A Little Rejoicing!

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It's a beautiful day in my neighborhood! How about yours?

I am so blessed. On the days I don't teach I walk with two wonderful friends along the Provo River. As we walk and talk I learn so much from them. And the scenery along the way is exquisite. Last week we saw lots of ducks floating, dunking, playing in the water, and watched as a crane took flight, its wings stretching out majestically as it gracefully lifted and disappeared into the trees.

Appreciating the things around me is one of the great blessings of Living in Truth. I know that in the past worry, vexation, and fear kept me from noticing so many beautiful things in my life. But when I live in the present, live with what is,  my mind is free of the vexation and able to notice and enjoy so many wonders. I don't take things as much for granted, and the noticing and enjoying fills me with encouragement and joy that enriches other aspects of my life.

So today I'm rejoicing and enjoying life. It is a beautiful day, but then every day is beautiful if you know how to find the beautiful!

Take the Gift

I don't know where this summer has gone. Wasn't yesterday Christmas? But here we are with school starting and Fall in the air. Ready or not, life moves on. And another of the advantages of Living in Truth is that life moving on doesn't stress or worry us. We plan for the future, learn from the past, but live in the present.

Because we aren't focused on the past or the future, we see and discover many wonderful delights offered to us in the present. I like to think of these as gifts from God. I know that when I give a gift and it isn't acknowledged or accepted, I feel bad. So by living in the present and recognizing the many gifts given to me in a day, I hope I'm making God happy. I know I am. I can feel it.

Have a wonderful, gift filled day!

Live Today

We’ve talked a lot as we’ve discussed Living in Truth about living in the present moment—enjoying now—and how that means not worrying about tomorrow. But there are other things about the future that distract us from the present besides worry or fear and one of those is the goals we set. Now, let me say right up front, I have nothing against setting goals; goals are important. But sometimes we need to analyze our goals and ask ourselves if they are worth the effort and the time or if we are spending our todays preparing for a tomorrow that we could have had today. This story illustrates what I mean.

The King of Epirus once recounted to a favorite and wise servant all the conquests which he proposed to make in order to expand the borders of his country. The list was long and when he finally ended the account, the servant asked, “And what will your Majesty do after all those battles?”

“I will enjoy myself with my friends.” answered the king, “sharing their good company over a meal of fine food with wonderful musicians playing while we dine.”

“And why can’t your Majesty do that now?” asked the servant.

Hello, Today!

Sometimes we let the past discourage us. Sometimes are so centered in memories and what we have done that we aren’t experiencing what is going on right now. Sometimes we fret, worry, stew about the past and forget that our Savior can and will take care of our past. So instead of vexing we need to start each day remembering that today is a new day and that means new possibilities, new experiences, new decisions to make, new people to meet, new ideas to encounter, but most of all new ways to be.


It doesn’t matter what was in the past, all that matters is what is now. So live today like it was the first day of your life—after all, it is the first day of the rest of your life! And make it what you want it to be.

Enjoy Now!

I’ve been going through some life experiences lately that have confirmed and reaffirmed my conviction that Living in Truth not only makes life less painful, it makes life wonderful. The simple principles of living anchored to the present and not dragging the past into the present and of not sinking yourself in worry about the future are priceless. The value of the Truth Tools to help me avoid the Pit of Illusion, and especially the peace and joy that comes into the heart to reassure and empower us even in the darkest moments of our lives are beyond any words I have to describe them.


In conjunction with this, D3 called me the other day to tell me about a sign she had read. She couldn’t remember the exact words and I can’t remember her exact words but the gist of the sign (in my own words) was:

“If you want to be miserable, fret about the past.

If you want to be vexed, worry about the future.

If you want peace, live now.”

That works with little problems and big ones. So look around you. See, feel, touch, taste and listen to the present moment. Enjoy what is now!

