Be in the Moment

Last week I went on a late afternoon hike to a place I have been before. It’s about three miles up and back—not too long, but full of amazing scenery.

I got up to the top of the trail where I could look out and see miles and miles of forest all the way to the snow filled peaks of the cascade mountains.

I sudden thought came to me; “What have I been thinking about for these last 1 ½ miles?”

The answer surprised me. “Nothing.”

Well it wasn’t really nothing, but I was so caught up in the hike itself, enjoying the scenery, moving one foot in front of the other over rocky parts of the path, and taking some amazing pictures that I hadn’t really been thinking about other things in my life.

I was in the moment.

I was enjoying each second of that climb.

Always hold fast to the present. Every situation, indeed every moment, is of infinite value, for it is the representative of a whole eternity.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

There are so many things to worry about in life—our family, our job, religion, politics, chores around the home, social issues, that sometimes we really need to let go and just enjoy the moment we are in.

We need to let our mind take in the beauty of what we are doing. For me getting out in nature helps to accomplish that. Taking in the wonders of the world that God has created for us helps me to focus and find clarity.  

Rather than letting our minds wander to a myriad of problems or future things we have to do, let’s enjoy where we are at.

Take a deep breath, relax, and live this moment to its fullest.

Charity

What is Love or Charity?

Anyone that knows me well, knows that ice cream is my favorite dessert; and very well could be my favorite food.

I’ve said many times how much I love ice cream!

But in reality I don’t love ice cream, but really, really, really, really (ok you get the message) like it a lot.

Personally I think the word love should really be saved for how we feel about another person.

There are different types of love. In fact I have found listed 8 types of love:

  • Philia — Affectionate Love. Philia is love without romantic attraction and occurs between friends or family members. …
  • Pragma — Enduring Love. …
  • Storge — Familiar Love. …
  • Eros — Romantic Love. …
  • Ludus — Playful Love. …
  • Mania — Obsessive Love. …
  • Philautia — Self Love. …
  • Agape — Selfless Love.

What type of love we have for someone will depend on our relationship with them.  But I think we can all agree that any kind of positive love is needed more in the world today. 

We find ourselves surrounded by hate and anger centered in politics, religion, race, and social matters. We have forgotten that we should be able to disagree respectively and that disagreeing with ones position doesn’t mean we have to hate them.

Jesus Christ was asked what the greatest commandment was and he answered:

“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”

Matthew 22:36–39 (holy bible)

I’ve thought many times how different the world would be if we all remembered these great directives.

In fact the highest form or expression of love we can have is Charity.

But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.

Mormon 7:47 (book of mormon)

Now this can be interpreted as loving purely like Christ loves, or in loving Christ purely. Either way, practicing charity can transform our lives into something more.

Loving or showing charity to others starts with the small daily activities where we can help another person feel better about themselves.

Love is expressed in many recognizable ways: a smile, a wave, a kind comment, a compliment. Other expressions may be more subtle, such as showing interest in another’s activities, teaching a principle with kindness and patience, visiting one who is ill or homebound. These words and actions and many others can communicate love.

thomas s. monson, april 2014

Let us all love a little more.

One by one; one act of kindness after another, and just maybe we can turn the world from hate and anger to forgiveness, support, and love.

Who is someone you can show some kindness, charity or love to today?

Prayer

Prayer helps me to keep the proper focus and perspective in life.

There are many times to pray and things to pray about. A few days ago I took a walk down by a large rive in our area and found myself alone. Usually when I am hiking/walking I don’t take a lot of time to stop; but this day I did.

I stood on the banks of the wide and fast moving river with the warm spring sun shining down on me. Then I sat on an old log and offered up a prayer of thanksgiving to my Heavenly Father. I have much to be thankful for and wanted to make sure that God knew it.

Taking some time to pray with only giving thanks is a wonderful experience that can help you to realize that even in the midst of struggles or problems we still have blessings in our lives.

I have found throughout my life that the power of prayer can help to lift me out of my troubles, give me strength and direction, provide an opportunity to express my gratitude, and a time to petition help from God on the behalf of others.

