the silver fox said.

aka
president dieter f uchtdorf
this man i swear talks to me every time he speaks. sunday morning session of this last conference was no different.

GRATEFUL IN ANY CIRCUMSTANCES

was one of the many talks that were given that morning this one was probably my favorite.

president uchtdorf talked about being grateful because things were going your way but also being grateful for the situation that wasnt going your way.

"there is one thing we can do to make life sweeter, more joyful, even glorious. we can be grateful."

why does god command us to be grateful?

choosing to develop a spirit of gratitude will being us true joy and great happiness

it is easy to be grateful for things when life seems to be going our way. but what then of those times when what we wish for seems to be far out of reach?

we should see gratitude as a disposition, a way of life that stands independent of our current situation.

"we should FOCUS on being THANKFUL in our circumstances, whatever they may be"

like nephi. his grateful heart never faltered. even when his brothers tied him up on the ship that he built.

or like job when everything was lost he responded by saying "naked came i out of my mothers womb and naked i shall i return. the lord gave and the lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the lord"

or we can be like our ancestors, the mormon pioneers. they kept their spirit of gratitude when they made the painful journey to zion

we sometimes think that being grateful is what we do after our problems are solved. but

"how much of life do we miss by waiting to see the rainbow before thanking god that there is rain?"

Gratitude as an act of faith

it requires that we trust god and hope for things we may not see but which are true. by being grateful we follow the example of our beloved savior.

"not my will, but thing, be done"

those who are grateful will be made glorious

"those who receive all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious"

you can check more of this talk and many other from the April 2014 conference at lds.org

conference

its conference weekend once again. 

i love this time of year. i love hearing from our prophet and our leaders.

to help me grow my testimony and to help me grow as a person.

if you are not in a place where you can watch it from your own television or have a church near by. check out this website lds.org you will be able to watch it from your computer, laptop, tablet or phone. 

i hope you all have a wonderful, spiritually lifted conference weekend.

 check back later, ill talk about my favorite talks.

spiritual thought.

in the october 2011 general relief society conference. president utchdorf spoke. like everyone else, he is my favorite. his talk forget me not is my second favorite talk. when he talked i felt like he was talking directly to me. i constantly look back at this talk when i feel like my life is not going the direction that i want it to. if you have time click on the link above and listen to this beautiful talk. if you dont,  i typed my notes from one of my journals below. hope you all are having a fun, relaxing, enriched sunday.

forget not to be patient with yourself

god is fully aware the we are not perfect // everyone has strengths and weaknesses // god wants to help us eventually turn our weaknesses into strengths // he wants you to become perfect // you will keep trying and never give up // remember to be compassionate and patient with yourself // be grateful for what you have // your success may seem small and go unnoticed by your peers but they do not go unnoticed by your heavenly father and they are not small to him

forget not the difference between a good sacrifice and a foolish sacrifice

dedicate some of your time to studying the scriptures or preparing a lesson is a good sacrifice // our heavenly father is most pleases when we sacrifice something good for something far greater with an eternal perspective.

forget not to be happy now.

many people today are waiting for their golden ticket it may be a perfect marriage // do not put your happiness on hold as you wait for your golden ticket to appear //  while waiting for your golden ticket you become more disappointed and withdrawn to where no one wants to be around you and you fail to notice the blessing you do have

"The happiest people I know are not those who find their golden ticket; they are those who, while in pursuit of worthy goals, discover and treasure the beauty and sweetness of the everyday moments. They are the ones who, thread by daily thread, weave a tapestry of gratitude and wonder throughout their lives. These are they who are truly happy."

 forget not the "why" of the gospel

sometimes we have crazy schedules to where we must already add a long church related to do list // we focus on the what the lord wants us to do and how we might do it but we sometimes forget why // the gospel is not an obligation it is a pathway marked by our loving heavenly father // seek out the majesty the beauty and the exhilarating joy of the "why" of the gospel of jesus christ // the "what" and "how" of obedience mark the way and keep us on the right path // the "why" of obedience sanctifies our actions

forget not that the lord loves you

you are not forgotten // wherever you are whatever your circumstances may be your are not forgotten // you are known and remembered by the most majestic powerful glorious being in the universe // you are loved the king of infinite space //  he knows you and your name your are the daughter of his kingdom // god loves your because you are his child // he loves you even though at times you may feel lonely or make mistakes

"The love of God and the power of the restored gospel are redemptive and saving. If you will only allow His divine love into your life, it can dress any wound, heal any hurt, and soften any sorrow"

