What if today was your last?

This last week has been busy. I was out of town over the weekend. I went to Oregon to go my uncle’s funeral. My uncle Tony is an amazing man. He had esophageal cancer and died at the young age of 45.

As I sat at his funeral the spirit enlighten my mind about a few things.

  Gratitude for the gospel. I cannot imagine watching a loved one die and not know that I would be with him or her again. By being a member of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints I know that life goes beyond the grave. That I will be with loved ones again. I am sure of that. I know without a doubt.

  Hard things happen but God loves us. As I watched my amazing aunt and her kids lose their father I cannot imagine the pain of the loss. But then I am once again reminded that God is all knowing. All loving. That He knows exactly what will happen and why it will happen. It doesn’t mean that it will be easy. Every trial we have is difficult and at many times it may feel unbearable. In the Book of Mormon in 1 Nephi 11:16-17, an angel asked Nephi, “knowest thou the condescension of God?” Nephi answers,” I know that He loveth His children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things”. This is a reminder to all of us that when we ourselves or someone else are going through a hardship that we do not know the meaning of it, but we do know that God loves us.

  Life is precious. If I were to die at 45 that means I have already lived half of my life. Thinking about this was shocking. Time is so precious. “Time is never for sale; time is a commodity that cannot, try as you may, be bought at any store for any price. Yet when time is wisely used, its value is immeasurable. On any given day we are all allocated, without cost, the same number of minutes and hours to use. What time we have we must use wisely. (A time to prepare, Elder Ardern. Conf. Oct 2011.)Stop worrying about the small things, do what you love, spend time with your family.

     You affect others. It was amazing to see how my uncle’s life affected so many people. He showed so many what it really means to be a hero. He showed others how to be determined. He showed others love. He lived a beautiful life. We all affect those around us. Maybe people we may never really know. What we do matters.

Dr. Seuss says it perfectly! Life today as if it was your last. Honestly imagine if you lived that way, just for today! 

May we all be a little more thankful for what we have and that we are able to be on the earth.

Much love,

Rachel

"O Remember, Remember"

I was recently asked to tell my addiction recovery story with some one over the phone. It was in the middle of my lunch break. I sat out in my car and told them all that had happen and what God had done for me.

I cried. I was so grateful to be able remember where I had come from and the help that God provided. The spirit filled my body. It was an amazing reminder!

There are 3 things I do to remember the Lord:

Praying. I remember when I was first in the Addiction Recovery Program praying was hard. I felt guilty, awkward and a lot of other negative emotions. Know that it takes time to re-open that communication with Christ, but don’t stop! I promise it will be beautiful. The Lord is there!

Journaling. I was so grateful to be able to tell my story with someone, for some of you that is scary or not something you feel comfortable doing. That’s fine! But let the Lord show you that you have made progress.  A way this can happen is to write in your journal. It can be good or bad. It can be a gratitude journal, one line from your day, quotes, or your life story! It can be whatever!!

I love these quotes about journaling:

“Our story should be written now while it is fresh and while the true details are available. … What could you do better for your children and your children’s children than to record the story of your life, your triumphs over adversity, your recovery after a fall, your progress when all seemed black, your rejoicing when you had finally achieved? Some of what you write may be humdrum dates and places, but there will also be rich passages that will be quoted by your posterity. … Get a notebook, a journal that will last through all time, and maybe the angels may quote from it for eternity. Begin today and write in it your going and comings, your deepest thoughts, your achievements, and your failures, your associations and your triumphs, your impressions and your testimonies. Remember, the Savior chastised those who failed to record important events. ... This is what the Lord has commanded and those who keep a personal journal are more likely to keep the Lord in remembrance their daily lives."(President Kimball, New Era Oct 1975)

 “Knowledge carefully recorded is knowledge available in time of need. Spiritually sensitive information should be kept in a sacred place that communicates to the Lord how you treasure it. This practice enhances the likelihood of receiving further light.” (Elder Scott, 1993 October General Conference)

As I have read through old journals I am grateful for what they teach me. I wish I had kept one at the beginning of my recovery. I was too shameful to even write down the word Pornography, Masturbating, etc. Maybe you are too. That’s okay. Put a P or an M, or just write “my problem”, “my issue”, “My addiction”. Don’t let Satan hold you back. I promise you that it will be a tool that will be able to use, look back on and be SO grateful for. It is something that you can pass down for generations or you can get rid of it later in life.  You can hide it in a special place, you can write it on a private blog, on your phone, etc. Stop justifying and dive in.

