Growing up I have always enjoyed the Sunday before Christmas, I always loved the beautiful carols that were sung in Sacrament, the Christmas stories, hearing about everyone's Christmas traditions and having that gentle reminder of why we celebrate this beautiful holiday. This year in a good friend of my gave a beautiful lesson in my home ward Relief Society. She talked about how beautiful the Christmas season can be and the special significance it is in our lives. It's the time of year where a good majority of the earth celebrates the birth of our Savior and shares the love of Christ. Kirby, my good friend, decided to take this lesson in a different manner and talked about the second reason why we celebrate the season- and that is YOU! Kirby talked about how if there was no you and me there would have been no reason for Christ to come to this earth, to have suffered and pay the price for the sins of the world. It is because of you and me that Christ was able to come down to earth. 
Picture
     I thought this was such a beautiful message and it was such a unique way to look at the Christmas season. It made me think about why I came to this earth. You know in my life I have struggled a great deal I have made my fair share of wrong choices and traveled some hard roads, I have been hurt, felt lost and alone; but I wouldn't give up any of that for one moment because it meant that I had the chance to be saved and taught by my older brother who loves me so much that he was willing to die for me.

You may cry out "No one understands. No one knows." But the Son of God perfectly knows and understands. He can reach out, touch and strengthen us.

                                ~ Elder David A Bednar ~
     Today as my family celebrated Christmas I couldn't stop thinking about why we celebrate Christmas and what it must have been like for Mary to hold her own child knowing who he was. I thought about how I once knew him and we walked and talked together, how he knows me perfectly and he understands me perfectly. Christmas has always been a special time of year to me and its been my favorite holiday as long as I can remember. This year however opened my eyes to just how special this time of year really is. Its not just a celebration of the birth of Christ its a celebration and reminder of why Christ came to earth. I pray that you will not forget your great worth and the love the Jesus has for you. I pray that you will always remember that he knows you and loves you, he came to earth for you and he died on the cross so that you and me can live today and someday return home to live with him. Please never forget that he is there to reach out, touch and strengthen us, that he loves us and that you matter. 

                        Merry Christmas my readers :)
 
The family is central to the creator's plan for the eternal destiny of his children..... In the premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshiped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthy experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize their divine destiny as heirs of eternal life.
(Successful Marriages and Families: Proclamation Principles and Research Perspectives, Chapter 32)
     Today I wanted to focus on one key point of the quote above- we accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthy experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize their divine destiny as heirs of eternal life. When you wake up each morning do you realize that you were given that day by a loving Father in Heaven as a gift to help you further progress in life? 

     In life we take so many things for granted- I take SO many things for granted. I dont think I ever realized how lucky I was to have the family I have or live in the beautiful North West with rain 90% of the year and green trees year round, until I moved to Idaho where it is always windy and cold and dry and I dont have my family surrounding me all the time. I think I have always taken for granted the great technology that we have. I am always texting and calling people, but I never realized how wonderful that is until I have been here at college and I can call my family whenever I want! Quite honestly I have never taken the time to really sit down and realize how great my life is and what a gift in its own that is until recently. My Father in Heaven loves me, and he blesses my life constantly each and every day. Every day I wake up, that is a blessing and an opportunity to grow and become more like him. But I have never lived my life with that mentality. 
     I saw this picture a few weeks back and its been on my mind a lot. Lately I have been thinking about what the purpose in my life is and what I want out of it. If I had to sum up what I wanted in life in one word it would be- happiness. I want people to remember me as enjoying life and being happy. I want to bring happiness to people and I want to always be happy. What do you want out of life? At the end of your life, what do you want to describe your life as? I know I dont want to look back and ever regret a single moment or wish I had done more or regret all the missed opportunities I could have taken. We chose to come down to earth because we believed in Christ and his plan, we believed in our loving Father and we wanted to become more like them. We have been blessed with a physical body and the opportunity to experience, progress and live.
     We have been so greatly blessed in life and we have the world at our fingertips. You are capable to do anything and be anyone. You, my dear, are a blessed one of a kind, miraculous, light bearing, beautiful, talented and loved woman. Go out and live your life, create miracles daily, live each moment to the fullest and regret not the missed opportunities  I hope you realize that you truly are a blessing to this earth and you have a great divine destiny- you were born to be an heir of eternal life. Dont forget who you are and where you came for- and live you life to the fullest.
 
