good to come

The guy in the white shirt totally cracks me up.

I shared this video a year ago, but I think it is such a good one for the new year. It just had to be shared again.

Sorry my posts have been kinda lame lately. At least it seems like they have been.
Hopefully that's in the past :)


"She probably didn't even give it any consideration that the future could be better than her past."


Live for the future. You guys hear it all the time... you see it quoted on Pinterest and Facebook... You are not the mistakes you have made. 

Do you want to know what my goal is for the new year?

Not letting homework stress me out so much! It's not even that hard to get it all done... right!?!

What are your goals for 2013??

You know what? Life is good! It's full of good things to be excited for!!

And you have a bright future ahead of you! So... no worries! Okay? No stressing.

You know what I have the hardest time with? And I have mentioned this before... but forgiving myself.
But you can never reach your full potential if you are constantly looking back and feeling guilt for things that you Simply. Cannot. Change.
Would God want that?

No, he offers forgiveness, a bright future, and guidance to make beautiful things of it.

My Bishop told me something kinda cool the other day... "With the church, it always gets better."
He further explained - growing up, college, marriage... and you think what could possibly be better? And then you have children. Then grandchildren. And if you'll notice, the good things don't stop coming.


"Change is the Lord’s way. He wants us to be happy and growing, to be excited to move on with our lives. Life is a journey, and while still enjoying the present and preparing for inevitable challenges, we must move forward, remaining optimistic, our hearts open to the experiences and good things that are undoubtedly on their way."
- Caitlin A. Rush


I promise... if you will allow Him to, God will pour upon you blessing after blessing after blessing. 


We knew coming down to the earth that we would make mistakes. It was inevitable. So don't freak out when the inevitable comes to pass. Worrying is simply useless and unnecessary.

Let go of the past. It's done, gone, behind you. Leave it there. 
Take comfort in the fact you've done what you can. If so, you're golden. 



Happy New Year everyone. And remember, with the church, it always gets better.

Keep moving forward!

a goal we all can agree on

When I was a young kid, my bedtime was 8:30 every night. Bedtime consisted of putting on a nightgown and/or footie pajamas, brushing my teeth, and usually having my mom braid my hair so it would be wavy in the morning. 

My parents had their time together downstairs, and I was confined to my room, trying to pick out the words I could barely hear coming from the TV. 

When I got to seventh grade, I remember a friend of mine telling me how they had gone to bed at 11:30 after trying to get an assignment done. My eyes widened as I repeated her words... "eleven-thirty??" My bedtime may have been upped to 10:00, but a bedtime that late was a New Year's Eve type of thing. 

I don't really know what changed after that, but eventually my bedtime seemed to be all but forgotten as I scrambled to get last-minute assignments done every night. It was there in theory, but wasn't enforced as much, especially as the years went on. 

Fast forward to today, and you will find my whole family in bed, with me still up and about, almost every night. 

Or sometimes I shut myself in my room after getting ready for bed with all my homework that is still unfinished. I light a candle and cherish the knowledge thateven though I still have homework, I won't have to leave that wonderful little place for the rest of the night. 

Or, during the summer, I stay up watching Monk and Drop Dead Diva on Netflix until it is 3am. 

And I came to the realization one day, that I am a huge night owl. Even as a high schooler, on the nights I desperately want to sleep, I can't. I guess I'm just wired differently now.

But even though I am a walking zombie at school occasionally, I love being up alone at night. What used to be my parents' alone time, has now become mine. (sorry guys!)

There is something about being alone, surrounded by quiet and peace, that soothes the soul. It fills you up. It brings you nearer to God. 


I look forward to these hours of recluse, and I wish we could all make time for ourselves... time to just be alone. Time to feel the Spirit. Not out of selfishness. Quite the contrary, actually. A boost in spirit helps us when we need patience. Having some alone time to look forward to makes it easier to spend more quality time with others during the other hours of the day. 

I think the human mind is a very complex, beautiful thing. It never stops working, moving, or thinking...  Never stops stressing, never relaxes until we make a conscious effort to make it calm down. 


And when I do make a conscious effort, I receive happiness and peace in return.  


Let's switch gears for a second. 


I would pride myself in never breaking a new year's resolution, but that's because I try not to make them. There is something about a goal that freaks me out. It's the same reason I made goals like turn in my homework on time during parent-teacher conferences as a kid. I always turned my homework in on time. So there was no chance of failure. I didn't even need to change my ways at all.

Maybe I'm just a no-good, lazy teenager, but I hate making goals. I tend to want results without putting forth the work.

But happiness is a goal even I can work towards. Because I get so stressed with homework and piano and other day to day activities sometimes. And it's not that I'm not happy, I just too often spend more time worrying than enjoying the journey.

And maybe my mind will get into the habit of being calm, and I will have to remind it less and less.

And I won't have to be alone - or away from other cares - to be calm and happy.

Indeed, even a new year's resolution I can handle. 

What are your new year's resolutions this year?

Look Not Behind Thee

Be prepared for a post with lots of media...




   
     To be honest, I used to think that New Year's was the most pointless holiday ever. "Wow... the date on the calendar changes... That happens every day. What's the big deal?"
   
     I think that I now know why so many people like celebrating the new year.

     Everyone has things that they wish they were doing better on. Everyone probably has things that they are guilty or ashamed about in their past.

Many people let the new year motivate them to do better on whatever they are struggling with.
For many people, a new year means a new beginning. 

     I love the above video. It talks about how important it is to look to the future. Don't dwell on things of the past, because frankly, they don't matter anymore.

     My favorite Disney movie is Meet the Robinsons. While writing this post, I realized that this movie is the perfect example of looking to the future.

Watch this clip from the movie...




There may be things in your past that you are not proud of. That's okay. 
   As Billie Robinson so perfectly put it, "From failing, we learn."


    Please listen to the song that I've posted below, and focus on the words. I cried the first time I listened to it.... It is now one of my favorite songs, and the perfect reminder to forgive yourself so that you can move on to bigger and better things. 


Little Wonders - Rob Thomas

Happy New Year everyone.