Wear Your Heart On Your Sleeve

I apologize for not having written on Sunday and Monday but I was extremely busy with Church, school, and work. I wasn't sure what exactly I was going to write about on Sunday when I remembered what day it was. As all or at least most of my readers will be aware, Sunday was the decade anniversary of September 11. I believe had my grandparents lived, that the day they will never forget was December 7; I believe for my generation, we will say the same of September 11.

Like many of my readers, I remember exactly where I was when I learned about the tragic events that changed our nation. I was initially shelled shocked for several days there after. If my memory is correct, I believe that my dad was on a business trip in Chicago on that faithful day. I remember at some point realizing the fact that just like I had seen on 9/11 that any of my family members or friends could taken from this life. This reality was underscored by the fact that I had already experienced the deaths of both of my grandmothers.

I remember in the days following September 11, hearing stories of family members and relatives about how they had lost a their love ones that day. I also remember that the most oft expressed regret was that that they wished they had told their loved ones and friends more frequently how much they loved and appreciated them. That memory still brings tears to my eyes. I then remember looking into the faces of the members of my family and promising myself that I make sure that my family members always knew that I loved them. From then on, I did my best to tell the members of my family how much I loved them and appreciated them. I more readily said "I love you" just before saying bye. I decided during that time that if my family and friends didn't know that I loved them by time that they left this world, that I would have failed part of my mission for this life. I started a tradition that my family knows about; I started giving each person of my family members a hug just before going to bed.

Since then, I have committed, to use the phrase from "Ever Ever After" from Enchanted, to "wear[ing] [my] heart on [my] sleeve". As some of my readers may know, this attitude from time to time causes me some pain but I will say that I have yet to regret it despite the heartbreaks it has brought me. I believe that too many times we fail to express love and gratitude to the extent that we should. I feel that for those of us who are trying to follow the Savior that this is a transgression. From what I know from my own life and what I have read in the scriptures, I believe that the Savior and our Heavenly Father both express their love to us readily and frequently. Therefore, if we wish to follow their example we must do the same.

So my invitation today is find more ways of expressing your love and gratitude to your loved ones and friends. If you can, learn to wear your heart on your sleeve; I promise that not that life will be easier, but I will promise you that you will learn to love the life the Lord has given you more and that you will come to view others more like our Savior views them.

The Shadow Proves the Sunshine

These last couple of days have been rather uneventful for me. I have changed apartments and gotten my texts books for the upcoming semester which is now routine; I should mention that I've been taking classes with only eight weeks of interruption.

Today I helped my sister locate a store that saved her a bunch of money on books; it's like Geico but for text books. I went to work which was slow but nice because I got to speak a bit of French. J'aime le français même si je ne parle plus très bien.

On my way home from work, it attempted to drizzle as the sun was setting in the West.

I did not take this photo but it gives you an idea of what I saw.

The feel and look of town in that condition was breathtaking. It reminded me of a poem that I wrote called "Busy With the Music"; it is centered around the fact that we are often surrounded by music but we sometimes miss the beauty of what our Heavenly Father has created. I hold a personal belief that God is the greatest artist and every other great artist is just doing their best to copy His work in the best way they know how. I know that God has created the most beautiful things in life; I feel that the Plan of Salvation, mountains, moving water, weather, birds, and women are just a few of my favorites of His works.

While I was walking home from work, the chorus of "The Shadow Proves the Sunshine" by Switchfoot (one of my favorite bands) popped into my head while enjoying this beautiful scene. You can listen to it here. That song always reminds me that there has to be opposition in all things so that I can enjoy the beautiful moments more fully; like I was able to today.

I hope that you, my reader, find time to slow down and enjoy some of the beautiful things, animals, or people in your life. I know that they exist, no matter how dark or dim your life may seem presently. The Lord loves you and has created beautiful things as little love notes or "texts" to let know that He loves you, so look for them!

Learn What You Preach & Adopting a Different Idea of Success

So this week has been long one but a good one. I'm getting ready to start another semester in a couple weeks. I have most of my books and my schedule; I personally believe it's going to be a fun but interesting semester. I'll be rooming with three guys from my current apartment and one of my roommates from last semester, Erick. I may take pictures of them and introduce them to you later, because it is likely enough that I will mention at least one of them in the future.

