Facebook (4) | Is this Mr. or Mrs. Right? Ask these Questions! (By Shannon Alder)

Facebook (4) Is this Mr. or Mrs. Right? Ask these Questions! (By Shannon Alder): "President Spencer W. Kimball once said, 'While I am sure some young couples have some special guidance in getting together, I do not believe in predestined love. If you desire the inspiration of the Lord in this crucial decision, you must live the standards of the Church, and you must pray constantly for the wisdom to recognize those qualities upon which a successful union may be based. You must do the choosing, rather than to seek for some one-and-only so-called soul mate, chosen for you by someone else and waiting for you. You are to do the choosing. You must be wise beyond your years and humbly prayerful unless you choose amiss' (Eternal Love, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1973, 11)."

Really recently needed...

I was driving home tonight thinking of how blessed we are in so many things and I was thinking what would we ever do without electricity? and I actually said to Heavenly Father, "Can you imagine where we would be without electricity?" and then thought..."duh of course He can. He's been here long before electricity, but He gave man the ability to grow little by little and every generation has found out things that the previous generations didn't know and it will keep going. imagine where we will be in just 5 years!. I put a picture of this bridge, because it's famous for something at the U and we went on a feild trip there and I thought it was cool. anyway, the following are some quotes that have really inspired me in the last two weeks.

"Courage is not limited to the battlefield or the Indianapolis 500 or bravely catching a thief in your house. The real tests of courage are much quieter. They are the inner tests, like remaining faithful when nobody's looking, like enduring pain when the room is empty, like standing alone when you're misunderstood.” -Christina Norris quoting Charles

I have learned that success is not to be measured so much by the position that one has reached in life as by obstacles which he has to overcome while trying to succeed. ~ Booker T. Washington

Choose to chance the rapids and dare to dance that tide. ~Garth Brooks

Ask, and you will recieve, that your joy may be full. ~John 16:24

"Don't stop believing!"

A friend loves at all times. ~ Proverbs 17:17

"It's our attitude in life that determines life's attitude toward us." ~ Earl Nightingale

Take chances, make mistakes. That's how we grow. Pain nourishes courage. You have to fail in order to practice being brave. ~ Mary Tyler Moore

"The greatest thing we ever learn is to Love and be Loved in return!"--Moulin Rouge

Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. ~Psalm 37:4

Awe inspiring quote that helped me today.

“I promise you that within the next few days you will feel the illumination of the Spirit of Christ and the Holy Ghost in your everyday life. When you walk in the light, you will feel at that moment some of the warmth and the happiness that will finally be yours when you are welcomed home again with the hundreds and perhaps thousands of others whom you will bring with you, who have walked in the light because you did. This is the true Church of Jesus Christ. There is a living prophet, Thomas S. Monson. And there are both true servants and angels to help you along the lighted path.” --Elder Henry B. Eyring
(“Walk in the Light” Conference May 2008 pg 123)

Some of my favorite quotes, accompanied by Hawaii

“I know the work is true. The Savior is our Redeemer. He opened the door and gave us the opportunity to return to our Father. I’m honored to be able to help Him do His work.” –Elder Allan F. Packer of the Seventy “Faith is not a feeling, it is a decision. With prayer, study, obedience, and covenants we build our faith…Then, as we find ourselves at the crossroads of life, we have the strength to take the right course.” –Neil L. Anderson

“When we put God first, all other things fall into their proper place or drop out of our lives. Our love of the Lord will govern the claims of our affection, the demands on our time, the interests we pursue, and the order of our priorities.” –Ezra Taft Benson

“Wherefore, now let every man learn his duty, and to act in the office in which he is appointed, in all diligence.” Doctrine and Covenants 107:99

“It is essential that you become well acquainted with the person whom you plan to marry so that you can make certain you are both looking down the same pathway, with the same objectives in mind. It is ever so significant that you do this.” -- Thomas S. Monson, “Whom Shall I Marry?,” New Era, Oct 2004, 4

All things will work out for their good.

