I have been putting my favorite quotes into a schedule so that I can be inspired as I go through my day, and remember the things that matter most. This is kind of long, but I just couldn't leave any of these out. Enjoy!
My Day
“A good woman knows that she does not have enough time, energy, or
opportunity to take care of all of the people or do all of the worthy things
her heart yearns to do. Life is not calm for most women, and each day seems to
require the accomplishment of a million things, most of which are important. A
good woman must constantly resist alluring and deceptive messages from many
sources telling her that she is entitled to more time away from her
responsibilities and that she deserves a life of greater ease and independence.
But with personal revelation, she can prioritize correctly and navigate this
life confidently. The ability to qualify
for, receive, and act on personal revelation is the single most important skill
that can be acquired in this life.”
-Julie B. Beck, “And upon
the Handmaids in Those Days Will I Pour Out My Spirit”
Personal Gospel Study
"The men who have done the most
for God in this world have been early on their knees. He who fritters away the
early morning, its opportunity and freshness, in other pursuits than seeking
God will make poor headway seeking Him the rest of the day. If God is not first
in our thoughts and efforts in the morning, He will be in the last place the
remainder of the day."
-E.M.
Bounds
“The only way you can be
sure that a busy schedule doesn’t crowd out scripture study is to establish a
regular time to study the scriptures. I have found that the beginning of the
day and the end of the day are mine. Those are times I can usually control. So
my pattern since I was a boy has been to read my scriptures at the beginning
and end of the day. I read the Book of Mormon many times before I was 18
because of that pattern. When I am in situations
where I break out of the pattern, it’s hard on me. Once you get used to regular
scripture study, you miss it if you don’t have it. It’s like food—you have to
have it. I know that I need the scriptures like I need food. I don’t miss a
regular meal, and I don’t miss regular scripture study.”
–Henry B. Eyring
"My devotions gave the day its
energy... It is proof that I remember Him, depend on His mercy, which is so
thankfully new every morning. It is evidence that I trust Him. It is because my days are so busy that I
have kept myself from the God-can-wait syndrome. I need my heavenly Father and so I seek Him early. Prayers are the
wings of the soul. They bear the Christian far from earth, out of its cares,
its woes and its perplexities, into glorious serenity." – Karen Andreola, Pocketful of Pinecones
“I know a good member of the Church who has a
successful marriage and six beautiful children. She is trying to be the best
companion she can be to her husband and the best mother she can be to her
children. She is an effective Young Women leader in her ward. But sometimes she
feels she isn’t good enough. She becomes discouraged and feels an emptiness of
soul.
She came to me one day with her husband and
described the powerlessness she feels at such times. She had discussed her
concern with her priesthood leaders and especially her husband but had yet to
find relief. I suggested that after her husband left for work and their
children were in school, she find a place in her home and there reverently and
humbly visit with Heavenly Father. I suggested that she express her gratitude
to God for her blessings and then wait for His holy inspiration. She committed
to do this daily. Sometime later I
received a letter from her. She said that as she went to her knees in those
quiet moments each day and dropped her burden at Heavenly Father’s feet, He
took her concerns away. She felt of her great worth to Him and learned more of
‘the healer’s art’ as He healed her soul.”
– Opening
the Heavens, By Elder Yoshihiko
Kikuchi, Of the Seventy
“Mother was a great
teacher who was diligent and thorough in her preparation. I have distinct
memories of the days preceding her lessons. The dining room table would be
covered with reference materials and the notes she was preparing for her
lesson. There was so much material prepared that I’m sure only a small portion
of it was ever used during the class, but I’m just as sure that none of her
preparation was ever wasted. How can I be sure about this? As I flipped through
the pages of her notebooks, it was as if I were hearing my mother teach me one
more time. Again, there was too much in her notebooks on any single topic to
ever share in a single class session, but what she didn’t use in her class she
used to teach her children.”
– Elder L. Tom
Perry, Mothers Teaching Children in the
Home
Family Scripture Study & Prayer
“Parents must bring
light and truth into their homes by one family prayer, one scripture study
session, one family home evening, one book read aloud, one song, and one family
meal at a time. They know that the influence of righteous, conscientious, persistent,
daily parenting is among the most powerful and sustaining forces for good in
the world. The health of any society, the happiness of its people, their
prosperity, and their peace all find common roots in the teaching of children
in the home.” –
L.
