LEST WE FORGET

Harold B. Lee

'Men may fail in this country, earthquakes may come, seas may heave beyond their bounds, there may be great drought, disaster, and hardship, but this nation , founded on principles laid down by men whom God raised up, will never fail . This is the cradle of humanity, where life on this earth began in the Garden of Eden. This is the place of the New Jerusalem. . . . This is the place where the Savior will come to His temple.

We are living in a time of great crisis. The Country is torn with scandal and with criticism, with faultfinding and condemnation. There are those who have downgraded the image of this nation as probably never before in the history of the country.

I plead with you not to preach pessimism. Preach that this is the greatest country in all the world. . . . It is the nation that will stand despite whatever trials or crises it may yet have to pass through.

We must be on the optimistic side. This is a great nation; this is a great country; this is the most favored of all lands. While it is true that there are dangers and difficulties that lie ahead of us, we must not assume that we are going to stand by and watch the country go to ruin. We should not be heard to predict ills and calamities for the nation. On the contrary, we should be providing optimistic support for the nation.

You must remember . . . that this church is one of the most powerful agencies for the progress of the world, and we should . . . all sound with one voice. We must tell the world how we feel about this land and this nation and should bear our testimonies about the great mission and destiny that it has.

If we do this, we will help turn the tide of this great country and lessen the influence of the pessimists. We must be careful that we do not say or do anything that will further weaken the country. It is the negative, pessimistic comments about the nation that do as much harm as anything to the country today. We who carry these sacred responsibilities must preach the gospel of peace, and peace can only come by overcoming the things of the world. Now, we must be the dynamic force that will help turn the tide of fear and pessimism.'

DUCK...DUCK...GOOSE

Tonight when I took Jack to the dog park there was a group of dogs standing around. One of the little dogs was sort of frisky and would go from dog to dog, trying to hump each of them.

A little girl, standing near the dogs, ran over to her dad and yelled excitedly, 'look daddy! They're playing duck, duck, goose!"

Darling, sweet little girl. Duck, duck, goose indeed!

AN OPUS

I always get emotional at the very end of 'Mr. Holland's Opus.' When she announces that they will be performing his piece, and the curtain opens, revealing all of his students, my heart jumps a little. Tonight when I turned on the TV it happened to be exactly that moment, and I still become a little teary eyed. I love good feeling movie moments like that!

PULL OVER

This morning as I was runalking (my combination of running and walking), a motorcyle cop drove by on my left side. For a split second I found myself worried about my speed and automatically slowed down. No worries, though. My little 4 mph pace created NO issues with our neighborhood police this morning!

DO YOUR JOB, DOG

Gone are my dreams of coming home to my dog, saying 'let's go for a walk,' and watching him get all excited at the thought of going outside and exploring. Nope. I don't even have to say the word 'walk.' When he sees me getting my tennis shoes out he runs under the bed, just out of my reach, and hunkers down. Take him to the dog park and he runs nonstop for an hour. Drive up to Mount Charleston and I have to coax him back to the car. But pull out that leash and it's over.

PUT IT OUT

I'm really enjoying my new job but today I came across a situation that I hate! Part of what I do requires going into people's homes, so when you're there, you get what comes with it. I've never minded going into a house where there are smokers. It's not my favorite thing, but I respect that it's their home. Still, there's nothing more annoying than having cigarette smoke blown in your face, and especially when it's done disrespectfully by someone who is angry at the world. Sorry friend, but Megann don't play that game.... I won't be going back there any time soon....

AND I'M BACK

For those of you wondering about how today went...the picture says it all. Ha, ha! I won't spend time going into detail. It wasn't horrible - it just was a one time meeting for lunch with someone who seems pretty great, but maybe wasn't great for me.

So I came home a little disappointed but a couple hours later I received a text message from my dear friend, Charla, who lives up in Salt Lake City. She had just come back from a walk with her dog, Sophie, and was sending a random text about how much she was enjoying the change in the weather. She said to me: For as much as I hate being cold and winter being long, I don't think I'd enjoy the first long evenings of late spring without winter.

She didn't know that I had gone on this date today, and was referring to her literal experience with the evening temperature, but as I read that it struck me how similar that is to my situation. I feel like I'm having a long, cold winter. A very long one...and I'm really tired of being stuck in this season. It's been frustrating and confusing, and at times seemingly painful to deal with. However, one day I know that Spring is going to come and I know that I'll appreciate it that much more because of what it represents.

