Do Things that Make a Difference - M. Russell Ballard

 Do Things that Make a Difference

SUCH A FUNNY JOKE!!!

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.”

KEEP TRYING TO DO WHAT IS RIGHT

DEVELOP A POSITIVE ATTITUDE

DEVELOP THE SKILL OF SETTING WORTHY GOALS

DEVELOP SELF DISCIPLINE

MAKE  YOUR GOALS HAPPEN

BUILDING A GOOD SELF-MAGE

SPEND YOUR ENERGY ON THINGS THAT MAKE A DIFFERENCE

DO THE RIGHT THINGS FOR THE RIGHT REASONS

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?”