Uplifting Experience

"When I doubt there are things in life I just can't figure out; I trust that God is in control and I hold on to the things I know."

April 12th, 2015

About a year ago, my little best friend was called back to their heavenly home and emotionally for me I was just really struggling with it. I couldn't even begin to tell you what emotions were running through my head as I went up into my room and tearfully texted this sweet friend of mine, what was going on at the time. They replied back to me within a few minutes and told me to keep positive and that everything was going to be okay.


If you've ever lost a pet in your entire life, you easily can just relate and understand how emotionally difficult that can be and for me, it wasn't at all like anything that I had ever experienced before. It was especially hard for me considering the fact, that I would come home from being over at the elementary school to feed our sweet little dog and make sure she was doing alright. It really took me awhile to realize that even though her body was with us here, my sweet puppy dog was no longer present and that for me took quite a toll. At the time, I wasn't happy with how things were gonna turn out not having our close family member with us anymore and the morning I woke up to hear that my dog was going to be put down for a long nap--I seriously felt as though all of the wind had been knocked out of me. 

I remember later that morning my twin sister and I went to our Special Needs Institute class that's held out at UVU...walking into that classroom to sit down and have our teacher come over to ask us what was going on, immediately just spilled all of my feelings out on the table. I couldn't keep the tears coming from down my face and thinking of why in the world did this have to take place now??? I was just starting this new phase in my life that I wasn't all too excited about at the time and felt like nothing in the world, was going to make me feel better unless something positive would come away from this and in my heart--it was going to take some time to heal. It was a Tuesday evening after having just finished up a very long and somewhat emotional day, that my friend Whitney Kae asked me if I would like to join her to go do baptisms at the Provo Temple, early Wednesday morning. So after I asked my mom about going with her, she said it would be alright and then I immediately told Whitney that I'd love to go along for this temple trip.

April 15th, 2015

EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING--- After I got all dressed & ready to leave for the temple to do baptisms, Whitney showed up in front of my house and I quickly climbed into her car. I immediately gave her the absolute biggest hug that I possibly could and didn't pay attention to the fact, that she said Good Morning!! Within a few minutes after driving away from my house, I was telling Whit every emotion that was running inside of my head & how much this really hurt me to have to gone through something that I wasn't ready for. I remember taking hold of Whitney's hand & listening to her tell me in the quietest voice ever-- "Be strong" while paying attention to the road. She quietly told me that I was going to be okay and everything would be alright in the end. It certainly gave me a slight peace of mind to know that despite of what happened two days prior to this temple trip, I knew that my little best friend was going to be taken care of.

Before me and Whitney left the Provo Temple after doing baptisms, she asked me if I would like to just sit down for a little bit of time. Obviously, I told her that it would be alright to do that and let me tell you, I didn't even know what kind of an experience I was going to be in for. As the both of us sat there and had some quiet time to reflect and think about the Savior, I was able to feel this peace come into my heart. It just immediately gave me the comfort that I really needed to have during the hardest and most difficult time of my life. 

I was able to recognize the Savior's hand in my life through this entire experience and just to know of how amazing this gospel really is. I just really love it so much and the happiness it can bring into my life everyday...because it gives me a sense of strength to overcome the trials that we're faced up against on a regular basis. I knew that my little best friend was in a happier place and that if I ever needed something to give me some peace, I can just turn to the Savior for help.

Regardless of the trials you go through in life, our loving heavenly father and his son Jesus Christ will always be there for us. I know with all my heart that I am never going to be alone and I am so grateful for the knowledge that I have to see my loved ones again. Just this past week I actually did share this experience with my Special Needs Institute class about how I felt the Savior uplift and strengthen my testimony of what this gospel is all about. Just in sharing this experience with my Institute class and realizing that our Savior has a very important role in our lives everyday. I had never felt brave enough to share that experience with other people and having done that, it reminded me of how he is always gonna be there for us no matter what kind of experiences we have.

It may not have been easy or the happiest time in my life, but as I reflect back on this trial of faith--I can testify it was nothing short of an uplifting experience.

Here's To The Mondays

Whenever life gets me down and I'm not really sure what to do, just simply keep calm and just keep swimming. It's probably never gonna be like what lots of people have to face in a situation, where it's the only saying that keeps them going forward in life. I'm not even really sure about what to say right now after having just come off a really good spiritual filled weekend, but with it being Monday & all of that fun stuff-- I just thought it would be a positive thing to think about during the week.

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I am so grateful for this time of the year and getting to watch general conference this weekend, will certainly be nothing but special for me. I really like it when the opportunity comes around to seeing and listening to our church leaders give inspiring messages, and reminding us of what is important.. There is no doubt in my mind about how it makes me feel to know that this gospel is true and I am not even sure how my life would be like without it. I am truly humbled for the knowledge that I've been able to have throughout my entire life, is that no matter what happens from now until I get my spot in heaven--- I will do whatever it takes to make this journey what it needs to be. I just want all my friends out there to know that I have a testimony of this gospel and I'm truly blessed by the great peace it brings to me everyday. I know that our Savior, Jesus Christ lives and that he is always there for us whenever we need help during any challenge or obstacle that is placed in front of us. I LOVE how many blessings come into my life when I do what is right and not choosing the easier wrong to overcome those difficulties we face. I know without a shadow of a doubt that no matter how hard it gets to live in a world that is full of wickedness and scary things, that if we stay close to the Savior and walk on the straight & narrow path everything will be okay. I love this gospel more than words could even describe right now and I know that the person I am today, is because of having the true gospel my entire life. 

Be Kind To One Another

The title of my blog post today is one that my favorite daytime talk show host says at the end of each episode. It is truly amazing that we have somebody like Ellen DeGeneres who always goes out of her way to make a difference in either some body's life or whatever the case may be. I am so blessed that she continues to reach out and make changes in this world, that we need more of every single day. It's not too hard for any of us to put a smile on a person's face or to just simply let them know how much they have impacted our lives. I am truly grateful for Ellen's outpouring of love and compassion that she shows to other people, regardless of whatever situation they have gone through. It makes me feel happy that she is the first person to step in and help somebody out whenever they need it the most. If you don't know this about me already, I am such a huge fan of Ellen DeGeneres more than words in this blog post could ever possibly describe right now... She never fails to make me smile or inspire me through the various acts of kindness that she gives to other people. I never want to miss watching her show throughout the week because if I don't ever get a chance to see it, then I immediately feel like I need to watch it on her YouTube channel just so that I can stay updated with what she's doing and making this world a better place. 

I don't even know of one time in my life when I was shown kindness by someone else. It may not have been something that I was expecting to see happen and yet it made the biggest impact on me, more than anything else in the world ever could. I am not particularly sure if I really deserved to be treated with kindness in the moment when I probably shouldn't have seen it coming and yet I am so grateful for it. I am very blessed to be a part of something where I can honestly admit, that just loving those around you and treating others the way you want to be treated means everything. I feel so lucky that my life has been touched by so many people through their kind deeds and actions, there isn't any thing in the world that makes me happy than to know we have people who reach out.