I am so Busy!

I get up each morning, head to work or to my mom's house or to whatever is planned for that day! For each day there is a plan, an appointment, something that needs to be done. I talk to friends and they say to me, "You are so busy!" "Yes" I answer, there is a lot going on. Someday it will calm down, someday I will 'get a break'. I keep going and even add things on to the plan for each day. Yes, there are things that have to be done and as a book title reads The 36 Hour Day infers, I need more time each day to do it all! I look forward to tomorrows, so I can get up and start again. I am grateful for each morning I wake up and thank our Heavenly Father for the day, but then hit the ground running sometimes not giving any more thought to gratitude.
It is still October and I am finally trying to listen to October Conference as I cleaned out the fridge. I do have a clean fridge and freezer and now I am taking the time to write down some thoughts. As I listened to the Sat. talk by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Of Thing That Matter Most, I am humbled to sit and ponder life as it is right now and how it is changing and how I spend my time. I have always said if there is something you really want to do, you can find the time. The sentence, Therefore, it is good advice to slow down a little, steady the course, and focus on the essentials when experiencing adverse conditions. really hit home with me. Slow down. Can I slow down? How do I do this with all that is going on right now? My mom needs care and things around the house need doing. I have to work and well I now have more commitments that I need to be done. How do I slow down? You can always find time to do the things you want to do!
President Uchtdorf stated in his talk, Let’s be honest; it’s rather easy to be busy. We all can think up a list of tasks that will overwhelm our schedules. "I am so busy these days!" Oh yes, I am just so busy! Am I taking this busy thing and letting it become a vice?

"Overscheduling our days would certainly qualify for this. There comes a point where milestones can become millstones and ambitions, albatrosses around our necks."

OK, so now I know that I am a busy person. Is there not a saying that if you want something done, ask a busy person? I can do it! I can get things done or can I? Have I let some things go? Somethings that are important to me, important to my life, physical and spiritual? I looked within and had that conversation with my self, "Self what are you doing?" I know that I am not doing, physical excercise, daily scripture readings, even sometimes daily prayer! I am not eating as healthy as I would like and usually have some increased stressor each day. Self, what are you doing?
Wow, how some messages come into our lives at just the right time. Is someone throwing me a life preserver? Should I take it and hold on. Hold on with all my might? So now I have got a finger on it, trying to get a grip. How do I keep holding on, how do I get my arms around this?
“There is more to life than increasing its speed.”
Elder Dallin H. Oaks, in a recent general conference, taught, “We have to forego some good things in order to choose others that are better or best because they develop faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and strengthen our families.”
"The search for the best things inevitably leads to the foundational principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ—the simple and beautiful truths revealed to us by a caring, eternal, and all-knowing Father in Heaven. These core doctrines and principles, though simple enough for a child to understand, provide the answers to the most complex questions of life.
There is a beauty and clarity that comes from simplicity that we sometimes do not appreciate in our thirst for intricate solutions."
A simple solution? Really? Is this true? Leonardo da Vinci is quoted as saying that “simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.
Oh, how I want to be sophisticated! Slow down, choose, keep it simple stupid! I know that words can be very powerful. I love words. Actions are also part of those words. I can try! I can try my best. That is what I have to do. Do my best!
I will take the time to hear the still small voice, listen and do, learn and become close to our Savior Jesus Christ. I have kept Him in my heart always near and dear. But I sometimes take Him for granted. Yes, He will always be there, I know that, but I have to acknowledge that presence. I have to have patience, understanding with my self in this time of my life. I have to like me so I can see my self as His precious daughter with divine potential!
Simplify, take it slow and enjoy the time. Do not worry about the next thing to get done because it will get done, eventually as it fits into the plan. I will do my best. Keep my firm foundation. Do what I can and be happy with that result. I love that I can have conversations with our Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ. Even when I am angry at them and not happy with the plan, they smile at me, send me comfort and a still small voice that says, "I love you. I have a plan for you. You are my precious daughter. My daughter!"
I love that I can get these messages especially when I need them the most. Thank you Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ for your love for me. Keep it simple, for this I pray in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Amen

