REAL MAGIC!

I hate to admit this, but one of the things that sends me into the Pit of Illusion is annoying things people do. For example, when people chew ice it sends shivers up my back and into my scalp like what happens when fingernails scratch a chalkboard. Or the other day when I was was in a movie and the person next to me kept opening wrapped pieces of candy and the crinkle sound distracted and annoyed me. Or when someone is giving me directions and they put their hand on my back and push me in the direction they want to go, even though it is a gentle nudge I get defensive! There, I've admitted it: these quirky annoyances send me into the Pit of Illusion.

I've realized for a long time that I shouldn't let little things like this bother me, but I've never been able to find a Truth Tool that stopped the negative feelings fast enough. Instead I'd find myself in the Pit and then use a Tool to get out, but I wanted to stay out instead of climb out.

Well recently I discovered a new application of one of the Truth Tools that works FAST to keep me from falling! As soon as I feel the annoyance beginning to spew its poison inside me, I simply say (aloud if possible and if not silently to myself), "Thank you." As you recognize, it is the Gratitude Tool, but usually the Gratitude Tool is all about counting my blessings, and it at first seemed odd to say thank-you when annoyed, but just saying the words dispels the negative feelings magically. Often, without even trying, the natural next thing to happen is I discover why I should be thankful for whatever has happened and I find myself thinking something like, "Thank you for teaching me patience," or "Thank you for helping me learn to love" or "Thank you for helping me recognize and overcome my quirks."

It's a little thing, but it works! For years I've heard people call the phrase thank you "magic words," but now I know why. When I feel annoyed thank you is the abra-ca-dabra formula that keeps me Living in Truth

Down With Vexation

Yesterday I toured two gigantic, beautiful homes that are part of the Utah Valley Parade of Homes. I went seeking ideas for decorating my own home, but found myself bombarded with many thoughts and feelings I hadn’t expected. One home consisted of 17,000 square feet and the other 14,000. Both had swimming pools and marvelous outdoor living areas.

Now I’ve seen homes like that before, and before they were so big and so extravagant that they were like fairy tales that you listen to but don’t believe. These kinds of things have always been fun for me to see but so far out of my league that they didn’t affect me. But for some reason yesterday the elegant furnishings, everything necessary for opulent living, and luxury to the max that were evident in every square inch began to eat away at me. As expected I came away with lots of ideas, but what I didn’t expect was the discontent. I found myself full of ingratitude for what is mine, self-pity for what I don’t have, and discouragement.

But . . . the blessing was that I recognized immediately what I was doing wrong and began pulling out the Truth Tools to eradicate the vexing feelings before they did much damage. I am soooo grateful for Truth Tools. Within a short time, the “poison” in my soul was gone and I was fine. Then, just a few minutes ago I found myself Anchoring, not because I was consciously forcing myself to Anchor, but because it is becoming a natural habit. While in that state of enjoying the hope, peace, love, gratitude and joy of this present moment I realized I may not have all the materials things life offers, but I have something much greater!

My New Green, Soul Diet

I’ve been pondering the last few days on the “whys?” of things. It’s something I’ve been cursed with since the day I was born. When I was young, it got me in a lot of trouble. I asked too many “whys” and Primary, Mutual and Sunday School teachers didn’t like it. I was well aware even at the time that the reason I was called to be the Junior Sunday School Organist was to get me out of the sixteen year old Sunday School class because I was “disruptive”.  Someplace along the line I learned not to ask my questions, but I still thought them and I became obsessed with finding answers.

This week my “whys” have gone in the direction of “Why does gratitude bring me so much joy?” I easily can see why forgiving brings me joy, because it literally lifts the negative feelings out of my soul just like a magnet lifts iron filing off a table. Obviously jettisoning bad feelings is going to leave you feeling good and that’s how most of the gospel Truth Tools work. It is amazing.

Now, it’s so simple it’s probably very obvious to all of you, and you are thinking “Dah, Sherrie,” but it hit me this week that gratitude works in the opposite way. Instead of removing bad so that you don’t hurt, gratitude adds good so you feel wonderful. Gratitude is to the soul what eating chocolate is to the body. It tastes good! But the best part is that you can be grateful all you want and not gain any weight. As a matter of fact, you might lose some! (In the form of excess negative baggage you’ve been carrying around!)

So I think I’ll go on a gratitude diet! Gratitude is to the soul what green is to the body!

Cheerfully Doing

In the Doctrine and Covenants section 123 there is a wonderful phrase that encourages and instructs. It says, “Let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power.” The section is talking about how to proceed despite the persecution, wrongs committed against the saints, and the adversity they encounter. The revelation was given to Joseph Smith while he was incarcerated in Liberty Jail undergoing some of the worst persecution of his life.

