Peace is...

Mormon Poet Emma Lou Thayne: On Going Away

My spiritual life withers in too much togetherness,
just as it thrives in quiet.

I traveled with my husband and family and with tennis players and members of boards. I spoke to groups across the country, always to be met and taken care of. My life was full. And I was dying. In all my busyness, something was missing that I could not name.

When I was accepted for a poetry symposium in Port Townsend, Wash., with some persuasion, my husband agreed. There, just an anonymous one of dozens of poets, living in a sparse single room in an old barracks, I learned to find space to pay a different kind of attention. I had time to focus on details and moments, not generalities. I had time to reexamine, to revise, to reinvent my sense of the world. And it was joyous fun! On the saltwater shores of Puget Sound, I learned to breathe in the "full measure of my creation."

Knowing is a process, not an arrival. Coming home, I struggled with how to be available to the many and the much I love and still be true to myself and to what solitude had offered me. The clarity of what I had learned pushed me to find spaces to be alone. I rented a little studio close to home to go to one day and night a week. I was accepted by writing retreats in Virginia, Illinois and Florida that were sponsored and inexpensive enough that I felt guiltless about going. I accepted offers from friends to visit their unused places. My family adjusted to my absences and learned that spaces in our togetherness made room for more relished time together. And I claimed the space to be all I can be.

Read the full article at the Huffington Post to find out what Emma Lou Thayne has to say about staying up all night!

More about Emma Lou Thayne:
Mormon Literature Database
A Woman of Gentle Strength
Emma Lou Thayne - Alive Again

e

Joy Is Love Exalted

Joy is love exalted,

peace is love in repose,

long-suffering is love enduring;

gentleness is love in society;

goodness is love in action;

faith is love on the battlefield;

meekness is love in school;

and temperance is love in training.

~Dwight L. Moody

Lesson: The Gift of the Holy Ghost

The Gift of the Holy Ghost, Lesson 21
By Devon Linn

The gift of the Holy Ghost is the privilege—given to people who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ, been baptized, and been confirmed as members of the Church—to receive continual guidance and inspiration from the Holy Ghost.

Receive the Holy Ghost!

Elder Bednar recently told us...

These four words—“Receive the Holy Ghost”—are not a passive pronouncement; rather, they constitute a priesthood injunction—an authoritative admonition to act and not simply to be acted upon.

The Holy Ghost does not become operative in our lives merely because hands are placed upon our heads and those four important words are spoken.

As we receive this ordinance, each of us accepts a sacred and ongoing responsibility to desire, to seek, to work, and to so live that we indeed “receive the Holy Ghost” and its attendant spiritual gifts.

“For what doth it profit a man if a gift is bestowed upon him, and he receive not the gift? Behold, he rejoices not in that which is given unto him, neither rejoices in him who is the giver of the gift” (D&C 88:33).

We need to (1) sincerely desire to receive the Holy Ghost, (2) appropriately invite the Holy Ghost into our lives, and (3) faithfully obey God’s commandments.

One of God's greatest gifts

The gift of the Holy Ghost is one of God’s greatest gifts to us. Through the Holy Ghost we may know that God lives, that Jesus is the Christ, and that His Church has been restored to the earth.

We may have the promptings of the Holy Ghost to show us all the things we should do (see 2 Nephi 32:5).

The Holy Ghost sanctifies us to prepare us for God’s presence.

We may enjoy the gifts of the Spirit.

This great gift from our Heavenly Father can also bring peace to our hearts and an understanding of the things of God

e

photo credit

Voice of the Spirit

In a world full of noise and many voices, President James E. Faust invites us to listen to and follow the voice of the Spirit, which is calm and quiet and leads to eternal life.



e

Silence Is a Fence Around Wisdom

Interesting article, The Sound of Noise Pollution in Our Lives:

In study after study direct links have been discovered between noise and some pretty serious conditions: stress, high blood pressure, sleeplessness — even speech interference and hearing loss. Noise pollution can also cause forgetfulness, depression and panic attacks....

