Strengthening Our Families

Hi, everyone! This morning, I was getting ready to compose an Instagram post on my private account. As I was downloading photos and screenshots to create a visually interesting post, I realized that I needed this post to be public, and that Instagram couldn't really hold all of the wonderfulness that I've found.

Plus, I'm super wordy and I struggle with editing my Instagram posts to be the length allowed on that platform. #wordyAdrie! 😄 Sometimes, I've spent way too much time figuring out what words/sentences to omit on Instagram, when I really should have just written a blog post to begin with! Thus, today I'm breaking my time-consuming Instagram-posting habit and writing a time-consuming-but-much-more-fulfilling blog post instead! Ha ha. Yay me!

If you didn't know, I'm right smack dab in the middle of raising teenagers! What's amazing to me about this season of life is that when you're pregnant, or just had a baby, no doctor or nurse or parenting book fully prepares you for teenagers and all that comes with them! 😅 Even though I took a complete Love and Logic parenting class in Colorado when my firstborn was (I think) seven years old, it still didn't prepare me for these wild teenage years!

Yes, we parents were all teenagers once, but being a teen and raising teens are two very different things! I certainly remember being a teenager and all that entails, but I could go on for days about how surprising it's been to parent my teenagers! It's nearly unbelievable how quickly teen emotions change—my view of my family can go from being "Everything is easy-peasy, super awesome!" to "I'm so tired! How am I going to make it through one more day of teenagedom without crying my eyes out?!" in nearly an instant!

The good news is, all things considered, my sweet little family is doing well!

My oldest son just graduated from high school and I'm sooo happy for him! It was a definite struggle at some points of his high school journey, but we all hung in there and he was successful in his efforts! 🎓👏😁 That said, I will not miss those seemingly never-ending high school nights when he refused to go to bed at a decent hour. If I didn't know what I know about teenagers and their sleep cycles, I would have been a complete wreck!

Thankfully, I know it's not just my teenagers who don't want to go to sleep at night, but a scientifically proven problem for teens the world over. The National Sleep Foundation points out that, "Biological sleep patterns shift toward later times for both sleeping and waking during adolescence—meaning it is natural to not be able to fall asleep before 11:00 pm." Amen to that statement! And yet I wonder why on earth it is that high school is still held at such an early hour! We seriously need to make every high school's start time later in the morning!

Sleep aside, my teenagers are doing really well for being teenagers. 😊 I am so grateful for the incredible human beings I've been given and entrusted to raise. My heart is completely filled with love for my growing babies! 💖 That said, I am constantly looking for ways to help my children feel happier, do better, and be the best version of themselves—without me becoming an annoying dictator in the process! Ha ha.

I know that being a good parent starts with me and my positive attitude. That said, even though I'm technically and legally responsible for my darling children and their well-being until the age of 18, in the end, they each need to live their own lives and be in charge of themselves. They need to make their choices and own them—I so hope they make good ones! In the end, I'm only able to regulate/manage/change myself! And that's how it is for every person on this planet!

So, as much as I dearly want to help my children every minute of every day of their precious lives, I can only help them to the point that they want me to help. Yes, parenting teenagers is a delicate tightrope-walk that takes loads of careful practice, purposeful dedication, laser-sharp focus, and enthusiastic perseverance! Not to mention, an endless supply of unconditional love, great self confidence, and lots of "strength training"!

But seriously, parents of teenagers need to have good support systems and excellent self-care measures in place to feel successful in their callings. I would not do as well as I do in parenting my teenagers without my coping strategies—for example: having a wonderful marriage; exercising five to six days per week; getting enough sleep; eating healthily; having good friends/family members to talk with; and especially my spiritual connection to Heaven.

Speaking of prayer, it's my go-to best parenting technique for raising teenagers! I literally can't tell you how many times I've prayed for my teens because I'm always praying for them! 💗 I know our Heavenly Father knows my children much better than I do, and I know He actually sees what their future holds—unlike me who just thinks I know what's best for my children. Thus, my prayers are always first and foremost in my parenting strategies. I have experienced miracles through prayer and fasting for my children! I will continue praying for my children every day for the rest of my life and into eternity!

