New Year

It's a brand new year! Anything is possible! New places to go! New people to meet! New goals, new challenges, new blessings! This is a time to start over, to put everything behind you and start again. So, what are your goals? What do you want to use this wonderful new year for? Are you going to better yourself? Maybe? Let's hope so. We should always aim to be a better person, I know my goal is to be a nicer person, to not judge others by outward appearance and outward attitudes. I don't know their whole story, I don't know why they're that way.
So, that's my goal for this year. . .and to eat healthier and exercise. lol That one is super generic though. lol I should probably also make it a goal to update this more than once a month. lol

On the subject of meeting new people, have you ever met someone and felt like you've known them your whole life? Or like you've known them before? But you had never met them before? I, personally, love that feeling. There's someone I met recently and it was a 2 way thing. We both realized that we knew each other before. Now, does that really sound so strange? Aren't we all spirit sons and daughters of our loving Heavenly Father? Didn't we all know each other at some point? Yes. So, is it strange when you meet someone and feel a special bond or connection? I don't think so. I love meeting new people and I love being able to connect to them in a way where I feel comfortable opening up and sharing my thoughts and feelings. I think it's good to have someone that you can share your feelings with, your joy, sorrow, excitement, anything. Having a friend is a great blessing, another way that Heavenly Father shows us how much he loves us and cares for us. <3

Stay connected

Okay, so I know I have been extremely negligent with writing on here. :/ Oops, well, life gets busy and complicated, and that's kind of the topic idea here. lol
With all of the hustle and bustle that we go through with our lives, we think that we have everything all planned out. With school, work, family, pets, planning events (such as weddings), dealing with drama, dealing with stress. We tend to forget about the more important things in life. The things that makes us happy. There's a time when you need to ask yourself, "What makes me happy." Think about it, then make time for it. Whether it's reading a book or watching a tv show. Let yourself relax. Another great thing to do, is study the scriptures and pray. No matter how busy you are, that's one thing that you should always make time for. I'm not going to say that I'm perfect at it, far from it, but I believe that if you try your hardest to fit it all in, you will be blessed. Your job will seem easier, your school will make more sense, your family will be more understanding. There are countless blessings that we receive daily, but do we remember what they are? Or do we simply take them for granted? We just passed Christmas and New Years. Let's think. What did you get for Christmas? Did you get presents? Did you get a seasonal job, or a permanent job for a little extra cash? Well, whether you got one or both of those for Christmas, there is still one gift that you will always be eligible to receive. Our Savior's love and his sacrifice for us. There is not one thing, save denying the Holy Ghost, that could stop you from returning to him. All that you must do is humble yourself and repent. That may not sound hard, but it's much harder than you might think. However it is so worth it in the end. I believe that there is a life after this one. I believe that we will be judged by our deeds and lives here. So, don't let life carry you away from what's really important. Keep your sights set high. Know where you're going. Keep your family and friends close. Live each day like it's your last. Most importantly, use your most important blessing, remember to pray always. :)

Long time.

     So, I know it's been a long time since my last entry. It's sometimes hard to come up with something relevant to write about. I was thinking though, and what's more relevant than friends? Friends can either make you or break you. Which is why it's important to make good choices in who you associate with. When choosing friends you should choose ones that share your standards and uplift you. Not ones that try to drag you down. I'm not saying that you should abandon any less active or non-member friends, just keep your standards and goals in the back of your mind. To find a true, loving friend is the best gift that you could possibly receive. True friends would never ask you to do something that they know would be uncomfortable for you. They would respect your standards and help you to uphold them. I have a few friends that are non-members and they are absolutely wonderful! They respect my religion and try to act in a way that is comfortable for us both, and I can't begin to say how appreciative I am for that.
     I also have a lot of church friends that I love to be around. I feel happy and comfortable knowing that we share the same standards and want the same things.
     Friends are also great teachers. My friends teach me so much. About the world, about the gospel, about life. You name it, they teach it. I love my friends and am so thankful to have all of them in my life. I can't imagine a life without friendship. As humans, biologically, we need human contact and friendly compassionate touch. It's a part of life, without it we suffer many physical and psychological symptoms. Friends are another one of our Heavenly Father's gifts to us. He gave us the need for friendship and offered us the opportunity to connect and bond with other people. It's a wonderful blessing to be given. If you feel that you are alone, and that you don't have any friends, that no one cares about you, it's a lie. People care about you. You have friends, but they just may not be who you think. If anything, you always know that there is your Father in Heaven and your Savior, Jesus Christ, who love you so much.
I hope this doesn't sound incredibly hokey. lol
Just remember who your friends are and how much they care about you. <3

