None of us comes to this earth to gain our worth; 

we bring it with us!

-Sheri Dew

is for Individual Worth....




Watching our favorite Christmas classic will do it...
Working with the Young Women will do it..
Walking with people from all over the country, from all walks of life will bring it too.


Some of us need a reminder of other people's worth, and sometimes we need to be reminded of our own worth. The former requires living the Golden Rule.  (it seems like nobody ever talks about the Golden Rule anymore. Why is that?!  Soon there may be a whole generation that doesnt know what it is....To Do Unto Others As You Would Have Done Unto You.)   
Both requires a knowledge of who you are, what is our purpose, and where the heck are we going!?
I think  knowing that each of us is a beloved child of God, made in His image, naturally has us step up to the plate.
Practicing the Golden Rule and learning just who you are in the grand scheme of things, are both difficult lessons to learn.  Even now I am repenting for what I wrote about some unnamed guests  we had a few weeks ago.  I had no right to judge them so harshly.  God loves them as much as He loves me.  I will attempt to never do that again.


Teaching sensitive Young Women of their individual worth is my main focus in life right now.  And its no easy task.  Life for teenagers is fairly brutal these days. Maybe it has been for eons of time...I dont know.  I do know that if given a chance to go back and do teenagedom again....I wouldnt touch it with a ten foot pole!!  For some reason the stakes seem higher these days for our youth.


My Christmas wish this year is that all of us could KNOW and remember and believe what the below quote is saying to each of us...especially to the women of the world, about our power, influence and possibilities in this life.  This is what an apostle of the Lord has to say about our worth!


"Every [person] who stands for truth and righteousness diminishes the influence of evil.  Every woman who strengthens and protect her family is doing the work of God.  Every woman who lives as a woman of God becomes a beacon for others to follow and plants seeds of righteous influence that will be harvested for decades to come."  -M. Russell Ballard


I want "my girls" to know that they each mean the world to me.  That I will love them no matter what. That I love them when its easy to love them and I love them when its not so easy.  And I love them because- they each have unique talents and gifts from God to share with the world.  I love them for the challenge it is to learning who they are and envisioning their possibilities.  I love them because I have been blessed with "spiritual eyes" to see that they truly are children of our Heavenly Father who loves them with perfect love.  I love them because Im supposed to...a blessing that comes with the 'calling.' My heart has been opened to receive them and to try and give them what they need.  I love them because I serve them.




My wish making continues...
that none of us have to stand percariously on the edge of certain death,on a cold, deserted bridge,  before we learn of our great worth.  That we can all come to know of our worth to others and of our own great worth to God and ourselves.   And that we may all take some time to learn of our purposes here and to embrace our gifts and talents  which we have been gifted, and go and do!!  Remembering  our Heavenly Heritage will take us a long way towards a healthy self esteem dont ya think!!!?

Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee;

and before  thou camest forth out of the womb

I sanctified thee...

Jeremiah 1:5

I know I treat people differently and am kinder to myself when I remember that I was loved and cherished before  I even came here to live and learn.  And knowing that you were there with me makes it sweeter still!!!


Remember, The worth of souls is great in the sight of God!!!
And your dear soul counts!!!


If you'd like to hear a silly song on the Golden Rule, go Here.




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Sunday Ramblings

Good advice is a wise man's friend, of course;

but sometimes it just flies on past, 

and all you really can do is wave.

from: Peace Like a River

by: Lief Enger

This Personal Progress program that the young women follow...causes me, their humble leader, to do lots of introspection.  And...as I work on the Choice and Accountability value along with these fine girls...I realize once again that I need to do some “housecleaning.”We are asked to ponder and meditate about what it means to strive to become 'unspotted from the world.' James 1:27

from: You Are Special

Areas of improvement for mwah!!!:

Keeping the Sabbath Day (more) holy.

