Good Thoughts to Live By in Trials #18

Special Lessons

Posted: 05 May 2012 08:00 AM PDT

"Some might ask when faced with such suffering, how could Almighty God let this happen? And then that seemingly inevitable question, why did this happen to me? Why must we experience disease and events that disable or call precious family members home early or extend their years in pain? Why the heartaches? At these moments we can turn to the great plan of happiness authored by our Heavenly Father. That plan, when presented in the pre-earth life, prompted us all to shout for joy. Put simply, this life is training for eternal exaltation, and that process means tests and trials. It has always been so, and no one is spared."

—Elder Ronald A. Rasband, "Special Lessons", General Conference, Apr. 2012
Topics: Trials

Lately, I've been talking with some people who are going through very difficult times and wonder how they can keep going.  Our family is also struggling with challenges that weigh us down and makes one wonder when it will all get easier or end.  We know things eventually end, but there is no promise they'll get easier.  That reality doesn't need to be depressing because of the hope we can carry in our hearts and the comfort in knowing, if we rely on God, we will have the strength to survive whatever we are required to endure. Responding to the emails that come into LDS.org,  I often feel helpless to assist  those who are hungry, homeless, or suffering pain in circumstances they did or did not cause .  The only thing I can offer is perhaps a  suggestion for action in contacting someone for help or simply tell them to hold on to their faith and to pray.  I see in the needs of so many the reason for those who can help to be involved in some way.  Giving of our time and means is one way to make a difference in the world, even if it is only one person, or in one little spot on this earth. Today, I am especially thankful for everyone who has ever helped me in any way and for all the good people in the world who reach out in any way to comfort, support, assist, or uplift others. * * * * * * * * This poem (below) appeared in Dear Abby to give people a sense of peace when they feel guilty and think they hadn’t done all they could for a loved one while they were still on the earth to enjoy it.  I would rather have a little rose From the garden of a friend, Than have the choicest flowers When my stay on earth shall end. I would rather have the kindest words And a smile that I can see, Than flattery when my heart is still And this life ceased to be. I would rather have a loving smile From the friends I know are true, Than tears shed around my casket When the world I bid adieu. * * * * * * * How wonderful it is that no one need wait a single moment to improve the world.   -Anne Frank * * * * * * * Everything can be taken from man except the last of the human freedoms, his ability to choose his own attitude in any given set of circumstances.   -Victor Frankel

When we truly know of our divine nature, we will focus our eyes on sights, our ears on sounds, and our minds on thoughts that are a credit to our Father in Heaven.
  -Russell M. Nelson

I will prepare and perhaps some day my chance will come.
  -Abraham Lincoln

To see God’s glory in his earthly creations makes one feel humble to be participants in his latter-day kingdom.  -Marlin K. Jensen

To see God’s glory in his earthly creations makes one feel humble to be participants in his latter-day kingdom.  -Marlin K. Jensen

Good Thoughts to Live By #16

The Merciful Obtain Mercy

Posted: 03 May 2012 11:00 PM PDT

"The Apostle Paul in his letter to the Romans said that those who pass judgment on others are 'inexcusable.' The moment we judge someone else, he explained, we condemn ourselves, for none is without sin. Refusing to forgive is a grievous sin—one the Savior warned against. Jesus’s own disciples had 'sought occasion against [each other] and forgave not one another in their hearts; and for this evil they were afflicted and sorely chastened.'"

—President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "The Merciful Obtain Mercy", General Conference, Apr. 2012
Topics: Forgiveness

It is only imperfection that complains of what is imperfect.  The more perfect we are, the more gentle and quiet we become toward the defects of others.
  -Fénelon


Peace does not dwell in outward things, but within the soul.
  -Fénelon


Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
  -Matthew 11:28

Each small task of everyday life is part of the total harmony of the universe.
  -Thérèse of Lisieux


Pray for a good harvest, but keep on plowing.
  -Nancy Otto Boffo, Titusville, Florida


When we do what we can, God will do what we can’t.
  -Seen at New Prospect Church, Anderson, South Carolina

Nothing will ever be attempted if all possible objections must first be overcome.
  -Samuel Johnson


People see God every day, they just don’t recognize him.
  -Pearl Bailey


If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else.
  -Booker T. Washingtion

