Fight Back!

Today I went and saw the Joseph Smith movie at the institute building. Let me just say how I know this to be true. All of it! Joseph Smith, when only fourteen years old, prayed to find the true church. And the answer came to him in a way I’m sure he never expected. God, our Heavenly Father, and our Savior Jesus Christ appeared to him in a vision and told him that none of the churches were true. Even though he was persecuted for it, he never denied what he saw. He pushed forward and restored the true church.

There are many things we can learn from his story, but throughout the movie tonight these two words, “Fight Back,” kept coming into my mind. In the scene where Joseph is pulled from his house and tarred and feathered I noticed something I hadn’t exactly seen before. Joseph didn’t just let the people take him out into the street, he struggled. He fought back. Again, when faced with men saying terrible things about the saints and going into detail about what they had done, he didn’t just let it happen. He stood up for what he believed in and he fought back. When in Carthage Jail, the mob came and did Joseph let them in to be killed? No, he pushed against that door and he fought back. However, Carthage Jail is also the place where he was martyred. Joseph knew that there is a time to stop fighting back, a time when fighting it too hard will cause more problems than letting things happen.

I thought about this “fighting back” concept and how we can relate it to our lives. Unlike Joseph, I don’t have people pulling me out of my home. I don’t have people who are trying to tear apart my life. However, there is someone who wants me to fail. In the fight back situation, I need to fight the hardest against Satan. He is real and is trying his hardest to keep me from returning to my Heavenly Father.

An obvious way to fight back is to resist sin. But that isn’t what I want to focus on. When I woke up yesterday, I decided that it was going to be a good day. And a good day it was! I kept asking myself why every day couldn’t be that great. I thought about it and decided, well, why not? I think that the best way to fight against Satan is to be happy. When we wake up with a smile on our face we are showing him that no matter what he throws us at us, we can handle it. No matter what comes our way, we know how to be happy.

Like Joseph, we need to know when to stand back. It is possible to be too pushy, to shove the gospel on others too much. I think this is a big problem in the church today. I’ve met a few nonmembers who have told me they didn’t dare come to church because of the way people pushed it on them. One friend in particular told me that when people found out he wasn’t a member a group of at least five approached him telling him he needed to be baptized right away. Now, I’m not saying that we shouldn’t invite people to the gospel. Not at all! Missionary work is a HUGE part of our church. I’m just saying that attacking the person isn’t the way to do it. Sometimes it is best to take a step back and listen to the person. They will be more likely to listen to our gospel if we dare to find out about their life and what they believe.

I know that Joseph is a prophet of God. He translated the Book of Mormon, which I also know to be true. Without faith in the story of Joseph Smith, the rest doesn’t fall into place. I haven’t always known this to be true, but I asked to find out for myself. I got an answer, and I promise that if you ask you’ll get an answer as well.

“Shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not backward.” (D&C 128:22)

Well, Kendra laughs at me! ;)

Sometimes I think I'm really funny. I'll start laughing at myself before I even get the words out. I've always been told that it's good to be able to laugh at yourself, and I guess I'm taking this seriously. However, this can be a problem. Things will randomly pop into my head, stupid nonsense things, and I'll start laughing. It doesn't matter where I am or what is going on, I laugh. Here are some examples.

Yesterday, the home teachers were over and suddenly "Say cheese! Cheesy, cheese, cheese, cheese." Started running through my head over and over and over again. And I found it to be overly hilarious. :)

Not only do I have substantially senseless sentences (notice the alliteration, clever, huh?) come into my head, but I'll have full stories come up. They don't even have to be real. Just my imagination going crazy. An example of this would be today in my Lit and Film class. I was sitting there, paying attention to our lecture about writing reviews, when suddenly a story popped into my head. The story went something like this: A bird was hungry so he looked for some peanut butter. But, when he found the peanut butter he decided he shouldn't eat it; he didn't want to chance his beak being stuck. He decided a worm would be better. So he found a worm and ate it lived happily ever after.