Tom Perry, Mothers Teaching Children in
the Home
Morning Chores & Meal Prep Time
Prayer, Scriptures, Dressed, Hair, Bed, Bedroom, Upstairs
Zone, Trash/hamper/hangers, Laundry, Farm Chore
I make breakfast, start dinner, and do sprouts, kefir,
juicing
“We should never be discouraged in
those daily tasks which God has ordained to the common lot of man. Each day’s
labor should be undertaken in a joyous spirit and with the thought and
conviction that our happiness and eternal welfare depend upon doing well that
which we ought to do, that which God has made it our duty to do.” – President Joseph F. Smith
Breakfast
“Family mealtimes should be informal
and cheerful occasions in which everyone feels welcome to participate in
discussions. Where possible, this time should be free from other distractions.
Such occasions can contribute to the unity and spiritual growth of the family.”
– Teaching, No Greater Call
After meal jobs, Prepare for School
Kitchen
job, zone, brush teeth
“Mothers who know are nurturers.
This is their special assignment and role under the plan of happiness.5
To nurture means to cultivate, care for, and make grow. Therefore, mothers who
know create a climate for spiritual and temporal growth in their homes. Another
word for nurturing is homemaking. Homemaking includes cooking,
washing clothes and dishes, and keeping an orderly home. Home is where women
have the most power and influence; therefore, Latter-day Saint women should be
the best homemakers in the world. Working beside children in homemaking tasks
creates opportunities to teach and model qualities children should emulate.
Nurturing mothers are knowledgeable, but all the education women attain will
avail them nothing if they do not have the skill to make a home that creates a
climate for spiritual growth. Growth happens best in a “house of order,” and
women should pattern their homes after the Lord’s house (see D&C 109).
Nurturing requires organization, patience, love, and work. Helping growth occur
through nurturing is truly a powerful and influential role bestowed on women.”
–Julie B. Beck
Exercise
"Anyone who reads a newspaper
or magazine is constantly reminded that proper diet, appropriate exercise, and
plenty of rest increase our daily capacities as well as our life span. But all
too many of us put off even these minimal efforts, thinking our family, our
neighbors, and our other many responsibilities come first. Yet in doing so, we put
at risk the thing these people need most from us: our healthiest, happiest,
heartiest self. When they ask for bread, let us not be so weary and unhealthy
that we give them a stone.
The issue…is accepting that we are worth the time and effort it takes to
achieve the full measure of our creation, and believing that it is not selfish,
wrong, or evil. It is, in fact, essential to our spiritual development. We know that exercise gives almost instant
relief from tension. We know that if we give up caffeine and sugar, stop
smoking, and give up being workaholics we can relieve stress. … Some people
think that someone else will take the responsibility- their parents, their
friends, their spouse, maybe even Mother Nature. But if you don't take care of
yourself, no one else will…"
– Jeffrey R. Holland and Patricia T. Holland,
On Earth As It Is in Heaven, p.66
“The
healthy man, who takes care of his physical being, has strength and vitality;
his temple is a fit place for his spirit to reside. It is necessary, therefore, to care for our
physical bodies, and observe the laws of physical health and happiness.”
–David
O. McKay, “The Whole Man”, Era Apr. 1952
“I have never in thirty-five years of practice treated a man or woman who has
had a recreational hobby that involved regular large muscle exercise. And
what’s more, I never will, because physical exercise provides the escape for
pent-up emotional pressures. No classes in our universities compare in
importance to the classes that teach people how to enjoy and partake of these
necessary recreational activities.”
-Dr.
Leonard Himler of the University of Michigan School of Public Health, a noted
psychiatrist
School begins
“Let us never lose sight of the fact
that education is a preparation for life--and that preparing for life is far
more than knowing how to make a living or how to land on the moon. Preparing
for life means building personal integrity, developing a sound sense of values,
increasing the capacity and willingness to serve. Education must have its roots
in moral principles. If we lose sight of that fact in our attempt to match our
educational system against that of the materialists, we shall have lost far
more than we could possibly gain." –
Ezra Taft Benson (The Red Carpet, p. 177)
Devotional
“Our children should be
indoctrinated in the principles of the Gospel from their earliest childhood.
