Parenting

Parenting

In "The Family: A Proclamation to the World," Church leaders declared, "Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, to teach them to love and serve one another, to observe the commandments of God and to be law-abiding citizens wherever they live."
Good parenting, while very challenging at times, offers great potential for happiness. Parents can experience great joy by building a strong, loving home environment and teaching gospel principles, which can help their children lead righteous, happy, and productive lives. (See 3 John 1:4.)

The Lord has commanded parents to "bring up [their] children in light and truth" (D&C 93:40). This includes teaching them to understand the doctrines of faith in Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost (see D&C 68:25) and to love their Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. This teaching should take place primarily in the home, with Church classes and programs supplementing and supporting parents' efforts.

Parents can teach their children formally during family home evening and other family gatherings, such as daily family prayer and scripture study or at mealtimes. Teaching opportunities also come in unplanned moments as parents and children spend time working and playing together. Whatever the setting, the Lord will guide parents as they prayerfully seek to rear their children in love and righteousness.

How to be a good parent

Slow down. Babies and children live in a different time frame from adults' - usually a much slower one. Keep this in mind as you talk to your child, care for her and go about your day together.

Observe your child. You'll be amazed at how well you'll get to know your child by sitting back and watching. This focused awareness will help you better understand moods, abilities and temperament. Listening is important, too.

Stay optimistic. Optimism is contagious; so is negativity. Show your child through your behavior how to overcome minor setbacks. Children emulate their parents' attitudes and habits, so it will help if you have a positive outlook.

Accept and acknowledge your child's feelings and desires. Let her know it's OK if she feels sad, scared or angry. You can say, 'It looks like you're sad because your friend went home' or 'It seems that you're mad because I put the ball away.'

Tell your child your expectations. Children won't always comply right away, but they need to understand clearly what a parent expects: 'I want you to put on your sweater. We're going outside,' or 'I want your feet to stay off the couch.'

Set appropriate limits. Even when you acknowledge a feeling or desire, you must make a child aware of appropriate behavior and rules: 'I can see you're mad at your friend because he took the toy from you, but I won't let you hit him. Hitting is not something we do in our family. What else can you do?'

Wait. Let your child do as much as she can on her own - learn to walk, put on her socks, resolve conflicts with her friends. Anxiety or the desire to help often tempts parents to rush in and solve the problem for the child. A better response would be to wait and see what your child can manage on her own. She might surprise you.

Behave genuinely. Just as you accept your child's moods, though not always his behavior, it's OK to have a sad or angry thought yourself and express it appropriately: 'I'm really tired right now but I'm listening to you.' A parent's genuineness prepares a child for life.

Nurture yourself and your marriage. Make arrangements to have some guilt-free time to take care of your own needs. Plan a date with your partner and forget the kids for a while. You'll be a happier person and a better parent.

The Savior cherished His relationships and interactions with children. As we seek to view our children as He does, we can be filled with charity toward them. The insights we receive through prayer will help us respond appropriately to their needs and challenges. It helps to remember that parenting is a fluid, dynamic process. It can take time to see the results of our efforts. What works today may not work next year or even tomorrow. And no parent handles every situation perfectly. When we fall short, it is important to apologize and try to do better. After all, parents are growing and learning too. With the Lord’s help, parents can provide appropriate love, limits, and latitude that will enable their children to reach their full potential as sons and daughters of God.

Be a Joiner

Today's Assignment

Join networking, social action, conservation, and special interest groups that meet on a regular basis. These groups offer wonderful opportunities for finding people with common interests – people you like being with who are potential friends

Sunshine

Today's Assingment

Get a dose of sunlight . Sunlight lifts your mood, so try to get at least 10 to 15 minutes of sun per day. This can be done while exercising, gardening, or socializing.

Leisure Time

Today's Assignment

Make leisure time a priority. Do things for no other reason than that it feels good to do them. Go to a funny movie, take a walk on the beach, listen to music, read a good book, or talk to a friend. Doing things just because they are fun is no indulgence. Play is an emotional and mental health necessity.