A Creed to Live By
Don’t underestimate your worth by comparing yourself with others.  It is because we are different that each of us is special. 
Don’t set your goals by what other people deem important.  Only you know what is best for you.
Don’t take for granted the things closest to your heart.  Cling to them as you would your life, for without them, life is meaningless.
Don’t let your life slip through your fingers by living in the past or for the future.  By living your life one day at a time, you will live all the days of your life.
Don’t give up when you still have something to give.  Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying.
Don’t be afraid to encounter risks.  It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave.
Don’t shut love out of your life by saying it’s impossible to find.  The quickest way to receive love is to give love; the fastest way to lose love is to hold to it too tightly; and the best way to keep love is to give it wings.
Don’t dismiss your dreams; to be without dreams is to be without hope; to be without hope is to be without purpose.
Don’t run through life so fast that you forget not only where you’ve been, but also where you’re going.
Life is not a race, but a journey to be savored each and every step of the way.
  -Nancy Sim

Good Thought to Live By #17

Ceiling in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, Salt Lake City

How to Obtain Revelation and Inspiration for Your Personal Life Posted: 28 Apr 2012 08:00 AM PDT "Communication with our Father in Heaven is not a trivial matter. It is a sacred privilege. It is based upon eternal, unchanging principles. We receive help from our Father in Heaven in response to our faith, obedience, and the proper use of agency." —Elder Richard G. Scott, "How to Obtain Revelation and Inspiration for Your Personal Life", General Conference, Apr. 2012 Topics: Prayer, Revelation

Visitor in our back yard

It is in the shelter of each other that the people live.
-Irish proverb


Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.
-Theodore Roosevelt


Sometimes we have to replace a few “what ifs” with some good old-fashioned “so whats.”
-Denny Brake, Raleigh, North Carolina


You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don’t try.
-Beverly Sills

A couple of other visitors with the group of four

Good Timber


The tree that never had to fight        Good timber does not grow with ease,
For sun and sky and air and light,        The stronger wind, the stronger trees,
But stood out in the open plain        The further sky, the greater length,
And always got its share of rain,        The more the storm the more the strength.
Never became a forest king            By sun and cold, by rain and snow,
But lived and died a scrubby thing.        In trees and men good timbers grow.


The man who never had to toil        Where thickest lies the forest growth
To gain and farm his patch of soil,        We find the patriarchs of both.
Who never had to win his share        And they hold counsel with the stars
Of sun and sky and light and air,        Whose broken branches show the scars
Never became a manly man            Of many winds and much of strife.
But lived and died as he began.        This is the common law of life.
-Douglas Mallock

This used to be the entry to the Hotel Utah.  It is now the Joseph Smith Memorial Building.  We ate on the 10th floor of this building for our anniversary.  

In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.
-Albert Einstein


If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant; if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be welcome.
-Anne Bradstreet


You must understand that you create all that you are.
-Bob Greene


Realize, and truly realize, that what stands between you and a different life are matters of responsible choice.  Choice is the engine of our evolution.
-Gary Zukav

Daffodils in our front yard

You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face . . . You must do the thing you cannot do.
-Eleanor Roosevelt


Live now, believe me, wait not till tomorrow, gather the roses today.
-Pierre de Ronsard


Joy is not in things; it is in us.
-Richard Wagner


Always do right.  This will gratify some people, and astonish the rest.
-Mark Twain


The plan of salvation is designed to make of this earth, a heaven, and of man, a god.
-Bruce R. McConkie

I've always love the marble staircase in the Joseph Smith Building

The mass of men worry themselves into nameless graves, while here and there a great unselfish soul forgets himself into immortality.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson


Thee lift me, and I lift thee, and together we ascend.
-John Greenleaf Whittier


He who sits cross-legged with mouth open waiting for roast duck to fly in is going to have a long hunger.
-Old Confucian Proverb

Good Thought to Live By #15

In Tune with the Music of Faith "Please understand that faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and keeping His commandments is and always will be the defining test of mortality. Above all else, each of us must realize that when one is tone deaf to the music of faith, he or she is out of tune with the Spirit. As the prophet Nephi taught, 'Ye have heard his voice … ; and he hath spoken unto you in a still small voice, but ye were past feeling, that ye could not feel his words.'" —Elder Quentin L. Cook, "In Tune with the Music of Faith", General Conference, Apr. 2012 Topics: Faith, Jesus Christ, Holy Ghost

My cousin's sail boat with her dog in a life jacket-Northern California

The Champion’s Creed
I am not judged by the number of times I fail, but by the number of times I succeed.  And the number of times I succeed is in direct proportion to the number of times I can fail and keep trying!
-Tom Hopkins, sales trainer and writer


