Of Regrets and Resolutions

Hello sisters,
I am fairly certain that if I asked you if you had any regrets, the answer would be a resounding YES. What would I do differently if I could do it all again? How would I change? Have I made amends for those I might have wronged?  It is easy to sit and look at what we have done wrong but then that sends us into the land of negativity and we can flounder in there for way too long! No one leaves this earth without something wrong or a glance back to realize we could have done something better, but this talk shared by Sister Erickson focuses on what we should be doing. Elder Uchtdorf tries to help us make some easy changes that will bring more happiness into our lives.
"The more we devote ourselves to the pursuit of holiness and happiness, the less likely we will be on a path to regrets."- - - -the less downward spiraling.

"When we are young, it seems that we will live forever. We think there is a limitless supply of sunrises waiting just beyond the horizon, and the future looks to us like an unbroken road stretching endlessly before us.

However, the older we get, the more we tend to look back and marvel at how short that road really is. We wonder how the years could have passed so quickly. And we begin to think about the choices we made and the things we have done. In the process, we remember many sweet moments that give warmth to our souls and joy to our hearts. But we also remember the regrets—the things we wish we could go back and change."

 Some of the most common regrets are 1. Spend more time with family and loved ones 2. Being able to live up to my potential 3. I wish I would have allowed myself to be happier.

1.Are we so busy that we don't make time for the really important things in life? If we look toward the Savior's life again, we can see that he did not rush about, harried and not taking time to care about the necessities. How urgently did he live, if we study his life in the Bible? Granted, his history has been translated more than a few times, but through study and also reading the other books of scriptures, I think we get a pretty good feel of the peace the Savior made part of his daily routine. Don't rely upon a casual social media comment to connect with the important people in life.

2.Too many songs left unsung? Begin humming right away. Joy arrives with gusto when we allow who we really are to be unleashed. Maybe we need to moderate our tunes occasionally but none of us should leave this earth with our potential still locked up. Our Father in Heaven knows who we can really be and where we can go if we use our god given potential. It may takes years to find out what those talents are and they may change along the way but we should never deny what the Lord has given us.

"When it comes to living the gospel, we should not be like the boy who dipped his toe in the water and then claimed he went swimming. As sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father, we are capable of so much more. For that, good intentions are not enough. We must do. Even more important, we must become what Heavenly Father wants us to be.

Declaring our testimony of the gospel is good, but being a living example of the restored gospel is better. Wishing to be more faithful to our covenants is good; actually being faithful to sacred covenants—including living a virtuous life, paying our tithes and offerings, keeping the Word of Wisdom, and serving those in need—is much better. Announcing that we will dedicate more time for family prayer, scripture study, and wholesome family activities is good; but actually doing all these things steadily will bring heavenly blessings to our lives.

Discipleship is the pursuit of holiness and happiness. It is the path to our best and happiest self."

Do you remember that expression "just do it." ? I think there may be some power in that after reading the above quote. If we will heed the promptings of our Heavenly Father, he will guide us to fulfill our measure of creation.

3."I wish I had let myself be happier." How can we turn away from that gift of happiness, that feeling of well being, of allowing ourselves to appreciate all the has come our way? I know that people say that when you don't have "things" you can't be happy, but we also know that having is not the mark of happiness.  No one can make you sad or happy; that choice is yours. I remember my mother telling me to relax one day amongst 3 small children. I told her I could do that after the 3 got bigger. I am "happy" to say that I was happy then but I can definitely be happy today as well, AND more relaxed ( as grandmothers can say).

"Sometimes in life we become so focused on the finish line that we fail to find joy in the journey. I don’t go cycling with my wife because I’m excited about finishing. I go because the experience of being with her is sweet and enjoyable.

Doesn’t it seem foolish to spoil sweet and joyful experiences because we are constantly anticipating the moment when they will end?

Do we listen to beautiful music waiting for the final note to fade before we allow ourselves to truly enjoy it? No. We listen and connect to the variations of melody, rhythm, and harmony throughout the composition.

Do we say our prayers with only the “amen” or the end in mind? Of course not. We pray to be close to our Heavenly Father, to receive His Spirit and feel His love.

We shouldn’t wait to be happy until we reach some future point, only to discover that happiness was already available—all the time! Life is not meant to be appreciated only in retrospect. “This is the day which the Lord hath made … ,” the Psalmist wrote. “Rejoice and be glad in it."

Live for today. See clearly. Make a new friend. Sing your favorite song.

Your happy bloggess,

Janice