Get a Pet

Today's Assignment

Get a pet. Yes, pets are a responsibility, but caring for one makes you feel needed and loved. There is no love quite as unconditional as the love a pet can give. Animals can also get you out of the house for exercise and expose you to new people and places.

Appeal to the Senses

Today's Assignment

Appeal to your senses. Stay calm and energized by appealing to the five senses: sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste. Listen to music that lifts your mood, place flowers where you will see and smell them, massage your hands and feet, or sip a warm drink.

Get Moving

Today's Assignment

Make an effort to be more active.

Exercise to relieve stress and lift your mood. Exercise is a powerful antidote to stress, anxiety, and depression. Look for small ways to add activity to your day, like taking the stairs instead of the elevator or going on a short walk. To get the most mental health benefits, aim for 30 minutes or more of exercise per day.

Grief and Loss

Grief and Loss

Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted" (Matthew 5:4).

Loss and grief are inevitable aspects of the human experience. It does not matter if the loss is the death of a loved one, a failed relationship, or other situational factors; grief and mourning are the result. One's response to these consequences will determine whether growth is realized or suffering and trauma continue. Significant others, including family, friends, and understanding Church leaders, can facilitate a healthy resolution, emotional healing, and spiritual insights.

Grief occurs in response to the loss of someone or something. The loss may involve:
• End of a relationship•
A move to a new community
• The death of a friend, family, important person or pet
• Life-threatening illness of a loved one.
• Sudden closing of a much anticipated opportunity or life goal

Grieving such losses is important because it allows us to 'free-up' energy bound to the lost person or experience, so that we might re-invest that energy elsewhere. Until we grieve effectively, we are likely to find reinvesting difficult; a part of us remains tied to the past.
Grief, itself, is a normal and natural response to loss.

There are a variety of ways that individuals respond to loss. Some are healthy, coping mechanisms, and some may hinder the grieving process. Grieving is not forgetting, nor is it drowning in tears. Healthy grieving results in an ability to remember the importance of our loss -- but with a new-found sense of peace, rather than searing pain. It is important to realize that acknowledging the grief promotes the healing process. Time and support facilitate the grieving process, allowing an opportunity to appropriately mourn the loss.

Common Reactions to Loss:

Individuals experiencing grief from a loss may choose a variety of ways of expressing it. It is important to note that common phases of grief exist; however, they do not depict a specific way to respond to loss. Rather, stages of grief reflect a variety of reactions that may surface as an individual makes sense of how this loss affects them. Stages may occur in a different order for many people.

Denial, numbness, and shock This protects the individual from experiencing the intensity of the loss. Numbness is a normal reaction to an immediate loss and should not be confused with "lack of caring". Denial and disbelief will diminish as the individual slowly acknowledges the impact of this loss and accompanying feelings.

Bargaining At times, individuals may ruminate about what could have been done to prevent the loss or to change the negative outcomes. You may bargain (or promise) with yourself or with God in order to change the loss or its consequences. This reaction can provide insight into the impact of the loss; however, if not properly resolved, intense feelings of remorse or guilt may hinder the healing process. Individuals can become preoccupied about ways that things could have been better, imagining all the things that will never be.

Depression After recognizing the true extent of the loss, some individuals may experience depressive symptoms. Sleep and appetite disturbance, lack of energy and concentration, and crying spells are some typical symptoms. Feelings of loneliness, emptiness, isolation, and self-pity can also surface during this phase, contributing to this reactive depression. For many, this phase must be experienced in order to begin reorganizing one’s life.

Anger This reaction usually occurs when an individual feels helpless and powerless. Anger may result from feeling abandoned, occurring in cases of loss through death. Feelings of resentment may occur toward oneself, a higher power or toward life in general for the injustice of this loss. After an individual acknowledges anger, guilt may surface due to these negative feelings. Again, these feelings are natural and should be honored to resolve the grief.