They should be made familiar with the contents of the Bible, the Book of Mormon
and the Book of Doctrine and Covenants. These
should be their chief textbooks, and everything should be done to establish
and promote in their hearts genuine faith in God, in His Gospel and its
ordinances, and in His works. But under our common school system this is not
possible.”
– Wilford
Woodruff, Messages of the First Presidency, Jun. 8, 1888
Personal Gospel Study Time
“Do you want to feel the love of God more
powerfully in your life? Do you want to feel more in tune with His Spirit? Do
you want to have the heavens opened to you daily? There is a way you can feel a daily renewal of
God’s everlasting love and drink from “the fountain of living waters”
(1 Nephi 11:25). It follows a pattern set by the Prophet Joseph Smith when
he went to a grove of trees early one morning in 1820 seeking answers to his
questions. I speak of a morning devotional time spent in prayer, meditation,
and scripture study. If you have a devotional every morning, even if only for a
few minutes, you will be deeply blessed. I know this to be true.” – Opening
the Heavens, By Elder Yoshihiko
Kikuchi
Education
“Charlotte Mason wrote, ‘Education
is an atmosphere, a discipline, and a life.’ By identifying this three-fold
aspect of learning, she claimed that as much as one third of education is the
discipline of habit. She implored, ‘The mother who takes pains to endow her
children with good habits secures for herself smooth and easy days; on the
other hand, she who lets habits take care of themselves has a weary life of
endless friction.’ This is because if we ‘fail to ease life by laying down
habits of right thinking and right doing, habits of wrong thinking and wrong
doing [cement] themselves [in place] of their own accord.’ We begin with an
awareness of any repeated action becoming either a bad habit or a good one. The
actions she wishes repeated (the good ones) become a mother’s endowment.” –
Karen Andreola, Mother Culture
“The Lord and His Church have always encouraged education to
increase our ability to serve Him and our Heavenly Father’s children. For each
of us, whatever our talents, He has service for us to give. And to do it well
always involves learning, not once or for a limited time, but
continually.” – Henry B. Eyring,
“Education for Real Life,” Ensign, Oct. 2002, 14.
“My mother understood
the value of teaching her children about standards, values, and doctrine while
they were young. While she was grateful to others who taught her children
outside the home at either school or church, she recognized that parents are
entrusted with the education of their children and, ultimately, parents must
ensure that their children are being taught what their Heavenly Father would
have them learn. My siblings and I were quizzed very carefully by our mother
after we had been taught away from the home to be certain the correct lessons
were reaching our ears and shaping our minds.
I used to think some
days as I ran home from school that I was through learning for the day, but
this illusion was quickly destroyed when I saw my mother standing at the door
waiting for me. When we were young, we each had a desk in the kitchen where we
could continue to be taught by her as she performed household duties and
prepared supper. She was a natural teacher and far more demanding of us than
our teachers at school and church.
The scope of Mother’s
teaching included both secular and spiritual lessons. She made sure none of us
were falling behind in our schoolwork, which she would often supplement. She
also would practice her Relief Society lessons with us. We, of course, received
the unabridged versions found in her notebooks, not the abridged versions that
had to fit in a single class period.” -Mothers
Teaching Children in the Home, L. Tom Perry, Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
“And, verily I say unto you, that it is my
will that you should…obtain a knowledge of history, and of countries, and of
kingdoms, of laws of God and man, and all this for the salvation of Zion…” –
D&C 93:53
“It is a duty we owe to our children
to educate and train them in every principle of honor and good manners, in a
knowledge of God and his ways” –Brigham
Young
Pray for and Love Each Child
“Motherhood
isn’t about doing things, it’s about nurturing children” – unknown
“I know of a mother who used her
nurturing power to strengthen and bless a son and bring him back to Church
activity. At age 18 the son announced that he did not intend to serve a
mission. His activity in the Church dwindled. But the mother had faith, and she
was a powerful nurturer. Every morning at 4:00 a.m., when her son got up to go
to work, the mother arose at the same hour. She lovingly prepared a breakfast
for him and packed a large lunch that he could take with him. She sat with him
while he ate his breakfast and listened as he talked through his struggles in
those dawn hours. This went on month after month for more than a year. Then one
morning the son told his mother he was going to make the changes necessary to
qualify to serve a mission. She listened morning after morning as he talked
about his feelings and challenges, encouraged him as he met with the bishop,
and fed him at her table in her consecrated home. Eventually her son received a
mission call. He served an honorable mission and continued into temple marriage
and faithful fatherhood. He later said of the mighty change that took place in
his heart: “I could not resist the love of my mother. The pull she had on my
spirit during those reflective early morning breakfasts was too powerful to
resist.” – Julie B. Beck
“My plea—and I wish I were more eloquent in
voicing it—is a plea to save the children. Too many of them walk with pain and
fear, in loneliness and despair. Children need sunlight. They need happiness.
