Challenge Your Fears

So I was in institute yesterday when something was discussed that really caught my attention. We talked about how the things that scare us most are the things that we need to do to succeed and to change ourselves. As I've been contemplating this subject off and on for the last couple hours I came to the realization that just because I'm scared something doesn't mean that I should let it hold me back from doing what I should do. And when I go back and look on the experience it will make me stronger because I was able to conquer my fears.

A Movie Plus Volleyball

So for Family Home Evening tonight my ward went to the visitors center at the temple and watched the movie Only A Stone Cutter. I had never seen it before and was very impressed by it's message. It is the story of John Rowe Moyle. He was an immigrant from England and came across with one of the very first handcart companies. He was also one of the first people to settle what would become Alpine, Utah. After he arrived in Utah and settled in and started his farm he received a calling to work as a stone mason on the Salt Lake Temple. It was a 22 mile walk from his farm to Salt Lake a walk that he made week after week without fail. Even when he lost a leg due to an accident on his farm he fashioned a leg for himself and kept going to complete his calling. One of the things that stood out to me the most in this movie was that when his wife told him after he lost his leg that there were plenty of stone masons to fulfill the work on the lords house he looked at her and said, "But it is my calling to fulfill not anyone else's."

It's that example that I want to follow in my life. I want to be able to say, "It was my calling to fulfill and I am proud to say I fulfilled it." It has kind of put made me think about what I can do to fulfill any of my callings. Even in adversity I should be putting an effort in to fulfilling my calling completely.

After the movie we went to the Institute building the original plan was to have hot chocolate and socialize but another ward invited us to join them and so we had ice cream and pizza and played volleyball. I think I probably played for ten minutes before I decided that I liked watching more. And not to mention I felt like I was going to fall on my face every couple minutes. It was fun to watch other members of my ward play. They had a pretty good game going that was fun to watch.

I also got to see one of my really good friends at the visitors center that I haven't seen for awhile. It was good to see her and to be able to talk and hang out with her.

Lessons Learned

Happy New Years everyone! (15 days late of course but that's ok!) With a new year I hope to start with a new me. A song has playing around in my song for a couple weeks now and it's called Lessons Learned by Carrie Underwood. Here are the lyrics.

There's some things that I regret,

Some words I wish had gone unsaid,

Some starts,

That had some better endings,

Been some bad times I've been through,

Damage I cannot undo.

Some things,

I wish I could do all all over again,

But it don't really matter,

When life gets that much harder,

It makes you that much stronger,

Oh, some pages turned,

Some bridges burned,

But there were,

Lessons learned.

And every tear that had to fall from my eyes,

And everyday I wondered how I'd get through the night,

Every change, life has thrown me,

I'm thankful, for every break in my heart,

I'm grateful, for every scar,

Some pages turned,

Some bridges burned,

But there were lessons learned.

There's mistakes that I have made,

Some chances I just threw away,

Some roads,

I never should have taken,

Been some signs I didn't see,

Hearts that I hurt needlessly,

Some wounds,

That I wish I could have one more chance to mend,

But it don't make no difference,

The past can't be rewritten,

You get the life you're given,

Oh, some pages turned,

Some bridges burned,

But there were,

Lessons learned.

And every tear that had to fall from my eyes,

And everyday I wondered how I'd get through the night,

Every change, life has thrown me,

I'm thankful, for every break in my heart,

I'm grateful, for every scar,

Some pages turned,

Some bridges burned,

But there were lessons learned.

And all the things that break you,

Are the things that make you strong!

You can't change the past,

Cause it's gone.

And you just gotta move on,

Because it's all

Lessons learned.

And every tear that had to fall from my eyes,

From everyday I wondered how I'd get through the night,

From every change, life has thrown me.

I'm thankful, for every break in my heart,

I'm grateful, for every scar,

Some pages turned,

Some bridges burned,

But there were lessons learned,

Oh, some pages turned,

Some bridges burned,

But there were lessons learned,

Lessons learned.

Lessons learned.

The part that I think of the most is in the chorus when it says, Some pages turned, some bridges burned, but there were lessons learned.

In my life I want to be able to say that through everything I go through I can say I'm thankful for every break in my heart, I'm grateful for every scar. Because I can recognize that there were some pages turned, some bridges burned, but there were lessons learned.

In my blog I would like to record the lessons learned on my journey that we called life. The good, the bad, the happy, the sad. And hopefully these things that I learn can help someone else.