A Matter of Perspective

Scared and sacred are spelled with the same letters. Awful proceeds from the same root word as awesome. Terrify and terrific. Every negative experience holds the seed of transformation.

- Alan Cohen

Twenty Twelve

The important thing is this: to be ready at any moment to sacrifice what you are for what you could become.

- Charles Dickens

My hope concerning my blogging hiatus...

... a real post is in the works.

 

Thanks for stopping by.  :)

Happy Mother's Day!

To all of the wonderful mothers that I am blessed to associate with,
but especially the one who raised me.

All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.

-Abraham Lincoln

Me and Mom

Mountain Climbing

"It’s not the mountain we conquer but ourselves."

-Sir Edmund Hillary

Picture from here.

Gandhi's Ten Fundamentals

Rules To Live By.

Choosing Hope

I walked into the chapel after the opening song had already started.  The beautiful voices in the choir merged together and rose heavenward.  

"He clothes the lilies of the field,

He feeds the lambs in His fold,

And he will heal those who trust him,

And make their hearts as gold."

My Grandma held tightly to the crook of my left arm as I led her to where our seats were.  When I glanced up at the stage I saw a pair of striking blue eyes looking out from a scarred face.  Stephanie Neilson sat patiently waiting for her turn at the podium.  Next to her her husband held her hand, occasionally they looked into each other's eyes, or shared whispered comments but mostly they were just there- together.  After seeing them together it is hard to imagine them apart.

After a short introduction, Stephanie took her place at the front of the large audience.  She spoke of the terrible airplane accident that left 80% of her body badly burned, she showed pictures of the rubble that was left of the plane after the crash and she spoke of hope.  

"You can choose to live in hope or you can choose to live in despair. 

For me, choosing to live in despair is choosing not to live at all."   

Her voice resonated with the wisdom that comes only through experience. 

Many, many people know who "Nie Nie" is and because of that she seemed larger than life to me.  But as I listened to her I began to see her as an ordinary person who has been confronted with tragedy and is facing it in an extraordinary way.  She has taken the trials that life has dealt her and is sharing her faith and the hope that she has found in Jesus Christ.

"I am just now being able to say that I am grateful for this trial. 

I can see now all of the blessings that we have because of it. 

I used to wish it away, but now, I wouldn't change it." 

She spoke of her trials and the pain that she is required to endure, but in the same breath acknowledged the scars that others carry that are less visible. 

"I hope that we can all say one day,

"I endured that, and I did it with grace." "

  

I left the church and walked into the dark parking lot.  I felt a little different than I had when I walked into the building earlier that evening.  I felt renewed, uplifted and I felt like I could better handle the trials that life has dealt  me.  

Picture from Utah Valley Magazine

A Little Nugget

I recently attended a wonderful and inspirational meeting where Bonnie Parkin was the guest speaker.  She is an incredible woman; she was funny and down to earth and spoke with wisdom.  I felt blessed to be there to hear what she had to say. 

One little nugget she said has been running around in my mind since I heard it on Saturday.

"Never suppress a generous thought."  

I love this!  What a great reminder to follow those impressions that help us to be more like our Savior.  To share kindness, and His love with those around us and to trust those feelings rather than second guessing them.

Just Because I Like Quotes...

"To be yourself in a world that is constanly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment." 
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Photo borrowed from here www.img3.visualizeus.com

Sunday Reflections

"As you take the normal opportunities of your daily life and create something of beauty and helpfulness, you improve not only the world around you but also the world within you."

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Sunday Reflections

"Women of God can never be like women of the world.

The world has enough women who are tough; we need women who are tender.

There are enough women who are coarse; we need women who are kind.

There are enough women who are rude; we need women who are refined.

We have enough women of fame and fortune; we need more women of faith.

We have enough greed; we need more goodness.

We have enough vanity; we need more virtue.

We have enough popularity; we need more purity."   

 -Margaret D. Nadauld

For years I have had this quote where I can see it everyday.  Every time I read it, it strengthens me.