Be grateful!

I have been thinking this week about "depression “and why it comes to people’s lives. Thinking in myself I sometimes feel sad or depressed because I think that I am missing something. Many times I caught myself thinking in what I would like to do and I don’t enjoy the moment. I have a wonderful and beautiful family and a loving husband. I have more than I need. God loves me and He shows me his love every single day. I think the social media make us believe that we need more. In order to be happy we need to be "perfect". And the worst thing is that the media doesn't show the effort that we have to do to achieve things. So we get frustrated and desperate because things don't happen spontaneously.

God sends us to this earth to be happy. I remember than during my youth I was happy. I enjoyed life. I am not old but I think that I have given a room in my mind to wrong ideas and that sometimes made me sad. While I was reading the talk of president Monson titled "An Attitude of Gratitude" I realized that if I want to be happy and overcome modern "leprosy “ I need to thank him for everything He has given me. President Monson counsels us to remember six things that we need to be grateful for:

1. Our Mother

2. Our Father

3. Our Teachers

4. Our Friends

5. Our Country

6. Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

I want to share a portion of President Monson's talk: "Like the leprosy of yesteryear are the plagues of today. They linger; they debilitate; they destroy. They are to be found everywhere. Their pervasiveness knows no boundaries. We know them as selfishness, greed, indulgence, cruelty, and crime, to identify but a few. Surfeited with their poison, we tend to criticize, to complain, to blame, and, slowly but surely, to abandon the positives and adopt the negatives of life.

This is a wonderful time to be living here on earth. Our opportunities are limitless. While there are some things wrong in the world today, there are many things right, such as teachers who teach, ministers who minister, marriages that make it, parents who sacrifice, and friends who help.

We can lift ourselves and others as well, when we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thought and cultivate within our hearts an attitude of gratitude. If ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins, then gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues.

Let's Change the World!

Many times we think that if we want some changes in our world our governors need to change, the laws have to change our neighborhood has to change but who really need to change is us! I love Michael Jackson song "The Man in the Mirror" especially this part: "I'm starting with the man in the mirror I'm asking him to change his ways and no message could have been any clearer if you wanna make the world a better place take a look at yourself, and then make a change".

Every change has to start with us. We all need to realize that we are responsible for the world we live in. This week I read the story of Muhammad Yunus he made a great change in the place he lived. He realized that all the things that he was taught in the university about economics didn't apply to poor people because they didn't have access to loans. So he made the change he started loaning money to poor people. Little by little he founded a bank because no one else wanted to loan to the poor. He made a great change and he helped his community. He says: "All human beings are endowed with unlimited potential because of barriers created by our societies individual people never get the full opportunity to bring out their potential. We have created the present world in this particular manner because our minds were trained to behave in a particular set of ways that led to this formulation of the world if we train our minds to think differently we can create another kind of world. For example we accept the fact that we will always have poor people around us so we have poor people around us, if we had believed that poverty should not belong in a civilized human society we would have created appropriate institutions and policies to create a poverty free world. We wanted to go to the moon so we went there if we are not achieving something my first suspicion will fall on the intensity of our desire to achieve it. Don’t give up dreaming be a dreamer and keep on trying to make the dream come true dream about the world you would like to have if we all dream about a better world I can guarantee you that we will  create a better world."

I will like to conclude adding President Monson's quote "Remember that ofttimes the wisdom of God appears as foolishness to men, but the greatest single lesson we can learn in mortality is that when God speaks and a man obeys, that man will always be right." If we obey God's commandments we will start changing our world!

My priorities!

It is hard to find a balance in life especially when you have a family. When I was younger and single I could spend all my time doing whatever I wanted to do. I used to spend my time preparing myself. I spend many hours studying music. I spend my time working and with my friends. I had a happy life. Now that my priorities have changed I feel overwhelmed. I would love to spend my entire time with my family and my kids but it is not real. I need my personal time too. Before I realized that I used to feel guilty when I was not with my kids. But then I realized that it wasn't healthy for me. In order to give to others I needed to have something. I needed to invest time in me to have enough to give to others. I made a list of my priorities and then I started to feel less guilty when I couldn't do some things. First is God and then my family. My studies and social life come after that. So I rather be with my family than on a society event. I now feel happier. I am grateful to God for all the opportunities I have to learn. Being a wife and a young mother is not easy. There are many things I need to learn. I know that I trust God he will give me the tools to overcome my trials. I have found peace and joy as a mother. I know that this is the place where I am supposed to be right now. I am not leading a company because I cannot do it I am not leading a company because I have decided that this is the time for me and my kids. They will grow up fast and this is the time to teach them and guide them. They are my most precious treasure in my life!