Healing

Many years ago psychologists insisted that the only way to emotionally and psychologically heal was to dig deep into the past, root every hurt out, and then examine it. However, during the last few decades psychologists have realized that not only does digging into the past not work, it often creates more damage and more pain. People have even been known to imagine things that didn’t actually happen simply because of the prodding and suggestions presented by the psychologist. In other words, they have discovered that prodding into the past is like taking a wound that is healing and cut it open again every day in order to see if there is anything else in there that wasn’t discovered before. That only keeps the wound from healing and creates the possibility of infection and other problems.

This newer approach to psychology is consistent with what we learn in the scriptures. Never in scripture does the Lord instruct us to dig into the past. Healing the past is part of what the Atonement is all about. He knows we have no power or ability to change the past. What happened, happened, and no matter how much we fret over, worry about, or strain to remember the past it will not change anything. That is our Savior’s job. All concentrating on the past will do is distract us and keep us from doing our job which is to move forward in the present moment doing the very best we can today.

This is illustrated beautifully in the story of the adulterous woman who is brought to the Savior by a band of men determined to have her stoned. Instead of responding to the men’s demands, the Savior stoops down and writes in the dust of the pavement. Finally he stands and says that if any of them is without sin, he should cast the first stone. (John 8:1-11). Condemned by their own hearts, the men depart one by one. At this point the Savior approaches the woman and asks if anyone condemns her. When she answers that no man does, He says to her, “Neither do I. Go thy way, and sin no more.”

She is accused of a terrible sin which usually means she has a past that includes hurt and pain and sorrow. This is most likely not the first time something bad like this has happened to her. But instead of saying, examine your past and see what has pained you or you won’t be able to get better, the Savior simply instructs her to go forward and not sin any more. The adversary wants to hold us prisoners to our past. Jesus Christ knows that He is the only one that can heal the past, and that if the adulterous woman or you and I will move forward and take care of each present moment, He can heal even the past. That is one of the great promises of Jesus Christ; a promise that delivers great hope to each one of us.

Love What's Coming

With the dark, overcast sky this morning it is tempting to be discouraged. But sun or no sun, today is a new day and that means new opportunities and new options. It means that I have new hours to write my life upon. I can let the weather discourage me, or I can go through the day looking for surprises and new opportunities. The rain doesn’t change any of that. 

Who knows? Maybe the dusky, dreary, drizzle is the very thing that will bring today’s surprises. I’ll wait and see, but while I wait I'll anticipating the good. 

Elder Wirthlin said, “Come what may, and love it.” But I think we should also anticipate with joy what’s coming. Sure, what comes may not be all that you wanted, but if you waited with joy, the wait was a lot more fun than it would have been. So I say, “Love what’s coming, and it may.”

You've Only Got One Thing To Do!

Life can seem so overwhelming, but when you Live in Truth you live in the present. That means that all you have to worry about is now. You can’t change one single thing from the past. It’s over and done. You can’t force one single thing to happen in the future. You can plan and set goals, but sickness, natural disasters or other things can get in the way of your plans. All you actually have control over is this very moment, and, therefore, it is all you need to be concerned with. If you do what is right, right now, everything else will take care of itself.

So instead of fretting over having so much to do, or vexing over what you should have done or not done in the past, simply ask yourself what do I need to do right now and then do it. That is the ONLY thing you have to be concerned with. After it is done, the next thing will present itself.

The beauty of all this is realizing that when you concentrate on doing what is right, right now, you put yourself in a position where Jesus Christ can heal your past and lead you into a beautiful future. He’ll take care of everything if you just take care of now.

So take a deep breath and repeat with me, "I've only got one thing to do--what I'm doing right now."

Celebrate Now

Breathe deep and feel the now.

Feel the peace, the love, the hope?

There is always a gift waiting for us in the now, and the more we learn to Anchor our lives in the present moment the more gifts we receive.

Practice living in the now by concentrating

on what you feel, hear, see, smell, and what you can taste while you are doing whatever you do today.

Don’t let your mind wander to the future or the past, but sense the now and enjoy what happens.

