Joy from being a future Mother

I was reading the Ensign this morning and came to an article entitled "What Mother's Can Learn from the Savior". Click here to read it.

Here's a quote from Elder Ballard in it that I loved especially:

"A mother's nurturing love arouses in children, from their earliest days on earth, an awakening of the memories of love and goodness they experienced in their premortal existence."

Isn't that incredible?!

Our love can be that powerful as to

remind a child of the love they felt

when they lived with God and Jesus Christ and felt thier love first hand.

I believe it. Not only because I feel such strong love for children already, but

because the love I felt and still feel from my mother is one of the

strongest reminders of God's love for me.

I'm so happy to be a woman... to be a future mother!

tv and happiness

I strongly believe that our media choices

affect our

mood and ability to love each other.

Here's a talk that

addresses the

concern of TV viewing choices and

how they affect us.

LDS.org - Ensign Article - The Effects of Television

Good families face very significant challenges in controlling the use of television and videotapes in their homes. I agree with Dr. Victor B. Cline when he said, “I am convinced by a vast amount of research that the images, fantasies, and models which we are repeatedly exposed to in advertisements, entertainment, novels, motion pictures, and other works of art can and do … affect the self-image and, later, the behavior of nearly all young people and adults too.”

We must not take lightly the confession of a recently executed killer on the impact pornography and violence in media had on his life. The Apostle Paul warned that men can become “past feeling … [giving] themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.” (Eph. 4:19.) In Proverbs we read, “As [a man] thinketh … , so is he.” (Prov. 23:7.) A mind exposed to violence and immorality cannot escape the negative impact of such exposure.

Perhaps the proper response to outrageous behavior is outrage, or, more to the point, the proper response to outrageous television is outrage. I express my own and this Church’s disappointment, disagreement, and even outrage with television that turns our attention and sometimes our inclinations toward violence, self-serving greed, profanity, disrespect for traditional values, sexual promiscuity, and deviance.

We should strive to change the corrupt and immoral tendencies in television and in society by keeping things that offend and debase out of our homes. In spite of all of the wickedness in the world,

Interesting point here:

and in spite of all the opposition to good that we find on every hand, we should not try to take ourselves or our children out of the world. Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven,” or yeast. (Matt. 13:33.) We are to lift the world and help all to rise above the wickedness that surrounds us. The Savior prayed to the Father:

“I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.” (John 17:15.) - a prayer of so many wives and mothers!

Elder Ballard quoted this poem:

All the water in the world

No matter how it tried

Could never sink the smallest ship

Unless it got inside.

All the evil of the world

And every kind of sin

Could never damn a human soul

Unless we let it in.

(no author mentioned)

happiness by loving family

Nothing is more critically connected to happiness -- both our own and that of our children -- than how well we love and support one another within the family.

in a talk by M. Russell Ballard

joy from creating

joy from knowing

With your own testimony of God, you will be able to bless your family, your posterity, your friends, your own life—all those you love. Your personal knowledge of God is not only the greatest gift you will ever give, but it will bring you the greatest joy you will ever have.

Elder Robert D. Hales (an Apostle of Jesus Christ)

When I am depressed, knowing that there is a God helps a lot. Making someone else happy is a good treatment for depression and Elder Hales says that our knowledge of God is the best gift to someone. So, I'm going to share it with YOU in hopes I make you happy and in turn treat my depression. (yes, I have ulterior motives to sharing my testimony, but that's the best I can do right now!) God does love us and is a perfected human. He sees us and hears us. He is even with us. He is a perfect Father; forgiving, compliment-giving, loving, confident in you, happy when you succeed, sad when you're down, encouraging, won't give up on you, won't let you down, makes promises He will definitely keep, is working to prepare a place for YOU in Heaven for when it's your time, helps you, thinks you're funny, thinks you're good at what you try to do (dance, sing, speak, write, draw, imagine, dream), and more.

God is all these things to me and I believe He is that and more to all of us in the whole world. So, try it out, talk to Him and then ask Him to show you what He is to you. It can help someone that is depressed and someone who isn't.

Roses

Why do we like roses on Valentine's Day?

They smell good.

They mean someone loves you.

They are pretty.

They make (me) feel pretty.

They cost money- so that means you're worth something.

