My Girl Friday

Tonight my sweetheart sacrificed his Tuesday basketball ritual to stay home with me because I had such a long and tiring day.

How can I thank him enough?

My husband makes me happy.

Does your spouse?

If so, then continue to shower upon them lots of love in the way they need it.

But if not, consider the amount of love and happiness you are giving them every day.  Love given so very often equals love received.

This will bring happiness.

We watched a movie together...His Girl Friday.

I enjoyed the story; it left me pondering.

All about what it means to be a wife and mother.

And how it is the most rewarding and peaceful profession ever created.

The Lord has given each of us so many talents and gifts.

But I firmly believe that we can use these talents and gifts within the very walls of our home...in our small sphere of influence.

We can be great.

We can accomplish so much with our talents.  We simply have to be a little creative and use the spirit in determining how to magnify our talents and bless our families at the same time.

It's possible.  I know this deeply through personal experience.

And what could bring us more happiness than to enlarge and expand our talents and edify and uplift our families through our endeavors? 

I think this is happiness.  True enduring happiness.

My Girl Friday

Tonight my sweetheart sacrificed his Tuesday basketball ritual to stay home with me because I had such a long and tiring day.

How can I thank him enough?

My husband makes me happy.

Does your spouse?

If so, then continue to shower upon them lots of love in the way they need it.

But if not, consider the amount of love and happiness you are giving them every day.  Love given so very often equals love received.

This will bring happiness.

We watched a movie together...His Girl Friday.

I enjoyed the story; it left me pondering.

All about what it means to be a wife and mother.

And how it is the most rewarding and peaceful profession ever created.

The Lord has given each of us so many talents and gifts.

But I firmly believe that we can use these talents and gifts within the very walls of our home...in our small sphere of influence.

We can be great.

We can accomplish so much with our talents.  We simply have to be a little creative and use the spirit in determining how to magnify our talents and bless our families at the same time.

It's possible.  I know this deeply through personal experience.

And what could bring us more happiness than to enlarge and expand our talents and edify and uplift our families through our endeavors? 

I think this is happiness.  True enduring happiness.

Lessons from the Ugly Duckling

I'm always eager to watch the newest video on lds.org.  I think this was just what I needed today.  See if it just what you need too:

It's an interesting thought, isn't it, to remember that we are children of a King, children of the great and eternal God of the universe. 

There are voices everywhere--along with images and videos--that tell us we are nothing more than inadequate citizens in regards to social class, glamor, personality, and a sense of fun.

But we are not trying to be like ducklings.  We are supposed to be peculiar when compared to the masses around us.

We don't fit in, yes,...but that is because we aren't supposed to.

We aren't just "ugly ducklings," we are "beautiful swans."

Destined for something greater than this world can offer.

And if we ever could catch hold upon this thought and weave it into the intricate fibers of our hearts, we would be infused with such happiness, peace, and joy, not to mention a greater sense of purpose, a higher self esteem, and a much easier time resisting temptation.

Let us today, and every day, look in the mirror and tell ourselves that we are swans...we are princes and princesses destined for something glorious.  And then let us go about our days living this majestic truth.

And I know that if we do...we will be happy.

Lessons from the Ugly Duckling

I'm always eager to watch the newest video on lds.org.  I think this was just what I needed today.  See if it just what you need too:

It's an interesting thought, isn't it, to remember that we are children of a King, children of the great and eternal God of the universe. 

There are voices everywhere--along with images and videos--that tell us we are nothing more than inadequate citizens in regards to social class, glamor, personality, and a sense of fun.

But we are not trying to be like ducklings.  We are supposed to be peculiar when compared to the masses around us.

We don't fit in, yes,...but that is because we aren't supposed to.

We aren't just "ugly ducklings," we are "beautiful swans."

Destined for something greater than this world can offer.

And if we ever could catch hold upon this thought and weave it into the intricate fibers of our hearts, we would be infused with such happiness, peace, and joy, not to mention a greater sense of purpose, a higher self esteem, and a much easier time resisting temptation.

Let us today, and every day, look in the mirror and tell ourselves that we are swans...we are princes and princesses destined for something glorious.  And then let us go about our days living this majestic truth.

And I know that if we do...we will be happy.

