Enjoy the Life You Have This Moment!!

Today I re-learned a profound truth that struck me so deeply. Our Relief Society president talked about our lives and how far too often we want the next step, next step, next step. What happens when all we are desiring is the next step in our lives, we skip out on learning the things we need to learn in order to get to that next step. 

In our culture it is expected to get married in your early to mid 20's, and procreate and live happily ever after. What was suggested today that really resonated with me was that we will only get this opportunity once in our life to truly and sincerely focus on ourselves, bettering and making ourselves stronger individuals. Never again for the rest of our lives will we have the unique chance to develop our talents, develop our abilities on the level that we do today. If we focus on bettering ourselves, and being the person that the Lord needs us to be, in time we will be ready for that next step when it comes. The Lord is in charge of every step in our lives, and he has many things to teach us all along the path, and when we are only focusing on the next step in our lives, we fail to recognize the powerful and beautiful lessons that our Father in Heaven has in store for us. 

I know that it is when we live in the very moment in our lives, and focus on bettering ourselves, no matter what, that is when we find happiness, and become more attractive to all persons because we are on the road to discovering who we are and who we need to be. When I focus on me, and bettering who I need to be, both temporally and spiritually, that is when I am the happiest with myself. The Lord wants us all to experience life at it's fullest. He doesn't want us to sit and wait for life to come to us, he wants us to go and find meaning in life. Developing new talents, new aspirations, new meaning, new learning etc. He wants us to return to him saying I gave it my all, and I lived everyday to the max! For truly the only thing that we can take with us in the next life is our knowledge, and I want the opportunity to say that I utilized my time, and expanded myself beyond my imagination. I feel that when we desire to learn more, that is when the Lord helps us expand our knowledge. I want to live life, enjoying every step in my life, and bettering myself everyday. The good habits that I form now will carry over whenever I am ready for that next step in my life. Until then, I will learn, grow and develop, and not rush what the Lord needs to teach me, and see his beauty in the journey that he has picked for me, and know that my growing is only unique to me and nobody else. 

The Miracles of Jesus

I had the pleasure of going to a baptism yesterday evening of a darling little girl that belonged to one of my dear friends. After she was baptized, they played a dvd displaying the miracles of Jesus, such as the lame to walk, the blind to see, seas calmed, sins forgiven, the lepers healed, and a woman healed simply by touching the hem of his garment. To see the many mighty miracles that was brought about in the life ministry of our savior was ever so touching. 

I was thinking to myself how amazing it would have been to be able to be alive during those times, and to witness these life altering events that made them firm believers. It was then that I realized the mighty miracles that the Lord has blessed me with in my own life. He never restored my vision in a physical sense, but he is the reason I am able to see the things I do today. It is Jesus Christ who has picked me up when I have felt like a leper, and he has healed my heart. He has calmed the stormy seas in my life, and has given me the opportunity to step out on the raging waters and keep my eyes on him, knowing that he is my only means of survival. These miracles that I speak of in my own life are nothing short of the miracles that Jesus Christ performed when he walked the earth. If we tune in more, we will see the many miracles not just in our own lives, but all around us.  One of my favorite quotes from president Hinckley that I have committed to memory because it resonates so freely with me is this.. “Like the polar stars in the heavens, there stands the redeemer of the world, the Son of God, certain and sure as the anchor of our immortal lives. He is the rock of our salvation, our strength, our comfort, the very focus of our faith. In sunshine and in shadow he is there to assure and smile upon us.” Found here

I am grateful for a mother and a father who taught me to learn about the teachings and miracles of Jesus, so that his miracles could be found in my life. I love him, and I’m glad that he walks with me in my life. Life would be too hard without him. I know he lives, I have not seen him, but I feel him all around me, and that is enough for me. I hope that I might look closer to see even more everyday miracles of Jesus Christ in my life. 

Indiana

Something about the aroma of fresh cut Hoosier grass with the scent of moisture contained within each blade of grass that allows memories to flood back to me like a steady flowing river. It reminds me of being outside playing so innocently as a child. Collecting the piles of freshly mowed grass so I could have "fences' for my plastic Bryer horses. Or to outline roads for hot wheels cars that my brothers and I would play in the dirt with. I would dream of the day when I would be allowed behind the wheel and be able to have the windows down with the wind blowing carelessly through my hair with the sun beaming beautifully all around.