Acceptance Time gives the individual an opportunity to resolve a range of feelings that surface. The grieving process supports the individual. That is, healing occurs when the loss integrates into the individual’s set of life experiences. Individuals may return to some of the earlier feelings in life. There is no time limit to the grieving process. Each individual should define one’s own healing process.

Guidelines that may help resolve grief
• Good friends, family members, or a personal counselor can help to do this vital work. You can also do a good deal to help yourself.
• Allow time to experience your thoughts and feelings openly to yourself.
• Acknowledge and accept all feelings, both positive and negative.
• Use a journal to document the healing process.
• Confide in a friend; tell the story of the loss.
• Crying offers a release.
• Identify unfinished business. Work towards resolution.
• Bereavement groups provide opportunities to share with others who have experienced loss.
• Go gently -- take time it needs, don’t give yourself a deadline for being "over it";
• Expect and accept some reduction in your usual efficiency and consistency;
• Try to avoid taking on new responsibilities or making major life decisions for a time;
• There are many helpful books on grief. If grief is understood it is easier to handle;
• Allow yourself to enjoy without guilt, some GOOD TIMES.
• Tell those around you what helps you and what doesn't. Most people would like to help if they knew how;
• Plan for special days such as holidays /anniversaries. Feelings can be intense at these times;
• Pray, meditate or take quiet time:
• Connect on the Internet. There are many resources for people in grief, as well as opportunities to chat with fellow grievers;
• Speak to a member of the clergy;
• Do something to help someone else.

If the healing process becomes too overwhelming, seek professional help.

Factors that hinder the healing process:
• Avoidance or minimization of one’s emotions.
• Use of alcohol or drugs to self-medicate.
• Use of work, schoolwork, constant socializing to avoid feelings

How Do You Do Grief Work?
Fortunately, much of the process of healthy grieving seems to be 'built into' our genes. Acknowledging and growing from losses is such a natural process that much of it will happen without our direction -- if we relax our expectations of how we "should" grieve and give up some of our need to be in control.

But healthy grieving is an active process; it is NOT true that, "You just need to give it time." One way of understanding the work to be done is to think of grieving as a series of tasks we need to complete (not necessarily in sequence):

• To acknowledge and express the full range of feelings we experience as a result of the loss;
• To 'say good-bye,' and to move to a new peace with the loss.
• To accept the finality of the loss;
• To adjust to a life in which the lost person, object, or experience is absent

Volunteer

Today's Assignment

Explore some of the many volunteer opportunities available, from wielding tools to spruce up affordable housing to mentoring a child or business-person. Check with http://www.volunteermatch.org or http://www.seniorcorps.org or call your local chapter of the United Way for opportunities that fit your talents and interests.

Make a Date

Today's Assignment

If you normally wait for others to reach out, pick up the phone and propose a date

Responsible Parenting

Today's Assignment

Watch TV with your children.

Media is full of teachable moments. Point out antisocial behavior and racial stereotyping, and discuss consequences. Point out words and behavior in popular TV shows, Web sites, and music that are both positive and negative examples of what you do and don't want your kids to model. What you say to your child is up to you, but have the discussion.

Quiet Time

Today's Assignment

Sit quitely on the porch and watch a beautiful sunset

Play a Game

Today's Assignment

Roll the dice, cut the cards, or break out a board game. Trade in some TV time for a game with family or friends.

Journal

Today's Assignment

Keep a journal as a safe place to note your thoughts and count your blessings.

Strengthening Marriage Relationships

Strengthening Marriage Relationships

Unity in marriage is an important foundation for rearing children successfully. If a husband and wife do not support each other, they greatly weaken their influence with their children. However, if they are humble and strive to achieve greater unity, they can teach their children valuable lessons, both formally and informally.


If one spouse is striving honestly to live a gospel-centered life, which includes unconditional love and proper respect for agency, the marriage may not fail. However, if both honor their gospel commitments, the marriage can certainly become a celestial marriage.