But prayer is not always easy. We want answers now, we want help now, and we want it all when we want it.

But we forget that is not the purpose of prayer.

As soon as we learn the true relationship in which we stand toward God (namely, God is our Father, and we are His children), then at once prayer becomes natural and instinctive on our part…

Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other.

The object of prayer is not to change the will of God but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant but that are made conditional on our asking for them.

Bible Dictionary, Church of Jesus Christ of latter day saints

Prayer is our way of showing faith to a loving Heavenly Father in petitioning him for what we might need, however, we need to remember that what we want may not always be what we need.

We are blessed to have an all knowing, all loving God who does know what we need. So the hardest part of prayer may not be praying itself, but it may be in the listening, feeling, and letting go–letting God’s will overcome our own, that may be the most difficult thing to learn with prayer.

It’s amazing that the most supreme being in the universe, the creator of worlds, gives us access to Him. There is no waiting in line, no limit to the number of minutes we can use, no appointment to make, or no charge to do so.

Prayer is the ultimate, greatest, and most direct form of communication.

Prayer is the passport to spiritual power

Thomas S. Monson, april 2010

Take time in your life to pray and to turn your will over to God. As you do so you will find greater peace, love, joy, understanding, and comfort in your life.

Perspective

One thing I really like about hiking is the perspective it gives me.

Standing on top of a tall mountain and seeing for miles and miles helps me to realize the vastness of the world and my small place in it.

I don’t mean to say that what we do or who we are doesn’t matter, it just means that sometimes during a particular situation we might tend to not be able to look at the big picture. We might have a hard time really seeing what matters.

Nature helps me see that vast mountains, thick forests, and large rocks are not that big from a distance. And maybe some problems or situations in my life could benefit from the same outlook.

The only thing you sometimes have control over is perspective. You don’t have control over your situation. But you have a choice about how you view it.

chris pine

In looking down from the top of a tall hill or mountain while on a hike I sometimes wonder what problems those down below in their houses are having. Are they squabbling over something trivial, are they consumed in the details of a problem that they can’t see the beauty around them that I am seeing at that moment.

We’ve all heard the saying that we “can’t see the forest for the trees.” I’ve thought about that as I look ahead of me on a trail at majestic trees reaching up toward the sky and filling my vision. What am I missing beyond them? What would I see if I could climb a little higher and get a better view?

 “How do we find our way through the many things that matter? We simplify and purify our perspective.

neil l anderson

I suggest that next time that we are struggling with a problem or difficulty in life that we take a step back and try to look at the broader picture—the larger perspective. Try to see what we may be missing in our view and get back to what is really important.

It doesn’t necessarily mean that our problems will go away, but our ability to handle them could become easier and simpler.

This can relate to situations at home, in politics and social issues, with our families, job, and even with our faith. I find that if I try and look at things with an eternal, rather than a mortal/worldly perspective that God helps me to see the bigger picture of my life.

We all have the choice of how we react to things. Let’s choose to act with a broader and higher perspective.

Enjoy some extra “perspective” pictures I have taken!

Starting Today

It seems that there is always more we want to do or to become than we have time for. It can seem overwhelming sometimes. We may not be able to do everything…

…but we can do something.

And we can start today.

Each day, each of us–everyone in the world is given the exact same opportunity of time. We all have 24 hours, or 1,440 minutes, or 86,400 seconds each and everyday.

What do we want to do with that time? Some play, some learn, some work hard, some study, while others may be hurting or struggling.

But starting today can we find 1 or 2 things that we can spend more time on that will make a difference in our lives? Can we prioritize our time to find 5 minutes or 15 minutes out of that 1,440 minutes?

Or can we give up something of lesser value for something that will have greater value and impact in the long run? Can we give up 300 seconds or 900 seconds out of that 86,400 seconds we have been given?

It may take some work, it may be hard, it may mean we reach out for help…but we can do something today.

We can start today to do something more or become something more because of that day when Jesus Christ walked out of the tomb and showed the world that nothing was impossible.

After suffering for us in the Garden and on the Cross both spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and finally physically, He rose again on Easter Sunday more than 2,000 years ago.

