I have never been much of a reader. I do like to read for information, for example, when I was pregnant, I read everything I could get my hands on about pregnancy. When our first born had colic, I read everything I could get my hands on about colic. I think you get the message.
Lately, I've been reading a series of books--The Great and Terrible--by Chris Stewart. I just started the sixth and final book in the series--Clear As The Moon. These are very fast moving books about the last days. On Amazon.com under Product Description the book is described as follows, "The nuclear explosion over Washington D.C. and the subsequent EMP attack have left a decapitated government and 300 million helpless citizens. In the ensuing chaos, a dark and powerful cartel steps forward to claim power. The Constitution of the United States hangs in the balance as the eternal struggle between good and evil spreads through the government. After Sara Brighton agrees to help a shadow government rise to power, Sara and Bono are sent on the most dangerous military mission of their lives. Azadeh agrees to guide them through the mountains of Iran as they seek for the key that could save the world. Struggling against overwhelming odds, they realize the most important lesson of their time: Faith is the only thing that matters as the final day draws near."
Other reviews describe the books as "powerful", and "thought provoking." One reader said that they weren't sure if something like this could really happen, but it really gets one thinking about the last days. Personally, I had a hard time putting these books down. That's a lot coming from me, because, like I said, I've never been much of a reader. I am so glad I had all six of them, because if I had to wait, for the next one to come out, I would have been really tict.
The first book, The Brothers, actually starts out during the pre-existance. The second book, Where Angels Fall, continues during Earth life, as do the rest of the books in the series. Well, I really need to go, because I hear a book calling me. Hopefully, I will be able to find time this weekend to finish. I sure hope it has a good ending...
Early July Morning, Cocoa Beach, Florida
Friday, February 27, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Smoothies
The other day I was making my daily smoothie, and my blender died. Actually, I noticed that the glass was chipped and had a large crack running down the side. Of course, no one did it. Well, this gave me the excuse to look into getting me a smoothie maker. I never really used the blender except to make smoothies, and it was taking up a large area on my counter top (which I hate). I found one on QVC, and decided to order it. I was so excited when it came. I opened it, cleaned it, and immediately made me a smoothie (it had been days since I had one). It was so yummy. I would like share my recipe with you--
1 cup frozen fruit (Any combo, but I don't like the frozen rasberries, blackberries, etc. because of all the seeds. I usually use strawberries, mangos, peaches, mixed fruit, etc. You can also throw in a 1/2 banana and lower the fruit to 1/2 cup frozen fruit)
1/2 cup orange juice OR pineapple juice
1 packet splenda
1 capful vanilla
Blend and enjoy. If the smoothie is too thick, I add about 1/2 cup water. You can also add milk or yogurt instead of the water, but this will add extra calories. If you are on LA Weightloss, this would count as 3 fruits, and if you add the dairy, 3 fruits and 1 dairy.
1 cup frozen fruit (Any combo, but I don't like the frozen rasberries, blackberries, etc. because of all the seeds. I usually use strawberries, mangos, peaches, mixed fruit, etc. You can also throw in a 1/2 banana and lower the fruit to 1/2 cup frozen fruit)
1/2 cup orange juice OR pineapple juice
1 packet splenda
1 capful vanilla
Blend and enjoy. If the smoothie is too thick, I add about 1/2 cup water. You can also add milk or yogurt instead of the water, but this will add extra calories. If you are on LA Weightloss, this would count as 3 fruits, and if you add the dairy, 3 fruits and 1 dairy.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Sixteen and Driving
Yesterday was my third child's 16th birthday. Yes, we went to get his drivers license, and yes, he is now a full fledged driver EEEEK!! Don't get me wrong, he is a very good driver, he's just young and inexperienced. The guy that gave him the drivers test said he did real well, and that he could not find anything to mark him off for. It is more that I worry about the other driver. One has to be a defensive driver, and with inexperience, you really don't have that.
