Stronger Through Him

 I have gone through good stretches and bad stretches of journaling over the years.  But I am convinced there is a reason we are told to remember so many times in the scriptures.   Why? Because we aren't that great at remembering! Here is an entry from many years ago that I wrote about our swingset right before we moved: "This beauty of a swing set has seen a lot in our seven years here.  I know it was probably 15 years old when we moved in.   Sadly, the day has come that our little ones just aren't so little anymore.  With Ella now an expert on her 2-wheeler, this swing set is sadly neglected.   We did dump the last few bags of play sand we found in the garage into the sandbox but Ella said she can't even fit under there anymore.  We thought about painting it and replacing the cover and then I decided it was a great time to bless another family.   So I posted it online as free for whoever could haul it.  I got a reply in less than 30 seconds and they came and picked i

 I heard someone say that if you focus on the complaints in life you miss out on seeing all the small but sincere blessings and kindnesses that happen.  I recognized in my efforts to take care of things, that I had stopped looking for those.   So I paid closer attention.   I came home Friday to find that during his lunch break George had come home and changed the sheets on our bed for me. I had been too tired the last few nights and it was a lovely sight to come home to. Saturday I was supposed to meet a friend for lunch and appreciated her grace and kind response when I had to cancel due to a situation that arose. Another friend stopped by and brought me some radishes since she knew I liked them (with salt as you can clearly see).  Ella helped clean up the kitchen without me asking. Alex sent me a picture of a rainbow because she thought I would like it.  Another friend stopped by for a walk.   None of these were huge tasks but they all made me smile and appreciate their thoughts and

 There was a bit of a jail break on the playground today.   I answered the distress call that six kindergarteners had gone rogue and the teacher was at her breaking point.  When I arrived I gathered them all.  This did include wrestling the stuck from the ringleader so he could no longer hit me with it and holding his hand for group safety.   Their teacher took the rest back to class and I quickly surveyed my crew and explained to them that leaving the school grounds was not safe and we were going to practice lining up quickly when the whistle blew. They ran to the grass and then back to the sidewalk a few times on my signal.  Well - 3 of them did.  Then number 4 and 5 joined in.   One little girl's eyes welled up with tears as she said, "I'm so disappointed in me." I crouched down and explained that it doesn't feel good to know that you did something you knew wasn't okay, but that we believe in second chances.  I told her that if she could  line up one more t

 One very small part of my job each day, is to walk a class of kindergarteners back from the cafeteria to their classroom.   It gives their teacher a few more minutes to catch her breath and finish her lunch. Last night, we had a simple yet lovely school family cultural event.  There was an excellent turnout and being an elementary teacher is a lot like walking the red carpet.  I must hear, "Mrs. Potter!! Hi!" at least forty times a day as I pass by them in the halls.   "There she is!  Mom, come on!"  One of my new little friends this year eagerly pushed her way toward me dragging her mom whose eyes were full of confusion.  She didn't know me and I'm definitely not her child's classroom teacher.  But her daughter made it to me and wrapped her arms around my leg in a hug before she stepped back and said, "This is Mrs. Potter.  She is my lunchwalker."  Her mom raised her eyebrows and looked at me with curiosity.  I thought of many things I could

 Our leadership team rolled out a new mantra that I completely love this year.  We share it with staff and students alike.  I have found it to be a guiding influence in many areas of my life.   We got our shirts today and it made me even more excited.  The mantra reads: I know where I am. I know where I'm going. I know how to get there. I believe I can do it. And I want to. Tonight I was thinking about how that has a great gospel and life application too.  And how I may need to work on one aspect at a time.   I know where I am.  I make honest reflections and look at both my strengths and my weaknesses.  Elder Erich W Kopischke reminded, "When we engage in sincere, honest reflection, we do not rationalize or deceive ourselves."  Some people are better at accurate self-reflection than others.  Sincere prayer and the Holy Ghost can assist. I know where I'm going.  In D&C 98:18 Jesus teaches of our celestial opportunities.  "Let not your hearts be troubled; for i

  Life can be difficult.  We are asked to do hard things.   And good, beautiful, wonderful things.   But the hard things are still hard.    Yet there is a simple but profound promise we can trust in.  D & C 105:14. "For behold, I do not require at their hands to fight the battles of Zion; for, as I said in a former commandment, even so will I fulfil—I will fight your battles." He will fight our battles.  If we trust and follow Him.  We aren't alone.  He is bigger than our problems, bigger than our plans and knows how to bring out our hidden greatness.  He said that even after Zion's Camp had gotten off track.  Even  after he said they would have to "wait a little while for the redemption of Zion".  There were consequences to their actions.  But He was still on their side. He sent a storm to stop their enemies.   And He will be on our side too. "I will fight your battles."

