Canaries with Gray on Their Wings

by President Thomas S. Monson

June 2010 Ensign, pages 4

This reminds me of the Johnny Lingo concept--when you expect the most of people, they rise to the occasion. That goes for me, too. If I expect the most of myself, I might actually do it!

I have been such a slacker about reading the Ensign and pondering on the words I read. I have just recently gotten back into the swing of getting the dishes done before the sinks are full. I'm almost back to doing my other chores on a regular basis. I was doing so well for 5 or 6 weeks, and then I went on vacation, and came back and got lazy again. I have to stop letting myself be the person I have been for most of my life. I need to step up!

“And upon the Handmaids in Those Days Will I Pour Out My Spirit”

by Sister Julie B. Beck

April 2010 General Conference

for full text click here

Sister Beck quotes Sister Eliza R. Snow as saying, "Women should be women and not babies that need petting and correction all the time. I know we like to be appreciated but if we do not get all the appreciation which we think is our due, what matters?"

How's that for a smack in the face? I was thinking just yesterday that I was feeling like a slave in my own home. I spent all day on Saturday taking care of my baby, putting away laundry, doing dishes, preparing dinner, cleaning up the living room, making my bed, etc, etc because we were recovering from coming home from a little vacation. I was feeling very sorry for myself. Well, I guess I needed that smack in the face. It's my job. This is how I serve my family. It's how I serve the Lord.

The Power of the Priesthood

by President Boyd K. Packer

April 2010 General Conference

for full text click here

The message I gleaned from this talk is to help people expect more of themselves. The two fathers that were asked to step up and utilize their priesthood just needed a nudge in the right direction. Some people just need to be asked, and they will do what is expected of them. It's easy to sit on the sidelines when no one expects anything of you, so if you need something from someone who has been less active, don't just assume they don't want to do their home teaching or visiting teaching or whatever--give them the opportunity to accept an invitation to do the right thing.

A Temple for Kona

by R. Val Johnson

April 2010 Ensign page 46

I keep hearing the same message over and over, so it must be something I need to hear. Success requires WORK. Brother Alip said, "I believe that when you are given a blessing, you have a responsibility to do whatever you can to bring that blessing to you." And he worked at it. He sacrificed a great amount of money to go to the temple more often. Pretty amazing. The Lord blessed him with a second job, and two temples closer to his home, and then with a new home. We have to work toward what we want, and the Lord will bless us.

The Eternal Importance of Honesty

from a devotional by Elder Richard J. Maynes

April 2010 Ensign page 38

"Our eternal life depends on the principle of honesty." Wow. Think about that the next time you want to tell a lie. That's intense.

I love the story about how the word "sincere" came to be. We can't just appear to be good, we have to actually be good if we are to be considered sincere. It doesn't mean we can never make mistakes, but we have to admit the mistakes and repent, not just cover them up.

I also liked the story at the beginning how his company kept their word, so they were able to secure another client. I'm always surprised when I read in the scriptures about people, even evil people, making oaths and keeping them, or refusing to make an oath because they know they can't keep it. Amazing! I feel like we live in a time where giving your word doesn't mean a lot. It's really sad. I want to be a person who can be trusted. When I make a promise or a commitment I want to keep it. I know how sad it can be when you are relying on someone to do something and then it doesn't happen. It is very disappointing. I don't want to be known as someone who lets people down. I will try my very best to keep my promises, commitments, and covenants.

When I was younger, I lied a lot. I didn't want to look like I didn't know the answer, so sometimes I would make something up. My dad told me that it was okay for me to say, "I don't know." That was a huge eye-opener for me. It's better to tell the truth and say, "I don't know" than to make something up and have someone find out later that you lied. It was a very valuable lesson. No one likes a know-it-all anyway ;)

The Atonement and Faith

from an address by Elder Dallin H. Oaks

April 2010 Ensign page 30

Wow. I love Elder Oaks. His words speak to my soul.

The first line that stood out to me is, "...faith comes by hearing the word of God." THAT's why it's so important to go to Church, even if you feel like it's not doing any good. You need to hear the word of God through talks, lessons, and hymns. It nourishes your spirit, even if your mind wasn't all there. That's also why reading the Ensign everyday is a good idea for me. I need my faith to be strengthened on a regular basis, and hearing the word of God is the way to do it. I know we talk about "going through the motions" in church a lot, like it's a bad thing, and you need to do more than that, but my mom says that it's good to go through the motions. If you're doing those classic Sunday School answers, you're strengthening your faith and creating opportunities for the Holy Ghost to speak to you. It's not wasted effort.

Also, I love the analogy of the tree. You can't just wash off the dirty leaves and call it good, you have to strengthen the tree so it doesn't get dirty anymore. I couldn't help thinking about my housekeeping skills. (I'm sure I'll move on from this idea eventually, but for now, it's such a new and exciting concept for me.) There have been many times in my short married life when Matt will wake up on a Saturday morning and clean the house top to bottom and it will be clean for a week or so. That's like cleaning the leaves. And it is much easier to keep a house clean once it's clean. But we weren't strengthening our tree. Now, I have a system that's working for me. My threshold for clutter is much lower. I look around me more often before I leave a room or go to bed to see if I can take five minutes and make it look better. I have learned that it takes five minutes to unload the dishwasher. It takes five minutes to pick up Scott's toys and fold the blankets in the living room. And I've learned that just because something is a mess, doesn't mean I should just throw in the towel--it's fixable. This works for our spirits as well. I can take a look around my mind and heart and see if there's a figurative dish to wash or counter to clean or toy to pick up. If I do it everyday, I won't get so bogged down spiritually. I can ask for a little help here and there instead of falling apart because my spiritual house needs an extreme makeover. I think that's what it means to repent--do what you need to do to keep your spirit clean.

Becoming a Quality Person Now

from a talk by Elder Marvin J. Ashton

April 2010 Ensign page 28

I came to a realization kind of like this during a Relief Society lesson my freshman year of college. I remember making a comment that once I got married I wasn't going to be magically better at keeping things clean and cooking great meals. I don't remember having that thought before the lesson began, but I feel like that comment I made was for me. It was the first time I realized that I was going to be the same person before and after I got married.

I had a similar wake-up call from my sister, Emily, when she told me that I could be good at housework if I tried. I was complaining about how hard it was going to be to be in charge of the the house when Matt and I switched roles. I had been the breadwinner for almost two years and Matt was in charge of cooking and cleaning while he was in school. I was looking forward to not working, but dreading taking on the responsibility of being the homemaker. I knew I would be horrible at it. Matt and I even talked about having him stay home and me go to work, just because we thought it would be nicer for both of us. Matt would rather stay home anyway. I'm the one who wants the social interaction that an occupation provides. Anyway... in the last month or so (over three and a half years after getting married) I have become a homemaker. For real. It's sticking! But it didn't just happen. I made it happen. I make it happen everyday. I guess that's what was holding me back before--the consistency. Well, no longer. I turned over a new leaf--a domestic one. That led to turning over more leaves--a financial one, a social one, and this blog is kind of my new spiritual leaf. I am making a better effort to spend some time everyday doing something spiritual. Now if I want it to be a permanent change, I have to make it happen. This is a great concept. Thanks Elder Ashton!