     Did you know that the word Hakuna Matata comes from the ancient Swahili language, so it aint no passing craze. It is a wonderful phrase that literally means, there are no worries. It's a problem free, philosophy...... It's Hakuna Matata.
     I am almost through my first week of finals. Next week and it will be over :) Let me tell you, I am the kind of person who stresses easily. When I am around the environment of lots of tests (especially finals.... even if I have none- which unfortunately I do have finals) I get stressed. When I have to study, I stress. When My agenda book has more than one thing written every day of the week for 2 weeks straight, I stress. When I have a big event coming up, I stress. (tomorrow night I am participating/ teaching in a 4 hour ZUMBATHON.... wish me luck!) When I have commitments  I stress. When I have to plan for stuff in the future..... you guessed it, I stress..... and lucky me I have all of that which means major stress! 
 
     Now I dont just stress over things, I am the kind of person who when I am stressed I become agitated, irritated, easily annoyed, I have no patience, I dont sleep and I am not that fun to be around. The past four days, I must have been the worst kind of company there ever was for my roommates, boyfriend and friend. This morning I woke up and you want to know what I thought? I thought,  HAKUNA MATATA! That's right! Hakuna Matata- There aint no worries. So I have decided that I dont need to stress. I have decided that it is ok for me to worry over finals, to need some space to cool down- but I dont need to let it take over my life. 

     In a different example- let's take my wonderful mother. She is the mother of five children and a very devoted wife to my very handsome father. My mom takes every chance she gets to call my sister and I who are no longer living at home, she wakes up early to help my dad , brother and sisters get ready for seminary, work and school. She then heads off to work, she does Companion Care for the cutest old lady there ever was! She comes home to clean, cook and meet the kids as they get home from school. She helps with homework, fulfills her calling as Relief Society President, she runs errands to the grocery store, post office, target, Costco  etc. She makes time to call my dad and ask how his day was. She does Visiting Teaching, she serves her ward, she takes my siblings to music lessons and attends all of their extra curricular events. My mother is a busy woman.... but she lives a life of Hakuna Matata. 
     My mom knows what her responsibility are and she prioritizes. She starts her day with a prayer, asking her Father in Heaven for help and thanking him for all her many blessings. She then does all she can, filling her day, running left and right, blessing the lives of many. Then when the day is over she doesnt worry about. And she makes sure that she always kneels down to thank her Father in Heaven for all that he blessed her with throughout the day before climbing into bed at night. 

     In the world that we live in today, there is so many good things that we are and can be apart of. However we may not always have time to do it all. Sometimes we get down on ourselves because we feel we could have done more or we could have done it better. When I went through counseling and while in my stay in the hospital, I learned time and time again that I dont need to do it all. One of my counselors and now a good friend of mine, Kelley, told me to start my day with a check list. Keep it reasonable, and list things most important to least important. (A nurse in the hospital told me to do the same thing but throw in fun things in between everything else. Like blow a bubble out of chewing gum, or go race rain drops on the window..... this was great great advice :) Kelley, told me that as I accomplished each thing make a check mark., (Now honestly, dont we all like crossing things off of our lists????) At the end of the day be proud of yourself for what you accomplished, even if you only checked off one things, that is still something you can be proud of.

     I challenge you to live a life of Hakuna Matata- and by that I mean, dont worry about what you cant do, celebrate that which you can and have done! You are a miraculous woman full of great and marvelous works, you do so much good and you bless the lives of many. Remember the good you have done and dont dwell on the things you cant do. If you try your best I promise you that God will help you fill in the rest (hey that kinda rhymed- I like rhyming :) 
 
     Did you know it is healthy to smile and laugh? Well for today's fitness post I am going to show you some happy pictures that should hopefully make you smile :)
     Hope you enjoyed these pictures as much as I have :)
 
 As sisters in Zion, we’ll all work together;The blessings of God on our labors we’ll seek.
 We’ll build up his kingdom with earnest endeavor;
 We’ll comfort the weary and strengthen the weak.
 The errand of angels is given to women; And this is a gift that, as sisters, we claim:
 To do whatsoever is gentle and human,
 To cheer and to bless in humanity’s name.
  How vast is our purpose, how broad is our mission, If we but fulfill it in spirit and deed.
 Oh, naught but the Spirit’s divinest tuition 
Can give us the wisdom to truly succeed.
     