As I said before, I'm always seeking out ways to be a better mother. I've shared many helpful motherhood/parenting articles, talks, and videos on my Pinterest account, and I'll continue sharing what I find there, but I've definitely not had the time to pin everything yet. I seriously wish Heavenly Father would give us three additional hours every day! A 27-hour day sounds pretty great to me! So, for today, I'll share here the things I've recently found to be helpful in my efforts of parenting my cherished teenagers:

"To Women: 'Doing Better Doesn’t Mean Doing More'"
By Sharon Eubank and Reyna Aburto—blog post on LDS.org.

I love the entire blog post, but this paragraph really stood out to me:

"As we seek the Lord’s will and strive to do it, we are assured that every small effort is accepted. All the Lord asks of us is a heart full of love and willingness to share that love. We’ve all made covenants to “mourn with those that mourn … and comfort those that stand in need of comfort” (Mosiah 18:9), but that doesn’t mean to run ourselves ragged. Doing better doesn’t always mean doing more. And if you do just one inspired thing each day, you are nevertheless the Lord’s agent."

Amen, sista, and bravo! 👏😁

"Love One Another, As I Have Loved You"
By Jennifer Brinkerhoff Platt—talk presented at BYU Women's Conference, 2018.

I'm so excited Jennifer's talk is available to read and watch! I've listened to her video at least three times already, and I'll be listening to/watching/reading it again very soon! Here are three sections of her talk that I absolutely love!

"...if we really understand the distinction between doctrine, principles and application, then we will work to focus more on the doctrine—the WHY of our behaviors. Focusing on application or HOW we live is divisive, because I shouldn’t judge you for what the Holy Ghost is telling you to do. I may not understand your approach, but if we are one in doctrine, in the WHY, then it doesn’t matter how we pursue it."

"Continually pointing ourselves to the doctrine helps us to be one in Christ as He is one with the Father. Think of the love we extend to each other when instead of judging HOW another person is living, we assume the very best, that they are pursuing doctrine. Look for and trust the WHY of other’s behaviors. Teach and testify of WHY we do what we do. This gives us entrance into the sacred spaces of one another’s hearts where there is hidden sorrow that the eye can’t see. We also learn to pursue our questions differently and find peace with the ambiguity associated with mortality."

"Now, do you recognize this statement from President Boyd K. Packer? 

'True doctrine, understood, changes attitudes and behaviors. The study of the doctrines of the gospel will improve behavior quicker than a study of behavior will improve behavior. Preoccupation with unworthy behavior can lead to unworthy behavior. That is why we stress so forcefully the study of the doctrines of the gospel.'"

So awesome, right?! 😀

"How great leaders inspire action"
By Simon Sinek—TEDxPuget Sound

It might seem strange to relate this TED Talk to parenting, but it really clicked with me! I've simply applied what he said to parenting and children! 😊 Here's a great quote from Mr. Sinek's wise words:

"Every single person, every single organization on the planet knows what they do, 100 percent. Some know how they do it, ... But very, very few people or organizations know why they do what they do. And by 'why' I don't mean 'to make a profit.' That's a result. It's always a result. By 'why,' I mean: What's your purpose? What's your cause? What's your belief? Why does your organization exist? Why do you get out of bed in the morning? And why should anyone care? As a result, the way we think, we act, the way we communicate is from the outside in, it's obvious. We go from the clearest thing to the fuzziest thing. But the inspired leaders and the inspired organizations—regardless of their size, regardless of their industry—all think, act and communicate from the inside out."

