On An Adventure of Hope

Tentatively, I find myself coming back to write something that I deem of great importance. And then I lose the desire almost the moment I get here to write it. My thoughts stumble over one another vying for attention, and ultimately the thought wins that it's not important . The voice that triumphs ends up being the one that carefully, casually whispers that what I have to say isn't enough, isn't important, isn't really worthwhile. So more often than not, I walk away having written nothing. None of the thoughts escape my head, because I convince myself that they don't matter or that they won't help anyone. But if there's one thing I've learned throughout these years it's that someone usually needs what you have to say. That we've been given experiences in our life, not only for our growth, but so that we could learn what the Lord already knows... As we try to become like our Heavenly Father, we come to learn that this desire ca...

 I love what we can learn from marvelous adventures like those of Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee in J.R.R. Tolkein's The Lord of the Rings . One thing I learn over and over again is that extraordinary acts of tremendous courage come from those ordinary individuals who choose to take a stand. It's like Gandalf explains in The Hobbit , "Saruman believes it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but that is not what I have found. I found it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay… small acts of kindness and love."  And truly it is these small acts that keep the darkness--of hardship, of loneliness, of sadness--at bay. I've seen it in my life in so many ways. On those days where I'm at the edge of giving up, Heavenly Father sends me one of those "thinking-of-you" notes in a small miracle. And most often, that small miracle is in the form of another person, just living as they should. The we...

Last month Wilford Andersen gave a talk in General Conference called "The Music of the Gospel. " He talked about how we need to learn the music of the gospel--feel it (the Spirit, the love of God, the music of the gospel) in our hearts and then act accordingly. I love this quote from the talk: "So if the basses in your family choir are too loud and overbearing, or if the string section in your family orchestra is a little too shrill or a little bit sharp, or if those impetuous piccolos are out of tune or out of control, be patient. If you’re not hearing the music of the gospel in your home, please remember these two words: keep practicing. With God’s help, the day will come when the music of the gospel will fill your home with unspeakable joy." However, being where I am--a college student on my own--I wanted to apply it a little more to now. I replaced the words "family" or "home" with "life" or something similar, and I saw...

The other night, my nieces and nephew wanted me to read stories to them before bed. I agreed, saying I needed to do my scripture-reading as well. One of them brilliantly suggested reading from The Friend , a Church magazine for young readers. The kids and I then took turns reading articles to each other. I loved it! When my turn came, I randomly selected this article and started to read it. (I mean, who wouldn't want to read an article that has a cute picture of a baby turtle?) Yet, by the time I reached the middle of the article, tears were streaming down my face, and all three kids were patting my shoulder, surely wondering why I was crying.     "He Gives the Best Answers" ~ The Friend , July 2013 When I was five years old, my mother bought me a pet turtle. One day I was outside playing with my turtle, watching it slowly crawl through the tall blades of grass. Suddenly a loud noise distracted me, and I looked away. When I looked back my turtle was go...

Sometimes I'm blessed with the chance to learn more about certain people, given the opportunity to know a piece of their infinitely complicated life-puzzle, or shown a part of their soul that explains why they do the things they do and feel the things they feel. In those moments, I am in awe. Humans are incredible. Each person is incredible and wonderful. Being able to look and a person and see them is one of the most amazing experiences I've been able to have. John Steinbeck voiced my thoughts exactly when he said, “I wonder how many people I've looked at all my life and never seen.” Usually, seeing these things--these quiet ways of doing, these words spoken softly, these looks that speak volumes, these small gestures toward their fellow being--makes my heart swell. Getting to see the people around me fills me with a love for them that I could not otherwise have. When we are given the opportunity to see someone and know a part of them, we should value it. We...

Happy July, everyone! Lately, I've had the opportunity to struggle with some things that have tested my patience to seemingly no end. I think of myself as a generally very patient person and cannot imagine why I would need more. However, the fact that I'm struggling with it just shows me that I do. Heh :) I'm gradually learning that I'm being prepared.  Because, often, the Lord has a plan in the works that we cannot fathom at this time, a plan designed to help us reach our full potential as sons and daughters of a Heavenly King. To demonstrate this, think of baby things... When a baby otter (cuteness!) grows up, it becomes an adult otter; when a human baby grows up, it becomes an adult person; when we, as spirit children, grow up, we will become like our Heavenly parents--gods and goddesses. For us to reach that high point, the Lord allows us to have experiences that will mold us into what and who we can eventually become. This is truth. And I...