Sunday, June 19, 2011

On the Sabbath we're reminded of the true meaning of our existence....

 " Use what talents you possess; The woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best." 

                                                                                        -Henry Van Dyke-




 My singles ward is so full of incredibly talented women...and men I'm sure. But I spend one full hour every Sunday blessedly basking in their glory. Today our lesson was on developing our talents. I felt so inspired. Each of us are talented...sometimes we just don't recognize it.  I love this quote:



Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant,
gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking
so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine, as children do.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously
give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear,
our presence automatically liberates others.
a return to love - marianne williamson



Some talents are ones that aren't always familiar to us...here's some that we came up with:
Patience
Kindness
The ability to ask
The ability to weep (I'm really good at this one)
The ability to make people laugh
The ability to ponder
Personable
Amiable
The gift to not pass judgement
The gift of caring
Complimenting
The gift of not gossiping 
The ability to use words to uplift
The gift of hugging
Enthusiasm
Joy
The gift to imagine
The gift to create
The gift of optimism....
 
All of these are just a smidgen of the talents made available to us through the Lord's love and mercy. I'm so thankful for that. I remember thinking awhile ago when I was at the Zoo in Salina, KS, how talented and creative Heavenly Father and the Savior are...I received this inspiration while looking at a Giraffe....what a magnificent creature. If we are Heavenly Father's children we have the capacity to create. To invent....to be curious... 
Life is an adventure and we should make the most of it. Use what we've been given to bless the world. 



Speaking of talent...I went to a School of Rock concert this weekend with my good friend Lyndsee Hansen. She's amazing. I'll blogspot her later....but here are some fun pictures of us!



We also went to Chipotle and had delicious food. The best part though was just having a great night talking with a good friend. Those are the moments that really define what is important...
A loyal friend laughs at your jokes when they're not so good, and sympathizes with your problems when they're not so bad.  ~Arnold H. Glasgow

A friend is the one who comes in when the whole world has gone out.  ~Grace Pulpit

Cherish the friend who tells you a harsh truth, wanting ten times more to tell you a loving lie.  ~Robert Brault

In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out.  It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being.  We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.  ~Albert Schweitzer

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