Part of The Team

We never realize it when we are younger but learning to be a part of a team will follow us throughout our lives. Teams come in all forms, from families to sports to co-workers, and if we learn teamwork when we are young then as we grow we will take those lessons with us. I mean that is generally how learning works this is no exception.

I loved playing sports when I was younger, heck I love playing them now, but there were times in the past that I didn't understand what my parents were trying to teach me about being part of the team. Though I am not super clumsy I still have my moments when something doesn't go exactly right and I get hurt. When I was younger there were a couple of times when I hurt myself enough to actually have a cast or crutches. During those times you can bet I was part of some sort of organized sport.

I remember the first time I had crutches, I was playing softball at the time. I could barely get around so of course playing in a game was out of the question. To me at the time that meant maybe sitting in the stands and watching my team win without me. My parents had another idea however. I was in uniform, on the bench, with my crutches yelling and cheering with the rest of my team. At the time I thought it was a little too much, why be there in uniform when I can't play. As I got older and again was on crutches, this time for the high school basketball team, it was the same thing. In uniform on the bench, cheering and being the support I could be for my team.

I never realized then what those lessons would teach me about being part of a team. As family we are always there to support physically and emotionally, as sports teammates we are there to cheer on those that might need to hear the encouragement, and at work we are there to cover for each other when sickness or vacations might arise. The thing to remember is that sickness, pain or other ailments may present themselves, but sometimes you have to continue to be there for the team. When you start to let the team down they notice, when they have to constantly cover for you they notice. No one is really keeping track but co-workers, family members and teammates will always remember when those times as they may become more frequent. Sometimes we have to be weary of how much we are letting our teams down.

Losing My Mind

Losing something or someone is never a good way to have a great day. Somethings are easily found and the day seems to get better, but there are things that you may lose forever that take a toll on ones emotions. It maybe a relationship that needs a change and you feel like it is a lost cause so you move on. Or it maybe a life the was taken because you could no longer watch the suffering.

Whatever the loss maybe it can seem to weigh heavy on your heart and your mind. You may even think how is it possible to continue from this great loss? Well like many wise people before myself have said, time can heal all wounds. That is not to say the wound will never hurt again, or that in the beginning it can't be reopened. I think of it like when my previously broken foot aches when the weather changes, just like that a loss can ache at times too. Not a day goes by that I don't miss my grandparents and the time that I could of spent with them.

Moving on can seem impossible when everything is fresh and a change is new. Forgiving someone who may have caused that loss may seem like it will never happen, but to move on you will have to forgive. Everyday that we hurt but continue to live we become that much stronger, just like a muscle that you work out and train. There are few things in this world that last forever, loss of some kind is inevitable, it is a sad but true fact. What we must focus on sometimes is Plan B, because even though we may think that there is only one path to happiness that is not true. We are blessed with multiple good ways for life to work out.

Gardener for Life

I have always loved gardening! Even before I could really walk I was doing it, and best of all it was something that I got to do with my Grandfather when he was still alive. I remember the fruits and vegetables that we used to grow and eat were so delicious and though it was hard work, there was more than enough food for our grandparents, my family, my aunt and uncle's family and then some. We shared with whomever would want to eat, literally, the fruits of our labor.

Me, Grandpa and Grandma

These days things are a little different, Grandpa has been gone almost two years and I live farther away from my immediate family in an apartment with no lawn or really any ground to plow and sow my fields. But with the help of the internet, Pinterest, my friends and my knowledge from my Grandfather, I am working yet again on a little garden of my own. I have become very obsessed with the idea of being able to at least provide myself and my friends with a minimum of fresh fruits and vegetables this year.

Growing everything out of containers and raised planters, if I get that ambitious. But for know I am starting with some aloe vera, tomato and zucchini that I picked up at the store this last weekend. If all goes well I am hoping soon to add some strawberries and blackberries which I will be growing out of a wooden pallet of all things. It will be amazing if I manage to get it all together and working. But even if I don't quite get it right this time I can try again next year and learn from my mistakes this time. And if I do get it right, then more berry scones to go around.

My little garden beginnings - Day 1

Light vs. Dark

We often hope that things can be black and white so that our choices will be easier. Many times in life things are just gray. Tonight we talked about something that is very much black and white, being reborn. Not an actual childbirth but a spiritual rebirth. Or in other words a baptism.

As we read in St. John tonight, we found out Jesus talks to Nicodemus about baptism and how baptism is the first step into gaining access to the kingdoms of God. It takes more that just baptism to get to the kingdoms of God, we do that by our works and faith and obedience in this world. When talking about how we can get to that point, Jesus talks about light vs. darkness. And how men love darkness rather than light.