In examining your role in promoting oneness in your marriage, consider the following questions:

· *Do I acknowledge myself and my companion as persons of worth and value (see Ephesians 5:2829)?
*Am I willing to see my partner as my best friend?
*Am I willing to put the interest of my marriage and partner first?
*Do I see how my selfish acts hurt my spouse?
*Do I seek spiritual guidance in resolving disagreements?

Obedience to the commandments helps us achieve oneness in marriage. When husbands and wives repent of their wrongdoings, strive to overcome their shortcomings, and seek righteousness, they can become one.

Sometimes in our desire to have an ideal marriage, we set unrealistic goals and expectations for our spouses. When they do not meet our demands, we may forget their agency and harbor resentments, becoming blind to our part in marital problems. We think that only our spouses are at fault, and we justify our feelings because of what they have done to us.

Family conflict—marked by hostility, resentment, anger, defensiveness, or criticism—is simply not of God and should be repented of. However, when people have conflicts, the counsel to repent may seem unrealistic. That is partly because we cannot feel anger and humility, resentment and compassion, defensiveness and a willingness to learn at the same time. If you are resentful toward someone, you cannot, at the same time, feel charitable toward him. If you are defensive, you cannot, at the same time, be willing to learn from someone

· To help avoid conflict and contention, ask yourself the following questions:
*Have you searched your own heart for your role in the problem?
*What is the real issue in the conflict?
*What are you willing to do to help solve the problem?
*Will obedience to some gospel law suggest solutions to the problem?
*Do you need to forgive your spouse or repent of anything yourself?

There is no magic formula that will instantly free you from current marital conflict. The only solution is living the gospel. Your own humility and obedience must be the starting point for seeing possible solutions

A Good Book

Today's Assignment

Settle in with a good book or magazine for half an hour. Take your mind off family, work, or worry

Get in Touch

Today's Assignment

Write a friendly note, love letter, or chatty e-mail to someone you care about. Connecting with others improves your mood and lightens your worries.

15 minute break

Today's Assignment

Find 15 minutes in your day to quietly relax or meditate. Clear your mind and ease the tension in your body

Text Time

Today's Assignment

Evaluate the amount of time you, or your children, spend texting .

One study showed that teens who "text" a lot are sadder and less assured. (Heavy use was defined as more than 90 calls or text messages a day.)

Sleep

Today's Assignment

Get eight hours of sleep tonight. Adequate rest helps you think more clearly and more able to handle the stressors you are presented with during the day.

Today's Assignment

Take one step toward reconciling what you truly believe and how you are living your life.

"I believe the most destructive threat of our day is not nuclear war, not famine, not economic disaster, but rather the despair, the discouragement, the despondency, the defeat caused by the discrepancy between what we believe to be right and how we live our lives. Much of the emotional and social illness of our day is caused when people think one way and act another. The turmoil inside is destructive to the Spirit and to the emotional well-being of one who tries to live without clearly defined principles, values, standards, and goals. "
(What Will You Make Room for in Your Wagon?" ARDETH G. KAPP)

Nurturing Children

We must nurture our children ...it is one of the important things we can do. A parents' love and caring determines how a child grows up and how a child will eventually parent

Today's Assignment

nurture your child's self-esteem by helping them discover what they are good at doing. Part of a child's self esteem comes from feeling competent and skilled at something they enjoy. By creating opportunities for children to explore different objects, activities, and people ... and nurturing those interests, you can play a big role in helping children to be successful and feel good about themselves

Overcoming Anger

Today's Assignment

Consider these tips to help you overcome anger:

1. At least once a day, devote several minutes to thinking on how much your life would be better without anger.

2. When you feel anger arising in you, start breathing deeply and slowly several times.

3. You may, instead of breathing deeply, or better still, in addition to it, count slowly from one to ten. This will delay your angry reaction and weaken it.