Not only our ears, but our minds and spirits are bombarded with discord and ugliness. "Everyday noise is under the radar, yet it affects everyone's life," asserted Louis Hagler, a retired physician in Oakland, Calif., who recently published a review in the Southern Medical Journal of studies linking noise exposure to heath problems. "We don't say to people, 'You just have to learn to live with sewage in your water.' Why should we tolerate sewage coming into our ears?"...

And all this interferes with our ability to think, to perceive promptings of the Spirit...

"Let us be silent, that we may hear the whisper of the Gods," Emerson said....

Let's guard against it and take control of our environment into our own hands—the quality of our lives.

I know that my life is full of noise that distracts and robs me of my concentration (the AC at work, the coworkers phone conversation) or grates on my nerves (the frig, the clock, the dripping sink, the neighbor's TV) and even interrupts my sleep (the window air conditioner, the passing traffic). So when one of these stops I feel noticeably relieved.

It's good to make time for silence even if you have to steal away to the car for a few muffled minutes because listening to the still small voice, calming trouble thoughts or communing with God requires quiet.

One of my favorite scriptures is Psalms 46:10, Be still and know that I am God.

So, BE STILL...turn off the tv, turn off the radio in the car, and put aside the ear buds. Shut down the dishwasher, the washer and dryer, and other appliances.

Plan for quiet time in your life. And teach your children to be comfortable with quiet time too. It's important.

e

Photo credit

Video: Forgiveness

Have a tissue handy...

My Burden Was Made Light

Forgiveness and the power of Jesus Christ enable a man to survive losing his wife and several children in a car accident—and allow the offending driver to begin rebuilding his own life. Read President James E. Faust's talk on forgiveness: http://bit.ly/alS1ui.

Facing and Overcoming Addiction

If you or someone you love struggles with addiction, there is hope.

Web resources
Check out this website, Facing and Overcoming Addiction--Resources and Personal Stories. 

If you are a wife or mother of someone who is struggling with addiction to pornography, there is help here for you too...spouses, parents.

Support group
We have an Addiction Recovery Program in our area, provided by the Church and based on gospel principles. It is confidential and is meant for those with addictions, those affected by addictions, and support people. Everyone is at a different step of recovery so there is a lot of love and understanding.

It's every Sunday at 7:30 pm at the Stake Center. I go down every week and would be glad to pick you up. Call me.

e

Social Media and Privacy

More on Facebook settings

A few weeks back I wrote about setting your privacy settings in Facebook. After some more reading and following the controversy. I again encourage you to go and carefully set each preference.

There are 170 privacy settings.

Think twice about setting Friends of Friends. If you have a couple hundred Friends, some of which you barely know, they could have quite a “variety” of Friends, some of which you would never want to know let alone have any of your personal information.

Also, think about what your Friends are unwittingly allowing to be shared about you to third-party advertisers and marketers and gamers. You can’t control this, but you can control what you share. Keep it under control by not sharing too much information with them in the first place.

And, really, some of your settings should be “only me”.

Facebook Privacy: A Bewildering Tangle of Options, New York Times
Thoughtful—and angry—piece about FB privacy crisis from @zephoria.

Check yourself!

This article, Online Privacy: Check Yourself (Before You Wreck Yourself), at FastCompany, has some great ideas that would wise to follow. The first one is the most effective...don’t want mom to see it, or your nephew’s creepy friend, or your boss? Then don’t post it.

In an online world where personalization rules, there are two main ways to protect your personal data: Be vigilant about what you publish online; and be willing to roll up your sleeves and dig into the settings area of the tools and services you use to do so.

1. Does it pass the spouse/boss/client/date/stalker litmus test? ...The safest way to interact online is under the assumption that everything you put in will come out—on the original site as well as in search results and on partner Web sites. Stop and do an extra gut check before you post that status update, photo, or comment, because once it’s out there, it can be impossible to take it back.
   
   With aggregators, advertising partnerships, search engines, and an explosion in standards and ways for different Web services to share data, that one piece of content has legs—and show up in places you’d never expect, even if you delete it in the first place you put it.
   
   
2. Lean on the “Log Out” button. The best way to ensure Web sites aren’t collecting information about you based on a particular identity is to log out of services like Facebook or Google when you visit other Web sites (or even clear your cookies when you do).
   