I also really like Simon's second TED Talk: "Why good leaders make you feel safe," and applied what he teaches to parenting, as well! Here's one of my favorite quotes from his talk:

"Leadership is a choice. It is not a rank. I know many people at the senior[-]most levels of organizations who are absolutely not leaders. They are authorities, and we do what they say because they have authority over us, but we would not follow them. And I know many people who are at the bottoms of organizations who have no authority and they are absolutely leaders, and this is because they have chosen to look after the person to the left of them, and they have chosen to look after the person to the right of them. This is what a leader is."

"The Idea of 'Mothers in Zion' Made Me Mad—Until I Learned What It Meant"
By Sharon Eubank—blog post on LDS.org.

Oh, how I love her quote! 💛

"Charity, or the pure love of Christ, is motherhood in a very practical and real way—sacrificing so that others might thrive and seeing beyond present circumstances to the way things really are. This motherhood is part of my covenantal identity. My mother-work will come directly through the whispers of the Holy Spirit."

"Strengthening the Family: Resource Guide for Parents"
Published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—also available for purchase at LDS.org's online store.

This is the gem of all parenting jewels! I'm so happy I found Strengthening the Family! I'll be reading and referring to it again and again! I only wish it had been available when I was pregnant with my first baby! It was published in 2006, two years after my last baby was born, but I never knew about it until recently. Thus, I'm sharing it with the world now in hopes that it helps some new parent somewhere in this glorious world of ours! While I feel silly that I had access to it all this time with the amazing Gospel Library app on my smartphone and didn't previously find it, I'm not going to worry because at least I'll be using it now!

Here are two great quotes from its pages:

"Words and behavior have the power to hurt or to help, to inflict pain and suffering or to soothe painful feelings, to provoke doubt and fear or to instill faith and courage." 

"President James E. Faust of the First Presidency taught the importance of love and of recognizing differences in children when disciplining them: 'Child rearing is so individualistic. Every child is different and unique. What works with one may not work with another. I do not know who is wise enough to say what discipline is too harsh or what is too lenient except the parents of the children themselves, who love them most. It is a matter of prayerful discernment for the parents. Certainly the overarching and undergirding principle is that the discipline of children must be motivated more by love than by punishment.'"

President Faust's quote can apply to every parenting issue under the sun because we parents know and love our children the most! We have the individual responsibility and joy of parenting our children in the best ways possible for each of them because they are "ours"! 💞

I'm so grateful for this gift of motherhood I've been given because it's everything to me! 🎁 When I say everything, I mean that I always wanted to be a mother{!}—from my earliest memories—and I'm so grateful my wish/desire has been so richly fulfilled! And I must give huge props to my darling Gregor for helping me achieve my dreams of motherhood!

While I know my time is short in terms of having my children live with me (and Greg 😍) before they move on into the wide wide world, I will always be a mother; I am eternally a mother, inside and out! Regardless of the outcome of my children's lives—whatever path they choose in this world—I will love and care for these amazing souls that our Heavenly Father has blessed me with forever! 😇

You've come to the end of my parenting thoughts/helps for now, but I'll share more as I discover them! I'd love it if something I've shared today is of value to you or someone you know! I sincerely hope we'll all work on strengthening our families because relationships with our loved ones are the most important! 💛

Blogging for Conflict Resolution

You might have noticed that I've put off blogging for quite a while. As I described in my previous post, I've been very busy. Yet at the same time, I've tried to analyze myself and figure out why I've not been blogging like I truly desire. I finally realized that I haven't made blogging a priority because I've been having some issues with my extended family. It's difficult to write that here on my blog—a wonderful public space I've created for myself, but it's true.

I've struggled mightily over the past several months due to feelings of frustration and sadness over a lack of closeness between myself and some extended family members—both in my family and Greg's family, but especially mine. And no matter how much time has gone by, or how many efforts of goodwill I've extended, those issues frustratingly remain to some degree, or another.

I've been greatly misjudged on many levels, which tears at my soul! So many times I've found myself tearing up saying, "I can't believe they honestly thought that way about me! I can't believe they didn't think to ask me about the real story! I can't believe they wouldn't call to talk to me in person instead of jumping to such conclusions based on hearsay! —because we all know what gossip and judging without actually talking with the person you've been offended by does.