4. Drinking some water has a calming effect on the body.

5. Try to be more patient, no matter how difficult it might be.

6. Be more tolerant toward people, even toward people you don't like.

7. Everyone is entitled to his/her opinion. You can disagree with people, but still maintain tact and diplomacy.

8. Choose to react calmly and peacefully in every situation. Try again and again, regardless of how many times you lose control and get angry.

9. Positive thinking makes it easier to disregard remarks and behavior that otherwise could cause anger.

10. Try to manifest at least some self-control, self-discipline and more common sense.

11. Don't take everything too seriously. It is not worth it.

12. Find reasons to laugh more often.

Resolving Conflict

Today's Assignment

follow these rules to manage and resolve conflict in your life

1. Keep interactions respectful, even when feeling frustrated or hurt. Avoiding put-downs, name calling, interruptions, etc. helps prevent conflict escalation.

2. Maintain emotional control, even when feeling angry. Vent or redirect emotions to avoid yelling or other intimidating behavior. This helps provide a safe environment for resolving differences.

3. Keep interactions on "hot topics" within a structured process. Avoiding or minimizing spontaneous discussions on such issues helps prevent unintended "blowups." Using a planned negotiation, mediation, or other formalized process helps focus and balance communication about especially delicate issues.

4. Show a willingness to understand. If others feel understood and acknowledged, they are more likely to collaborate when problem solving. This requires focusing on and empathizing with what is being communicated by others rather just waiting for a turn to respond.

5. Communicate honestly and openly. Holding back on what the real concerns are will only delay or complicate the resolution of differences.

6. Be as objective as possible. Avoid speculation, rumors, and assumptions. Rely on personal observations and experiences or what can be independently verified through a credible witness or available documentation.

7. Express concerns in a constructive manner. Each party describing which of his/her needs are not being met is typically better received by others than accusations or demands for change.

8. Focus on future solutions rather than past blame. Emphasizing what needs to be changed rather than who is at fault takes less time and energy and increases the chances of successful change.

9. Look for solutions that meet every one's needs. Using an approach that tries to find common ground or shared interests is the most effective way for each person to get his/her own needs met. An approach that disregards a person's needs is likely to cause resentment in that individual, which can lead to future resistance or retaliation.

Marriage

In order to keep love alive and growing in your marriage, there must be continued courting and expressions of affection, kindness, and consideration.

Today's Assignment

Do one thing for your spouse to show your appreciation and love for them.

examples:
do one of the household chores that is normally their responsibility
have a private candlelight dinner after the kids are in bed
leave a love note in their lunch bag/briefcase/purse
wash their car
Tell them you love them
Take them on a date
Make their favorite dessert
Run errands for them

Stress

Today's Assignment

Take one action to reduce the amount of stress in your life

Examples:
start a journal
take up a hobby
watch a funny movie
take a walk
listen to your favorite music
get a massage
eat a balanced diet
enjoy aromatherapy
play a game
phone a friend
read a good book

Depression

Today's Assignment

Learn to recognize symptoms of depression

The symptoms that help a doctor identify depression include:

constant feelings of sadness,
irritability, or tension
decreased interest or pleasure in usual activities or hobbies
loss of energy, feeling tired despite lack of activity
a change in appetite, with significant weight loss or weight gain
a change in sleeping patterns, such as difficulty sleeping, early morning awakening, or sleeping too much
restlessness or feeling slowed down
decreased ability to make decisions or concentrate
feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness, or guilt
thoughts of suicide or death

If you are experiencing any or several of these symptoms, you should talk to your doctor about whether you are suffering from depression.

