Maho and I were asked to give talks in church yesterday. We got to pick our own topics. I found some good stuff that went into this talk, and I want to share it. I know it helped me. Maybe it will help someone else.

True Happiness and Joy = The Love of God

How to feel God's love on a daily basis

(Scriptural references are from Bible, Book of Mormon, and Doctrine and Covenants)

Millions of people throughout the world are starving. And although physical hunger is a world wide problem, that is not the type of hunger I am referring to. I’m talking about spiritual hunger. We don’t have to look very far to find these hungry, or unsatisfied, individuals….perhaps in our own homes; perhaps in our own souls.

We all seek happiness everyday. We are supposed to be happy. Heavenly Father has said, “…men are that they might have joy.” (2 Nephi 2:25) Why is it, then, that so many of us are unhappy, dissatisfied, empty? Could it be that we are seeking happiness in the wrong places? Or that we have forgotten what real joy is?

A dear friend once shared with me her experience wherein the Lord taught her how she needed to fill her emptiness. She and her husband had always had a strong, healthy relationship. But she had been feeling empty inside, and thought she needed more of his attention and affection. He usually came home from work for lunch. So this particular day, in an attempt to fill her void with his love and adoration, she made his favorite lunch. She carefully set an elegant table for two, and eagerly primped and groomed to look her best before he arrived home.

He was very pleased by the delicious meal, the beautifully set table, and a beautiful wife with whom to enjoy his lunch. They enjoyed their lunch together. Then he thanked her for the lovely meal, gave her a kiss, and headed back to work.

She was severely disappointed. She still felt empty. Why hadn’t he made her happy? Why hadn’t she received the love that she was so desperately seeking? Her initial thought was to fill the void with temporary happiness—chocolate!

Instead she knelt in prayer. She told her Heavenly Father how disappointed she was that her husband was not giving her the love that she so desperately hungered for. She asked Heavenly Father what more she could do. Then the warmth of the Spirit overcame her as these words filled her mind and heart, “It is my love you need. Let me fill you with my love.”

She realized that it was not her husband’s responsibility to fill the void she had inside. Rather it was her responsibility to turn to her Heavenly Father for the love that He is both willing and eager to give, if we would but receive.

What are we seeking to fill the void? Quick, easy happiness? Television? Food? Work? Or any number of addictions? Are those things filling us with joy? Where is true joy and happiness to be found?

In Lehi’s vision he “beheld a tree, whose fruit was desirable to make one happy.”(1 Nephi 8:10)

“And as I partook of the fruit thereof it filled my soul with exceedingly great joy; wherefore, I began to be desirous that my family should partake of it also; for I knew that it was desirable above all other fruit.” (1 Nephi 8:12)

What does the fruit in Lehi’s dream represent? The Love of God. Therefore the Love of God is desirable to make one happy. The Love of God filled Lehi’s soul with exceedingly great joy, and he knew that the Love of God was desirable above all other fruit.

How can we feel the Love of God on a daily basis, and help our families feel the Love of God on a daily basis? I have outlined 9 ways we can do this (in no particular order):
- Daily personal and family prayer

-Daily scripture study

-Keep the commandments

-Exercise faith

-Service

-Work and create

-Express gratitude

-Be good stewards

-Repent

First, personal and family prayer.
Satan would teach us not to pray (2 Nephi 32:8). He would rather we give into temptation—to the quick fix—and lean on our addictions. Alma 13:28 reads “But that ye would humble yourselves before the Lord, and call on his holy name, and watch and pray continually, that ye may not be tempted above that which ye can bear, and thus be led by the Holy Spirit, becoming humble, meek, submissive, patient, full of love and all long-suffering.” The Savior said, "Pray in your families unto the Father, always in my name, that your wives and your children may be blessed" (3 Nephi 18:21).
I like this scripture from the Doctrine and Covenants: “If thou art sorrowful, call on the Lord thy God with supplication, that your souls may be joyful.” (D&C 136:29)

-Daily scripture study
In Lehi’s dream, what is it that led to the fruit, or the love of God? The iron rod. And the rod represents the word of God. Therefore, it’s the word of God that leads us to the love of God. President Gordon B. Hinckley said, “Through reading the scriptures, we can gain the assurance of the Spirit that that which we read has come of God for the enlightenment, blessing, and joy of his children.”

