todays question

How can such a hard day turn out to be one of the best days I have had in a long time? <3 I feel so good.

Breathe

"You breathe one breath at a time; each moment is set apart to its act, and each act to its moment. It is the moments and the little acts that make the sum of the life of man. Let every second, minute, hour, and day we live be spent in doing that which we know to be right." -Journal of Discourses

"Many things that are hard to measure now ultimately matter most." -Journal of Discourses

My mind is lost in thoughts of time and the idea that I may or may not be doing enough. President Uchtdorf said, "If life and its rushed pace and many stresses have made it difficult for you to feel like rejoicing, then perhaps now is a good time to refocus on what matters most." This talk that he gave, in the October 2010 General Conference, has been one that I seem to refer to often.

i would follow you into the dark

It is my personal belief that this life becomes so much harder when we have the most potential for good. These are the times that we must ask ourselves, "Will we follow Him into the dark?" Surely, life will be hard, and with each struggle we overcome another will come to test us again. These dark times are not the happiest of times, but they are necessary for our progression. Following Him is the only way to make it through.

Counting my blessings is one of the best ways to bring happiness to my heart.

1. Eyebrows. I was listening to a talk on the radio a while back about a woman who had to undergo Chemo because she had cancer. Because of this, she had lost all of her body hair. She said that she never realized how thankful she was for her eyebrows. "They keep the sweat from dripping into your eyes," she said.

2. Sleep. I am learning how important sleep truly is to a persons' well being. It has only taken me 23 years for me to figure this out. Perfect timing! Sleep? Where did we get seperated along the way?

3. Sunshine. This past week I was able to be in the sun so much. My neck even got burnt! No complaining on my end though! It felt so good. Sunshine = Happiness for me. I could feel the happiness soaking into my body and filling me up like an empty glass.

4. Pregnancy. My sister is having a baby boy in April. What a beautiful time! Bringing a beautiful spirit into this world who is still so close with heaven. Wonderful!

5. Holding Hands. Sweet, innocent, and blissful. Butterflies.

My life is nothing of significant circumstance. I have not made world known accomplishments. My words will only be heard by few and remembered perhaps by even less. And so I have come to the conclusion that in the small, special ways that I am capable of, I hope to leave a print on the hearts of those people that I can be in contact with. What would this life be if we could not connect on a deeper level with the people around us? To love but not simply love; love deeply. To live but not simply live; live truly. Fear of feeling something, running risks, and of change only limits opportunities for love.

The Fudge Has Done Me In

With the holidays come the tastiest treats of the year. I have no idea how to handle them. I am not one to buy candy, cake mix, or make cookies. Surely, I sometimes eat them when they are provided but I don't spend money on them.

My sisters fudge has completely done me in! Twelve pieces in a day... oops!

Ready, Set, Ummm

Good Morning World,

I am not quite ready to go and join you. Please find some other way to occupy your time and I will be with you shortly.

Erin

Finding Meaning in the Everyday

What turns the day into the night? Night into the day? What makes a man what he is? Who determines our greatness, our worth, our lives?

The cold has come, as steady as the earth finds herself, it has come. With this cold I find myself wishing for the warmth of summer that has so carefully found its way to somewhere else. I need to learn to enjoy what I have, the "cold" that I am given, and the experiences that I have, because the sun, oh the sun, it always comes out. It can be the dead of winter or the long easy going days of summer and I will always have my constant. The sun.

The hour is now late. The night has come upon this place and I, I am restless. My mind races with the thoughts of tomorrow, the going ons of today, and the happenings of yesterdays gone by. A friend told me that it is good to end a day by recording what we are thankful for from that day.

* I got hugs today. Much needed.
* I witnessed great love.
* My sun came out.
* My room is clean.
* I appreciate good health today. (My stomache has been hurting for hours.)
* My sister is pregnant!
* I have dear friends.
* I am loved.
* My candle made more than just me happy today.
* I am mindfull of so much.
* Music filled my soul today.
* I bought slippers.
* I planned out my week.

Realizations of the Caterpillar

Realization #1: Who seems to have time for anything anymore? Blogging for example... Lately, I have been going through and organizing my life. This past week has been a product of check lists, cookies, and classical music. All of which, keep me sane and soft. (Soft spoken that is.)

Realization #2:  My life seems to be breaking down into three very visible categories. Maybe patterns is a better word.

First, we have the every day. Every day, I wake up and have the same routine. (Love this, by the way.)

Second, we have the basics. I work, go to school, study, and spend time with my roommates. All of which are subject to change their timing around, but are still happening consistantly happening.

Third, we have the goals, the things I want to happen soon, and the things I wish were happening. (All of which is conveniently located inside of my head, which means that I take this with me everywhere I go.)

Moral of my random thought... I am a creature of habit. I hope I am making good ones.

Realization #3: Today is a cold day. As I sit here at my computer I keep glancing at the window wondering if the condensation on the inside of the glass will be dry soon. The snow is coming. I can feel it. The sky is grey and secretive. The sky and I are alike in this way today. A feeling of solemnity has come over me. A fullness fills me up with nowhere to release. And like the sky, soon I too will pour downward.

Realization #4: "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." This scripture has been going though my mind all morning. Each person has their own labours. Things may seem heavy to one that would not be heavy to another. We are each at different points in our progression. Let us be slow to judge and quick to love for charity is the pure love of Christ.

Last night, I had the most wonderful of experiences. Two of my sisters and I were able to visit with another sister from our ward. What a wonderful and uplifting experience this turned out to be for all four of us. We were lifted, we were healed, and we were strengthened through each others sweet testimonies. Unity comes from reaching out to those around us. We are all going through some sort of refining fire which means we are all struggling through something that is making us stronger. How wonderful it is when we can find someone who can relate to us and help us through our trials!

Realization #5: I am capable of so much more than I give myself credit for.

<3