I'm such a happy person—it's true! 😀 I live my life very well—exactly how I desire! 😁 So when you love people as much as I do and some of the very important people in your life misjudge you and put you into a category that you don't belong, well, it feels horrible. Of course, I'm the type who will happily keep going about my life, day in and day out, without letting someone curb my enthusiasm, but that doesn't mean their actions don't affect me—especially when I care deeply about said souls!

I won't go into the nitty-gritty details because there's no point. Suffice it to say, my heart has squeezed with sadness more than once over the past several months. Forgiveness has taken on an entirely new meaning to me! I've forgiven everyone, but I don't know and can't tell if they've forgiven me, or not—which is a struggle to my soul that I consciously and continually push away. I keep striving my best every day to say and do the Christlike right things, but that doesn't mean my heart doesn't still twinge with tears.

I don't know if any of you have experienced anything like this before (and I'm sorry I'm not being more specific), but, to me, it feels like no matter what I say or do (or said or did), those select extended family members have placed me in the new classification of "other," or "no longer welcome," which feels terrible—and it seems as if there's no way for me to be reclassified! 😞

So. What I've been trying to do is learn from these torturous feelings. I've tried valiantly to see where other people are coming from—even if their actions/words don't make sense to me. And, I've let my extended family members "go," to the extent possible—which is unbelievably hard for me, but I let go because I love them.

I'm hoping that by finally writing about my issues here, I will feel better and be able to move on. I love writing so much(!)—it works wonders for my soul! Thus, it's been difficult when I've felt that I can't speak of my situation (my truth!) here on Enthusiastic Fantastic because someone might misinterpret my words—which is why I stayed away from blogging for such a long time in the first place. But that ends right now with my version of conflict resolution—or, what I like to call "Blogging for Conflict Resolution"!  I think it should be the hip new call to action, don't you?! Ha ha. 😃

Now I'm going to share what I'm thankful for...and just know that these thoughts relate somehow to the situations I described previously—meaning the lack of those actions, too. Did any of that make sense?! 😄

In no particular order, I'm truly thankful for:

• genuine smiles
• looking me in the eye
• happy hugs
• questions asked in a kind and truthful manner
• "likes" 💖 and comments on my Instagram posts
• continuing to follow my Instagram accounts (I absolutely love my Instagram world I've created!)
• responding to texts and emails I've sent
• giving me the benefit of the doubt
• not jumping to conclusions
• talking to me directly instead of gossiping about me
• loving me and liking me 😊 (you know, because families must love each other even if they don't like each other very much)
• desiring to understand where I'm coming from
• sharing time and energy with me
• having a willingness to listen to what I have to say
• valuing my thoughts and opinions
• acknowledging that I have something to contribute
• respecting my differing opinions
• recognizing boundaries and not overstepping
• staying connected to me even though we see things differently
• sharing your world with me even though it looks vastly different from mine
• not being jealous of my happy life
• recognizing that I consistently work very hard to have my wonderful life
• acknowledging that my happy, wonderful life isn't easy—unlike others who have misjudged it as such
• being genuinely happy for the amazing and endlessly-loving eternal marriage that Greg and I have created together
• appreciating my sincere endeavors to make this world a better place without labeling me as a "show off," or a "bragger"
• accepting my true friendship efforts with the intent they were offered
• letting go of any resentment or anger directed towards me

Now I'd like to share some lovely quotes I've really appreciated over the past few weeks—they've helped me tremendously!