I got to go see Grandma, and we went on a drive along the countryside, looking at the luscious greens that lit up so beautifully with the perfect reflections of the sun that illuminated God's love on each branch, leaf, flower, and hillside that it touched. To me, God's love is all around us. We sat on the back porch of my aunt's and caught up with family members, laughing and talking about life's perplexities.

I helped my grandma plant her flower boxes the other day, I left the gloves off so I could feel the dirt under my fingernails (something this germ-o-fobe never does), but it's being outside in the nature in Indiana that brings back so many memories that I can't resist. As soon as we moved onto the last flower box, it began to steadily sprinkle, and we laughed as we hurriedly finished the last box, and had gotten into a rhythm of knowing how we wanted the flowers arranged. The cool crisp air accompanied the raindrops. I rode home with a hoodie on, reminded of many past times, and the years that have gone, and where life has taken me. Yet some things are so similar and exactly how I remember them as a growing girl. 

I love waking up with the windows open, hearing the birds singing in the trees nearby, welcoming another cool, dew filled morning.  The sun peeks, showing it's smiling face, and showing it's glee on the upcoming flowers, ready to bloom. Maybe this all sounds a little cornball, but I realize how much I miss the simplicity of Indiana. I miss the nature that so beautifully surrounds Indiana's landscapes. God shows his love everyday in astronomical ways. People would have to be blind, deaf, and dumb to not see his hand so brilliantly shone through his works and wonders in this world that surrounds us! 

I think it's important to always go back to the basics and remember where we came from to better chart where were going. 

Things As They Really Are

I rediscovered this, and how thought provoking it is about out current society. We all get so wrapped up in the things of today, and sometimes we don't realize how much it detracts us from the things we need to be doing. That time we spend on technology could be spent building and strengthening relationships. Like  it's mentioned, technology is a blessing, just as long as we're using it in the right manner. How grateful I am for Prophet, seers, and revelators today in this time. Give this video a watch! (click on the words below)

 Things As They Really Are

Life As A Florida State Seminole

One of The Hardest Part of the move.. My nieces/Children

All the nieces I've watched since birth pretty much

Doak Campbell Stadium

This is Florida State University... The prettiest campus I've ever seen! 

This is our front door (if you couldn't guess)

This Is our Guest Room


After much stress and hard work, I made it to Tallahassee with TONS of help from others. I honestly can say, I know this is where the Lord wants me to be, otherwise there were 1000 barriers that would have prevented me from being here, but the Lord removed them, so I could enjoy being a Seminole. :) It's moments like these that makes you sit back, and realize how involved the Lord is in our lives. He really does care about even the small details of our lives, such as what college I should attend, which house I should live in, which major I should choose... Countless things that matter to him.


Because of faulty paperwork or lack thereof from my previous college (despite efforts on my end), I wasn't officially admitted into FSU until the DAY classes started! I had orientation, turned in all my medical paper work, called my sister told her what was going on, and she registered me for classes (because I didn't have a computer with me to register) . At FSU if you don't go to the first class, your automatically dropped from the course. After grabbing a bite to eat with my dad, we booked it to try and find my classes on a HUGE campus that I had no CLUE about other than the football stadium, and last I heard they don't offer classes at the Doak Campbell Stadium! I ran my legs off that first day, and honestly I don't know if I could have held it all together if it weren't for my dad being right next to me. He was SO very patient, and was there with anything I needed. I didn't even have a notepad for my first class because I had heard Orientation would be all day, but turned out because it was the first day of class, they shortened what would have been a 8 hour orientation down to 45 minutes (pretty intense). Thankfully dad had a notepad, and I was able to take it with me to my first few classes. When I was stressing because I couldn't find where I needed to go, and I didn't have a map, he without me asking, came and found me, and brought me his map. He was a sport in every sense of the word. He sat patiently outside of all my classrooms waiting for me to finish. He was such a blessing and stress reliever to me. I had no idea what I needed to do, but somehow Heavenly Father would quietly lead me to the right decision. I just prayed that I knew this is what he wanted for me, and he was going to have to help me, because I didn't know how I would be able to get everything done I needed to do, and you know what, it all got done, and I give all the credit to him.


