Treasure the Gift of Love and Life

1 John 4:21 states,"And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also."

Principle:In loving God , we must also love our fellowmen.

Lately the things on my mind are:1. What am I doing to love and serve God? 

2. Am I loving and serving my fellowmen? 3. Am I spending my time wisely? 4. Do the people around me know how much I love and care about them? 4. Life is precious and very short.

Death has been on my mind. I lost a classmate last week to skin cancer. Today, I went to a funeral of a five year old boy who was a student in the classroom next to mine. The thing which stood out to me was the legacy this boy left and how many lives he changed. He lived each day to the fullest and always cared about the feelings of people around him. We can make a difference in our world by being kind, smiling, and helping those around us. There have been too many dark and evil attacks which have violated people's right to live. We don't have to be a black hole absorbing the darkness, but we can be a bright  sunbeam emitting love and hope to our sphere of influence. I sometimes think we downplay the affect and good we can have in our society just because we may not have the social recognition/title to affect thousands. If we change a life, that in turn can affect generations. I had a good friend tell me recently that I may not be the definition of a mother, in the sense of having children, but I do mother many children in my classroom. I also love and support my sisters by loving my nieces and nephews so much. My nieces and nephews are some of my greatest blessings. Don't be afraid to lift up one another and see the good in this world! I got this quote from here. https://www.facebook.com/PresidentMonsonQuotes/photos/a.825736924116439.1073741829.820263274663804/1124423570914438/?type=3&theater

Patience is a virtue

In Hebrews 10:36 we are told "for ye have need of patience." I find this so true in my life. Things happen that are out of our control in our daily lives. I can only control how I respond/my attitude towards my life circumstances. In December, our upstairs neighbor flooded us which in turn we flooded our downstairs neighbor. We were not home when this happened. Our upstairs neighbor doesn't have insurance and doesn't speak English very well. We got our insurance estimator out and we got a check for the estimate minus the deductible. Fast forward a few months and I call the company which fixed our downstairs neighbor's place. We have major damage and have to have an asbestos test done. I know we have asbestos because our downstairs neighbor did. Asbestos removal alone is around $3,000. I will be spending the rest of my summer dealing with the insurance company and getting our place fixed. I am very upset because my trip to Utah may be canceled. I want to go to Utah to see my grandparents because they are quite elderly (95, 93, and 87 years old). My ninety five year old Oma who will be ninety-six in October was just put into a home. I know our hardships can turn into blessings. We can become humble and refinement of divine virtues such as love, kindness, charity, patience, diligence, and long-suffering may occur within us. On a lighter and positive note my bathroom will look amazing and will be safer to our health. I can't stay in darkness too long with negativity. I must look towards the light and be positive. How can you stay positive and let life refine you while going through hard times? I am so grateful that my becoming project this summer deals with patience and the developing of this virtue. I am getting good practice with patience. I love this quote/photo, so here is the link.
https://www.facebook.com/TimeOutForWomen/photos/a.322224847048.180008.61144507048/10154353004897049/?type=3&theater