Point me towards the temple

There seems to be something interesting that happens for a young, unmarried, LDS girl between the time she graduates from high-school, leaves young women's and enters relief society. We suddenly stop talking about the temple. It's a scary thing. Talking about a marriage that hasn't happened yet. It's scary being the girl (or woman) in relief society who says, "I'm not married... yet." It's scary to hope that you'll be married, because all of the sudden it makes you seem desperate. But, I have realized that there is hope. And it's okay to talk about your dreams. I had an institute teacher challenge us to write down an impossible goal. One of mine is to get married. Now, before all of you come back and say, "stop worrying about it" or "it's not impossible", I can tell you that I'm not worried about it and I know it's not impossible. Instead I've just realized I have to put in my own effort before I allow the Lord to bless me. Slight tangent, but now we're back on track. So, how do we encourage our 18-30 year old girls to still look to the temple, hope for a temple marriage and not get discouraged? There is something very special that I wear around my neck almost everyday.

My young women medallion reminds me of two things: A. The temple is the reason why. The whole book of Mormon is about the temple. Really, it is so amazing. Everything is preparing us to "make and keep sacred covenants". B. I know how to make and achieve goals. How do you think I got to graduate school? How do you think I get up in the morning to do yoga? How does anyone do anything of worth without a goal? So please, remember to point me towards the temple. I need to not only get there, but I need to stay there. I need to keep my covenants because I need my family for eternity. The Gospel really does fulfill the longings of the human soul and for that I am so grateful. 

Love

You may hear it on the radio, a profession of love. I love you to the moon and back. You may hear it come from a close friend. I love you. You may see it in the actions of a significant other. He did the dishes. But one of the most interesting places to hear it is in the scriptures. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son." or "Lovest thou me?" Why is love so important to the Savior? He understands us perfectly and therefore understands how powerful those emotions of love are. Think about the last time you were told, "I love you." It connects you to other people and increases your trust in them. That is what the Savior wants us to do. Trust Him. When we love Him and trust Him, we will do the will of His Father, our Father. This will lead us back to Heavenly Father, a place that will be filled with love. In the scriptures we are commanded to love our neighbor as ourselves. So, take a little time to think about it. Do you love yourself? Do you take care of the temple that houses your spirit? Do you look at your life and see something of great worth? In the end serving others, serves God. So, when we love ourselves, we can love others, which serves God. He is pleased when we choose Him because, in the end, that choice will make us the happiest of all.

Gratitude is working on me...

A woman in my LDS ward said something that is beginning to work on me, and changing how I look at my goals for the new year. "When I am grateful, I don't want more." This worked really well the other day when I went shopping with my mom. Shopping with her at Plato's closet is one of my favorite things about Christmas break. Quality time is definitely my love language, so I was excited to spend some time with her. However, when we got in the store my goal of finding a skirt was evidently going to be hard. Everything was way too short, way too tight. But I employed gratitude that I
A. Already had lots if clothes, B. Was out with my mom, and C. Had found some cute tops to keep me warm in Logan, Ut. So now when I get frustrated by clothes or when I really want to sleep instead of reading my scriptures, my gratitude can help me realize all that I have including clothing and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Recently, I started reading "Women and the Priesthood" by Sheri Dew and I realized that it is all about gratitude. I am grateful that I get to participate in Priesthood ordinances in many ways and that I get to employ my nurturing qualities by serving those around me. How can gratitude change your view?