My Ideology

This is all that really matters:

The church is true and I love being an active member of it.

I'm a daughter of God who loves me dearly and I love Him.

I have a Savior who died for me so that I can have the power to do impossible tasks and overcome my weaknesses.

Temples are vital.

Joseph Smith restored the true church and was a living prophet.

Thomas S. Monson is today's prophet and leads and guides God's church.

The scriptures are the word of God.

I can and want to talk to God through prayer.

People are innately good.

There is right and wrong.

I love and care about those I associate with; especially family, roommates, coworkers and classmates.

I like working hard because it helps me feel purposeful.

I like doing hard things because I love the feeling of triumph and achievement.

I love to serve because it makes me happy.

I love being happy because it feels good and helps me to put things into perspective.

I love taking care of my body because it gives me energy.

Being an amazing wife and mother is very important to me even though neither of these roles have yet become realities.

I'm getting a degree in English Teaching, but ultimately I want to be a homemaker.

I believe there is value in getting an education especially because I'm going to be a mother someday.

I like to be successful so that I can give back to God.

When I fail, I rely on the Atonement to get me back on my feet.

My life is a gift, my life has a plan.

I want to give my whole life to serving God, following His commandments and forwarding His work.

I want God to trust me and to use me as an instrument in His hands.

"This life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors."

Everything else is secondary to these uncompromising principles.

Letters

Dear Alex, Logan and Jon, The rooftop concert on Friday evening was very enjoyable (even though the slanted seats weren't). Thanks for the fun evening!

Dear Jason, The food you made for us on Sunday was SO GOOD!!! You are a top-notch cook! Thank you so super very much for sharing your talents and your food.

Dear Jon, Hanging out at the pool after running 9 miles has to be one of my favoritest things you and I have done yet. It was absolutely divine. Thank you for humoring me by getting in the (not very, but I'll amuse you) "cold" (*cough, cough*) water. You're kinda' the best.

Dear Sunshine, Phew--you're sure staring to get hot! Bring it on!

Dear FHE Family, The hike on Monday night to Battle Creek Falls was fun, chill, and gorgeous. Thank you for the lovely evening.

Dear Ward Soccer Team, Watching you guys play Tuesday night was SO FUN! Thanks for playing a game that was worth cheering through and that got me to hold my breath more than once!

Dear New Car That Belongs to Me, Wait--what?! I own a car?!!! Oh. Yeah. Still getting used to that thought.

Dear Karianne, It made me so happy to see you Wednesday at work! Sounds like you're having quite the crazy adventure up in North Dakota. I'm sad that you have to leave and go back today, but hope you know that I've missed you like crazy and can't wait for you to come back in the Fall!

Dear Scott, You are such and absolutely AMAZING friend for taking me to pick-up my car and then for being willing to be late to work when things went slightly crazy. You are a top-notch guy and a superb friend.

Dear Rachel Smith, I loved talk with you on Tuesday while walking to my car. Let's talk more again soon, okay?

Dear Jon and Coworkers, I had so much fun joining you guys on Wednesday for lunch! It was quite the privilege to be able to sit with ya'll in your little shed and to participate in the vital conversation about Disney movie music. I'm glad that Jon has such happy, upbeat and awesome people to work with.

Dear Emily, Eating dinner with you on Wednesday and coloring with you last night was pretty much one of the bestest things I've done in a very long time! Please, please, please say you'll do it with me again!

Dear Jon, Sometimes I wonder why on earth you still want to spend so much time with me when, after a day like yesterday, I look back and realize how dramatic I can be. I mean, I was even starting to annoy myself! Whatever it is that keeps you around though--even with all my dramatics--I'm extremely grateful for because I really like being with you.

Dear Thursday Temple Visits, You're one of the best decisions I've made all summer. Thank you for the peace and clarity and calm which you bring into my life. I plan on keeping you up.

Dear General Conference Talks, Sometimes you hit it right on the spot. I love how easy you are to access and how wonderfully inspired you make me feel.

Dear Half-Marathon Training, You have not been the best of friends lately. Let's change that, yeah?

Dear Amelia, I really need to write you a letter. I promise, I'm working on it!

Dear Landan, WELCOME BACK HOME!!! I can't wait to hear your homecoming talk this coming Sunday!

Dear Wonderful and Amazing Coworkers, I'm so grateful and blessed to work with people as amazing as you guys. Thank you for providing me with a workplace where I know my needs are just as important as the needs of the office. Thank you for your kindness and for lifting me up when I feel down. I'm so lucky to get to work at such an amazing place.

Dear Heavenly Father, Only two more days until Father's Day! I hope that the way I live my life over those two days can be, in the smallest way, a gift to You. Thank you for giving me the most wonderfully blessed life in the whole world. I love you so very much.

Dear Friday, I'm so super very extremely much excited to make you the best day that I've lived of my life so far! Here's to productivity, living with purpose, looking out for and lifting-up others, feeling the Spirit, choosing to be happy, using my agency wisely and responsibly, keeping a prayer in my heart, loving unconditionally and being just plain all-around awesome!

If I Were to Give a Talk on Agency...

The subject of receiving personal revelation has been on my mind a lot lately. I think it's been on a lot of people's minds lately--especially all my lovely peers who are also having to make many life-altering decisions. In the "decade of decision," we sometimes wish someone would just make all the choices for us. Some of this comes from being indecisive and lazy, but I think that a bigger part of it comes from having a desire to do the right thing. We are good people who want good things and we desire to follow the Lord. We've learned that He has a plan for us--that there's a purpose to our life here on earth--and we want to make sure that we don't make a decision that would lead us off this path or that would make ourselves or those around us unhappy. And so, in an effort to follow the Lord, we seek to know His will--to know what we should do. We read scriptures, we pray, we fast, we go to the temple, we ponder, we discuss things with those who love us, we study our patriarchal blessings, and we search the words of today's living prophets and apostles.

D&C 76:71-115

I have to keep a journal for my D&C class and decided to keep it on here. So. Here I go:

Today, our assignment was to read D&C 76:71-115, wherein it talked about the telestial and terrestrial kingdoms. I found this quote, from the student manual, about the telestial kingdom particularly touching:

“The [Doctrine and Covenants] explains clearly that the lowest glory to which man is assigned is so glorious as to be beyond the understanding of man. It is a doctrine fundamental in Mormonism that the meanest sinner, in the final judgment, will receive a glory which is beyond human understanding, which is so great that we are unable to describe it adequately. Those who do well will receive an even more glorious place. Those who dwell in the lower may look wistfully to the higher as we do here. The hell on the other side will be felt in some such way.

“The Gospel is a gospel of tremendous love. Love is at the bottom of it. The meanest child is loved so dearly that his reward will be beyond the understanding of mortal man.” --Elder John A. Widtsoe 

I love to be a member of a church that teaches love. I love that--only with very few exceptions--every single person on this earth is going to be rewarded with something glorious for their time here on earth. We have such a loving God.

I also liked how, in this section, it talked about how men are judged according to their works. I'm grateful to belong to a church that teaches that we are ultimately in control of our destiny. God has not predetermined which of us He will save. We will all be resurrected and we can all work hard now to receive greater glory in the world to come. The choice is up to us.