i am thankful i had the privilege of knowing him.
tomorrow we say our goodbyes.
what a blessing eternal families are.
Showing posts with label The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Show all posts
Saturday, March 6, 2010
we most definitely will.
i am thankful i had the privilege of knowing him.
tomorrow we say our goodbyes.
what a blessing eternal families are.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Monday, December 15, 2008
So many things...
I am so sad for so many families right now. Adoption is hard. Please pray for this family, this family, this family, and this family. And sadly, I know there are many more out there facing hard aches. Why does adoption have to be so hard, yet so wonderful. I suppose that is why. Things that are the hardest, always turn out the most wonderful.
Definitely a hard week for adoption.
But there are so many wonderful things happening all around at the same time! I love the Christmas season! I love that it is a season of giving and love.
I am so excited to adopt. I love adoption and the wonderful experience that I get to be a part of. I know it will be hard. Harder than I can even imagine right now. But I know it will be wonderful and totally worth the heart ache.
Heavenly Father loves us and he wants to bless us. He know what experiences will help us for our good. He knows what will make us into the best possible people we can be. He knows each and everyone of us. He knows what we need. I am thankful for this. I am thankful that we have been through the trials that we have had. They have and continue to make us better people. Preparing us to be better parents.
I love this time of year. I love thinking about the many blessings I have in my life. I love remembering the life of our Savior, Jesus Christ and the Atonement. We are so blessed!
Definitely a hard week for adoption.
But there are so many wonderful things happening all around at the same time! I love the Christmas season! I love that it is a season of giving and love.
I am so excited to adopt. I love adoption and the wonderful experience that I get to be a part of. I know it will be hard. Harder than I can even imagine right now. But I know it will be wonderful and totally worth the heart ache.
Heavenly Father loves us and he wants to bless us. He know what experiences will help us for our good. He knows what will make us into the best possible people we can be. He knows each and everyone of us. He knows what we need. I am thankful for this. I am thankful that we have been through the trials that we have had. They have and continue to make us better people. Preparing us to be better parents.
I love this time of year. I love thinking about the many blessings I have in my life. I love remembering the life of our Savior, Jesus Christ and the Atonement. We are so blessed!
Thursday, December 4, 2008
a favorite hymn . . .
Kim posted this on her blog. I love, love it. This is one of my most favorite hymns.
Speaking of Kim and Karsten, have you seen their precious Charlee? She is adorable! Oh how I love adoption!
Speaking of Kim and Karsten, have you seen their precious Charlee? She is adorable! Oh how I love adoption!
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Be of Good Cheer and Faithful in Adversity
When I decided that sometimes life sucks, I needed something to remind me that it is great too. Through faith and hope we will find our miracles and peace in this world. But we must give our faith and will to the Lord. We can find peace through Jesus Christ. I really liked this article and the things that I was reminded of.
How can we find peace in this world? How can we endure to the end? How can we overcome the difficulties and trials we are facing?
The Savior Jesus Christ said: “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” 1
As part of our mortal probation, we pass through affliction, pain, and disappointment. Only in Jesus Christ can we find peace. He can help us to be of good cheer and to overcome all the challenges of this life.
What does it mean to be of good cheer? It means having hope, not getting discouraged, not losing faith, and living life joyfully. “Men are, that they might have joy.” 2 It means facing life with confidence.
The gospel of Jesus Christ gives us the strength and the eternal perspective to face what is coming with good cheer. We must, however, not underestimate the difficulties that are prophesied for our day.
What are some of these difficulties? How can we face them?
The prophet Moroni taught, “If ye have no hope ye must needs be in despair; and despair cometh because of iniquity.” 3 For many, the coming years may be years of despair. The greater the iniquity, the greater the despair will be.
The Savior said, “Because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.” 4 As iniquity increases, true love disappears. As a result, fear, insecurity, and despair grow!
To the Prophet Joseph Smith, the Lord said: “I … will that all men shall know that the day speedily cometh … when peace shall be taken from the earth, and the devil shall have power over his own dominion. And also the Lord shall have power over his saints, and shall reign in their midst.” 5 We live in a time when peace has been taken from the earth.
On the other hand, we live in a glorious time, a time when the Lord has restored His priesthood. The true gospel has been restored. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the kingdom of God on earth! We are helping to prepare the earth for the time when the Lord Jesus Christ will come and personally reign.
Why must we pass through trials in this life?
