My Girls

I have three girls - sisters.

One is a red headed beauty with light brown eyes with a spark and sparkle about her- Janene. She is self determined and goes after what she wants with determination and purpose.

My second daughter is a dark haired beauty who is reflective and introspective - Amanda. She approached life with caution, carefully thinking and over thinking everything. She analyzing everything all the time.

My third daughter has light brown hair and light brown eyes. She is beautiful! She takes in everything going on around her... quietly - Heather. She is just plain sweet and caring taking in stray cats and to an extent people.

They are all so different.

Years ago I had a picture of my daughters on my desk at work.

I had so many people ask, "Are these your daughters?"

I would reply with pride, "Yes."

They would then ask, "Do they have the same father?"

Again I would reply, "Yes."

"But they are all so different!"

"Yes, all the same father. Aren't they beautiful in their own way! All the same and yet so different and all mine!" and then quietly to myself I would think how much I love them each and marvel at their differences.

As Heavenly Father watches all of his daughters do you think His thoughts are, "They are all so different, so beautiful and all mine!" Does he celebrate and smile with pleasure at our differences knowing we belong to Him?

As you visit your sisters remember Heavenly Father thinks they are the most beautiful wonderful daughter even if they are so different. And He's probably thinking the same thing about you! We are all just a little different, but we all have the same Father! Celebrate the differences - go VISITING TEACHING, go see your sister!

September - The Gospel of Jesus Christ Teaches the Eternal Potential of the Children of God

Russell M. Ballard shares our riches reward will come as we rise to fulfill our destiny as devoted daughters of God. Hum....

Julie B. Beck desires that we have a testimony of our potential for eternal motherhood. Hum...

President Eyring tell us this life is full of learning experiences necessary to return to Heavenly Father, to live with Him. Hum...

President Taylor further tells us our main objective is to prepare ourselves. Oh, and our posterity and progenitors. Hum....

I am a daughter of God. He loves me. He wants only the best for me. But, am I devoted daughter? I know this. But, what is a devoted daughter?

I think of my little granddaughter, Addisyn, who wants to bake cookies for her daddy and put them in a special box. Is this devotion?

Or Janene, my oldest daughter, who send a special gift to her dad for Father's Day. Is this devotion?

Or how excited my little son, Jeremy, was to "get" to go with Daddy to the dump! Is t his devotion?

Of course it is. But, how do we show Heavenly Father our devotion. Can we make Him cookies or wrap up a special gift? Or do we just get excited to be with Him?

As I taught the little Sunbeam last Sunday: "We Can Be Jesus' Friend When We Are a Friend to Others." So we can show our devotion to Heavenly Father by showing devotion to others. We can make cookies for neighbors. We can wrap up a baby gift for a new mother. And we can be excited to be in His kingdom trying to do good. We can keep the commandments. But, that's not all. We can focus on doing our callings with all our abilities, doing the very best we can. We go visiting teaching, becoming friends with our companion and the sisters we visit. We can be a good friend, a good mother, a good daughter. In these ways we show our devotion. Of course learning all we can along the way.

A few months ago I was talking with my daughter, Janene. I was bemoaning the fact that I never learned to play the piano. She told me to go learn. But I'm so old I wouldn't have time to get really good, good enough to play in Primary or Relief Society. She told me I could play like an angle in heaven I would have lots of time to polish my skill! She is a devoted, sweet daughter who opened my eyes to an eternal truth. Never stop challenging yourself to learn something new.

While we a showing our devotion we can develop a testimony of our potential. We can ask for His help and divine guidance in what He would like us to learn. We can look forward to new callings and seek out new learning experiences. We can prepare ourselves to live with Him again by grabbing opportunities to serve and to learn. Remember, every friend we make, everything we learn, all the knowledge we gain in this life, every skill we perfect we take with us when we return to our Heavenly Parents.

Our eternal potential? Never stop seeking after your eternal destiny and potential. You might end up playing the piano with the angels in heaven.

August - Each Sister Is a Beloved Daughter of Heavenly Parents and Has a Divine Destiny

It is important that we stop our busy lives a remember we do have a divine destiny. We cannot see thought the veil to know what that might be, however, we can grow closer to the Lord and have His divine guidance in this life as we try to discover our destiny here and now. Of course discovering our destiny in this life will better prepare us for our rewards in the next life.