As of this afternoon, when he is on our insurance, he will be able to take off for the wild blue yonder. We have told him, though, that that is not necessarily going to happen. He knows that there are still restrictions. In the state of Louisiana, the only restriction one has as a young, new driver is they can't drive without a parent between the hours of 11 pm and 5 am (because of curfew). In other states we've lived in, the new driver cannot drive with other kids in the car for a time. That is what we told him--probably 6 months. More crashes happen when a bunch of kids are in the car and the driver is distracted.
As a parent the most difficult thing, by far, is when my kids start driving. I just hope and pray for their safety. I want them to be a safe driver, and I want all of us to be safe drivers, because now it is not only me driving down the road, but MY child driving down the road too. Let us all be safe, smart and polite drivers....
As of this afternoon, when he is on our insurance, he will be able to take off for the wild blue yonder. We have told him, though, that that is not necessarily going to happen. He knows that there are still restrictions. In the state of Louisiana, the only restriction one has as a young, new driver is they can't drive without a parent between the hours of 11 pm and 5 am (because of curfew). In other states we've lived in, the new driver cannot drive with other kids in the car for a time. That is what we told him--probably 6 months. More crashes happen when a bunch of kids are in the car and the driver is distracted.
As a parent the most difficult thing, by far, is when my kids start driving. I just hope and pray for their safety. I want them to be a safe driver, and I want all of us to be safe drivers, because now it is not only me driving down the road, but MY child driving down the road too. Let us all be safe, smart and polite drivers....
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
How I Spent My Valentines
For more than four months, I have had a nagging cough. It hangs around constantly, and then subsides a little...making me think it is going away. Then, a few days later, the cough is back in a bad way. Everyone keeps telling me that I need to go to the doctor. I HATE going to the doctor. I already know what he is going to say, and it just seems to be a waste of time (and money since we have a huge deductible). You see, I tend to get this cough every year, and it is usually during the cold weather after I have been exposed to cigarette smoke. I actually have two other friends fighting the same thing, and their cough is from the same thing--cigarette smoke (and none of us are smokers).
Last Friday, I finally went to the doctor. He told me it was from allergies. He told me that is why I have "those shiners." Well, I was born with those black eyes. I am very fair, and in the winter when I have no color in my face, they really show up. The only thing I have an allergy of are drugs. There is nothing constant that bothers me (except maybe cigarette smoke--which is not constant, because I'm not around it a lot).
The doctor put me on a couple of inhalers, and Septra. I started taking all this Friday afternoon. By Wednesday, I was having a low grade fever and aches and pains. I thought, "Oh great, I'm getting the flu now." Thursday, I was a little better once I was up and going, but by early that evening, I was running a fever and felt horrible. I went to bed at 6 and stayed in bed til 10 then next day. When I woke up I was running a pretty solid fever and still had my aches and pains.
Since Valentines Day was coming up, I had planned on having a nice dinner for my boys (the two sons who are still at home and my dear husband). Their favorite dinner is lasagna and they all love cheery cheesecake, so that was on the menu too. Fortunantly, on Thursday I had put the meal together, and all I had to do Friday is put the Lasagna and veggies is the oven to cook and set the table. Earlier in the week, I had put together place settings, and planned on what candles, centerpieces, etc. We went ahead and had our nice dinner, but as soon as it was done, back to bed I went.
Saturday morning--Valentines Day--my DH set the table including a dozen beautiful yellow roses (my favorite) and made a nice breakfast for us all. It was really nice. I was still feeling pretty crappy, but I came to breakfast anyway. Noticing that I my skin was very itchy, I lifted my long sleeve to reveal--hives. I ran to the bathroom, and found that I was covered with hives. I had hives on my hives. By the end of the day I looked as if I had spent 2 full days without sunscreen on the beach in the Caribbean. Even my eyeballs had hives. I had to take a rain check on our Valentine dinner date that evening. I called the doc and now I am on steroids. During this time I have lost about 6 lbs. but these stupid steroids are causing me to be VERY hungry. I sure hope I don't gain it all back.
Did my cough go away? NO. Now what? Well, first thing is to get to looking normal again, and then to plan B, whatever that may be...