Love that my life began,
Love,  that will close life’s span,
Love that grows ever by love-giving
Love, from the first to last,
Love, till all life be passed,
Love that loves on after living!
-George Sigerson

. . . for a time I play catch while the children sing; then it is my turn.  Playing like this, times slips aways.  Passersby point and laugh, asking, “What is the reason for such foolishness?”  I only bow.  Even if I answered, they would not understand.  Look around!  There is nothing else but this.
-Ryokan


Ercell has had this little, yellowed piece of paper, with the thoughts below, tucked away in a drawer for many years:


I was that which others did not want to be.
I went where they feared to go and did what others failed to do.
I asked nothing from those who gave nothing, and reluctantly
accepted the thought of eternal loneliness . . . should I fail.
I have seen the face of terror; felt the stinging cold of fear;
and enjoyed the sweet taste of a moment’s love.
I have cried, pained, and hoped . . . but most of all,
I have lived times others would say were best forgotten.
At least someday I will be able to say that I was proud of
what I was–just a soldier.

Sail away, sail away

Believe nothing, O monks, merely because you have been told it . . . or because it is traditional, or because you yourselves have imagined it.  Do not believe what your teacher tells you merely out of respect for the teacher.  But whatsoever, after due examination and analysis, you find to be conducive to the good, the benefit, the welfare of all beings–that doctrine believe and cling to, and take it as your guide.
-The Buddha


The wonder that shows itself today, tomorrow, and yesterday can never be relived.  Once you understand this, life can get a whole lot more interesting.
-Bernard S. King


May your mind forever sparkle like a star, your heart remain pure as fallen snow, and your spirit forever sense the wonderment of a child.
-Mary Summer Rain


Learn to hold loosely all that is not eternal.
-A. Maude Royden

Good Thoughts to Live By #14 and The Light of the World

A thought has been lingering in my mind since Easter Sunday.  The symbolic nature of the signs given of Christ entering the world and of his resurrection that were recorded in the Book of Mormon made me think of light.


Everyone in the New World (Western Hemisphere) and Old World (Eastern Hemisphere) saw the special star in the sky.  That was a great light announcing the Light of the World had arrived.  


The New World had a day and a night and a day as if it were one day.  The sun did not go down.  More light in the world was the sign the prophets had said would come when the Savior was born.  


When Jesus Christ was crucified, in the New World it became so dark that no light could be seen anywhere and the mist of darkness hung so heavy that a fire could not be made.  After three days of having no light, the Savior of the world appeared to them.  He said, 


"I am the light and life of the world." 


 What great ways to remind people of Him who came to make it possible for all of us to live in the light!

My colored eggs at Easter weren't hard boiled . . .

. . . so the eggs had a wee bit of color in them when they were cooked.

If you do not follow the right path, you will be lost.
-The Buddha

Brothers, have not fear of men’s sin.  Love a man even in his sin, for that is the semblance of Divine Love and is the highest love on earth.  Love all of God’s creation, the whole and every grain of sand in it.  Love every leaf, every ray of God’s light.  Love the animals, love the plants, love everything.  If you love everything, you will perceive the divine mystery of things.  Once you perceive it, you will begin to comprehend it better every day.  And you will come at last to love the whole world with an all-embracing love.
-Feodor Dostoyevsky

The face of the wise man is not somber or austere, contracted by anxiety and sorrow, but precisely the opposite: radiant and serene, and filled with a vast delight, which often makes him the most playful of men.
-Philo

“Nothing Doing.”
Some us us need to discover that we will not begin to live more fully until we have the courage to do and see and taste and experience much less than usual . . .
-Thomas Merron

THE DILEMMA

To laugh is to risk appearing a fool.
To weep is to risk appearing sentimental.
To reach out for another is to risk involvement.
To expose feelings is to risk rejection.
To place your dreams before the crowd is to risk ridicule.
To love is to risk not being loved in return
To go forward in the face of overwhelming odds is to risk failure.
But risks must be taken because the greatest
hazard in life is to risk nothing.
The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing,
is nothing.
He may avoid suffering and sorrow, but he cannot learn, feel, change,
grow or love.  Chained by his certitudes, he is a slave.  He has
forfeited his freedom.
Only a person who dares to risk is free.
-From a Dear Abby column

Living is the process of continuous rebirth.  The tragedy in the life of most of us is that we die before we are fully born.
-Erich Fromm

Good Thoughts to Live By #13

"We are not perfect. The people around us are not perfect. People do things that annoy, disappoint, and anger. In this mortal life it will always be that way. Nevertheless, we must let go of our grievances. Part of the purpose of mortality is to learn how to let go of such things. That is the Lord’s way. Remember, heaven is filled with those who have this in common: They are forgiven. And they forgive.

