GIVEAWAY!

It is the season of giving!  You have the chance to win an 11x14 print of either the Bountiful Temple or Salt Lake Temple!  Photo taken by R & L Photography.

To enter go to my facebook page https://www.facebook.com/liftingthesoul and comment on the giveaway post!

The giveaway ends Dec. 18 !  Good luck!

If you are the winner the photo you choose will come to you without the watermark on it. 

 Any copying or printing of these photos with watermark and without permission or purchase from R & L Photography is prohibited by law

When to Stay or Go

We are taught that we should NEVER give up on anyone.  And I believe that with all my heart.  But there do come times in our lives, when we simply, or not so simply, have to walk away.  Walking away does not symbolize "giving up".  But as I have learned, sometimes for our own salvation, well being or happiness, we must leave a relationship behind.  It is never an easy thing to do.  In fact, it can be one of the hardest things you may ever do.  But it does not mean you have given up on the person you have to leave behind.  You can still pray for them, you can still have fond memories and you can still be a good person.

This is something I have struggled with.  Because I like to help people. I like to serve my Father in Heaven by serving and loving those around me.  By helping them know the love the peace our Savior brings.  I cannot expect them to follow my same path. And I don't.  I hope that they will feel what I feel, but I cannot make them.  I offer advice for things that have helped me in my life, because that is what I have to give.  If something has helped shape my life, and made me have true joy, OF COURSE I want to share that.  But I understand that we are here to choose our own paths, make our own choices and live our own lives.  And though I love to be a good friend, and love those around me, I have had to walk away.  It has not been easy, it has been very painful.  But through sincere prayer in searching for my answers, I know I made the right choice.  But right choices are not always easy.

With faith, I can do hard things.  Our Savior loves each of us equally.  But he knows we are stubborn and weak mortals.  We are not expected to be perfect, that is what is so comforting and beautiful.  Our journey may be difficult, but through endurance and much faith, the reward will be worth the long journey.  Our Savior puts opportunities in our paths to help or be helped.  It is up to us to follow the promptings we are given.  And when we are the helper, it is up to us to listen intently to know and understand the things we should do.  But sometimes, our help is not invited or welcomed as we hope.  But we keep trying, as long as we can.  Sometimes we help forever.  Other times we must think of our family and their's and our own well being. If it becomes dangerous, dark or starts to bring us down, those are times we get down on our knees and pray for guidance.  So we can know if we should Stay or Go.  And if the answer is to go....pray, pray for comfort, pray for strength, and do the things the Savior needs you to do. Though you yourself have to walk away, our Savior has not left them.  And we can pray for them always.  If your answer is to stay, do the same thing and pray.

This is something I have learned. There those who desire to lead us astray, at those times we must listen to the whispering's of the Spirit and trust in the knowledge and love of our Heavenly Father and our Savior.  They do know what is best for us.  They also know that the journey may be a difficult one.  That is why they have assured us that they are there for us.....Always.

Never Give Up on anyone, true, and that includes yourself.

Who Will You Be?

When I was 12 years old, I entered those life changing doors of Jr. High.  I was a skinny nerdy girl, who was terrified of the unknown.  I of course made lifelong friends in there.  But I also realized, not everyone was going to like me.  And I learned that very quickly.

 It was the week just after the first snow of the year and I had gone sledding that weekend.  As I entered the doors of the classroom I saw a girl, who I had seen at the park.  So with a smile on my face, I turned to her and said, "Hey!  I saw you sledding!" I thought I was about to make a new friend.....oh no, that was not the case.  She must have heard me wrong.  Now, this girl was much taller and larger than I was, and she glared at  me with so much anger, I instinctively just started to RUN!  She then began chasing me screaming horrible names at me and things she was going to do to me.  I ran into the bathroom and hid in a stall.  She came bursting through the door, still screaming.  "I KNOW YOU'RE IN HERE!  I'M GONNA HURT YOU SO BAD!" I was shaking in absolute fear, wondering why telling her I saw her sledding made her so angry?  I heard the 2 min bell ring, and I prayed she would leave so she would not be late to class.  "I'M NOT LEAVING UNTIL YOU COME OUT!", she screamed.  And then the toilet in the stall next to me began to overflow, seriously this moment just kept getting worse.  Until, a voice yelled back at this girl that was threatening my very life saying, "SHOULDN'T YOU BE IN CLASS? GET OUT OF HERE AND LEAVE HER ALONE!" The girl in route to my very destruction tried to argue back, but this voice won the argument.  I don't remember what was said, but she left. She actually let me live!  Then there was a knock at the stall door, "Hey are you ok?" I unlocked it.  Her name is Erin, and she walked right through that toilet water that was all over the floor and rescued me.  She hugged me and told me she would walk me back to my class to make sure I would be safe.  She was my hero!  And I bet she does not even remember that moment, but I will never forget it, and I will always be thankful to her for the rest of my life.  Because though I don't think the girl would have actually killed me, I would have been injured for sure.  So Erin, Thank You!  From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU!

