I delight in seeking happiness.

november 4

this year's gratitude month is being a little different. i really want to share what i'm grateful for by telling you about what i delight in, what makes me tick, what makes life good. and today i want to talk about seeking happiness. now note that i did not say by "being happy." i'm unable to live in a state of happy all the time. for me personally, there are too many other emotions that come into play. i like to live in a state of peace and be seeking happiness all. the. time.

what does seeking happiness look like? well in the two moments pictured in this post...i'm seeking happiness. i'm spending time and energy in places with people who i love doing things that propel me toward happiness.

standing in one of the most beautiful places in the world in a place i've never been, in MONTANA? happy! holding my amazing friend's 3 month old baby in a park on an autumn day, talking to my friend while the other kids run and play? happy!

seeking happiness is both in the big and small things. but its always in the simple things.

I delight in Christin.

november 3

forgive me for the incredibly large pictures, but they help capture the beauty that is christin. in case you've missed it up to this point, christin or LB as i like to call her is my incredibly talented, fun loving, happy going, teasing, sarcastic, over-the-top with love and adorable-ness sister, who yes also happens to have down syndrome.

this weekend, we got to spend some time together. christin has a lot of talents, but one of her biggest talents, in my opinion is that she can make anyone feel like a million bucks! its a gift. and i love it. christin can also love right through anything and everything. christin can also make fast friends, make someone smile just by being, and  she has a laugh that fills a space with happiness. she has no guile. she loves all the way and she never suppresses a generous thought. essentially, she's my role model in life and takes such good care of me. she is my protector, my arm in arm link and my sweet sister.

i used to post christin-isms all the time. i should get back to that, but something she said last night has been resonating with me ever since. you see last night we found out that my aunt janice passed away. it has been a rough year indeed for that entire side of my family as she makes the 4th person we have lost this year on the same side of the family. when i went and told christin about aunt janice's passing she handled it like a champ and ended up coming to play games with the rest of the family (pounce, a favorite sunday night activity). i can't remember what led up to it but christin said, yeah, in heaven i won't have down syndrome anymore, no diabetes, no shots! and of course she said it with a big smile.

i thought to myself, this girl knows what's up. having down syndrome doesn't define christin, it refines her. what a perspective checker. anyone who works with people with disabilities knows the importance of people first language (its actually a big deal). its a person is not "autistic" for example, they are simply a person with autism. so we should be people first too! we all should. we should be known for our eternal identity first, foremost and always. i am grateful that i am a child of god. that i am a daughter of a heavenly father who loves me and i love him. those two lines will always be guideposts to me and i am so grateful to know who i truly am and for the example of a sister who definitely knows who she is and who we all are. she's guiding us home, leading us home, taking our hands and helping us home, loving us home and helping us feel of our saviors love everyday along the way.

how blessed and truly grateful i feel to have christin as my sister.

I delight in foundations.

november 2

while in israel, you spend a lot of time looking at walls, stones, foundations of things that once were and that have become something again in some cases. these are the western wall tunnels under the temple mount. the stones you can see on the left are from the herodian era or the time of king herod. they're the easiest to find because of the margin around them. each carver also had to put his initials on his work.

tonight i attended the ces devotional (soon to be called the worldwide devotional for young single adults) at the ogden tabernacle with elder donald hallstrom. he talked about foundations and it spoke to my soul.

i am so grateful for revelation, for the opportunity to learn and grow, to change and to become better.  key take aways from tonight include

• buildings are temporary. we are building eternal lives. the engineering and construction of our souls must be build to withstand the wind and tumult of today
• your identity is FIRST as a son or daughter of god, then you can choose to build other identities whether they be temporary or eternal. beware of the identities you're building
• verse 7 of how firm a foundation: 

The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for reposeI will not, I cannot, desert to his foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I'll never, no never, I'll never, no never,
I'll never, no never, no never forsake!

i love how firm a foundation. it is one of my favorite hymns that has been an answer to prayer on multiple occasions, but today it hit me extra hard because of the use of the word forsake.

one of my favorite scriptures is in joshua 1:5
"...I will not fail thee nor forsake thee."

what a comfort this was to joshua, reassuring him that just as the lord was with moses, he would be with joshua as he continued to lead the children of israel.

in sunday school today we were talking about isaiah and the word forsake again stood out to me.

"Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains;  for the Lord hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted. But Zion said, The lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me. Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me." (isaiah 49: 13-16)

what powerful imagery. can a woman forget her sucking child? what does a hungry child do? they cry and eventually scream when they're hungry. they get their mother's attention in any way possible because growing and developing is their child. how can a mother forget her sucking child? i'll never know, most don't, but some do, especially in our day. it reminds me of the warnings that some will have unnatural affections. mothers not caring for their children, in my mind would fall into that category of warnings for the last days. even so, the lord will never ever forget us. he has graven us on his hands in every way.

so the only choice that's left is that we have to choose never to forsake him just as he has already chosen to never forsake us.

what a beautiful and firm foundation to be build upon, a savior who will never, no never forsake.

