Making Wholes From Parts

It wasn't until this week, and more specifically, when I was in the temple I realized how much my life is filled with fear. I have so many goals, aspirations, and dreams that I want to see happen in my life. However, I feel fear is holding me back. Fear is keeping me from moving onward.  In the temple I found a quiet corner and I sat down to pray to my Heavenly Father. I felt like I was telling him all of my fears. I normally have many things on my mind, things I need to be worrying about. When I am in the temple, my mind is calmed. What is left on my mind is gratitude for the blessings I do have, and the fears that are my actual fears and not the worrisome things that clutter my mind. I was able to open up and talk about my fears, the real ones. One of the fears I prayed about was the fear I put on my fear assignment this week, "what if my fresh cut flower farm never happens?"  I'm scared that it will never happen. I'm scared Heavenly Father's plan for me wil...

We've been having a lying problem in our house recently. Our son hasn't been telling us the truth about doing his schoolwork. My husband, Tyler, and I have been wracking our brains trying to figure out a way to teach our son the importance of telling the truth. We have tried to explain that he would lose our trust if he lies to us. It hurts us when he lies. Each time we try to explain, I just don't feel in my gut that he is understanding what we are trying to teach him. This whole experience is making me think hard about how did I learn the importance of telling the truth.  For me it was through experience and my gut feeling. The times where I would just lie or tell a half truth, I would have this weight in my chest and an icky feeling in my stomach. But, when I told the truth I didn't have those feelings. By the time I had gotten to college I considered myself to be an honest person. I was proud that I was choosing to be obedient and choosing to be honest. Then in the ...

  On Sunday, during sacrament meeting (our Sunday worship service) a sister shared a talk (sorry I don’t remember her name). In her talk she shared a story she read on Instagram. The story was about a man talking about his welcome mat. His welcome mat said “Yay! We are glad you are here” (or something like that). Then he talked about how his visitors will just stand at the door because their doorbell is broken and even when it’s not his kids just don’t answer the door. So, even though his family is genuinely happy when people come to visit, they will often stand at the door waiting to be let in. He compared this to our prayers to Heavenly Father, who probably has the same doormat. He is genuinely happy when we come, but sometimes it feels like we are left knocking at His door. Waiting until He lets us in. It can be frustrating, because He is the one who invited us to come in the first place. I have felt this many times in prayer, especially when I am asking for help. I feel like ...

Our childhood dreams are an underestimated part of our mind and of our memories. I believe they have a great unconscious influence on our adult decisions. With the complexities that come with adulthood, we long for the simplicity of childhood. To dream as a child was empowering; it was limitless. As we grow and progress, we may give in to the notion that our childhood dreams are just that - childish, unattainable dreams. How unfortunate. Childhood dreams don't need to be destroyed or even diminished. They should be altered to fit reality, sure. But we can still attain our childhood dreams, and even renew that empowering feeling of limitless potential that we all have. How do we keep those dreams and the attitude of accomplishing them in sight? My answer is the same as Randy Pausch, the late professor of  Computer Science from Carnegie Mellon University - parents.  Randy Pausch stated, "Somewhere along the way there's got to be some aspect of what lets you get to achieve ...

 During my study this week I was really taken by this quote given by Elder Richard L. Evans, "You know, it is a wonderful thing to be faithful, but a much greater thing to be both faithful and competent. There is no particular virtue in being uninformed, certainly no virtue in ignorance. When young people can acquire the skills, the techniques, and the knowledge of these times, and along with it have a spiritual commitment and a solid faith and cleanliness of life, there is nothing that you can't achieve; nothing in righteousness or in reason." I love how straightforward he states this, "...be both faithful and competent." I have known people who believe that if they have enough faith then things will get done. In my experience, I don't believe that to be true. Faith is what motivates you to get things done. To have faith is the driving force behind your actions. You have faith in order to accomplish your goals. To just have faith, to just believe; it isn...