Because I Love You...

I have a good friend who, a long time ago, gave me a book. It's called, "Because I Love You". (It's by Max Lucado, and it's FABULOUS. Read it.) She wrote this quote in the front cover: “You may think, who am I to be gorgeous and talented and wonderful? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your shrinking small doesn’t serve the world.” --Marianne Willamson

For a long time, I shrunk. I shrunk small, hoping that my talent and natural ability would be enough to get me through life. But then, once upon a time, Chamber orchestra had horrible (and I mean horrible) audience behavior during solos. And Mr. Beck gave us this huge talk on how we were better than that. He was right, of course—we are much better than that. I had been hiding in the back of the section for way too long. WHAT WAS WRONG WITH ME?!

Answer: I was shrinking small.

I had forgotten the reason I loved orchestra so much. Yes, it’s tons of fun. Yes, a lot of my friends do it. But you know why I started orchestra in the first place? Because I wanted to. Because I loved the cello. Because every time I sat down to play my instrument, I loved it. I have no idea when practicing became a chore, but the day we got that lecture, I decided to change. I decided to stop shrinking small and just be gorgeous and talented and wonderful. Because who am I not to be?

I will forever love Elton John and Tim Rice for writing the musical Aida. One of my favorite lines from the show is, "Nothing is an accident, we are free to have it all. We are what we want to be, it's in ourselves to rise or fall." I know that this is true. Sometimes we feel like shrinking small. Sometimes we feel less than what we are. But why? We can be what we want to be. It's in OURSELVES to rise or fall.

Please, stop shrinking small. The world needs people who aren't afraid to let their light shine.

My Therapy Session With Walt Disney

So...here's the deal. I love Disney. Like, I seriously love it. Wanna know why?

It's theuraputic.

I seriously believe that. On Tuesday, I watched Mulan and Hercules, the two best Disney movies ever made. And after the pressures of everyday life, it's so nice to just return to my childhood days and watch the shows that, in a way, make me who I am.

I know, it sounds cheesy. But let's be honest here. Disney was my childhood. I wanted to be strong like Mulan, sassy like Jasmine, smart like Belle...not to mention have a handsome prince to sweep me off my feet. What little girl doesn't wish that?

So what's the point, you ask? The point is that you don't always have to be Superman. You don't always have to be perfect. It's hard...and WAY stressful! Forget that. Wanna know my some of my favorite stress relievers?

Eat ice cream.

Watch Disney movies.

Swing on a swingset.

Sing at the top of your lungs.

Play with little kids.

Smile.

And lots, lots more.

Relax. Have fun. Don't sweat the small stuff. And most of all, just enjoy life. :)

Looking for Refuge?

So here's the thing: spending your day at the temple is absolutely marvelous.

Nope, not kidding. I was at various temples, or driving to them, for several hours today. I visited 3 different temples with some wonderful girls.

Some people worry that when you visit several temples in one day, you miss the point of going to the temple. You start to focus on the number of temples you can go to instead of feeling the Spirit. However, I didn't have that problem. Each temple we visited was it's own uniquely beautiful, soul-cleansing experience. President Gordon B. Hinckley says that each time we visit the temple, we leave a better person. THIS IS TRUE. The temple strengthens you and helps you to be strong in the gospel.

Moral of the story: the temple is incredible. It's a sanctuary, which is defined in Webster's Dictionary as "a refuge for wildlife where predators are controlled and hunting is illegal". Sounds weird, I know. But seriously--predators (Satan) are controlled and hunting (Satan trying to pull you down) is illegal. It can't happen! Go as much as you can. You will become a better person. :)