Last Friday, I finally went to the doctor. He told me it was from allergies. He told me that is why I have "those shiners." Well, I was born with those black eyes. I am very fair, and in the winter when I have no color in my face, they really show up. The only thing I have an allergy of are drugs. There is nothing constant that bothers me (except maybe cigarette smoke--which is not constant, because I'm not around it a lot).
The doctor put me on a couple of inhalers, and Septra. I started taking all this Friday afternoon. By Wednesday, I was having a low grade fever and aches and pains. I thought, "Oh great, I'm getting the flu now." Thursday, I was a little better once I was up and going, but by early that evening, I was running a fever and felt horrible. I went to bed at 6 and stayed in bed til 10 then next day. When I woke up I was running a pretty solid fever and still had my aches and pains.
Since Valentines Day was coming up, I had planned on having a nice dinner for my boys (the two sons who are still at home and my dear husband). Their favorite dinner is lasagna and they all love cheery cheesecake, so that was on the menu too. Fortunantly, on Thursday I had put the meal together, and all I had to do Friday is put the Lasagna and veggies is the oven to cook and set the table. Earlier in the week, I had put together place settings, and planned on what candles, centerpieces, etc. We went ahead and had our nice dinner, but as soon as it was done, back to bed I went.
Saturday morning--Valentines Day--my DH set the table including a dozen beautiful yellow roses (my favorite) and made a nice breakfast for us all. It was really nice. I was still feeling pretty crappy, but I came to breakfast anyway. Noticing that I my skin was very itchy, I lifted my long sleeve to reveal--hives. I ran to the bathroom, and found that I was covered with hives. I had hives on my hives. By the end of the day I looked as if I had spent 2 full days without sunscreen on the beach in the Caribbean. Even my eyeballs had hives. I had to take a rain check on our Valentine dinner date that evening. I called the doc and now I am on steroids. During this time I have lost about 6 lbs. but these stupid steroids are causing me to be VERY hungry. I sure hope I don't gain it all back.
Did my cough go away? NO. Now what? Well, first thing is to get to looking normal again, and then to plan B, whatever that may be...
Friday, February 6, 2009
What Makes a Great Dancer?
My daughter is going to school at Brigham Young University and majoring in dance. Her ultimate goal would be to become a choreographer and to start a dance company for special needs children. She would like to become a dance therapist and work with special needs children, especially with the autistic community. She has always been good with children, and having two autistic cousins, she has really become interested in autism. On her journey to this great goal, she has been busy with her major. She is on the BYU International Folk Team, and will be doing some touring with the group this summer. This semester, she is taking quite a few classes, among which are Dance History, Jazz, Modern Marathon, Book of Mormon, and Anatomy (with cadavers), are just a few of the 9 classes she is taking this semester. In addition, she is working and assisting in teaching a tap class on campus...she is a VERY busy girl!!
In one of the dance classes she is taking, she has to write a paper; the subject--body image of a dancer. She sent out a request on her Facebook to her dance friends asking them, "I'm doing a paper on the body image of a dancer and what is considered beautiful and how it has changed throughout the years. I was wondering what you're opinion of beautiful is and what you consider to be the ideal dancer?" This was my answer to her--"I've been in the dance world for many, many years. When I was your age, the "perfect" dancer had long LEAN lines. I know many great dancers that had great lines, even though the dancer was not "lean." You can still have long beautiful lines even though you are not thin (just like a short person on stage can look tall). Sometimes I have seen dancers that were so thin, it was distracting. I can think of several times when I was with a group, watching a dance program, and seeing one dancer so incredibly thin, that all we could do is talk about how skinny she was, and how she looked like she might have been sick.
"Majoring in dance in the early 80"s, body fat was a great concern, and many times, dance teams would take everyone's body fat. I would see girls who looked skinny, but their body fat was on the high side, and they were encouraged to get that down. This is where many would find themselves with anorexia and bulimia. I danced with several girls that developed these problems.
Today, it seems, that the "perfect" dancer still has great lines, but also great muscle tone. They are built more like an athlete (which they are). It is great to see this. No longer do we see dance teams taking their body fat, and harping on them to loose weight. When I see a dancer with great muscle tone, I see strength, not weakness. I believe, anyone can be a great dancer, no matter what body type. I have seen a few girls who were quite heavy, who could still move quite well, and I applaud them for getting out there and moving. And, by the way, I do agree with what Cassie (someone else who replied to her question) has said, that the best dancers are the ones who dance from their heart...
