THOUGHT: “The path toward fulfilling our divine destiny
as sons and daughters of God is an eternal one My dear brothers and sisters,
dear friends, we must begin to walk that eternal path today; we cannot take for
granted one single day. I pray that we will not wait until we are ready to die
before we truly learn to live...”
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
- Sister Ramona B. is still in rehab after
surgery on both knees. She would welcome notes, cards, etc. Just give them
to Brother B. and he will take them to her. He goes every day to see
her.
- Sally Saunders also had knee surgery
and is home and she would welcome some cheerful visits.
- FINALLY HERE: Our Relief Society
Circled in His Footsteps Dinner and Special Photo Presentation of the Holy
Land, by Amy N. Thursday, Nov. 29th at 6:30 at the A-Frame
Church across the Stake Center. Enjoy a special Christmas Dinner and
visiting one with another.
- If you need a baby
sitter for Thursday's RS Activity, please contact Tara B, lizebethblack@gmail.com or 801
380-1993. Young women will volunteer to watch your children at home.
- December 8th
will be our final Birthday Brunch for those whose birthdays were in Oct., Nov., and Dec.
If you had a birthday any other month but were not able to attend, you are
welcomed to attend this one. It will be at Martha's home at 11 am.
- Ashley P. needs some pancake
griddles, some skillets and one more water cooler for the Ward Christmas
Breakfast. Please contact her if you have some.
- Jami will be doing the
photography with Santa at the Christmas Breakfast and is in need of White
Christmas Trees, and /or green trees with white tips. They can be from 3
to 5 feet tall.
- December, don't forget our Ward
Christmas Breakfast and Service Activity on Saturday, Dec. 15th
from 9:30-11 am at the Stake Center.
BIRTHDAYS: Nov., 26th – Melissa B.; Nov. 26th
– Jennifer C., Nov. 27th – Melissa S., Nov. 28th
– Becky D., Nov. 29th – Luone I., Nov. 30th – Jami
E., Nov. 30th – Amy N., Dec. 1st – Christine
A. Happy Birthday sister, hope you have a great day.
Our lesson today was presented by Becca
M., who was substituting for Darla. It was General Conference address
by President Uchtdorf: “Of Regrets and Resolutions”.
Sisters, I am so excited to be here. My favorite
part of teaching is the studying and learning that comes with it. I find that I
learn so much. Regrets and Resolutions. We all have regrets. We live in a
society where we are all so busy. There are so many things that keep us busy.
We may have a list that is a mile long. Let's list on the board some thing that
we do everyday, but that keep us from doing things that we would like to
accomplish.
Feeding people
Laundry
Cooking
Grocery shopping
Cleaning
Dishes
Driving (car pooling)
work
Kids
Family events
Sports
Homework
Schedules
Facebook and Pininterest
Unfinished projects
We have to find a balance. I have a to do list,
but kids, family, everyday routines can get in the way of other things. I felt
overwhelmed as I struggled to make it all work for me. I try the hardest to
balance everything, but in the end walk away with regret. Then I feel guilt,
remorse.
President Uchtdorf talked about “ a nurse who
cares for the terminally ill says that she has often asked a simple question of
her patients as they prepared to depart this life.
“Do you have any regrets?” she would ask.
Being so close to that final day of mortality
often gives clarity to thought and provides insight and perspective. So when
these people were asked about their regrets, they opened their hearts. They
reflected about what they would change if only they could turn back the clock.”
Then he addressed three regrets and resolutions.
He said: “As I considered what they had said,
it struck me how the foundational principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ can
affect our life's direction for good, if only we will apply them.”
The best part is that it explains how we can
apply the principles of the gospel to our regrets to make the necessary changes
in our lives. I was talking to a friend and we were saying how this week, we
never were able to get dinner on the table before 7 pm.
I wish I had spent more time with the people I
love.
Quote 1: “Isn't it true that we often get so busy? And,
sad to say, we even wear our busyness as a badge of honor, as though being
busy, by itself, was an accomplishment or sign of a superior life.
Is it?
I think of our Lord and Exemplar, Jesus Christ,
and His short life among the people of Galilee and Jerusalem. I have tried to
imagine Him bustling between meetings or multitasking to get a list of urgent
things accomplished. I can't see it.”
Can you see it? What do you see instead? What do
you see the Savior doing?
Amy R: He took his time and he enjoyed what he was
doing.
Karen M: He was very busy, very selfless, but received
the greatest happiness.
Amy W: He took the most best parts of himself. He saw
them for what they were. The Savior saw them as they really are. It is a gift
from the spirit. I don't think we do that. We need to do it with less
emotional energy. With more efficiently.
I let things stress me out.
Christy S: President Monson is one who gets a lot done.
It's the way he does it. He has a positive attitude and turns to the Lord. I
try to do things myself. He has peace.
Lynette: I read an article in a magazine that was
addressed to Career women who had to come home and hurry to fix dinner. It
seems that that is when little ones want attention, clinging to their legs. It
said: when you come home, stop, hug your children even it it is only for 5
minutes, then you can go on. I tried it and it really worked. Sit down with
them, give them your complete attention, and they will be happier. Let them be
a priority-it's a small thing. They need personal contact.
Priority is with people. Time, attention.