-Keep the commandments
Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” (John 14:15) “and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him.” (John 14:21)
Jesus then told Judas, “If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.” (John 14:23)
King Benjamin reminded his people, “And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual.” (Mosiah 2:41)

-Exercise faith.
Faith is doing what the Lord has asked of us, especially when it’s the hardest thing to do. When we trust in the Lord, and make that leap of faith again and again, he will be there to catch us, again and again. Not only to catch us, but to lift us to heights we never could have reached on our own. As I have exercised faith in God, I have learned how close He is, and that he knows and loves me. And that has been a source of joy for me. The Lord said, “…put your trust in that Spirit which leadeth to do good…and this is my Spirit. I will impart unto you of my Spirit, which shall enlighten your mind, which shall fill your soul with joy.” (D&C 11:12-13)

-Work and create.
I love this quote from President Thomas S. Monson, “God left the world unfinished for man to work his skill upon. He left the electricity in the cloud, the oil in the earth. He left the rivers unbridged and the forests unfelled and the cities unbuilt. God gives to man the challenge of raw materials, not the ease of finished things. He leaves the pictures unpainted and the music unsung and the problems unsolved, that man might know the joys and glories of creation.” (“In Quest of the Abundant Life,” Ensign, Mar 1988, 2)

-Serve others
Jesus Christ said, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” (Matthew 25:40) Our service to others may be as simple as a kind “hello”, a smile, giving a compliment, or lending a listening ear. That service may be in our homes as we serve and sacrifice for family members.
President Thomas S. Monson said, “One hundred years from now it will not matter what kind of a car we drove, what kind of a house we lived in, how much we had in the bank account, nor what our clothes looked like. But the world may be a little better because we were important in the life of a boy or a girl.”

-Express gratitude
“Think to thank.” Said Thomas S. Monson. “In these three words is the finest capsule course for a happy marriage, a formula for enduring friendship, and a pattern for personal happiness” (Pathways to Perfection [1973], 254). The Lord said, “And he who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more” (D&C 78:19).

-Be good stewards
I remember something Sister Swenson, our stake president’s wife said at an enrichment meeting that has impacted my life for good. She said, “Be a good steward over those things with which the Lord has entrusted you, and you will feel closer to Him.” Since then I have recognized the joy I feel as I care for my family in all the ways a wife and mother should. Likewise, I have felt the sorrow that comes from not being a good steward. Heavenly Father also made me a steward over ME, and it is my responsibility and stewardship to take good care of my body, and spirit.
And whoso is found a faithful, a just, and a wise steward shall enter into the joy of his Lord, and shall inherit eternal life. (D&C 51:19)

-repent
In the scriptures there are so many references of joy after repentance. The one I think of is Alma the younger bearing testimony to his son, Helaman. Alma explains in detail the torment he felt at the realization of his sins. Then he said, “…as I was thus racked with torment, while I was harrowed up by the memory of my many sins, behold, I remembered also to have heard my father prophesy unto the people concerning the coming of one Jesus Christ, a Son of God, to atone for the sins of the world.
18 Now, as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting chains of death.
19 And now, behold, when I thought this, I could remember my pains no more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more.
20 And oh, what joy, and what marvelous light I did behold; yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain!
21 Yea, I say unto you, my son, that there could be nothing so exquisite and so bitter as were my pains. Yea, and again I say unto you, my son, that on the other hand, there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy.” (Alma 36)


Being happy and joyful is not always easy. But it is a commandment, and the Lord always prepares a way for His children to accomplish the thing which he commandeth them (1 Nephi 3:7). My hope is that we will not reach for the quick fix to satisfy our hunger, but that we will each remember to do those things that will bring us closer to the Lord and enable us to feel His love.

And blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. (Matthew 5:6)

Our Almost-Free Valentine's Day

I don't remember a Valentine's Day when we were so short on cash, except perhaps when we were in college. But now there are 7 of us--6 little women to please on Valentine's Day. Not an easy feat at any time, but especially in this economy. But what I learned is that sharing love, giving gifts, and having a really great time don't have to cost money.

The night before Valentine's Day I went to the grocery store for just a few items I needed in addition to what I already had to make the day perfect (and, for me, the perfect day is all about great food!): Eggs, cream, buttermilk, Koolaid, margarine, and 15 chocolate filled gold coins (3 per nina). In all I spent $6.68. I was thrilled to have bought so much for so little!

Our Valentine's Day began with Granny's sourdough pancakes, which, of course, I cooked in heart shapes. We washed them down with pink milk!
It was snowing and blizzardy outside, so after breakfast, we all just stayed in. Maho read me online stories about love and attraction that were really interesting. We also checked out some of the interviews with the top 36 American Idol contestants.

For some of the ninas, their favorite part of the day was lunch. We went to Costco and filled up on samples! Saturday afternoons are crowded, but they are the best sample days! It was so funny. We'd walk past a sample counter and wipe 'em out with our tribe (twice at some counters)!

