All the water in the world

"All the water in the world, however hard it tried.
Can never sink the smallest ship, unless it gets inside.
All the evil in the world, the darkest kind of sin,
Can never hurt you in the least, unless you let it in."

I was given this little poem in my Sunday School class when I was 15 or 16, by my teacher Brother Ostrowski. He told us to keep it with us all the time. 7 years later I can proudly say that I have done just that. It has had a special place in my wallet ever since that day.

No one is perfect, but whether we admit it or not, we all have a sense of knowing between what is right and what is wrong. To many people this intuitive sixth sense is called our conscience, to many Christians it is known as the Light of Christ. This helps us determine the choices we should make, but as humans we are stubborn and don't always want to pay attention to this "sixth sense." We think we know better and that we will be okay, the opposite choice even seems to be the more fun of the decisions we could make.
"Quite often, the right choice, and the most difficult choice to make, are one in the same."
There is joy, peace, and safety to be found in following the conscience we possess. We will reach our greatest potential and grow in ways we may never have thought possible. And the greatest thing is the fact that the more we follow The Light of Christ the more promptings we will receive, and more refined this sixth sense will become.
Try it out for a few days. Whenever a decision is placed before you, stop for a minute and think about what you should really do in this situation, seek the advice of our God through a little prayer in your heart. I can promise you, the more effort and practice you put into refining your conscience the greater happiness and peace you will find in life.
"There are many paths, remember that you alone choose the path on which you walk."

Standing United

"United we stand, Divided we fall"

In a romantic way, but also simply as friends and family we must stand together and support one another. There are too many challenges and struggles that we face to try and carry our entire weight as one person. Each of us have special qualities and gifts that we can use to help others who may need extra strength in that area of life, and those individuals may hold strengths that we can be uplifted by. We must let others help us, I know personally I can be very stubborn at times, but I am really working on opening myself up to the help and support of the people that I consider closest to me.

"I won't give up" by Jana Kramer
I will be by your side
If ever you fall deep in the dead of the night
Whenever you call
And I won’t change my mind
No, I’ll see you through
And I won’t give up
No, I won’t give up
I won’t give up on you

The more time and effort we put into serving and stregthening the people around us the happier we will be. Don't believe me? Try it out.
My fiance told me about a book she read that talks about "The 17 second miracle" long story short, we can change someones day/life by only devoting 17 seconds of our time to them. It could be a simple conversation, holding the door open for the person behind us that is obviously in a rush, or even a smile and hello to someone you can tell is not having a good day, and then there are the times that the way we can help is by doing nothing at all. There are times when I want so badly to try and comfort or communicate with someone I care deeply for, but I have to restrain myself because I know that what they really need is space and quiet time.
Sometimes we give up an event or a period of our personal time to help someone else or offer service in another way. Find the sweet satisfaction in this personal sacrifice. If it is done with a bad attitude complaining the whole time, you will miss out on a great experience.

"Your Guardian Angel" by Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
I will never let you fall
I'll stand up with you forever
I'll be there for you through it all
Even if saving you sends me to heaven

I appreciate the people in my life who have given me this added measure of strength, I know I would not be here today without them.

The One

Any of you that have read my blog before will know that i rarely talk about my personal life. Sometimes i tell a random story but that's about it. Today is different. I want to let everyone know about that one special little lady that has changed my world in so many ways.
I met her for the first time the end of last August or beginning of September 2010. Over time we became friends and built up a strong relationship. She was special, there was something very unique and at first i couldnt really explain it. Then as time continued and some specific actions were made, we grew closer and closer. Her name is Holly and I love her more than anything. She is my everything for multiple reasons. She loves the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I know she is going to be a great mother, she has a great sense of humor, she makes me smile all the time, she is beautiful inside and out. I could go on and on, and in time i probably will, but for now i simply wanted to express that love for her. She completes me.
We are going to be married and sealed for time and all eternity on August 6th 2011 in the Mt. Timpanogos Temple, and i have never been happier or felt so right about something in my life. We are not perfect but we know what we want and together we will accomplish those goals.
I love you Holly!