And because He rose, He can also help us to rise up and do more in our life. But we have to start sometime…and why not start today?

Start today to increase your faith…

Russell M. Nelson, April 2021 General conference

It takes faith to move forward. Sometimes the first step is just believing you can do it.

Starting today what can you do better or different or more of? How can you make your life more positive?

Watch this short inspirational video here about #startingtoday

Our Road

Today is Palm Sunday, a day in which over 2,000 years ago, Jesus entered Jerusalem for the last time. At that point did he know the road he walked? Did he know how the week would end?

After a week in which he was tortured, teased, beat, and condemned he was nailed to a cross to die. Not a week any of us can imagine going through.

But through it all, from the road leading into Jerusalem with the people shouting “Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord” to the road to Golgotha where they spat on him, he held his head high.

He had not come to save the nation from political foes, but from the sting of death and the grave. He did not come to save only the Jews, but to save all men if we will but believe and follow him.

What roads do we walk in our lives? Do we find ourselves on the road amongst the cheers of others only to be turned upon and found fending for ourselves?

On our road do we hold our head up high, follow in the footsteps of how the Savior of the world lived his life, and keep pushing on?

Jesus Christ knew that physical death on the cross was not the end. His mortal pain and agony was but little compared to the spiritual anguish he suffered for our very souls.

After the fateful day, on the day we now celebrate as Easter, he rose again from the tomb overcoming all the taunts, insults, and criticisms to live again–and forever!

As we walk our road throughout life, maybe we can try to keep the same perspective, knowing that this mortal life and our physical body is only temporary–a short term part of the grand plan. Because of Christ we will rise again and live.

At that time it won’t matter what job we had, how rich we were, or what status we had. What will matter is what road we walked through life. Did we follow the Savior on our road? Did we love, help, and serve others? Were we kind? did we hold our head up high during moments of mocking and difficulties and keep moving forward?

Let’s take this sacred week and look at the road we are on. Does something need to change? Do we need to center ourselves on the road better? Are we following the path of Jesus Christ?

As we do so I know we can feel more joy, peace, love, and perspective in our own life–as long as our road is following the footsteps of our Savior.

Spring is Here

I think spring is one of my favorite times of year. After the long, rainy, dark winter comes a feeling of anticipation and hope of brighter and warmer days.

Early spring flowers such as daffodils and crocus get me excited for trees blooming, bluer skies, and more opportunities to go hiking.

Here comes the sun and I say it’s all right.

The beatles

This year I think it has even more meaning than usual. Besides the restrictions from Covid-19 this past year, we experienced extreme wildfires burning more than a half a million acres and a devastating ice storm.

All these combined have put people out of their homes, endangered their health, caused substantial damage, and restricted areas in nature.

But…the flowers still bloom, the trees still bud, the grasses still grows, and new plants are popping up in areas that were destroyed. Nature moves along and replenishes itself.

Let’s look at this time as a time to start anew. Make plans of how we want to better ourselves and those around us.

Spring is the time of plans and projects.

LEO TOLSTOY

Maybe we can take a lesson from nature and make this a time of renewal in our own lives. What lessons did we learn this past year and can we come into spring with a renewed sense of hope and optimism?

“I have seen enough ups and downs throughout my life to know that winter will surely give way to the warmth and hope of a new spring. … I am optimistic about the future.

dieter F. uchtdorf, Oct 2009

Let a new sense of light and beauty enter your heart and you can find joy, hope and peace once again.

Because once again Spring is Here!

Hearing God’s Voice

How do you hear God’s voice in your life.

Today before church my son and I had the responsibility to set up for the virtual broadcast for the meeting for those who couldn’t’ attend. This was our first time, as the two others that normally did it were not available.

Earlier in the week we had been shown how. But, as happens many times, especially when dealing with technology, things don’t always work how they are supposed to.

We set up the video portion quickly, but we could not get the audio to work. The microphone at the podium is hooked up to Bluetooth to enable a better quality audio for the listener at home and we just weren’t hearing anything.

