Fabulous Family

Let's talk about family.

     When I first moved to Logan to start school, I thought I was leaving my family.  To be honest, I was kind of happy at that moment to get away from them and be myself, but naturally I still had some struggles moving. I went home frequently, usually to do laundry and get food, but it was nice to see my family too, I guess. It was nice to go back where people really knew and loved me.
     It's been difficult for me to be on my own when I get sick, or I forget something, or need to be somewhere and I no longer have my mom I can just call up to help me right then. I obviously didn't realize just how much I relied on my parents for so much.   I've learned a lot though, and it's been good to sort of grow up, but I've also realized that growing up doesn't mean not needing any help anymore.
     I'm almost done with my third semester of college, and I've been blessed to live with some of my same roommates the whole time. I didn't know them coming in last fall, but it's amazing to me how much like sisters they are now.  Everyday I think I've reached the maximum love I could have for them, and then BAM it grows some more!
     They have been angels to me, and truly my family.  Recently I was sick, and they took such good care of me.  I was also super stressed with an assignment and was going to have to stay up quite late to finish it, and one of them came downstairs and said, "My mom always stayed up with me when I had to finish something. So even though I can't take it away from you/do it for you, I can keep you company."  Seriously one of the sweetest things.   I really can't imagine college without them!!
     Another person I'd like to talk about is the old man who drives the bus. I met him last year, and actually became friends with him because of my two roommates': he's a great uncle to one, and became friends with the other because she rode his bus. He is one of my greatest blessings too, and has become family.  He has taken such good care of me in a lot of ways, and even though I don't really go to him a lot for many things, I know he would help me out if I really needed him to.  His whole family has become my family, and it's so lovely to see and talk with him on the way to school.
     There are so many other people here in Logan that have become my family, and let me know that I'm not alone. I'm grateful that family doesn't have to be just those who share the same blood (although I'm grateful for them too!!!), but it can extend to every person you develop a relationship with. :)

I love my families. They're pretty much the greatest thing I've ever been blessed with. And I'm grateful for the knowledge that they are eternal, and I think that in some way, we'll be able to stay connected to even those that aren't directly related to us in the traditional sense...

Some of my Cache Valley Family!

West Point Family!

"And if it so be that the children of men keep the commandments of God he doth nourish them, and strengthen them, and provide means whereby they can accomplish the thing which he has commanded them" (1 Nephi 17:3).
Today it was confirmed to me how much God really does love me, and that He is always listening and willing to provide blessings for our righteous desires.

So my story today is about a rather spontaneous, yet perfectly timed trip to the temple, and the blessings that made it happen, and made it a delight.

I have been wanting to do an Endowment Session for a while now, but I'm new and haven't done one all alone, so I sort of put it off and do other work instead usually. But today I was determined to do a session, whether I found another girl to go with or not.
So then I just had to address my other issue: transportation. It's rather stormy, so walking (which included the city bus because half of the route is walking from bus stop to the location) was out of the question for me. In contemplating, I thought I might text some of my neighbors to see if any of a particular apartment were planning on going to the temple in the course of the day...but it was getting late in the afternoon, and I wasn't sure if any of them would actually be free. That's when my roommate leaves for a study session, and yells to me as I'm waving goodbye that one of the guys from that apartment was dressed nicely, and out by his car. I jumped on the chance to ask if he was going to the temple, and he said he was. So I pleaded to go with him, to which he answered, "Of course!"
I ran back to my apartment, through on a dress, quickly talked to another roommate, and dashed out the door.
Remember how I've been determined to do a session, but a bit nervous without any help? Well, I've walked through many scenarios of what could happen and how I would handle going all by myself, and one of the thoughts that came to my mind was how crazy it would be if I ran into my new bishop's wife in the temple and had her guide me through some things, and how nice that would be if I could run into someone like that. And guess what?? As my friend and I sat in the chapel, IN WALKS THE BISHOP'S WIFE. So of course he came in a minute later, and we were able to wave them over, and I introduced myself. I was blessed to sit by her through the session, and even talk to her briefly afterwards in the dressing room.

What I'm trying to show, is that both of my prayers and desires concerning the temple were fulfilled, and I think that's definitely because I had righteous desires to do that missionary work I'm commanded to help with, and God loves me so much as to provide a comforting and easy way for that work to happen.

The things of the temple are blessed, and bring ultimate joy. Strive your hardest to attend the temple and feel of those peaceful and beautiful things constantly! Heavenly Father loves you, and wants to bless you in your righteous desires, specifically those that align with His will in bringing others unto Him.

I hate to break it to you, but Disneyland is not the happiest place on Earth--the temple of the Lord is.

Collegiate Life (7)

I wrote this really genius essay for English that explained how life needs dissonance, so that the consonance is more appreciated.  Basically, I was saying that sometimes we need the bitter trials, to more fully understand and love the joy and happy things in life.

But no matter how much I say I love the dissonance in music, I'm not always the biggest fan of dissonance in real life.  Opposition is hard. And it's real. 

I'm going to talk about my testimony on the reality of Satan.  He's real, guys. And he's mean. But without the temptation and opposing role he plays in my life, I don't think I would be able to so confidently say I have a testimony of the Savior and this Gospel.

Leading up to receiving my endowment, I was plagued with many things that I knew was Satan trying to keep me from doing a good thing. From the greatest thing.  But I would not allow him to keep me from making those covenants and growing to be more like God!
He attacked me with things like thoughts; I would make mistakes I'd never really made before, and those thoughts lingered in my mind, and Satan would try to make me think that those mistakes would keep me from going to the temple. But that's when I would shout back at him that those mistakes would be erased with the Atonement by taking the Sacrament. And how better to understand and appreciate the Atonement than going to the temple to be healed and grow closer to the Christ that atoned for those very sins I had made?  

These thoughts, though hard they were to fight at times, were a good way for me to strengthen the testimony I already had.  They helped confirm that I absolutely needed Christ and the temple in my life because of all those mistakes and imperfections.

How much sweeter the Sacrament and Atonement in general becomes when we have a reason for it.  When we realize we are weak and imperfect and need the strength from the Lord to overcome our difficulties, the bread and water become so much sweeter to the mouth than if we were already perfect.

Life is hard.  I probably say this in every post, but it's true.  Sometimes it's really not fun at all to face the various challenges and to-list in front of us, but we can do it with Christ!  But it's also funny how sometimes, even as the hardest things happen, so do the sweetest things.  And I think we realize just how wonderful those sweet blessings that come from being righteous are because of the dark trials that we face.

The consonance is so much better to the ear after those moments of dissonance in God's grand symphony of our life.


*Pictures: Day I went through the temple. My family came and it was the greatest! I was the happiest person on the Earth that day. Guaranteed.*

(#PerfectDiscriptionOfMyFeelings #MyWordsExactly)