Remember: "Despite how open, peaceful, and loving you attempt to be, people can only meet you as deeply as they've met themselves." – Matt Kahn 

That genius quote deserved a typographic design of its very own! I really enjoyed creating this one! 🌲

"Being positive in a negative situation is not naive, it's leadership." – Ralph Marston 

"There's a common denominator in our human experience... Everybody wants to know: Did you hear me, and did what I say matter?" – Oprah Winfrey

With that, please enjoy these inspiring lyrics from "I'll Begin Again," by Leslie Bricusse, in the movie musical Scrooge. Yes, I'm totally applying these wonderful thoughts to myself, but I truly believe they should live in all of our hearts every day of our lives! 😇

I'll begin again
I will build my life
I will live to know
That I fulfilled my life
I'll begin today
Throw away the past
And the future I build
Will be something that will last  

I will take the time
I have left to live
And I will give it all
That I have left to give
I will live my days
For my fellow men
And I'll live in praise
Of that moment when
I was able to begin again  

I will start anew
I will make amends
And I'll make quite certain
That the story ends
On a note of hope
On a strong amen
And I'll thank the world
And remember when
I was able to begin again

I absolutely love this inspired version by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir!

Lastly, I know this is not one of my most enthusiastic fantastic posts, but it's where I've been for quite a long time, and I felt the need to share. So, thank you for making it this far with me! Your reading efforts are greatly appreciated! I hope you have a wonderful day! 💙💛

Daughters of God—Be a Force for Good!

On March 12th, 2017, I taught my ward's Relief Society lesson, "Daughters of God." Unfortunately, I was unable to give my entire lesson because our opening exercises—with our ward's darling young women in attendance—ran extremely long.

Normally, I wouldn't care in the least that I had less time to present my RS lesson, but this was a very special lesson that was jam-packed with goodness in every section! Because of our lesson's phenomenal nature, and my desire to share all of its amazingness, I'd spent a lot of time preparing it. To say I was seriously bummed that I wasn't able to share everything I had prepared would be an understatement! 😢

I find it super interesting that "Daughters of God" is one of the longest RS lessons I've seen in 2017—so I was sort of "doomed" from the beginning 😉. In my defense, I didn't realize just how long it truly was until I began preparing my next RS lesson, "The Whisperings of the Spirit," that I taught in April!

Yet how could I not share such wonderful thoughts and heavenly principles with my dear ward sisters?! I had oodles of information to present, and I really wanted to hear what my lovely ward sisters had to say!

Because I was so disheartened that my RS lesson didn't go as planned, I decided to turn my heartache into something better! 😀 I'm so happy to finally be sharing my thoughts about the wonderful Daughters of God lesson right here on my blog! Yay!

Not only do I feel better in finally sharing everything I prepared for my lesson, but I would absolutely love it if someone here in Internetland finds my post helpful! 💕 The funniest thing is, I actually began writing this blog post clear back in March(!), but the months dashed away from me like a scene from "The Incredibles"! Hey, better late than never!

Daughters of God

Let's start by reading part of the introduction on page 95:

"Throughout his life, Gordon B. Hinckley expressed appreciation for the abilities and contributions of women. He also expressed his strong witness of the importance of women in God’s eternal plan. He delighted in women’s increasing opportunities, as well as in their faith in the Savior and their devotion to their families and the Church."

I can so attest to this wonderful truth about President Hinckley! He was always sincerely praising and honoring women. He made sure all women felt unending and unconditional love from Church leadership!

I loved reading about Gordon B. Hinckley’s sweet mother, Ada (introduction, page 95). She was bright; educated; loved literature, music and art; raised eight of her husband’s children and five of her own(!); learned to manage a large household; had a tremendous influence on Gordon, and was a force for good throughout President Hinckley’s life 😊 I'm truly in awe of Ada Hinckley. Certainly her accomplishments are impressive, but what sticks with me most is the impact she had on President Hinckley. Because of Awesome Ada, millions of people throughout this entire world were and are positively affected for the best through her son, Gordon B.!