Greater Faith {generates} Greater Happiness

     This morning I submerged myself in a talk by Elder Wirthlin (November 2002) entitled, "Shall He Find Faith on the Earth?"

     First of all, I highly suggest the study of his words.  They are most touching and tender and simple.

     Secondly, I wish to quote a personal story he shares in this talk.  The symbolism is rich:

"Sometimes the world appears dark. Sometimes our faith is tried. Sometimes we feel that the heavens are closed against us. Yet we should not despair. We should never abandon our faith. We should not lose hope.

 "A few years ago, I began to notice that things around me were beginning to darken. It troubled me because simple things like reading the print in my scriptures were becoming more difficult. I wondered what had happened to the quality of the lightbulbs and wondered why manufacturers today couldn’t make things like they had in years past.

"I replaced the bulbs with brighter ones. They, too, became dim. I blamed the poor design of the lamps and bulbs. I even questioned whether the brightness of the sun was fading before the thought occurred to me that the problem might not be with the amount of light in the room—the problem might be with my own eyes.

"Shortly thereafter, I went to an ophthalmologist who assured me that the world was not going dark at all. A cataract on my eye was the reason the light seemed to be fading. This certainly gives you my age. I placed my faith in the capable hands of this trained specialist, the cataract was removed, and behold, light again flooded my life! The light had never diminished; only my capacity to see the light had been lessened.

"This taught me a profound truth. Often when the world seems dark, when the heavens seem distant, we seek to blame everything around us, when the real cause of the darkness may be a lack of faith within ourselves.

"Be of good cheer. Have faith and confidence. The Lord will not forsake you."

 

     Maybe happiness is directly related to the amount of our faith.

I think faith deems how we look at the world.  If our faith in Jesus Christ is strong enough to act in accordance to our complete trust in Him and accept His will knowing that He knows what's best for us, then there will always be sunshine in our lives--even if at times it is only a golden edge framing our clouds.  Nonetheless, in these circumstances, we will still perceive our lives as mostly happy...all because of our faith.

Happy Challenge:  Pray to increase your faith in Jesus Christ thereby increasing your happiness.

Greater Faith {generates} Greater Happiness

     This morning I submerged myself in a talk by Elder Wirthlin (November 2002) entitled, "Shall He Find Faith on the Earth?"

     First of all, I highly suggest the study of his words.  They are most touching and tender and simple.

     Secondly, I wish to quote a personal story he shares in this talk.  The symbolism is rich:

"Sometimes the world appears dark. Sometimes our faith is tried. Sometimes we feel that the heavens are closed against us. Yet we should not despair. We should never abandon our faith. We should not lose hope.

 "A few years ago, I began to notice that things around me were beginning to darken. It troubled me because simple things like reading the print in my scriptures were becoming more difficult. I wondered what had happened to the quality of the lightbulbs and wondered why manufacturers today couldn’t make things like they had in years past.

"I replaced the bulbs with brighter ones. They, too, became dim. I blamed the poor design of the lamps and bulbs. I even questioned whether the brightness of the sun was fading before the thought occurred to me that the problem might not be with the amount of light in the room—the problem might be with my own eyes.

"Shortly thereafter, I went to an ophthalmologist who assured me that the world was not going dark at all. A cataract on my eye was the reason the light seemed to be fading. This certainly gives you my age. I placed my faith in the capable hands of this trained specialist, the cataract was removed, and behold, light again flooded my life! The light had never diminished; only my capacity to see the light had been lessened.

"This taught me a profound truth. Often when the world seems dark, when the heavens seem distant, we seek to blame everything around us, when the real cause of the darkness may be a lack of faith within ourselves.

"Be of good cheer. Have faith and confidence. The Lord will not forsake you."

 

     Maybe happiness is directly related to the amount of our faith.

I think faith deems how we look at the world.  If our faith in Jesus Christ is strong enough to act in accordance to our complete trust in Him and accept His will knowing that He knows what's best for us, then there will always be sunshine in our lives--even if at times it is only a golden edge framing our clouds.  Nonetheless, in these circumstances, we will still perceive our lives as mostly happy...all because of our faith.

Happy Challenge:  Pray to increase your faith in Jesus Christ thereby increasing your happiness.