The Lord makes no secret that He will test our faith and our obedience. “We will prove them herewith,” He said, “to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them.” 6
We learn from the book of Ecclesiastes: “All things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; … as is the good, so is the sinner. … There is one event unto all.” 7 Tempests may occur in the life of the man who built his life upon the rock of the gospel, as well as in the life of the foolish who built his life upon the things of this world. 8
How should we react to these trials?
The Lord has said, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” 9 Each day we must take up our cross and press forward—and not just linger on the sidelines of our eternal journey.
Trials are opportunities for our growth. The Lord said, “My people must be tried in all things, that they may be prepared to receive the glory that I have for them, even the glory of Zion; and he that will not bear chastisement is not worthy of my kingdom.” 10
The Lord has said, “Whom I love I also chasten that their sins may be forgiven, for with the chastisement I prepare a way for their deliverance.” 12 The Lord loves each one of us. He wants us to be happy. This happiness comes by our faith in Jesus Christ, by our sincere and true repentance, by our obedience to His commandments, and by our endurance to the end.
Sometimes we might think that the Lord does not hear or answer our prayers. At such times, we need to stop and ponder what we have done throughout our lives. If necessary, we must put our lives in harmony with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Through the Prophet Joseph Smith, the Lord revealed:
“I, the Lord, have suffered the affliction to come upon them, wherewith they have been afflicted, in consequence of their transgressions. …
“They were slow to hearken unto the voice of the Lord their God; therefore, the Lord their God is slow to hearken unto their prayers, to answer them in the day of their trouble.
“In the day of their peace they esteemed lightly my counsel; but, in the day of their trouble, of necessity they feel after me.” 13
When we have the sincere desire to put our lives in harmony with the will of the Lord, He will always be ready to help ease our burdens.
Jesus Christ told the Twelve Apostles some of the things that can destroy our hope and make us give up: allowing ourselves to fall into temptation; not enduring affliction, tribulation, and persecution; fearing “the cares” of the world; seeking wealth first; giving up instead of enduring to the end; and allowing false prophets to deceive us. 14
The Lord’s invitation to each of us is “come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” 15 Jesus Christ has the power to give us rest from our pain and suffering.
If we daily exercise faith, meekness, charity, and lowliness in heart, confessing that Jesus is the Christ, and accepting His Atonement, we will be blessed with the strength and hope to face and overcome the trials and pains of this life.
“Be of good cheer, little children; for I am in your midst, and I have not forsaken you.” 17
“Be of good cheer, for I will lead you along. The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours.” 18
Quoting the words of the prophet Ether: “Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men.” 19
Be of Good Cheer and Faithful in Adversity
The gospel of Jesus Christ gives us the strength and the eternal perspective to face what is coming with good cheer.
The Savior Jesus Christ said: “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” 1
As part of our mortal probation, we pass through affliction, pain, and disappointment. Only in Jesus Christ can we find peace. He can help us to be of good cheer and to overcome all the challenges of this life.
What does it mean to be of good cheer? It means having hope, not getting discouraged, not losing faith, and living life joyfully. “Men are, that they might have joy.” 2 It means facing life with confidence.
The gospel of Jesus Christ gives us the strength and the eternal perspective to face what is coming with good cheer. We must, however, not underestimate the difficulties that are prophesied for our day.
What are some of these difficulties? How can we face them?
The prophet Moroni taught, “If ye have no hope ye must needs be in despair; and despair cometh because of iniquity.” 3 For many, the coming years may be years of despair. The greater the iniquity, the greater the despair will be.
The Savior said, “Because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.” 4 As iniquity increases, true love disappears. As a result, fear, insecurity, and despair grow!
To the Prophet Joseph Smith, the Lord said: “I … will that all men shall know that the day speedily cometh … when peace shall be taken from the earth, and the devil shall have power over his own dominion. And also the Lord shall have power over his saints, and shall reign in their midst.” 5 We live in a time when peace has been taken from the earth.
On the other hand, we live in a glorious time, a time when the Lord has restored His priesthood. The true gospel has been restored. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the kingdom of God on earth! We are helping to prepare the earth for the time when the Lord Jesus Christ will come and personally reign.
Why must we pass through trials in this life?