That is quite the story, huh? Once again, I was laughing to myself with no one to share this wonderful story with. So, if you ever see me smiling for no apparent reason, or even laughing out loud or dancing on my way back from class, you can do one of two things. 1- ignore me. I'm obviously enjoying myself and I'll be perfectly content to continue entertaining myself. 2- let me entertain you! Just ask what I'm laughing at and I'll tell you. And if it is stupid and doesn't make sense, you can make fun of me. I know that I'll go home and tell Kendra, she'll find it funny and laugh at me. So, I'm not the only one who thinks I'm funny. Kendra does too! :)


Or...at least she pretends.... ;)

Trials?

Have you ever been on top of the world and then suddenly something drags you down? You're having the time of your life and then the smallest thing grabs a hold of you and refuses to let go. It always seems to happen when everything is going just the way it should. And then, whether you want to or not, you are forced to find a way to deal with this. Either let it control you, or find a way out.

I had kind of a realization yesterday and I thought I'd share. I was at Friday Forum and Brother Booth played a song that reminded me of a certain trial that I had, one that I'll always be faced with. As he played the song I thought about how I am who I am because of this exact thing that I've been calling a "trial." I started to wonder if who I am is good or bad. I came to the decision that I'm happy with who I've become.

So if a trial makes me who I am and I am happy with who I am shouldn't I be happy with trials?

I thought about this again later in the day. If the things I've gone through simply went away would my life really be better? We always say oh, if I didn't have to deal with this then things would be so much easier! Or I'd be happy if I could only change this. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that life wouldn't be worth it without a few "trials" here and there.

Now, of course I'm not saying that the next time I'm faced with something hard  I'm going to jump up and down, clap my hands, and shout to the world that I'm so excited to be having a hard time with something. I'm just going to remember two things:

1 - Trials define you. When I look back on all the things I've gone through I can see how each of them helped shape who I am, how each of them made me a better person. How each of them made me happier, stronger, better in the long run. When faced with a trial I'm going to try and see how I can come out of it as a better person.

2 - I'm NEVER alone in my trials. One of my favorite chapters of scripture is Alma 7. This chapter defines the Atonement in a way that a lot of people forget. In verses 11 and 12 it says "And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind . . . he will take upon him the sicknesses of his people. And he will take upon him death . . . and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities." No matter what I go through, be it a sliver in my pinky finger or the death of a loved one, Christ suffered it for me. He knows how to comfort me and help me personally through this trial. All I need to do is go to Him.

I think about the pains, afflictions, temptations, sicknesses, etc that I have gone through and I'm filled with gratitude towards my Savior. If I take it one step farther, I'm moved to tears. I know I've had life a lot better than most people. Christ didn't just suffer for me, although I know he would have if he needed to, he suffered for EVERY person to ever live! That is more pain than I can even imagine, enough to make him bleed at every pore. He was faced with the biggest trial of all, yet He made it through. He is living happily with our Heavenly Father.

I want to challenge you, any of you reading this, to do those two things. To smile, no matter how painful it may be and to turn to Him for comfort. He has helped me in everything and I know with all my heart that He will do the same for you.

A Wish

A star ran across the sky, leaving a bright trail behind it. 

Sarah took in a deep breath. "June," she poked me in the side. "June, did you see that?" 

I turned towards my little sister and nodded. "You know, when you see a star shoot across the sky like that, it means you get a wish."

"A wish?" Sarah's face lit up. "You mean, like in Aladdin? I can ask for anything I want and poof! it will just happen?"

I loved how easily my sister was excited. "Yep," I said, "just like that. All you have to do is close your eyes real tight and wish for something. Make sure it's a good wish. A shooting star wish shouldn't be wasted on something like a candy bar."

"That's what you told me about the bubble wishes in the rain gutters."

"Well, didn't your wish for a warmer coat come true? Star wishes are even more powerful than the rain gutter wishes. You can wish for something bigger and it really will happen." 

"Alright, then." Sarah closed her eyes real tight. "I wish..." 

"Sarah! You know better! No peeking when making a wish. It won't come true!" 

Sarah rolled her eyes and quickly shut them tight again. "I wish that every night I could sit outside like this with my sister next to me looking up at the stars." She opened her eyes and smiled at me, sliding closer and putting her head on my shoulder. 