I sometimes get discourage because I don't think I do enough. I'm not a good enough person. I'm not attuned enough to the spirit. I miss so many opportunities to do good. I miss the fact that friends are in need, my children need reassuring. I silently assure myself I will do better. But, then life happens, I get busy and again and again I disappointed myself. That could not be my divine destiny.

Thank goodness for the "healing balm" of Christ as President Faust refers to in this lesson. It is only through the atonement of Christ we can overcome feelings of discouragement, lack of self worth and disappointment in ourselves. We can focus on what we do accomplish. The service we do give. The friends and family members we do help uplift.

I often put Neosporin on cuts and bruises. It's an antibiotic ointment or balm. At first it doesn't make that much of a difference. But, I feel better just knowing I did something. The next day I add a bit more. And I notice the cut has stopped hurting, or at least doesn't hurt as much. And so it goes one application at a time. I'm not healed overnight. It takes time. After a week or so the injury is gone. Like it was never there. An this is just like the healing balm of Christ. If we are diligent in applying his love and forgiveness on a regular basis we will heal. We will be able to see more clearly our divine destiny and we will be happy. We can put self doubt and negative feelings about ourselves aside. We might even recognize that our divine destiny is being a mom, a grandmother, a friend, magnifying our callings in the church learning everything we can, and doing our Visiting Teaching!

Just a Moment of Sharing

“In visiting teaching we reach out to each other. Hands often speak as voices can’t. A warm embrace conveys volumes. A laugh together unites us. A moment of sharing refreshes our souls. We cannot always lift the burden of one who is troubled, but we can lift her so she can bear it well” (Church News, 7 March 1992, 5).

Elaine L. Jack
Relief Society general president, 1990–1997

OK, I'm a flake. I did go visiting teaching, in fact I had a great time, but I forgot to all the lesson to our blog.

Why Go Visiting Teaching?

1 - Because it makes you feel good!

2 - You might just make a friend (or two)!

3 - You won't have to avoid that end of the month call asking...."how you do with your visiting teaching?"

4 - The Lord will be "well pleased" with your efforts!

5 - Your Relief Society President will LOVE you!

Share your thoughts in comments!!!

June Visiting Teaching Lesson

The Gospel of Jesus Chirst Teaches the Reality of our Premortal Existence

What a great topic for discussion for our visits this month. As a convert to the gospel when the missionaries taught me about my our premortal life bells went off. Of course we lived before with a Father who loved us and wanted only the best for us. We had friends, maybe family (?), other spirits we knew and loved. So the purpose for this new life now makes prefect sense. Julie Beck (RS General President) states, "Women have distinct assignments given to them from before the foundation of the world. We know ... we sided with our Savior, Jesus Christ, to preserve our potential to belong to eternal families."

During our premortal life we knew this life would be difficult. It would be challenging. We would be frustrated. It would be really hard. And yet we made the choice to come. To be tested. To be tried. Why? We made the choice because during the premortal life we KNEW the pure joy of earning eternal life. Elder L. Tom Perry during this past conference stated, "...those who obey the fullness of the gospel law will inherit eternal life... It is 'the greatest of all the gifts of God'... for it is the kind, status, type, and quality of life that God himself enjoys." This is our potential and divine mission as s sisters to return not as individuals but in family units. Each of us has the potential to become a "join" heirs with Christ with our families. To have the will, desire and ability to overcome all things, have all power and receive the fullness of the Father. So yes this life is difficult... and challenging... and so hard... but, "No one said it would be easy, just worth it!"

Elder Perry also challenged us to try to picture in our mind and hearts what it would be like to inherit eternal life. He believes that if we could create in our minds a clear picture of that life we would behave differently. We would not have to be pushed and prodded to do many of the things involved with enduring to the end, like visiting teaching(!), attending the temple, saying our prayers or reading our scriptures. We would do all that is required and MORE because we would know that these things are preparing us for the pure joy of returning and living with Father again. That promise and challenge we accepted during our premortal life when we chose to follow Jesus.