What Are YOU Thankful For?

Today, my son and I created turkeys out of pumpkins. At first we were going to name them. Mine was going to be Gretchen and we hadn't decided on a name for his Turkey yet. But then we changed our minds. My son agreed and we determined together that they would say, "Happy Thanksgiving" and "What are YOU Thankful For?" It reminded me of this video from last Thanksgiving. Enjoy!



Here are 25 things that I'm thankful for (in no particular order):

1.  laughter
2. sunshine
3. hugs
4. children
5. family
6. fall smells
7. sleep
8. my honey
9. my membership in the Church
10. Saturdays
11. gardens
12. a house
13. cars
14. walks
15. potato bugs
16. the first snow
17. time
18. my testimony
19. Jesus Christ
20. health
21. technology
22. the Gift of the Holy Ghost
23. loving parents
24. music
25. a quiet house

What are you thankful for?

The Church Responds to HRC Petition

To read the position of the Church when it comes to same sex attraction and regarding this petition continue on and read the article at this link:

Church Responds to HRC Petition

Here is just a small portion of the article:

"While we disagree with the Human Rights Campaign on many fundamentals, we also share some common ground. This past week we have all witnessed tragic deaths across the country as a result of bullying or intimidation of gay young men. We join our voice with others in unreserved condemnation of acts of cruelty or attempts to belittle or mock any group or individual that is different – whether those differences arise from race, religion, mental challenges, social status, sexual orientation or for any other reason. Such actions simply have no place in our society.

This Church has felt the bitter sting of persecution and marginalization early in our history, when we were too few in numbers to adequately protect ourselves and when society’s leaders often seemed disinclined to help. Our parents, young adults, teens and children should therefore, of all people, be especially sensitive to the vulnerable in society and be willing to speak out against bullying or intimidation whenever it occurs, including unkindness toward those who are attracted to others of the same sex. This is particularly so in our own Latter-day Saint congregations. Each Latter-day Saint family and individual should carefully consider whether their attitudes and actions toward others properly reflect Jesus Christ’s second great commandment - to love one another."

To read it in it's entirety visit HERE.

Are You In There?

Are you in there? Or are you in your own world? Are you focused on the things that you want to do or feel like you should do or do you put YOUR things aside and take interest in YOUR CHILDREN'S wants and needs on a consistent basis? I know I too often am thinking of the next thing I need or want to do while in the midst of "giving my children attention." I need to work on giving them my full and undivided attention and simply forget about my agenda or my list and think about what is important on theirs. I needed this wake up call.

Elder Perry said, "Parents must bring light and truth into their homes by one family prayer, one scripture study session, one family home evening, one book read aloud, one song, and one family meal at a time. They know that the influence of righteous, conscientious, persistent, daily parenting is among the most powerful and sustaining forces for good in the world."
-"Mothers Teaching Children in the Home," Ensign, May 2010, 30

How do you make sure you spend the time and are "in there" for your children? How do you balance your agenda with the things that are REALLY important?

Wow...Forgiveness

This video didn't just bring tears to my eyes but brought about a boo-hoo session. What a remarkable story and man. What a great reminder of how we need to forgive always and what a great reminder to be grateful for every moment we have with our families and to show them how much we love them.

MM: Love One Another

I hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day full of love!

WOWW: Weightier Matters

This week has been a typical week at our house, a week like many of stay at home mothers...trying to spend time with and raise my children, amidst the chaos of a messy and getting messier house, all the while getting little and even littlier amounts of sleep. This week has been normal other than my total break down on Monday night. :) My husband was gone to class and thus had been gone all day and I was at my wits end. Really, I was just a time bomb waiting to blow. I could go on and on about the reasons why I blew (some of which included pans banging in the kitchen and digging through the garbage can) but I'm sure many of you could make a list of your own and could relate quite perfectly (although your story might not end in a dramatic cry fest, or maybe it would. Please tell me it would, so I can convince myself I am not in need of some therapy). ;)

It was a dramatic evening to say the least and quite exhausting. I determined one, that I need more sleep and two, that my life needs more balance and then an email came from my Grandpa with this quote:

"Gradually, eternal principles can get lost within the labyrinth of 'good ideas.' “ This was one of the Savior's criticisms of the religious 'experts' of His day, whom He chastised for attending to the hundreds of minor details of the law while neglecting the weightier matters (see Matthew 23:23)."So how do we stay aligned with these weightier matters? Is there a constant compass that can help us prioritize our lives, thoughts, and actions?". . . The Savior revealed the way. When asked to name the greatest commandment, He did not hesitate. 'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind,' He said. 'This is the first and great commandment' (Matthew 22:37, 38). Coupled with the second great commandment—to love our neighbor as ourselves (see Matthew 22:39)—we have a compass that provides direction not only for our lives but also for the Lord's Church on both sides of the veil." Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "The Love of God," Ensign, Nov. 2009, 21

I have determined that I have become trapped in the idea of attending to hundreds of minor details and am convinced that too often the weightier matters are getting set aside. My priorities are in need of a good check. Thinking on this I was directed to Luke chapter 10, which reads.

38 Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.
39 And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word.
40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.
41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: 42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

Just like Martha I have been careful and troubled about many things but not necessarily the needful things. It is time for a change. It is time I remember what will be my constant compass in keeping my priorities in check - 'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind,' It is time to choose the good part and spend the majority of my time attending to the weightier matters even if that means dishes are sometimes left in the sink and my family is happier and closer.

The Option of Adoption From Many Perspectives

Several months back I read this beautiful ariticle in the Ensign and I cried. What a wonderful blessing adoption can be for all sides. I have only selected portions of each moving story from the article but I think they portray the feelings and the love of each individual perfectly. I have also felt that I should add an additional perspective of Adoptive Parents as I know of a wonderful couple (Calvin and Whitney pictured above) who are hoping to add a beautiful child to their family through the miracle of adoption. So read on.


Now here is a glimpse into the option of adoption from many perspectives:

Birth Mother
Giving birth to a beautiful little girl was miraculous. I loved holding her and rocking her. She was so beautiful, and I cried many times her first night on earth. I knew that the next day would bring heartache when it was time to say good-bye.

What made that pain bearable was knowing that placing her for adoption was right. It was the hardest—but most right—thing I have ever done. I signed the papers through sheets of tears and then leaned on family and friends for support.

Birth Father

Andrea and I considered marriage and keeping our baby. We considered not getting married and sharing custody of the baby. And we considered adoption, although it certainly wasn’t our first choice....The more real to us the baby became, the less our decision was about us and the more it was about our daughter. Andrea and I both acknowledged that many adoptive parents could provide our daughter with things that we couldn’t: a stable marriage, a permanent home, and a temple sealing. We wanted these things for our child, and before long, through LDS Family Services, we found a family we thought might be a good fit.

Grandparent

Of course, it was natural for my wife and me as grandparents to want to watch this grandchild grow up. But we knew that neither we as grandparents nor Katie as a single mother could give this child the love, time, and direction that he needed. This was not about us or our feelings. It was about what was best for the baby.

The day our grandson was born was a bittersweet one. What a beautiful baby! It would have been easy to change our minds—after all, children are raised by single mothers and grandparents all of the time. Surely we could do it too. But we knew the Lord’s will, and we knew that it was in this child’s best interest for the adoption to proceed. After spending two days with our daughter and grandson in the hospital, my wife and I watched with tears streaming down our faces as Katie handed her son to the caseworker. She exclaimed, “I can’t believe I just did that!” and ran back to her hospital room to cry. My wife later commented that she had never seen greater love than she did as she watched Katie that day. Adoption, she said, truly is about love.

Child
I knew I lived in heaven before I was born. I knew Heavenly Father gave agency to all. I knew redemption was possible for the people whose choices not only affected them but created a child as well. I knew Heavenly Father had a plan for me, and that His plan mercifully provides second chances for everyone involved in an adoption. I feel gratitude to the woman who carried me and made a decision that may have been unpopular with some. I imagine my birth mother as a pillar of strength, and I pray she has been blessed for her sacrifice and hope for the future for all of us.

Adoptive Parents - A few words from their letter to birth parents.

A bit about Calvin in Whitney’s words:
I fell in love with Cal from the very beginning. When I first met him it was his eyes, his sense of humor, and the way I felt so comfortable around him that first attracted me to him (they are high school sweethearts - seen at left). He is amazing in every sense of the word. Calvin loves the Savior and honors his Priesthood. He has an amazing testimony and lives his life quietly teaching others about the gospel by his example.

A bit about Whitney in Calvin’s words:

She loves to laugh and when she does, it makes everyone in the room want to laugh right along with her. She’s loyal, thoughtful, and full of charity. The second you meet her, you like her.