Being Mormon requires quite a bit of us. It requires obedience, sacrifice and faith to name just a few. Truly we are a peculiar people. Sabbath day observance is just one of the commandments in a long line of laws we strive to fulfill.

Thankfully our Sabbath requirements arent as stringent as they were for the ancient Israelites of the Old Testament. We are not bound by strict laws and penalties which if were broken were punishable by death. Thank heavens Jesus set us straight about the expectations for the Sabbath when He stated- “the sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath”

Our Sabbath worship entails going to church and partaking of the sacrament, going to Sunday School and Priesthood and Relief Society meetings. The rest of the day is ours to decide how best to “prove” our love and devotion to our Heavenly Father and His Son. I for one am grateful and indeed NEED a full day out of the 7 other days to focus my mind and heart on Him completely. Resting from my worldly 'things' is a blessing as well.

In Hebrew, Sabbath means “rest” or “cessation of labor.” But besides simply “resting from our labors”, or sleeping the day away, we are taught to try an d sanctify the day, and make it holy. We are to do this by doing what we feel will help us to draw closer to God.

Why would I want to do this you might ask?

Because the Lord has told us that keeping the Sabbath day holy will help protect us against the ills of a world that seems to be falling apart at the seams right now.

Spencer W. Kimball of the Quorum of the Twelve gave to us years ago the following suggestions for keeping the Sabbath properly:

“The Sabbath is a holy day in which to do worthy and holy things. Abstinence from work and recreation is important but insufficient. The Sabbath calls for constructive thoughts and acts, and if one merely lounges about doing nothing on the Sabbath, he is breaking it. To observe it, one will be on his knees in prayer, preparing lessons, studying the gospel, meditating, visiting the ill and distressed, sleeping, reading wholesome material, and attending all the meetings of that day to which he is expected. To fail to do these proper things is a transgression on the omission side” (The Miracle of Forgiveness [1969], 96–97).

Great blessings are promised those who truly call the Sabbath a delight and make it a holy day: “Inasmuch as ye do these things with thanksgiving, with cheerful hearts and countenances, … the fulness of the earth is yours, … and the good things which come of the earth” (D&C 59:15–17).

I am promising to try a little harder on this 4th commandment.

“Observance of the Sabbath is an indication of the depth of our conversion”

from: Read with Dick and Jane

Talk about Mormons being peculiar...or distinctive...

This thing we call the WORD OF WISDOM really separates us from other faiths.

Staying true to this principle for me is a way for me to prove that I'll do what I can to live longer and to improve my quality of life, while also showing my obedience to a loving and caring Heavenly Father. I like knowing that He cares about something as worldly as your and my health. Being obedient to the word of wisdom and all the commandments brings us temporal blessings, but more importantly I believe its' greater blessings are of a spiritual nature!!

Listen to the spiritual promise: “All saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures.” (D&C 89:18, 19;)

The Word of Wisdom is —a principle with promise. If we obey the provisions of the law, we receive the promises. If we do not, there will be both temporal and spiritual consequences.

This year marks the 177th year that Mormons have being trying to adhere to the Word of Wisdom in this dispensation. 

Here's to doing my best to remain “unspotted' by eliminating more harmful elements from my diet that the world offers to distract us!! Less sugar for me and Pepsi is still on the avoidance list.

from: The Fire Cat

Next 'spot cleaning' item:

Straight from the pages of the For the Strength of Youth-
“Music is an important and powerful part of life. It can be an influence for good that helps you draw closer to Heavenly Father. However, it can also be used for wicked purposes. Unworthy music may seem harmless, but it can have evil effects on your mind and spirit.

”Choose carefully the music you listen to. Pay attention to how you feel when you are listening. Don't listen to music that drives away the Spirit, encourages immorality, glorifies violence, uses foul or offensive language, or promotes Satanism or other evil practices“

My itune playlist is a thing of beauty and diversity. Im not ashamed of it on any level. But Im going to  be remembering more about the power of music and how it can affect the mind and phyce, which will cause me to think twice about what Im listening to each day.

