There is Sunshine

From an article by Thomas S. Monson, "Living the Abundance Life",  January 2012

"William James, a pioneering American psychologist and philosopher, wrote, “The greatest revolution of our generation is the discovery that human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives."

"So much in life depends on our attitude. The way we choose to see things and respond to others makes all the difference. To do the best we can and then to choose to be happy about our circumstances, whatever they may be, can bring peace and contentment."

"Charles Swindoll—author, educator, and Christian pastor—said: “Attitude, to me, is more important than … the past, … than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company, a church, a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day.”

"We can’t direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails. For maximum happiness, peace, and contentment, may we choose a positive attitude."

A Child of God

Elder Neil L. Andersen, January 6, 2013

“You are a child of God with eternal possibilities available to you, 

and one of the greatest things you can do with your life is

 to accept who you are, where you came from, and where you are going,” 

he said. “Now, with a monarch butterfly it is very innate. 

We as sons and daughters of God feel this is true, 

but we must confirm it and believe it.” 

I Am a Child of God,

1. 
   
   I am a child of God
   And he has sent me here,
   Has given me an earthly home
   With parents kind and dear.
2. I am a child of God,
   And so my needs are great;
   Help me to understand his words
   Before it grows too late.
3. I am a child of God.
   Rich blessings are in store;
   If I but learn to do his will,
   I'll live with him once more.
4. I am a child of God.
   His promises are sure;
   Celestial glory shall be mine
   If I can but endure.
5. Lead me, guide me, walk beside me,
   Help me find the way.
   Teach me all that I must do
   To live with him someday.
6. Words: Naomi Ward Randall, 1908-2001. (c) 1957
   Music: Mildred Tanner Pettit, 1895-1977. (c) 1957 
   
   
   “Come to believe it,” he said. “Sometimes when you feel like you are a caterpillar and say to yourself: ‘I’m not smart, I’m not very coordinated, I’m different, I don’t have this, I don’t have that’—keep in mind who you are. We don’t all have to be the same. We come in different sizes, different shapes, different colors. Some have some talents, some have others; we don’t have to be exactly like someone else.”
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   We are of infinite worth.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   With God, all things are possible.
   Matthew 19:26
   
   

Bluebird of Happiness

 “Both abundance and lack [of abundance] exist simultaneously 
in our lives, as parallel realities. It is always our conscious 
choice which secret garden we will tend … 
when we choose not to focus on what is missing 
from our lives but are grateful for the abundance 
that’s present—love, health, family, friends, work, 
the joys of nature, and personal pursuits that bring 
us [happiness]—the wasteland of illusion falls 
away and we experience heaven on earth.”

Sarah Ban Breathnach, in John Cook, comp., 
The Book of Positive Quotations, 2nd ed. (2007), 342.

"Day by day, minute by minute, second by second 

we went from where we were to where we are now. 

The lives of all of us, of course, go through similar 

alterations and changes. 

The difference between the changes in my life and 

the changes in yours is only in the details. 

Time never stands still; it must steadily march on, 

and with the marching come the changes.

This is our one and only chance at mortal life—here and now. 

The longer we live, the greater is our realization that it is brief. 

Opportunities come, and then they are gone. I believe that among 

the greatest lessons we are to learn in this short sojourn 

upon the earth are lessons that help us distinguish 

between what is important and what is not. I plead with you 

not to let those most important things pass you by as you 

plan for that illusive and nonexistent future when you will 

have time to do all that you want to do. Instead, 

find joy in the journey—now."

Thomas S. Monson, 

October Conference 2008

He Knows Our Name

Psalm 145

 1 I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever.

 2 Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever.

 3 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and his greatnessis unsearchable.

 4 One ^ageneration shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.

 5 I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works.

 6 And men shall speak of the might of thy ^aterrible acts: and I will declare thy greatness.

 7 They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness.

 8 The Lord is ^agracious, and full of ^bcompassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.

 9 The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.

 10 All thy works shall praise thee, O Lord; and thy ^asaints shall bless thee.

 11 They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power;

 12 To make known to the sons of men his mighty ^aacts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom.

 13 Thy kingdom is an ^aeverlasting kingdom, and thy dominionendureth throughout all generations.

 14 The Lord upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down.

 15 The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season.

 16 Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing.

 17 The Lord is ^arighteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works.

 18 The Lord is ^anigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in ^btruth.

 19 He will fulfil the ^adesire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them.

 20 The Lord ^apreserveth all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy.

 21 My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord: and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.

"We should not underestimate or overlook the power of the Lord’s tender mercies. The simpleness, the sweetness, and the constancy of the tender mercies of the Lord will do much to fortify and protect us in the troubled times in which we do now and will yet live. When words cannot provide the solace we need or express the joy we feel, when it is simply futile to attempt to explain that which is unexplainable, when logic and reason cannot yield adequate understanding about the injustices and inequities of life, when mortal experience and evaluation are insufficient to produce a desired outcome, and when it seems that perhaps we are so totally alone, truly we are blessed by the tender mercies of the Lord and made mighty even unto the power of deliverance." David Bednar, 2005