The Lord makes no secret that He will test our faith and our obedience. “We will prove them herewith,” He said, “to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them.” 6
We learn from the book of Ecclesiastes: “All things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; … as is the good, so is the sinner. … There is one event unto all.” 7 Tempests may occur in the life of the man who built his life upon the rock of the gospel, as well as in the life of the foolish who built his life upon the things of this world. 8
How should we react to these trials?
The Lord has said, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” 9 Each day we must take up our cross and press forward—and not just linger on the sidelines of our eternal journey.
Trials are opportunities for our growth. The Lord said, “My people must be tried in all things, that they may be prepared to receive the glory that I have for them, even the glory of Zion; and he that will not bear chastisement is not worthy of my kingdom.” 10
When we are being tried, we should ponder and ask, “What does the Lord want me to do in this situation?”
The Lord spoke these comforting words to the Prophet Joseph Smith: “Know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good. The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?” 11 We need to view each trial as an opportunity for growth. Someday we will understand the why.
The Lord spoke these comforting words to the Prophet Joseph Smith: “Know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good. The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?” 11 We need to view each trial as an opportunity for growth. Someday we will understand the why.
The Lord has said, “Whom I love I also chasten that their sins may be forgiven, for with the chastisement I prepare a way for their deliverance.” 12 The Lord loves each one of us. He wants us to be happy. This happiness comes by our faith in Jesus Christ, by our sincere and true repentance, by our obedience to His commandments, and by our endurance to the end.
Sometimes we might think that the Lord does not hear or answer our prayers. At such times, we need to stop and ponder what we have done throughout our lives. If necessary, we must put our lives in harmony with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Through the Prophet Joseph Smith, the Lord revealed:
“I, the Lord, have suffered the affliction to come upon them, wherewith they have been afflicted, in consequence of their transgressions. …
“They were slow to hearken unto the voice of the Lord their God; therefore, the Lord their God is slow to hearken unto their prayers, to answer them in the day of their trouble.
“In the day of their peace they esteemed lightly my counsel; but, in the day of their trouble, of necessity they feel after me.” 13
When we have the sincere desire to put our lives in harmony with the will of the Lord, He will always be ready to help ease our burdens.
Jesus Christ told the Twelve Apostles some of the things that can destroy our hope and make us give up: allowing ourselves to fall into temptation; not enduring affliction, tribulation, and persecution; fearing “the cares” of the world; seeking wealth first; giving up instead of enduring to the end; and allowing false prophets to deceive us. 14
The Lord’s invitation to each of us is “come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” 15 Jesus Christ has the power to give us rest from our pain and suffering.
The prophet Mormon taught:
“Wherefore, if a man have faith he must needs have hope; for without faith there cannot be any hope. …
“… And if a man be meek and lowly in heart, and confesses by the power of the Holy Ghost that Jesus is the Christ, he must needs have charity.” 16
“Wherefore, if a man have faith he must needs have hope; for without faith there cannot be any hope. …
“… And if a man be meek and lowly in heart, and confesses by the power of the Holy Ghost that Jesus is the Christ, he must needs have charity.” 16
If we daily exercise faith, meekness, charity, and lowliness in heart, confessing that Jesus is the Christ, and accepting His Atonement, we will be blessed with the strength and hope to face and overcome the trials and pains of this life.
“Be of good cheer, little children; for I am in your midst, and I have not forsaken you.” 17
“Be of good cheer, for I will lead you along. The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours.” 18
Quoting the words of the prophet Ether: “Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men.” 19
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Some favorites for a Tuesday.
My first favorite thing of today is my phone. (the LG Chocolate 3) I love it. (about time, huh?) It's a fun phone, and I love all the fun features. And is has some really cool ring-tones. :) (Oh yah, it may look black, but don't let them fool you - it's blue! I have finally got over it though. :)
Of course, Dustyn own the light blue one (because I thought I wanted Black! Ha ha)
I am totally loving the Olympics and I think this girl is amazing! Nastia Rocks!
I love being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I am thankful for Eternal Families! Dustyn's Grandpa passed away on Saturday. Although it is sad, we know that we will see him again. We know that in the next life we can be together forever, if we live worthily. Knowing that I can be with my family members that have passed on and my sweet Hannah, makes me want to be a better person everyday. I love the Gospel and the truths that it shares. This is a photo that Dustyn made of his Grandfather a few years ago for Christmas. I love it.