To us, family is everything. We have a strong testimony of the eternal nature of families. We feel it is vital that our children know that their Heavenly Father loves them, their parents love them, and their birth parents love them. We will teach our children each day of this love.

To learn more about this wonderful couple, hoping to adopt, click HERE.

If you are pregnant and want to learn more about your options, click HERE.

And in closing the wonderful scripture shared in the Proclamation, “Children are an heritage of the Lord” (Psalm 127:3). Again, what a blessing adoption is for all who are involved.

What Matters Most

A few days have gone by since the passing of my wonderful Grandpa. He was a very good man. He was so concerned with everyone around him. He was always so selfless and loving. Countless times I received checks in the mail from him for no reason at all when I needed them the most. He was so in tune to the Spirit. Although he was old in age his death came suddenly and unexpectedly. I will miss him.

With his passing and the timely watching of this video I have been drawn to reflect upon "what matters most". Just now I sit here thinking of my Grandpa, listening to President Monson's words as I type, along with the wonderful sound of my young family in the background and am reminded so profoundly of what matters most.

Let us always remember "what is important and what is not." Let us show our loved ones how much we love and appreciate them. Let us cherish them.

Spiritual Hugs

Several weeks ago our Stake President spoke in our ward. He gave a great talk. He briefly mentioned that we each need and that we each do receive "spiritual hugs". I liked the thought of that.

I often stand in need of an emotional hug. I often stand in need of an appreciative hug. I often stand in need of a loving hug. And I often stand in need of a comforting hug. But I never really thought of the idea of needing spiritual hugs but it is so true. And I now I have noticed them more in my life.

I think that spiritual hugs can come in many forms. Sometimes they come when we seek them and sometimes they come when we least expect them.

There have been many times when reading my patriarchal blessing that I have received a spiritual hug of reassurance and peace that I am doing what I should be doing. Other experiences have come while reading my scriptures or saying my prayers. I think we have all experienced these types of spiritual hugs when we need them most. Sometimes these hugs come in the form on an answer, sometimes they come as a feeling of peace, sometimes they are simply there to let us know that we are loved and that we are known. Whatever the form I hope to more often seek for and recognize the blessings of these "spiritual hugs" in my life.

One experience that I had a few months ago brought a spiritual hug in an interesting moment and way and looking back it was indeed a hug:

It was a Sunday afternoon after our early Sunday dinner. My husband and little boy were spending time together in another room and I was doing the dishes. Just to give my husband some credit here, this was by my insistence...he really is good at helping or simply doing the dishes, but this particular day our little boy was demanding some extra attention and so I sent the two on their way.

So I was chipping along in our messy kitchen and before I knew it I was singing Hymns as I went (not a typical task). I quickly felt a great source of peace as I cleaned up (also not a common occurence). I felt so blessed to have all that I have. I felt the Spirit touch me deeply and it almost brought me to tears. I felt warm and happy inside. I was unloading and loading the dishwasher, clearing off the leftovers, wiping the counters and yet at that moment the Lord saw an opportunity to reach me and to teach me and to remind me of how much I am loved and blessed. It was a wonderful Spiritual Hug when I least expected it.

I am grateful for the Holy Ghost and I am grateful for spiritual hugs. I know that the Lord truly is mindful of us. I know that He knows each one of us and knows when we need Him most. He knows when we are down in the dumps. He knows when we struggle to make the right choices. He knows that all along our journey we will need spiritual hugs or spiritual boosts to bouy us up. Often these moments are given freely and without a request by our part but sometimes we must ask and He will promptlygive us or lead us to where we might find a spiritual hug.

In Psalms 115:12 it says, "The Lord hath been mindful of us: he will bless us;" The Lord is indeed mindful of us and He does so abundantly bless us. How and when have you received spiritual hugs in your life?

Friendship to All, Pass it On

Ever since The Foundation For a Better Life started putting out these videos I have absolutely loved them.

The videos below are about friendship, something that is much needed in these days filled with pressure to look a certain way, pressure to act a certain way, and increasing amounts of bullying in many forms (including cyber-bullying).

I have sadly heard of a few instances where members of the Church will not be friends with those of other Faiths. How horribly wrong and sad. There are many great people with high standards to which we can be friends.