“I grew up thinking if I was smart enough or strong enough or fast enough or hardworking enough, somehow I could control any situation. The reality is we cannot control all the circumstances of our lives. We simply have to trust the Lord and learn to have faith in Him that everything will work out for the good. When you do that, the Lord will make you capable.”
--Elder Kevin W. Pearson of the Seventy

What is love? Lady don't hurt me no more...

Clay Walker says: “Love is the rhythm of two hearts beating, pounding out a message steady and true.”

Mary Ellen Edmunds says: “Love is a verb.”

"Perfect love, casteth out all fear." 1 John4:18

"Charity is the pure love of Christ and it endureth forever." Moroni 7:47

"They do not love, that do not show their love." -William Shakespeare

“To acquire love…fill yourself up with it until you become a magnet.” Charles Haanel (1866-1949)

“We could love more if we sinned less, because sinning drains our batteries. Things like hate, jealousy, contention, and anger use up a lot of energy. The sweeter our relationships with God, the more we will long to serve and love Him and to make ourselves ready for anything He needs us to do. Maybe if we did some repenting, some returning to the Source of love, we would be able to discern promptings faster and better.” --Mary Ellen Edmunds “Love is a Verb” pg 8)


Recently I have been studying love. What is love really? There are so many different aspects of love. Romantic love, parent love, children love, human love, sports love etc...I think I side with Mary Ellen Edmunds when she says that "Love is a verb." It is something we do, not just something we say and talk a lot about. It's interesting, because people like to be "in love" but what does that mean?

I think it means giving and caring more about someone or something else than you do for yourself. I have learned over my 27 years that it's hard to truly love others and give of yourself freely, but when I think of true love, this image of my brother in law caring for my sister when she had to go into an emergency C-Section and the love that was in his eyes for her, that he wouldn't let anything happen to her, yet the fear that there might not be anything he could do to help it, I know at that moment, if he could have he would have done anything for her and he knew with all that he was that she was the most important thing in his world. I am glad I was able to see that.

And then there's the love I feel for my students, even though they do the rudest, most obnoxious things that hurt me to the core, I found myself asking today, "Why do I do what I do? It's painful some times." And then I remembered why as I was contemplating switching professions after a kid thought it was a good idea to spit in my water bottle. It broke my heart that the trust I had with all of my students 100% had been broken and I thought of Heavenly Father and how he loves us so much no matter what we do and sometimes we in essence spit in his water bottle and laugh about it and just don't care, but He still continues to love us because he sees the bigger picture. I guess that's what love is. Letting go of the petty stuff and clinging on for dear life to the things that matter most. I hope someday to be able to love that deeply and perfectly. But as for now I'm just working on loving myself enough to give others the love I can as an instrument in the Lord's hands. And I'm grateful He allows me to work like that. It's actually really fun! And I get to laugh a lot doing it, like last night on the swing set at the homeless dinner. A lot of love and new relationships being made. That's really why we're all here, to love each other and help each other home, no matter how weird or unique we all are!

All hands on Deck!

"In these perilous times, as our youth are faced with this increasedadversity, we can learn from others. In the armed forces, particularly inall the navies throughout the world, every seaman understands one phrasethat is a clarion call for immediate help, no matter what he is doing orwhere he is on the ship. The call is 'All hands on deck.' Many abattle at sea has been won or lost by the response to thiscall. "We--as members of the Church, leaders of youth,anxious fathers, and concerned grandfathers--all need to respondto the call for 'all hands on deck' as it pertains to our youth andyoung single adults. We must all look for opportunities to bless the youthwhether or not we are currently closely associated with them. We mustcontinue to teach and fortify fathers and mothers in their divinelydeclared roles with their children in the home.

We must ask ourselvesconstantly if that extra sporting event, that extra activity or errandoutside of the home is more important than families being together athome. "Now is the time, brethren, when in every action we take, inevery place we go, with every Latter-day Saint young person we meet,we need to have an increased awareness of the need for strengthening,nurturing, and being an influence for good in their lives."