Laurie A: Think of Christ. We try to do everything for
everybody. My grandmother was organized. She knew she couldn't do everything
herself so she would have the children help her and let them do more.
Enlist the children to help us. Let them be part
of the list and engage them in a teaching way.
What is President Uchtdorf vision of what
the Savior did:
Instead I see the compassionate and caring Son
of God purposefully living each day. When He interacted with those around Him,
they felt important and loved. He knew the infinite value of the people He met.
He blessed them, ministered to them. He lifted them up, healed them. He gave
them the precious gift of His time.”
Gift of time. Be purposeful. Look at the purpose
behind doing things.
A couple of years ago I struggled to spend the
time I needed to with my children every day. After about a month of trying to
do this, I knelt down and told the Lord that this is where I fell short, please
help me do better tomorrow. It really helped me. It's a tool we tend to forget
to use because we are very busy.
He talks about electronic communications.
“In our day it is easy to merely pretend to
spend time with others. With the click of a mouse, we can “connect” with
thousands of “friends” without ever having to face a single one of them.
Technology can be a wonderful thing, and it is very useful when we cannot be
near our loved ones. My wife and I live far away from precious family members;
we know how that is. However, I believe that we are not headed in the right
direction, individually and as a society, when we connect with family or
friends mostly by reposting humorous pictures, forwarding trivial things, or
linking our loved ones to sited on the Internet. I suppose there is a place for
this kind of activity, but how mulch time are we willing to spend on it? If we
fail to give our best personal self and undivided time to those who are truly
important to us, one day we will regret it.”
He ends with a challenge: “Let us resolve
to cherish those we love by spending meaningful time with them, doing things together,
and cultivating treasured memories.”
Meaningful moments. What have you enjoyed:
Gayla: Everyone needs 7 minuted of eye contact for
confidence veryday Eye contact gives them a sense they are important.
From a mom's perspective; eye contact is
important and they go away happy.
I wish I had lived up to my potential.
Quote 3 – Sharon J: “Our Heavenly
Father sees our real potential. He knows things about us that we do not know
ourselves. He prompts us during our lifetime to fulfill the measure of our
creation, to live a good life and to return to His presence.”
Who does God think you should be?
I just had a baby. There is a gap of 6 years
between the baby and my 6 year old. I had declared that I was done having
babies, I was moving on. But when my little one was four years old, I began to
have promptings that there was one more child. No, I would say, but it kept
pushing. Heavenly Father was loving and patient. There is someone else, but
don't want that. I finally told my husband and after fasting and praying about
it, we decided to let go of what I want and trust in Heavenly Father. I have
watched as the baby has been so exactly what we needed. She is the one thing
that makes everyone better and happy. The move here has been hard, but having
the baby has made it easier for all of us. I am grateful that I listened to the
prompting, that I listen to who God wanted me to be, not what I wanted.
We need to be recipient to the spirit. Follow
it's promptings. Our Savior is God's disciples and did what the Father wanted.
We have the ability to follow. We have the atonement, the spirit.
Quote 4 – Gayla: “Let us resolve
to follow the Savior and work with diligence to become the person we were
designed to become. As we do so, Heavenly Father will reveal to us things we
never knew about ourselves. He will illuminate the path ahead and open our eyes
to see our unknown and perhaps unimagined talents.”
Resolve to strive more earnestly to become the
person God wants us to be.
I wish I had let myself be happier.
We tend to say when....I'll be happy. None of us
have a perfect life. We all have situations in our lives. I love the word LET –
it implies our ability to choose.
Quote: “The older we get, the more we look back and
realize that external circumstances don't really matter or determine our
happiness. We do matter. We determine our happiness. You and I are ultimately
in charge of our own happiness.”
He tells the story of he and his wife, Harriet,
and how they love riding their bicycles. “It is wonderful to get out and enjoy
the beauties of nature. We have certain routes we like to bike, but we don't
pay too much attention to how far we go or how fast we travel in comparison
with other riders.
However, occasionally I think we should be a bit
more competitive. I even think we could get a better time or ride at a higher
speed if only we pushed ourselves a little more. And then sometimes I even make
the big mistake of mentioning this idea to my wonderful wife.
Her typical reaction to my suggestions of this
nature is always very kind, very clear, and very direct. She smiles and says,
“Dieter, it's not a race; it's a journey. Enjoy the moment.”
What do you do to help yourself find happiness?
Robby: I am basically a very happy person. My husband
struggles. I finally took him to this person who told him that God says it's OK
to be happy. All of his life he thought that he did not have the right to be
happy when hard things would be happening to people.
Lynette: I went to a funeral this weekend where all 7
of the children spoke about their father. All of their memories were of happy
moments. Happiness is a choice.
Petra: I have had to ask myself what can I do to
resolve issues of feeling over whelmed. I have to keep telling myself that it
is a journey. Need to be happy each day. I feel happier when I do that.
Quote: “We shouldn't wait to be happy until we
reach some future point, only to discover that happiness was already
available-all the time! Life is not meant to be appreciated only in
retrospect....no matter our circumstances, no matter our challenges or trials,
there is something in each day to embrace and cherish. There is something in
each day that can bring gratitude and joy if only we will see and appreciate
it.”
Resolve to be happy regardless of our
circumstances.
For next week please read Matthew 25:40 and come
prepared to talk about it. Have a wonderful week. Be happy.
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