   Facebook’s current partnerships with sites like IMDB and Yelp means those apps have access to your Facebook data if you stay signed into Facebook when you visit them. Google associates Web search keywords with your Google account if you’re signed in when you do them. Get into the habit of logging out when you're not using a particular service.
   
   
3. Audit your most used web service settings. Facebook’s privacy settings include over 170 options. Take the time to audit them, and make sure you’re in control of what's shared and how.
   
   Your Google Account Dashboard lists all the services and data associated with your Google account—-take a look to manage your privacy settings for each. For a real eye-opener, check out your Google Web Search History (and consider disabling tracking if you don’t like what you see).
    
4. Go incognito. When you do want to surf the Web without leaving tracks behind on your computer, you can—to an extent. All the major browsers (like Firefox and Chrome) offer “private browsing” modes, which, when enabled, don't save text entered into web forms, automatically delete cookies and Web history entries, and won't list any files you download in your history lists. Keep in mind private browsing mode doesn’t mean that Web sites don't have access to your IP address (and general location) and that they don't save information you enter on them—they do. However, incognito mode prevents cookies from getting associated with other sites you’ve surfed online. 

Good habits, a healthy dose of paranoia, and a willingness to dig through a Web site and your browser's settings panels are the best tools in your online privacy arsenal.

Staying Professional while being Personal

Because I’m active in social media, I have found these articles helpful. It can be a good thing and our leaders have asked us to be active in a positive way. So here are some thoughts.

10 Golden Rules of Social Media, Aliza Sherman
Balance Personal and Professional in Social Media, Dawn Foster


Hope something here helps you in your online interactions.
e

Book Discussion: The Peacegiver

“The difficulty of life itself is a blessing! he realized. For it initiates a desire within us to come to the Lord—a yearning we can feel even when we are blinded by sin!”

Our book this month was The Peacegiver by James L. Ferrell. Dinner at Devon's house was nice and we enjoyed discussing the stories from the Old Testament of Abigail and Jonah and of the Garden of Gethsemane and how they applied in our lives. We had 8 sisters join in conversation about the atonement. Thank you Marie for being our discussion leader.
Must-read links:
Read an excerpt and learn about the author.
The Scriptures as self-help ;-)
GoodReads reviews

Please join us for the next book discussion in July. The book will be Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. Devon says she downloads books from the library to listen to for free. Check out your library online.
Montgomery County
Chester County

e

Seek the Higher Ground

Worried about recent earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanos? Struggling with a  “bitter cup” or spiritual challenge? Learn how to find safety from life’s temporal and spiritual storms by following the Savior’s example and seeking higher spiritual ground.



Seek the high ground for safety and peace. Read the entire talk: http://bit.ly/cPbAoB

e

Faith in the Lord is trust in the Lord. 

We cannot have true faith in the Lord 

without also having complete trust 

in the Lord’s will 

and in the Lord’s timing. 

As a result, 

no matter how strong our faith is, 

it cannot produce a result contrary 

to the will of Him in whom we have faith. 

Remember that when your prayers 

do not seem to be answered 

in the way 

or at the time 

you desire. 

The exercise of faith 

in the Lord Jesus Christ 

is always subject to the order of heaven, 

to the goodness 

and will 

and wisdom 

and timing of the Lord. 

When we have that kind 

of faith 

and trust 

in the Lord, 

we have true security and serenity in our lives.

—Dallin H. Oaks, The Atonement and Faith, Ensign, Apr 2010, 30–34

e

Thoughts from Conference

Here it is Saturday afternoon and I'm listening to the first session of conference. A few notes and thoughts follow.

President Monson
•  87% of the members of the church live within 200 miles of a temple. That's amazing to me.
•  130 temples in operation, 16 announced or under construction
•  5 new temples: Brigham City, Argentina, Brazil, Ft Lauderdale (I'll bet Daniel is cheering), Japan

2 talks about the Spirit, 1 on burdens, 1 on teaching, 2 on love.

Elder Scott - Understanding and Becoming Confident in the Spirit

Of more necessity to be lead by the Spirit more than ever in our lives.

No formula. Learn how by exercising faith in Jesus Christ.

Essential personal growth comes from the struggle to learn how to recognize spiritual promptings. (Can't just have it handed to us.)

