summertime

you know summer is here when you see corn on the cob at the grocery store...funny cuz I'm pretty sure that corn is harvested in the fall, but it's become the must have at summer BBQs. so when rach and I saw corn on the cob got excited and just had to get it. so here was last nights dinner: BBQ chicken, baked potatoes, and corn on the cob.mmmmmmm

and now I am SO excited summer is here cuz that means hikes, bikes rides, tubing in the river, BBQs, fresh fruit...and me turning another year older in 26 days. crazy how time flies. and crazy how much I love summer! :)

water

I love water. in every form. I love rivers and lakes and waterfalls and rain and of course the ocean! my sisters and I were known as the fish growing up, I've been swimming since I was 4, lived by an ocean till 14 and the only thing we wanted to do on vacations was go to the pool. I'm not quite sure where or why the strong connection with water, but it definitely brings the warm/peaceful fuzzies. 

simple beauty: water

life

it is amazing to me that you can see life everywhere you look in this world..trees, birds, grass, people. and all of it is cared for by a supreme Being. so today's simple beauty is that life exists, even in a small yet perfect flower

recreation

as I was walking along the mall I glanced over and saw this scene: 

I thought this was simply beautiful-tossing a frisbee. it would be even more beautiful if it is a father and his sons so we'll pretend that we know the are a family. :) simple beauty 

capturing beauty

I read a thing somewhere that said: capture simple beauty every day and share it. so this is my new mantra and goal. today's beauty- after the clouds had dumped their excess moisture in a downpour, the sun broke through and this was the result

overcoming the shallow self

at this moment hell is freezing over, my mother would be exclaiming out loud, and I am shocked and amazed at myself....
today I received an email from a deal site advertising an amazing deal on a knock-off of the most adorable necklace that I have been coveting longingly at JCrew. I went to the site...stared at it for a bit...lamented to myself how adorable it is...and then didn't buy it. I am crying a bit inside because it really is the cutest thing ever and it was super cheap but I am honestly making an effort to minimize my possession of and spending on material things that really are unnecessary. I'm even going to clean out my closet and jewelry box(es)...after I moved. haha
this is a big deal for those who know me. my family would be shocked. shocked i tell you. I love beautiful things, and beautiful clothing and accessories are some of those things. but really I do know they are just things and do not bring me true happiness. so this is the start of me downsizing and limiting my acquisition of these things...no matter how beautiful they are.
wish me luck cuz this is going to be a bit hard but apparently I have a knack for doing hard things (grad school is starting in 11 days....and I'll still be working...while trying to finish an online class...)

in this spirit I am going to list the joys in my day and exclude any material possessions:
my sisters....I miss them so much! I haven't seen my family in a year and it's a bit torturous. I love that we send each other texts with random questions or asking advice. it's how we stay connected :)
reading...I love reading. today I am reading lots of inspiring articles and quotes. this morning I read scriptures about the Holy Ghost and how it can inspire, teach, enlighten, and move us to good things. I am a bit in awe that you can transmit knowledge through written/printed symbols put together to form words and sentences that someone else and see and then comprehend.
the Holy Ghost...as I was studying this morning I was overcome by gratitude for this amazing gift. for example, when something is constantly on your mind, if it is anything good (everything good comes from God), then it is the Holy Ghost! it's so simple and wonderfully powerful.
tender mercies...last night I had orientation for my masters program and was planning to take the bus home but i got to the station too late and it was raining so I was a bit disappointed to see that I would have to wait 30 minutes for the next bus to come. I was hungry since having gone straight there from work and a bit tired, being that it was the end if the day....and then the bus pulled up! not sure if it was early or late but I didn't really care ...just happy to get on it
prayer....I read an article this morning that talked about how we can get more out of our mornings by taking the time each day as you wake up to practice quiet meditation and mindful gratitude....sounds a bit like prayer to me! and praying has the added benefit of knowing that God is listening and improving your relationship with Him. I very much enjoy starting my day conversing with my Father in Heaven.
good people....I am so grateful for good people in the world who help others, stand up for what is right and in other ways are an example to me. "Be the change you wish to see in the world"

daughters of God

I have been wanting to post about my beliefs and feelings about womanhood, motherhood, and female roles but haven't felt the right time or complementary avenues to do so. Today I read a speech given at BYU by Elder Glenn Pace of the quorum of the Seventy of the church entitled "The Divine Nature and Destiny of Women." His speech lovingly and perfectly describes the true nature of women and their roles in relation to men - in marriage, families, etc. I love what he says when talking about the creation of Adam and Eve, the first man and woman:

  'Milton goes on to suggest that God delayed the introduction of Eve until Adam could fully appreciate her.     Seeing that Adam is now ready for the introduction of Eve, God describes what is going to happen next. I love Milton’s description of what Eve would mean to Adam:

What next I bring shall please thee, be assur’d,
Thy likeness, thy fit help, thy other self,
Thy wish exactly to thy heart’s desire.

