Luck

Well, this will be the last post for eighteen months! I'm off to serve the Lord in Portland, Oregon :) My quote this week is about luck, but that word can be interchanged with blessings. “Some luck lies in not getting what you thought you wanted but getting what you have, which once you have got it you may be smart enough to see is what you would have wanted had you known.” -Garrison Keillor. I know that the Lord called me to this mission for a reason and I can't wait to see how it unfolds. If you would like to follow my mission blog, the address is: http://umbrellasandbicycles.blogspot.com/

Change

On Sunday I gave my 'farewell' talk since I will be serving an LDS mission starting next week. My topic was missionary work but I narrowed it down to change. One of my favorite quotes about change is by Henry B. Eyring: “Most of us have had some experience with self-improvement efforts. My experience has taught me this about how people and organizations improve: The best place to look is for small changes we could make in things we do often. There is power in steadiness and repetition. And if we can be led by inspiration to choose the right small things to change, consistent obedience will bring great improvement.” Something I have been working on changing lately is my public prayers. I tend to direct my words to the audience, rather than my Heavenly Father. I get too caught up in the perceptions of others as well as my wording that they aren’t really heart-felt. At least I’ve noticed that this is an area in which I can improve and have been striving diligently to become better. Next Tuesday will be my last post on this blog for eighteen months. I hope during that time I can facilitate the changing of others through the gospel of Jesus Christ as well as become a better, changed individual.

Attitude (+)

"A bad attitude is like a flat tire; you can't go anywhere until you change it." What a difference attitude makes! Nobody likes to be around a Negative Nelly. I've seen the power of a positive attitude in my life. And the best part about positive attitudes is, they're contagious! (See previous post about smiling) Is yours worth catching?

Live and Let Live

The quote for this week is by Thomas Murton: “The beginning of love is to let those we love be perfectly themselves, and not to twist them to fit our own image. Otherwise we love only the reflection of ourselves we find in them.” I really like the message from this quote. Sometimes I find myself attempting to mold others to fit my expectations. This is very flawed thinking; I need to accept others as they are—quirks, eccentricities, habits—and all. Furthermore, I find myself adapting to the different groups I spend time with, when I should always just be me. BE YOUrself. 

Smile :)

I don't have very much time, so this will be a quick post. I have a few quotes about smiling: "Smiles are contagious, let's start an epidemic." "Save an egg, crack a smile." "Your day goes the same way as the corners of your mouth." "You're not fully dressed until you're wearing a smile." "We all smile in the same language." When I see someone smile, I can't help but smile back :) Make sure to smile once in awhile! You may brighten someone's day.

Hymn Highlights

Wow, I’m really cutting it close this week—but it’s still Tuesday! (Barely) My quote this week comes from a song, or rather, a hymn. Uplifting music is a great way to feel the spirit. I love the line from the hymn “I Believe in Christ” (No. 134) in the fourth verse: “I believe in Christ; so come what may.” This sentence brings courage to me. I know that with Christ, all things are possible. As long as I believe in and trust Him, it doesn’t matter what comes my way; I’ll be able to get through it. Since this post is a little short right now and while I’m talking about hymns, I might as well include an excerpt from one of my favorite hymns. I discovered this hymn last year in institute. It’s hymn number 235: “Should You Feel Inclined to Censure”. I don’t think it’s very well known, but it’s a good one.  The word censure means judge. I think we all struggle a bit with judging. It’s how we make sense of the world around us; how we determine whether something is good or bad for us. However, sometimes it interferes with relationships. The part that hits me the hardest in this hymn is the last phrase: “…those of whom we thought unkindly oft become our warmest friends.” I know this holds true in my life; many times I have let judgments get in the way of friendships. I often realize I’ve become good friends with someone I’ve misjudged. I’m working on combating these initial thoughts so I can be more accepting of people I meet. 