Technology

The past few weeks I have been reading my favorite series of books. They're called the Tennis Shoes Adventure Series. There are 11 total so far.  The series revolves around a family of Latter-day Saints and the adventures they share and how it brings them closer to the Lord and helps them grow in the Gospel.
I was reading through them and in the 7th book in the series, I read something that I just thought was really interesting and I wanted to share it.
The book is called The Golden Crown and it's written by Chris Heimerdinger.
The prologue reads:
 

    "The two worlds weren't so very different, you know. That is, the world of our Savior in the first century, and the world of Joseph Smith in the nineteenth. . .
      It's actually astonishing how similar the two time periods were. Though separated by eighteen hundred years, the technology was almost identical. The daily lives and routines of the people were, for all practical purposes, mirror images of each other. Both depended on horse, carriage, and foot for transportation. Houses were heated by wood, coal, and dung. Water was fetched from wells, unless, like for certain wealthy Romans, it was piped into your home from the local aqueduct. Both had stock markets, and international postal service, and their populations whiled away the hours reading the world's great books--many of which had exactly the same titles.
     By the 1800s, the treatment of disease was still much the same as it had been in the days of Galen, the old Roman physician. many doctors still used his textbooks. Even where technological advances were obvious, like the printing press or gunpowder, Roman superiority in civil engineering more than balanced it out. The truth is, when Joseph Smith was born, the world had been struggling to reacquaint itself with Roman technology for three hundred years. By 1830, they were just about there.
     And then suddenly, overnight, technology exploded: Railroads and steam engines. Telegraphs and telephones. Automobiles and airplanes. Computers and cosmonauts. All in a little over a hundred and fifty years.
     The coincidence seems undeniable. As the Lord poured out spiritual knowledge upon the Latter-day Saints, He poured out every other kind of knowledge upon all the nations of the earth. The tow worked hand in hand, inseparable. One led to the other. After all, this is the dispensation of the fulness of times. Knowledge is knowledge. Truth is truth. . ."

So, I think that's a pretty awesome passage. My mom always told me the same thing, but I really like the way that the author writes this. It makes it all seem so sure, and so true. If you want to read the books, the series name is at the top, and they're really a good series.

Modesty

It's SUMMER!!!!!
Which means bikinis, tank tops, short shorts. . .etc. . .
Not for Latter-Day Saints.
We believe that our bodies are temples, precious gifts from our Heavenly Father. Therefore we believe in covering them modestly. Our dress code is fairly simple, nothing that shows shoulders, back, or the legs above the knee, and nothing too low cut in the front. And definitely no bikinis. Instead a one piece suit or a tankini that covers the stomach is perfectly acceptable. Many people wonder why we have such strict modesty codes, and many members have a difficult time keeping the modesty codes. Wearing modest clothing shows that we truly care for and love our bodies. We know that we don't have to show off everything on our body to get attention. We also don't want anyone to be thinking bad or immoral thoughts triggered by what we're wearing. We should all strive to keep our thoughts clean and pure and that's sometimes difficult for guys to do when they see a girl in a bikini.
Modesty isn't just for girls either. There are modesty rules for guys, though they aren't much of an issue since men's clothes tend to be modest anyway. The only things that guys really should not wear are wife beaters. Men's shorts are usually to the knee so that solves that problem as well.
In the summer it's especially hard because it's hot and tank tops feel so good, but in the end it's worth it. For me, it's worth it because I feel comfortable, I don't have to constantly be adjusting my top to fit of pulling my shorts down so they're not hiking up. I also know that I'm following the counsel of our church leaders and doing what I know I should be doing. Respecting my body, by clothing it modestly.
But modest can be beautiful, there are plenty of fashionable things that can look just as cute (if not more) as immodest things.