  I learned many lessons on my grandparents' dairy farm in Burley, Idaho.  My kids only had the privilege of visiting there a handful of times in their lives, but I believe I continue to pass on many of those lessons to them anyway. Lessons like the fact that virtually all problems in life can be soothed if not fixed with Schwann's ice cream.   That hard work is part of life and everyone pitches in.   That no work is beneath us.   That we earn our own way. Because it's God's way.  Colton also learned and shared his knowledge of farm animal anatomy with everyone he met for months and months after we visited when he was a toddler.  As for the outfit....I can only say it was 1999 and he loved Winnie the Pooh.  And those shoes were a short lived fad that followed up light-up shoes.  They had trains on them and when he jumped made a loud obnoxious train whistle sound. So yes he would jump incessantly and then once the train whistle got your attention tell you abou

 I was thinking about Labor Day and the privilege and blessing but also obligation we have to work hard and be a productive part of our communities. Heavenly Father said to Adam and Eve in Gen 3:19, "In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread... cursed is the ground for thy sake". It is for our sake, or for our good that we need to work to receive what we need.  It is a Heavenly law and requirement.  It does much for improving our health, both mental and physical.   There are many forms of work, some we are paid for and some we are not.  But work is a Godly principle. Elder Richard L Evans taught, "Much restlessness and difficulty on the part of young people comes because they have often been overly insulated from challenging and meaningful assignments, with an overemphasis on leisure and on working less and less. Even if a person has all the wealth he wants, he still needs to work for the sake of his soul—and the same is true of those who have learned to live on very

  It is July 1833. The Saints  have gone to Missouri and to say things aren't going well is a gross understatement. They have been ordered to leave the state by their neighbors in Jackson County and mobs have started to destroy their property and threaten their lives.  Keep in mind that for some of these people this is the second or third time they have moved in the hopes of finding/building Zion. They are facing difficulties, injustices and weariness.   So the Prophet seeks counsel from the Lord on how to respond.   First they are told to not be afraid, to accept the comfort sent to their hearts and to continue to rejoice and show gratitude.  Then they are promised that the Lord does hear their prayers and to be patient; that "all things wherewith you have been afflicted shall work together for your good, and to my name’s glory, saith the Lord." The most difficult things I've been asked to do and suffer in this life are those same things that bring me

 Yesterday as I finished teaching seminary, I glanced out the window and saw the tell-tale hue of a beautiful sunrise coming.   One place I've had to sacrifice a bit is losing my opportunity to go early and stop at Fiddler Pond on my way to work.  It's a sacrifice worth making, but as I drove I saw the makings of an explosion of beauty and color and decided to stop for at least a few moments. Actually it would be more accurate to say I was pulled in. I quickly parked my car and jogged to the edge of the water and began snapping pictures but also pausing and letting the sounds of the geese taking morning flight intermix with the gentle lapping of the water. The reflective nature of the water was near magical and the colors met the sky at the horizon as the sun made her grand entrance.  Finally, knowing that there would be students and families waiting at the door, I turned to leave.  As I headed across the grass I passed an elderly couple walking hand in hand.  I smiled and said

 A friend once told me that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is too much of setting people up for failure by giving commandments that are impossible to keep.  He said that He didn't need some kind of God just waiting for him to mess up and strike him with lightning. I felt sad for him to not have a more perfect understanding. Because I know that Jesus wasn't sent to play the role of someone waiting to say "gotcha" but rather waiting to say "I've got you."   Do you hear and feel the difference?  Heavenly Father KNEW we were going to make a lot of mistakes.  That's why He sent Jesus who says "I've got you." "There are times when each of us needs “relief from feelings of guilt that come from mistakes and sins.”   As we repent, the Savior removes the guilt from our souls. Through His atoning sacrifice, our sins are remitted. With the exception of sons of perdition, the Atonement is available to everyone all the time, no matter how large or s