The encouragement to go on striving and enduring and doing whatever is in our power for good and for righteousness is wonderful, but the thing that strikes me is that we are to do all those things cheerfully. I’m not real good at cheerful, but I want to get better at it. That’s one of the reasons I’ve studied Truth and identified the Truth Tools is because I need help in this area—it doesn’t come naturally to me. But over the last few years I’ve felt myself growing and changing and so I know cheerful is possible to learn.

This possibility of change is what Moroni is talking about when he tells us that the Lord will “make weak things become strong unto” you (Ether 12:27). Growth and change are difficult, but not impossible because we have the help of the Lord—He will make it happen if we just keep trying. And that thought helps me do all things cheerfully!

Worry vs. Empathy

Don't Worry!

The older I get the more thankful I become for the Truth Tools. Just last week I went to bed so full of consternation about some problems that I couldn’t sleep. I tossed and turned for awhile and finally realized what I was doing. “What is the Truth here? Is my worrying helping the problem at all?” I asked myself. “The answer was an obvious, “NO!” All I was doing was making myself miserable—vexing myself.

So .  .  .  I began reciting over and over to myself one line from the Charge, “The Lord thy God is with thee.” I had been doing that for a couple of minutes when all of a sudden peace washed through me like a tidal wave washing the beach and I was able to go to sleep. It was a beautiful, peaceful experience, and the next morning I found myself pondering on it a great deal.

The thing that struck me as I pondered is that sometimes we confuse worrying with empathy. We think because we are worried we are empathizing. We feel that it is good to worry. But empathy is experiencing another person’s necessary pain. It is sorrowing because they sorrow or hurting because they hurt. But worry is unnecessary pain and is something I couldn’t comprehend God experiencing. There is a fine line here between concepts, but it is an important distinction to understand. Some vexing emotions such as sorrow accomplish something and have some positive uses. For example sorrow is as a step in the letting go of a loved one, or it is an important part of repentance and acknowledging that we need a Savior. But worry is a lack of faith and accomplishes nothing. Therefore, when we replace the worry with the affirmative statement, “The Lord thy God is with thee” we are filling ourselves with faith and courage and allowing the Spirit to direct us. And that can be a very real, very tangible experience as it was for me that night.

We do not have to suffer unnecessary pain. We can let it go not because we are so strong or disciplined or wonderful, but because Jesus Christ is.

More Truth Tools

The Good News today is that there are more

Truth Tools than what we talked about yesterday. In the Doctrine and Covenants 59:4 we are told that the reward for those who are seeking Zion, in other words seeking to be pure in heart, is that they will be ”crowned with blessings from above, yea, and with commandments not a few.” Most of us don’t think of commandments as blessings, but the commandments are Truth Tools—amazing Truth Tools that "crown" our lives if we let them.

One of the most powerful of the Truth Tools is prayer. When the negative feelings begin to swell within us calling upon God can dispel them. Another Truth Tool, Forgiveness, works not only on the negative emotion being generated by the offense we are holding a grudge against, but when we forgive and let go of the bad thoughts, we find that other negative feelings melt away also. Forgiving others works in the soul like taking a warm shower works on the body. You may get in the shower because your feet and hands are dirty, but your whole body gets cleaned and it feels so good.

Repentance, fasting, and the Sacrament are also powerful Truth Tools. When we take the time to analyze our lives and identify what we are doing right and what we are doing wrong and then go to the Sacrament Altar ready to sacrifice the things we are doing wrong and commit to do better the coming week,

we are empowered. Sin generates negative emotion and feelings

and when we give up the sin the negative feelings go with it.

In short, these and other commandments are really an enormous blessing in our lives.

They are Truth Tools that allow us to rid our lives of the negative feelings that push us into the Pit of Illusion and allow us to live in Truth where peace, joy, happiness and love abound. As D&C 59 goes on to say, “He who doeth the works of righteousness shall receive his reward, even peace in this world, and eternal life in the world to come” (23).

Preventing Emotional Flu

During the first meeting of a committee I once served on it became obvious that one woman in the group thought she was more qualified to be chairman than the man who was chairman. She wasn’t rude or obnoxious, but in subtle ways let it be known that she knew much more than the rest of us including the chairman and that she really should be directing the committee. During subsequent meetings she usually spoke up quite a bit and tried to take the discussion in ways the chairman was not intending to go. But one day when we met she remained unusually silent. She sat next to me quietly listening to everyone else, and I thought maybe she'd changed her mind and had gained a new respect for the chairman. But even as I thought that I became aware of a strange vexation within me and couldn’t figure out why I was suddenly feeling such negative feelings. Nothing had happened for me to feel negative about! I was even thinking this positive thought about the woman.

