Just Have Hope

  Realizing A small tree grows towards the sun. Barely a foot large, its life has just begun.  It takes in the sun, the air, the soil.  And it grows, tall, strong, and determined. It grows until it can’t. The older trees have seemed to block its way. And it feels trapped. Every day becomes a struggle. Light has been blocked. The rainwater taken by others. The tree can no longer grow. She doesn’t grow but she stays the same. Just enough rain, just enough sun, just enough soil to stay alive. To make it by. But not enough to grow. And before she even knew that this would happen. It did. And now it’s too late. Only one thing can free the tree. She needs help, but she must allow it. To free herself from her feelings, her struggles, and her past. And then the woodcutter arrives. Dressed in black. And how long she has waited for this day. But he doesn’t help her.  He trims the trees far across the field. And she feels paralyzed. Her only comfort is her owner. A man dressed ...

 "It is not your job to fix other people. You can't fix them. You can only change the way you live and the way you respond to life..." ~Lisa Prosen "When you are no longer able to change a situation, you are challenged to change yourself. And that changes everything." ~Marcandangel Notice how both of these quotes say that you can't change other people or situations but you can change yourself. Since we have no control over others the only thing we really can change is ourselves.  I think this can be hard to remember especially when other people's lives are falling apart. We can be examples to others, we can help others and we can uplift others but we can't change them. They have to choose to change.  All of us have free agency in order to choose. Unfortunately, that means those we love can make bad decisions that hurt them. It is very hard to watch loved ones make bad choices and live with the consequences afterward. Sometimes I wish a good speech wa...

"Trusting God completely means having faith that he knows what's best for your life." ~Rick Warren This quote is easy to accept when things are going your way, but much harder when life has thrown you a curveball. I have been thrown a few curve balls lately and it has been hard to trust Heavenly Father.  Life is hard. That is the honest truth. I have seen miracles in my life. Heavenly Father keeps proving that again and again. I know that I can trust him, but sometimes it can be so hard.  Heavenly Father knows what's best for us, and what we need. Sometimes it can be hard to see that since we each have some idea about how we want our lives to play out. Well, life never goes as planned.  There have been a few times in my life where I will have a good experience, and then I will discover opportunities that this experience offers. However, sometimes these opportunities do not occur and I have to trust that Heavenly Father knows what's best for me. Maybe I truly don...

 " Nothing is IMPOSSIBLE; the word itself says, "I'm Possible".   -Audrey Hepburn I didn't realize until reading this quote that Im possible had the word possible in it. Every time I hear the word impossible I think of the meaning: not able to occur, exist, or be done.  Life is hard and many times there are many things that do seem impossible.  Examples of Impossible Things: (Courtesy of Google) -Flying without the help of an invention of some sort.   -Digging to the center of the earth.  -Going into the past or the future.  -Creating a force field.  Even if I can't do these things I know that with God nothing is impossible. He has ways of doing things we may not even be able to comprehend. There is always a way when it comes to God.  Things will get rough, and there will be times when things will seem impossible. Don't give up. There's a way. I hope that we will all have at least one opportunity in our lives to see s...

 "All your losses will be made up to you in the resurrection, provided you continue faithful. By the vision of the Almighty God, I have seen it." ~Joseph Smith What a powerful statement but one that rings true. Our losses will be made up to us.  I do not know how or when our losses will be made up to us, all I know is that they will. Heavenly Father has a plan, he will carry it out.  Many of us have lost loved ones or friends. We will see them again, of that I know. Death is not an end but a continuation of what has begun. I feel reassurance and peace knowing I will see those who have died again.  We will all lose many things in our lives, not just people but other things that will be considered losses as well. Do not let these things discourage you. There is hope, always.  I hope all of us can find ways to support people in their losses. We may not always understand what someone is going through but we can still offer our sympathy and support.  Associated ...

I was reading a book several months ago in June. I found a beautiful quote on one of the first few pages. It reads: "True love knows no constraints, no locks or bars. Past every obstacle, it makes its way. It spreads its wings to soar toward the stars. No earthly power will make it stop or stay." -Matthias Claudius  I couldn't help but love this quote when I saw it. (Pun intended.) I really like how Matthias worded this quote, you can't help but agree with him.  I think love is the most powerful emotion we have. It connects all of us and brings us closer together. The greatest things that have happened in history were because of love.  I know love will stand forever. Even for our loved ones who have died. We will see them again. I am grateful for the love in our lives. ❤  ~What does love mean to you? 

I came across a quote one day and I was greatly impressed by it. It made me look at patience in a whole new way. I am grateful that I found it because it comes to mind often.  "Patience is far more than simply waiting for something to happen. Patience requires actively working towards worthwhile goals, and not getting discouraged when results don't appear instantly or without effort." ~Dieter F. Uchtdorf   I learned a lot from this quote when I read it. It made me think of how I act when waiting for something. For example, if we are waiting for something to happen in our lives or for the right person to walk through the door we can do more than just wait. We can work on current goals in our lives and keep trying, while respectfully waiting until what we desire happens.           -Side note: This quote also goes a lot with learning something new and being patient until our practice starts to pay off. I know it's hard, especially when we really...

Back in May, I found a quote I really liked that helped me remember to be patient when times are hard.  "Be strong now, because things will get better. It might be stormy now but it can't rain forever." ~Tiny Buddha. I love this quote for many reasons. The main lesson I got from this was to be patient, and to wait until the storm ends. I am sure we are all anxious for everything to return to normal and for Covid to be over. However, it won't be over instantly and it might take time. But, this quote promises that the storm will end and I believe that Covid will be over someday too.  Right now, I think we can focus on spending time with our families and staying connected online with those around us. I have enjoyed spending more time at home and I have started goals that have blessed my life. I hope you will still be able to see positive things in your life each day. 😊 ~How has Covid changed your life?