We can think of the darkness in terms of acts or things that go against the words of the Lord and the light as just the opposite, those things that bring us closer to our Heavenly Father. I am just as guilty as any man of enjoying the darkness more than I should, but it is a great gift that we are given to be able to change and walk towards the light at any time, just like Alma the younger did in his time.

But I also had the thought tonight about thinking in literal terms on light vs. dark and times in the scriptures or in our lives when that happens.  Sis. Dorff brought up how we talk about childbirth as being a darkness and we come into the little when we are born. I thought about how when I was baptized I closed my eyes to go under the water and was in the darkness and when I arose out of the water I opened my eyes and it was light. Even in terms of death people often talk about walking towards a bright light which means that the person is in some sort of darkness. And having just recently read Joseph Smith's account in the sacred grove, I thought about how he was engulfed by a darkness before he saw the light and the two personages standing before him.

If I sit down and really think about it I am sure that even in my own life I could come up with a large number of instances when I have had to experience a darkness before I could reach the light. Bishop Dorff really said it best when tonight he said that in darkness there is no contrast but as the light comes, as we get closer to the Lord, we may find those dark spots and that is what we need to work on. Such great advice, and so very true.

It's Tuesday Night, Do You Know Where Your Children Are?

Tuesday nights are currently becoming my favorite night of the week. A couple of weeks ago before the school year was underway, I decided to make another great effort to take an Institute class this semester. It didn't work out the best last year but considering the craziness that I have felt in my life recently I decided that just going to church on Sundays and Family Home Evening on Mondays was not enough, so I decided to make sure that my friends and I get to go to Institute together.

I was worried that I wouldn't be able to go to class in the area because at the time they hadn't called a new teacher. Little did I know they would do just that shortly after my decision to make this extra effort. But just in case, to make sure I was going to get this extra learning that I needed, I knew about the Tuesday night class they offer in Saratoga. I had gone a couple of times the previous school year with a couple of friends in my branch and it was just an amazing experience, so I knew that if this was going to be the only way to take this class I was going to do it and I was going to take my friends with me.

Together with two of my best friends, we travel the 45 minutes each Tuesday and attend this class. Though we have only been going for three weeks it has been a great experience for me and hopefully for them as well. In the car ride there we get to talk about random things and sing all kinds of songs together. Once in the class we get to learn and grow spiritually. When the class is over we can stay and play volleyball with other young single adults in the area or we go eat dinner. We have currently taken to eating in different places each week and finding great food in the surrounding area. Eating together gives us a chance to talk about ideas and concepts that we learned in class that evening or even different topics that come to mind. Then we head home where we get to enjoy the warm evening air with the windows down and the radio up.

By the time I am home I am so happy. I love this time that I got to spend with my friends as well as the new concepts of the gospel that I have been able to learn. And even more so, as mentioned in and earlier post, I enjoy the Spirit that I get to share with my best friends. Their answers and questions are just a joy to hear and though we now have an Institute teacher in the area for Thursday night classes and I want to attend those as well, I hope that together the three of us can keep going on our Tuesday night adventures.

Institute

What an amazing Institute class we had tonight. I am so in love with the institute teacher Sister Dorff. She is amazingly talented and brings in an unbelievable spirit to the lesson. Going to her class is so worth the 45 minute drive that it will take every week to get to Saratoga to hear her words of inspiration.

But tonight it was more than just getting to listen to a great lesson from Sis. Dorff. Tonight I heard the voice of the spirit come from two of my greatest friends. Listening to the words that they had to say in response to the lesson we were being taught about what it is to know Christ, I really was touched by their words and could feel their love and understanding of the gospel parallel to my own testimony. It was the greatest feeling.

I know that we are not the quietest people and that we aren't perfect, no one is, but I was so glad that we were able to share this experience tonight. I think that is why I enjoy having them at church with me on Sundays because it feels exactly like that is where we are suppose to be together. And tonight was an even stronger bond, I have never felt as close to my friends as I did tonight when they were being sincere and sharing their thoughts and feelings about knowing Christ. My spiritual cup for the night has been filled and I have my two best guy friends to thank for that. I don't feel as bad for forcing them to attend class with me tonight.

From: Gospel Art Book

HP Challenge - Day 8 Favorite Lesson

I was thinking this would be a difficult one until I realized that the Quidditch lesson would be my favorite. I don't know if it is only for first years to learn how to fly on brooms but man i can't express in words how much I would love this lesson.

I have always wanted to be able to fly of my own accord. Just think about how much traffic I would avoid if I were able to use a broom to get around right now. Not to mention how much money on gas I would save. I have never imagined myself as a sports star but if I could play Quidditch I would train everyday to be the best.