A good day.

 Papertissue

It's funny how going to church used to be more of a social gathering for me. And of course that is part of it but I think during most of my teenage years I didn't love going to church because I focused on the fact I didn't have a lot of friends in my ward and stuff like that. Last year when I went to my parent's ward still and most people my age were in singles wards, I guess my idea of church shifted. I started going to church to actually be spiritually uplifted. Now I am in a singles ward and I think sometimes I do focus more on the social aspect but when I actually go there to learn something I come away from it feeling so good and happy. Today was one of those days where I just felt really uplifted by every meeting. The topics were all slightly different (importance of family, enduring through hard times on the mission, and service) I came away with one central idea that seemed to be emphasized strongly in all three meetings. All the topics kept being related back to charity and how although we may be having a really hard time for whatever reasons if we just focus our efforts on making other people happy and showing them love we can find joy too. I really needed to hear this I think because I guess I've been kind of down lately and I haven't been trying that hard to show love to other people.

I think sometimes we get so caught up in our busy lives and the stresses that are weighing us down that we completely forget about those people around us who could probably use our help. Also sometimes we might forget that the people we love are much more important than the things we tend to put as our number one priorities. I know that school is very very important and I definitely am not saying we should just forget things like school, and work, and obligations but I find that I am happier when I also set apart time to just spend talking to a friend who needs a friend or just having fun with my family. If I make sure to strengthen those relationships I feel happier and when I am happier I feel much more motivated to do better in my schoolwork.

I don't know if anybody read that article I posted in my last blog post but this quote really stood out to me: "In a hundred small ways, all of you wear the mantle of charity. Life is perfect for none of us. Rather than being judgmental and critical of each other, may we have the pure love of Christ for our fellow travelers in this journey through life. May we recognize that each one is doing her best to deal with the challenges which come her way, and may we strive to do our best to help out." Everyone struggles like we do, so why put them down or ignore them? I want to try to just remember that everyone has burdens and maybe I can help them out somehow if I am really paying attention. Kind of like how in my favorite hymn "Lord I Would Follow Thee" there is this line that stands out to me every time we sing that. It says:

"Who am I to judge another
When I walk imperfectly?
In the quiet heart is hidden
Sorrow that the eye can’t see.
Who am I to judge another?"

I've always liked that line because when someone is annoying me or something like that and I find myself judging them, if I think about how they have their own burdens and insecurities and they want to be loved and accepted just like I do. That really changes the way I see them and helps me feel more love for them. And it's especially important to show that we care to our family and friends. If we focus on loving other people it can help take our minds off of the things that might be stressing us out and we have family and friends as support to help us endure those things. We are support to them as well.

I don't know, this blog post has kind of been unorganized. But the point is that I really feel like maybe this was something I was supposed to remember and it was kind of comforting to remember it when I've been feeling so discouraged about school and have been pushing away my friends. This week I actually made a real effort to talk to/spend time with my friends and my family. I felt so much happier and I feel a lot less stressed and have been able to study with a clearer mind and more motivation. Also I love my church. I love how so much of the doctrine focuses on love because I think that's really one of the most important things we have.

Now I will stop being all cheesy. Also the sun is shining which is making me happy. :)

Also Divine Comedy's parody of This Club Can't Handle Me: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBdHxgeAcZE I think it is really funny and now every time I go to the testing center I think about the dance in the music video haha.