Living in the Now

Daily I’m finding new reasons to live in the present. As I watch myself and the people around me I realize that when problems occur in a relationship, most of the time people don’t just deal with the present problem. Instead they haul in all the baggage from past problems and heap it on the present problem which makes it so complicated it becomes almost impossible to solve. If instead we simply look at the problem confronting us and with the help of the Spirit determine what the best solution is for this problem, it is much easier to solve and then move on.

For example, a woman confided in me that in the past years her husband had been psychologically abusive and the way she had survived was to pull away from the relationship emotionally. For the sake of the children she stayed in the marriage, but she and her husband had become little more than house mates. He lived downstairs and she lived upstairs. She told me that he had softened quite a bit and was no longer very abusive, but as she went on explaining the relationship I realized that the decisions she is making now are based on the old patterns and relationship. Even though (by her own admission) he is no longer abusive, she decides what to do and how to react to him based on the old abusive man instead of reacting and accepting the new gentler man.

It was obvious that sometimes she was punishing him for all the past times he had hurt her and that because of the past she felt justified in doing so. But that only creates more problems. The only way to end a war is for one side to stop fighting. If she would forgive and forget—live in the present moment instead of the past—she could have the very happiness and joy she wants. It is no longer her husband that is keeping her from joy, love and peace—it is her own behavior.

Living in Truth means living in the present moment and dealing with what is now facing you.

Feel the Happy

I woke up this morning happy. I like happy. There is a lymphangioma behind my left eye, cancer on my face, a painful cyst in my left foot, not to mention that I’m getting more wrinkly by the minute, but that is nothing compared to what some people suffer. I’ve had a great morning. Besides the normal business of the day I walked three miles on the tread mill while watching a hilarious episode of “The Irish R.M.”; breathed in the crisp, morning air; ate a delicious, juicy plum; received a delightful “I love you” text message from my daughter in Austin; teased my grandson Ryan; and am lounging on my bed typing this. I'm writing--doing what I love to do!

Life is wonderful! Life is a series of constant choices and I get to make them—no one else can. Life is living in every moment with what you have instead of thinking about what you don’t have. I am so blessed to know that!

If you haven’t felt the happy in today yet, do something right now that will make you smile.

Today is the Day

Today is the first day of the rest of my life. We’ve all heard that, but do we believe it? I like to ponder the implications. For one thing, it means that each day is a new beginning. No matter what happened in the past, this is a new day. I can’t change the past, but the Savior can atone for anything that needs to be changed. So I don’t need to worry or fret or become depressed because of it. A new day is like a clean slate that I can write upon. What has happened in the past is erased from the slate and I can write whatever I want on the slate that is this day. I just need to stay close to God and do what is right in this moment—the only moment I have control over.

Another thing that comes to mind when I hear this saying is hope. It rings with hope. I can repent. I can change. I can grow because of Jesus Christ. That is what hope is all about. Without Him there would be no hope, no future, but because of Him there is always hope. I just need to remember and cling to that hope instead of heeding the competing cacophony of doom and despair that fills the world.

Today is the first day of the rest of my life implies that my agency is key to my life. I am the one who chooses. I am the one with the power to make this day a good one. No one else can do it for me. So I’m going to make it the best day I possibly can. And tomorrow? Well, when it comes I’ll consider it. For now, I only need to think about today.

Experience Now

Those of you with young children still at home have a blessing in your life that I know I didn’t recognize when my children were young. Having Eli here and watching him live life has taught me something. Children live in the present. They are always present! They live every moment of their lives unlike us adults who project into the future or recreate the past. We spend so much time worrying or stressing that things aren’t the way they should be instead of enjoying the way they are. Children, on the other hand, embrace each moment and experience whatever it has to offer. They soak in the joy of each moment and enjoy the peace and happiness each moment offers them.

When I was raising my children, I thought of myself as the teacher expounding my great knowledge to shape my children’s lives. With Eli here, I’ve realized what I missed. By letting go of that idea and watching him, I am learning so much about how to live a happy life. Eli knows that each moment holds a gift and he is aware enough to accept the gifts offered. He eagerly anticipates them! I’m learning from him to be present—to take it all in.