 —President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Why Do We Need Prophets?", General Conference, Apr. 2012

Topics: Forgiveness

People travel to wonder at the height of the mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long course of rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motion of the stars; and they pass by themselves without wondering.
-St. Augustine


A man’s wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense.
  -Proverbs 19:11


Do you have the patience to wait till your mud settles and the water is clear?  Can you remain unmoving till the right action arises by itself?
  -Tao Te Ching

The only preparation I can make [for death] is by fulfilling my present duties.  This is the everlasting life.
  -Ralph Waldo Emerson

When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world.
  -John Muir

When you try to understand everything, you will not understand anything.  The best way is to understand yourself, and then you will understand everything.
  -Shunryu Suzuki

It is not easy to find happiness in ourselves, and it is not possible to find it elsewhere.
  -Agnes Repplier, The Treasure Chest

In these words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: It goes on.
   -Robert Frost

Good Thoughts to Live by #12

General Conference is over until October and the grounds around Temple Square, Salt Lake City, Utah, are certainly beautiful for everyone to enjoy.  It is a stark contrast to what it'll look like in Oct., though there may still be some flowers, the fountain most likely won't be flowing.

Below is a quote from the spiritual feast we call "Conference" where the world can hear prophets and apostles witness the truth of the gospel and that Jesus Christ lives--just as in days of old when He was on the earth.  This is very exciting and meaningful for those who follow the Savior of the world.

"If we have faith in Jesus Christ, the hardest as well as the easiest times in life can be a blessing. In all conditions, we can choose the right with the guidance of the Spirit. We have the gospel of Jesus Christ to shape and guide our lives if we choose it. And with prophets revealing to us our place in the plan of salvation, we can live with perfect hope and a feeling of peace. We never need to feel that we are alone or unloved in the Lord’s service, because we never are. We can feel the love of God. The Savior has promised angels on our left and our right, to bear us up. And He always keeps His word."

—President Henry B. Eyring, "Mountains to Climb", General Conference, Apr. 2012

Those who have eyes to see. . . well, will be struck with wide-eyed wonder no less.

Be a lamp to yourself.  Be your own confidence.  Hold to the truth within yourself, as to the only truth.
-The Buddha

It is not the treatment of a people that degrades them, it’s their acceptance of it.
-Brown vs Brown

You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.
-Christopher Robin

Once a yogi, sitting on the banks of the Ganges, saw a scorpion fall into the water.  He scooped it out, only to be bitten by the scorpion.  It happened again, and again, with the same result.  A bystander asked the yogi: “Why do you keep rescuing that scorpion, only to have it bite you?”
“It is the nature of scorpions to bite,” replied the yogi.  “And it is the nature of yogis to help others when they can.”       
-Hindu Mondo

Spring has sprung--yay!

You should know that no one can hold the mind by himself, if it not be held by the Spirit.  For it cannot be held, not because of its mobile nature but because, through neglect, it has acquired the habit of turning and wandering hither and thither . . . A mind thus inclined and withdrawn from God is led captive everywhere.
-St. Gregory of Sinai

In proportion as our inward life fails, we go more constantly and desperately to the post office.  You may depend on it, that poor fellow who walks away with the greatest number of letters, proud of his extensive correspondence, has not heard from himself this long while.
-Henry David Thoreau

Blossoms and the Salt Lake Temple.  Blossoms are in the trees everywhere in Utah now.

Benedicto: May your trails be crooked,
winding, lonesome,
dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. 
May your rivers flow without end,
meandering through pastoral valleys
tinkling with bells,
past temples and castles and poets’ towers
into a dark primeval forest where tigers
belch and monkeys howl,
through miasmal and mysterious swamps
and down into a desert of red rock,
blue mesas, domes and pinnacles and
grottos of endless stone,
and down again into a deep vast ancient
unknown chasm
where bars of sunlight blaze on profiled
cliffs,
where deer walk across the white sand
beaches,
where storms come and go
as lightnings clangs upon the high crags,
where something strange and more beautiful
and more full of wonder than your deepest dreams
 waits for you–
beyond the next running of the canyon walls.
-Edward Abbey 

To me, Tulips and Daffodils represent Easter and the resurrection, which brings bright hope for new beginnings.