"Time for bed," I told her. I tried to hide the fear on my face. I worried that her wish would become more of a reality then we'd like. I rolled over and pulled the blankets tighter around us. As I drifted off to sleep, I let out an endless prayer that we'd be safe, that we wouldn't be found. 

COLD HOUSE!

When I came home today I was immediately bombarded with questions. I love how close I am with my family. They sat around while I told a pointless story and they all were truly interested. It made me think of a few things I love about being home.

5 Things I love when I am home

-I can tell any story and people get excited for me

-My house is COLD! I can snuggle in blankets when I sleep. :)

-I don't have to worry about names being on food, dishes, or anything else.

-I'm away from school and away from stress

-Checks, I get to do some work for my dad and make some money

Of course, there are more than five things I love about being home, but I didn't want to make the list go on forever. haha! :) I may be a weird one, but my family members are my best friends. I really wish I could just be home all the time! I love them to death! :)

Dear Friend

Dear Friend,

Earlier tonight I spent sometime with my roommates Kendra and Kortney discussing quilting and other various aspects of our lives. I don't think that I have told you this story yet. Of course, it is up to you to decide if you want to participate in reading about various aspects of our lives, but we depend on your comments and suggestions. You have the kind of secondhand information that we just can't get from anyone else.

If you have heard this story already, thank you, and please disregard this post.

With your help, we can improve the quality time spent with roommates. By taking a few minutes to completely read this post, the world will become a better place. Thank you for taking the time to help other roommates make the best use of their Monday nights.

Sincerely,
Sorine
Author, Sorine's Stories
Swedish Fish

Not an Ordinary Trip

It all started with an ordinary trip to Walmart.  I drove Sadie, Tiffany, Kortney and I over in Julia's car (mine is still having some major issues that it doesn't want to get over). We did our normal grocery shopping, wandering up and down random isles and picking up a few items that sound good at the moment. You know those days, just average.

When we got back to the parking lot at the apartment, I decided to grab the first spot I saw. It was still almost completely covered in snow and the lines were barely visible. I knew that in these conditions it would be harder than usual to find a spot. But, what do you know, as I turned into the spot, I thought there was enough room. I was wrong. The front end of my car hit the back end of the car I was parking next to. After that though, I glided into the empty space just fine. Figures. "Crap. Did I seriously just do that? I think I'm going to cry." That is what I said. Just like that. I'm pretty sure I was monotone as well. From what I could see (which wasn't much) both cars seemed to be fine. I asked if everything was okay and Kortney responded with "Well, the entire back side of their car is falling off. Oh, and you might want to pull forward more. You aren't exactly in the spot." And that is when the tears came. I started to cry. "What do I do?" I asked. But no one said anything. I just sat there and cried, thinking of what the heck I was going to do. I don't have money to pay to fix a car, I barely have money to buy my groceries!

 I looked up and saw Sadie, Tiffany, and Kortney all get out of the car. So now I was alone in my car crying. I pulled out my phone and called my mom. We'll skip the details of my breakdown and fast forward to where I climbed across the car to see if I could see more of the car I hit. Still, from what I could tell, the car didn't look too bad. I formed a note to write in my head and Kendra brought out pen and paper for me to write it all down. I told the owner of the car I was really sorry and that it was completely an accident. I left my name, my phone number, and my apartment number just to make sure. And then I got all the way out of the car to leave the note and get a good look. No damage was done to my car at all. The other, though, had a small dent on the back left side. I was relieved to see that the entire back side wasn't falling off.

This all happened on a Tuesday night. Now, it just so happens that on Tuesday nights I have a four hour long night class. This particular Tuesday was the first night of this class. And I was fortunate enough to go to it in a horrible mood after hitting a car. But I loved the class. I decided that I could deal with what ever the person needed and I headed home in a much better mood (the class also didn't go for the full four hours, just two and a half so that made me happy as well). When I opened my apartment door, I found Sadie and Kendra sitting there watching Lady and the Tramp. "Oh," Kendra said, "that guy whose car you hit came over. He left his number and wants you to call." Now, if you know me at all you know I hate confrontation and I hate talking on the phone. More than anything. But Kendra assured me that he was really nice and that I could handle the phone call.

