This last week has been a busy one for me in my church responsibilities... and each thing I've worked on has given me an opportunity to reflect on a few ideas. They aren't deep doctrinal thoughts and may not be enlightening to you, but I'll share them anyway.
Last week we had New Beginnings for the Young Women in our ward. We based the night on the 2009 Mutual Theme which is found in Timothy 4:12. It reads "Be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity." We ate yummy soup and cheesecake, which always starts a night off well :). We had lighthouses all around and our YW President spoke about how we can be like a lighthouse to those around us by being an example of the believers. Several of the young women spoke about each of the Young Women's Values (Faith, Divine Nature, Individual Worth, Knowledge, Choice & Accountability, Good Works, Integrity, and the newly added value of VIRTUE) and how that value can help them be an example of the believers. I love listening to these girls (12 to 18 years old) speak from their hearts about spiritual matters.
Our bishop spoke last and reminded us that light from lighthouses reaches a certain distance before it can't be seen anymore. He mentioned that one lighthouse had the capacity to reach 20 miles, which seems like a long way! He asked us to think about our own circle of influence and what we can do to make sure that we are a good example to people within that circle. As I think about how technology allows us to communicate, I am encouraged (and a little overwhelmed) to think that our circle of influence can reach all the way around the world. I don't claim to have a strong voice or influence, but I do hope that I can be a force for good.
On Sunday Ryan and I spoke during our Sacrament Meeting and we were assigned to speak about my granddad's last General Conference talk "Come What May, and Love it." When I first heard our assignment, I was excited and thought (pridefully) how great it was, because I could perhaps give some more insight to what he had said since I was his granddaughter. Very shortly after, I started to realize the error of my thinking and panicked... "Oh no! People will expect me to give more insight to his words!" We made it through our talks, and I was grateful for the chance to study my granddad's wise counsel more in depth.
His talk is about making it through challenging times in our lives by laughing, seeking for the eternal, understanding the principle of compensation, and relying on the Lord. The one thought that has stuck with me is about trying to gain an eternal perspective. I know that Heavenly Father can see and understand me and my life in a clearer way than I can. I can even verbalize that. But when it comes to praying and even desiring or hoping for certain things, I think I have it all figured out. I wonder if my imploring, however heartfelt, is the spiritual equivalent to asking to eat candy and drink soda for all of my meals or to play video games all day long. When my kids ask for things that aren't good for them, I say no, over and over again. In their minds, the requests they make are reasonable and good. In my "wisdom" though, I can see that some things aren't in their best interest--I know the consequences and I can see a broader picture. I say no because I hope for more for them and I know that in the long run, they will be glad I said no. Sometimes I don't get what I ask for from Heavenly Father either. It isn't because He doesn't love me--it's because He knows more and blesses me with the things that are best for me, on a grander scale than my mortal eyes and mind can understand. It is precisely because He loves me that I don't always get what I ask for. I have a strong desire to change my prayers from "Please bless me with..." to "Please help me to accept the ways that I am blessed..."
And a last thought is from the Relief Society lesson that I taught from Elaine Dalton's talk "A Return to Virtue" which was fitting since virtue is the newest addition to the Young Women's values. She said, "Virtue is a word we don't often hear in today's society, but the Latin root word virtus means strength. Virtuous women and men possess a quiet dignity and inner strength. They are confident because they are worthy to receive and be guided by the Holy Ghost." One sister in our class noted that in our society, virtue isn't just a word not heard often, but it can be thought of as being negative, prudish, or old fashioned. The thought that has been going over and over in my head is that we need to be the guardians of virtue... no one else will do it for us.
I love what President Monson said (and that Sister Dalton quoted in the talk): "You be the one to make a stand for right, even if you stand alone. Have the moral courage to be a light for others to follow." (This brought the lighthouse idea full circle for me.) At the end of the lesson I had the sisters sign a banner, pledging that they would return to virtue. Some of the ladies (particularly the older ones) thought I was off my rocker as I handed them a permanent marker and asked them to write on my tablecloth, but I think that if we do something tangible and make a statement that we will do something, it's more likely to happen.
All photos in this post were taken by Ryan Harper of Ryan Harper Photography. The first and third are a lighthouse that is on Cape Cod, MA (taken in September 2007) and the middle photo is of Pigeon Point on the California coast (taken in November 2008).
**Any thoughts?
Helping in the kids' class parties. In Olivia's class we made pictures for the kids' parents, just like the ones of our kids below. In Coleman's class we didn't take photos--but we had a great time throwing bean bags into heart buckets and the kids shot off pink balloons at a heart shaped bulls-eye.
Cute Valentine Kids! Liv got her cute sweater from her cousin McKenzie (we love hand-me-downs) and Coleman's awesome heart pirate shirt was saved from last year (although it might be time to retire it--if he lifts his hands up to high we get some serious belly views).
I love flowers--even though Ryan knows I don't expect them, they are always such a nice surprise.
Ryan got a paint can full of memories and coupons and candy. I loved the idea when I saw it on Good Things Utah. You can buy clear, empty paint cans at Roberts (or other scrapbook stores) and with a little scrapbook paper, ribbon, and chipboard it makes a great gift for your sweetie.
The kids got their own little boxes full of treats, a Valentine's book, and a bunch of chipboard notes telling what we love about them.
It was fun to come up with some of the many reasons we love our kiddos.
We ate our heart-shaped pizzas with sparkling cider in fancy red goblets (have I mentioned that I love the Target clearance rack?).
I've always loved eating pretzels dipped in caramel and chocolate. I thought I'd try making them myself instead of spending a fortune for just a few--they turned out so pretty and so delicious! I had grand visions of delivering them to friends, but only a few lucky people got them (we liked eating them a lot).