Confidence comes from experience. (in this and all things)

Inspiration to know and power to do.

Write down the impressions as accurately as possible. Study the application to you. Pray for confirmation from the Spirit. Ask “yet more to come?” Repeat the process of receiving, writing, study, prayer.

One great barrier to feeling the Spirit
Pornography is one of the most damning influences on earth. It is overpoweringly addicting and severely damaging. It degrades mind, heart and soul. The addiction cannot be overcome without help. Wow, he powerfully and clearly witnesses to the damage that comes.

Elder Scott witnessed that "as you pray with fervor, humility, gratitude, you can learn to be consistently guided by Spirit in all aspects of your life."

Sister Matsumori - Guided by the Spirit

We can help children and others understand the doctrine when we share our testimony of the influence of the Holy Ghost in our lives.

"I had hoped to feel different after baptism, but didn’t until I heard a brother bear a testimony of the Spirit."

Places: Testimony meeting, conference, temple. In our homes when pray and read scriptures. At church weekly.

We also need a time of quiet. “Be still and know that I am God”

Elder L. Whitney Clayton - Burdens

People struggle every day under burdens that tax their souls. Some for years.

Burdens come from:

1. Natural product of world - illness, hurricanes, earthquakes
2. Imposed by misconduct of others - abuse, addictions, sin, repression, crime, incorrect traditions, gossip, unkindness
3. Our own weaknesses, mistakes, and sin
   

We are all children of a loving Heavenly Father. Our unique experiences can help us prepare to return to Him. He knows us and our personal needs and ways of growth.

We must do everything we can to bear our burdens well for however long they last.

Burdens invite us to yield to the enticings of the Spirit and become as child. Thus they become blessings, though well-disguised. so well put

We can develop a reservoir of experience and compassion.

Keeping baptism covenant helps us bear our burdens as well as others. a double blessing

The Savior said that doing it unto the least is doing it unto me.

Savior offers support and sometimes deliverance in His time.

The Savior offers mercy. He, only one

As we keep commandments, He helps us with our burdens, strengthens, blesses with peace and joy.

Elder Russell Osguthorpe - Teaching Helps Saves Lives

Missionary work and other teaching is to help save lives, spiritual lives.

The truth saves us if we receive it and act upon it.

Effective teaching
1. Key doctrine
2. Invitation to action
3. Receive promised blessing

All parents and teachers are teaching future leaders of the church.

Can you think of time when teachers have "saved your life".

Elder David Bednar - More Diligent and Concerned at Home

1. Express love and show it. Tell of our love every day to spouse, children, parents. Consistently say and show. Thoughts, words and deed.

Do more of what we know is right, and do better.

Feeling the security and constancy of love is a blessing. The desire of every human soul.

2. Bear testimony and live it. To those we love of the things we know are true. With spouse, children, parents. What we know is not always reflected in what we do. It’s only a beginning - know it, bear it, live it. Create opportunities.

Feeling the power and edification is a blessing. Fortifies faith, light in dark, eternal perspective and enduring peace.

Love how each point parallels the others by the exact same language. Clever to reinforce by repetition.

3. Be consistent. Whatever our children remember it's that we were consistent. No specific prayer or lesson. At this point in my life, I agree with this thought. Consistency is more important than big vacations or other memory-making occasions. Wish we had been more consistent.

Be consistent in seemingly small things, proceedeth that which is great.

Publicly declaring love, and testimony and not living it at home is hypocrisy. Wow, such strong, clear language from a prophet.

Reduce the disparity between what we say and what we do.

Be more faithful in learning and living the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Be more consistent in the seemingly small things that matter so much.

Elder Uchtdorf - Let Us Be Known For Love

Church is growing and is better known throughout the world. What attributes do we want to be known for?

Our constant compass to help us prioritize, life, thoughts, actions IS love the Lord thy God first, then love our neighbor. Nice to have it pointed out so explicitly.

Love ought to be at the center of our lives.

It heals rifts, unites families, communities, nations. It's the basis for friendship, tolerance, humility and respect. It overcomes hate. It powers lives with hope. Such powerful promised blessings.

Love should be our walk and our talk. Another reference to hypocrisy. Perhaps we should look more closely at our lives.

