Thoughts and stories, by Pal

I was reminded on Facebook that I posted this a year ago today.  It is worth re-reading!  It is  exactly 200 blogs ago!  So I did 200 this last year.  Are we asking the wrong questions? God does not give us power to control our children, only ourselves. This last weekend we had a wonderful Stake Conference.  We had Elder David Bednar, the apostle, and Elder Terry Wade of the 70's.  I took a lot of notes, and I will write about them on this blog probably tomorrow.  But this will give you something to think about until then.  It is very good!  WANT STRESS RELIEF? CHANGE YOUR QUESTIONS By  Darla Isackson  · August 5, 2015, in Meridian Magazine I want to tell you a poignant story I heard first-person from a father I admire and respect. Years ago he gave me permission to share it, but I’ll protect his privacy at this point by changing the father’s...

This is a great article on how to stay cheerful and happy, and be able to help others do the same.  As the holidays are over, and we again go back to our usual routines, this will help us keep that happy spirit we had during the holidays!  (Hopefully!)   This is another article I saved, first posted on Meridian Magazine on May 25, 2015. PERSONAL VOICE What ‘Sighs’ Are You? By Joni Hilton  · May 25, 2015 “Uh-oh.  You’re sighing.”  This observation by my husband usually follows repeated efforts on my part, to get something to work.  It could be anything from a machine to a recipe, but eventually my frustration reveals itself in a sigh. And we’ve all done it.  We’ve exhausted our reserves of effort, patience, or sheer stamina, and there it comes: The sigh.  Scientists say we do it to reset our breathing, after a long spell of monotony.  They also say we sigh for negative reasons far more often than the sigh of...

This last weekend we had a wonderful Stake Conference.  We had Elder David Bednar, the apostle, and Elder Terry Wade of the 70's.  I took a lot of notes, and I will write about them on this blog probably tomorrow.  But this will give you something to think about until then.  It is very good!  Want Stress Relief? Change Your Questions By Darla Isackson  · August 5, 2015, in Meridian Magazine I want to tell you a poignant story I heard first-person from a father I admire and respect. Years ago he gave me permission to share it, but I’ll protect his privacy at this point by changing the father’s name in the story to Brother White and his son’s to Jared. God Does Not Give Us Power to Control Our Children, but to Control Ourselves   Previous to the prayer scene I share below, Brother White had spent several miserable years trying to control his rebellious drug-addicted son’s behavior–and had utterly failed. He said All...

This great article was in Meridian Magazine. How To Lift Ourselves Above Suffering By Anne Hinton Pratt  · June 24, 2015 Suffering is one of our greatest teachers. A life without suffering would be a life without growth.  It is designed to help us stretch, call out for, and receive succor from the Lord. In that process, we become more refined and compassionate. However, when we get to a point where we have suffered long enough, (and that varies for everyone) and we are ready; we can choose to transcend it, and get our growth in higher ways.  Last week I shared part one of this article , which is mainly concerned with the emotional aspect of suffering. Today, I want to continue where that article left off, to discuss ways to lessen physical suffering. There is an old proverb that says, “Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.” The mental elevation   from which we view pain and suffering makes all the difference.  What if you co...

President Gordon B. Hinckley had a lot of great things to say, particularly regarding how we can be happy in life. So here’s a compilation of tips from him!  This was on LDS Living on Dec. 3, 2014, and written by Samantha Shelley. 10 Happiness Tips From Gordon B. Hinckley BY  SAMANTHA SHELLEY  · DECEMBER 3, 2014 from LDS living 1. The purpose of life is to be happy! Life is to be enjoyed, not endured. Adam fell so that we might have joy! Don’t forget that when life gets busy or stressful or overwhelming. If you aren’t happy, you probably need to make some changes so you will be! 2. Happiness cannot be achieved if we are selfish or constantly complaining! Generally speaking, the most miserable people I know are those who are obsessed with themselves; the happiest people I know are those who lose themselves in the service of others…By and large, I have come to see that if we complain about life, it is because we are thinking only of ourselves...