Gordon B. Hinckley’s wife, Marjorie (introduction; page 95), was a very strong woman devoted to the gospel of Jesus Christ. She had extraordinary faith and a cheerful disposition. Marjorie loved life, was quick witted, and very wise. She was a voracious reader and an intense seeker of knowledge. Best of all, Marjorie was down-to-earth—she connected well with everyone, yet she was confident, alert and refreshing throughout her life! 😊

I love these paragraphs from section 1 (pg. 96–97):

"Each of you is a daughter of God. Reflect on all the wondrous meaning of that one paramount fact. 

"If you live up to your privileges, the angels cannot be restrained from being your associates. 

"You are very precious, each of you. ... You occupy a high and sacred place in the eternal plan of God, our Father in Heaven. You are His daughters, precious to Him, loved by Him, and very important to Him. His grand design cannot succeed without you. 

"Let me say to you sisters that you do not hold a second place in our Father’s plan for the eternal happiness and well-being of His children. You are an absolutely essential part of that plan. Without you the plan could not function. Without you the entire program would be frustrated."

During my RS lesson, I wanted to ask many questions, but I was only able to get to a few of them. I didn't personally answer all of those wonderful questions here in my blog post, but I'm sharing them anyway. I hope we ladies will contemplate these questions to help remind ourselves of our great worth and importance!

Question: Why is it important for us to understand the "high and sacred place" of women in God’s eternal plan?

Question (section 2; pg. 97): Let’s review the Lord’s advice to Emma Smith found in D&C 25: 1–16. What can we learn from those verses about being an elect lady (ourselves)?

Here's what I came up with after studying D&C 25. These points are my opinion, not Church doctrine—each of these points are separated out by the corresponding verse:

1. Listen to the Lord; if we receive the Lord’s words, we’ll be sons and daughters in His kingdom.
2. Be faithful and walk in the paths of virtue; if we do those things, we’ll be preserved and receive an inheritance in Zion.
3. Our sins can be forgiven; we can all be elect ladies.
4. Don’t murmur about the Lord regarding things we haven’t seen or don’t understand; everything will be revealed eventually.
5. Support our husbands (if we’re married); speak kind words; be humble.
6. *This wasn’t written in the verse, these are just my thoughts: we should write about our marriages and our family history.
7. Read/learn from the scriptures; share what we learn at church—as we are inspired by the Holy Ghost.
8. Utilize the gift of the Holy Ghost; we should spend much of our time writing and learning things of the gospel and about the world.
9. Don’t ever feel undervalued in The Church; our husbands and other priesthood brethren support us; have faith.
10. Don’t be hyper-focused on worldly issues; seek the best things in life that enhance our spiritual progression; I believe Luke 10:38–42 goes perfectly with this verse:

38 ¶Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. 

39 And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word. 

40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. 

41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: 

42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

11. We don’t have to write hymns, but we should use our musical abilities and share our talents.
12. We should sing uplifting spiritual music—we’ll be blessed when we do.
13. Be happy; look at the bright side of life; keep the covenants we’ve made.
14. Be humble; don’t be prideful; delight in our husbands; be close with our husbands; support our husbands; The following isn’t in the scripture—they’re my thoughts: If you don’t have a husband yet, live your life worthily so you’ll be ready for celestial marriage when the opportunity presents itself—which could be in this life, or in the world to come…remember, the Lord keeps his promises!
15. Keep the Lord’s commandments; if we keep the commandments, we’ll receive a crown of righteousness (We’re daughters of a king!); we’ll also be able to be with our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ again one day.
16. The Lord's voice is for all sisters, not just Emma.

Question: What aspects of the Lord’s counsel to Emma Smith are especially helpful to you?

I love all of those recommendations—every single one of them are helpful to me! It's like the perfect recipe for a successful, happy life!

Question (section 3; pg. 99–101): What are your impressions as you read President Hinckley’s following counsel to mothers? (I totally enlarged all of the text because it deserves to be emphasized! 😊)

"The true strength of any nation, society, or family lies in those qualities of character that have been acquired for the most part by children taught in the quiet, simple everyday manner of mothers. 