As His children we have a vast capacity to love.

It defines our discipleship.

“We love him because he first loved us.”

If we draw near to him, he can draw near to us.

God is love. The closer we approach him the more profoundly we feel his love.

Don't get discouraged, if you stumble. The first step is to try...to believe, to study, to learn, to do. Keep on trying.

Love is the guiding light that fills the disciple's path. Nice metaphor

Let us be known as a people who love God with all our heart soul and mind and our neighbor as ourselves.


Wonderful words from our prophets! Some rebuking, some reminding, some reassuring.

(Okay so what's with the make-up? Did it look dark to you? Even the choir members?)

Hope you enjoyed the session as much as I did. Now off to the grocery store.

Ellen

Scriptural Insight: Peace

Guest Blogger: Ellen King

I was listening to the Book of Mormon on the way to work one day and heard the phrase peace as a river in the Isaiah chapters in first Nephi.

After inviting us to hearken, and come near, and keep the commandments, the Lord promises “thy peace [will be] as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea.” (1Nephi 20:18) Many other wonderful promises follow as vivid metaphors.

I love that phrase—peace like a river.

Maybe because it reminds me of the book Peace Like a River, by author Leif Enger. We read it a few years ago in book club. (I actually listened to it on CD and so I was quite wrapped up in the plot.)

My favorite part is near the end where the main character, an 11-year-old asthmatic boy, is describing a heavenly scene of great fields and grand orchards and being able to run freely and breathe easily. He runs with joy towards the sound of beautiful music and a river leading to a glorious city. The river turns out to be a flow of people who have joined in the journey toward the light of all lights.

The meadow hummed as though thick with the nests of waking creatures, and the grasses were canyon colored, lifting their heads as I passed. Moving up the river the humming began to swell—it was magnetic, a sound uncurling into song and light and even a scent, which was like earth. ...And the pulse of the country came around me, as of voices lifted at great distance, and moved through me as I ran until the words came clear, and I sang with them a beautiful and curious chant. ...[when I reached a pass I looked] to the plains below, at movement I took at first to be rivers—winding, flowing, light coming off them. They came from all directions, streaming toward the city...singing a hymn that rose up to us on the mountain...joyous and sanctified.

When I heard the phrase “peace as a river” in first Nephi, I stopped the CD so I could ponder what it meant for a few minutes. Usually my commute "pondering" ends up being worrying over work and family, making mental lists of things I need to do and conversations I need to have.

But not today...

Peace like a river, peace like a river...hmm. Most rivers I think of are ever moving, rough and tumble over boulders and stones, eroding their banks, carrying tons of rock and silt to the sea. Feels like my life. That's not peaceful.

But wait now, I do know bigger more peaceful rivers. What about the Mississippi?

Still, when you're on a river, even a big river, you have to be ever vigilant, worrying about what's downstream or constantly working to move upstream or to stay afloat even. That's not peaceful.

Although, there were times when I was younger, when we floated down rivers on inner tubes or rafts—quiet, enjoying nature, soaking in the sun, or laughing and singing. Those are good memories and they give me peace when I think back on them.

But maybe it's not about the river itself or anyone on the river. What if there were other qualities of rivers that can be compared to peace? How does one feel peace like a river? How does hearkening to the commandments give thee peace like a river?

Then it dawned on me.

Large rivers are fed by many smaller tributaries.

Especially the Mississippi. It begins at Lake Itasca in the Minnesota North Woods and is fed by pure waters bubbling from springs in the tops of mountains, then gathers waters from many streams as it moves toward the Gulf. It’s name is a Chippewa Indian word meaning 'gathering of waters'.

Maybe personal peace comes from many small sources in our lives, that combine to make up an encompassing peace or a lifetime of peace.

There was the truth, my truth, and the Spirit bore witness.

Small things, even widely spaced, can add up to a full sense of peace.

Here are some that do it for me...the smile of a sleeping baby, the smell of baking cookies or bread, the song of bird on a spring day, a few quiet minutes in the sun with my cat, a soft 'I love you' whispered just before dropping off to sleep, the distant sound of a lawn mower on a summer afternoon, the sudden whiff of honeysuckle, the whoosh of air when swinging on a swing, the crisp morning air on a clear autumn day, the snapping of pine logs as they burn in the campfire.

