Tag Archives: love

a NEW photo of my week and a short Sunday sermon

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lovedlife

Happy Sunday!

Oh, how life is getting in the way of my photography habits!  And it’s SO beautiful out there!  So many rich, autumn colors!  I had a brief outing a few days ago, but I want  need to get out more frequently!  All the pumpkins, the mums, the fall foliage  – oh so beautiful and fun to shoot!

Well today’s quote reminds me of people that I know, who love and live life to it’s fullest.  They’re an awesome example to me.  I genuinely love life too; but the people I’m thinking of seem to treat life as a gift.  It is precious to them. Thinking of life as a gift reminds me of a song the young people in our church sing:

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

My life has a purpose; in heav’n it began.

My choice was to come to this lovely home on earth

And seek for God’s light to direct me from birth.

OR…taking the advice from Leonardo Di Caprio (well, really, his character on Titanic) is good too:

 

Lastly, for this Sunday sermon, I’ll share a fabulous talk entitled “Come What May, and Love It”  (Link HERE)

In case you don’t have time to go read the entire talk, I’ll add some highlights below (but I hope you do go read it – I think you’ll love the blind date story!!! Haha!):

  • The way we react to adversity can be a major factor in how happy and successful we can be in life.
  • Learn to laugh
  • Seek for an eternal perspective
  • Understand the principle of compensation
  • Trust in our heavenly father and in his son, Jesus Christ

 

That is it for today!  Go do something NEW and live life and LOVE it!

 

a NEW photo of my week and a short Sunday sermon

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goodmorning

Happy Sunday!

I love it when I actually have my camera in my car when I see such beauty as this sunrise. I was on my way to work and just had to pull over to get this pic. I agree that “God is the best artist”!

For today’s short sermon, I’ll simple paste a few items from THIS excellent speech by President Deiter F. Uchtdorf:

The Bottom Line

This topic of judging others could actually be taught in a two-word sermon. When it comes to hating, gossiping, ignoring, ridiculing, holding grudges, or wanting to cause harm, please apply the following:  Stop it!

***

Is this difficult to do?

Yes, of course.

How is it done? Through the love of God.

***

My dear brothers and sisters, consider the following questions as a self-test:

Do you harbor a grudge against someone else?

Do you gossip, even when what you say may be true?

Do you exclude, push away, or punish others because of something they have done?

Do you secretly envy another?

Do you wish to cause harm to someone?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may want to apply the two-word sermon from earlier: stop it!

Miscellaneous Monday…NEW stuff i gotta share (part 2)

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fijiboycoll

Happy Monday (again)! I think this may be the very first time I’ve ever posted twice in one day – but don’t worry, I don’t think it’ll become a habit. :o)  This little Fijian boy captured my full attention when this boat sailed by at the Polynesian Cultural Center.  I had to snap as many pics as I could of him. SO cute! Right?  I read up on Fijian families and traditions {here}.  The wiki article explained the Fijian kinship system and the respect they have for different relationships. I thought of how mutual respect in all relationships is essential…especially in marriage relationships. I thought of my own marriage as well as marriages of people around me, that I love.  Sometimes it can be so hard!

Although I’ve posted about my terrific hubby {here, here and here…to link just a few}, it doesn’t mean we haven’t had our ups and downs. But I’m so grateful we stuck it through the bad times and worked hard to strengthen our marriage, because I have friends and family members who didn’t do the hard work and now I can tell (I know!) they wished they would have!  So – I thought I’d document a few of the lessons I’ve learned through the years:

I heard once the formula for a happy marriage is…

Choose your spouse wisely…then treat kindly.

Overly simplistic?  Maybe, but kindness is HUGE! I’ve learned that I can’t change my spouse….all I can do is change myself.  But I’ve learned that when I am kind, I get kindness in return.  When I am loving, I get love in return.  Now, that IS pretty simplistic, right?  But it works.

I’ve learned that my spouse is not a mind-reader. (dang it!)  If I have needs, I’ve got to communicate those needs (in a loving manner).

I’ve learned that professional counselors can do a lot of good. BUT…not all counselors are created equal!  I know some that are worthless…I mean, very ineffective.  Get recommendations and get appointments with the best…then be humble and teachable…learn some new skills and implement them in your relationships.

I’ve learned that sometimes I’ve just gotta bite my tongue.  Not everything I think has to come out of my mouth.

I’ve learned that I’m usually right (my opinions are typically spot on!!! :o)…but I don’t have to tell the world that I know I’m right. Sometimes, others can think their opinions matter. And that’s OK, most of the time!

I’ve learned to make my marriage relationship a priority.  No other relationship matters more to me…and who I choose to spend my time with reflects this priority.  Seldom does anything trump our date night.  Although, we didn’t always have a specific date night, when I explained to my dear hubby that it was important to me, he made it happen.  We implemented it and it has been a reminder to both of us that our marriage is important.  Plus we get to play together.  Most of our dates are fun and studies have shown that having fun together increases your love quotient.  Just remember the fun dates you had when you started “courting”!  What happened? You fell in love!