In the For Strength of Youth pamphlet is states, "Choose your friends carefully. They will greatly influence how you think and act, and even help determine the person you will become. Choose friends who share your values so you can strengthen and encourage each other in living high standards. A true friend will encourage you to be your best self."

Choosing friends carefully is, of course, very important but we need not narrow our friendships simply to Mormons or even Christians. We could learn much and gain great friendships from all. Enjoy the video below of three friends with very different backgrounds.

The pamphlet continues on to say, "To have good friends, be a good friend yourself. Show interest in others and let them know you care about them. Treat everyone with kindness and respect. Go of your way to be a friend to those who are shy or do not feel included."

This video is a perfect example of this.

And finally this is one of my favorite stories from the March, Friend magazine. The story truly shows what a huge difference one friend can make. (click pictures to enlarge and read)

Seek and Give

I just had to pass this information on. Someone I know and love has created a site called SeekAndGive.com "where you can help generate donations for charities by searching the Internet."

The search engine is powered by google and all you have to do is use their page to "search the web and make a difference."

Here is an example from the site of how it works: "As little as 100 searches a month by you can generate $3.50 for charities that's $42.00 a year with just an average of 3 searches a day! Imagine if you have 10 friends doing the same, that's $420 a year and if they have 10 friends that's $4,200 a year and 1000 friends is $42,000 a year and 10,000 friends is $420,000 a year to charities and as little as $20 can put a child into grade school for a year, with a set of school clothes and school supplies! So tell your friends and family and start searching and let the giving begin!"

They also suggest to make it easier to remember to use this search engine to "BookMark Us and make SeekAndGive.com your Home Page and if you have a blog or website link to us."

There are three charities that have already been recommended but you can recommend specific charities that you would be interested in the money being donated to as well by visiting the Seek and Give Blog.

I think this is such a great idea and such a simple way to give by doing something we all do so often. I hope you'll give it a try and pass the information on to others you know.

Children Are Not Timeless

What a great lesson my stake was taught in Stake Conference. I don't even really know how to put into words the feeling I felt in my heart and the desire I had to be a better mother.

One of the many thoughts that I had while listening to the talk was that "Children are not timeless." With my love of definitions I have pulled two definitions of the word timeless to explain these beginning thoughts:

1 - Children are not "unaffected by time"

One of the many things emphasized was that of spending time with our children. One line that so profoundly hit me was this (in my words), "Many of us spend the beginning years of our children's lives ignoring them. It is no surprise that when they become teenagers that they return the favor and begin ignoring us." We all chuckled, but isn't it so true?

Throughout this talk many of the early LDS commericials were shown. Doesn't this first video perfectly show the affect that time and attention truly have on our children?:

For now just watch the first video (Sorry, I couldn't find the commercials by themselves).



2 - Children are not "ageless or unchanging"

The idea that our two year old will only be two for so long was a reminder that needed to heard. Our children are not ageless. They are two once and they are fifteen once. I know that I often look forward to the next stage or phase when I should be enjoying the here and now.

Another idea mentioned was that our children are not unchanging; they are always changing. And I loved this idea: A 15 or 16 year old girl may be moody and it may be just a part of that age or stage and we shouldn't make a big deal out of it. Or our 2 year old may throw tantrums and it is just a part of that stage and we shouldn't make a big deal out of it.

Each age and stage brings something new and often we make it into something bigger than it is. Children are not ageless or unchanging. We need to let our children be in each stage and make changes and embrace it rather than try to hurry through it. I loved that.

Our Words

Now with all of that said, oh what a powerful message he gave of the importance of our words. He talked of the importance of our words all together but also of how respond to each child depending on their age or stage.

For example, your toddler tries to get himself his own bowl of cereal and dumps the whole box all over the table. How do you respond? Quickly. Harshly. Unkindly. Or do you think before you act or speak and try to understand what your toddler might have been thinking, "Mom, I was just trying to get breakfast all by myself. I was hungry and you were busy so I thought I'd try and then." This was such an "aha" moment for me. We need to notice intentions. We need to notice each individual and their age or stage. We need to guard our words.

Once again he played this great commercial for us which shows the great effect our words have on our children.

- Scroll forward in the video and watch from 3:53 to 4:56.



After watching that first video now watch the great reponse this mother has to her son because she thinks first of his age or stage and what is real intentions were. I am sure we all could learn from this.

- Now go back up to the video screen and scroll to the time - 5:30 and watch until 6:30

I don't think I did this talk justice but I hope that you even partially sensed the important nature and powerful message that this talk emitted. It was perspective changing.