Hymns bring peace and happiness to my soul. Hymns and wholesome music are a sure fire way for me to feel the Spirit of the Lord. And though I cant hold a tune in a bucket, I can still worship and invite the Spirit into my life through song.

from:  The Dot

And last but certainly not least...for I always put the hardest off to the last...dealing with the choices of media in my life!!
Movies and certain tv shows are my great weakness- thus downfall.
I tremble as I write these words..for I may be caught committing to something that I might not follow through with in the end. I know what I need to do. Whether I Do it is an entirely different matter.
Years ago I committed to not watching R rated movies. And even now I'll admit that it was sometimes not an easy thing for me to do. The older I get the easier is has become...but even now its not without concerted effort to resist. And then there are the tv shows I like to watch. Glee is at the top of the list...a true guilty pleasure. And now it truly is  often guilt that I feel when I watch now instead of pleasure and wonder. I can no longer condone the actions of those incredibly talented characters on that show...no matter the talent and fun that it is most of the time. Just because I can watch it in the privacy of my own home...doesnt mean its ok. What is more telling is that I would ever watch it in the company of young kids or my young women that I have stewardship over. Good sign, Right??!!! The show definitely guarantees grundles of conversation starters on all thats wrong in the teenage world of high school. RIGHT!!!?? But indulging in that hour of entertainment sure is doing nothing for in my effort to become unspotted from the world.
If I want to do better at becoming unspotted... Tues nights on Fox shouldnt be so.
On the whole Im more discriminating than I ever have been, but of course, there is always room for improvement!
Long live the house cleaning and looking for 'spots' to tidy!!

Sabbath Reflections

It is funny how mortals always picture

us putting things into their minds; in

reality our best work is done by keeping things out.

from: The Screwtape Letters

by: C.S. Lewis

We believe that the Holy Ghost is the third member of the Godhead.  He is a personage of spirit and does not have a body of flesh and bones.  He is the Comforter, who the Savior promised would teach His followers all things and bring to their remembrance all things that He had taught them.  (John 14:26)

We believe that the Holy Ghost can effect us in this manner:

* He can give feelings of love, joy peace, patience, meekness, gentleness, faith and hope.  (Romans 15: 13)
* He gives ideas in the mind, feelings in the heart.
* He occupies the mind and presses on the feelings.
* He helps Scripture have strong effect.
 * He helps give us good feelings to teach if  something is true.
* He enlightens the mind. (1 Corinthians 2: 9-11)
* He replaces  darkness with light
* He  strengthens the desire to avoid  evil and obey the commandments.
* He teaches truth and brings it to remembrance. (john 14:26)
* He gives feelings of peace and comfort. ie: The Comforter (John 14:27)
* He guides to truth and show things to come. (John 16:13)
* He reveals truth.
* He guides and protects from deception.
* He glorifies and bears record of God the Father and Jesus Christ. John 16:14)
* He guides the words of humble teachers. ( Luke 12:11-12)
* He recognizes and corrects sin. (John 16:8)
* He gives us gifts of the Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12)
*He helps us  to perceive or discern the thoughts of others.
* He tells us what to pray for.
*  He tells us what to do.
* He helps the righteous  speak with power and authority.
* He testifies of the truth. (John 15:26)
* He carries truth to the heart of the listener.
* He enhances skills and abilities.  (Exodus 31: 3-5)
* He constrains (impels forward) or restrains (holds back.)
* He edifies both teacher and students.
* He gives comfort.  (John 14:26)

Neil L Anderson said this about the need of  The Comforter-

"We live in a time when transportation, communication, and access to information all tower in comparison to the past. But moral issues such as honesty, chastity, Sabbath observance, family responsibility, and even the sanctity of life—issues long held in unison by the world and by Latter-day Saints—now find themselves interpreted in every way and open to debate. 

