Laughter

Over the last few weeks I have been doing a lot of pondering.  Dangerous past-time right?  My thoughts have been over the goals that I want to have for after the mission.  Some are obvious, such as finding a job and getting back into school, but others are deeper.  Something my mind has been drawn back to again and again is joy.  My companion, Sister Kahrs, knows all about joy and has opened my eyes to an incredible goal for the rest of my life.  Here's the teaser to my goal (before I go into it further):



Classic! Robyn, Me, and Miliana at the Sacramento Temple

I love to laugh
Loud and long and clear
I love to laugh
It's getting worse ev'ry year

My Morning Smile

Every Monday, in the Santa Rosa Mission, we have what's called Pday (or preparation day).  We are to do our cleaning, shopping, letter writing, emailing, and laundry all on this day.  This particular morning, Sister Orrock and I went next door to use the washing machine, as we usually do, and discovered something a tad out of the ordinary. 

Not the everyday sight right?  The two kids popped up and said "you're ruining it!"  Of course, we had no idea what we were ruining at the time.  But, these two aren't afraid to fill you in.  Apparently they had discovered a mouse under the sink.  I didn't check the validity of this claim, but they seemed to have everything ready.  They set up a trap to catch the alleged mouse. 

It began under the sink.  A trail of rice crispies was carefully placed from the sink over to the handy dandy empty peanut butter jar. 

Once inside the jar, the lid would be put on and the mouse would be caught!  Victory = Children! But, there was one tiny little problem, one of the members of the extermination crew had a major lack of focus.  Each time he saw us he would get up and say "hey, I I I wanna show you someting!" 

As one would guess, the sister became frustrated and unhappy about the lack of focus her brother had.  I chuckled about the whole scene for a while before it dawned on me, I bet Heavenly Father feels the same way about me!  He has this great plan that leads to eternal happiness, but I get distracted.  Things that I think, at the time, are better than His plan.  Foolish right?  Silly as it may seem, it's true.  We are all human!  We don't see the whole picture, only Heavenly Father does.

Thank goodness Heavenly Father is patient, loving, and unchanging.  This sister didn't give up on her brother.  She kept reminding him of their plan and what they had to do for it to work.  Though we may veer from God's plan at times, He is always there to help us get back on track.  He helps us regain focus and see the joyous outcome of sticking to His plan, which is eternal life. 

How has Heavenly Father helped keep you focused amongst all the distractions in life?

Superawesomefantastic Day!

Yesterday was an awesome day.  Today, via pictures, I wanted to share with you why it was such a great day.  Who doesn't like to hear about good days?  I know I do!  So, I am going to be a little prideful and tell you all about my incredible day!

Saturday, August 6th began bright and early.  No, I don't have a picture of me waking up (that's on a previous post).  We woke up extra early because it was our temple trip day.  One of the cool things about serving in Eureka is that we get to go to the Medford Oregon temple.  The not-so-cool thing, it's a four hour drive. 

Bad Day

Ever heard the saying "life sucks and then you die" before?  Well, I absolutely hate it!  What a depressing thing to say.  I have been talking to a missionary in my zone today about a rough day he had this week.  The day began with a spider bite, never pleasant at all.  Then, he was hit in the leg with a frisbee.  It wouldn't have been that big of a deal, but it just so happened to hit his bad leg (the one he had surgery on as a child) and the frisbee was just shy of reaching mach-1 (slight exaggeration).  If that wasn't painful enough, he then was hit in the face by a less then careful Elder throwing his arms around in frustration at a game.  At this current point, the injured elder has a very hurt nose and one sore leg.  Think that has gotten him down?  Think again.  He is as happy and cheerful as ever.  Smiling hurts, but he still does it. 

Each of us has trials and struggles in life.  Sometimes we feel as if a frisbee has hit us in the leg and hindered us from continuing on.  Sometimes, we feel beat down.  Happiness just doesn't seem like something we can attain.  What can help keep us be happy and chipper during these times?  Peter Pan put it perfectly when he said "You think of a wonderful thought."  Yes, "any happy little thought."  Optimism has been a consistent goal throughout my  mission.  Times aren't always easy and being happy just doesn't seem to fit in the picture.  But, anytime I get down or start to be negative, I think of something positive.  Something that will lift my spirits, make me smile, make me laugh, or do all of them at once (I prefer that option).  It always works.  There is always something to be happy about!  You may have to dig deep sometimes, but you will always find something joyful.

My Attitude Change

Beating the heat with Popsicles

Almost a year ago now I was praying for rain.  I kept looking into the sky and questioning if clouds were really something that existed or just a figment of my imagination.  The hot days of summer seemed like they would never end.  Well, for the past few days (I'd give you a number, but I lost count), it has rained and rained with very little sign of stopping.  The sun has made occasional cameos, but didn't stay around for long.  Most people ask the question "how are you liking this weather?"  To which I respond, "I don't like rain when it's cold.  I'd rather it be snow."  But, the other day I was asked "what do you like most about the rain?"  A simple question that made me look at the rain in a more optimistic way.

In a talk by Jack H. Goasland, entitled "Happiness," he talks about how each of us has at some point asked ourselves "am I happy yet?"  Raise your hand if you've ever asked that question to yourself.  You better believe mine is raised as far as I can raise it!  We all want to find happiness.  2 Nephi 2:25 states that "...men are, that they might have joy."  Happiness and joy are a part of life.  "1 Our yearnings for happiness were implanted in our hearts by Deity. They represent a kind of homesickness..."  It is a desire given to each of us by our Father in Heaven.  He knows how we can find joy.

"Striving for happiness is a long, hard journey with many challenges. It requires eternal vigilance to win the victory. You cannot succeed with sporadic little flashes of effort. Constant and valiant living is necessary....  I am convinced if we are to have happiness in our hearts, we must learn how to preserve it, in our hearts, in the midst of trouble and trial. We can control our attitude toward adversity. Some people are defeated and embittered by it, while others triumph over it and cultivate godlike attributes in the midst of it."

I may not like the rain and I may struggle to be optimistic about it.  But, I can change my attitude and look at the glass half full.  Jack H. Gasland said it perfectly above when he talks of preserving happiness in our hearts.  We can be happy at any time, in any place, and in all things if we choose to be.  Really, we can.  Choose to be happy.  "Just do it." (Nike)  I know that our loving Father in Heaven wants us to be happy.  He is there rooting for us every step of the way.  By choosing to be happy we allow Him to step in and make us even more happy.  Just try it.  I dare ya.