Helen, my mom.
I worked this weekend on Sat. and was at my mom's of Sunday, so I watched conference at a later time. I am still watching talks from Sunday but have some thoughts that I picked out from Saturday's sessions I would like to post here. I love that we have this opportunity to have messages spoken to us in this forum. I know that sometime I am not as "in to it" as I should be but usually hear something that is said that is just for me! I am going through a hard time right now as I mourn the loss of my mom. She has not passed away but is getting more confused and doing things that are not "my mom". I am saddened, worried and just do not know what to do. I have been praying and wondering where I am headed on this path? Sr. Julie Beck's talk on Sat. was a message that I could take home and I would like to put down some of the thoughts and quotes from her talk.
"The ability to qualify for, receive, and act on personal revelation is the single most important skill that can be acquired in this life." How I need personal revelation right now. How do I handle my mom thing? I keep praying for patience but now I realize I need to pray for something else. Heavenly Father keeps giving me opportunities to develop my patience skills and I think that I would like no more of those opportunities right now. (watch what you pray for)
"A good woman knows that she does not have enough energy, time, or opportunity to take care of all of the people or do all of the worthy things her heart yearns to do." I try and yet I know that I can not do it all. But we all try and sometimes feel so discouraged at our failures without looking at all that we have done. This is an eye opener, again, as I know this but sometimes fail to remember this. "Revelation can come hour by hour and moment by moment as we do the right things."
I think I might need it minute by minute! "Because personal revelation is a constantly renewable source of strength, it is possible to feel bathed in help even during turbulent times…." I need a long soak!
I am so greatful for this counsel and Sr. Beck's thoughts. What a blessing and opportunity to re think the things we do, the things we can do and our being in "the right place".

Food (planning) for thought

Water Storage: Did you know that your body can only survive a few short days without water before suffering internal damage? The human body is over 70 percent water, making it vital to keep hydrated. All the food storage in the world will do you no good if you have no water to drink!

Also, how many of you plan on adding dehydrated or freeze dried food for your food storage? These items need to be reconstituted so it would be wise to have a method of water filtration on hand in addition to the water you store.

Emergency Kits: I always had an emergency kit in my car at home with a small amount of food and water when the children were small but now I do not have these any longer. My intention was to get them together, again. Each day I forget to git together! With the recent disasters , it is a reminder again to "get it together".

These kits should be portable, preferably stored in a backpack or other easy to carry bag, and should contain necessities your family would need for the first three days of an emergency. It should contain water, food, sanitation, along with first aid and other important survival items. We'll go into detail on everything you should have in your emergency kits in the weeks to come.

Food Storage: After you've stored appropriate amounts of water, and have your emergency kits on hand, it's finally time for you to work on your food storage! Though many of us imagine using our food storage should a natural disaster occur, there are other emergencies that may require us to use our food storage. With the recent economic uncertainties many have experienced, some of us might find ourselves under-employed or even unemployed. Wouldn't it be nice to have some food storage on hand to supplement or even replace that large "grocery" portion of your monthly budget? Making your family as self sufficient as possible is a great priority.

I also challenge you to look at your food storage in a whole new light and from a different perspective than you may be accustomed to. In order to maximize nutrition and reap the greatest value out of your food storage, try out the mantra of "eat what you store, and store what you eat." Don't worry, it isn't as intimidating as you might think.
taken from LDSLivingmagazine

Be Prepared!

1. Anywhere, Anytime-- Disaster can strike our family or our community whether we are rich or poor, where we live, what kind of job we have, or whether it is a good time for us. All we can do is prepare for the worst, and hope for the best.

2. Warn Others-- One of the most beautiful things to see in Haiti, was the outpouring of love and support in response. However, one of the saddest things to watch was the desperate people fighting for food...making it dangerous to deliver supplies (for the people and the relief organizations). All it takes is desperation for people to act less civilized. We must encourage our neighbors to get prepared, even at just a basic level so that they don't panic and start acting irrationally.

3. Chance To Serve-- A crisis bring about an opportunity to help others. But we can only be of service, if we are prepared. Despite our warnings, there will be many that don't get prepared. Due our preparedness, we'll be in a position to serve others.

Soles 4 souls

We collected 1,697 pair !! Needess to say, we exceed all expectations. Thank you all who donated!!! Some earthquake victims in Haiti are going to be very blessed by the shoes coming their way soon.

A special thanks to Ti Chambers who headed up this project, and her husband Eric who was her right arm. Ti was just recently called to be MV 2nd's Humanitarian Specialist, and really started things off on the right foot...(pun possibly intended). They made the collection go smoothly with their willingness to collect from the buildings and volunteer their house as our official shoe hub!

I will be in touch soon about the hygeine kit project which is starting up this week.

Because I Have Been Given Much

I am sitting here today cleaning and getting it all together as I am back from my trip to Haiti/Dominican Republic. I am waiting for my floor to dry so that I may continue to finish cleaning up around here and decided to play some church hymns. One night as I was out in the field among the people of Haiti I heard a hymn being sung in Creole. It was a familiar hymn and it brought me a feeling of peace as I listened to them sing with such sweet voices together.
I played a few hymns and turned to hymn # 219. I played and then read the words and felt so blessed to be able to give and grateful for my blessings and abundance. I asked the question to the others I traveled with as we looked out on the people at the area we were working. Why was I born where I was and not here? We all asked that question many times over the week as we looked around.
Because I have been given much, I too must give.
Because of thy great bounty, Lord, each day I live
I shall divide my gifts with thee
With every brother that I see
Who has the need of help from me
Read this hymn and the visiting teaching message this month, Feb. ( Click on the handout to link to the full message.) Wow, is all I can say. We receive great counsel and we must heed it's message. I know from experience that this is important, this is how we need to structure our lives.
Have faith in the Savior—not just to do better but to be better.
I know It takes great faith to utter those simple word. My goal, my mantra: do not just do better, BE better!