So here I am at Florida State,  the school I've wanted to be at since I was a little girl. I've worked hard to get here, and honestly I didn't think I would actually make this dream of mine come true because of multiple reasons (I would have went to a University in Central Florida). I am so glad that I am here! I am so glad that things happen for a reason, and people come into our lives and help us understand what God wants for us. Things don't always go according to the way we had planned, but they do always go  according to what in the end will benefit us the most.


In the short time I've lived here in Tallahassee, I've learned even more about myself, about what I'm made of, and about who and what matters most to me. I've gained a stronger sense of the important things in life. I'm blessed with family members that would do all in their power to help me achieve success on all levels. They are my greatest support system, and I can truly say, I don't know what I would do without them. They moved my entire place without me being back in Lake Wales to help them. They took time away from their families to help me move here to further my education. I have a family that a lot of people desire. For that I am so grateful! They are my best friends and closes confidents.-- They probably only helped because they are excited to have a place to stay for FOOTBALL SEASON!! haha    I'm excited to share it with them, and be here during that exciting time of year! ohhh yeah!!! Bring on the times of our lives!!! The Doak will rock that much harder this year!!! GO NOLES GO!!!! 

The Real Christmas Cheer

One thing that strikes me most about Christmas is spending it with our loved ones. With loving words echoing throughout the home, with arms wide open to love and embrace one another. To be more forgiving of one another and mostly, to be willing to try and see things more like the savior. It's something about the majesty of celebrating his birth that brings about miraculous things that allow us, the children of men to love more freely. To cherish one another more freely. The birth of this babe has caused such goodness and love to be spread so vastly throughout the world. Our families gather to honor and praise his birth and to give thanks to him for the over abundance he has provided in our families.

Christmas is a time of great reflection within ourselves, within our families, and within the world around us. People give more freely of the money they earn no matter how meager that may be. People extend themselves to bake cookies for loved ones, friends, and even strangers. People want in on the action of Christmas that brings man such joy into their hearts. I am so grateful for this time of year. It is so important for each of us to reflect on our lives and how we can learn and improve ourselves. To draw closer to the Savior, to honor him and his life in the coming year more fully. It's the birth of Jesus Christ that brings us such joy and happiness.

How grateful I am for that little baby that was the king of all the world who would redeem us all of sin, was born in the most humblest of circumstances in Bethlehem. How humbled I am that he in all of his holiness was not born of fine linen, gold, or worldly riches (which would be expected at the birth of such a majestic being.)  He was born to loving parents and in a manger he laid with straw and animals abound. If he, the Master and Savior of us all was born in these circumstances, than who am I to have any earthly possession? He is the exemplar in every sense of the word of how we are supposed to be. He shows us by example that the important things in life are not seen by man. Surely he brings glad tidings of great joy to my soul, and makes me want to shout hosannah for knowing him as my Lord. He has brought life and light into my soul that can never be replaced by any worldly thing. I am grateful for his life and his death which makes it possible to return home to our Father in Heaven one day. I am grateful that I live in a country that allows me to freely worship him and his Father. He is the best friend to all of us. He knows us intimately, even more than we know ourselves. In sunshine and in shadow he is there to assure and smile upon us. May each of us remember the 'sunshine' he brings into our lives, and slow down enough to see the light he brings into our lives. It's not the fancy things that gives us joy, it's him that brings us the ultimate joy that will last throughout eternity. I'll forever be grateful for that baby Jesus that has impacted my life more than any other person to ever walk this earth. May each of you be able to live more fully in the JOY that only he can offer each of us!

Merry Christmas to each of you!

He called Some Apostles..For the perfecting of The Saints

So last Friday I had the great opportunity to go see David A. Bednar in Orlando across from our temple. It is such a rare occurrence to have an Apostle in our area, let alone a fireside with one. He did a Q and A session for 2 hours, which was very enlightening and uplifting for everyone in attendance. Some highlights of things mentioned were..(I'm mainly recording this for myself) It's going to seem very unorganized, but the answers depend on the question of others.