This I believe, is what my daughter does. This is what makes her such a great dancer (and person). She dances from the heart...she lives from the heart...
In one of the dance classes she is taking, she has to write a paper; the subject--body image of a dancer. She sent out a request on her Facebook to her dance friends asking them, "I'm doing a paper on the body image of a dancer and what is considered beautiful and how it has changed throughout the years. I was wondering what you're opinion of beautiful is and what you consider to be the ideal dancer?" This was my answer to her--"I've been in the dance world for many, many years. When I was your age, the "perfect" dancer had long LEAN lines. I know many great dancers that had great lines, even though the dancer was not "lean." You can still have long beautiful lines even though you are not thin (just like a short person on stage can look tall). Sometimes I have seen dancers that were so thin, it was distracting. I can think of several times when I was with a group, watching a dance program, and seeing one dancer so incredibly thin, that all we could do is talk about how skinny she was, and how she looked like she might have been sick.
"Majoring in dance in the early 80"s, body fat was a great concern, and many times, dance teams would take everyone's body fat. I would see girls who looked skinny, but their body fat was on the high side, and they were encouraged to get that down. This is where many would find themselves with anorexia and bulimia. I danced with several girls that developed these problems.
Today, it seems, that the "perfect" dancer still has great lines, but also great muscle tone. They are built more like an athlete (which they are). It is great to see this. No longer do we see dance teams taking their body fat, and harping on them to loose weight. When I see a dancer with great muscle tone, I see strength, not weakness. I believe, anyone can be a great dancer, no matter what body type. I have seen a few girls who were quite heavy, who could still move quite well, and I applaud them for getting out there and moving. And, by the way, I do agree with what Cassie (someone else who replied to her question) has said, that the best dancers are the ones who dance from their heart...
This I believe, is what my daughter does. This is what makes her such a great dancer (and person). She dances from the heart...she lives from the heart...
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Chop, Chop
Well, I did it. I've been debating this for a long, long time, and I finally did it. Yes, I chopped off my hair...6 inches...
I've always had pretty long hair. Growing up in the 70's I had the perfect hair. Long and straight! It was pretty thick back then, too. I grew up with two sisters, and all of us had long hair. The youngest had long dark hair. It was VERY thick with TONS of body and a waves. The middle sister, she could have done a shampoo commercial! (you know the ones where they shake their heads and their hair flows forever?). It was long, blonde and had loads of body. Mine was just long and blonde...and STRAIGHT!!!! But, that was ok in the 1970's. Then came the 80's. What a nightmare for me.
I graduated from high school in 1977, and the Farrah Faucette du was in. Needless to say, mine would not do that. The day after I had my senior pictures taken, I went to the beauty shop and wacked off my hair and tried the "wing" thing. It did not look like Farrah's. My hair never grew out to the length it was in high school. I tried different things--layering, the bob, etc. Then I finally gave in to the perm. For about ten years, I had the perm. Then one day, I went to have a perm, and my hair got "fried". I never put another chemical on my hair since. I had to get it all chopped off. It had never been that short, and nor will it ever again. It was way above my shoulders...
Pretty much for the last 15 years, I have had the same thing. I would call it a long bob. Sometimes longer than other times, but, ecentially, it has been a bob, or maybe you could call it a blunt cut. Usually I would have bangs, but sometimes I would try it without the bang thing. I look much better in bangs, since I have a high forehead.
For the past few days, I have been debating on what to do. I look in the mirror and see that my hair seems straighter, thinner, and finer than ever. I think to myself, "would trimming it off help to give it better flow?" Also, everyone says that after 40, you need to have short hair. I'll be 50 this August. Hmmmm, don't think I agree with every woman having to cut their hair just because everyone says they are too old. Anywho...finally, today, I called my hairdresser. I went in, and we spoke for awhile, and she told be not to cut too much off. My hair was at the middle of my back. It was in very good condition, and I will have to say, I do have great color ( and this I have been blessed with, naturally). But, along with the great color, comes the the fact, that most natural blondes do have very fine, limp hair--that is just the nature. So, what do you do? Perm--NO WAY!! Hummm..
