Thoughts and stories, by Pal

  This is a very insightful article, and can be very consoling to each of us! LATTER-DAY SAINT LIFE How can I know that I have been forgiven? This parable holds the answer By  S. Michael Wilcox   March 16, 2022 07:55 AM MDT Twitter Pinterest Email Print Shutterstock The September 2020 pick for  LDS Living Book Club  is  What Seek Ye?   by S. Michael Wilcox. Follow the LDS Living Book Club  Instagram  for more insights with the author. The most common inquiry I receive from members of the Church is, “How do I get answers to my prayers?” The next most common is, “How can I know I have been forgiven?” Or, in other words, “How can I be assured I have been made whole in this area?” Sometimes the question is, “How can I be confident of my standing before the Lord?” At times, we tend to believe that the Savior’s mercy covers just about everyone but ourselves. I wrestle with this as much as anyone. Much of our anguish over our own failings comes not ...

  I have learned something new!  I thought that I would automatically enjoy writing about things that happen almost daily, and not include writings from other sources.  I simply have enough interests, and I'm so busy that I don't even remember to write in my journal, and the blog is at the back of my mind. I'm going to include great articles that I read, which are public on the internet, and give the sources, as I used to do.  I hope this helps you readers!   I will be 87 in October, and I find my physical energy is dwindling somewhat with each year.  But I still have my mind, thankfully!  (There are those who may question that!)  But here is an article from Meridian Magazine today, that I found inspirational! Your Hardest Family Question: Why do strong emotions overwhelm my peace? By  Geoff Steurer, MS, LMFT  · July 8, 2021 Question My family is going through a difficult trial right now involving potential legal and financial conse...

How We Can Dispel Mental Illness Myths + The Story Behind the "Mental Health Hymn" by Jane Clayson Johnson, excerpted from "Silent Souls Weeping: Depression—Sharing Stories, Finding Hope"  | Jan. 11, 2019 Makes You Think This story originally appeared in the  January/February 2019 issue  of  LDS Living  magazine . Abraham Lincoln, arguably one of the most influential men of the 19th century, experienced several documented periods of deep depression. At one point, he wrote to a friend: “I am now the most miserable man living. If what I feel were equally distributed to the whole human family, there would not be one cheerful face on earth. Whether I shall ever be better, I cannot tell; I awfully forbode I shall not.  To remain as I am is impossible.”  I can’t think of a better way to describe how I felt during the worst of my own depression. Thankfully, I no longer feel this way. But I understand—the experience of de...

President Nelson Pleads with Parents and Teachers to Teach Children These 6 Things by Danielle B. Wagner  | Oct. 23, 2018 Makes You Think Mormon Life "We are each responsible for our individual spiritual growth. And scriptures make it clear that parents have the primary responsibility to teach the doctrine to their children," President Russell M. Nelson said during the October 2018  general conference .  "It is the responsibility of the Church to assist each member in the divinely defined goal of increasing his or her gospel knowledge." Shortly after conference, President Nelson embarked on a tour of South America, which will culminate with the dedication of the Concepción Chile Temple on October 28. Since becoming our prophet, President Nelson has ministered to members around the world at a pace and with a personal touch that is mindboggling. With each new tour comes inspired messages and insig...

When We Try to One-Up the Lord's Standards: Culture vs. Commandments by Brent L. Top and Wendy C. Top, Adapted from "Finding Inner Peace: Lessons Learned from Trying too Hard"  | Mar. 01, 2018 Makes You Think Mormon Life Comments Sometimes in an attempt to prove our faithfulness to the gospel, Mormons create standards that require even more than what the Lord is asking of us. So before we expend too much energy trying to live these "higher" standards, we should ask ourselves, "Are we living the cultural gospel or the Lord's gospel?" In their book,  Finding Inner Peace: Lessons Learned from Trying too Hard ,  Brent L. Top and Wendy C. Top share deeply personal experiences about how trying to live the "cultural gospel" took a serious toll on Wendy and the entire family as she suffered a breakdown and battled clinical depression. They write: As Wendy began to evaluate the caus...