But, when I was in high school. I was having a really hard time with something. To this day, I don't remember exactly what it was. I'm sure that it had something to do with how people that I thought were my friends were treating me. But I was obsessing over it. I would think about it all the time and it had gotten to the point that I could no longer concentrate on anything but it and I was becoming really negative and upset over it.
At the time, I had a wonderful Young Women's Leader named Kelly.
She and I were really close and always saw eye to eye.
One night I was talking with her about the problem that I was having. She told me the following advice.
Every time the thought comes to mind, tell yourself "I will think about it at 8:30.
The time itself has to be set by you, it should be a time that you will always have available to you.
When 8:30 comes, you are going to think about the problem. You can cry, scream, punch pillows, whatever you have to do. For as long as you have to do it. But only beginning at 8:30.
The first night, it may take to hours.
But the second night, it might only take 1 hours and 55 minutes.
Sooner or later you will never have to tell yourself 8:30. And the problem won't bother you anymore.
This wisdom was definitely used and I am grateful for it to this day.
Whenever a struggle comes to my life, I hear her words.
"A single thread in tapestry, though its color brightly shines can never see its purpose in the pattern of the grand design. And the stone that sits at the very top of the mountain's mighty face, Does it think it's more important than the stones that form the base? So how can you see what your life is worth or where your value lies? You can never see through the eyes of man. You must look at your life through Heaven's eyes. A lake of gold in the desert sand is less than a cool fresh spring. And to one lost sheep a shepherd boy is greater than the richest king. If a man lose ev'rything he owns has he truly lost his worth? Or is it the beginning of a new and brighter birth? So how do you measure the worth of a man in a wealth or strength or size? In how much he gained or how much he gave? The answer will come to him who tried to look at his life through Heaven's eyes. And that's why we share all we have with you though there's little to be found. When all you've got is nothing. There's a lot to go around. No life can escape being blown about by the winds of change and chance. And though you never know all the steps you must learn to join the dance. So how do you judge what a man is worth? By what he builds or buys? You can never see with your eyes on earth. Look through Heaven's eyes. Look at your life through Heaven's eyes."
Doctrine and Covenants 1:30 reads: "And also those to whom these commandments were given, might have power to lay the foundation of this church, and to bring forth out of obscurity and out o darkness, the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth, with which I, the Lord, and well pleased, speaking unto the church collectively and not individually-"
The restoration of the gospel happened in many stages where different vital ordinances and principles were restored back to the earth: baptism, the Book of Mormon, the Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthood, the sealing power, personal revelation, temples, the plan of happiness, the word of wisdom. The list could go on and on, and each item brings us closer to the Savior.
Isaiah 25:9 reads:
And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.
We often hear the phrase "waiting on the Lord' in this church. We say that we wait upon him for answers to our most sincere prayers, but I often wonder how often the Lord is waiting upon me. He is waiting to help us, but we need to ask.
Joseph Smith History verses 11-13 state:
While I was laboring under the extreme difficulties caused by the contests of these parties of religionists, I was one day reading the Epistle of James, first chapter and fifth verse, which reads: If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbaideth not; and it shall be given him.
Never did any passage of scripture come with more power to the heart of a man that this did at this time to mine. It seemed to enter with great force into every feeling of my heart. I reflected on it again and again, knowing that if any person needed wisdom from God, I did; for how to act I did not know, and unless I could get more wisdom than I then had, I would never know; for the teachers of religion of the different sects understood the same passages of scripture so differently as to destroy all confidence in settling the question by an appeal to the Bible.
At length I came to the conclusion that I must either remain in darkness and confusion, or else I must do as James directs, that is, ask of God. I at length came to the determination to "Ask of God" concluding that if he gave wisdom to them that lacked wisdom, and would give liberally, and not upbraid, I might venture.
Later on, verse 17 reads
It no sooner appeared than I found myself delivered from the enemy which held me bound. When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them speak unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other- This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!"
