Sunday, March 27, 2011

We believe...

Article of Faith #3 We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel. I Love the simplicity of The Articles of Faith. I am continually learning. It reminds me a little of Shrek. He explained that he had layers, like an onion. I keep peeling back more layers and there is always something new to learn. One of my favorite "Atonement" analogies is one I heard today. The law of gravity. If we jump out of an airplane we will fall to the ground. We have parachutes that can help us float gently, and will save us from the fall. It isn't enough to just know that the parachute exists. We must purchase one and learn how to use it for it to be effective. Just like the parachute, it isn't enough just to know or even acknowledge that the Atonement it real, we must learn how to use it in our lives for it to be effective. I promise that if you learn how to use our Savior's Atonement you will live a happier, more complete life. Heavenly Father is Real. He Loves You and wants you to be happy. I love you all.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Men, Men, Men, Men, Manly Men

Since only my daughters read my blog I think it will be safe to address the subject of Men.
Ponder, what is a real man...? Is it the guy on the Old Spice commercials? Is it Jimmer? Is it the guy whos voice we hear in the 'Ram' truck commericials? Or could it be the Dad in the commericial who starts his car for his daughter all the way from England?
Are we too hard on men? Do we expect them to smell like the guy from 'Old Spice', shoot a basketball like Jimmer and still be humble about the 'team effort'? Do they need to sound like 'Ram' truck man and provide a luxery car like the 'England' guy?
So does the media tell us what a real man is or do we decide on our own.
I have several men that I admire in my life. And I can assure you, NONE of them are Charlie Sheen, Tiger Woods, or Donald Trump, the faces of TV, Sports and Wealth.
So in no particular order, here are a few.
My Dad. Thomas S. Monson. Chad Schmidt. Joseph Smith. Daniel Anderson. Dwayne Belt. Henry B. Eyring. Ben Hatch. Hugh Hatch.
I assure you the list could go on but I have to end it somewhere and today I end it with Two Men that are my favorites of all time. First, My Savior, and Second, My Husband.
I have to tell you what I saw this week...
Terry's electric razor died on Sunday. He had to be at an early meeting and the Bishop ran his finger up Terry's chin and asked him about the condition of his razor. Terry explained that his electric one was dead. When Terry got home his razor still hadn't charged so it was thrown in the garbage. He didn't have any regular razors, nor did he have any regular shaving cream. He wondered whether he should go to the store on Sunday, the Lord's sabbath. We decided it would be best to observe the sacred day and work with what we had....so...
To me a real man is a man who is not too macho to use a pretty, pink razor and Dove soap to shave so he can present himself to the Lord on His sacred day.
Terry is my Hero. I love him so much and thank Heavenly Father every day for the privilege of being his wife.
So, don't let the media tell you what a man really is supposed to be. You already know.
I love you all.
Have a great week!

Monday, March 7, 2011

Simple

Well, the newsletter that I was dreading came out last Sunday. I hid it away in my drawer because I didn't want anyone to see it. Mostly I think I hid it from myself, because no one else even knows that it exists. Katie got the same newsletter in the mail but only opened the envelope, never took out what was inside. How many of us do that? We get a letter and never even bother to look at it, especially if it is from someone we feel will preach to us or tell us things about ourselves that we don't really want to know. How many of us avoid praying because we don't want to be reminded of what we just don't want to deal with?
But, that is not what this post is about, it is about simplicity. It does have a little, well maybe a lot, to do with the newsletter though. As I read about the other 3 women spotlighted and then finally moved on to mine I was pretty disappointed at first, I think that is why I put it away. I haven't read it in over a week because I have started to embrace what Sister Wright wrote about me and I am afraid if I read it again all of the good things I have started to believe will go away....Am I just crazy? Maybe, probably, but even so...

What I learned about myself is that I am really simple. When I finished reading the spotlight the thought just settled on me, not like a two-by-four moment, more like a gentle dew from heaven, just a quiet voice, "Hollie, she nailed you, you are simple". So of course, you know me, in my quest to like who I am and be comfortable with that knowledge I have turned simplicity into a good thing.
So, this week's challenge is to look at yourself, don't take 51 years to find out that you are who you are, who Heavenly Father created you to be. If that is simple, that is OK. I can't pretend to be something that I'm not and neither should you. Embrace the person that you are and surround yourself with people who love you for being who you were born to be.

I love you all.

Have a great week.