So I called him. "Hey, is this Dallin? This is Sorine; I'm the girl who hit your car." (And yes, if you are wondering, I practiced saying that over and over and over again before I finally called him. I'm a loser. haha) I was honestly shocked by his response. "Oh! Hey, how's it goin?" Yep. that is what he said. I told him I hit his car and he asks how I am. The rest of our conversation wasn't near as bad as it could have been. Kendra was right, this guy was really nice! He said that I did no damage to his car and that I didn't need to worry. All I had to do to make it up to him was invite him over to hang out. So I did. But, as of now, I still haven't met the guy. I don't even have a clue what he looks like. Haha!

So, what's the moral of the story? Don't go to Walmart.

The End. :)

Happy New Year!

At this exact moment, I am in our van while Mitchell drives. That is the sad thing about growing up and moving out; I miss a lot of what goes on at home. I missed Mitchell get his learners permit and I’ll probably miss Spencer’s voice change. Although, I’m sure he’ll be fine with that. ;) We – me, my dad, Mitchell, and Spencer – took a little trip up to Georgetown, Idaho for a baby blessing and baptism. Both Dad and Mitchell said I’d better include something about that in here. We were there for my Uncle Greg’s family. Justin, a boy who is living with them, was being baptized and Brooklyn, their youngest, was being blessed. We were lucky to be there for both. The spirit was so strong!

Brighton, Brooklyn’s older brother, became quite fond of the peanut M&M’s that my dad brought. He would suck on them until he had colored drool dripping all over the place. My dad was happy; he didn’t have to worry that he’d eat them all himself. Mitchell also enjoyed Brighton (I’m sure everyone there did, he is quite a cutie). They played this game where Mitchell stood Brighton on the table and he would run right off the edge into Mitchell’s arms. It was funny how much he trusted Mitchell, he wouldn’t even slow down as he got close to the end of the table. This captivated an audience; everyone was watching and laughing as Mitchell caught Brighton and placed him back on the table to do it all over again. At one point, Brighton jumped and his head kind of bumped into Mitchell's. He cuddled with Mitchell for a second and then he was fine so Mitchell moved to put him back on the table. Just as Brighton’s feet reached the surface, he reached out his little arm and slapped Mitchell right in the face. I don’t know what made Brighton decide that it needed to be done, but Mitchell probably deserved it. ;)

Well, this is kind of a weird transition, but this is the real reason I started writing. A new year has arrived.  I look back at 2010 and am honestly shocked. This year has gone by so fast! It has been full of a lot of changes for me, too. I graduated from high school and now I’m living away from home. It’s weird to think about how I started out the year as a senior and ended it as a freshman. I’ve grown a lot (unfortunately not in the height category). Sure, sometimes I’m obnoxious or childish, but I’m truly happy with who I am turning out to be.

At the start of 2010 I thought about resolutions. They are kind of ridiculous. I mean, every year we seem to make the same resolutions because we couldn’t do it the year before. The most common of these is to lose weight. So, last year I decided to make a resolution that I knew I would be able to keep: eat more ice cream. I think I did a pretty good job with this. I went to cold stone with Kendra almost every weekend. I managed to eat ice cream for breakfast a few times. And, once I moved to school, Kendra and I each bought a thing of cookies n’ cream and ate it all in one weekend. I actually went through with my resolution.

Last week, I was talking to Julia about this and she was all “What are you going to do next year? Start drinking pop again?” It was a good idea, but I can’t drink pop anymore without getting a headache. So I decided I’d go back to the old resolutions we make and see if I can get one of those to work. This year, I’m going to be content. I’m going to wake up each morning and put a smile on my face. No matter what I’m going through, I’m determined to remain happy. I’m normally pretty good with this; I can put on a smile and be happy. So something else has to go along with it. I’m not going to let things slide. From now on, not only will I put on a smile and be happy with what I’m given, but I will hold my ground. I’m not going to let people walk all over me or get away with things they shouldn’t. I may be just five feet, but I’ll stand tall.

Well, this is turning out to be a lot longer than I thought it would be. And Mitchell is turning out to be a lot slower of a driver than I thought he would be. It feels as though this is the longest car ride ever. ;)

HAPPY NEW YEAR! :D