As the developments of technology and communication ever press the modern world upon us, being in the world but not of the world requires that we make constant choices and decisions (see John 17:14). Spiritual discernment is paramount. As disciples of Christ, we must make the gift of the Holy Ghost a conscious, daily, prayerful part of our lives. President Boyd K. Packer, President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, said, “No one of us can survive in the world of today, much less in what it soon will become, without personal inspiration.”

If you'd like to learn further what we believe about the Holy Ghost, go HERE- 
you will find it very informative and uplifting!!!


artist: Gottfried Helnwein

Sabbath Musings

People were not a bad lot generally....

but there were always some who

could drive a nail through a butterfly too.

from: The Whistling Season

by: Ivan Doig

We believe that knowledge of divine and spiritual things is absolutely essential for one's salvation;  hence the 
gospel is to be taught to every soul.  "How shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?" (Rom 10:14)
Knowledge is not obtained all at once, even by revelation, but line upon line, precept upon precept. (Isa28:9-10)
The scriptures, and also living prophets, are given so that the people might have knowledge of things of God and 
"know how to worship and know what you worship."  Knowledge is one of the endowments of the Holy Ghost, and one of the gifts of the Spirit.  
Peter lists knowledge along with faith, patience, kindness, and virtue as necessary acquisitions for one who would seek for a divine nature. (2 Peter 1:3-9) 
Since no one can be saved in ignorance of the gospel and one progresses only as fast as he gains knowledge, it follows that the person who gains knowledge will have the advantage in the world to come.
-Bible Dictionary

Can you tell what Personal Progress value Im working on right now?
You guessed it!!
KNOWLEDGE- I will continually seek opportunities  for learning and growth.


This life is sometimes a very painful school.
 The bitter definitely comes with the sweet down here on planet earth.
 But I also find it a glorious academy  as well.
 Its often difficult for me to imagine that the "next world" will be more beautiful than this. How does one improve on the beaches of the Gulf or the Alps in Europe, or the wildlife and water ways of Alaska & Africa?
The eyes cant take it all in!! The greens and blues and the reds and whites and on and on and on!!! The physical aspects of this world are extraordinary to my eyes. How does one assimilate the vastness of the universe...all the stars and empty spaces-the wonder of the seasons and the tides by the pull of the moon? Not to mention the wonder of the human body and its' spirit!!!!
BUT...
of course we need to look deeper, much deeper...
 the pain and heartache we see everywhere around us is a wrenching thing indeed.
There is  a great deal we humans must learn.
To rid ourselves of greed and hate.
To live the golden rule.
To improve the world's circumstances.
That is where using knowledge becomes so essential.
This is where our test lies!!
It sounds so simplistic...for the troubles of the world are so vast;
But really.....what good is knowledge if it doesnt better the world??!!

once again....
If we could all live and behave as Jesus did.....as He taught us to be.....
We would/could have heaven on earth!!

Oh the greatness of the mercy of our God! 

For He knoweth all things, and there is

not anything save He knows it.

2Nephi 9: 20

The only difference between you
and God is that you have
forgotten you are divine.
from: The Lost Symbol
by: Dan Brown

Most Mormon women know exactly what one means when they get to talking about the Young Women's Personal Progress Program. From the moment a young girl turns 12 she is introduced to the inspired program as she is also introduced to the Young Womens organization.

And now apparently it is my turn, as an old lady, to become acquainted and to embrace this program- along with the amazing girls I 've been called to serve in our ward/congregation. And I've decided that I might as well take you along with me on the journey of my 'enlightenment.'

First off, there are 8 values:
Faith, Divine Nature, individual worth, knowledge, choice and accountability, good works, integrity and virtue.
This month the value we will be highlighting is- Divine Nature.
The scripture reference used to describe the value is found in 2 Peter1:4-7

Be partakers of the divine nature...Giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.