Jr. High was not an easy place for me.  But there were always those people who made it better.  Who were not the bully's.  I had other moments in Jr. High that were not pleasant, but thankfully that was the only time my life ever felt threatened.  And with great parents and faith in my Father in Heaven and my Savior and a few friends, I made it through all in one piece.

So I ask you, who are you going to be? The one who traps someone in a stall? Or saves the one hiding? There are always going to be those who strive to put us down.  But we can make the choice how we choose to react.  I for one hope to always be willing to help the one in need.  Because I think it is what our Heavenly Father and Savior, Jesus Christ would want us to do.  Be the hero, not the enemy.


  There are times in our lives when we feel scared and threatened, beat up and put down, lost and angry, sad and lonely, helpless and afraid.  But in those times, if we turn to our Heavenly Father in prayer, we can make it.  We can overcome the battle that has brought us down and get back up.  Will it be easy?  Probably not.  But it will be worth it? Yes.  I look back at my many challenges in life, and though I wish I never had to go through any of them, I am who I am because of them.  They made me stronger and more understanding and compassionate to those around me.  And I know there will still be challenges ahead, and I pray daily that I can have more strength to overcome my weaknesses and more strength to make it through it all.  Life is scary, but it is also beautiful.  Remember we are NEVER alone, we have a Savior who loves us, and has felt and experienced our pains.  He will be there to buoy us up in our time of need.  This I promise you.

His Love is UnFailing

Life on this earth can be hard, at times completely overwhelming and devastating.  But we must do our best to keep faith, and remember that the Savior will not forsake us.  He is there to buoy us up, comfort us, hold us and bless us.  We must remember that he knows and feels our pains.  Though people on this earth may not fully understand what we feel, or what we are going through.  Our Savior does.  I myself have needed this reminder many times in my life.  And I am sure I will need it again and again.  The words of President Henry B. Eyring are inspiring and warm.  Take comfort in them.  Know, that you are a child of God and that your troubles do not go unnoticed by our Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ.  He will place people and tools in your paths to help you.  I know this to be true.  I know that our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are continually mindful of our needs.  We are never forgotten, we are loved.

Being a Mother

I am a mother........the thing I have always wanted to be.  Today has been a trying day for me.  One of those days where I long for bedtime to come.  As I sat in tears tonight over the trying day I have had.  I watched this video.

Being a mother is not an easy job.  But it is so rewarding.......I know this.  I KNOW THIS.  I hope this brings you comfort and peace tonight.

Love to all my readers.

Daughters of God

HELLO!  It has been a long time since I have written on this blog.  And for those who read it, I am sorry.

Today is the Sabbath day.  A day of worship and a day of rest.  And so, as my children nap or have quiet time.....hopefully, I thought I would finally get back to this blog.  It is a healing thing for me.  And also helps me reflect on the things that are most important in my life.

Today in Relief Society, the lesson was about the Priesthood.  Women in the Church do not hold the Priesthood.  And for those who do not understand may think, that that is not fair.  I myself have no problem with it.  And here is why.

When I was little, I remember seeing the young men pass the Sacrament.  I remembering thinking, "I can't wait until I can do that!"  And then I was told that the girls don't pass the sacrament.  You need the priesthood to do that.  But, it did not mean I was any less important or less equal to those who can hold the priesthood.  I have callings and duties that are just as equal and vital to the building up of the Kingdom of God.  I have never felt dominated or that I have had to submit myself to those who hold the priesthood, because that is simply not the case.

As women in the church, we have a duty to support and sustain our priesthood leaders, as long as they are righteous in the use of their priesthood.  We are to teach the children the importance of the gospel, to know and love their Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ.  We must also remember that the men in our lives would not be able to fulfill their priesthood duties without the women of the church.  Our role is just as vital as theirs.  Never let yourself feel like you are less.  Because you are not.  I know this to be true.  I know that our Heavenly Father holds his daughters with so much love and so much pride.  We are of so much worth to him and to those men we sustain in the righteous use of their priesthood.  We are Daughters of God.