I’ve learned many, many more things, but those might have to wait for another blog post, another day. So…go and do or learn something NEW….and if you’re married – you have my sincere hope that it is a very happy relationship.  If not…WORK HARD…and make it so that it is.  It can be done!

 

 

NEW monochrome photos of my week and a short Sunday sermon

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vcookiesbw

Happy Sunday!  How was everyone’s Valentine’s Day?  I hope it was “happy”!  I decided to take some non-traditional monochrome photos of our valentine sugar cookies.  Is that weird?

Also, going along with the Valentine’s Day theme…today’s short Sunday sermon is one simple question:

WHICH IS THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT?

Jesus’ reply can be found in Matthew 22:36.  Here’s your hint:

love

Have a great day!  Do or Learn something NEW!

(Here’s the non-B/W versions)

cookie2cookiecookie3

NEW photos of a cherished book and a Sunday message

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heartbook

Happy Sunday!  Today I’m going to blog, brag and blab about a very sweet friend and neighbor of mine.  This person truly knows the meaning of friendship, service, thoughtfulness and a zillion other wonderful attributes!   When my hubby was in the hospital, she went {way} beyond the expected.  She thought of everything we could possible need…even before we knew we needed them!   She gave us a gift bag FULL of items to make that hard time seem so much easier.   One item was a beautiful book with short stories.  We had browsed through the book in the hospital and I personally LOVED the photography!  Then, when hubby was released from the hospital, we packed up all the paraphernalia to come home, and the beautiful book got stashed in a miscellaneous bag and very sadly, kind of forgotten (for a while).  Fast forward to five or six weeks later when this very kind friend asked how I liked the book, when we passed it in the store.   I didn’t recognize the cover…I didn’t realize this was the same book that was stashed away.  I was very embarrassed that it most definitely seemed like I didn’t appreciate her gift!  I came home and pulled out the book (I knew exactly which bag it was still in)…and started browsing again.  I read a few more of the stories…I fell in love (again) with the beautiful photography…but most of all, I remembered the sweet memory of the love and kindness that was shown by our dear friend in those difficult days after hubby’s accident.

openbook

Here’s one of the stories told by Elder David B Haight:

A few years ago, when Arturo Toscanini was musical director of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra in New York City, he had a Saturday afternoon radio broadcast. And one day he received in his mail a crumpled little note on some brownish paper which read:

“Dear Mr. Toscanini, I am a lonely sheepherder in the mountains of Wyoming. I have two prized possessions: an old violin and a battery radio. And the batteries are getting weak and beginning to run down on my radio, and my violin is so out of tune I can’t play it anymore. Would you please sound an A next Saturday on your program?”

The next week on the program, Arturo Toscanini announced: “To a newfound friend in the mountains of Wyoming, the New York Philharmonic Orchestra is now, all together and in unison, going to sound a perfect A.” And they sounded the perfect A. Then that lonely little man was able to tune the A string and then the E string and the D and the G from that perfect A.

Isn’t it interesting to reflect in our own lives and in the lives of the many people who may hear me at this time—those whose violin or lives may be a little out of tune—that we are able to come to a general conference of the Church and hear the marvelous messages that are spoken? Those of us who have the opportunity to speak here pray mightily that we would have the energy and the strength and the vitality even as I do, as I enter the twilight of my life, to stand and bear witness of the truthfulness of this work—because I am a witness of it.

Here are a couple more photos of my cherished book.  Thank you Dear Darci!!!

withangel bedside

Have a great Sabbath!  Do or learn something NEW!

Miscellaneous Monday…NEW stuff i gotta share

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cccookies

My children think VERY HIGHLY of the chocolate chip cookie recipe I received from a friend years and years and years ago!  Once someone offered my young son a “Mrs Field’s Cookie” and he asked it if was as good as a Dianne Larsen cookie!  Here’s the recipe:

Recipe Card Template 1up 4x6

I saw this YouTube video quite a while ago, but it still makes me smile!  I want to have fun times like this with my husband when we’re old and gray…..(well, older and more gray!)

AND lastly, I recently learned of a website where people could take a quiz and learn what their ‘Love Language’ is {HERE is the link}.  I remember reading The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman, and liking it, so I took the quiz.  It was a HARD quiz!!!  You have to choose between two really good options on each question!  But I think I’ll have my hubby take the quiz (because I don’t think I’ll be able to get him to read the book)….but it’ll be good to know his love language (Words of Affirmation, Quality Time,  Receiving Gifts, Acts of Service or Physical Touch) so I can better cater to his needs.  By the way, at the first of the quiz, it asks for name and email address, but if you proceed, you can take it without giving any personal info.  (nice huh?)

Have a GREAT Monday!  Do or Learn something NEW!