After the Costco sample buffet we headed to Cabela's. It's a HUGE sporting goods/hunting store just 10 minutes from where we live. The ninas and I went for the first time a couple weeks ago with Granny, and had so much fun, we decided to take Papa. We didn't spend as much time as when we went with Granny, but it still probably took an hour to look at all the taxidermy displays, aquarium, swing in the porch swings, and play with the little stuffed birdies that tweet (Tessy's favorite part), while Maho hunted jaguars on a video game.

When we got home, I put the meatloaf in the oven, and worked on the rest of dinner. I loved that Maho and the ninas stayed in the kitchen with me and listened to music, sang songs, goofed around, etc. It was just nice to have them there with me as I worked. They set the table and helped when asked. Besides meatloaf, I made heart-shaped biscuits, pink mashed potatoes (which Maho shaped into a heart in the bowl!) with gravy, steamed broccoli, and red Koolaid, as well as some Martinelli's sparkling cran-apple juice. We even used our long-stem goblets. I had planned to put out candles, butdidn't remember that part until we were already eating. Hunger won over romantic ambiance at that point. It all tasted so good! We went around the table and talked about our favorite part of the day. Costco samples was up there, as was this dinner.For dessert I had borrowed some heart-shaped ramekins from a friend (I didn't know what a ramekin was either until I got this recipe. It's those little single-size souffle dishes). I made some really gourmet looking (but really easy) chocolate lava cakes. Oh, they were so divine. Maho said he was too full for dessert, but I told him he had to have at least a bite while they were warm. And you know what? He discovered his dessert tummy and ate the whole thing!

We washed that down with the rest of the pink milk (from our goblets, of course). After dinner, Maho and Laurel helped clean up. That was a gift in and of itself.

Maho and I didn't exchange gifts. But we have never felt more in tune with each other. Writing it all down, I just can't capture the feelings we all felt--especially without sounding really cheesy. We just all thoroughly enjoyed each other, and felt so grateful to our Heavenly Father for blessings of peace, plenty and love.

Family Christmas Photo and Letter

The most dramatic event for our family this year was our sudden decision to move back to Utah after four fabulous years in San Diego. We loved so many things about living there: our ward (who were like family), our neighbors (who were also family), our school, the community, the beach, the warm balmy weather (bragging rights), and our home on Sienna Court.

Knowing we needed to make a change, but not knowing what, Mahonry and I were praying for guidance. Our prayers were answered when we were back in Utah for a family reunion in July and we felt very strongly that is was time to come "home." So we called our real estate agents and got the ball rolling. We got home on July 22nd and the whirlwind began. I started packing, fixing up the house to show, and looking for a place to rent in Utah, all simultaneously, while Maho continued to work hard in the office and travel the world on business.

With the help of dear friends, neighbors, ward members, family, and the divine guidance of our Heavenly Father, we were able to make it to our home in Cedar Hills by August 14th--just four days before school started.

Another huge blessing: our home in San Diego has sold and is scheduled to close this week! During a time when home values have dropped dramatically, and nothing is selling, we feel very blessed to have sold our home in only 4 months!

We are enjoying being close to family now. That is another blessing that we missed while being in San Diego. For Thanksgiving we got together with all of my siblings and their families, Mom and Dad, Grandpa, Granny, Aunts and Uncles up in Cache Valley. It was SO FUN.

Laurel is 11 now and is excelling in school. She is on the 6th grade student council and has made lots of new friends. She looks forward to getting back into guitar lessons and theater. She has recently become our babysitter!! Maho and I leave her to babysit the girls now on date-night or on volleyball mornings/nights. She is such a responsible young lady. She has sure grown up the past year.

Brianna is 9 and in fourth grade. Her favorite subjects are writing, science, art, and she sings Alto in Chorus twice a week after school (Laurel goes, too, and sings Soprano). She loves chorus so much that she even attends church Choir with me on Sundays. She has natural musical talent and looks forward to starting up violin lessons again.

Whitney is 7 and in second grade. She LOVES school and is very competitive. She works really hard to be a top student. She also loves to sing and really enjoyed her time on stage with here sisters. She has asked me a few times when she can do theater again. We have noticed how good she is with little kids and babies. They just love Whitney because she plays with them and makes them laugh. Whitney takes pride in the fact that she can run faster than all her sisters!

Ellie is 5 and just started kindergarten, after MUCH anticipation! She just loves going to school! She is learning to read and sound out her own spellings. Ellie is our beauty queen. She loves doing her own hair, putting on make-up and dress-ups, and loves all things pink, sparkly and fluffy! She has loved being in our new neighborhood because there are so many little girls to play with. She spends as much time as she is allowed playing outside with her little friends (except for when she is bringing them all in to eat snacks)!