So I'm going to hang in there, and try to stay positive, and know that there is a reason for everything and that I have a Heavenly Father who is more aware of me than I am of myself. I have so many things to be thankful for right now, and I'm going to let myself be happy because of that....and the lasagna I ordered really WAS pretty good!

IS IT WORK IF IT'S SO FUN?

Last week I was called to be the Young Women's president for the family ward I'm in. I've worked with the Young Women in the last 3 wards I've been in, so while I felt a tiny bit of anxiety, I also felt reassurance in knowing that it wouldn't be completely out of my comfort zone.

Last night we had a presidency meeting and all of a sudden, as we were discussing things coming up, I realized that I played a big part in helping make the choices. Not in an 'I'm the one in charge,' kind of way, but in an 'oh my gosh! We can plan such fun things' sort of way. We literally get to play with these awesome girls. I love the fact that I get to work with youth. They are strong, and fun, and they teach me every day how amazing they are.

So now it's pool parties, and sleepovers, and play, play, PLAY! I cherish that the Lord knows me enough to give me a calling that brings me such joy, and I'm grateful that he has given me the opportunity to learn and grow alongside some of his choice daughters. Hooray for what's coming up ahead....

FINAL STRAW

I'm not a really public person about very personal things, but I figure the only people who read this are the ones I would feel comfortable talking to in person anyhow, so if you don't like personal things, don't continue reading (also, I put spaces between paragraphs when I typed, but it won't post that way).....

So I gave in and tried online dating. Gasp, I know. It's something I NEVER wanted to do!! The truth is, when all is said and done, if I'm asked if I did everything I could do to find the illusive 'one,' I wanted to make sure that I can say yes. On top of that, I'm in a family ward with NO singles, and no way of meeting anyone there, so push has come to shove.

I'm back aand forth as to how I feel about online dating. My experience has been, well, interesting. I've had one too many divorced men in their 50's send me messages, and apparently I attract people from other countries who don't speak very good English. I don't get it. Admittedly it is frustrating at times, but I'm trying to have a positive attitude. So then I talked for a while with a guy who was actually pretty decent, but then when I met him in person, there was nothing there. Nothing. Back to square one.

So this last month or so I've been chatting back and forth with a guy who actually seems pretty great. He's educated, he has opinions, he enjoys some of the same things I do, he feels strongly about the gospel, and he seems a little nerdy (which I like). Good, yes? So yesterday he sends me an email and asks if I want to meet for lunch. AUGH!! While this should be a good thing, I just have images of meeting him, and then the same thing happening as before. Back to square one. I have actual anxiety about it, but I'm trying my hardest to have a positive attitude. So Saturday it is. A little Olive Garden, a little conversation. If anything, it will be nice to get out and talk with someone. And even if nothing happens, it's nice to know that I'm not dead inside when it comes to possibilities.

Must.....think.....positive.......

GETTING OFF TASK

Yesterday when I left the house for work I made a mental note to pick up toilet paper before coming home. When I came home I didn't have toilet paper but I did have a NEW CAR!!!! I've been thinking about it for a long time so naturally when I went to get my oil changed at the dealership I did some browsing. Long story short, I found an offer that was far below what I had anticipated paying, the timing is perfect, and I felt no anxieties about it. The color is new this year and in different lights sort of has a different hue. I love it, love it, LOVE it!

Meanwhile, I still need toilet paper......

FOR EVERYONE

Yesterday I was in the home of one of the families I visit and I saw this large picture of Christ on their wall. I knew they were Catholic, so I asked the husband where they got it from. He said that his daughter gave it to him and when I asked if she was Mormon, he said 'NO,' and looked sort of embarrased. I explained that I, myself, am Mormon and that you see this particular picture a lot in the churches and on the walls.

'Oh,' he said, ' so this is the picture of the Mormon Christ?' His question sort of surprised me so I just smiled and said 'No. It's just a picture of Christ. He's the same Christ for everyone.' He grabbed my hand to shake it and said 'he IS the same Christ for everyone.' What a sweet little experience to help me remember something that is so simple, yet so fundamentally important to everyone. I am so grateful for a Savior that was, and is, here for every single one of us.