The way that our Father in Heaven called unto Joseph has always struck me hard. To be honest, most of us don't even address each other by name, we just shout "Hey!" and usually get the desired response that we want. But the significance of the Father referring to Joseph by his name taught Joseph and us a powerful lesson. Because even though there are times in our lives when we are blinded by our humanity and cannot see the Lord's hand in our lives, He can always see us and He knows us! He even knows our name. He knows exactly how to speak to us in a way that we can understand and in a way that we will respond to. It also brings me to ponder that if I had the faith and strength of a 15 year old who knelt in a grove of trees, I may have fewer instances when the Lord is waiting upon me.
I recently got a new job. And through the whole process of looking for a posting, filling out the application, going to the interview, accepting the job, putting in my notice at my last job, and even starting the new one. I hated it. I didn't want to do any of it. But during the experiences, I could think of {what I thought was} very logical reasons why it was the thing to do. It wasn't until a week after I'd started the new job that I saw how much The Lord care about me and loved me enough to push me through that "enemy which held me bound." I truly felt like Joseph in the grove. That I was searching for this answer but every time I thought to ask, something stopped me. And even though I couldn't see Him, He kept saying "Heidee! You need to do this! It will be scary and hard, but I know what's best for you!" And it took me a week to look back and see the Savior guiding me to make, quite possibly, the best decision I've made for myself in a long time.
Everything about this gospel that you and I share is linked to Christ. Because the gospel has been restored it has brought us the knowledge of Our relationship with our Father in Heaven and Savior, Jesus Christ.
When I was about 14, I can remember first gaining a testimony that I still hold dear to me today about my relationship with my Father in Heaven and Savior, Jesus Christ. I was having a really hard time late at night. I remember being sad about something that had happened with some friends and I was having a hard time sleeping because of it. I remember praying, asking if He could help me calm down just long enough to sleep. I remember feeling comforted, but still, no sleep came. I remember looking t my ceiling and saying, "Heavenly Father, I love you. Do you love me?" To this day, I remember that arms that wrapped around me and answered yes.
Ever since that day, I have been able to look at my life through heaven's eyes on occasion and it has helped me through the minor and major decisions of my life. I know that I am a Daughter of God. And I know that Jesus Christ is my Brother.
I definitely don't know everything that there is to know about the Gospel or even the restoration of the Gospel. But I believe that you don't have to eat the whole pizza to know that it's good. And I know that this church is good. I know that it is true. I know that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love me and that they love you too. I know that Joseph Smith knelt in a grove of trees and prayed to our Father in Heaven, and that because of it, the world was forever changed. And even more importantly, my life was changed because of it. I am grateful for the restoration of the gospel because it brings me closer to the Savior and the opportunity that it gives me to sometimes see my life through their eyes. And I know that with Him I can do anything. And that because of Him I can return to Him and our Father in Heaven.
Do you all remember the show, Candid Camera? I swear that it was only on air for a couple of minutes. (Exaggeration much?) Actually to be exact, the show was on for a very long time; it was stopped and then started again in 1998. I don't think that the show lasted very long after that.
To fill in those of you that may have been born under a rock; Candid Camera was a hidden camera show that played various jokes on various people in various situations. For example, a veterinarian suggesting that the dog receive glasses so that they can see better.
Does the idea make sense? Good.
The reason why I bring this up, is because of some advise that I gained during the week.
Someone had said something about me that had got under my skin. Something that was partially true.
I sought advise from a mentor.
And he told me this story.
One episode of Candid Camera took place at a candy store in Manhattan.
The register said that "No Change Will Be Given"
So everyone would come in and buy their $5 worth of candy, give the lady $20. She would take the money, say thank you, and go about her business. When they asked for their change, she would show them the sign.
Everyone freaked out.
Except one.
One gentleman was shown the sign, and he literally whistled as he left.
When the stopped and asked him why he didn't get upset he said,
"I'm not going to let this waste space in my thoughts."
Never let what anyone else says waste space in your thoughts.
At my work, we have little care plan meetings for each of the residents every three months. In other words, it is a quarterly meeting. We talk about how the resident is doing and if there are any things that we can do to help improve their stay at the facility. In some ways, they help look forward to the annual review, where we hope there is some form of improvement.
Today I experienced an amazing quarterly. But this one was for myself. I have reached the point in my schooling where I have completed a quarter towards graduation. I have 300 practicum hours until I can say that I have a Bachelor's degree from Weber State University.