Dealing with Depression

Dealing With Depression

Source: Ezra Taft Benson, “Do Not Despair,” Ensign, Oct. 1986, 2

To help us from being overcome by the devil’s designs of despair, discouragement, depression, and despondency, the Lord has provided at least a dozen ways which, if followed, will lift our spirits and send us on our way rejoicing

1. Repentance. In the Book of Mormon we read that “despair cometh because of iniquity.” (Moro. 10:22.) “When I do good I feel good,” said Abraham Lincoln, “and when I do bad I feel bad.” Sin pulls a man down into despondency and despair. While a man may take some temporary pleasure in sin, the end result is unhappiness. “Wickedness never was happiness.” (Alma 41:10.) Sin creates disharmony with God and is depressing to the spirit. Therefore, a man would do well to examine himself to see that he is in harmony with all of God’s laws. Every law kept brings a particular blessing. Every law broken brings a particular blight. Those who are heavy-laden with despair should come unto the Lord, for his yoke is easy and his burden is light. (See Matt. 11:28–30.)

2. Prayer. Prayer in the hour of need is a great boon. From simple trials to our Gethsemanes, prayer—persistent prayer—can put us in touch with God, our greatest source of comfort and counsel. “Pray always, that you may come off conqueror.” (D&C 10:5.) “Exerting all my powers to call upon God to deliver me” is how the young Joseph Smith describes the method that he used in the Sacred Grove to keep the adversary from destroying him. (JS—H 1:16.) This is also a key to use in keeping depression from destroying us.

3. Service. To lose yourself in righteous service to others can lift your sights and get your mind off personal problems, or at least put them in proper focus. “When you find yourselves a little gloomy,” said President Lorenzo Snow, “look around you and find somebody that is in a worse plight than yourself; go to him and find out what the trouble is, then try to remove it with the wisdom which the Lord bestows upon you; and the first thing you know, your gloom is gone, you feel light, the Spirit of the Lord is upon you, and everything seems illuminated.” (In Conference Report, 6 Apr. 1899, pp. 2–3.)

4. Work. The earth was cursed for Adam’s sake. Work is our blessing, not our doom. God has a work to do, and so should we. Retirement from work has depressed many a man and hastened his death. It has been said that even the very fiends weave ropes of sand rather than face the pure hell of idleness. We should work at taking care of the spiritual, mental, social, and physical needs of ourselves and of those whom we are charged to help. In the church of Jesus Christ, there is plenty of work to do to move forward the kingdom of God. Missionary work, family genealogy and temple work, home evenings, receiving a Church assignment and magnifying it are but a few of our required labors.

5. Health. The condition of the physical body can affect the spirit. That’s why the Lord gave us the Word of Wisdom. He also said that we should retire to our beds early and arise early (see D&C 88:124), that we should not run faster than we have strength (see D&C 10:4), and that we should use moderation in all good things. In general, the more food we eat in its natural state—without additives—and the less it is refined, the healthier it will be for us. Food can affect the mind, and deficiencies of certain elements in the body can promote mental depression. A good physical examination periodically is a safeguard and may spot problems that can be remedied. Rest and physical exercise are essential, and a walk in the fresh air can refresh the spirit. Wholesome recreation is part of our religion and is a necessary change of pace; even its anticipation can lift the spirit.

6. Reading. Many a man in his hour of trial has turned to the Book of Mormon and been enlightened, enlivened, and comforted. The psalms in the Old Testament have a special food for the soul of one in distress. In our day, we are additionally blessed with the Doctrine and Covenants—modern revelation. The words of the prophets are crucial reading and can give direction and comfort in an hour when one is down

7. Blessing. In a particularly stressful time, or in the anticipation of a critical event, one can seek for a blessing under the hands of the priesthood. Even the Prophet Joseph Smith sought and received a blessing under the hands of Brigham Young and received solace and direction for his soul. Fathers, so live that you can bless your own wives and children. To receive and then consistently and prayerfully ponder one’s patriarchal blessing can give helpful insight, particularly in an hour of need. The sacrament will “bless … the souls” (D&C 20:77, 79) of all those who worthily partake of it, and as such it should be taken often, even by the bedfast, who can arrange with their bishop to receive the sacrament at home or at the hospital.

