"...They did press their way forward, continually holding fast to the rod of iron..." 1 Nephi 8:30

This week has been a bit stressful to say the least. It is interesting to me to see what some people perceive as stressful and others do not. One person said to me, "What is the big deal, it's not that much." But the reason why they would say this is because they can only see a small portion of what I am dealing with and trying to accomplish or have to get done this particular week. Her view is limited because I have only shared a portion of my stress with her. I know I have done the same thing to other people with my limited view point. It is easy to judge how one should behave or respond to a situation with only a portion of the facts.

As my stress level has risen and I was not able to take a shower yesterday, (SO not like me because I love taking showers!) I realized that something needed to change today. So today, I set everything aside and went to the temple. And before I went, I took a shower. I love showering- I already said that- it is relaxing and warm and a place to think and ponder. And today the words to the Hymn, "Lord, I Would Follow Thee" Hymn#220 kept going through my head.

"Who am I to judge another

When I walk imperfectly?

In the quiet heart is hidden

Sorrow that the eye can’t see.

Who am I to judge another?

Lord, I would follow Thee."

You know, we have no idea what people are suffering or what they are going through. The reason they may swear at me or treat me poorly or whatever it may be, is because I may be the last thing on their list of bad things that day that they just couldn't deal with any more. I know the ideal is to be Christ like all of the time...and I wish I could be Christ like all of the time. But I am not- no one is. But the whole point of this life to to keep trying. We repent, which means we return or even better, we turn to God, and we keep trying. We never give up hope. And some days I am able to be nice when some one swears at me, and others...well, I come home and repent and try again the next time to be a little more patient and a little more kind or understanding.

Here is the scripture that makes me say, I can keep loving those who are having a bad day, and have hope for myself when I have a stressful and bad day:

"Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ,

having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men.

Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ,

and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father:

Ye shall have eternal life."2 Nephi 31:20

Isn't that awesome? A perfect brightness of hope- why? Because Christ and our Father in Heaven love us and are there for us. Love God by keeping His commandments. Love all men, not just the ones who are nice to me. Press forward because it's not easy, but it is worth it. I do know it is worth it. Through all the stress and all the "stuff" it is worth it. I have this quote on my pantry door by Elder James E. Faust. It says: "Look at everything though the lenses of eternity." It's all about perspective.

Life is good, and it can be hard, and it's worth it. And we are loved beyond comprehension!!! That's why we can press forward holding fast to the word of God- which is the iron rod.1 Nephi 15:23-24 This I testify.

P.S. Keep hanging on...it's worth it.

"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer" Proverbs 30:25

I have so much on my mind that I can't sleep. So, what am I thinking about at this hour, besides all the stuff that isn't getting done and needs to be getting done? Well, I will just mention only one and then hopefully I can go to bed and actually sleep.

Ants... I woke up this morning to a kitchen sink full of them. At least they were mostly in the sink and I could easily wash them down. I had to wipe down our counter and then sweep our floor really well. But yes, ants. Ant can actually teach us about Christ and lead me to thinking about Him. There is even a scripture about ants. It reads:

"Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:

Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler,

Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest."

Proverbs 6:6-8

Isn't that great?! I need to hear and listen to that because I am a bit of a procrastinator. I can learn from the ant. It has no guide, or ruler to tell it how to spend it's precious time. I must choose wisely how to spend my time. The Lord says, "For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things" D&C 58:26. He's not going to tell me how to spend every minute of every day. He's also not going to send me a Divine prompting every single second to make sure I am doing everything right all of the time. And He won't zap me if I choose not to do something either.

So, if the Lord won't command me in everything, how am I to know how to spend my time? How can I be wise as the ant and use my time well? The Lord continued by saying, "Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness; For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward." D&C 58:27-28 There is the answer-"anxiously engaged in a good cause", "do many things of my own free will" which means my own choice, and "bring to pass much righteousness" or in other words do good stuff! He says, "DO GOOD". The reward can be as simple as that good feeling of knowing that I have done good in the world today. And I sure love that feeling. If feels a heck of a lot better than having just watched TV all night.

I guess ants aren't so bad, I can always be a little more wise from watching them...but I would rather they stay outside. You know what? All things do lead me closer to Christ. They testify of Him who is the Creator of all the earth. This I testify:)

Now I am going to go to sleep.

"He is not here, but is risen" Luke 24:6

Today is Easter. I love Easter for many reasons.  I love watching our children search for eggs that aren't filled with anything-that's right. We hide empty eggs. Even our 16 year old likes to look for them. I enjoy watching our children see what kind of candy we put in their Easter baskets. Okay, it was my husband who did it. I am pretty bad at planning that stuff. My husband is awesome and remembers everything when it comes to the holidays. Our kids would probably have a can of nuts like I did growing up if it was left up to me:) Good thing I have Mr. Slack to save the day (understatement.)

I also love Easter because it is the looking forward to spring, the beginning of new birth and growth, the resurrection of life symbolized in everything around me. All the flowers and trees are singing of the resurrection and renewal of life-they are not dead, but are only sleeping. I can hardly wait for spring and the hope it brings with it of warmer weather. I love warmer weather. Did I say I LOVE warmer weather?