Tessy is our baby unicorn. She is 3 and wears her white fuzzy unicorn costume almost everyday! We let her wear it everywhere, realizing that all too soon she will outgrow this stage and we will miss our baby unicorn. Her favorite things (beside her unicorn costume) are her blanky, her horsey, and all her small plastic animals. She went through a match-box car phase for a while, but seems to have outgrown that. She is also our little singer. She sings all day long, adding in all kinds of words and nonsense to any tune. For a while she sang "Bet On It" from HSM all the time!!

Mahonry still works for the same company in San Diego, and continues to travel the world. We set him up with a home-office upstairs, which has been really nice. I love having him here. We have really saved on gas, too! We thought it might be hard for him to focus being at home, but he is very good at going up, closing the door and ignoring us despite our noise. It's fun to be able to drop in on him at work whenever I feel like it, not to mention daily lunch-dates in our kitchen.

I continue to be the CEO, CFO, chef, maid, human resources department, referee, taxi driver, beautician, etc, of the household. I love my job. I am grateful to Mahonry for being such a smart, capable, aggressive businessman, so that I can be at home with our 5 little princesses. Maho and I are trying to savor these moments as we realize how quickly they grow up.

Life is wonderful. We are thankful for the light of the Gospel in our lives, for the hope of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and for His living prophets who guide and direct us in times that would otherwise be uncertain and scary. May you be blessed with the peace and happiness that God wants for all His children.

Merry Christmas!

Molly, Mahonry, Molly, Laurel, Brianna, Whitney, Ellie and Tessyanne

Okay, I am FINALLY adding our Halloween photos to our blog!! We hurried and snapped this photo just before I took the girls out to trick-or-treat. See individual photos of some of us below. I don't know what happened to my individuals of Brianna and Laurel. Brianna was Minnie Mouse and Laurel was a punk-80's-girl.

Here's me as Sarah Palin. It was so funny because EVERYONE new who I was dressed up as! "Look, it's Sarah Palin," people would say as we passed from house to house, trick-or-treating. "That is so COOL! You look just like her!" Someone else said. It was pretty fun!

Tessy was a Unicorn. Here she is enjoying her spoils after the big haul. The funny thing is, Tessy wears this unicorn outfit almost every day. That is no exaggeration. She wears it to the store, to friends' houses, to the dentist, pretty much everywhere except church (because that's where we draw the line). It will be a sad day when she outgrows her unicorn phase. She has a little plastic green dinosaur that she loves. Just the other day she told me she wants a green dinosaur costume just like her toy. I might tell Santa about that....

Ellie was a little skunk. This cute little costume was one that our neighbor, Donna, bought for the girls at a yard sale over the summer (Brianna's costume was also one Donna gave us the same day). Ellie decided the day Donna gave them to us, that she was going to wear this one for Halloween and be a skunk (as did Brianna). We added cute little ears and a furry white strip down her back to look skunky. My, was she ever a cute skunk!

Whitney, our sweet, quiet little Whitney, was a scary Vampire!

Opening Halloween Package from Donna!

Today the ninas got a Halloween package from Donna, on Sienna Court. They were so excited to open the package. I recorded them (and Maho, too). I wish I'd have done this with every fun little package they got from Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles and friends. I'm working on it!

Laurel's winning 6th grade Student Council Speech

Today Laurel performed a one-minute speech in her 6th grade class, encouraging her classmates to vote her to student council. Each class voted one boy and one girl to student council. In Laurel's class, there were 4 boys running, and 8 girls (Laurel being one of them)! Last night Maho and I helped Laurel put together a clever little presentation. Today we were praying that it would go well, and that she would be able to deliver her speech smoothly.

When I pulled up to the school, the girls piled into the car. I saw Laurel's face, and I knew--just by her giant happy grin--that she was voted to the student council! Maho and I are so proud of her. So when she got home, I made her do it again so I could record her and post it on my blog! Turn your volume up all the way so you can hear her!

The voice of the puppet-reporter is mine on an MP3 player that Laurel put inside the sock on her arm!

Virtual Tour of San Diego Home

Our San Diego Home was listed on the MLS yesterday! Many of our friends and family have never seen our home, so I'm posting the link to our virtual tour. It made me want to buy this house all over again. I wish we could take it with us to Utah. But, you can't take it with you......

http://www.signonsandiego.com/sdhomes/hometours/080055847/

Be sure to turn on the sound so you don't miss the lovely elevator music! We are mostly packed and ready for our move. Some friends from our ward are coming to help pack the kitchen in the morning. The moving truck comes tomorrow, but we will be loading Tuesday. We will have lots of help from the ward on that, too. Then we head out on Wednesday, arriving in Cedar Hills on Thursday. We have quite a few festivities before our departure, though, and have already had some. I will post photos later. Too late right now! Must have sleep!