I tried to shake the feeling, but couldn't. Finally the meeting ended and as I left the room I heard the woman speaking to the chairman. It was obvious that during the meeting she’d bottled up some negative, critical feelings which could no longer be contained. At that point I suddenly realized that the vexing feelings I’d felt during the meeting were coming from her. I’d picked up on the negative energy she was sending out even though no words had been spoken and I had no other sensory clues as to what was going on.

It was a great lesson for me. Emotions are as contagious as swine flu! We do give off negative or positive energy that influences those around us. When we are aware of this, we can consciously direct our positive influence to help and benefit others. But most importantly we can recognize when we have picked up a negative “virus” and use the Truth Tools to get rid of it before it makes us sick or spreads to others.

Have a Truth filled day!

Happy Mother's Day to ALL!

My mother, daughters, sisters and friends--some of the wonderful women in my life.
Unlike so many women I know, I love Mother's Day. I get to celebrate the fact that my wonderful, adorable mother put up with me for so many years! And that she still loves me even though I gave her grief! I get to rejoice in the fact that God shared ten of His children with me. Sure I messed up many times, but He sent His Son to make up for my failings and they will be compensated. But most of all, I get to smile when I hear all those stories in Church about other people's perfect mothers because I know that when I'm dead and gone my children will tell stories about how I was perfect, too.

I do know that many woman who aren't mothers and wish they were hurt. I can understand why they hurt on Mother’s Day. I can also understand how those whose children don’t love them back or who have strayed from righteousness hurt on Mother’s Day. But as we have talked about here in this blog, everyone hurts over something and this kind of pain is unnecessary pain. It is a choice!

On Mother's Day instead of hurting, there can still be rejoicing for your own mothers or for the concept of motherhood in general. You can use the Truth Tools to make Mother’s Day a day to rejoice in instead of making yourself hurt. For all who are tempted to choose hurt, you can Anchor yourself and feel the joy that surrounds you. You can Yield to the Spirit and let Him bring you peace. You can Rewrite your story. You can concentrate on the Atonement and the healing power it has for you and for your children. Through the Atonement you can be made the perfect mother! All mistakes can be eliminated because of Jesus Christ. What better thing to rejoice about?

For those who hurt because they aren’t mothers, pretend that for every rejoicing thought that you have on Mother’s Day, it means there is one more child you get to have for all the eternities. Use your imagination! Feel the arms of your adorable children around your neck. Whisper in their ear how much you love them. It really isn’t pretending. The promise from God is that every righteous woman will someday be a mother. So project yourself into the future and enjoy now instead of hurting. Wonder about them. Will they have dark hair or light? Blue eyes or brown? Use a little humor, after all the celestial diapering system has got to be better than the one we have here. Soak yourself in the delight of what will be instead of what isn’t yet! We are told that with God the past, present, and future are all one. With a little imagination, they can be one for you also.

In short, Mother’s Day can be a day of rejoicing for all women! Imagine the positive energy we could send out into the world if all of us choose to rejoice instead of regret.

So my prayer for all of you is that today you will rejoice and enjoy! Make it a Happy Mother's Day!

I'm Surviving Radiation!

Yesterday I had my first radiating experience. It wasn’t bad and is extremely interesting. Last Friday a very kind radiation therapist named Dallas made a cage for my head that is used in all the radiation treatments. First he put a flat piece of what looks and feels like plastic mesh in hot water. He placed that over my head, pushed the edges down so that it formed around my entire head, and waited until it became hard. Along the sides and top of this contraption is a horseshoe shaped rim of plastic that is used to screw this “mask cage” to the table. In other words, while I am on the table they put this cage over my head, bolt it to the table so I can’t move even my eyelids, and then I lie there as still as possible for about an hour while they shoot at Grizelda with radiation.

The first thing most people ask me is if they give me anything like Valium. The answer is “No!” and I am thankful they don’t. I don’t like taking pills. The tools for Living In Truth that I’ve been writing about in this blog work much better without any side effects.

They do pipe whatever music I want into the room. The machine is so loud it is often difficult to hear the music, but when I can hear I Anchor on the sound and that keeps me content. In addition, I used the tool of Distraction. I have a wonderful imagination and yesterday I just traveled in my imagination to Nephi 17 where the Savior appears to the Nephites and I watched them kiss His feet. I watched Him heal them and watched as they rejoiced in their new health. I watched Him pray over them while they wept for joy, and watched Him take them in His arms and bless them. Before I knew it the hour was up and the therapists were congratulating me on how still I had been. I didn’t dare tell them I’d left and visited the Land of Bountiful.

Today I think I’ll go to Galilee and see what I can find there.