I told her to go ahead and do what she thought (EEEEEK!) I told myself, "it will grow out." (yea, in 100 years...). But, you know, I am happy. Yes, she cut off 6 INCHES, but actually, it looks pretty good. It is a little past my shoulders, so it is still considered a little on the long side. It looks much thicker, and flows really well. So, I will like to say, Joy (that's my hairdresser), thank you.
I've always had pretty long hair. Growing up in the 70's I had the perfect hair. Long and straight! It was pretty thick back then, too. I grew up with two sisters, and all of us had long hair. The youngest had long dark hair. It was VERY thick with TONS of body and a waves. The middle sister, she could have done a shampoo commercial! (you know the ones where they shake their heads and their hair flows forever?). It was long, blonde and had loads of body. Mine was just long and blonde...and STRAIGHT!!!! But, that was ok in the 1970's. Then came the 80's. What a nightmare for me.
I graduated from high school in 1977, and the Farrah Faucette du was in. Needless to say, mine would not do that. The day after I had my senior pictures taken, I went to the beauty shop and wacked off my hair and tried the "wing" thing. It did not look like Farrah's. My hair never grew out to the length it was in high school. I tried different things--layering, the bob, etc. Then I finally gave in to the perm. For about ten years, I had the perm. Then one day, I went to have a perm, and my hair got "fried". I never put another chemical on my hair since. I had to get it all chopped off. It had never been that short, and nor will it ever again. It was way above my shoulders...
Pretty much for the last 15 years, I have had the same thing. I would call it a long bob. Sometimes longer than other times, but, ecentially, it has been a bob, or maybe you could call it a blunt cut. Usually I would have bangs, but sometimes I would try it without the bang thing. I look much better in bangs, since I have a high forehead.
For the past few days, I have been debating on what to do. I look in the mirror and see that my hair seems straighter, thinner, and finer than ever. I think to myself, "would trimming it off help to give it better flow?" Also, everyone says that after 40, you need to have short hair. I'll be 50 this August. Hmmmm, don't think I agree with every woman having to cut their hair just because everyone says they are too old. Anywho...finally, today, I called my hairdresser. I went in, and we spoke for awhile, and she told be not to cut too much off. My hair was at the middle of my back. It was in very good condition, and I will have to say, I do have great color ( and this I have been blessed with, naturally). But, along with the great color, comes the the fact, that most natural blondes do have very fine, limp hair--that is just the nature. So, what do you do? Perm--NO WAY!! Hummm..
I told her to go ahead and do what she thought (EEEEEK!) I told myself, "it will grow out." (yea, in 100 years...). But, you know, I am happy. Yes, she cut off 6 INCHES, but actually, it looks pretty good. It is a little past my shoulders, so it is still considered a little on the long side. It looks much thicker, and flows really well. So, I will like to say, Joy (that's my hairdresser), thank you.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Teaching the Youth
Because I am one of the Young Women leaders at church, I had the privilege to attend New Beginnings. If you are unfamiliar with what that is, it is a time when the young women (ages 12 to 18) get together to welcome the girls that will be entering into the program this next year.
We had a really nice evening. The girl that was in charge of putting the program together is a very responsible 13 year old. She had everything put together from programs, decorations, speakers, refreshments, etc. After our opening hymn and prayer, we were presented with a nice little story, and then it was on to the Young Women Values. Each of the eight values was presented by a different girl. Faith, Divine Nature, Individual Worth, Knowledge, Choice and Accountability, Good Works, Integrity, and the newest value as of this month Virtue are the values that we are taught to live and be an example of. What a great opportunity for these girls, to be taught these values, and what they should mean in their lives. If each of us, young or old were to live these values, what a better world we would be in! Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer lived each of these values, and we are to pattern our lives after His.
1. Faith-- "Faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true." Alma 32:21. Faith is much more than just a passive belief...
