A Fresh Beginning

Last Sunday morning my sister had her second baby, first girl - Nellie Olivia. She certainly is a beauty and we all agreed she is going to be a gorgeous woman when she grows up. I love the feel of a new baby's soft, warm head and her little fingers that desperately grasp yours; her little body that curls up into a tiny ball just like she was for the past 9 months; her dark hair and beautiful big eyes that curiously gaze at the world surrounding her. You can't help but wonder what she is thinking. This tiny new baby in such a big and chaotic world must seem frightening at times. I wonder if she is already missing being with her Heavenly Father and if she is excited about the next 90 years or so she has ahead of her.

I love his smile!

Sword and Shield

Ever notice how much easier it is to give in to the voice that says you're not good enough? Or the one that has you comparing yourself to the beauty queen or the smartest kid in the class? Despite the numerous other voices that tell you how great, beautiful, or intelligent you are, you always seem to listen to that one negative voice. It's easier. Maybe a brick wall would keep it out.

Until then, I guess there's always 2 AM Miss Congeniality and cross-stitching.

All Aboard!

"No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude, and humility. All that we suffer and that we endure, esp. when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hears, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable, more worthy to be called the children of God... and it is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation that we gain the education that we come here to acquire and which will make us more like our Father and Mother in heaven..." - Faith Precedes the Miracle

"Jenkins Lloyd Jones said, 'Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that they've been robbed. Most putts don't drop. Most beef is tough. Most children grow up to be just people. Most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration. Most jobs are more often dull than otherwise. Life is like an old-time rail journey - delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders, and jolts, interspersed only occasionally with beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride.'...the trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride; and really, isn't it a wonderful ride? Enjoy it! Laugh about it! Sing about it!" - Gordon B Hinckley

Casablanca Lilies

For our 5 month anniversary, David brought home these beautiful Casablanca lilies for me. I love Casablanca Lilies. But they is more to them than just their beauty. They give off this powerfully sweet smell that I notice every time I walk in the house. In the Christian world, the lily symbolizes pure love (which makes it even more appropriate that David always gets them for me) and in another historical account they were believed to have anti-toxic powers and a capacity of curing depression.

After learning of these many wonders of the Lily, the smell seems to be even sweeter and the beauty far more radiant than before. In a way I find that to be a lot like life. Just as with some people, once we get to know them and their many wonders we find them more beautiful and want them around (symbolizing the pure love). Just as with trials, once we have surmounted them and realized all the growth and strength that came from such an experience, we become more grateful for them in our lives (the healing and detoxifying powers). Right now particularly I am grateful to have them beautifying my home.

at the end of the day

At the end of the day,

after all the work is done;

At the end of the day,

as we watch the setting sun;

After all the trials,

and after all the pain;

After all the struggles,

to make it through the day;

I thank God for peace and rest,

and for little smiles from you;

I thank God for rising stars,

and for little hugs from you;

For there is no blessing,

such as this I found so true:

It’s such a pleasure just walking home

at the end of the day with you!

Building My Wall

There is a quote by Elder Maxwell that I taped to our mirror, "Sometimes the Lord hastens His work in our spiritual development by a compression of experiences... sometimes the best people... have the worst experiences... because they are the most ready to learn."

This semester has been a very trying one for me as I have struggled more than usual with a trial I've had for over four years now. But for the past two weeks I have learned one incredibly valuable lesson about how to handle such problems - take it one day at a time. Sure, everyone knows that is the way to go, but saying it is so different from actually doing it. During a moment of weakness it does not do any good to think about how you will also have to fight it tomorrow and the next day and the day after that, because that only leads to hopelessness. There was a story in an old issue of Reader's Digest from Will Smith, who I absolutely love, that really rings true:
"When my father got out of the Air Force, he started his own refrigeration business. I might have been 12 and my brother 9 when one day he decided he wanted a new front wall at his shop. He tore down the old one - it was probably 16 ft high and 40 ft long. And he told us that this was to be our gig over summer. We were standing there thinking, 'there will never, ever be a wall here again.' We went brick by brick for the entire summer and into winter and then back into spring. One day there was a wall there again. I know my dad had been planning this for a long time. He said, 'Now don't you ever tell me there's something you can't do.' And he walked into the shop. The thing I connect to is: I do not have to build a perfect wall today. I just have to lay a perfect brick today. Just lay one brick, dude."

So that is the lesson I have been trying to put into practice the past couple of weeks. Just lay one brick today and eventually there will be a wall that I can take pride in and feel accomplishment for mastering.

In my Health Behavior Theory class we talk about the tools necessary to make an effective and successful behavior change. One of the tools mentioned was assembling your crew - meaning, get a good support system to back you up, someone that will be there when you don't think you can lift the brick any higher or your fingers and back hurt from all the labor. I can testify to the great boost your crew can give. Their faith in you and their comments about the progress the can see in you gives a great surge of power, particular at the times you feel weakest - someone is there to help you lift that brick. One crew member that can never be forgotten is our Savior. Just as Elder Maxwell stated, sometimes we are given these experiences because we are the most ready to learn and He will not abandon us during those times when we feel most weak.

Four months a promise was made to me that within the year my wall would be complete, and perfect. Well, TODAY my brick will be perfect.

Dreaming Big

I finally got it! I am one step closer to my dream job! As of now I am officially an employed Personal Trainer at Gold's Gym. After 5 months and $350.00 in certifying fees I have finally done it! The next step is actually doing the job. I really hope I am a good trainer and give these people their moneys worth.

Just another thought: the woman going over the pay and how everything is set up in the system made a comment that seemed very profound. She slipped in saying "when there is a problem..." and then corrected herself by saying "when there is a challenge..." As she put it, problems are things that don't have a resolution, like not having legs or arms, but a challenge is something that can be resolved - a task that can be overcome. For one thing, that is a great motto in the health field. With the right course of action, even our toughest challenges can be resolved. I think the word "problem" should be added to the Bad Words List.