We tried his phone (i-phone) and mine (android) and could not get either to work. We had been working on it for twenty minutes and now it was past time to start the meeting. So in the end we ended up trying something different; not using Bluetooth and just broadcasting using the i-phone’s own microphone.

One of the speakers today, a bit ironically, spoke about prayer and listening to God and trying to understand His will for us in our life.

In order to broadcast our audio we had to persevere, keep working at it, and eventually use a different way to let our church members hear. 

In hearing God’s voice in our own lives we can also need to keep working hard at it and maybe find different ways.

I have felt God in my life as I pray, or while listening to a talk at church, or by reading the scriptures, or even when serving someone. I have also heard his voice in my heart and mind as I have gone hiking prompting me to do something in my life or to help someone.

We communicate to God through prayer, but he can communicate back to us in so many different ways…if we are listening for his voice. But he needs us to ask and to try harder.

The object of prayer is not to change the will of God, but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant, but that we must ask for in order to obtain. Blessings require some work or effort on our part before we can obtain them.

Bible Dictionary, Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day saints

The scriptures are full of admonitions to pray:

  • “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation,” (Matt 26:41)
  • “Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings,” (Alma 37:37)
  • “Pray for them which despitefully use you,” (Matt 5:44)
  • “Be thankful unto him, and bless his name,”(Psalm 100)

Hearing God’s voice in our life and understanding His will for us require perseverance and work. We all hear God’s voice in our own way and in our own time.

As we try to increase the effectiveness of our communication with God we are constantly learning how to hear his voice in our life.

Today at church we had to try a little harder and in the end do something different to hear the voice of our speakers as they gave us the word of God and testified of Jesus Christ.

What can you do in your life to better hear God’s voice?  What might you need to change?

I know we can all hear his voice in our life. And in doing so can find out His will for us.

Before the Calm

The other night I watched a beautiful short video and song by The Truman Brothers. An uplifting story of hope and peace.

The story they tell about their Aunt Rhonda passing away during COVID (from brain cancer) was especially touching to me, as I knew her. When we moved to the Nashville TN area from Oregon she was one of the first people I met. She was our Real Estate Agent and helped us so much in that long distance move. I always considered her a friend.

When troubled, dark, or difficult times come to us, where do we turn? And how do we get through them?

The Truman Brothers have written a beautiful and uplifting song that can give you peace and hope through difficult times.

It’s just the Storm BEFORE THE CALM. It’s just the darkness before the dawn. When the wind is raging keep holding on. Because it’s just the storm BEFORE THE CALM.

The Truman Brothers, “Before the Calm”

Many times we hear of the calm before the storm, but what about the one that can come after. The calm that will bring peace to a troubled heart is Jesus Christ.

We all will face difficult times. But like many before us, we can find the strength, hope, and fortitude to get through if we just look forward to the calm. For some it may take a while, but it will always come–I have experienced it in my own life.

Hang on because your storm like many others is just the storm before the calm!

Look forward with faith and hope and you will make it through!

Listen to their short story and song, The Truman Brother’s 5-minute fireside: Getting to the End of the Story here.

Or just their song BEFORE THE CALM here.

Inner Beauty

Last Saturday I joined with a few people in my church to help clean up some branches from the most recent ice storm we had.

A friend of ours had a huge branch from an old and stately white oak tree fall on top of his and his neighbor’s house. This tree had thick brown bark and the trunk was gnarled in spots but when we began to cut the logs what we saw inside was amazing.

Inside there were different shades of brown in various patterns. Nature had definitely created something beautiful inside.

Do we judge others by what we see on the outside or do we take time to look deeper and find something more?

Like so many things, it is not what’s outside, but what is inside that counts

Merchant in Aladdin in trying to sell an old lamp

I could have easily walked by the old branch laying on the ground with hardly a glance, but if I had I would have missed its inner beauty.

I immediately thought about what a beautiful stool or small table this wood would make. Even though this part of the tree is dead, it’s still useful and can become something more.

As we look inside others we can also see beauty and potential for so much more.

There are multiple dimensions to all of us, so next time you meet someone let’s look deeper inside and find the true beauty.