On the Shore of Lake Atitlan

I had some free time to myself this morning to do whatever I pleased without any distractions or a little girl pulling on my arm.  I was trying to decide what to do when the thought came to my mind "you should do something you don't normally do.". So I decided to take a walk in the opposite direction I usually go and ended up sitting on the shore of Lake Atitlan. 

As I sat and looked over the lake, I was filled with gratitude for my Savior and Father in Heaven, for the beauty that has been created.  The beauty of the mountain sides, volcanoes, water, fish, wind, rocks, leaves, blue skies... the beauty of a beautiful place to live. What an amazing world the Lord created.  I am in awe of the great beauty that is here.  It took time to put it all together, but look at it now.

I'm filled with gratitude not only for the beauty around me, but for my trials.  For the blessing my trials are to me in the process of making me stronger. Sitting on the shore of Lake Atitlan was a simple action, but by taking that hour to just sit and reflect brought peace into my heart and life today.  Peace in knowing that the trials I am given are a part of creating who I can become.

 It's a blessing to be on this earth and to be able to learn and grow and experience all the joys that the Lord has intended for us to enjoy. We are the clay in his hands and he is molding us to become more like him. We have the agency to let our trials make or break us.  If we let the lord mold us into what he knows we can become, blessings flow and we will be far more then we ever thought we could become.

Just like it took time to create the world, it takes time to beautify and refine ourselves and the Lord is by our side every step of the way. 

Keep Moving Forward

I love the movie "Meet the Robinson's."  It's a great story about leaving the past behind and looking forward to what is to come.  The main quote shared in the movie is "keep moving forward."  But what does that mean? 

To me what it means to "keep moving forward" is acknowledging the past and enjoying the great memories that have come, but not dwelling on mistakes or wishing you could go back to good old times.  If you keep yourself in the past there is no room for the future.  I know of a few people who tend to focus so much in the past that they feel like nothing is going for them or they will never get what they want and so on.  With the thinking of "I wish things could be different" or "I wish I could go back," you are only keeping yourself from having great opportunities.  It drives people away when you are stuck in the past. What if you thought about life in a different way? Rather then saying "I wish," what if you looked forward and said "I'm excited for whatever comes my way."

Life is full of tests and trials, but they also bring about great adventures.  If you don't keep moving forward how can you have great adventures?  I know there have been times in my life when I have wished for plenty of things, but I try to keep in mind this simple message"keep moving forward."  You can't go back and you can't fix what is already done, but what you can do is keep moving forward and looking towards those great adventures that may come your way. 

It's like what President Joseph B. Wirthlin said "Come what may and love it."  There's no use in worrying and wishing that things could be different, but what you can do is let those things that come your way become a part of your life and no matter what comes, you love it! You love it, your learn from it and your grow.  https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2008/10/come-what-may-and-love-it?lang=eng

It's not to say we won't have those days where you wish things could be different, but it's important not to dwell.  Our Heavenly Father doesn't want us to dwell in the past, he doesn't want us to feel like we aren't good enough or we don't deserve what we want.  He wants us to be happy and more importantly he wants us to forgive and keep trying, keep moving, keep building up the kingdom of God and keep sharing your light and love, but you can't do that if you are so caught up in the past. 

Of course these are just my thoughts and feelings,but for me remembering daily to keep moving forward brings great happiness to me and draws me nearer to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Looking at each day as a gift and blessing I find more love, more peace, more opportunities to serve and I find that great things do come.  It may not always be what I wanted or expected, but they do come when your focus isn't stuck in what could've happened or what your wish would've happen, but rather what can happen and what will.  You never know what will happen until you "keep moving forward." :)

Finding A Place To Call Home

 

 

Over the past few weeks we have been searching for a new home.  It's been a crazy roller coaster ride with so many up's and down's and right now I'm feeling very humbled. 

We found a place a few weeks ago that seemed like it would be a good place for us to live, so we decided to go for it.  But when we went to make the call the owner decided to triple the rent we had previously agreed on.  So we took that as a sign that it was not the place for us.  After that we decided to write down our vision of what we want in a home on our vision board.  And we found exactly what we were looking for, or at least we thought so.

We found a beautiful room with a king sized mattress, a clean shower, storage space and a nice outdoor kitchen looking over the river.  It was beautiful and we wanted to move there.  The only thing it didn't quite have was the 2 bedrooms we were looking for.  But we thought that we could make it work.  Well, we pushed and pushed to lower the price of the rent, but the care taker kept saying that it would still be 1500 Q's a month.  We were hoping for 1200 or 1300 Q's at most (that's like 200 dollars a month).  We thought this was the place so we decided to go for it without the lowered price.  We moved in and that night we felt a lot of anxiety.  We weren't sure why this was, but something felt off. 

I was confused and stayed up all night tossing and turning trying to figure out why I felt the way that I did.  Two days after we moved in I was confronted by the care taker and he wanted the money now.  I told him he would have to wait till later that day and he said "Okay, but it is muy importanto" (very important). Right after that, I ran to the hotel to talk to Travis. There was so much happening with this place and it wasn't right for us.

 So JC and Travis, went and packed up our stuff and we moved out.  It turned out that the care taker was a dirty crook anyway.  We were suppose to pay the owners through a direct deposit online and he came asking for the money in cash.  He basically didn't tell the owners we had moved in and was going to collect the cash for himself.  Thus, the reason we had so much anxiety about the place.

Surprisingly, I am relieved that we are still on the look out for a new home.  And this time we will take our time and look at our options.  Don't feel sorry for us, it's a part of learning and I am grateful for this great adventure despite the emotional roller coaster.  I am at peace with our situation and I know the lord will lead us to a place we can call home.

It's been really hard, but I have learned a great lesson from this experience.  Sometimes we are given options that are all good, but not what is best for us or what we need.  Sometimes the lord let's us decide so that we can learn from those choices that we make, to find a better one ahead.  In this case we chose a place that we thought was good, but the lord knew that there was something better for us.  I also learned that it is important not to rush the process of finding a home.  It's important to look at your options and choose from those until you have found the place that you feel you can call home. What a blessing it is to be here to learn from our mistakes and to grow and become stronger each and every day.

 

You Raise Me Up

Today I felt that I should share this song with you today.  It's one I love and one that we have all heard. It's a good reminder to me that no matter what happens in life and what challenges you may face that the lord is always there waiting to lift you up and help you to become stronger.  I have learned that it's important to come to the lord with anything and everything.  He wants to hear about what is going on in your life even if he already knows, he wants you to trust him and come to him.  I have a great love for my Savior and I know that it's easy to doubt and ask why, but in coming to the lord in prayer you find peace and love and trust that the lord with help you through.  It's a beautiful day no matter where you are.  I hope this song lifts your spirits and reminds you how much you are loved! :) 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pbq5wyuzLw&list=PL139148C297DDBB66


When I am down and, oh my soul, so weary;
When troubles come and my heart burdened be;
Then, I am still and wait here in the silence,
Until you come and sit awhile with me.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up... To more than I can be.
 

 There is no life - no life without its hunger;
Each restless heart beats so imperfectly;
But when you come and I am filled with wonder,
Sometimes, I think I glimpse eternity.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up... To more than I can be.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up... To more than I can be.

You raise me up... To more than I can be.

You raise me up...You raise me up.