2. Divine Nature--Be partakers of divine nature...Giving all diligence, and add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. 2 Peter 1:4-7
3. Individual Worth-Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God. D&C 18:10
We need to remember this, "I am of infinite worth with my own divine mission, which I will strive to fulfill." (LDS Young Women Personal Progress)
4. Knowledge--We need to "continually seek opportunities for learning and growth." In D&C 88:118 it says, "Seek learning, even by study and also by faith." When we leave this life the only thing we take with us is knowledge, I guess that is why it is so important to learn, and keep learning. Something else that has come to my understanding is that the more we keep our minds alert and exercised, the less likely we will suffer from dementia and Alzheimer's.
5. Choice and Accountability--"I will choose good over evil and will accept responsibility for my decisions." (Young Women Personal Progress). It is so often that when we choose wrong we try to blame it on the other guy. We need to accept responsibility, and consequences of our choices, whether good or bad. In Joshua 24:15 it says, "Choose you this day whom ye will serve;...but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." That is a good scripture to live by. I would much rather live with the consequences by choosing to live right.
6. Good Works--3 Nephi 12:16 "Therefore let your light so shine before this people, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven." We should continually serve others. Everyone wins in the end. The person that has been helped wins because he has gotten the help, the one who gives wins, because he has learned, grown, and feels good. What better world we would be in if everyone helped others rather than see each others faults and critize them for it. We do not know the circumstances of others, and til we have walked in their shoes, we must not judge them. I have found this to be true too many times, and after I have critized someone for something I feel is inappropriate, many times, I find that if I were to be in their shoes, I might have done the same thing. Sometimes people do things that WE think are not appropriate, but if we knew the whole story behind it, then we would understand why...
7. Integrity--what a word! Integrity is much more than just being honest. In the Young Women's Personal Progress manual there is a statement which says, "I will have the moral courage to make my actions consistent with my knowledge of right and wrong." This pretty much sums it up.
8. The newest value is Virtue. It was just presented to the Young Women's program just a few weeks ago. Everyone has really been excited about it. Virtue is huge! In the dictionary it says that virtue is "moral excellence." In the scriptures it says, "Who can find a virtuous woman for her price is far above rubies." (Proverbs 31:10) "Large rubies of high quality are the rarest and most highly prized of all gemstones in the world. Above all other gemstones, including diamonds, rubies command the greatest per carat prices." (http://www.solitaire.com.sg/magazine/feb_mar/story3.html).
I grew up with "goodly parents!" I would never trade my family for anything, but one thing I do wish that we would have had growing up, was the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our lives. I remember searching for the right teachings, and did come across many good teachings. The only thing was, I felt there was more. I found more when I joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints when I was 19. I did not grow up in Primary or with the Youth programs of the church, but as a parent, have been very happy to have raised my children, and having guildlines such as the ones found in the Young Women's Program. What a privilage these young women have to learn of their importance, and their potential. Don't know if it would have made a difference in my life, but I like to think it might have, to know that I have a loving Father in Heaven, that is always there for me; and that because He loves each and everyone of us, he has given Prophets, other leaders, and the Scriptures for us to learn how we should be living. He has given us the knowledge of what His Son did for each and everyone of us. Christ attoned for our sins. If we repent, and live worthily, we have the opportunity to live with Him someday.
Growing up, I was shy, and had a very low self esteem (I was never in trouble, just extreemly shy and quiet). I see so many youth with the same type problems. Some of them aren't shy, but are in trouble because they do not know who they are. It is our responsiblity to share the Gospel with everyone. That does not mean that we have to go up to everyone and start preaching. This does mean, that we need to live our lives so that others will notice, and wonder, and eventually we can share with them why we are the way we are. It is because of Jesus Christ.
We had a really nice evening. The girl that was in charge of putting the program together is a very responsible 13 year old. She had everything put together from programs, decorations, speakers, refreshments, etc. After our opening hymn and prayer, we were presented with a nice little story, and then it was on to the Young Women Values. Each of the eight values was presented by a different girl. Faith, Divine Nature, Individual Worth, Knowledge, Choice and Accountability, Good Works, Integrity, and the newest value as of this month Virtue are the values that we are taught to live and be an example of. What a great opportunity for these girls, to be taught these values, and what they should mean in their lives. If each of us, young or old were to live these values, what a better world we would be in! Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer lived each of these values, and we are to pattern our lives after His.