Well I have two photos to include. The first is an Altoids container; I know this may seem strange but I should mention I don't normally buy Altoids because I'm not much of a mint or gum person. This week my roommate Victor brought home a sewing case of a friend which had as it's container an Altoids box. This inspired me to buy one which when I am done with it will become a sewing kit container because I want a sturdy sewing case. I should mention that I like to sow because it rather calming. As Agly says "I can't eat muffins in an agitated manner", for me it is sewing.

The other picture I took this evening was of one of my favorite ties. I will readily admit that I didn't remember my photo challenge until right before I started writing my post. It is green and gorgeous. Just look at it; every time I wear I get compliments.

So now on the important things. This week was a good week but I learned early in the week between my last two posts that I had taught somethings that I needed to do. I found it interesting because I know that the Spirit teaches me things that I sometimes teach to others of which they have need. I love seeing how that inspired counsel helps them. Then sometimes, just sometimes, you find down the road that you need to follow the counsel that our Father in Heaven gave you for them because it was for both of you. So my point is that when the Spirit inspires you to speak, remember those words and write them down because you don't know when you may need them.

The next thought that came to me came from a talk that I read which sadly I couldn't not find. The discourse talked was something to the effect of "Our personal success" so I obviously decided that it was something that was worth looking into. In it the speaker explained that the Lord's idea of success is different from ours. I know that I had an particular idea of success from before my mission that I have learned is probably not all the same as what Heavenly Father's idea of success for me is. I know that it is sometimes hard but that we sometimes need to let go of our ideas of success so that we can better be a success in the eyes of the Lord.

I hope that this counsel helps you in your week. I hope that your week is good and that your write down some of the revelation that you receive.

When You're There and Then Serve Those Around You

Sadly I've been pretty busy between Sunday evening and now. I went on a ward tubing trip which was fun despite me being severally cold afterwards. I started reading The Screwtape Letters last week. It is very interesting and slightly difficult read. It is a good book because it has helped me become more aware of some of the subtle ways that Satan and his servants attack.

So the title contains two ideas that came to me last week. The first one is to "Be where you're supposed to be, when you're supposed to be there." This idea comes from Sister Clark the wife of the college president, President Kim Clark; oddly enough she got the line from another speaker when she was in college. Last week I was in the middle of helping out at the Celebrate Youth activity, when the Spirit bore witness to me that I was where the Lord needed me. I don't know if any of you, my dear reader, have had this experience but if you haven't, I hope you are blessed to have it. I will say that this is not the first time I've had this wonderful experience but I still enjoy this experience every time because then I know I'm where Heavenly Father needs me to be, when He needs me to be there. From my short experience in life, I have that doing the will of our Father in Heaven is always the most beneficial experience, no matter how odd, strange or awkward the decision may seem on the surface. Often following impressions of the Spirit and being where the Lord needs you can help serve some one who needs help.

The other thing that I learned this week, I learned on Sunday during both my scripture study and a fireside for our ward was that when you are having a rough time, find some one else to serve and it will help both of you out. In serving them, you lift their burden and follow the Savior in helping to lighten the burdens of others. The way it helps you, is that when you help them, often times you see how minor your problems are or how blessed you are. Recently I had an experience where I thought was tought, I then asked the Lord to let me serve someone. The person he sent me to help was my roommate. I helped him they best I could and soon came to realize how blessed I am.

So my recommendations for you are one, to follow the Spirit so that you can be where the Lord needs you to be when the Lord needs you to be there. The second is when you are feeling low, to find some one else to serve. I promise that doing both of these things will bless and brighten your day.

And the Lord Was With Us

This week was good. It was not much of what I expected but it was good. I finally finished the Percy Jackson series which was a bit sad. It's one of those series that when you reach the end, you feel like you're going to leave some good friends behind without knowing when in the future you're going to see them. I also found the photo of one of the books that I thought I had deleted.

