Small and Simple Things

Just yesterday, I attended the CES Fireside for 100 Years of Seminary hosted by Elder Boyd K. Packer. One of the main things that I got from his talk was:

"By small and simple things, are great things come to pass."

These past few weeks have been super stressful at school. I have senioritis really really bad, I have some AP Tests coming up, and I managed to achieve all A's at school this past term. However, as cheesy as this may sound, I really think that reading my scriptures, paying my tithing, and not doing homework on Sunday have really helped me achieve a peace of mind that I will be okay in my classes. Just yesterday, I realized I needed to have read an entire act of Shakespeare's Othello and answered several discussion questions, write vocabulary down, finish a quiz, and I also had a Medical Anatomy test that I had not studied for. At all.

All of this was due this morning.

I looked at the pile of work on my desk, which heaped pretty high, and thought to myself, "I can either do work on Sunday and be prepared for my classes, OR I can dedicate this day to my Heavenly Father and keep the Sabbath day holy." 

Obviously, I chose the second option.

I thought I would fail my classes terribly today, but I found that in my Medical Anatomy class, things came to my mind and I remembered them easily and did well on my test, even without studying the many pages of notes, terms and standards the test would cover. In AP English, I thought I would fail even more drastically. Before, my heart would sink even with being prepared due to how intense the course is, but today, I felt okay. I wasn't prepared, but as my teacher says,

"Own your successes. Own your failures."

I felt prepared, even though I really wasn't. I know that by not doing my homework on Sunday was definitely a sacrifice, but once again, "By small and simple things, are great things come to pass." This scripture, quote, and phrase has really conjured a different meaning and applicability to me lately. Signing up for university stuff is pretty stressful while trying to finish your last year of high school. However, honestly and truly, by reading your scriptures, paying your tithing, and by not doing ANY homework whatsoever on Sunday, I really have found that I am blessed in so many more ways than having a class period that was a little easier by chance, or got a better grade because I obeyed those commandments.

In Seminary and in church the other day, we learned that we need to be keeping the commandments in order to feel the Holy Ghost. We all knew this to be true, but then I got home and looked at my homework pile and realized that even doing homework on Sunday is breaking a commandment, no matter how small it may seem. By being obedient, even when it is difficult, I think we are blessed for trusting in the Lord. We don't know how it will turn out, but it almost always turns out for the better. Much better than we could have ever imagined.

I know this has probably been a really sappy and preachy post, but I felt like this really made an impression on me today and yesterday. Hopefully it has been for you too.

And I have one thing that I want to add on here for a very special person to me.

My Aunt Susan.

She has always been there for me. Whether that be with math homework or helping me think about who I want to be or become, she has faithfully been there for me.

This past summer, my family and I went up to Canada to see my extended family. While we were there, Susan and I spent a lot of the cool summer nights talking outside by the fences and the horses and looked out on the grassy fields before us. We talked about me going to college this fall and what I should do. Everybody that I knew told me I should go into music. I will admit, I am pretty good at music, and I think I could be a music major if I put my mind to it. However, I would go crazy if I had music as homework and not just to be played for fun or for the benefit of myself and those who listen to me play it. I had thought about being several other majors, such as Elementary Education, Art History or Art, and possibly Interior Design. I knew it definitely wasn't something down the logical road such as Math, Science, or History. :) That is SO not me. We talked about what my strengths were, and I realized something in art or with little kids was something I really did want to do. I thought about different things, and suddenly Susan turned to me and said, "You know, I think you would really enjoy Interior Design and you would do really well at it." My eyes started watering because right then, I knew what she was saying was what I needed to be. My parents had said it, some friends had said it, I had thought about it, but for some reason, it didn't really hit me that that was what I really needed to do until some personal experiences as well as what my aunt told me.


I want to thank you, Susan, because you have made me realize that anything is possible if you put your mind and a little determination into it.

Before I end this post, I just want to add one quote on that has also meant a lot to me as I have been looking for universities, accepted to universities, and now am deciding which one to go to this fall.

"When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us." - Alexander Graham Bell

A New Start

It's 2012, and one of my resolutions was to blog weekly. Don't know how well this will work, but I'm hoping to get in a good habit so that when I leave for university in the fall, my family and friends can quickly look at my blog to see what I'm doing and how I am.

If you're wondering, for the very few people who actually read this, yes, I did have another blog. But, I felt like it was missing something. Maybe it was experience, maybe it was lack of dedication to really blogging, I don't know. But this blog, this blog feels like I'm onto something. I really hope I am.

This is going to be a very exciting year, and I'm hoping to make it a great one. 

Each week, I will try to record some meaningful things that I have found, thought of, etc for the past seven days. I will try as hard as possible to do these blog posts on Sunday when I have more time than the weekdays and Saturday. These meaningful things might include:

• Songs 
• Quotes
• Recipes
• Insights, Scriptures, Religious things, etc.
• Miscellaneous

There may be more than one each week, there may be a lack of one, but I'm determined to stay on top of this!  I love reading back through journals, or past blogs, and seeing how I grow. If I stay on top of this, not only will I have completed my New Year's Resolution, but I will also have gained a greater understanding of myself, I will have an online journal (basically), and will be able to communicate with family members in a more detailed way when I leave to go to BYU-Idaho this coming fall.

The title of this blog means a lot to me at this point in my life. I thought about what to call it, but it finally came to me and I think it will display who I am right now, and who I want to be in future years.

Live: 

• Live life for a purpose. For without one, life is meaningless. I guess my purpose (for now) in life, is to help others around me be happy and learn to enjoy life. I need to share and express love to others better to help me be a better person as well as for them.
• Live every day like it was your last. Several experiences that I have seen in some of my friends and classmates this past year have made me realize that life really is not in our hands, but God's. The way we live reflects who we are on the inside, and we need to live in a way to thank Him for the marvelous gift we have been granted.

Love:

• Love deeply. Learn to create healthy relationships with family members, friends, and (hopefully someday) a wonderful spouse. Without love, nothing is possible.
• Love is the base of a fairy tale. When we nurture it and work on becoming a better and more loving person, the better the fairy tale seems to become. Just because we work for having a better "Happily Ever After," doesn't mean we automatically get one. Prince Charming sure worked hard to get to his princess in the castle to have his "Happily Ever After." We need to work hard to achieve our own personal goals, and I think that love needs to be the first step.

Laugh:

• If you know me, at all, you know I absolutely LOVE laughing. I love being happy and I love it when others around me make me happy and make me laugh. My friends are where I have truly learned to be myself and how to be happy and able to laugh without worry or care. I am truly thankful for them, and for the amazing ability of laughter and how a simple smile in your day can make everything seem brighter!

Grow:

• This last step was very spontaneous when I created the title of the blog. I added it because of what I will be doing this year. Graduation. Going to college. These things are HUGE. And it's just the beginning. 
• I will hopefully be growing by leaps and bounds this year. Spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and intellectually growing will be the things that the things this year will increase in knowledge. 

Well, I think I've basically summed up what my new blog will be about. I probably will not be adding on to my other blog, but I've decided to still keep it in order to see my old posts without having to copy and paste or have it forever deleted. :)

Check back often! I know I will be!

Live Simply. Love Deeply.
Laugh Often. Grow Willingly.