Great News!

So much has been going on since my last blog post. I would love to fill you in on all of it but quite frankly, I don't think that's possible. I will try to give you some of the highlights instead.
Don't you just love it when everyone you see asks you what your plans are? Or what you want to do with your life? I do. I have finally found the right answers. For years I dreaded those questions, especially when I my plans had just changed or I had no idea what they were. Now, I have resolved on the perfect and continually true answers. I know you are dying to hear them, so I will share them with you. My plans are to keep praying and listening to the Spirit. If I do that, I know I will stay on the best path for my life. As for what I want to do with my life, to accomplish, I want to change the world. A lofty goal perhaps, nevertheless it is the truth. I want to change the world.
I have also been blessed to realize recently how involved the Lord is in my life. The reminders He sent me of that fact were beautiful tender mercies to me. I have the ability to make choices on my own, but He as an intricate master plan that I am a part of. How great is that?! He loves me enough to let me suffer and grow, to give me trials that I can learn and come closer to Him. Then when I think I have learned the lesson, He shows me how well He knows me, how much He has been involved in the whole process and how far I still have to go. The Lord truly is merciful.
I have had a greater appreciation recently for some of the hardships I have gone through as they have helped me to better understand others' pain. With that understanding has come an increased measure of love from the Lord for those people. Inevitably, by feeling His love for them, I am reminded of how much He loves me, and how much I love them because they truly are my brothers and sisters.
The opportunity to be a missionary is one of the greatest blessings we are given as Latter-Day Saints. We have been blessed with the responsibility to share our Father in Heaven's and Savior's love with our brothers and sisters here on this earth. That means that we get to feel His love for them and for us in abundance! We get to help them come to feel and understand that love and the gospel that accompanies it. And yet, there are so many times I hesitate to open my mouth. What a sad servant I am at times.
Which is what makes the plan so much more amazing, because that was accounted for already. The Plan of Happiness was in place before we ever came to this earth and received our mortal bodies. Before we ever failed on this earth, our loving Father put in place a plan that we might be redeemed. Our elder brother, even Jesus Christ, volunteered to carry out the Atonement. As a result, I can change. I am not stuck because at some moments I am afraid to open my mouth, or I falter and stumble over another personal hurdle. The scriptures teach us that we can be white as snow again. I know that to be the truth.
When I started this post, I had intended on sharing some political thoughts and feelings, but now, I think what I have written is much more worthwhile. I will suffice to say that I love America. I truly know that she is a blessed nation of God. We live in the promised land and have been blessed with prosperity and freedoms because of it, but we must remain righteous to keep them. It is because of our God, that we have been thus blessed, and we must remember. We must praise the Lord and give thanks, recognizing His hand in our most precious blessings of freedom, liberty and family. He still cares, we just need to show him that we do too.
Remember the great news!

The Spiral

You know those wishing wells you sometimes see in stores where you throw a penny in and it spins and spins each time around the perimeter getting closer and closer to the center. Each spin goes a little bit faster, is a little bit tighter until suddenly, there goes the penny down the hole in the center. Sometime I feel like I am that penny. I am out on the edge, just spinning around joyfully ignorant of what is coming next. Suddenly, I realize I'm not on the upper edge any longer, I'm in the middle. Well, that's alright, the middles not so bad, it's kinda fun in fact. The circles I am spinning on are going faster and we all know I love speed. Until of course, I realize that this fabulous fast spinning is taking me closer and closer to a hole. Now I am worried. Having no idea how to stop what I see coming, I spin and spin inching ever closer to that dark hole. What does it contain? How far will I fall this time? Sometimes the fall is far, sometimes something is blocking the hole and I don't actually fall in. Either way, I don't know while I'm spinning, and once I have started, there is nothing I, the penny, can do to stop it. I just have to wait to fall, hoping that I will survive this one and that someone will clean out the wishing well and I will get another chance. Is my only chance to be put back on the spinning wishing well to try to stop the spinning this go-round? Or is there something else I should be hoping for? Does the spinning ever stop? Is there anything besides the wishing well for this little penny? I don't know. Maybe someday I'll find a different ride. Until then, I suppose I will just keep spinning hoping to survive this round and that the fall will be short and cushioned.

My Favorite Catalyst

I was reflecting on my life the other day, thinking about some of the decisions I might be making. With one scenario, I thought, "That could be really hard, it could be like living in hell again. Oh well." I was excited about the challenge and how hard it would be. I have learned that it is during the hardest times, that I am growing and learning the most. During the easy times, I don't care so much or make as much effort. My state of being is constant, in homeostasis so to speak. In contrast, when things are harder, I make more of an effort, I change, I learn, then I come out on the other side much better than I was before. So, although hell is well, hell, it is the catalyst to the reaction required to result in positive change and growth. Nothing does it quite the same. Not even the proton. (Which by the way, is probably my second favorite catalyst.)

Adam-Ondi-Ahman

This past weekend I was able to travel to Missouri and Iowa for a cousin's wedding in Des Moines. While traveling, my mom and I made a few tourist stops. My favorite one was Adam-Ondi-Ahman. It was incredibly amazing and beautiful. Here are a few pictures from our visit.

Pied Piper Photography Contest

I LOVE photos. SO much. Don't always like having them taken of me, but I adore looking at them. I treasure the old photos I have of my parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents. My aunt told me about this gal, and I love her work. And who doesn't love to win free prizes right? So, I thought I would share the good news. Check it out and enter the contest!

New

Wow, definitely feeling the need for the new post. Just to clear the air. I am passionate about my beliefs whether spiritual, moral, or political, so I don't regret the last two posts, I needed to say what was said, but I feel the need for more positive energy in my blog. Here goes!
Have you ever felt like there was a moment when suddenly everything in life made sense? Life still isn't perfect of completely hunky dory, but you see truth now instead of the mess it appeared before? If not, I do so hope you find a moment like that in life. It has seriously changed mine. I think I have been working up to it for quite some time now, for say, about the past two years that have been my personal hell on earth. The thing of it is though, that now, no matter what challenges and struggles I encounter, I truly know that I can get through it. I basically figure that if I can go through those years and come out on the other side strong and alive, then I can handle anything. I can choose what my life will look like, who I will be, and how I will react to everything around me regardless of anyone or anything else.
One of my favorite New Testament stories is in Mark 5:24-34.
" 24 And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him.
25 And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years,
26 And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse,
27 When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment.
28 For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.
29 And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.
30 And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes?
31 And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?
32 And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing.
33 But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth.
34 And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague."
I always wished to have as much faith as her. And although I still have some physical ailments, many of them seem to have miraculously disappeared. In their place I have found such things as joy, peace, hope, and agency. I may not be able to control whether or not I feel sick, but I can choose how to respond and how much faith I will show. Whether it happens on this earth, or in the life to come, I know that I too can hear the words of the Savior say to me "Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace and be whole of thy plague." Someday, because of my faith, I will be blessed with a body free and whole of this current plague. No matter what earthly challenges and hurts I may encounter, I can choose to go forward through them with faith, building it up until one day it will be great enough for the miracle. So that when the Lord asks me if I believe before he performs the miracle, rather than saying, "help thou my unbelief", I can say "Yea Lord, I know".

CPUSA

As a side note to my post earlier today, do you know what CPUSA is? Have you ever heard of it before? Me neither, at least not until recently. Its the Communist Party USA. I thought I was going to regurgitate my food when I found out about this. So much for the Red Scare, Democracy, the Constitution, FREEDOM. And yes, they have been active for all ninety years since the first Red Scare. If you don't already have enough nightmares, here's a link to their site.