I know that our roles as parents are eternal and divine in nature. I know that our children are Children of God. I love my little boy and I already love my little one on the way. They are precious, innocent, and Christ-like. But I sometimes need to be reminded of this. I think we all need to remind ourselves and remind ourselves often.

We indeed can learn from our children as we strive to be more like them. Just as Mosiah 3:19 says, "become as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father."

Let us remember the importance of time. Let us remember the importance of our words. Let us remember that we have much to learn from our children. Let us remember that our children are Children of God.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Love...[is] a lack of personal selfishness. (Ensign, May 1979, p. 72.)
- Elder Theodore M. Burton

Love is like the Polar Star. In a changing world, it is a constant. It is of the very essence of the gospel. It is the security of the home. It is the safeguard of community life. It is a beacon of hope in a world of distress. (Ensign, May 1989, p. 66.)
-President Gordon B. Hinckley

Someone has written, "Love is a verb." It requires doing-not just saying and thinking. The test is in what one does, how one acts, for love is conveyed in word and deed. (Ensign, November 1982, p. 12.)
-Elder David B. Haight

Scripture Valentines Activity

I found this idea off of Sugardoodle.net by Linda Harper and thought it would be a fun Valentine's FHE idea or Scripture Study. It is simple but engaging. It sounds pretty fun.

"First I asked a trivia question: How many times does the word "heart" appear in all of our standard works. (1006 times) I had everyone make a guess and the one who came closest got a small bag of hearts. (By the way, the word "Love" appears 368 times).

Then I took several scriptures that had the word heart in them. I gave them the page numbers and told them to search that page for a scripture with the word heart. It was different chasing by page numbers. It really got them into the scriptures, reading to find "Heart." The first one that found it, read it and then I gave them a heart. Here are the scriptures I used, all from the New Testament:

Page 1227 - Matthew 22:37 - Love the Lord thy God with all thy Heart.
Page 1192 - Matthew 5:8 - Pure in heart
Page 1201 - Matt 9:4 - evil in your heart
Page 1208 - Matthew 12:34 - abundance of the heart
Page 1196 - Matthew 6:21 - there will your heart be also
Page 1277 - Luke 2:51 - all things in her heart
Page 1285 - Luke 6:45 - treasure of his heart.
Page 1307 - Luke 16:15 - God knoweth your heart.
Page 1352 - John 14:1 - Let not your heart be troubled
Page 1356 - John 16:22 - your heart shall rejoice
Page 1372 - Acts 4:32 - of one heart
Page 1427 - Romans 8:27 - searcheth the hearts
Page 1483 - Eph 3:17 - Christ dwelling in your heart
Page 1440 - 1 Cor 2:9 - Heart of man
Page 1545 - 1 Pet. 1:22 - a pure heart

I mixed these all up as we chased them. It was a fun about 10-15 minute activity."

The Value of Self-Esteem

I came across this great talk and couldn't resist posting it here. Self-Esteem seems to be such a universal problem and I thought we all could benefit from Elder Fausts great words. This was a CES Fireside given by Elder Faust in May of 2007, titled "The Value of Self-Esteem".



I will share a few excerpts here or you can click on the link above to read the talk in it's entirety:

"Tonight I would like to talk about self-esteem—what we think of ourselves, how we relate to what others think of us, and the value of what we accomplish...Self-esteem goes to the very heart of our personal growth and accomplishment. It is the glue that holds together our self-reliance, our self-control, our self-approval or disapproval and keeps all self-defense mechanisms secure. It is a protection against excessive self-deception, self-distrust, self-reproach, and plain old-fashioned selfishness."

He goes on to share Six Keys for Healthy Self-Esteem:

First: Keep Your Agency
This means that we must not surrender self-control nor yield to habits that bind, to addiction that enslaves, nor to conduct that destroys. To keep our agency we must avoid the deadly traps and pitfalls from which there may be no escape.

Second: Humility
I mean the humility that comes with inner strength and peace. It is the humility that allows us to accept and live with our own warts, without cosmetics to hide them.

Third: Honesty
Being true to one’s own self is the essence of honesty and a keystone of self-esteem.

Fourth: Love of Work
While there are those who are gifted, most of the world’s work and some of the greatest contributions come from ordinary people with a talent which they have developed.