D&C 88:124

"Cease to be idle; cease to be unclean; cease to find fault one with another; cease to sleep longer than is needful; retire to thy bed early, that ye may not be weary; arise early, that your bodies and your minds may be invigorated." D&C 88:124
      Wow, that scripture pretty much describes a few of my worst traits; cease to be idle, cease to find fault with another, do not sleep longer than needful, be in bed early, and arise early. Those are a few of the things that I really need to work on.
Let's start by first examining the word, 'idle'.
–adjective

1.

not working or active; unemployed; doing nothing: idleworkers.

2.

not spent or filled with activity: idle hours.

3.

not in use or operation; not kept busy: idle machinery.

Idle describes doing nothing, wasting time. Time is a precious thing on this earth, and though it seems long, it is so very short. Every minute should be used for spiritual and physical growth, not wasted in excess sleep or laziness.

Cease to be unclean. Simply refers to following all the commandments and staying as free as possible from sin.

Finding fault one with another. Now what does that mean? There are several different things that this could mean. First would be finding physical traits that are unattractive on a person and faulting them for things that are not under their control. Second would be blaming others for things that they may not have done, that you've just assumed or that you were told through gossip. Third would be finding fault with someone's  personality. Fourth, someone who might not be on the same level as you, either in spirituality, personality, physical beauty, or physical possessions, and thinking yourself higher than they.

Cease to sleep longer than is needful. That's a hard one, everyone loves to sleep, and it feels so good! Sleeping is an important part of life, keeping your body healthy and rested is a commandment, but too much sleep isn't good for you. All that is required per night is 6-8 hours, unless there is injury or illness, that's really all you need.


Be in bed early, that you may not be weary and arise early that your body and mind may be invigorated. That one is simple, if you are in bed early, you will arise early. It's just actually getting in bed early that's the hard part.

I think that this is a really important scripture to keep in mind. It offers many guidelines to help us stay healthy and be happy. Whenever your body is healthy, you feel better. When your body is sick, weak or in pain, you will automatically feel miserable. So, I challenge everyone to try and work on whichever of these traits that you struggle with. I'll be trying        right along with you. :)

Proverbs 31:10 Virtue

Ok, I was having some trouble coming up with something to write on, and I used school and being busy as an excuse. . .but school is over now, so, no more excuses. lol

I decided to write on my favorite scripture and delve a little more deeply into the short verse. 

The scripture can be found in Proverbs 31:10

"Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies." 

Ok, that seems pretty straightforward, but what is the definition for "virtuous"?

-adjective

1.

conforming to moral and ethical principles; morally 

excellent; upright: Lead a virtuous life.

2.

chaste: a virtuous young person.

I don't think that this applies to women only, I believe that it applies to men as well. Yes, a virtuous woman is wonderful, but doesn't she also deserve a virtuous man? I believe she does. However, a good person, whether man or woman would forgive another no matter what their previous mistakes were. If they are truly repentant then who is a virtuous person to not forgive them? It makes me think of the hymn verse, "Who am I to judge another, when I walk imperfectly." Our true test in this life is not only to try our best to live righteously and be virtuous, but to also forgive those who have made mistakes. 

Anyway back to virtue, virtue means to be chaste, to be pure. In todays world to remain pure and virtuous is a wonderful and blessed gift, not only to the virtuous person but also to their future spouse and children. Virtue is one of the most precious gifts that is given to us, and it is not something that we want to give up willingly. 

Go forth in righteousness and good works.