Tuesday I went and volunteered at community event called Celebrate Youth. It was neat to help out and meet lots of new people. I got food and a free t-shirt which looks like this (food not pictured below).

You may not be able to tell but the shirt is lime green. I'm going to keep it, not because it fits (which it really doesn't) but because it reminds me of the Camp Half-Blood t-shirts which are bright orange.

Wednesday morning I went to the temple which was really nice. It was a great way to start out my day. Then I came home and got ready for the day. I went shopping at Desert Industries and dropped off some clothes that are a bit out of date but still in decent condition. I bought a couple shirts, a belt, and a tie. I also bought three books in the Chronicles of Narina which I finished earlier this year. While I was there I also ran into some friends that I haven't seen for five years. It was neat to talk and get a bit caught up.

Saturday I taught French to a few people in the afternoon which was a nice refresher. Later Megan and I went to visit an old friend of mine who just returned home from his mission. It was cool getting to talk to him and seeing how he's grown and matured. It also reminded me that I've now been home from my mission for over two years.

This week I have been richly blessed and had many topics come to my mind upon which I should write my blog. I will split up my ideas and post again tomorrow and hopefully have some more pictures to put in; nevertheless, I digress. Recently I've been rereading through The Book of Mormon. I was reading the chapter in which Nephi breaks his bow and his brothers' bows lose their spring so their whole family goes hungry for a period of time and everyone starts complaining. Eventually they get food and continue on in their journey. A few verses later Ishmael dies and Nephi records that "the daughters of Ishmael" complained against Lehi and Nephi. Laman and Lemuel exacerbated the problem and most of the group seem ready to threaten the lives of Nephi and Lehi. At this low point, Nephi records "And it came to pass that the Lord was with us..." What I got out of this phrase was that at our low points in life, we must recognize how the Lord is guiding us and how He is with us especially in our low points. I know that sometimes when I'm in those low points, sometimes the adversary tries to convince me that I have been forsaken by the Lord. I have learned that this statement is not true. The Lord does not abandon us, no matter how many times we may abandon Him. So when you are in a low place in your life, look up. Heavenly Father is there for you, and He will help you if you just but take his hand.

Another topic that I wanted to talk about is patience. These last few weeks, I have been learning patience due to a certain situation. When I was a teenager, I believed that I was extremely patient. Many people told me that I was patient. One of my bosses even said that I was "as patient as a saint". Before my mission I thought that patience was a virtue that I was have to work very little on. Then I entered the MTC, there I was put with a companion who was one of the most unusual people that I have ever met and had the strangest habits. I found out quickly how impatient, I really was. Ever since that time, I have found that I am not as patient as I thought. I have found that patience requires self-control and remembering how insignificant the thing that irritates you is in the realm of eternity.

I hope that these little lessons that I have drawn from my week will be able to help you in your week. May our Father in Heaven guide you to make the right decisions in your life is my prayer. Have a good day!

A Covenant People

This week was really pretty good. I was able to go to the temple twice which is always a good experience. I also got to catch up with a good friend of mine and talk about some fun plans. This week I finished one or two books of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. I took a picture of one of them as my picture for the week but then I deleted it on accident. But I have pictures of the covers of the last two that I've read. The author Rick Riordan is now on my list of great authors of our day. I don't have a lot of authors on this list but Orson Scott Card is number one on that list. If you haven't read the series, I would invite you too.

Anyway I'll get to my thought for this week. My idea today started because I had an itch. So I had an itch and for some reason that caused me to look at what I was wearing. That reminded me of the school dress code which reminded me of covenants that I've made in the temple. When I think about those covenants, I'm always reminded of how grateful I am that I have the blessings that come from them. Elder D. Todd Christofferson gave a talk entitled "The Power of Covenants"; which I have a link to here. I remember loving this talk. At the time I was a freshly returned missionary from France. In the talk he tells us that keeping our covenants gives us an added measure of strength.

On my mission I heard the opening to song called Sleep on the CD "Trek: A Nashville Tribute to the Pioneers"; it has a quote by a pioneer woman. She talks about how without the power and influence that the saints felt in the temple that "it would have been like one taking a leap into the darkness". By the end of my mission, I felt the same way about my mission. I knew that there was no way, someone with the fragile testimony that I had should have been able to endure the trials and hardships that I had on my mission.