Fifth: Ability to Love
The commandment given by the Savior was to love others and yourself.3 Am I secure enough in my love of myself to laugh at myself, to admit mistakes, to graciously accept a compliment? Am I secure in my love of others to smile and say hello to a perfect stranger?

Sixth: Love of God
The sixth and most essential key to self-esteem is the love of God. King Benjamin reminds us, “How knoweth a man the master whom he has not served . . . ?” (Mosiah 5:13). In Paul’s epistle to Titus he reminds us that there are many who “profess that they know God; but in works they deny him” (Titus 1:16).

Here is a portion of his closing remarks, "...Nobody is a nobody...I testify that God loves each of us—warts and all. I testify that he knows each of our names. I testify that each of us has a potential in this life and beyond the grave that exceeds our fondest dreams. I testify through the gifts of the Holy Spirit that we are engaged in His holy work."

I've always loved lists in talks. They help me to have a direct plan of how to acheive the objective hoped for, in this case better self-esteem. Along with these six keys one of my favorite lines was that "Nobody is a nobody." I think we all have moments when we forget that.

This talk also reminded me of a small portion from a talk given by President Benson called "Beware of Pride". He addresses a different side of pride that we don't often think of:

"The proud depend upon the world to tell them whether they have value or not. Their self-esteem is determined by where they are judged to be on the ladders of worldly success. They feel worthwhile as individuals if the numbers beneath them in achievement, talent, beauty, or intellect are large enough. Pride is ugly. It says, “If you succeed, I am a failure.”

If we love God, do His will, and fear His judgment more than men’s, we will have self-esteem."

What powerful messages from President Faust and President Benson. Let us strive to see our individual worth and let us strive to see the worth in others because "nobody is a nobody".

True Service Brings Love

Image Credit

This last Sunday I was asked to share an experience that related to the topic "Leaders in the Lord's Kingdom Love those they Serve". I quickly was reminded of this simple yet profound experience I had while in college. So I shared it on Sunday and thought I would share it here.

I was doing my student teaching in a preschool setting. At the beginning I was to help out here and there but mostly observe the teachers and how the class was run. There was one particular boy named Simon in the class that was the little "trouble-maker", every class seems to have at least one. :) He caused some frustration to all of us teachers, understandably I thought. But as I continued to watch I began to notice that the only attention this little boy got was negative. When hearing others speak to him it would always begin with a don't, stop, no, etc. It almost seemed to me that a few of the teachers quite certainly dis-liked and almost despised having this little boy in the class.

The Spirit pricked my heart and guided to me to know what to do. I was guided in knowing what to say to this little boy and how to react in certain situations. I made a commitment with myself that I would make a very big effort to focus on the good things that Simon did, even if it was as simple as standing in line for 30 seconds or following a direction given.

It did not take long for this little boy to change and to change a lot. He began sitting in circle time. He began picking up after himself. He stopped hitting the other children. He became my little buddy. He started wanting to be around me all of the time and sought for my approval and praise. He did not become perfect -he still tested me and the other teachers but he improved drastically.

Although he changed, the more profound change may have been in myself. I like the other teachers started out quite frustrated and irritated with Simon. He made it difficult to teach. But as I saw the good in him and spent my time focusing on it by giving praise, compliments, and little acts of service I began to love this little boy. I grew so far from frustrated that I cared very deeply for him.

Soon after all of this took place I found out that Simon would be moving. It was a sudden move and I remember feeling a little distraught about the whole idea. I hadn't come into my student teaching expecting to create such an incredibly strong bond with anyone and suddenly my best little man was going to be gone. I remember I cried every day for about a week.

I know that has we serve others and as we see the potential in others we can grow to love them and we can grow to see them more as our Heavenly Father sees them. I also know that as we lead through love, service, and expectations others will have a greater desire and determination to be better.

Our Heavenly Father and our Savior Jesus Christ are perfect examples of this. They love us and serve us and have great expectations of us. When we can see that and feel that love we truly can and should have a greater desire to be better and do more.

I hope that we all will strive to look for the good in others - in our spouses, in our children, in our neighbors, in our fellow church members, in strangers - and strive to serve them and buoy them up. I know that has we do so they will have a greater desire to follow our examples and become better and we will have a heightened ability to love more fully. I also know that as we serve and gain a greater capacity to love we will feel the love of our Savior and draw closer to Him.

Do any of you have experiences where service brought greater love?