Elder Wilson Meek

February 22, 2012 has come and gone.... 19 years of my life has gone in a flash. now hopefully the next 2 years go just as fast. i cant believe the boy who nagged me, bugged me, punched me, and loved annoying me is gone. the boy who gave me the best bear hugs, who was always there when i needed someone, who always stood up for me when one was in the wrong. is gone. the boy who healed our family when we were recovering from a loss in our family is gone. wednesday was one of the hardest, longest, most tearful days of my life. im quite happy its over. i wanted him to come home, but now i know he needs to be out there the men, woman and children of Manila, Philippines need him more than me. and i cannot be selfish. its only two years. well two year subtract 3 days. that makes me feel a little better. though today i feel much better because as i was getting ready. before i hoped in the shower i texted my mom. any letter? no response. so as i was blow drying my hair i checked my gmail a low and behold an email from wilson!!! hes struggling. the language is hard, hes a little homesick. but heck its not easy, this is going to be hard for him. he needs to keep his chin up. the kid has never been on his own and i think he will grow so much from this experience personal and spiritual. im so excited to see him grow. im so excited to hear his adventures. i just hope. oh how i hope that he does not lose his cuddliness. for example. i would be home talking with my mom in the kitchen and he would come up stairs and come up behind me and give me a hug or just lean on me. or whenever i needed a hug. he would give the biggest, longest hugs. i love those. and oh how i will miss them. heres to t-minus 707 days.

spiritual thought

i have always question gods love for me. my mom shared 1 john chapter 4 with me when we went to a session during the october 2007 general conference. every once in while when life gets rough and i start question his love for me. i pull out my scriptures and read 1 john chapter 4. not only does it remind me that he loves me. but it also reminds me to love others as he loved them. here are a few versus out of the chapter.


1 John 4 16-19

16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

19 We love him, because he first loved us.

The Lord has declared that missionary work is the responsibility of all who follow Him (see Matthew 28:19–20; D&C 88:81). Members of the Lord's Church can, by the goodness of their lives and the strength of their testimonies, share the gospel message and help prepare family members, friends, and other acquaintances who are not Latter-day Saints to be taught by the full-time missionaries.

When we experience the blessings of gospel living, we naturally want to share those blessings with others. The Lord spoke of the joy that comes into our lives when we share His gospel:

"If it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!

"And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the kingdom of my Father, how great will be your joy if you should bring many souls unto me!" (D&C 18:15–16).

After His Resurrection, the Lord commanded His disciples to "go . . . and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost" (Matthew 28:19). In fulfillment of this command, able young men in the Church have a duty to prepare spiritually, physically, and emotionally to serve as full-time missionaries. Single women and mature couples also have the opportunity to serve full-time missions.

Missionary work also includes helping and supporting those who join the Church. As instructed by President Gordon B. Hinckley, each new member of the Church needs three things: a friend, a responsibility, and nurturing with "the good word of God" (Moroni 6:4; see also "Converts and Young Men," Ensign, May 1997, 47–50).

in two weeks from wednesday, i will be with my family dropping off my baby brother at the MTC to serve our heavenly father for 2 years of his life. i will miss him. even though he can drive me crazy. i know that he will do great things for the people of Manila, Philippines

spiritual thought

i cant believe another christmas is just around the corner. 3 days away to be exact. and this week has got me thinking about the true meaning of christmas. yes i will admit its great to receive things and i think this is the first year that i truly dont know what to ask for, so christmas morning shall be fun to see what my parents came up with. but i want to talk about the true meaning of christmas, being grateful for what we have, celebrating our saviors birth. i saw a video on Jimmy Kimmel where parents were to video tape their kids opening a christmas present early, something that was not on their christmas list. (ie battery, onion, half eaten sandwich) and every single kid was upset. i can understand the babies and toddlers crying but the older ones. come on. i will admit it was funny to watch but then i was embarrassed too. Then just yesterday my home teachers came over to visit and talked about how fun it is to think of what to buy, then buying the presents for our loved ones, then watching them open it. He then asked me one question. What gift are you giving our savior? that got me thinking, for a second i thought to myself nothing. absolutely nothing. then i realized that i was wrong. our heavenly father wants us to return to him, right. and i know that he has worried about me for quite some time, especially when i was lead astray off the straight and narrow path.. i more was lost deep deep into the woods. and the middle of last year (2010), i started finding my way back. over the last few years i would make my way back but eventually would get lost again. but this year was different. I stayed true and now i have been through his house that is now my safe haven. I would have never thought i would be where i am today. its all because of him. he gave me the family that i have, the friends that i have made an impact on my life. i know this sounds like a gift to myself. but it really is a gift to him. like i mentioned before he wants all of his children including me to be happy and return to him. i will continue my gift to him, i love my savior and i will do my best to return to him. I know as this year comes to an end and a new one begins with all my new trials that he will ALWAYS be by my side no matter what happens from here on out.

so my question to you is

what are you giving to christ our savior for christmas this year?