Yes, those are pleasant and peaceful, but these are even greater: the weight of my scriptures on my lap, emptying all my thoughts onto the pages of my journal, a completed prayer before climbing into bed, my favorite hymn being sung in church on a Sunday when I really needed it, the taste of simple food after a day of fasting, the rested mind once the tithing is paid, the distinct feeling of being clean when taking the sacrament, the soft tinkle of the chandelier in the Celestial room in the temple, His love as though arms were placed around me, the quiet thrill as the Spirit testifies.

Now that I’m focused on noticing and remembering, there are so many. How can I not see them more often...and remember the peace?! Maybe that’s why we covenant to always remember the Lord. The remembering is so important.

Until we have eyes to see, we don't recognize the small streams of peace that mix in with our everyday lives. And those streams come from the source of living water: He causes the water to flow out of the rock for us; he clave the rock also and the waters gush out...and we thirst not; He leads us through the deserts (see 1 Nephi 20:21) —and we thirst not, and we thirst not.

Let us always remember the source of our peace. Let us hearken to His commandments as Isaiah counsels, that our peace shall be as a river.

Ellen King

10 Common Challenges Families Face Today

Today, families are facing unique challenges that were unknown years ago. This feature of the LDS Church's Provident Living site emphasizes 10 common challenges and provides help for parents in navigating the stormy waters created by these issues.

No one is immune from challenges in this life. When social or emotional challenges arise, help is available. LDS Family Services provides free consultation to priesthood leaders and fee-based counseling services to Church members for a variety of situations and needs. These services can help individuals and families improve their quality of life. LDS Family Services has over 55 offices in the United States and 9 international offices.

Also, the following topical index of articles may help you answer questions regarding your challenges and concerns.

Lesson Recap: The Power of Forgiving

JS Lesson 34 The Power of Forgiving
Taught by Marie Tiller

The Saints should be armed with mercy
notwithstanding the iniquity among us.

“A man who had stood high in the Church while in Far West [Missouri], was taken down with chills or ague and fever. While his mind as well as body was weak, disaffected parties soured his mind and persuaded him to leave the Saints and go with them. He gave some testimony against the Prophet. While the Saints were settling in Commerce, having recovered from his illness, he removed from Missouri to Quincy, Illinois. There he went to work chopping cordwood to obtain means to take himself and family to Nauvoo, and [give] a present to the injured man of God if, peradventure, he would forgive and permit him to return to the fold. … He felt that there was salvation nowhere else for him and if that was denied him all was lost as far as he was concerned. He started with a sorrowful heart and downcast look.

“While [the man was] on the way the Lord told Brother Joseph he was coming. The Prophet looked out of the window and saw him coming up the street. As soon as he turned to open the gate the Prophet sprang up from his chair and ran and met him in the yard, exclaiming, ‘O Brother—–, how glad I am to see you!’ He caught him around the neck and both wept like children.

“Suffice it to say that proper restitution was made and the fallen man again entered the Church by the door, received his Priesthood again, went upon several important missions, gathered with the Saints in Zion and died in full faith.”

This man could have used his illness to excuse his behavior, but his heart was changed and he did all he could to seek out all injured parties and make restitution.

Joseph freely forgave him and welcomed him back.

Forgiveness involves mercy, long-suffering, patience, sorrow, joy, justice, restitution, strength, tenderness, loss, and unity.

The natural woman in us makes this principle challenging to live, sometimes. We judge, we misunderstand and we are ever trying to balance mercy with the desire for justice.

This is where the Atonement comes in to soften our hearts that we may have mercy towards one another.

It is necessary in our families, and in a ward family, where we know so much about each other and our weaknesses.

Forgiving can restore unity of feeling, trust, and peace in our lives.

Let us emulate Joseph Smith's example, "And I will now covenant with you before God, that I will not listen to or credit any derogatory report against any of you, nor condemn you upon any testimony beneath the heavens, ... until I can see you face to face, and know of a surety; and I do place unremitted confidence in your word, for I believe you to be [wo]men of truth."

