Do Things that Make a Difference - M. Russell Ballard

 Do Things that Make a Difference

This is how I communicate...sadly.

A judge was interviewing a woman regarding her pending divorce and asked:

“What are the grounds for your divorce?”

“About four acres with a nice little home in the middle of the property with a little stream running by.”

“No,” he said, “I mean what is the foundation of this case?”

“It is made of concrete, brick, and mortar,” she responded.

“I mean,” he continued, “what are your relations like?”

She answered that they were fine. “I have an aunt and uncle living here in town as do my husband’s parents.”

He said, “No, do you have a real grudge?”

“No,” she replied, “we have a two-car carport and have never really needed a garage.”

“Please,” he tried again, “is there any infidelity in your marriage?”

“Yes, both my son and daughter have hi-fi sets. We don’t necessarily like the music, but the answer to your question is yes.”

“No. Does your husband ever beat you up?”

“Yes,” she responded, “about twice a week he gets up earlier than I do.”

Finally the judge asked, “Why do you want a divorce?”

“Oh, I don’t want a divorce. I’ve never wanted a divorce. My husband does. He says that he can’t seem to communicate with me.”

He Cleaned Our Shoes - Joy F. Evans

 "Lord, When Saw We Thee an Hungered?"

Many times people do nothing in such a situation simply because they do not know what to do. They are afraid of intruding or of saying the wrong thing. Perhaps they do not know how to relate to a dying person or to the family. They may feel emotions of anger, sadness, or confusion. Nevertheless, even they can find many ways to help.

One woman tells the story of a tragedy she experienced when five of her close family members from another state were killed in a fiery automobile accident. She herself was struggling to absorb the news, trying to pack for her own little family to leave the following day for the funeral. A good friend and neighbor arrived at her door with the announcement that he had come to clean their shoes. She had not even thought about shoes.

He knelt on their kitchen floor with a pan of soapy water, a sponge, shoe polish, and a brush and soon had everyday shoes and Sunday shoes gleaming and spotless. He quietly slipped away when he finished, leaving the shoes ready to pack; even the soles were washed.

The mother says, “Now whenever I hear of an acquaintance who has lost a loved one, I no longer call with the vague offer, ‘If there’s anything I can do …’ Now I try to think of one specific task that suits that person’s need—such as washing the family car, taking the dog to the boarding kennel, or house-sitting during the funeral. And if the person says to me, ‘How did you know I needed that done?’ I reply, ‘It’s because a man once cleaned my shoes.’” (Madge Harrah, “He Cleaned Our Shoes,” Reader’s Digest, Dec. 1983, pp. 21–24.)

Prayer - George Washington

George Washington gratefully credited God with preserving the American army through the trials of the devastating winter.  Deep thanks, he wrote, are "due to the great Author of all the care and good that have been extended in relieving us in difficulties and distress."  Washington had pled repeatedly with that "great Author," seeking relief for his suffering men.  Those prayers at Valley Forge have almost been given the status of legend.  Yet, the General really did pray during that dark winter.  According to the record, two eyewitnesses (General Henry Knox and the man with whom Washington quartered with at Valley Forge, Isaac Potts) tell of the General retiring to a quiet grove where he could be alone to seek the help of God.  But this man of great faith was not motivated to pray at Valley Forge simply because of the horrors of that winter.  Washington prayed at Valley Forge in large part because it was his habit to pray.  Quoting his grandson, George Washington Parke Custis, "throughout the war, as it was understood in his military family, he gave a part of every day to private prayer and devotion."  He prayed from the time of his youth and he continued that practice throughout his life.  His prayers then were but one strand in a lifetime of devotion. 

The Thankful Heart - Carolyn Wright

The Thankful Heart - Carolyn Wright 

This is in my top ten favorite articles.   Ten practical ways to develop gratitude - I have used it a ton.

"The grateful heart sits at a continual feast."

I was sitting behind two teenage girls on a bus. One of them was upset because her parents had balked at buying her a prom dress they couldn’t afford. She was not happy with her second choice.

“Then Mom came unglued because I didn’t say thank you,” she complained. “I don’t know what she expected me to say thank you for!”    Ungrateful child, I thought.

Not long after that I began pondering the promise of “a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it” (3 Ne. 24:10). Although I had been paying my tithing and fulfilling my other obligations, I did not feel overwhelmed with blessings. In fact, I felt that I had little to be grateful for.

Suddenly, my experience on the bus flashed through my mind. I, too, had been an ungrateful child. I began to think about my life, and, first as a trickle and then increasing to a torrent, there came to me a powerful awareness of the blessings I had received. From tiny everyday blessings to the great blessing of the Atonement, I saw how abundantly I had been blessed. The windows of heaven had been open all the time. I just hadn’t noticed. My soul filled with such wonder and gratitude that I felt physically unable to bear it.