They need love and nurture. They need kindness and refreshment and affection.
Every home, regardless of the cost of the house, can provide an environment of
love which will be an environment of salvation.”
-
President Gordon B. Hinckley
12:00
Lunch & clean up
“Picture a family gathering around a
table to eat, talking about the gospel, talking about the sacrament meeting
speakers and messages, talking about the current Ensign or New Era, talking
about school with all of its ramifications, talking about general conference,
talking about the Sunday School lessons, listening to good music, talking about
Jesus Christ and his teachings. The list could be expanded. Not only parents,
but all family members would be wise to listen at the table carefully, making
certain that each person present has ample opportunity to participate. To
have a time when the family meets at the kitchen table may take considerable adjustment and careful planning, but what
could be of more importance than the unity of the family, the spiritual growth
of the family, the bridges built between members of a family as they talk,
listen, and respond, all surrounded by love? Our major success is simply
trying—over and over.”
– LeGrand R. Curtis, Apr
1995 General Conference
Housework
Kitchen
Jobs, Brush Teeth, Zones, Floors, Deep Clean Jobs, Service
President David O.
McKay taught: “The home is the first and
most effective place for children to learn the lessons of life: truth, honor,
virtue, self-control; the value of education, honest work, and the purpose and
privilege of life. Nothing can take the place of home in rearing and teaching
children, and no other success can compensate for failure in the home.”
(Family Home Evening Manual 1968–69, p.
iii.)
“We earnestly call upon members of the Church
everywhere to clean up and beautify their homes, surroundings, farms, and
places of business. Our homes and our
buildings are showcases of what we believe. They should be attractive and give
every indication of cleanliness, orderliness, and self-esteem. We urge that this improvement begin
immediately and that procedures be
established for maintaining our homes, buildings, and surroundings so that
they always bespeak the high standards of the Church which we embrace.” –First
Presidency, 1974
Make Our Home Sacred
In the
Bible Dictionary we read, “Only the home can compare with the temple in
sacredness.”
Quiet Time, Naps, Free Time, Outside Time
“I encourage you children of the Church to find
quiet times to think and to talk to Heavenly Father. Quiet time can be reading,
painting, fishing, or building a fort outside. You don’t have to be alone; you
can have friends or family with you. As you spend time away from television and
computer games, you will develop your relationship with Heavenly Father, and
you will learn that the Church is true.” –Elder R. Conrad Schultz, Friend to
Friend: “Quiet Times”, Nov. 2003 Friend
My Study Time
German, Web Design, Parenting Books, Piano, Family History
“Develop some intellectual
curiosity. If you have it, you will never be bored. If you haven't, cultivate
it, hold fast to it. Never let it go. To
the intellectually curious, the world will always be full of magic, full of
wonder. You will be interesting to your friends, to your spouse,
and a joy to your children. You will be alive to all the wonderful
possibilities of this world.”
–
Marjorie Pay Hinckley
Snack Time
“What need
additional emphasis are the positive aspects--the need for vegetables, fruits,
and grains, particularly wheat. In most cases, the closer these can be, when
eaten, to their natural state-- without overrefinement and processing--the
healthier we will be. To a significant degree, we are an overfed and
undernourished nation digging an early grave with our teeth, and lacking the
energy that could be ours because we overindulge in junk foods. We need a
generation of young people who, as Daniel, eat in a more healthy manner than to
fare on the "king's meat"-- and whose countenances show it.”