To earn a beautiful ribbon to add to a sought after scripture bookmark.. I will have to pass off 3 required value experiences plus some additional value projects. Plus I have to journal.
So guess what!!??
You may find that I can fill some of my 'requirements' via blogging. (blogging is the perfect solution to so many things)
You can chose to follow my progress and my learning curve...
Or NOT!!!
But I am determined to work as hard and to learn as much as these amazing young women- as they too, progress in this amazing program.

So HEre We Go!!!

What is Divine Nature?
What does a daughter of God look like?
What can I do to improve or develop the qualities of divine nature?

I have learned that divine nature includes these attributes:
being humble, submissive, gentle, being easily entreated. Patience, long-suffering and being temperate in all things. It means keeping the commandments and being grateful, having faith, hope and charity. And having virtue garnish our thoughts.

Im the first to admit that at first glance, at any glance, at multiple glances, when forever glancing at this list, one becomes a tad overwhelmed!!!
But with determination and lots of prayer and faith, and not expecting perfection- we can/ I can, accomplish a great many good things with this list.
And because of the way in which I was raised-by goodly parents and as I was nurtured and 'raised' by my patient, loving Builder...I feel I have been blessed with a good start on this list of worthy attributes.
I'd like to share my thoughts on a few of the listed qualities to strive for as a daughter of God.

Being humble:
Im not sure how my mom and dad did it...but I feel I have always been a fairly humble person. When younger, humbleness and lack of good self-esteem were all jumbled up in the feelings I had about myself. Growing up I found I wasnt proud of most everything I did. Now that Im older and wiser, ha ha, I do realize that having low self-esteem and being humble are two completely different attitudes. I still suffer from a minimum amount of self-esteem issues (its a tough world we live in) But I no longer have the truckload of baggage that I carried with me for the first half of my life. (though being called as a Young Womens president raised once again those old feelings of inadequacy.) But the clothes I wear, the car I drive (OUCH...maybe a little pain there) the fine lines and deep crevices on my face dont cause the longings and despair that might once have taken me down!! To me being humble is about acknowledging where ALL my blessing, gifts, talents, all that I have, come from!!! Being humble means being teachable!!!
Man oh Man am I humble now!!!

Being submissive:
Im sure its the same with you as it is with me... all sorts of negative connotations come to mind with you think of being called to submissiveness. These images rack my mind with 'girl power' yearning-when I go there!!!
Being submissive to the will of the Lord is easy for me...especially in comparison to the call for me to be of being submissiveness to anyone else!!! Just ask my Builder!!!
Who me!!!??
Submissive!!!!
NEXT!!!!

Gentleness:
Who comes to your mind when you think of gentleness? For me its once again my mother and my mother-in-law. Never have I heard them raise their voices or even think about doing such a thing. Never have I witnessed tempers flare. My Builder falls again into this category as well. He's gentle and kind and all children, adults and all of God's critters love to be around him.
Just know that I am much gentler than I was!!

What does it mean to be easily entreated?
I have some homework to do.
I'll get back to you on this one.

Patience:
Oh my.
My oh my.
I am patient.
Now I am patient.
Not when I first married my man. I was anything but.
But now I am definitely patient.
Dont get me started. Just believe me.
PATIENCE IS MINE!!!!
(not too humble about this one am I?)

Long suffering:
Is this any different than patience?
(more homework)

Keeping the commandments:
The world would have us believe that the 10 commandments are out-dated and obsolete or pass'e. Not so!!! The commandments are what keeps this world glued together . I believe that if a great many of us werent striving to keep the commandments, or doing our best to follow them, then I can almost envision this troubled world spinning off its axis. Thank heaven for those that try to keep the inspired commandments in the forefront of their minds. Let us never give up on or ignore the commandments!!!