___________

I am building my spiritual foundation by.... (future post reminder)

i delight in a month of gratitude-november 1

november 1: grateful we are not made for endings.

i'm back at it. this poor neglected blog/the poor neglected amazing experiences of life that i have not been great at recording, i'm grateful we have repentance, internet and a bedtime. all essentials for this to be successful.

as i took a walk down memory lane over this 27th year of mine, i couldn't help but think about some endings that have happened this year. i'm so grateful that in april's general conference, president uctdorf (grateful in any circumstances) said "that in His (Heavenly Father's) plan there are no true endings, only everlasting beginnings."

how beautiful is that? i'm grateful for a new month, another year of living a life of abundant blessings and for beautiful fall weather. i'm in love with november and with everything that comes along with it.

i'm going to regret this in the morning

its 12:30 in the morning. i have been trying to avoid this hour lately...its far too early and far too late for bed.  but tonight, i felt the need to write a little something about life as it currently stands.

lately, i have been thinking a lot about all the many things i have to be grateful for. a new bed (should that really be at the top of my list you ask? if only you knew what i've been sleeping on the last month!), a job that i really do love even though it stresses me out sometimes, a family that loves me completely, whole heartedly and 100% all the time, even when i'm less than the best, and sometimes just flat out mediocre, the influence of the gospel of jesus christ. i am so grateful to be a member of the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints and for all the goodness in my life that is a direct result of my membership and belief in the church and in my savior jesus christ. i am grateful that he is my savior, king and for his kindness, gentleness and example of longsuffering. i'm grateful he binds wounds and heals the broken hearted. i am grateful that he is my way back home to my father in heaven.  i am grateful for all the many wonderful influences in my life. quality friends who love me, who get me and who put up with my direct and indirect remarks. who help me learn and let me ramble. who lead such good lives and stand as amazing examples to me in everyway and everyday. i am grateful for opportunities to stretch, grow and serve. i'm grateful that tomorrow is a new day. i'm grateful for beginnings and endings and for knowing that i'm not made for endings. i'm grateful for temples and for the peace we can feel there. i am grateful for the ability to participate in creation of so many things. whether its the creation of a skill that someone didn't have but they learn or the creation of a meal i can share with my friends...creation makes me happy. i'm grateful for revelation and the opportunity to learn through the spirit. i am most grateful for hope. hope in the future, hope made possible through the atonement of jesus christ and hope that blessings come.

a smattering of life

 me (and dad's leg) with a waterfall in montana

august 2014

somewhere between beartooth pass and cooke city, mt

Life is about to get different.  

In the meantime, I really wanted to look at what life looks like right now, this very moment.

I see: a mess. packing. organizing. cleaning, writing a lesson. gathering relief society stuff to put in the hands of a new leader. receipts that need to be calculated. technology that needs to be updated. water that i'm working on drinking. my favorite mission picture that just got a new frame. my beautiful iladro from grandma and grandpa that inspires me just to look at .

I smell: candy corn. i bought a bag, or 4 because i can't seem to find them in any other season but pre-fall and then i made the mistake of opening one. oh how i love that stuff! quintessential fall must.

I hear: random sounds of my house. i'm going to miss that. feet stomping on the floor to get me to come upstairs. the loud creak of craig's door to the downstairs. the door to the storage room opening and closing. the credit music to wagon train (it does have 10 seasons after all) and the random knocks and subsequent opening of my door by all my family. one day i'll be more sentimental about that. for now...i just think...maybe a door will actually mean something someday soon.

I feel: this bruise on my leg from falling off the playground equiptment the other day. that was fun. besides that, i just feel gratitude in my heart for so many blessing in life. I feel grateful everyday for my family, the gospel and the myriad of experiences that have been granted to me. i have so much to be thankful for.

I really love this picture I've chosen to include with this post because its like me in a nutshell right now. Little to no make up, touseled hair that is styled by my on the go lifestyle rather than in front of mirror. My polarized shades (because my cheapy summer ones got their lenses popped out and then really broke thereafter). And of course, my "we're all in this together" shirt which reminds me of the ben lee song that I first heard at a ben folds concert pre-mission that i found at the DI a year ago with sister jen. Pearls in my ears because, they're always in fashion and a smile on my face...because really, there's always something to smile about.

I can't help but think about just how many things there are to be delighted in and by in the world. Hence, my continued recommitment to blogging about all those things, which might just get a little easier considering the pending life changes here. Good things people. All good things.

I delight in an ATAP.

delightful daisies and lessons

pic by me, created via rhonna designs app

Ever had a time when you've got something on your mind, something thats just bugging you and driving you crazy??? That's been me, all day long. 

And then, this song came to mind, and Audra singing it makes listening to it even more worth your time, but that's almost besides the point...

How genius is this statement? Make someone happy, make just one someone happy, then you will be happy too. I know this is a true principle of life's happiness.  Lately, I've had the opportunity to bring some happies into peoples lives. And as Mom Lori from Ch'Town says..."I has a happies." And I do!