This is an accomplishment that I will be so relieved to have and so proud to have fulfilled.
I look forward to the 2 other quarterlys before I finally reach my annual. The big thing that I have worked so hard to receive!
As many of you know. I have a love for the piano...
Especially this piano..
That's right. A Steinway. I can only dream of owning one. But man do they have a gorgeous sound.
Anyway. Believe it or not, this post is not all about Steinway pianos.
I am going to tell you a wonderful story, however.
I have been taking piano lessons for 12 years, give or take a year. Throughout these years I have had two teachers. Both of which I adored through the years.
As I have grown and become more advanced in the piano and even began teaching piano lessons, I have found something wonderful.
Let me tell you about my piano teacher, Malinda. She has helped me learn that I can actually play the piano if I set my mind to it and even convinced me to practice more than I usually would have.
This is the amazing thing. I no longer see Malinda as a teacher, but as a mentor. If you look at the facts, piano is partially self-taught. Sure I can be instructed of which key is which not, and what the difference between a p and an f is. But, at the end of the day, I need to teach myself how my muscles will create each sound.
So, if that is the case, then what is the point of a teacher? A teacher is a mentor. She convinces me to play the piano because she can see the sound that I truly can make. She can see the potential and the drive and will force it out of me when I tell myself I can't do it. She will challenge me in all aspects so that I can truly love the piano.
As you all know. I have a serious nail polish problem! With Christmas right around the corner I thought that it might be fun to do a blog post about the Christmas nail polish that I have. Me and my sister are going to start a strictly nail polish blog. Hopefully some of you will like it. :) But it hasn't started yet so I thought I would get a jump start! :)
Enjoy!
This is my nail polish collection that have Christmas inspired names....
I know. It makes me a little sick myself. But they are quite adorable. :)
This is Sephora by O.P.I.s "Are you Glistenin'"
This is a Gorgeous silver top coat. It has a sparkly base. Works well as both a top coat, and with a few extra coats, a full nail polish.
This is Sephora by O.P.I.s "It looks like Rain, Dear."
This beauty is a gold sparkle that only takes two coats to be opaque!
This is Sephora by O.P.I.s "Stop Stocking Me!"
This is a lovely metalicy like nail polish that has just too awesome of a name!
This is China Glazes "This is Tree-Mendous"
This is a new collection that I haven't tried yet. But come on, look at how gorgeous that glitter is!
This is Nicole by O.P.I.s "Keeping Up with Santa."
This is from the Kardashian collection. It is pretty much the perfect Christmas red!
This is O.P.I.s "Underneath the Mistletoe"\
I have not yet tried this one. But it is the perfect redish pinkish goldish glitter out there!
This is O.P.I.s "Cute Little Vixen"
How adorable is that name?
This is Nicole by O.P.I.s "Kardashing Through the Snow"
Again from the Kardashian line. But it is a beautiful glitter. (Can you tell that apparently Christmas means glitter?)
This is Sephora by O.P.I.s "Be-Claus I said So"
I really liked this brand and sadly it is no more. But this red top coat is similar to Are you Glistenin' in a way that you can use it as both a top coat and a full nail polish color.
This is O.P.I.s "My Favorite Ornament"
This gold sparkle is absolutely stunning! Would go great with red or green! :) OR on its own.
This is Piggy Polish "It's because I'm GREEN isn't it?"
This is the brightest, prettiest green ever! And plus, it is quoting the movie The Grinch!!!
This is Piggy Polish "Blame it on the Mistle TOE"
This red has an excellent combination of gold to make it stunning! :)
This is O.P.I.s "All I want for Christmas (is OPI)"
Lets face it. That is all that I really want! :)
This is Sephora by O.P.I.s "Good Tidings We Bling"
The perfect top coat! I love it on top of white!
This is China Glazes "There's Snow one Like You"
This is a texture polish that literally looks like snow. I am torn at how I like it though!
This is China Glazes "All wrapped Up"
There is only one thing better than purple. And that is a glittery purple!
This is Rainbow Honey's "Candy Cane Gram"
This is a glitter that has at least four different shapes of glitter! I love this as a full polish color. It takes a few coats, but with its micro-glittery base, it is perfect! :)