"People in modern society are living longer than ever before, which is giving family members unprecedented opportunities to experience and enjoy extended family relationships. .... it is important for family members to work together and support each other. Despite the demands of care giving, this labor of love also brings significant blessings."
(Successful Marriages and Families: Proclamation Principles and Research Perspectives- Chapter 17)
     We are all sister's in Zion, daughters of a Heavenly King; we were sent here for a great and marvelous purpose. But we were not sent here alone- we have each other. "it is important for family members to work together and support each other." As sisters in Zion we can help uplift and cheer each other on all along the way. When our sisters are sick and weary we can comfort them and serve them. When they are lost and afraid, we can dry their tears and hold their hand lighting their torches with ours. When they are excited and overcome with joy we can share their happiness. Just remember-
        As sisters in Zion, we’ll all work together; 
   The blessings of God on our labors we’ll seek.


 
     Right now as I am just barely starting my college career and many of the friends I have made while here are preparing for graduation here in the next couple of semesters, It is so hard for me to not become jealous and envy them. Many of my friends are out on missions, or preparing for missions, many have gotten married, have kids, starting career's and going places in their life. While I am just sitting here doing home work and have another 3-4 more years of college ahead of me. It's so hard for me to not look at the big nuggets of life and become impatient for the end. How often in life have I passed up the little flecks of gold because I just wanted the big stuff?

      Sometimes when we set our sights so far ahead we forget to enjoy the little stuff that are passing us by in the here and now. Example: I want to be a Child Life Specialist and run the play room and activities in a Children's Hospital. Now there is nothing wrong with me dreaming of this and making plans and setting my sights towards this goal. There's nothing wrong with that at all. But am I so focused on my end that I am forgetting to enjoy the classes that will help train me to be the best possible Child Life Specialist that I can be? Am I passing up friendships and opportunities to learn and grow as an individual? For a newly wed, are you so focused on dreaming of all the things you want and the big comfortable house that you cant afford that you are forgetting to make the house you have a home? When you get a new calling in the ward are you so focused on fitting into the shoes of the old Relief Society or Yong Women's President or even Nursery teacher that you are forgetting to listen to the promptings of our Father in Heaven? 

     God wants us to get to the end and he wants us to have a pouch full of gold when we cross that finish line. But if we are not picking up the little flecks of gold we will never fill that pouch and we will miss out on great opportunities. Our Father in Heaven is filling each day of our lives with opportunities to laugh, learn, grow, love, and enjoy the day. He is giving us the key ingredients to a happy life, we need to just slow down and enjoy life one day at a time. Eventually we will reach our goals, eventually I will graduate college and I will be playing with kids in hospitals. But for now I am living each day that I am blessed with looking for the shinny flecks of gold and filling my pouch..... and I hope you are too. 
 
Picture
     I wanted to apologize for being so off an on with my posts the last couple of weeks. With the Holiday's, and the fast approaching end of the semester I feel like I have been so swamped with homework, different school events and studying for finals that I have neglected posting on my blog. AND I FEEL TERRIBLE!!!! I wanted to let y'all know that I haven't forgotten you and I think about you daily. I think about the messages I want to send to you and how I want to do it, and what cute pictures I could be posting but just never get around to doing it. But since I have been so bad at posting this week I wanted to leave y'all a little note to hopefully uplift you through this weekend. 

     When I was really deep in my depression my normal morning started with a groan and a flood of negative thoughts. My counselor at the time talked me into starting a gratitude journal. I bought myself a little note book and had it on my night stand., Every morning and every night after my prayers I would like 5 things I was grateful for. At first I only did it because that's what my counselor told me to do and I was really only following her wishes for my parents sake. But in time I found myself truly grateful for the things in my life. Recognizing the blessings in your life can honestly be a day changer and help you to realize just how lucky you are. 

     Practicing kindness could be as simple as a smile :)
Picture
I saw this picture and it made me chuckle! I just love it!!!!!
     I really do love the last point -Just breath! In times of stress and business, its hard to remember to just take a step back and breath, but often times that can be the thing that can help you have the energy to make it through. So this weekend as you are busy with errands, friends, families and house work. follow this check list and when you feel over loaded or like you dont have the time to finish all you need to do. Please set down whatever is in your hands, take a step back and just breath. :) I am praying for you all and I really do love each and everyone of you. Please keep trying and dont give up. I am here to help you through and I promise you that your Father in Heaven is there for you as well. 

     Enjoy your weekend :)

    Kayla Morrill

    I am so glad that you are visiting my blog!!!! I have created this blog in hopes to uplift women from all backgrounds and remind you that you are a daughter of a Heavenly King, you have a divine heritage and you have the potential to do many marvelous things in this life as well as the life to come.. I believe in the worth of women and I want all women to embrace life and recognize the blessing that they are.

    I love you all so very much!!!

    Archives

    November 2012
    October 2012