That night I understood for the first time that when gratitude fills our hearts, there is no room for unhappiness. Happiness, I decided, does not depend on obtaining all the desires of our hearts. It does not have to wait until we get married or become parents or acquire material goods. Happiness depends in large measure on our ability to feel gratitude for the abundance we already have.

In His Mother's Footsteps - Davida Dalton

In His Mother's Footsteps - Davida Dalton 

It was a busy day in our Costa Mesa, California, home. But then, with ten children and one on the way, every day was a bit hectic. On this particular day, however, I was having trouble doing even routine chores—all because of one little boy.

Len, who was three at the time, was on my heels no matter where I went. Whenever I stopped to do something and turned back around, I would trip over him. Several times I patiently suggested fun activities to keep him occupied.

“Wouldn’t you like to play on the swing set?” I asked again. But he simply smiled an innocent smile and said, “Oh, that’s all right, Mommy. I’d rather be in here with you.” Then he continued to bounce happily along behind me.

After stepping on his toes for the fifth time, I began to lose my patience and insisted that he go outside and play with the other children. When I asked him why he was acting this way, he looked up at me with sweet green eyes and said, “Well, Mommy, in Primary my teacher told me to walk in Jesus’ footsteps. But I can’t see him, so I’m walking in yours.”

I gathered Len in my arms and held him close. Tears of love and humility spilled over from the prayer that grew in my heart—a prayer of thanks for the simple yet beautiful perspective of a three-year-old boy.

This experience has served as a reminder to me of the vital role of mother. While it is sobering to realize that I am a crucial link between my children and the Savior, I need to remember that since a mother is a copartner with God, I am in a position to receive guidance from one who truly cares and wants all of us to walk in heavenly footsteps.

See Thou Tell No Man - Thomas S. Monson

 See Thou Tell No Man - Thomas S. Monson 

"Loving Service anonymously given may be unknown to man - but the gift and the giver are known to God"

In the winter of 1982, a modern jetliner faltered after takeoff and plunged into the icy Potomac River. Acts of bravery and feats of heroism were in evidence that day, the most dramatic of which was one witnessed by the pilot of a rescue helicopter. The rescue rope was lowered to a struggling survivor. Rather than grasping the lifeline to safety, the man tied the line to another person, who was then lifted to safety. The rope was lowered again, and yet another was saved. Five were rescued from the icy waters. Among them was not found the anonymous hero. Unknown by name, he “left the vivid air signed with [his] honor.” (Stephen Spender, “I Think Continually of Those,” in James D. Morrison, ed., Masterpieces of Religious Verse, New York: Harper & Brothers, 1948, p. 291.)

The Spirituality of Service - Derek A. Cuthbert

The Spirituality of Service

How does service increase our spirituality?

First, service helps us establish true values and priorities by distinguishing between the worth of material things that pass, and those things of lasting, even eternal, value.

Second, service helps us establish a righteous tradition.

Third, service helps us overcome selfishness and sin.

Fourth, not only does service overcome selfishness and sin, but it helps to recompense for sin.

 Fifth, service helps us generate love and appreciation.

 Sixth, service is the principal way of showing gratitude to the Savior.

Seventh, service channels our desires and energies into righteous activity.

Eighth, service helps us cleanse ourselves and become purified and sanctified.

 Ninth, charitable service helps us do as the Savior did, for was not His whole ministry one of reaching out and helping, lifting and blessing, loving and caring?

 Tenth, service helps us to get to know the Savior, for “how knoweth a man the master whom he has not served?”

Home, Family and Personal Enrichment - Virginia U. Jensen

Home, Family and Personal Enrichment

“With all my heart I believe...the best place to prepare for eternal life is in the home”  David O. McKay

Virginia U. Jensen was my sons mission presidents wife in Independence, Missouri

"This past spring two different bird families built nests in my yard. A small sparrow chose a rose tree on my patio for her nest. Time after time she flew back and forth, carrying blades of grass and small twigs in her beak. Carefully she manipulated her way through the rose thorns, depositing her building materials in the chosen spot. She worked without resting until the tiny nest was finished. I was amazed at how carefully the grasses were woven to make a strong and stable structure. I was almost moved to tears when I saw in the bottom of the nest four small pieces of cotton, placed in just the right spot to make a soft bed for her little ones.  The second bird, a robin, chose to build her nest in front of my house near the rain gutter, up high where ground predators could not reach it. Since she was larger, so was her nest, and in addition to being bigger, the outside of her nest was glued with mud, which kept the grasses and twigs together and held it in the crook of the rain gutter. Inside, single blades of grass were woven into a soft, cuplike shape that perfectly cradled the bird.  When the nests were completed, both birds laid their eggs and began the daily vigil of protecting and nurturing. Hour after hour, day after day these birds sat on their eggs. After the eggs hatched, the mothers worked full time to feed their hungry babies.

