A Beautiful Day

I entitled my blog today "A Beautiful Day" because my life right now reminds me of the U2 song Beautiful Day.  It is really crazy actually.  A lot of things have gone wrong in the past month of 2 and yet I have never felt better.  I feel like I'm on top of the world, oddly enough.  I guess it's just a new year, and I'm determined to make it a good one.  Other than that I really can't explain my good mood.  I guess I am just blessed.  School so far this semester is going really well, and I plan on keeping it that way.  Then my calling is still going well, and work as well.  I still have the same problems in my life, if not more than I did in 2008, but somehow I feel this power from within that I can overcome them and be a better me.  It's a great feeling!  Let's hope it remains.  

So I forgot to say a few things that I have done in the past month or so in my last blog.  This past weekend, I went up to Ogden to see my cousin, Taylor, who just got back from his mission in Argentina.  It was really good to see him after two years.  It was also kind of weird as well, lol.  Most of my family was there, and it's always good to see them.  I just can't believe that I'm the same age as RMs! That probably seemed random for me to say that, but I say it because Taylor and I are 4 weeks apart and are the oldest grandchildren on my dad's side.  So obviously seeing him come home from a mission just reminds me that I'm that age, which is just so weird.  I guess I'll get used to it eventually.  

With my brand new attitude and self, I've been pondering lately how I've been able to keep my chin up, when the world around me is often so dark and dreary.  As I get older, life only gets harder.  I think a large part of that is that as I get older, I become more aware of reality and realize that my naive youth is just that - naive.  I realize that things aren't the way I always thought they were. Or that bad things don't only happen in movies.  When life throws us these trials, we can do one of two things.  We can either sink down into a depression and refuse to accept what is happening or stand strong and endure, looking for the blessings that we have inspite of the bad things.  I have never forgotten something my young women's president (Emily) told me a long time ago.  It doesn't seem like that long ago, but I guess it was like 4 years ago.  She said that when we ask the Lord to help us through our trials, He doesn't change our circumstances, He changes us.  He helps us to cope with our problems and get through them instead of just taking our problems away.  I guess we wouldn't learn anything if our problems were just taken away, right?  I think that is what has happened to me in this instance.  I feel this inner strength, and I know it isn't because I'm some amazing strong person, but because the Lord has helped me to learn to deal with my trials, and that knowledge gives me strength.  I guess that's what I've come up with so far this year.  I guess that's all for now!