Children of God + Forgiveness

Hi, all! I know it's Saturday, but I had to read, re-read, and think about this week's talks because I felt the need to do so, as I have been struggling. It's the end of the school year, it's my first year of teaching, and I feel a mixture of emotions. If any of you are also teachers, and have had similar experiences, please let me know and give me advice below! :)

And now, on to the talks. I am going to do some bullet points on thoughts I had for both of them, plus I do have a print for each talk as a freebie for you! First up, "Am I a Child of God" by Elder Brian K. Taylor.

• I think it is normal and human to question where we come from. Even if we know our royal origin as children of God, we all wonder if it is true at times. This is nothing to be ashamed about! It is an opportunity for us to come closer to our Father and Savior, should we choose that route.
• In a world where many question who/what they are, we can always find peace as we strive to understand our eternal potential and learn from the Spirit the answers to these questions. The gifts of prayer, priesthood blessings (especially patriarchal blessings), and scripture study can lead to answers we seek.
• Service to others help us to strengthen our belief of our divine nature, as well as see others' divine heritage. It also helps us to come together as brothers and sisters.
• When we put the belief of our religion into practice, we will come to have a perfect understanding of our Father's and Savior's perfect qualities, and perfect them in ourselves.

Next up, "Even as Christ Forgives You, So Also Do Ye" by Elder Larry J. Echo Hawk. This one was particularly difficult for me, because I struggle to forgive myself and those I feel should know better, especially when a sincere apology has not been forthcoming. Therefore, I am only going to share a few thoughts, and keep the rest to ponder on.

• Repentance is a personal responsibility. This means that nobody else can do this for us. I believe that forgiving is also a personal responsibility, which is difficult for me to admit.
• When we seek the Holy Ghost and always remember our Savior's Atonement, we can forgive anything. 
• I loved the example of extending love to the family of someone who has offended us/done us wrong. I have often wondered about the families of those who commit heinous crimes and how they feel. While most of us (myself included) are quick to judge and say they are probably partially to blame, I feel there are times when this is not the case. Each of us has the ability to choose, no matter what our parentage or upbringing.
• Forgiveness brings peace. We all need more peace. I've decided that when my anxiety starts to increase, I am going to do some self-reflection to see if it is because I need to forgive. I had the opportunity to do that this past week, and it really helped!

That's all I have for today, friends! I will be back (hopefully tomorrow) with another General Conference talk to share my thoughts on. Until then, have a wonderful and blessed day!

Divine Design

Happy Sunday, friends! This week's post was inspired by Elder Ronald A. Rasband's talk, "Divine Design", given last fall in the October 2017 General Conference. Elder Rasband discusses the term "coincidence" and how there are no true coincidences in our lives. Each detail is looked down upon by a loving Heavenly Father, intent on meeting His children's needs in the only way He is able--through each of us.

Here is the print it inspired.

This topic is near and dear to my heart. As I try to reflect on my life regularly, I can see the hand of the Lord guiding me to where He needs me to be. It amazes me that He can use not only my choices, but the choices of others (both good and bad), to further His work.

Here is just one chain of events in my life that has been a blessing, all guided by the Lord:

1. Marry my husband in the temple. (Honestly, all good things since this choice have come because of this choice).
2. Husband encourages me to take time to work in schools to see if teaching is what I want to do.
3. Work as a paraeducator for a few years, praying to know when to go back to school.
4. Husband receives a promotion and I become aware of a program to help me receive a teaching degree from my dream school.
5. Quit job, start school.
6. Complete school part of degree, enter student teaching.
7. Have experiences in my student teaching that directly taught me things I would need later in my job.
8. Stress about finding a job and whether I am being too picky about where I am applying.
9. Get job three weeks after graduating.
10. Start job, it's incredibly difficult, but because I was picky I have support that I need.
11. Pray daily to find those who need to be helped. 
12. Find numerous ways to serve in my school.

This was a long and drawn out process, but I am grateful for it. There are so many stories behind each item on the list, I can't even begin to tell you how much God has helped guide my life! So here's my invitation to you--how has the Lord guided you recently? Once you start writing it, you might be surprised to see how far back it goes! I encourage you to do this. Write it down, then give thanks! Even in our darkest hours, there is hope glimmering if we can see that the Lord has a plan for us. Have a blessed week, all!

Move Forward Together

Moment of truth here. I used to place value on my worth based on callings that I received. This is not only a dangerous practice, but one that leads ultimately to unhappiness and an unwillingness to do what the Lord would have us do. I have found that each calling is just as important as the next, although I still feel that anyone who teaches young children (especially in nursery) have the most vital callings.

As I have come in contact with other people, I can see the difference in those who understand that their worth is NEVER tied to a calling and those who cannot divide the two. Those who don't tie their worth to their calling are much more kind, loving, and willing to serve outside of their callings and just generally do good. I'm not saying that those who keep the two connected never do good, I am saying it seems more difficult for them to look outside their realm and realize that their responsibility is to all mankind, not just those they are called to serve in this moment.

Today I came across THIS ARTICLE which really spoke to me. The main focus was that callings are not about stepping up or down. They are about moving forward. Here is the print I made for the article:

My goal this week is to help others move forward, whether they are baptized members of the Church or not. I hope you join me!

Gratitude Tree

Hello!  It's actually going to be a busy week of posts for me here--I'm helping out with Young Women tomorrow night for an activity and I'm teaching Primary on Sunday!  Stay tuned for some lesson helps for Primary in a few days.

Today, though, I'd like to share with you the activity that I've planned for the Beehives (girls ages 12-13) since their leader just had a baby and they do not currently have a class president.  The girls had planned to do something about gratitude.  I like to coordinate my class activity ideas with Personal Progress goals and this one was kind of hard to fit in with one, but I think I got it!

So, we will be reading about gratitude in For the Strength of Youth and then starting goal #3 in Divine Nature.  Here's how it will work from start to finish:

1. Read about gratitude in For the Strength of Youth.  Discuss what gratitude is and things we should be grateful for.

2. Read goal #3 in Divine Nature.  Talk about things that our family members do for us that we should show gratitude for.  I will try to point out things that might not be as noticeable such as older siblings giving rides to Church activities, etc.

3. Have each girls decide which family member they will try to improve their relationship with.  Make sure they write down a few things that this person has done already that they could be grateful for.  Have them verbally express this gratitude when they get home.

4. Have each girl create 14 small note cards.  These will be used throughout the two weeks that this goal will take. My note cards are made from small 6" x 3" pieced of patterned paper and some punched shapes.  Encourage the girls to make each one different and to make them in their own style. I made sure to include patterns that were both feminine and masculine in case the girls chose a male family member.

5. Give each girl a Gratitude Tree handout and explain the rest of the two week process.  The instructions are included on the handout itself so that they don't forget what it's for. ;)

Another way you could  do the gratitude tree is to take branches, put them in a pot or vase, punch out hearts, and have the girls write the things their family member does for them on those hearts and put them on the tree.  Like THIS gratitude tree.  That way they could have a more concrete visual reminder of the things that their family member does for them.  Since this was spur of the moment, I don't have time to get all the things ready for this but if I had had the time, this would be the way we'd do the activity.

Please feel free to use my handout FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY.  For more printing policies and disclaimers, please see the tab up top.

I hope that this is helpful to someone else out there!  See you soon for some more free lesson helps! :)