One particularly hot day I noticed the robin sitting on her nest, panting with her beak open. Obviously she was uncomfortable in the glare of the sun. I wondered why she stayed. Then I realized she was not sitting deep in the nest as she had when she was keeping her babies warm. Instead she was carefully stretched over the top of the nest, forming a protective shelter to keep her featherless babies from being sunburned.

I began to read about birds and the great pains they take to build homes for their families. Did you know that barn swallows make more than 1,200 mud-carrying trips in order to construct their nests? One single nest of a hooded oriole was found to contain 3,387 separate pieces of material. It seems to me that birds invest everything—their time, their energy, their means, their own comfort—to make a home and rear their young. It is not a priority that is given second place or avoided. It takes first place.

Since watching the birds in my yard, I have wondered who taught these birds what to do. How did they know how to build a nest and to shade their fledglings from the sun? Birds follow instincts to provide, protect, and nurture. These are God-given instincts, and pondering on them caused me, along with the Psalmist, to exclaim, “O Lord, how great are thy works!” (Ps. 92:5)."

Five Small Experiences - Stephen A. West

Five Small Experiences - Stephen A. West

"One never knows what the ultimate impact of his or her efforts may be."

A second small but profound experience took place when my wife and I visited the Alaska Anchorage Mission in 2002. After a day of zone conferences, President KearLee Wright, the president of the Soldotna Alaska Stake, shared with me the following letter:

“Over 15 years ago, two young men came to my door and wanted to discuss the gospel of Jesus Christ with me. Unfortunately, I was extremely rude to them, rejected their offer out of hand, and closed the door in their face. I have no way of contacting those specific two young men, but if I could, I would apologize and thank them. I thought about their visit long after I so rudely dismissed them from my doorstep. Their visit triggered a series of events in my life that have brought me much closer to God and my family.

“They have no way of knowing what an impact they had on me. I certainly gave them no indication that I was at all receptive to God at that time; I wasn’t. Perhaps they prayed for me as they left my driveway. If they did, their prayers were answered. That night, I prayed for the first time in years. Shortly after that, I quit drinking. I had battled alcohol for many years previous. I have not had a drink for 14 years now. I entered church for the first time in many years, and after a great deal of searching, my family and I have found a place to worship in an Episcopal church.

“The point of my letter is that one never knows what the ultimate impact of his or her efforts may be. The two young men who contacted me never got any indication that they had made any impact on me, but their impact was profound, and they played a critical role in my journey back to God. Perhaps sharing this story with some of the young men and women who are about to go out into missionary work may help them deal with some of the inevitable rejection they are bound to encounter. Even cases of apparent rejection may actually be victories.

“Thank you for … the work you and your ministers do in spreading the word of God.”

To Walk in High Places - Vaughn J. Featherstone

To Walk in High Places - Vaughn J. Featherstone 

I love this poem!

There’s a comforting thought at the close of the day,

When I’m weary and lonely and sad,

That sort of grips hold of my crusty old heart

And bids it be merry and glad.

It gets in my soul and it drives out the blues,

And finally thrills through and through.

It is just a sweet memory that chants the refrain:

“I’m glad I touch shoulders with you!”

Did you know you were brave, did you know you were strong?

Did you know there was one leaning hard?

Did you know that I waited and listened and prayed,

And was cheered by your simplest word?

Did you know that I longed for the smile on your face,

For the sound of your voice ringing true?

Did you know that I grew stronger and better because

I had merely touched shoulders with you?

I am glad that I live, that I battle and strive

For the place that I know I must fill;

I am thankful for sorrows, I’ll meet with a grin

What fortunes may send, good or ill.

I may not have wealth, I may not be great,

But I know I shall always be true,

For I have in my life that courage you gave

When once I rubbed shoulders with you.

—Anonymous

Adversity - Dallin Oaks

Today I am going to start putting on a favorite story or quote on here.   I have  done a lot of studying and I like to share what I have found.

 Here is the first one:

Adversity - Dallin Oaks 

Just Face Life's Storms

    In her fine book called Adversity, Elaine Cannon shares this valuable example:

“An old cowboy said he had learned life’s most important lessons from Hereford cows. All his life he had worked cattle ranches where winter storms took a heavy toll among the herds. Freezing rains whipped across the prairies. Howling, bitter winds piled snow into enormous drifts. Temperatures might drop quickly to below zero degrees. Flying ice cut into the flesh. In this maelstrom of nature’s violence most cattle would turn their backs to the ice blasts and slowly drift downwind, mile upon mile. Finally, intercepted by a boundary fence, they would pile up against the barrier and die by the scores.

“But the Herefords acted differently. Cattle of this breed would instinctively head into the windward end of the range. There they would stand shoulder-to-shoulder facing the storm’s blast, heads down against its onslaught.

“‘You always found the Herefords alive and well,’ said the cowboy. ‘I guess it’s the greatest lesson I ever learned on the prairies—just face life’s storms’” (Adversity [1987], 133–34)