Beyond The Secret and The Power of Positive Thinking

"… There is another kind of faith, rare indeed. This is the kind of faith that causes things to happen. It is the kind of faith that is worthy and prepared and unyielding, and it calls forth things that otherwise would not be. It is the kind of faith that moves people. It is the kind of faith that sometimes moves things… It is a marvelous, even a transcendent, power, a power as real and as invisible as electricity. Directed and channeled, it has great effect." (Boyd K. Packer, "What is Faith?" "Faith" [Salt Lake City: Desert Book Co., 1983], p. 42, emphasis added)

Isn't it amazing to think of the power available to us as we learn to exercise faith in Christ? I gave a talk on this subject a few years ago. If you are looking for more on the subject, check it out here.

Why still single?

For anyone who has ever wondered about me or any other great 30+ single person you know, this article describes the situation for a lot of us. It is written about men, but can also apply to women. I know because I am a woman and these patterns describe me almost perfectly.

Common patterns:

1. They suffer from excessive pressure caused by anticipatory anxiety.

"they feel anxious about disappointing the person they date. This causes additional pressure that makes them anticipate what their date may be thinking, feeling, or expecting. This creates even more anxiety and causes them to analyze what they are feeling (or not feeling) and take action quickly so as to not disappoint or hurt their date.

What they don’t realize is that this very concern actually inhibits their ability to have fun, relax, and feel a deeper connection. They analyze their emotions so closely that is is difficult for them to feel positive and spontaneous emotions. As time goes on, the added pressure makes it more difficult for them to believe that they will ever get out of the trap."

2. Many of the people they date inadvertently add even more pressure.

"the people they date tend to become excessively available, accommodating, and committed too early in the process. These women or men are often very understanding and supportive, which further adds pressure to the men or women to not hurt them... When the people they date are not anxious for commitment, these men(or women) feel less anxiety, and as a result their positive emotions come more easily. Only after investing in the person (without pressure) over a period of months (while also having a lot of fun), they feel a deeper emotional connection. "

2. When it comes to dating these men(women) feel disconnected from God.

"These men(or women) have strong testimonies and many powerful spiritual experiences; however, when it comes to dating, mate selection, and the decision to marry, often these men(or women) feel that God is silent, which only adds to their fears and doubts.

Without feeling a strong emotional attachment, these men(or women) just stalemate or break up. Of course, in most cases, God probably wants them to decide for themselves, but the different possibilities (and fear of making the wrong decision) only add to their doubt and confusion.

This anxiety and doubt can be lessened when others express faith and trust in them and in the many blessings that marriage will give them. In many ways, these men(or women) need an abundance of positive and faith-filled messages to combat their anxiety and strengthen their faith and confidence––rather than receiving criticism or lectures on why they aren’t progressing to marriage." YES, YES, YES!!! And thank you for all of you have been so supportive in so many ways.

A Picture Thought

We are the Music Makers and We Are the Dreamers of Dreams...

I saw this Rainbow Eucalyptus tree on the Road to Hana in Maui. I thought the trees were magical. The quote comes from a poem written in 1874 by Arthur O'Shaughnessy and quoted by Willy Wonka.

The Other Side of Down

If you need to hear something positive today, listen to this. I heard this at his Christmas concert and it became one of my favorites. Fun, upbeat music, with a great message.



Down, Down, Down, Down, Down, Down, (Down, Down)

Here I am with all these questions hanging from my ceiling low
One by one they all keep telling me I told you so
Everywhere I turn I see red lights flashing over my head
Oh no, oh no, oh no
In a whirl-wind spinning, yeah somehow it knocked me off my feet
But I know better than to let it get the best of me,
I could give up, I could stay stuck, I could move on

So I put one foot front of the other,
No, no, no, nothing's gonna break my stride,
I keep climbing, gonna keep fighting until I make it to the other side of down-own
Down-own, Down-whoa-oh-ow-own

In the sky, I'm standing under all I see is endless rain
I think I spot a silver lining hiding in the gray
I might get tossed around, but I'm always bouncing back
Oh, oh, oh
I could give up, I could stay stuck, or I could move on,

So I put one foot front of the other,
No, no, no, nothing's gonna break my stride,
I keep climbing, gonna keep fighting until I make it to the other side of down-own
Down-own, Down-whoa-ah-ow-own
Down-own, Down-own, Down-whoa-ah-ow-own

On the other side of down
It keeps calling me
Where I wanna be
On the other side of down
It keeps calling me
Where I wanna be

Ohhh, I put one foot front of the other,
No, no, no, nothing's gonna break my stride,
I keep climbing, gonna keep fighting until I make it to the other side of down-own
Down-own, Down-whoa-ah-ow-own
Down-own, Down-own, Down-whoa-ah-ow-own

David Archuleta's Going on a Mission

I am his newest big fan. He has a great voice, and he is such a sweet guy! Kind of reminds me of my brothers. :) He made this announcement Monday night at his Christmas concert here in Salt Lake. LOVED the concert, but this was definitely the highlight.

Zoo Day

On Saturday I went to Hogle Zoo with my nieces, Melia and Naiya. We met my friend Alli and her 3 yr old Tristann. She has a pass that lets her get friends in free. We had such a fun day!

