare!!!...
Well, it would be really cool if I did. I wanted to be a dinosaur for Halloween, but i couldn't find a costume big enough. Most I saw were big enough to fit a 3-year old, and I'm a little bigger than that. But sometimes I do think there's a dinosaur in my living room or kitchen. With all the noises I keep hearing, and the raptor walks and noises that I've heard, plus Carli is pretty talented in making baby dinosaur noises, and I have to say that my pterodactyl noises are pretty great too. Maybe I should just get a job in the dinosaur museum. Then I could have my own pet dinosaur. I want one anyways....
The sound of shovels hitting the pavement The big huge fresh snowflakes falling from the sky as I open my eyes after an afternoon nap The 50-degree middle of the night turning into a 30-degree day White everywhere The smell in the air the day before the snow comes Snuggling in a warm blanket and watching movies Christmas break Being with people I love Counting down the days til the end of the semester Baking and cooking with Mom I love the snow! Today it snowed...a LOT (well, a lot for Provo), and it just reminded me of what I love about winter. And this Christmas break looks like it's going to be the best one yet! So needless to say, today was fantastic, not only because of the snow, but that was definitely a big factor! 33 more days!!! :D
All my life, I remember the first Tuesday in November...my parents always went to vote after work. However, I only really remember specifics about Presidential elections since the first time George W. Bush was elected, in 2000. I remember the recount for that one, and Florida being the state that had to be recounted who-knows-how-many times. I remember in 2004, I worked on Bush's campaign and learned LOT about politics and how things really work...I gained a deep respect for a lot of what these people do. In 2008, I remember supporting Obama, and going to a victory rally with James up in Salt Lake when he was elected. And in 2012, I remember Obama being reelected, and me not being upset about it. I also remember people being viciously opposed to the other party, and being upset by this. Call me innocent, naive, a prude, whatever. But honestly, is politics worth destroying friendships over? Is is worth all the name-calling,...
Earlier this month at General Conference, there was one talk that really jumped out at me more than the others, and that was President Uchtdorf's "Of Regrets and Resolutions". I've read and reread my notes throughout the last few weeks, and today I listened to the talk again. And it's made me think about a lot of things, re-prioritize my life, and see what's truly important to me. What's important? My family. This includes my parents and my brothers, but it also includes Renato and his family, as well as the family we are starting to build (cuz starting a family begins long before getting married and having children....these are things we often talk about). Would I do anything for my family? The short answer is yes. And I'm sure I'll feel even more strongly about this when I have children. I don't want to regret not spending enough time with those I love. So I am doing my absolute darndest to use my time wisely to be able to spend e...
...do you see the Tree of Life drawn in sidewalk chalk on the ramp up to campus. ...do you see people in long short and shirts with sleeves in 115-degree weather. ...do you see more hipsters in one day than if you spent a month in California. ...can you walk barefoot without worrying about what kinds of needles you're going to step on. ...does the idea of a crazy dance party involve dubstep and some kind of soda. ...do you get shunned (or handed a razor) at the Testing Center if you have anything more than a 5 o'clock shadow (if you're a dude). ...is it cool to be a Cougar :) ...is it not weird to graduate from undergrad programs at 25. ...is it shocking and yet hilarious when a swear slips out of a professor's mouth. ...is there a distinction between "married" and "single" student housing. ...do they care where you live. ...can talking about kissing in class make people giggle. ...can you have sacrament meeting in the same bu...