8. Fasting. A certain kind of devil goes not out except by fasting and prayer, the scriptures tell us. (See Matt. 17:14–21.) Periodic fasting can help clear up the mind and strengthen the body and the spirit. The usual fast, the one we are asked to participate in for fast Sunday, is to abstain from food and drink for two consecutive meals. Some people, feeling the need, have gone on longer fasts of abstaining from food but have taken the needed liquids. Wisdom should be used, and this fast should be broken with light eating. To make a fast most fruitful, it should be coupled with prayer and meditation; physical work should be held to a minimum, and one should ponder on the scriptures and the reason for the fast.

9. Friends. The fellowship of true friends who can hear you out, share your joys, help carry your burdens, and correctly counsel you is priceless. For one who has been in the prison of depression, the words of the Prophet Joseph Smith have special meaning: “How sweet the voice of a friend is; one token of friendship from any source whatever awakens and calls into action every sympathetic feeling.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, comp. Joseph Fielding Smith, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1938, p. 134.)

10. Music. Inspiring music may fill the soul with heavenly thoughts, move one to righteous action, or speak peace to the soul. When Saul was troubled with an evil spirit, David played for him with his harp; Saul was refreshed and the evil spirit departed. (See 1 Sam. 16:23.) Elder Boyd K. Packer has wisely suggested memorizing some of the inspiring songs of Zion and then, when the mind is afflicted with temptations, singing aloud, to keep before your mind the inspiring words and crowd out the evil thoughts. (See Ensign, Jan. 1974, p. 28.) This could also be done to crowd out debilitating, depressive thoughts.

11. Endurance. When George A. Smith was very ill, he was visited by his cousin, the Prophet Joseph Smith. The afflicted man reported: “He [the Prophet] told me I should never get discouraged, whatever difficulties might surround me. If I were sunk into the lowest pit of Nova Scotia and all the Rocky Mountains piled on top of me, I ought not to be discouraged, but hang on, exercise faith, and keep up good courage, and I should come out on the top of the heap.” (George A. Smith Family, comp. Zora Smith Jarvis, Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University Press, 1962, p. 54.) There are times when you simply have to righteously hang on and outlast the devil until his depressive spirit leaves you. As the Lord told the Prophet Joseph Smith: “Thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;“And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high.” (D&C 121:7–8.) Pressing on in noble endeavors, even while surrounded by a cloud of depression, will eventually bring you out on top into the sunshine. Even our master Jesus the Christ, while facing that supreme test of being temporarily left alone by our Father during the crucifixion, continued performing his labors for the children of men, and then shortly thereafter he was glorified and received a fulness of joy. While you are going through your trial, you can recall your past victories and count the blessings that you do have with a sure hope of greater ones to follow if you are faithful. And you can have that certain knowledge that in due time God will wipe away all tears and that “eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” (1 Cor. 2:9.)

12. Goals. Every accountable child of God needs to set goals, short- and long-range goals. A man who is pressing forward to accomplish worthy goals can soon put despondency under his feet, and once a goal is accomplished, others can be set up. Some will be continuing goals. Each week when we partake of the sacrament we commit ourselves to the goals of taking upon ourselves the name of Christ, of always remembering him and keeping his commandments. Of Jesus’ preparations for his mission, the scripture states that he “increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.” (Luke 2:52.) This encompasses four main areas for goals: spiritual, mental, physical, and social. “Therefore, what manner of men ought ye to be?” asked the Master, and he answered, “Verily I say unto you, even as I am.” (3 Ne. 27:27.) Now, there is a lifetime goal—to walk in his steps, to perfect ourselves in every virtue as he has done, to seek his face, and to work to make our calling and election sure.

Social and Emotional Strength

During the time of economic uncertainty, our social and emotional lives are greatly affected.

This month we will be focusing on how to better prepare ourselves socially and emotionally to stand strong against the storms that will rage in our lives.

Certainly the economic crisis is one of these storms... however, there will others, of a different nature, to come in the future. Follow us this month for daily changes you can make in your life to make you a stronger person, and in turn, more able to help bear up those around you.

It's May!!!

Where did April go???? Stay tuned for our theme for the month and daily preparedness tasks.