1. Faith-- "Faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true." Alma 32:21. Faith is much more than just a passive belief...
2. Divine Nature--Be partakers of divine nature...Giving all diligence, and add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. 2 Peter 1:4-7
3. Individual Worth-Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God. D&C 18:10
We need to remember this, "I am of infinite worth with my own divine mission, which I will strive to fulfill." (LDS Young Women Personal Progress)
4. Knowledge--We need to "continually seek opportunities for learning and growth." In D&C 88:118 it says, "Seek learning, even by study and also by faith." When we leave this life the only thing we take with us is knowledge, I guess that is why it is so important to learn, and keep learning. Something else that has come to my understanding is that the more we keep our minds alert and exercised, the less likely we will suffer from dementia and Alzheimer's.
5. Choice and Accountability--"I will choose good over evil and will accept responsibility for my decisions." (Young Women Personal Progress). It is so often that when we choose wrong we try to blame it on the other guy. We need to accept responsibility, and consequences of our choices, whether good or bad. In Joshua 24:15 it says, "Choose you this day whom ye will serve;...but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." That is a good scripture to live by. I would much rather live with the consequences by choosing to live right.
6. Good Works--3 Nephi 12:16 "Therefore let your light so shine before this people, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven." We should continually serve others. Everyone wins in the end. The person that has been helped wins because he has gotten the help, the one who gives wins, because he has learned, grown, and feels good. What better world we would be in if everyone helped others rather than see each others faults and critize them for it. We do not know the circumstances of others, and til we have walked in their shoes, we must not judge them. I have found this to be true too many times, and after I have critized someone for something I feel is inappropriate, many times, I find that if I were to be in their shoes, I might have done the same thing. Sometimes people do things that WE think are not appropriate, but if we knew the whole story behind it, then we would understand why...
7. Integrity--what a word! Integrity is much more than just being honest. In the Young Women's Personal Progress manual there is a statement which says, "I will have the moral courage to make my actions consistent with my knowledge of right and wrong." This pretty much sums it up.
8. The newest value is Virtue. It was just presented to the Young Women's program just a few weeks ago. Everyone has really been excited about it. Virtue is huge! In the dictionary it says that virtue is "moral excellence." In the scriptures it says, "Who can find a virtuous woman for her price is far above rubies." (Proverbs 31:10) "Large rubies of high quality are the rarest and most highly prized of all gemstones in the world. Above all other gemstones, including diamonds, rubies command the greatest per carat prices." (http://www.solitaire.com.sg/magazine/feb_mar/story3.html).
I grew up with "goodly parents!" I would never trade my family for anything, but one thing I do wish that we would have had growing up, was the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our lives. I remember searching for the right teachings, and did come across many good teachings. The only thing was, I felt there was more. I found more when I joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints when I was 19. I did not grow up in Primary or with the Youth programs of the church, but as a parent, have been very happy to have raised my children, and having guildlines such as the ones found in the Young Women's Program. What a privilage these young women have to learn of their importance, and their potential. Don't know if it would have made a difference in my life, but I like to think it might have, to know that I have a loving Father in Heaven, that is always there for me; and that because He loves each and everyone of us, he has given Prophets, other leaders, and the Scriptures for us to learn how we should be living. He has given us the knowledge of what His Son did for each and everyone of us. Christ attoned for our sins. If we repent, and live worthily, we have the opportunity to live with Him someday.
Growing up, I was shy, and had a very low self esteem (I was never in trouble, just extreemly shy and quiet). I see so many youth with the same type problems. Some of them aren't shy, but are in trouble because they do not know who they are. It is our responsiblity to share the Gospel with everyone. That does not mean that we have to go up to everyone and start preaching. This does mean, that we need to live our lives so that others will notice, and wonder, and eventually we can share with them why we are the way we are. It is because of Jesus Christ.
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