A number of studies show that we retain things longer if we write them down, so documenting your spiritual thought, impressions and experiences This will allow feelings we experience to become a part of who we are, available to us in every part of our lives.

Reading Scriptures: The scriptures are really a journal! I am so grateful for them. Throughout the Book of Mormon we are remind by many prophets to “Remember, Remember”. Elder Jensen said, “If we pay close attention to the uses of the word remember in the holy scriptures, we will recognize that remembering in the way God intends is a fundamental and saving principle of the gospel. This is so because prophetic admonitions to remember are almost always calls to action: to listen, to see, to do, to obey and to repent. When we remember in God’s way, we overcome our human tendency simply to grid for the battle of life and actually engage in the battle itself, doing all in our power to resist temptation and avoid sinning.” (April 2007 conference)

How grateful I am for all the ways I can remember the Lord. I know there are many more ways to remember Him: sacrament, temple work (remembering covenants), conference, etc. etc.

I can testify that the Lord is with us. He wants us to “always remember Him”. He loves us. Get on your knees and thank Him, talk with Him, remember Him.

Much love,

Rachel

Your DASH! What legacy are you going to leave?

I was able to celebrate my 23^rd birthday yesterday. As people asked me how old I was I kept saying, “Twenty three, still just a baby.” I kept telling me over and over again. Having an attitude of there is SO much time left for live.

Hopefully, I have lived 1/4th of my life, and still have a lot of time to live. Regardless, every second counts.

Elder Uchtdorf said,"When we are young, it seems that we will live forever. We think there is a limitless supply of sunrises waiting just beyond the horizon, and the future looks to us like an unbroken road stretching endlessly before us.

However, the older we get, the more we tend to look back and marvel at how short that road really is. We wonder how the years could have passed so quickly. And we begin to think about the choices we made and the things we have done. In the process, we remember many sweet moments that give warmth to our souls and joy to our hearts. But we also remember the regrets—the things we wish we could go back and change." (Of Regrets and Resolutions, Elder Uchtdorf)

As I have thought of life, wow, what a precious’s gift it is. It is truly a gift.

I heard this poem a few years ago and it has stuck with me:

​The Dash

By Linda Ellis, 1996

​I read of a man who stood to speak

at the funeral of a friend.

He referred to the dates on the tombstone

from the beginning…to the end.

He noted that first came the date of birth

and spoke the following date with tears,

but he said what mattered most of all

was the dash between those years.

For that dash represents all the time

that they spent alive on earth.

And now only those who loved them

know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not, how much we own,

the cars…the house…the cash.

What matters is how we live and love

and how we spend our dash.

So, think about this long and hard.

Are there things you’d like to change?

For you never know how much time is left

that can still be rearranged.

If we could just slow down enough

to consider what’s true and real

and always try to understand

​the way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger

and show appreciation more

and love the people in our lives

like we’ve never loved before. 

If we treat each other with respect

and more often wear a smile,

remembering that this special dash

might only last a little while.

​So, when your eulogy is being read,

with your life’s actions to rehash…

would you be proud of the things they say

about how you spent YOUR dash?

Does your life reflect who you really are? If your dash isn’t all you want it to be, change it! Life is too short and too precious to spend it obsessing about our negative qualities, the worries of tomorrow, our weight, our clothes, and all our other worldly things.

What legacy do you want to leave?

What do you want to be remembered for?

What is your tombstone going to say? -Don’t just think about it, write it out! I am being so serious. Write what is going to be on your tombstone.

Your dash is your legacy! It is what you want to be remembered for. Your dash is something that you need to remember and refer to on a DAILY basis. So write out what your legacy is/ what your tombstone will say and go live your dream. Be you!

Much love,

Rachel