–Ezra Taft Benson , In His Steps, BYU Speeches of
the Year, March 1979
Enjoy My Family
“…What can you
do, as a young mother, to reduce the pressure and enjoy your family more?
First, recognize
that the joy of motherhood comes in moments. There will be hard times and
frustrating times. But amid the challenges, there are shining moments of joy
and satisfaction.
Second, don’t
overschedule yourselves or your children. We live in a world that is filled
with options. Families need unstructured
time when relationships can deepen and real parenting can take place. Take time
to listen, to laugh, and to play together.
Third, even as you try to cut out the extra
commitments, sisters, find some time for
yourself to cultivate your gifts and interests. Pick one or two things that
you would like to learn or do that will enrich your life, and make time for
them. Water cannot be drawn from an empty well, and if you are not setting
aside a little time for what replenishes you, you will have less and less to
give to others, even to your children. … don’t allow yourself to be caught up
in the time-wasting, mind-numbing things like television soap operas or surfing
the Internet. Turn to the Lord in faith, and you will know what to do and how
to do it.
Fourth, pray,
study, and teach the gospel. Pray deeply about your children and about your
role as a mother.”
–M.
Russell Ballard
Be Patient, Kind, and Christlike
I will begin with Ruth
May Fox, who was a Young Women general president many years ago. … Ruth married
and had 12 children. She shared her firm testimony with her children and taught
gospel lessons while she worked beside them, but she admitted that her older children
sometimes received harsh discipline because she had a quick temper and she did
not always “count [to] ten” when she was provoked.
She worked hard to master this weakness and came to be known for her kind heart
and service to others.” – Julie B. Beck, Remembering,
Repenting, and Changing, Apr 2007
“In our homes, we should practice how to treat
others. As Goethe said so well, “If you treat [an individual] as he is he will
stay as he is, but if you treat him as if he were what he [could] be and [might]
be, he will become what he ought to be.”
–Elder LeGrand
Curtis, Around the Table, Feb 1996
Focus On The Atmosphere I Want to Have in My Home
“There is an
interesting scripture in Alma: “… behold I say unto you, that by small and
simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many
instances doth confound the wise.” (Alma 37:6.) So here is a Relief Society
sister, a lovely mother, with a spoon and a bowl, with an apron and a broom,
with a pie tin, a mixer, a cookie cutter, and a skillet, with a motherly
gesture, with patience, with long-suffering, with affection, with a needle and
thread, with a word of encouragement, with that bit of faith and determination
to build an ideal home. With all of these small things you and the Relief
Society can win for yourselves, and for The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints, and for the Lord, the strength and power of a family knit
together, sealed together for time and for all eternity; a great army of men, …
all to be strengthened by a handmaiden of the Lord who really cares.” –Begin Where You Are—At Home , Elder Boyd K. Packer, Of the Council of
the Twelve
“Mothers who know do less. They permit less of
what will not bear good fruit eternally. They allow less media in their homes,
less distraction, less activity that draws their children away from their home.
Mothers who know are willing to live on less and consume less of the world’s
goods in order to spend more time with their children—more time eating
together, more time working together, more time reading together, more time
talking, laughing, singing, and exemplifying. These mothers choose carefully
and do not try to choose it all. Their goal is to prepare a rising generation
of children who will take the gospel of Jesus Christ into the entire world.