The Serenity Prayer

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.

--Reinhold Niebuhr

Soles 4 Soles

We will be collecting gently used shoes for men, women and children at each building until January 31st. All shoes donated must be clean and bound together by either tying them or in a clear zip lock. Since we are striving to keep it neat and orderly, we are asking all specialists to check on and collect the shoes when the bins get full -as to not have any overflow onto the floor.
Get the word out to everyone. The shoes will be delivered on January 31st to the Soles4Souls charity program sponsored by SportChalet. They are making an extra push for donations because of the crisis in Haiti .

Please spread the word to your ward members.

Thanks for your help. Sorry for the sudden notice!
Laurie

P.S. FYI Planning for another project involving assembling hygiene kits for Haiti is in the works...info coming your way soon. :)check out the pic of the hygeine kits to be put together.

Humanitarian Information for Haiti

SALT LAKE CITY 14 January 2010
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is sending a team of doctors and medical supplies to Haiti immediately to help care for those injured by the devastating earthquake. The doctors will set up a temporary medical center in a Church meetinghouse in Port-au-Prince . The meetinghouse is largely undamaged by the quake.

Nate Leishman, manager of the Church’s humanitarian emergency response efforts describes aid being sent.

“We’re finding one of the greatest needs is medical care. Entire hospitals have been destroyed. Medical supplies are scarce. So this temporary medical center will be a tremendous asset,” said Elder Francisco J. Viñas, the area president who oversees the Church in Haiti .
The doctors are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who have volunteered their time and skills to assist people in Haiti who are in critical need of medical assistance.
Other urgent needs following the devastating earthquake continue to be water, medical care, shelter and food. The Church is responding to those needs by sending relief supplies in addition to the medical personnel. Some shipments have already arrived, others are in process, and more are being planned.
Two planes, each loaded with 80,000 pounds of supplies donated by the Church, are expected to leave for Haiti on Saturday and Sunday. The supplies on the planes include 15,000 personal filtration bottles, which can each filter and purify 400 gallons of water. Also included in the shipments are food, blankets, hygiene kits, tarps, tents and other necessities. The first flight will leave from Denver on Saturday, 16 January, and the second will leave from Miami that day or the following day. Additionally, hygiene kits and other supplies sent from the Dominican Republic by truck arrived in Haiti on Thursday.
Some of the Church’s meetinghouses in Port-Au-Prince are also being used as temporary shelters for displaced persons.
“Normal daily activity has come to a stop in Haiti . Helping to restore normalcy in the midst of devastation will be our greatest goal. Our focus will be on helping people become self-reliant again.” said Elder Viñas.
The Church continues to monitor the humanitarian situation on an ongoing basis to determine how to best help. Donations for relief efforts can be made at http://give.lds.org/emergencyresponse.

Vancouver Temple

Wow, another dedication and Temple opening. This is near where I go to visit family on the West coast of Canada. I hope to get there around this time so I may attend the dedication or open house at least. Click here to check out the stats of this Temple.

Great Service Project Ideas!

Give a day and get a day. CLICK HERE to go to the link on Disney.com to read the information and sign up for a volunteer project and then get a ticket to Disneyland!

Just a Few Thoughts for 2010

Health:

1. Drink plenty of water.

2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.

3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants, and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.

4. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy

5. Make time to pray.

6. Play more games

7. Read more books than you did in 2009.

8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day

9. Sleep for 7 hours.

10. Take a 10-30 minute walk daily. And while you walk, smile.

Personality:

11. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

12. Don't have negative thoughts on things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.

13. Don't overdo. Keep your limits.

14. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

15. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.

16. Dream more while you are awake.

17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need..

18. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.

19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.

20. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.

21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

22. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class, but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.

23. Smile and laugh more.

24. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree...

Society:

25. Call your family often.

26. Each day give something good to others.

27. Forgive everyone for everything..

28. Spend time w/ people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.

29. Try to make at least three people smile each day.

30. What other people think of you is none of your business.

31. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

Life:

32. Do the right thing!

33. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

34. GOD heals everything.

35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change..

36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

37. The best is yet to come..

38. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.

39. Your innermost is always happy. So, be happy.