What's the big deal? I can smell good things, know someone loves me, see pretty things, feel pretty and know I'm worth something without flowers too.

So.

In conclusion, we like roses on Valentine's Day just...

because.

And, that's good enough reason.

Love and Depression

When I'm depressed, I have less energy, little confidence in myself and others and I'm usually desperate for support from others and inspiration to keep trying (to work, exercise, get out of bed, do homework, buy groceries... you know, the normal stuff). My Mother loved me through my depressed years as a teenager and then my friends became a tangible supplement to her love when I went to college. Most of all, God's love helps me. And I think it comes through others, but sometimes it comes all by itself, when I'm praying for help or just praying because I wish I didn't feel like I do. This is a great quote about the power of Love when someone is depressed.

There is nothing as

energizing, as

confidence-building, as

sustaining

as the

power of love.

Love has the power to overcome

fear,

worry and

discouragement.

Gordon B. Hinckley in his book, Standing for Something

Gordon B. Hinckley was one of the now 16 Prophets of the LDS faith, starting with Joseph Smith.

oh, man!

Have you ever done something you thought was best at the time, didn't realize its implications and now regret it?



me too.



About a year ago I threw away a bunch of documents from my mission and from my Spain study abroad, because I figured they weren't important enough to take up the small box load of space they took up.



It didn't take long for me to realize the mistake I had made. And even worse, it's often that I think of something I want to remember and realize I trashed it! Voluntarily!



I was trying to impress my fiance by not being a pack-rat. Now I know that decisions like throwing away important documents should be made by me alone, excluding all other outside influences (he didn't TELL me to throw them away, but I interpreted the look on his face when he saw how much stuff I had to mean I needed to toss some things... and so I chose those things...bummer).



Also, I realize that pack-ratting is someone who hoards useless items. At the time, I thought they'd be useless. I even told myself, "Well, if it's really important you have this information in a year, God will help you find it some other way." Silly me! Of course God can and would help me with something I needed, if He approved, but I believe He expects us to be responsible and resourceful. But NO! I had to throw away those resources and will forever regret it.

Maybe not forever.

There's a chance that in heaven we'll be able to find things we lost. Or we'll be able to get back things we thought we should throw away and then realized too late that we will need it later!

Oh...I hope...



Impulsiveness is not limited to the diagnosed depressed... but can be a habit of those who are also depressed. I will be aware of this in the future and take TIME to decide what to throw away and what to keep.

on my mirror

I read this usually while I'm brushing my teeth every night.

Make Peace with Imperfection

I’ve yet to meet an absolute perfectionist whose life was filled with inner peace. The need for perfection and the desire for tranquility conflict with each other. When ever we are attached to having something a certain way, better than it already is, we are, almost by definition, engaged in a losing battle. Rather than being content and grateful for what we have, we are focused on what’s wrong with something and our need to fix it. When we are zeroed in on what’s wrong, it implies that we are dissatisfied, discontent.

Whether it’s related to ourselves – disorganized closet, a scratch on the car, an imperfect accomplishment, a few pounds we would like to lost – or someone else’s “imperfections”- the way someone looks, behaves, or lives their life- the very act of focusing on imperfection pulls us away from our goal of being kind and gentle. This strategy has nothing to do with ceasing to do your very best but with being overly attached and focused on what’s wrong with life. It’s about realizing that while there’s always a better way to do something, this doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy and appreciate the way things already are.

The solution here is to catch yourself when you fall into your habit of insisting that things should be other than they are. Gently remind yourself that life is okay the way it is, right now. In the absence of your judgment, everything would be fin. As you begin to eliminate your need for perfection in all areas of your life, you’ll begin to discover the perfection in life itself.

-Richard Carlson

words of wisdom

In a text conversation I told my mother-in-law

It's hard not to get frustrated with myself when I'm depressed because I'm usually a lot less productive than usual.

Her response was very helpful,

I like to think of those slumps as good time to be introspective.

Gratitude Post

I'm grateful for my mission. For me, my time as a missionary is

evidence there is a heaven.

Because of the joy I felt then, I know I will feel it again, just like that, some day- probably not until Jesus comes, but some day.

That's me...second from the left, with short hair. These are some of the girls I served with at the St. George Temple Visitors' Center.