That it doesn't matter where any of us came from as far as background in the church, we have the potential inside of us to become anything we want or need to be. It doesn't matter if we had the priesthood, family prayer or Family home evening in the home. All that matters is that we have the desire to have that in OUR own homes in the future. He then went on to say that when his wife was pregnant with their son, she threw up constantly and by the time she was at the end of her pregnancy she was physically exhausted. Their son had colic and was up all during the night. She would breastfeed him and he would stay up for hours with him reading scriptures to him while he had the Mormon tabernacle choir playing in the background. He said no body told him to do that, but he always wondered what kind of family he would have if he did those things. He never had a father with the priesthood and he wanted to be that example in his own family. The main point he was trying to make was when Heavenly Father is with us we truly can do anything and be the type of parents he wants us to be regardless of our backgrounds.

He said When we raise our hand to sustain someone in the church, we are promising to help them succeed. That means to help them in anyway we can. (I thought that was an interesting thought).

When someone asked him how to keep the Holy Ghost with us more frequently, he said that we shouldn't gear up to receive the Holy Ghost, but rather simply keep our covenants that we have made at baptism, sacrament, temple etc. It's not studying the scriptures a certain way that better benefits us, it's how we live our lives. Asking, and seeking is how we receive revelation.

Along the same lines he talked about prayer and how it's a common misunderstanding about prayer. Too many people want the assurance and sit and wait for the answer to their prayers when that isn't how God answers prayers at all. We need to have more FAITH in things we hope for and can't see. FAITH is the principle of action he wants us to take the STEP and the LIGHT assures us we are on the right path. So our prayers should work like this

• FAITH
• ACTION
• ASSURANCE

He then went onto say that Peter didn't know he could walk on the water until he took the FAITH and stepped out of the boat and through his ACTION he got the ASSURANCE.

That was one of my favorite points of the night.

The gift of tongues is not just learning a bunch of languages, but rather the gift of tongues is knowing the right thing to say at the right time and place through the spirit of the Lord.

The reason Pornography is so detrimental to our society is that it darkens our understanding of what God intends for us as his children on earth, and we forget who we are and what heavenly father wants for us. We need to be prepared to face the evils of the day and know how we will stand up and be a man or woman of integrity. We make that decision one time in our lives and we never waiver. If you don't know how your going to handle a situation when you are faced with it, you are spiritually dead. He went further and said that it isn't enough to have a testimony. It's simply the beginning not the conclusion. A testimony is not enough for you to withstand. You need to be converted to the Lord. To be converted, you stand up and are willing to follow the Lord. That's the way we all must be. Alma 23:5-6*

The #1 thing he wants for all of us is to be doctrinally grounded in the simple doctrine of Jesus Christ. We live in a world that thinks Good is evil and evil is good. Unless we understand the simple doctrine we will wonder in the darkness of the world. We want those around us to know WHY we obey, WHY we attend church meetings-- To feel the companionship of the Godhead (Holy Ghost) That's WHY we become doctrinally grounded and the power of Satan will have NO hold on us.

Someone stood and asked how we learn to forgive what seems like an unforgivable sin. To which he responded.. YOU cannot forgive them. It's only in and through the power of the Atonement that we CAN forgive. You cannot forgive someone of your own will but of the Lord's.. When we take the sacrament we do it for a remission of not only our sins, but others. Mosiah 24:13-15

Notice that the covenants are central to ordinances.

The power of Godliness is manifest in the power of the priesthood.

and the power of Godliness is the atonement of Jesus Christ.

The Ordinances of the gospel is what helps us forgive and manifest the power of godliness.

Forgiveness of sins is overcoming the sins of the fall of Adam.

We forgive through and only through the power of the Atonement!

He also said that Satan only attacks the things he hates.. The reason he HATES it so much is because he will never have those things, and so he attacks them the strongest. He will never have a body, he will never have a family, he will never be able to make covenants, he will never have eternal life. How much sense that makes! I had never quite heard it like that before.

He invoked a blessing on us that according to our faithfulness that we would not let our fears rule our lives. That we would never take council from our fears.

*Most of this is me paraphrasing what he said, as a result it's not word for word. It's my own interpretation.

What a blessing it was to see an Apostle of the Lord! I do know that we are a blessed people to have such men of God lead and guide us in a way that is pleasing until the Lord. I know that if we follow their counsel and direction that we will make it safely back home to our father in Heaven and he will tell us well done thou good and faithful servant! :) What a wonderful time it is to be alive and to be able to participate in such goodness! It was evident as I shook hands with him and he looked into my eyes that he was a servant of the Lord. He brought the love of the Lord with him, and I felt it so deeply.