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...

Sometimes, even without school, I feel an inexplicable amount of stress... work obligations, church meetings, projects and preparations, family plans, (feeling like you have to be social even when you just want to eat then go to sleep forever...*ahem*). Each of these things, though very worthy and valuable pursuits, can add up. I start to feel the weight and pressure of time as it sits on me, reminding me of that day in my youth when Brigham put me in a cardboard box then sat on it... Quite the unpleasant experience, I might say. But just as I felt trapped in the box (basically--I mean I could've gotten out, but I'm a good, obliging sister:), I noticed the area inside the box was not complete darkness. There was a light coming in through the seams of the box. Now, this may not seem like much, but to a girl beginning to feel slightly short of calm as she sat alone in a box, this was a strong comfort. The light streaming through the seams was a reassuring warmth ...

The other day, I came across this delightful posting about the meaning of love. Here 'tis... A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, ’What does love mean?’ The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined: ‘When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn’t bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time , even when his h ands got arthritis too. That’s love.’ – Rebecca, age 8 ‘When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different.You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.’ – Billy, age 4 ‘Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.’ – Karl, age 5 ‘Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.’ –Chrissy, age 6 ‘Love is what makes you smile when you’re tired.’ -Terri, age 4 ‘Love is when my mommy m...

Once upon a time, I was blessed to discover these amazing words by F. Enzio Busche... Check it out! (The full text of the talk can be found by clicking here: "Unleashing the Dormant Spirit." ) Here is the text for the video: * "Embrace this day with an enthusiastic welcome, no matter how it looks. The covenant with God to which you are true enables you to become enlightened by him, and nothing is impossible for you. * When you are physically sick, tired, or in despair, steer your thoughts away from yourself and direct them, in gratitude and love, towards God. * In your life there have to be challenges. They will either bring you closer to God and therefore make you stronger, or they can destroy you. But you make the decision of which road you take. * First and foremost, you are a spirit child of God. If you neglect to feed your spirit, you will reap unhappiness. Don't permit anything to detract you from this awareness. * You cannot communicat...

This is our time. :) We were made for awesome things! "We've got work to do; we can cry about it, or we can dance about it." Here's a video for your Tuesday (or whatever day you see this.) Have a beautiful day! And don't forget to give the world (your world) something to dance about! Word.   Note: This post was originally published on my blog, https://lookingupinsong.blogspot.com , 29 Jan. 2013.

Once upon a time, I had this beautiful and lovely post that I was just about to publish when (wouldn't you know it?): it disappears. So...I'm writing an entirely new one. Here ya go... "So what if the eggs are greasy or the toast is burned? Don’t let fear of failure discourage you." ~Dieter F. Uchtdorf We were not put on this earth (in this time, in this place) to fail or to not try because we're afraid of failure.We are given these chances to try different things, learn and make discoveries, and build new friendships because these are things that help us grow. As Richard G. Scott explained, we were put on this earth "to succeed gloriously." Yet sometimes it feels like no matter how hard we try, some things just never work out, some problems just don't make sense and some days just leave us aching... Sometimes it feels like we're having the opposite of success. Maybe the reason for this is that the Lord has a different def...

So...I'm an awkward person, as people who know me may have noticed. Therefore, I have many awkward or embarrassing moments. Most of the time I can deal with them, but sometimes they just get to me. When this happens, I start dwelling and become so frazzled that my day starts turning inside out. What I've realized is that I usually always make it out to be worse than it actually was.  If I just continue forward and try to get past it, things go much better. Brilliant solution? This can apply to so many things in life. If we've made a mistake, it's time to move on. We will never improve or find the solutions to our problems by dwelling on them. Like Pres. Monson said, " Learn from the past, prepare for the future, live in the present." Yep. :) Happy Monday!    Note: This post was originally published on my blog, https://lookingupinsong.blogspot.com , 19 Nov. 2012.  

Why not? Also, for those who have never seen the movie Fireproof , please watch it. It is magnificent and inspiring, and I was weeping. Watch it even if you aren't married, but especially if you are. That is all. Happy Tuesday! :)    Note: This post was originally published on my blog, https://lookingupinsong.blogspot.com , 30 Oct. 2012.