“Thy fit help”? No, this doesn’t mean she would be in good shape. It means she would be a match, a complement, a counterpart, even his “other self.”

Finally, Eve stood before him, and she exceeded his highest expectations. He had never seen anything like her in the garden. Milton continues:

Under his forming hands a creature grew,
Manlike, but different sex, so lovely fair,
That what seem’d fair in all the world, seem’d now
Mean, or in her summ’d up, in her contain’d,
And in her looks, which from that time infus’d
Sweetness into my heart, unfelt before.

I hope Milton will forgive me for adding my opinion that the “sweetness” Adam felt, which was “unfelt before,” was much more than that which was generated by Eve’s physical appearance. Those feelings flowing into him had as their source her wellspring. His feelings were the direct result of standing in front of one of the daughters of heavenly parents who had a divine nature different from, but complementary to, his own divine nature.

I believe the Father’s statement “It is not good that the man should be alone” (Genesis 2:18) had a much more profound meaning than the obvious biological implications. It also went further than providing Adam with “company.” Adam’s ability to obtain the purification necessary to get back into the presence of God was dependent upon his continuous association with Eve...

Many years after the creation of Adam and Eve, Paul said, “Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 11:11).'

What simple, divine truths! I felt great power in what he said there the first time I read it. This is why the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints places such emphasis on marriage between a man and woman and eternal sealing in temples of God. Restored truths taught by modern prophets and apostles give us to know the great divine nature of women, their true eternal potential, and their role in God's kingdom as future queens.

Elder Pace beautifully recounts the influence of women in his life:
'I developed a love and appreciation for womanhood in my childhood. My mother, sisters, grandmas, aunts, and female cousins and friends brought immeasurable love into my young life. This set the stage for the adult relationships with my wife, daughters, and granddaughters.

All of the above have contributed to my feelings of reverence, adoration, and even veneration of righteous women.

In pondering the effect women have had on my life, I have concluded that there has been a metamorphosis of my spirit that could not have taken place without these relationships.

Of course, the first woman in my life was my mother. How can I describe the impact of my mother’s love? A lullaby, being tucked in bed, are you warm enough, a kiss goodnight, Glenn, you’d better get up, you don’t want to be late for school, a kiss good morning, you are such a special boy, oh honey, how I love you, I made some chocolate chip cookies, I want to take your picture, I’m so proud of you, I know you can do it, are you going to go on a mission, you are going to go on a mission, I miss you so much, frequent love notes, let’s go look at the roses, did you see the full moon, aren’t the mountains beautiful today, the love in her eyes, her touch, her smell, her elegance, her tender heart, her sensitivity, her femininity.'

What great power and influence for good women can have in the world! Myself, I am eternally grateful for a loving mother who never faints in her service to her daughters. She is always thinking of us, her kids, and even though we are grown and out of the house (but one, but soon to be all!), she still puts us before anything else. I strive to be so selfless and hope to emulate this divine gift she has.

Elder Pace gives this instruction to women:

   'Since melding our divine natures is a necessary element in bringing about perfection, we must guard against any deterioration of those natures. Sisters, keep in mind anything that detracts from your divine nature should be avoided. You live in a time when you have more opportunities and options available to you than any other women have had throughout the history of mankind. Some of these options will complement your God-given natures. Others will chip away at it. Some things will make you strong. Others will make you hard. Some will increase your spiritual sensitivity. Others will separate you from the Spirit.'

I want to keep this vision and I hope that I can live up to all the wondrous and eternal blessings that our Heavenly Father has in store for His righteous daughters, for they truly are limitless. I have learned so much about the amazing gifts that He promises to His daughters through the temple and His prophets. We are not second-class citizens in male-dominated hierarchy but sacred, precious heirs to His glory in partnership with His righteous sons. He has given us special gifts and talents to uplift and serve the world, to make it a better place in ways that only women can. And He needs us to do so!

I know, with all my heart and soul, that I am a daughter of the most powerful being in the universe, the God of all things. It is humbling to me that such a being wants me to call him 'Father,' and loves me more than I can comprehend, but it is true. God loves His daughters and desires all the best He has for them.