On An Adventure of Hope

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...