Which leads me to thoughts of Easter and Christ. First, everything around me is reminding me that Christ is alive! "He is risen" is what Easter is all about for all of us Matt. 28:6. Not only physically, but spiritually as well. No matter how dark our days are, "Sunday will Come", the day Christ was resurrected. (see this awesome talk by Joseph B. Wirthlin) It is a great metaphor for our lives. We all have black days, but Sunday always comes. Jesus Christ has promised us that it will come. He has said,"I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live." John 11:25

As I partook of the sacrament today, the sacrament table is an alter, with the symbols of Christ's body on it covered in a white clothe, just as He was laid in the tomb. He is resurrected in each of us as we partake of these emblems and "take upon [us] the name of thy Son, and always remember him, and keep his commandments which he hath given [us]".D&C 20:77 This is a powerful symbol and reality in which we choose to live. Christ makes us whole through His atonement and His resurrection. What an incredible gift to us. Our gift to him is our love for him. We show our love to him through our obedience to his commandments John 14:15. We are so loved!!! "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16 He is risen. And we can too. We don't have to stay where we are if we choose to change and become something more or different. It is an incredible and beautiful plan. It is a perfect plan. This I testify.

"But the very hairs of your head are all numbered." Matt. 10:30

Today I had a bad hair day. It just happened. I blew it dry. Well mostly, when I stopped to answer the door.  I went back to blowing it dry, but the damage had been done. I didn't help it at all by needing to rest for a bit, having only gotten 5 hours of sleep last night. The headache was starting to get a tad too much. So, the rest mashed the hair down a bit more.

As the day progressed, my natural curl went from frizz to frump to blah. At first, I started to get a bit annoyed and a little grouchy about it because later that night my husband and I were going to be taking one of our son's out for his belated birthday date to see a movie. I didn't want to look too worn out or frumpy...even though I already did. Thankfully I had to take two of our sons to the pool for polo and swim practice. It helped me put things into perspective.

Let me explain. I didn't see my beautiful acquaintance, Julie, but I thought of her as I pulled up to drop off first one son, and 45 minutes later the second son.  She had the most incredible black hair. And the most amazing laugh ever!!! She still does. I just love her! She is a bright light where ever she goes. She is a swim referee and I have always just loved talking with her. She was diagnosed with breast cancer, I believe, last November and has gone through major chemo and radiation and lost all of her hair. So, as I drove through that parking lot today, grumbling about my frumpy hair, I realized that I at least have hair. I have been so blessed. I quit my moaning and started to count my blessings. It is amazing what I have been given. This little scripture found in Matt. is so precious and SO true! It reads: "Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows." Matt 10:29-31 Whether we have hair or not, every hair of our head is numbered. Heavenly Father cares about us and loves us and wants what is best for us. Trials aren't easy. But they make us stronger. I don't want to go through them, but I will definitely keep my bag, so to speak.

The hairs of our head are numbered.  It felt so much better once I got outside myself and let it go. I have nothing to fear. I am of more value than many sparrows- we all are. I made myself a promise, one I really hope to keep. I would never complain about my "bad hair days" again...ever. I will just be grateful for all the "good hair days" instead. For there are many more of those anyway.

Bad hair day or not, life is good. And in reality, everyday is a good hair day because Heavenly Father knows exactly where every hair of my head is:) This I testify.

"Seek the Lord Early" Primary Children's Songbook #108

I am not sure of what to write today other than to "seek this Jesus of whom the prophets and apostles have written..." Ether 12:41

How does one go about seeking Jesus? I think of "seeking" as in the game I used to play as a child called "hide-and-seek". One child was "it" and had to find all the other children that had hidden themselves before they were able to run to a homebase/freebase. It was a thrill to "seek" for everyone and see how many of my friends and siblings I could catch. Seeking wasn't easy. It required work. People were often sneaky and would hide in places I wouldn't think of as a child, especially if they were older than I was. But it was so fun to see if I could beat them to the homebase as they would sprint to beat me there if I spied them first or if they were able to do it before I ever saw them.

The beauty of seeking Jesus is...he doesn't hide. He is in plain sight and wants everyone to see him and find him. He wants all to "come unto him" Moroni 10:32. He's never going to hide from us. All we have to do is "seek". He says, "And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened" Luke 11:9-10.

He wants us to find Him! What are some ways I seek Him? I try to be grateful. I have been so blessed. I have eyes to see the incredible mountains, the beautiful sunrise, the blooming flowers. I have ears to hear my childrens voices, even when they are calling each other names. I am able to be forgiven and to forgive. I don't have to carry that burden of anger because I can let it go and turn it over to Christ. I have a family who is healthy. I have a car that runs. A husband that works. I have food to eat. I have friends who love me and are good to me. I have a testimony/witness that Christ is alive and loves me and everyone. He wants us to be happy! As I take this knowledge and apply it to my life, that knowledge that Christ lives and loves everyone gets bigger and stronger and I can't deny it. He cares about us no matter our circumstances. He wants us to seek Him and as we do we will be blessed to come to know "things as they really are, and of things as they really will be..." Jacob 4:13.

Throughout my life I have sometimes thought it was difficult to seek for Jesus. But I was only blinded by my own weaknesses and therefore, I couldn't see him. He is in plain sight. He wants us to see Him everyday. If we will but "look to God and live!" Alma 37:47

I know that as I have looked and done my own seeking, I have found this Jesus. Life is much better as I continue to seek Him. Sometimes, as the day passes, I forget to seek Him, and life gets harder. But, I continue to learn, life is so much easier when I seek Him and follow Him. This I testify.