In a pickle.

Last year my mother's husband, Michael, went to visit his grandmother.  She was 101 years old. . . And up until the year before that she had been living on her own, still fully capable of taking care of herself.  Michael asked her how she was doing and could see she seemed a little frustrated.  She replied:

"Michael, I'm in a bit of a pickle."  

The next day she peacefully passed away and made her way back to Heavenly Father.

When I heard that story, I was surprised at how I felt.  I so admired her strength, her eternal perspective on life, but also that the thing we call death was a little bit frustrating for her.  She loved her family here and her life here and yet has so much on the other side to look forward to as well.  I can only imagine being so close to death and feeling the way she felt.  "In a bit of a pickle."

So with that said, I am in a bit of a pickle. No I'm not on my death bed, at least I think and hope not.  This is truly a silly thing but I am need of some advice, so to speak.  For quite some time now I have been struggling with the idea of having two blogs. One for my life and the other for my spiritual thoughts.  I started blogging to mainly keep a journal of my life. An easier way to scrapbook.  I started compiling my "lessons learned" on spiritual experiences and decided to start a different blog on that.  Hence, my thought blog was created.  At first I did this because I felt most people would not like to read into the depths of my soul and quite frankly would get bored and detract from wanting to be updated on our life.

When I got my tonsils out I started sharing a little more on the spiritual side of things on my other blog.  I received positive feedback. The more and more I have pondered on such a silly thing, I have decided to put on hold my Lessons Learned blog.  BUT I have not put on hold my lessons learned! I feel it important to combine the two, for more then one reason.  My main reason is because when all is said and done, I don't have two different lives, and with the two blogs it seems as such. This is my life.  Spiritual and life. They are one in my eyes and I no longer feel it necessary to separate the two. I have already started posting half spiritual things and half life adventure things.    

 Are you all gonna be sad if there isn't a Lessons Learned blog anymore?!  And combining it all on my Simply Happy blog?! (I guess it's happening anyway. . .feedback will help determine if it's permanent or not!) 

 Thank you friends and family!

seek for the positive

Lesson Learned:
"I come to you tonight with a plea that we stop seeking out the storms and enjoy more fully the sunlight. I am suggesting that as we go through life we try to 'accentuate the positive.' I am asking that we look a little deeper for the good, that we still our voices of insult and sarcasm, that we more generously compliment virtue and effort. Now I am not asking that all criticism be silenced. Growth comes of correction. Strength comes of repentance. Wise is the man or woman who can acknowledge mistakes pointed out by others and change his or her course." What I am suggesting is that you turn from the negativism that so permeates our modern society and look for the remarkable good among those with whom you associate, that we speak of one another's virtues more than we speak of one another's faults, that optimism replace pessimism, that our faith exceed our fears. When I was a young man and was prone to speak critically, my wise father would say: 'Cynics do not contribute. Skeptics do not create. Doubters do not achieve.' "


(Gordon B. Hinckley,"Be Not Afraid. Only Believe." )

Love her mother

Lesson Learned:

Happy Mother's Day this weekend! 

Charity

Lesson Learned:

"True Charity is love in action."

Forgiveness

This is a very hard topic to talk about. I don't want to step on any toes. So please take kindly to my words, and understand that they are meant to heal not hurt. (Examples provided are not to say yours should or shouldn't turn out like that. They are just examples I have seen in my own life on forgiveness.) Thank you.

I recently read this post on a great blog about a couple who have both come from previous marriages and they talk about love, life, and infertility. It's a great blog to read. Anyways back to forgiveness. They read a book that said this:

"Forgiveness is the surrender of our victimhood--taking back the power of full personhood that was stripped from us by another or ourselves. Either we find our way to let go of the victimhood of unforgiveness or we don't. Either we stop thinking, planning, worrying about it and become free from it and delivered from it, or we don't. God won't do it for us. Until we forgive [and] set ourselves free, we are not forgiven [or]set free...
...The evidence of true forgiveness is the freedom to continue to act lovingly despite the hurts and tragedies we endure."
(David Brisbin-The Fifth Way)

Lesson learned:
I truly believe that forgiveness is the key to happiness. There is always reason to be offended, or hurt by others, including being so harsh on ourselves (thinking less of yourself because of choices you've made). We are not perfect. People are not perfect. The people we love and who love us are not perfect. EVERYONE makes mistakes, and unintentionally or intentionally we can hurt people in the process by making those mistakes.  I have had my fair share of hurt feelings and I'm sure my fair share of hurting others unintentionally.  Choices I have made have hurt others. Or myself. And choices other people have made have hurt me. It hurts. And in some cases seems unforgivable.

"I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men."
(Doctrine & Covenants 64:10)

 I have seen the act of being unable to forgive ruin lives. I have seen the act of being able to forgive change and renew lives. I have seen someone unable to forgive over forgetting to give back a movie and never speaking to one another again (they are sisters). I have seen someone forgive the drunk driver that killed their child and have been able to feel the sunshine on their face again without having any bitterness towards this person. I have seen forgiveness in a marriage where a husband has been unfaithful to his wife, they are happy and still married and very much in love. I have seen the act of not being able to forgive in a marriage with both partners making mistakes, that has ended in divorce, with much bitterness and hardships created for their children and others they know, now and i'm sure in years to come. I have seen unforgiveness in an ended marriage affect and hinder the new marriage this person has, not able to truly enjoy what they have because of bitterness with the past. I have seen a friend forgive themselves for mistakes they have made and have truly embraced their new life with hope and surety they are cleansed through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

I believe forgiveness to also be one of the hardest commandments of the Lord. It is such a raw emotion that I personally would rather not touch. But it has to be touched. It has to be dealt with. We need to forgive. We need to be forgiving.

I know through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we can forgive. When we truly embrace His love and His teachings, we can forgive. I have felt it and I have seen it used in many lives. We can find happiness through forgiveness. No matter the situation, the Atonement can provide feelings of peace and come to a true understanding of forgiveness.  It does not always mean it will fix the problem, like stated above "freedom to continue to act lovingly despite the hurts and tragedies we endure." There is always room to forgive no matter the hurt. We can have peace. It takes work, but we can have it.

He Is Risen

Lesson Learned:

Potential.

Lesson Learned:
"When in situations of stress we wonder if there is any more in us to give, we can be comforted to know that God, who knows our capacity perfectly, placed us here to succeed."
(Neal A. Maxwell)

"You were given this life because you were strong enough to live it."
(unknown)