And now I'll finish todays thoughts with the virtue of gratitude. Or now what's commonly called the 'attitude of gratitude."
I OWN this one as well. Being grateful for all that I enjoy comes easily to me. My mom must have modeled this to me as I was growing up. Im grateful for health and children and grocery stores and red rocks and turtles. Im grateful for the Gospel and my family and friends and for living in this country and for the service men that protect it. My list is LONG of the things I am grateful for!!! And I carry that list around in my heart- always!!!


I have a few more attributes to share with you on another day. Thanks for your patience and attention. tehetehe

image from flickr.com

I'm a woman who would not mind if it were sunny and hot 350 days of the year!! This way I could wear flip-flops and skirts or shorts all year round. The furnace would become obsolete, and the air-conditioner wouldn't run much either.

I'm a woman who would like to learn Italian-but I also have a difficult time remembering what I read the night before- how could I possibly remember the words of a whole new language!? I am motivated to learn sign language as well. 'Cause grandkids find it cool!!

I'm a woman who wishes I'd sew more,to enhance the wardrobe I'd like to be wearing. But I'd have to learn to LIKE what I make after having spent time and effort sewing it. Ugh! Or...maybe better yet, I wish I could justify buying my clothes at Anthropologie!! So cute!!!

I'm a woman who has finally found her perfect mantra- " Earth's crammed with heaven. And every common bush afire with God; But only he who sees, takes off his shoes. Thank you Elizabeth Barrett Browning!!!!!!!!!!

I'm a woman who has lists and list of books to read and I haven't read a whole book in months and months!!!

I'm a woman who has an 'almost' degree in English Lit, and yet still has to admit that I don't 'get' most poetry. I wonder why one has to work so darn hard to find hidden meanings or toy with words to make them rhyme or...NOT rhyme???

I'm a woman who just CANT resign myself to the fact that there will be NO vacationing this summer!!! I've always dreamed that the door to adventure would swing wide open when I 'grew-up!' I never dreamed that the door would become jammed and require so much effort to open. Dag gumit!!!I have a can of grease and a willing heart!!

I'm a woman who loves my family!! I love that its' dynamic and that it grows and changes and never stays the same. I love change. Kids come and go for a time. They add a better half. They add new life. I love that they come for Sunday dinner and for birthday celebrations, and baptisms and mission calls. I'm glad they come at all!!

I'm a woman who will be ever grateful for my eternal companion in life. Through thick and thin, through nonsense and fun, (my nonsense) through highs and lows, he is there by my side. How blessed I am.

I'm a woman who loves and looks for magic. Not the wand and rabbit type of magic, but the miracles in the everyday kind of magic. The magic of transformations and wonders. The magic of joy, in coincidence's, and in synchronicity, and de ju' vue! In the constant blessings from above!!

I'm a woman who doesn't worry. And maybe I should be worried that I don't worry? My mother worries, my mother-in-law worries. Glenn Beck worries. Even some of my own kids are worriers. Builder Bob is not a real worrier. I cant say that my lack of worrying has anything to do with the old adage that goes something like this: "...if ye are prepared, ye shall not fear." No, this wouldn't be a true statement either. There are plenty of things left to prepare. But, what's the use in worrying?

I'm a woman who loves art and in some method I aspire to be an artist. I love photography, and aspire for a better camera because I'm convinced that this would guarantee my success as a photographer. ha ha! I also didn't realize that I'd find such satisfaction in writing....but...I'm a master of none!!!

I'm a woman who is mostly content to stay home and NOT shop. When I do shop I quickly realize what a frumpy housewife I am and how dated my home is and I start longing for things that I really don't NEED. I'm happier at home, with what I already have, with a few improvements along the way, and in acknowledging the many blessings I already have. A prefect example of this is in something we refer to around here as the Parade of Homes. I despise the Parade of Homes. In my heart of hearts I know that my home is perfectly adequate; but if I find myself at the 'parade,' I'm immediately depressed and will be for weeks and weeks,because.....you know the rest.


I'm a woman of unique attributes!!!