Who would I become?

Who would I become?

When we are little our parents usually ask us what we want to be when we grow up. Children have many answers, they said doctors, teachers, policemen, and so far. Now that we have grown up we need to work towards the person we will want to become. And I am not referring to wich carreer we want to study I am referring to which type of person we want to become. We have to work hard to try to become as our Savior is.

It is a hard task to become like He is. It is a process, each day of our lives we need to strive to become better. That is why we need to endure to the end. Little by little is how we make changes. We need to work stablishing goals and making plans. One day we will finally have the opportunity to return to the presence of our creator and He will see all the effort we have put into trying to become like he is. The process is hard and we can't make it alone we will always need to guidance of the scriptures and the guidance that the spirit can give us through prayer and living a righteous life. One day we will hear these words: His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. Mathew 25:23

Loyalty!

This week I realize that we need to learn to be loyal to ourselves. We can deceive others but not ourselves. We all have a great heritage. We are sons and daughters of God. And we need to act according to that heritage. I had the opportunity to listen to the prophet Gordon B. Hinckley and the beautiful way he taught how to be loyal to ourselves and our companions. I love this part when he says: "When we look for the worst in anyone, we will find it. But if we will concentrate on the best, that element will grow until it sparkles." Many times we focus our efforts in the wrong direction. We judge people because they have weaknesses, and all of us had some. We need to focus on the best of the people and as the prophet said they will sparkle.

Everything that we give will return to us. If we trust in the people they will trust back. It is hard to believe that in this awful world with a lot of bad people we can still trust in human beings. But there are still good people that like us is working hard to spread the goodness in this world. The light will always be stronger than the dark.

Good values and principles are still important in this society. If we want good things for our world we need to start the change within ourselves. We can make a change.

The Lord knows me....

I have been seriously thinking of quitting my studies. I feel like it is too much for a mother of two little children. I have too many things to do. I am a wife, a mother, I am starting my own business and also helping my husband with the family business and I am also starting again my education. I have tried to organize myself but there are days that I feel that I can't. I feel that it is too much. I want to spend more time with my family and don't stress up because I have assignments to finish...

This week I listened to a talk given by Elder Holland and his wife on January 18, 1983 on a BYU devotional, titled "However Long and Hard the Road".

The words of Elder Holland 21 years later were an answer to my prayers. I felt the Lord telling me to press forward and don't quit. Good things require an extra effort. Elder Holland tells all the struggles the early members of the church had to endure in order to build the Salt Lake City Temple. I already knew the entire story because I served my mission at Temple Square; I remembered all the sacrifices they made and all the good things I learned from my experience during the time I served. I had the privilege to stand in a place that was built with a lot of effort, they didn't quit. It wasn't easy but they endure to the end. Some of them were not able to see the outcome of their hard work, but now so many are blessed because they endure. I won't quit. I have the opportunity to study from my home and take care of my children when they need of me. I am grateful to God for His tender mercies and for letting me know that he knows me. He does answer our prayers!

Being true to ourselves!

Many times we try to deceive ourselves. We often forget who we are, where we come from, and where are we going. In order to be accepted by our "friends “we lower our ideals in life. All of us want the best of this life. We want to be happy and we think that by being accepted by the most popular group we will be happy. We are too far away from the truth. Prophet Gordon B. Hinckley said "Being true to ourselves means being honest". When I was listening to his words I started thinking in my little daughter. I want the best of this life for her. I don't want her to suffer. But I know that she will experience many trials during her life. I want to have the tools to guide her. I am a Latter day saint and I know that it is hard for a young women live according what is expected from her. The prophet said "No other generation in all of history has offered women so many opportunities. Your first objective should be a happy marriage, sealed in the temple of the Lord, and followed by the rearing of a good family. Education can better equip you for the realization of those ideals."

The world is changing every day. The technology is moving forward. But as the prophet said "The truths of this gospel are everlasting and eternal. Philosophies change. Customs change. Culture changes. But with all of these changes, there are gospel fundamentals that have never changed and never will change." We can use the gospel as our compass in life. The gospel will ever point to the north. It is constant. 

We have to be true to ourselves. Our standards may seem wrong to the world. But it is better to follow God than to follow the world. God will always be with us if we decide to follow him! We don't have to deceive ourselves. We know the path and we must follow it!