Chet. It was his birthday on Sunday and I failed to post it. Sorry it's late buddy - not like you would actually read this and know that. :) So Happy Birthday Chet. Can you believe that he is 18 years old? Seriously, how does that happen? I think it finally hit him yesterday that he did have to go back to school today!
Of course, Dustyn own the light blue one (because I thought I wanted Black! Ha ha)I am totally loving the Olympics and I think this girl is amazing! Nastia Rocks!
I love Bagelfuls! Yum! I know you are all thinking - why not just buy bagels and cream cheese? It would probably cheaper and have less preservatives. Hmm... but it's just not the same! I love pulling a bagel-ful out of the freezer and popping it in the toaster over. The outside is crispy and chewy and the inside is cream cheese (frozen, of course!) Mmmm..... I'm weird I know. I also just love pulling one out of the freezer and gnawing on it! :) I think they are so good and much better than your average bagel and cream cheese. And nice when you are on the run!
I love being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I am thankful for Eternal Families! Dustyn's Grandpa passed away on Saturday. Although it is sad, we know that we will see him again. We know that in the next life we can be together forever, if we live worthily. Knowing that I can be with my family members that have passed on and my sweet Hannah, makes me want to be a better person everyday. I love the Gospel and the truths that it shares. This is a photo that Dustyn made of his Grandfather a few years ago for Christmas. I love it.
Chet. It was his birthday on Sunday and I failed to post it. Sorry it's late buddy - not like you would actually read this and know that. :) So Happy Birthday Chet. Can you believe that he is 18 years old? Seriously, how does that happen? I think it finally hit him yesterday that he did have to go back to school today!
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
More random thoughts be me.
~Tonight I was in charge of Personal Progress in Young Womens. It went pretty well. I have a hard time coming up with activities to pass off goals. I'm pretty much a crappy Personal Progress Leader. By the way - if anyone was wondering. . . Personal Progress is a program in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (aka Mormons) for the Young Women (ages 12-18). It helps them learn valuable life lessons and keeps them thinking about their spirituality in hopes that when the time comes to make a decision they will have guidelines in place to help them make the best decision.
~It seems like there is always someone turning around right in front of our house. It kinda weird. I don't know if it is the widest part on the street or what. But it is right where everyone chooses to either turn around or park and look at their map (I guess). Weird.
~Verizon is irritating me. :P I am so ready to cancel our plan. So ready. We bought new phones. Dustyn's broke within a week. We called and they were going to send a replacement. We got the replacement and they had sent it for my number. My phone sucks and I don't really like it (it is SOOOO slow and freezes all the time), so I didn't really want another one. :) Anyways we call Verizon to see if they could change the phone to Dustyn's number and of course they said they couldn't. (Which turns out is a lie). So they tell us to send it back. But the phone is out of stock. Well they upgraded him to a Palm of some type. Well that is great. But now they are not sending it to him. They just want him to use another phone. No one will call us back. We asked to not be charged all the plan fees for Dustyn's phone for the month (yes, he has been without a phone for almost a month) and they thought they were SO nice and gave us a $10.00 credit. Oh. Thanks. Lame. It's all just a huge mess. If there were another good service provider around here, I'd switch. But of course, there's not.
~Seems like everyone around here is getting cold. Even me. Grrr.... I can't be sick yet. I mean I still have another week of summer left. Hello?
~I can not find anywhere in my living room to hang the picture that Dustyn got me for my birthday. I want it in my living room, but I don't know where. For now it's sitting on my mantle and might be there for some time.
~Our house has been so hot lately. Luckily tonight it has cooled off a lot. It did rain a little bit so that helped a lot. I don't know if I can handle another summer without central air or a swamp cooler. Guess I better start saving up.
~Does anyone watch Big Brother. I have been quite entertained in this season. I still haven't picked out a favorite to win. It changes weekly. But I think if the house was smart, they would get rid of Memphis this week, otherwise he has a good chance to win it. But Jessie does drive me crazy. He seriously only thinks about himself. And I am so tired of looking at his muscles. Blah. I wonder which it will be. Oh and Michelle. Was she mad or what? She for sure does not like the Leotard as much as Jenn from Season 8. Ha ha ha. Speaking of season 8. Michelle reminds me so much of Amber, except she cries a LOT less. Keesha reminds me of Danielle in a way. There are so many similar people in the two seasons. I am totally loving it. I loved season 8. I know, I am easily entertained.