Their goal is to prepare future fathers and mothers who will be builders of the
Lord’s kingdom for the next 50 years. That is influence; that is power.” –Julie
B. Beck, Mothers Who Know
“Recently, in a stake conference, all
present were invited by the visiting authority, Elder Glen Jenson, an Area
Seventy, to take a virtual tour of their homes using their spiritual eyes. I
would like to invite each of you to do this also. Wherever your home may be and
whatever its configuration, the application of eternal gospel principles within
its walls is universal. Let’s begin. Imagine that you are opening your front
door and walking inside your home. What do you see, and how do you feel? Is it
a place of love, peace, and refuge from the world, as is the temple? Is it
clean and orderly? As you walk through the rooms of your home, do you see
uplifting images which include appropriate pictures of the temple and the
Savior? Is your bedroom or sleeping area a place for personal prayer? Is your
gathering area or kitchen a place where food is prepared and enjoyed together,
allowing uplifting conversation and family time? Are scriptures found in a room
where the family can study, pray, and learn together? Can you find your
personal gospel study space? Does the music you hear or the entertainment you
see, online or otherwise, offend the Spirit? Is the conversation uplifting and
without contention? That concludes our tour. Perhaps you, as I, found a few
spots that need some “home improvement”—hopefully not an “extreme home
makeover.” – Gary E. Stevenson, Sacred Homes, Sacred Temples, Apr 2009
5:00
Joyful Kitchen Time
Dinner on, meal prep checklist, dog fed & out, zone zips
everyone clean & ready for dinner
“Let us make our kitchens creative
centers from which emanate some of the most delightful of all home experiences”
–
Barbara B. Smith, (former general president of the Relief Society)
6:00
Dinner
“As a young mother I did not fully
understand my power as a nurturer. Though we were a busy family, I considered
everyone’s presence at dinnertime nonnegotiable. It was our most consistent
gathering time, and everyone planned to eat together before going on to other
activities. I learned of the influence of my nurturing when our youngest
daughter wrote in a college paper: “Dinner in our home was not just an eating
ritual, but a special time for the family to communicate and to share our
thoughts and stories of the day. … We often sat together for over an hour as we
savored the conversation as much as the food.”
I thought I was just cooking
casseroles and soup. But I had created the venue, the reason to gather. Because
I prepared a meal to share with my family, something special happened. It was a
simple process, and our style changed with the ages of our children. When they
were young we could discuss a picture from the Gospel Art Picture Kit or
memorize a scripture. When they were older we asked more questions and shared
experiences. Over the years our children grew and matured, and we loved each
other. Mothers, who are “primarily
responsible for the nurture of their children,” can be a powerful force for
strengthening families when they use mealtimes to gather loved ones. They
follow the example of the Savior to calm, teach, and help their families
remember important things as they feed, cultivate, educate, and rear at the
consecrated tables in their homes.” –Julie
B. Beck
Be a true “helpmeet”
“..the greatest challenge facing Relief Society in
our day is to assist the lovely wives of these hundreds of thousands of men to
encourage their husbands, to make a heaven in their homes.”
–Begin Where You Are—At Home, Elder Boyd K. Packer, Of the Council of the
Twelve
“We want to be ladies in
very deed, not according to the term of the word as the world judges, but fit
companions of the Gods and Holy Ones. In an organized capacity we can assist
each other in not only doing good but in refining ourselves, and whether few or
many come forward and help to prosecute this great work, they will be those
that will fill honorable positions in the Kingdom of God. … Women should be
women and not babies that need petting and correction all the time. I know we
like to be appreciated but if we do not get all the appreciation which we think
is our due, what matters? We know the Lord has laid high responsibility upon
us, and there is not a wish or desire that the Lord has implanted in our hearts
in righteousness but will be realized, and the greatest good we can do to
ourselves and each other is to refine and cultivate ourselves in everything
that is good and ennobling to qualify us for those responsibilities.” –Eliza R.
Snow
“Elder Neal A. Maxwell expresses gratitude for his
wife’s example in her thorough scripture study and says he learns much from
their gospel discussions. She is a “more complete” Christian than he is, he
explains; she has a high desire to serve and a low need for recognition, furnishing
a good example for him and their children.”
Please pardon me for
speaking of my precious wife, Jeanene, but we are an eternal family. She was
always joyously happy, and much of it came from service to others. Even while
very ill, in her morning prayer she would ask her Father in Heaven to lead her
to someone she could help. That sincere supplication was answered time and
again. The burdens of many were eased; their lives were brightened. She was
blessed continually for being an instrument directed by the Lord.