I hope you all have a

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

conference weekend

this weekend was general conference. one of my favorite time of year. I love october, and its a great way to kick off the month. This year was a little different. usually i go to my parents on saturday hang out for the morning and afternoon session then head out with my momma, get a pedicure, shop, then get some dinner. instead this year i skipped out on both sessions because i was down south running the St. George marathon. more on that on a different post. anywho. afterwards i wanted to go home. for me, general conference is family time. though its not like i dont  go home all the time. back to what im saying. Nathan didnt want to go home until sunday and since we drove my car, i headed home by myself. it was a long drive but not bad, given that i was going 85 miles per hour the whole time. finally got salt lake around 7 and went straight to fashion place mall to hangout with my momma. did a little shopping, then i went to get takeout from cafe rio. sunday morning came around. went home to have the annual sunday general conference breakfast. yum. listened to the rest of the talks in the morning session. then after i decided to go up emigration canyon to look at all the leaves changing because next weekend it is suppose to snow up in the canyons.

more pictures to come. but first i broke the sabbath and bought a pumpkin smash smoothie to enjoy while on the drive up the canyon. got home just in time to watch the last session, while eating my cheese bagel with my momma salsa, a sunday tradition. afterwards went on a walk with my momma just to get out of the house, and to move my sore legs. came home to get dinner ready and just relaxed for the rest of the day. till next general conference!

forget me not

 General Conference is once again upon us and it tends to come at the time i need it most. I love this time of year. i get to hear from wonderful woman and men in the church to reaffirm my beliefs and a doubts and to build my testimony so that i can return to him. Last night the woman of the relief society had the pleasure to hear from President Uchtdorf (my favorite). I felt like this man was talking to me last night. His talk was about a flower, but not just any kind of flower. a forget me not. he used that flower and its five petals as a metaphor on five things that would should "forget me not"

five thing that we should "forget me not"

forget not to be perfect

turn your weaknesses into strengths. Stop punishing yourself. Be compassionate and patient with yourself.  god knows that you are not perfect.

forget not between a foolish and great sacrifice

Am i committing my time most to something meaningful?

forget not to be happy NOW

do not wait for you golden ticket. don put your life on hold till your ticket is found. realize that you are blessed in other ways. LIVE A RICH, WELL LIVED LIFE

forget not the "why" in the gospel

we often forget why we do things with the gospel. sometime we get caught up in do somethings with that church that we forget the why. seek out the beauty of the why of the gospel.

forget not that the lord LOVES you.

you are not forgotten. He loves you because you are his child.

thee hand shake

today was like any other thursday. i work up at 7:00am to head into work. got my cream of wheat with brown sugar from the kitchen. got to my floor and quickly went to work. The day went by so fast because i was by myself for half of it.  It was around 4:30pm when myself and another employee took a patient back to the Patient Tower (we are in the heart and lung). we made a short cut through same day surgery and just as we about to turn the bed left to the employee/patient elevators i get this warm feeling inside me. i seriously have no idea why, then i see this man in a nice suit come out of where we were going. he takes a step back, looks at a person that was behind him then keeps walking. the next minute President Monson is standing right in front of me. I think he could tell that i wanted to say something because he slowed down. I  stopped pushing the bed and asked him if i could shake his hand ( but in reality i wanted to give him a hug, which i did almost ask him) he reached out his hand and gave me a nice firm but comforting hand shake. and as i shook his hand i began to cry and told him. "ahh your making me cry." and he smiled to me and said "oh dont cry" before his body guards whisked him away. After that for a good 15 minutes i was in light tears, if that makes since. I had to call my mom as soon as possible to tell her what happened. That feeling that i got with being around him i wanted to come back. Seeing him and feeling his strong spirit just reminded me how much i love my heavenly father and that i know that he died for us. That our church is the true church, and that one day i will be with him again. It also reminded me of what i need to be doing here on earth. Going to church every week, paying my tithing, going to the temple weekly, saying my prays and reading my scriptures and just keeping that commandments. The feeling i had today will be added to one the many best feelings i have ever felt in my life. I still cant believe i shook hands with the man that goes into that little room in the Salt Lake Temple (people remind me of the room) and prays to and is told what to do first hand by our heavenly father. what a spiritual, powerful feeling i felt from him (even before i actually saw him). Today was seriously a great memorial day.