Untapped Potential

I heard the following quote in my institute class last semester: “How often we are admonished not to waste time. What an absurdity. We can’t waste time, or spend it, or save it. It is like warning a fish in the ocean not to waste water. We have no influence at all on time, any more than we have on space. We are born in it; it surrounds us all. What we can waste—and do—is ourselves. The personal tragedy—the waste—lies in what we do not give, the efforts we do not make, the powers we do not use, the happiness we do not earn, the kindness we neglect to bestow, the noble though and deeds that could be ours if only we realized why we are here. You say you are wasting time. Correct yourself. Say, frankly; ‘I am wasting me.’” –Guideposts May 1959. This is one of my all-time favorite quotes; it’s so eloquently illustrated that I have but little to add. We have mounds and mounds of untapped potential, so what’s holding us back? I know for me, it’s daunting and overwhelming. We have so many other things we’re trying to keep up with: school, work, family and friends, exercise, and religion. To reach our potential we’ve just got to start small and keep going. If it’s too overwhelming, we won’t do anything. The best thing to do is break it down, make small goals, and be persistent. Pretty soon we’ll see that we’ve made progress.

Problems

Problems  Solutions: So, it's still Tuesday...barely. It's not that I forgot, I just hadn't decided what I wanted to write about. It's hard for me today to pinpoint exactly what I'm feeling, let alone a quote to go along with it. In flipping through my quote book though, I think I've found one that does a pretty good job of illustrating my mood. It's by Gordon B. Hinckley--what a wise man. "All of us have problems. We face them every day. How grateful I am that we have difficult things to wrestle with. They keep us young, if that is possible. They keep us alive. They keep us going. They keep us humble. They pull us down to our knees to ask the God of Heaven for help in solving them. Be grateful for your problems, and know that somehow there will come a resolution." I tend to focus a lot on my 'problems'. I don't know why I do this when there are so many other things I could be focusing on. Besides that, thinking about them won't change them anymore than complaining about something will fix it. If I invested half of the energy I use thinking about my 'problems' into serving others (or any other productively beneficial activity), I would be a lot happier. My wise roommate has taught me that everyone has things they're working on. What a great perspective to have! It's important to realize that everyone's doing the best they can.

Friends

Today’s quote is brought to us by C.S. Lewis: “In friendship, we think we have chosen our peers. In reality, a few years’ difference in the dates of our births, a few more miles between certain houses, the choice of one university instead of another...the accident of a topic being raised or not raised at a first meeting—any of these chances might have kept us apart. But, for a Christian, there are, strictly speaking, no chances. A secret Master of the Ceremonies has been at work. Christ, who said to the disciples ‘Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you,’ can truly say to every group of Christian friends ‘You have not chosen one another but I have chosen you for one another.’ ” This quote really resonates with me. I feel as though I have the friends I do for a reason. I have been blessed with great friends: my family members, my roommates, people I’ve met in my classes, ward members…the list goes on and on. Chances are, you’re one of them :) Thank you for the friendship you’ve shown me. 

Renovation

I decided it was time for my blog to have a makeover. Before this, I had all my quotes strewn about haphazardly in an unorganized fashion. So, I started from scratch and this is what I've got. From now on, I'm going to post a quote along with a personal experience, belief, or thought. I figure this will add more meaning, as well as give me an opportunity to get on my soapbox (who doesn't love that?)

Since I'm sort of talking about beginnings, I'm going to start where I began. Me. Jennifer Nicole King. I was born on November 30th, 1992 to a lovely mother: Katherine King. That's who this post is really about, because I wouldn't be anywhere without her. The quote to go along with this motherly tribute is by John A. Widtsoe: "I should never for a moment forget my duty towards my mother. She has made me who I am and will greatly influence the person I become. She has spent the better portion of her life in my behalf and I owe her all the honor, respect, and affection I can give." My love and appreciation for my mom seems to grow as I get older. I was a stinker of a teenager and didn't always give her the respect she deserves. I so desperately need her in my life! I love her. Go tell your mother how much you love her. I dare you.