Sometimes I just hear a song that makes me want to write a blog post. This is one of those times. This song is not only beautiful, but inspiring. It's one of those soul-swelling pieces that says exactly what needs to be said. Have a listen. :) On another note, today was a bit funky fresh. And by "funky fresh" I mean, not-so-fun sometimes. After one of the low points of today, I was reminded once again: I have been blessed with so very much.  One of my blessings is my utterly delightful sister. She always reminds me what's important, especially when it feels like I've failed past possible deliverance. Because...I haven't. :) Like President Uchtdorf said , "Do we listen to beautiful music waiting for the final note to fade before we allow ourselves to truly enjoy it? No. We listen and connect to the variations of melody, rhythm, and harmony throughout the composition.... We shouldn’t wait to be happy until we reach some future po...

Those times in your life where you're feeling...kinda hopeless. Slightly discouraged. Quite confused. Those times are difficult. They make it hard to grasp the "why" of life. Those times, I've realized, are about faith. Because--even when I am struggling, feeling lost, and have no idea what's going on or why--there is someone who does. "I have learned that faith means trusting in advance what will only make sense in reverse." ~Philip Yancey Faith is having hope that things will work out. Having hope that the Lord knows what's happening, even when I don't.  Faith is trust in God and in His timing, even if it seems like all I do is wait. Faith is not knowing and going forward anyway. Faith is hard, but faith is so worth it. This past weekend I, along with most of the world, got to listen to General Conference . This is an incredible, marvelous opportunity to listen to living prophets as they speak to us, with messages for us...

Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. :) Recently, I've learned that sometimes we just need to go for it. Some of the biggest blessings in my life have come when I've been afraid, but have taken that step anyway. It's amazing how much flight the Lord will give us, if only we take the leap. I think there's a reason it's called "a leap of faith." When we trust our unknown, daunting, and oftentimes scary future to the hands of the Lord, things will work out. Always. After all, He knows the parts we don't. “A ship is safe in harbor, but that's not what ships are for.” ―William G.T. Shedd   Note: This post was originally published on my blog, https://lookingupinsong.blogspot.com , 18 Sept. 2012.  

A quote for a Monday: "Never give up on anyone. And that includes not giving up on yourself."  ―Dieter F. Uchtdorf You are so loved. :) Thanks for being alive.   Note: This post was originally published on my blog, https://lookingupinsong.blogspot.com , 17 Sep. 2012.  

For those of you who don't know, this was said by Edmund from C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia . Edmund is one of my favorite--if not my favorite--characters. Why? Because he did something bad. Something that affected a lot of individuals, not just himself. (In reality, though, how often do things just affect ourselves?)  Now, that's not why I love him. I love him because he realized he did something terrible, and he felt remorse enough to change. He changed for the better, he mended. It wasn't at all easy for him, but he did it. I love him because he showed that "even a traitor may mend." (If you haven't read The Chronicles of Narnia , perhaps you should. :) They have more in them than it seems, just like the wardrobe that begins the journey in the first book.) Also, on the topic of change... I think this is great, any time of year. :) Note: This post was originally published on my blog, https://lookingupinsong.blogspot.com...

Being sick is just...not fun. It's terrible! Especially for someone who doesn't get sick much. However, I've realized that I always discover (or remember) things when I'm sick. Some of them important, others not so much. These past few days, I was able to go on one of these journeys of thought and discovery. I'd like to share some of my reflections.  * I make a lot of judgements. For some reason, while being sick, it's like I'm hyper-aware of myself. So in about a minute, I noticed five judgements I made while driving to school. Because I noticed them--where I usually don't--I decided to see if they were worth anything. I was saddened, but not necessarily surprised, to see that most were false or ill-placed. If I had waited just a few moments longer, I would have seen the truth. Really, within moments I would gain some piece of new information that would entirely change my view. I realized how truly important it is not to jump to conclus...