~I am so excited for the adoption conference. Yay! There are going to be some great workshops. We are leaving Thursday afternoon. If anyone wants to hang out Thursday night, we'll be around. Email me and I will send you my phone number. Of course Dustyn won't have a phone by then. Grrr.....
~I finally found Breaking Dawn. It was the last one on the shelf at our local Wal-Mart. There weren't any last time we went. I have heard a lot of mixed reviews about this book. I am excited to read it to see what I think. But I don't know when I will actually read it. I might save it for when school starts so I have something to read while I am subbing. I want to read a lot more books this year. I read quite a few last year, but I stopped after the Twilight series. I just couldn't find anything to capture my attention. I hope to keep my library a little more busy this year.
~I so need to scrub my kitchen floors. I want to do it, but I am stalling because our house is so hot. When I clean I get so so hot and sweat to death. But it has to be done. I just need to clean up the kitchen and the bathroom and my house will be clean for school to start. I wanted to get everything caught up so that I wouldn't get behind when I started working more.
~I can not believe school starts in two weeks from today. Dustyn starts next week. Of course we will be spending a lot of time at the school trying to get everything ready. We have 20 something computers to get set up and posters to hang. Plus a million other things! :) Time to get busy I guess.
~I so need to get to running/exercising. Usually I lose weight during the summer. I think I have gained 10 pounds in the past few weeks. (I had been around the same weight for 2 years, until now. :P) I don't even feel like I am eating too bad or too much, but apparently I am not doing something right. I just wanna lose 30 pounds! That would get me to my pre-marriage weight. Wouldn't that be awesome? :) Now I just need to do it. I have been getting some healthy recipes lately through a program that my Insurance Company does. If you wanna see them, I have been posting them on the Anything Cooking blog. I need to start riding my bike again!
~Well I think that is enough random thoughts for the moment. Have a fabulous evening. (Or afternoon for Heather.)
Friday, July 25, 2008
Finally Back . . .
to blog world. It was so great to go on Vacation, but I am so not ready to be back to real life. (Although, we still have a little under a month of summer vacation left, then real life starts up again for real!)
Vacation was good, more on that later. I have a lot to post, but it may take me awhile. It is so hard for me to blog in the Summer time. :)
I have to apologize to all my favorite bloggers for my lack of comments. I think there were about 175 posts on my reader when I got home. So basically I am doing well just getting caught up on everyone! So I will get back to commenting soon! But I have read all your posts. Just too lazy to comment.
I came across some really exciting posts like this one, this one and this one. So many wonderful things happening!
But my heart broke when I came across Marc and Megan's blog. My thoughts and prayers have been with them. I wish I could be there. I wish I could hug them and cry with them. I wish I could help their hearts heal. I wish I knew the answers. But what an amazing reunion when we are all with our babies again. Love you guys.
My friend Kim wrote a post a week or so ago about Pregnancy Loss and Miscarriage. I have thought a lot about it since then. It seems like I have so many friends experiencing pregnancy/infant loss right now. It hurts me to know they are hurting. It also makes my heart yearn for my Hannah. Oh how I miss her. But I am thankful Kim posted this. I am thankful for the Gospel and the knowledge that I have that Families Can be Together Forever! This is what gets me through the tough times. I am so excited to know and learn about my sweet baby.
Vacation was good, more on that later. I have a lot to post, but it may take me awhile. It is so hard for me to blog in the Summer time. :)
I have to apologize to all my favorite bloggers for my lack of comments. I think there were about 175 posts on my reader when I got home. So basically I am doing well just getting caught up on everyone! So I will get back to commenting soon! But I have read all your posts. Just too lazy to comment.
I came across some really exciting posts like this one, this one and this one. So many wonderful things happening!
But my heart broke when I came across Marc and Megan's blog. My thoughts and prayers have been with them. I wish I could be there. I wish I could hug them and cry with them. I wish I could help their hearts heal. I wish I knew the answers. But what an amazing reunion when we are all with our babies again. Love you guys.
My friend Kim wrote a post a week or so ago about Pregnancy Loss and Miscarriage. I have thought a lot about it since then. It seems like I have so many friends experiencing pregnancy/infant loss right now. It hurts me to know they are hurting. It also makes my heart yearn for my Hannah. Oh how I miss her. But I am thankful Kim posted this. I am thankful for the Gospel and the knowledge that I have that Families Can be Together Forever! This is what gets me through the tough times. I am so excited to know and learn about my sweet baby.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
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