I also remember another experience from my mission. I remember a day when I wanted to give up and go home. I was in one of my favorite areas with one of my least favorite companions. The day before had been long and I had a few hours of sleep due to circumstances that were out of my control. In about a twelve hour time frame, I had three different people complain to me about things that I couldn't change. Under normal conditions that would not have bothered me but that day, I was stressed, tired, hungry, and generally in a bad mood.

My companion and I were in a train station waiting on our train to go to district meeting; I was talking to my companion trying to plan out our day because we didn't have time the night before. I was the senior companion and I told my companion that I thought it would be a good idea for us to take a nap in afternoon before doing more proselyting. My companion said "What did you just say?"; that was his usual response of disagreement. That was the straw that broke the camels back. I closed my planner and got up with saying a word. I went stamped our train tickets. I contemplated going home for a few minutes because as I selfishly thought "I didn't pay for this." As I was thinking this, I remember almost hearing almost an audible voice say to me "But you promised me that you'd stay here." I hung my head for second. I remembered the covenants that I'd made with the Lord and how I'd promised Him that I'd be where He wanted me to be. I apologized to the Lord. "I'm sticking in this one for you, Lord" I told Him "Just.... help me to endure some of this stuff." That day, my covenants saved me from making a very bad decision.

So my hope is that you will appreciate the covenants that you have made with the Lord. If, like me, you still have some covenants to look forward to making, then keep yourself worthy. I know that the covenants and promises that I have made to the Lord have given me extra strength and comfort in my hard times. So when you're going through hard times, I admonish to stay worthy or become worthy of your covenants with the Lord and I promise you that He will bless you with the added strength and comfort that you need so much. I hope you have a great week!

Faith in Sacrifice

So this last week I got back to Rexburg and got readjusted to being back with roommates. This week overall has been a good week. I've went to a couple of dances and made quite a few new friends. I also got to watch a funny movie with my sister and a good friend of ours.

This week I had a rather difficult but good experience. It reminded me a little of my mission; hence the picture below. One of my readers knows a bit about this experience because we had a couple of conversations about it. If any of my readers are curious as to the details they can ask me directly.

Due to this experience I've thought a lot about faith, hope, and sacrifice. I thought about how the Lord called upon Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. I thought about how hard this had to be for Abraham; he and Sarah had prayed many days and nights for Isaac. The Lord had promised Abraham that his seed would be as numerous as the sands upon the sea shore and that they would have the gospel. Through Isaac this promise would be realized along with many others. Most importantly Isaac was his son; while I’m not a father, I know that a good and righteous father deeply loves his son. I can only imagine how heartbreaking it must have been when the Lord asked Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac. Then Abraham had a few days with Isaac and two of the servants to travel to the land of Moriah. I can’t imagine how agonizing it must have been for Abraham.

I have learned that sometimes the Lord asks us to make a sacrifice, and sometimes, like Abraham, He accounts our desire and sincerity to us as righteousness. When we are called upon by the Lord to make a sacrifice, we must have faith. There are also times when like Abraham, we must hope against hope, and have faith that the Lord could fulfill the promises that He had made. This is a principle that is easy to understand but is harder to live. I have learned that we must grow our faith on a daily basis so that when we are called on to sacrifice that we may find that we have faith stronger than sight and a hope grounded in the promises of the Savior. One of my favorite talks is “But If Not” by Elder Simmons, you can read it here.

The point of the talk is that our faith should not depend on people or the consequences of our choices. One of my favorite characters Alvin Maker was described as a man who always does the right thing no matter what the consequences; I personally hope that one day that some can describe me that way.

After this difficult situation, I know that the Lord has promised me great blessings. I don’t think that I’ve seen most of them yet but I know they’re coming. If you are going through a rough time know that the Lord is aware of your situation and that He cares and to quote Elder Holland “He is your Heavenly Father, and surely He matches with His own the tears His children shed.” I believe that. Exercise faith and do the right thing. I promise you that you will be blessed. Have a good week!