Ronald A. Rasband, "Our Rising Generation," Ensign, May 2006, 47

The Future

"In my quiet moments, I think of the future with all of its wonderfulpossibilities and with all of its terrible temptations. I wonder what willhappen to you in the next 10 years. Where will you be? What will you bedoing? That will depend on the choices you make, some of which may seemunimportant at the time but which will have tremendousconsequences."
Gordon B. Hinckley, "Stay on the High Road," Ensign, May 2004, 112-113

How true it is...where will I live? What will my major be? What should I minor in? What job will i do? Do I go on a mission or not? Who will I marry? Of all of these questions, the simplest one for that has affected me more than any other is where will I live? Every time I move it is for a reason and it's good to know that even though it's something as simple as moving five min from where i lived before, Heavenly Father cares and it does change my life a little at a time. I'm grateful for His simple guidance that ends up making a big difference. March 9, 2008

Holy Cow!

“Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.” –Albert Einstein

Interesting...I never would have thought that Albert would have been of the belief of vegetarianism. Well, those who know me know that i love cows and animals, but i'm not a vegetarian, although i do not eat a lot of meat and i don't have a desire to touch raw meat (excluding the fish i'm going to catch, gut and fry this summer to complete one of my many lifetime goals!) I do eat it sparingly and the majority of my family is vegan...but i do like a good steak or burger every now and again! I do love cows though...they just teach me things everytime i pass them...probably, because they are content with their lot in life. That helps me be content with mine. And I learned that from a cow! Doesn't take much to impress me! Bring it on!

HARD WORK'S REWARDS

"The greatest reward is not what we recieve for our labor, but what we become by it." --John Ruskin

I just thought was something i have been learning and appreciate the truth behind it, cause really, what's the point of doing stuff, if we don't glean and learn from it? not much...if our perspective is scewed then of course, we may be mistaken and decieved, but if we are on the right path we'll know that it is the learning that is the reward, not the monetary reward. I like that.

I added this picture of us brushing our teeth, because it's a small thing to do to have healthy teeth, but day in and day out we create habits that in turn make us who we are and recently as i have been babysitting kids (these ones are my niece and nephews) I have thought how conistent parents have to be when it comes to kids and brushing teeth. If you do it daily, it becomes and habit and not a horrible trial that has to be fought with everyday. I think I've learned that in my 27 years that if we just work and do it the first time and keep doing it the first time, things cease to be burden and in turn teach us and make us better for having tried at all. Cool things I have learned by simply repeating things over and over again. I'll find the habit quote from Elder Ballard and add it sometime.

The Best You Can Be

"We have a greater challenge than we realize...'Do the best you can. But I want to emphasize that it be the very best...We are capable of doing so much better...'We must get on our knees and plead with the Lord for help and strength and direction. We must then stand on our feet and move forward."

-- Gordon B. Hinckley

World Wide Leadership Training Meeting Jan. 10 2004, 21

C.S. Lewis from "Mere Christianity"

“The load, or weight, or burden of my neighbor’s glory should be laid on my back, a load so heavy that only humility can carry it, and the backs of the proud will be broken. It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you can talk to may one day be a creature which, if you say it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree, helping each other to one or the other destinations. It is in the light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with the awe and the circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all our dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics. There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations-these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit-immortal horrors or everlasting splendors. This does not mean that we are to be perpetually solemn. We must play. But out merriment must be of that kind (and it is, in fact, the merriest kind) which exists between people who have, from the outset, taken each other seriously-no flippancy, no superiority, no presumption. And our charity must be a real and costly love, with deep feeling for the sins in spite of which we love the sinner-no mere tolerance, or indulgence which parodies love as flippancy parodies merriment. Next to the Blessed Sacrament itself, your neighbor is the holiest object presented to your senses. If he is your Christian neighbor, he is holy in almost the same way, for in him is also Christ vere latitat- the glorifier and the glorified, Glory Himself, is truly hidden.”