I know what it is to
love a daughter of Father in Heaven who with grace and devotion lived the full
feminine splendor of her righteous womanhood. I am confident that when, in our
future, I see her again beyond the veil, we will recognize that we have become
even more deeply in love.” – Richard G. Scott, The Eternal Blessings of Marriage, May 2011 Ensign
Family Time & Evening Routine Together
Dinner
hour, family time, no electronics, read with children, bedtime routines,
“Scripture, Song, & Prayer”
“Husbands and wives in great marriages … focus
first on the home and on helping each other with their shared responsibilities….Their
dinner hour and the family time that
follows become the center of their
day and the object of their best
efforts. They turn off electronics and forgo personal entertainment in
order to help with household duties. To the extent possible, they read with their children every night and
both participate in putting the little
ones to bed. They retire to their bed
together. As their duties and circumstances permit, husbands and wives work
side by side in doing the most important work there is—the work we do in our
own homes.” – Elder L. Whitney Clayton
8:00
Scripture, Song, & Prayer
“It takes courage to
gather children from whatever they’re doing and kneel together as a family. It
takes courage to turn off the television and the computer and to guide your
family through the pages of the scriptures every day. It takes courage to turn
down other invitations on Monday night so that you can reserve that evening for
your family. It takes courage and willpower to avoid overscheduling so that
your family can be home for dinner.”
-Courageous Parenting , By Elder
Larry R. Lawrence of the Seventy
Retire to bed early
Elder Joe J. Christensen counseled:
“Resolve to get adequate rest. Really follow the counsel of the Lord to “cease
to sleep longer than is needful; retire to thy bed early, that ye may not be
weary; arise early, that your bodies and your minds may be invigorated”
(D&C 88:124).
“Are you getting the rest you need,
or are you habituated to going to bed late and sleeping much longer than your
system really needs and thus missing out on some of the personal inspiration
you could be receiving? Great value can come to you as an early riser. Years
ago, President Marion G. Romney, First Counselor in the First Presidency, told
me that after receiving his call to be a General Authority in 1941, he went to
Elder Harold B. Lee for advice on how to be successful as a General Authority. “If you are to be
successful as a General Authority,” Elder Lee said, “I will give you one piece
of advice: Go to bed early and get up early. If you do, your body and mind will
become rested, and then, in the quiet of those early morning hours, you will
receive more flashes of inspiration and insight than at any other time of the
day.”
President Romney said to me, ‘From
that day on, I put that counsel into practice, and I know it works. Whenever I
have a serious problem, or some assignment of a creative nature with which I
hope to receive the influence of the Spirit, I always receive more assistance
in the early morning hours than at any other time of the day. Following that
counsel has helped me a great deal through the years.’ You can have a similar experience in your own
life. You can change, even if you consider yourself a “night person.” Experts
say that you can set a new habit in twenty-one days. When it comes right down
to it, it is a matter of strong resolve and “mind over mattress.” -Joe J. Christensen, “Resolutions,” Ensign,
Dec 1994, 62–67
Evaluate & Measure Your Success
“Good women always have
a desire to know if they are succeeding. In a world where the measures of
success are often distorted, it is important to seek appreciation and
affirmation from proper sources. To paraphrase a list found in Preach My
Gospel, we are doing well when we develop attributes of Christ and strive
to obey His gospel with exactness. We are doing well when we seek to improve
ourselves and do our best. We are doing well when we increase faith and
personal righteousness, strengthen families and homes, and seek out and help
others who are in need. We know we are successful if we live so that we qualify
for, receive, and know how to follow the Spirit. When we have done our very
best, we may still experience disappointments, but we will not be disappointed
in ourselves. We can feel certain that the Lord is pleased when we feel the
Spirit working through us. Peace, joy, and hope
are available to those who measure success properly.
A revelation in the
book of Joel states that in the last days, sons and daughters of God will prophesy
and the Lord will pour out His Spirit upon His servants and His handmaids. President Spencer W. Kimball echoed this
prophecy when he said:
“Much of the major
growth that is coming to the Church in the last days will come because many of
the good women of the world (in whom there is often such an inner sense of
spirituality) will be drawn to the Church in large numbers. This will happen to
the degree that the women of the Church reflect righteousness and
articulateness in their lives and to the degree that the women of the Church
are seen as distinct and different—in happy ways—from the women of the world.
…” -Julie B. Beck
"We
women have a lot to learn about simplifying our lives. We have to decide what
is important and then move along at a pace that is comfortable for us. We have
to develop the maturity to stop trying to prove something. We have to learn to
be content with what we are." — Marjorie Pay Hinckley
“If
one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the
life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common
hours.”
--Henry
David Thoreau