A few things Aunti Azie learned from Zoo Day:

1. It is surprisingly difficult to catch a great picture of multiple children, no matter how adorable the children.

2. If you take children with you to IKEA, especially with limited time, don't plan on actually shopping or looking for something you might want.

3. This is neither a rabbit, nor a deer, but a Mara from Patagonia, a relative of the guinea pig.

Melia's Favorit Zoo Animal:

Long Crazy Night

Saturday night was the Relief Society Broadcast. Tiffany got tickets to the conference center so we decided to meet our friends and take TRAX down and then go to dinner afterward. We wanted to try something from Salt Lake's Dine O' Round and decided on Cedars of Lebanon.

As we left the peaceful and uplifting spirit of the Conference Center, we noticed quite a different atmosphere downtown . As we walked we saw a few rather rowdy and scantily clad groups. The further we walked, we saw more and more of them. In fact, people all over were running around in their underwear!

We got to the restaurant as quickly as we could and tried to ignore the skivvies passing by the window. Cedars is a Lebanese/Moroccan restaurant. The setting is very exotic. They also have live bellydancers, which made me pretty uncomfortable for the guys who met us there. The meal was delicious- especially the lentil soup, lemon chicken, and hummus. However, the service was VERY slow. We finally got out at about 10:30.

We were relieved to get on a crowded train and away from the undie crowds shouting profanities about BYU and the angry street preacher man. Just when we thought we were out of it, a group of particularly skimpy undie wearers jumped in next to us and said they had to "get away from that weirdo." When I heard that and saw Tiffany's expression, I had to laugh.

To top things off, we soon realized that our train stops running to Daybreak after 10:30 and we would only be able to get to the Sandy station. Our friend's brother kindly picked us up and took us back to our cars- which were at two different stations- due to a miscommunication at the start of the night. Ha ha.

Crawling into bed just after midnight... I was grateful...to Eric for rescuing us, to Trisha for asking him to come, to Amy for being such a trooper when she wasn't feeling well, to Tiffany for keeping things light, and to Heavenly Father for the message given by Elder Uchtdorf and for helping us to have a safe and enjoyable evening despite all the craziness.

Local Harvest

On Monday night I went to a cooking class with my friend Laura Dawn. You can see pictures of the school's beautiful kitchen and read more about the class on her site. (Warning: May cause kitchen envy.) The classes at Viking Cooking school are normally $80-$90, but this was only $20 through Wasatch Gardens.

Wasatch Gardens is a local nonprofit group whose mission is "to empower people of all ages and incomes to grow and eat healthy, organic, local food." Living here in Utah, we are blessed to have many local farms and farmer's markets close by. Someday I will have my own garden and maybe my own chicken coop. For now I get my eggs from a couple of chicken farmers near work, and I get most of my produce at nearby farms or through a food coop. I love the challenge of using all of the fruits and veggies in the coop basket. This week we got broccoli, sweet potatoes, avocados, cucumbers, apples, apple pears, bananas, grapes, figs, and plums. Yum!!! I am planning to share recipes from the cooking classes on my food blog. For now here is one of my favorite recipes from the summer cooking school:

STRAWBERRY SALSA

2 1-pint baskets of fresh strawberries, hulled and chopped

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped

Stir the strawberries and honey in a large bowl. Let stand until berries release their juices, about 10 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and thyme. Chill at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours. Serve with vanilla ice cream

Note: This is for all you Californians. We may have lots of fresh produce here, but we still get our strawberries from your fields. :)

L'Orage by William Adolphe Bouguereau

I entered a beautiful home on Friday night where this painting hung over the mantelpiece. It was the first thing you noticed when you walked in, and I was intrigued. I wanted to know the story. I thought that it had to come from something in literature. My friend thought it was just about a couple of girls by the sea- turns out he was right. It is simply titled, "The Storm." There is no story other than the one you imagine. What do you think? Would you have given a more descriptive title? What story do you imagine?

An Obstacle Course

On Friday night I went to the Wild Horse and Burro Expo here in West Jordan. They had an Extreme Trail Challenge, which is basically an obstacle course for the gentled horses.

Horses have such unique personalities and each team approached the course in a unique way. Some horses seemed to ignore the obstacles, some walked or ran away, many tried to go around the obstacles. Some seemed to pay no attention

to the rider and just do whatever they pleased. As I watched, I thought of how each of us handles life's obstacle course.

Here are some of the things I learned from the horses and their riders:

1. Keep your focus on the goal, not the obstacles. Don't spend too much time analyzing or stewing over a particular challenge.

2. Trust your Master.

3. Keep moving forward. Cross over the river. Don't just sip the water.

4. Looks aren't everything. That golden Palomino was pretty to look at but not too impressive on the course.

5. Have fun! The youngest pair just trotted on through the course. They didn't succeed with every obstacle, but they didn't let failure slow them down. Youth might be an advantage because we have fewer fears and reservations and trust more easily.

6. Each success builds our confidence and faith and helps prepare us for the next challenge.

GratiTuesday

This one will be short since I am in the middle of finishing my last EMPA class. Woohoo!

Today I am grateful:

1) To live in such a beautiful area.

2) For warm evenings when everyone is out walking or riding their bikes. Just like tonight at Daybreak Lake.

3) For the BYU Women's Services Writing Retreat that I was able to attend on Friday, for free! You can check out their blog here.