My Media Fast

Guest blogger: Sarah Kinghorn

As part of May's Mentoring Moms I chose the goal of a media fast: no television, radio, and internet for 21 days.



What I Learned

Television

Since I do not usually watch a lot of TV, giving it up wasn’t too difficult for me. It was hard, however, for me for the kids to go without TV.

Radio

I learned that the first thing I do right after I start the car is turn on the radio. This really surprised me because it had become so automatic I didn't even know I was doing it. There was a lot less "noise" in the car. It wasn't quiet though, because I talked, sang, and laughed more with my kids.

Internet

This was probably the hardest thing for me to go without since it was my main form of communication and social interaction with people, over the age of 4. 



Satan has a powerful tool to use against
good people.It is distraction. He would have
good people fill life with "good things"
so there is no room for the essential ones.

~Richard G. Scott, First Things First,
Ensign, 2001 May, 6



I found this to be true for me with the internet. The internet allows us to connect with family and friends, which is a good thing, but for me it was becoming a distraction–taking time away from my family and the essentials. I didn't realize how much time I was spending on the internet until I stopped.



Some of the things I did during my “extra” time:


• Spent quality time with my kids. As a stay-at-home mom I am almost always with my kids but I am not always present. Instead of telling the kids to go play (so I could blog about them ;) I was playing with them.

• Read my scriptures on a more regular basis.
• Wrote in my journal 4 times (first time since August 2008)
.
• Scheduled and went to some overdue appointments (dentist, OBGYN)
.
• Completed some of the buggers on my to-do list.

Our society is fast-paced and everything needs to be done NOW.


Forms of communication that used to be the latest and greatest are not fast enough–mail to email to texting, tweeting, blogging, etc. 

There are some things that just take time and relationships are one of them.

• You can't text the sound of your baby's first laugh.
• You can't email the picnic in the backyard with your family.
• You can't post the feel of hugs and drool-y kisses.

Without the television or radio or computer on, life was much quieter even with a baby, a toddler, and a preschooler. The noise was gone and I was alone with my thoughts.

For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.
Proverbs 23:7

Sometimes the noise from the media can crowd out our own thoughts.

Now that I’ve completed my goal, does this mean that I’ve given up these things forever? Of course not. Will I be setting limits for myself and my kids?

Definitely.

The Prophet in Liberty Jail

Joseph Smith, Chapter 31
Taught by Sandy Fultz

You can have sacred, revelatory experiences
with the Lord in the most miserable experiences
of your life.

A Prison-Temple Experience

"Most of us, most of the time, speak of the facility at Liberty as a 'jail' or a 'prison'—and certainly it was that. But Elder Brigham H. Roberts, in recording the history of the Church, spoke of the facility as a temple, or, more accurately, a 'prison-temple.'

"So in what sense could Liberty Jail be called a 'temple'—or at least a kind of temple—in the development of Joseph Smith personally and in his role as a prophet? And what does such a title tell us about God’s love and teachings, including where and when that love and those teachings are made manifest?

"[The message is] that when you have to, you can have sacred, revelatory, profoundly instructive experience with the Lord in any situation you are in. Indeed, let me say that even a little stronger: You can have sacred, revelatory, profoundly instructive experience with the Lord in the most miserable experiences of your life—in the worst settings, while enduring the most painful injustices, when facing the most insurmountable odds and opposition you have ever faced." Jeffrey R. Holland, Lessons from Liberty Jail

Binding Our Hearts to Family and Friends

Joseph Smith also taught that "every species of wickedness and cruelty practiced upon us will only tend to bind our hearts together and seal them together in love." How does this work? Several ideas were given by the sisters...we are humbled and turn to one another and Lord; we can choose love and doing what's right in the midst of the trial rather than being broken and becoming cynical; the bonding with others is often recognized later; and over time we come to understand and feel empathy for others with similar pain.

He Will Be With Us

The Savior descended below all (D&C 122:8-9), so He understands and can give us peace. That peace can be a feeling of calm during the trial. It can be acceptance and the strength to move on. It can be greater faith or a knowledge that all things will work together for our good. It can be a realization that we are stronger than we think we are.

All things will work together for your good.
~ D&C 100:15