Thoughts and stories, by Pal

This morning, New Year's Day, I woke up, and read my Patriarchal Blessing. With a prayer, it gave me several thoughts of good things to either continue, or begin doing regularly. If you dear friends have had your Patriarchal Blessing, today would be a great day to read it again! This article by Elder Holland (again!  -- I absolutely love his inspiration and wisdom!)  -- is good for this New Year! Elder Holland's New Year's Advice: "The Best Is Yet to Come" by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, excerpted from a BYU Speech Mormon Life The following is an excerpt from a talk given by Elder Holland at a BYU devotional in 2009 entitled " The Best Is Yet to Come. " Look ahead and remember that faith is always pointed toward the future. Faith Points to the Future As a new year begins and we try to benefit from a proper view of what has gone before, I plead with you not to dwell on days now gone nor to yearn vainly for yesterd...

This beautiful counsel from our Prophet is timeless! by President Thomas S. Monson, excerpted from "A Prophet's Voice"  | Dec. 30, 2016 Makes You Think Mormon Life Even though Christmas is over and our attention turns to making resolutions and the new year, it doesn't mean that we lose our responsibility to light the world. If you participated in the Church's 2016 #LIGHTtheWORLD Christmas campaign, you have served others for over 21 days, which is long enough to form a habit.  Although the Christmas lights may be gone, the light of Christ can continue to light the world, even in the new year. So to motivate you to keep serving others, here is some past counsel from President Thomas S. Monson that will help you continue your newly formed habit (or to start if you never did): As I consider the vast membership of the Church, I’m reminded that each of you is one of a kind. Each has had experiences unique to you, and you alone. We com...

Helpful ideas, to keep us feeling peace and hope.  Often we are harder on ourselves than we are on others! Goal for the New Year: Stop being Mean to Yourself By Maurine Proctor  · December 28, 2016  Sign up for Meridian’s Free Newsletter, please  CLICK HERE I have a portrait of me on the wall in my home office when I was four-years old. It is an old portrait, hand colored, and the child pictured there has precise, shiny ringlets topped with a large turquoise bow. This was a little girl, well and perfectly cared for by her mother—and I keep the picture where I see it every day to remind me of her. I remember the day that photo was taken. I sat nervously in the studio, worried about how to smile just right. Worried at four years old because I wanted to do well! But my mother was there to reassure me and the world was always right wherever she was. Yet, there has been a bonus at having the four-year old me sitting on the wall n...

This was in LDS Living on Dec. 29, 2014.  It is very comforting, as Elder Jeffrey Holland always is!  He is our special apostle from St. George, Utah! Elder Holland: How to Improve Even When We’ve Failed Before EXCERPTED FROM ELDER JEFFREY R. HOLLAND'S NEW BOOK,  TO MY FRIENDS  - With New Year's resolutions right around the corner, learn what advice Elder Jeffrey R. Holland has for those of us who long to change our ways. Be the first to read an excerpt from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland's new book, To My Friends. This is not the full excerpt from this chapter. To read the rest of it, go to  deseretbook.com and order a copy of this fabulous book! Photo from  Millennial Mormons . As you might suppose, in the course of more than a quarter century as a General Authority, I have met, spoken with, and sometimes had to interview hundreds of people who have had problem s—people who have struggled or are sorrowful or who feel blocked in their progress...