"It is the home which produces the nursery stock of new generations. I hope that you mothers will realize that when all is said and done, you have no more compelling responsibility, nor any laden with greater rewards, than the nurture you give your children in an environment of security, peace, companionship, love, and motivation to grow and do well. 

"I remind mothers everywhere of the sanctity of your calling. No other can adequately take your place. No responsibility is greater, no obligation more binding than that you rear in love and peace and integrity those whom you have brought into the world. 

"Rear your children in light and truth. Teach them to pray while they are young. Read to them from the scriptures even though they may not understand all that you read. Teach them to pay their tithes and offerings on the first money they ever receive. Let this practice become a habit in their lives. Teach your sons to honor womanhood. Teach your daughters to walk in virtue. Accept responsibility in the Church, and trust in the Lord to make you equal to any call you may receive. Your example will set a pattern for your children. 

"God bless you, mothers! When all the victories and defeats of men’s efforts are tallied, when the dust of life’s battles begins to settle, when all for which we labor so hard in this world of conquest fades before our eyes, you will be there, you must be there, as the strength for a new generation, the ever-improving onward movement of the race. Its quality will depend on you."

Isn't President Hinckley's advice amazing?! I love his words so much! He's such a happy, inspiring guy! 😀

Question: For parents, why is "no obligation more binding" than rearing their children "in love and peace and integrity"?

For me, the answer is obvious. Parents have been given the ultimate responsibility in the creation of the bodies and the raising of Heavenly Father's children! He's literally allowing us to act in place of Him! Thus, we must do our very best to accomplish His heavenly goals for His children...our children! Oh, how grateful I am to have been given the heavenly opportunity of being a mother! Children are a most wonderful gift! 💛💙💚💜

Question: We have all seen marvelous examples of women in the Church with "strength and great capacity." What are some ways that we women can help bring to pass "the immortality and the eternal life of all of the sons and daughters of God"?

To help answer that, let's read from section 4, page 101:

"God has given the women of this church a work to do in building his kingdom. That concerns all aspects of our great triad of responsibility—which is, first, to teach the gospel to the world; second, to strengthen the faith and build the happiness of the membership of the Church; and, third, to carry forward the great work of salvation for the dead."

To go along with that, I found this great quote while researching Susan Easton Black Durrant. (She spoke at my stake's 2017 Women's Conference, and I wanted to find out more about her.) Susan said,

"Many people leave the Church because they have so many questions, but we have stayed because we have received so many answers."

Amen, sister! I couldn't agree more with you! We must stay and help build God's kingdom!

Continuing on, let's read some more of President Hinckley's fabulous words (section 4; pg. 101): {Isn't this fun?! 😁}

"Women in the Church are associates with their brethren in carrying forward this mighty work of the Lord. 

"We expect leadership, and strength, and impressive results from your management of the organizations for which you are responsible. We uphold and sustain you as daughters of God, working in a great partnership to assist him in bringing to pass the immortality and the eternal life of all of the sons and daughters of God."

Question: Why is it important that men and women work together to move the Lord’s work forward?

As I've said many times before, I believe men and women need each other. Men are not better than women! Women are not better than men! We are supposed to work side by side with each other because we each bring something important and different to the table. 😊 The Lord needs all of us to help be his "hands" here on Earth!

I read the other day about a great, new scientific discovery: Stars are born in pairs!  Interestingly, when stars are created they aren't identical to each other, but they're definitely companions! Just like each amazing star in the heavens is created with a companion star, men and women are created to have a companion—and it all started with Adam and Eve! Heavenly stars and Heavenly Father's children are not meant to be alone! 🌟⭐

Yes, men and women are meant to influence each others' lives for the better!

Moving right along, let's read the following (section 5; pg. 101–102):

"The women of the Relief Society are literally encircled eternally in the arms of our Lord. In my judgment, this is the greatest women’s organization in all the world... 

"Who, even in the wildest stretch of imagination, can fathom the uncountable acts of charity that have been performed, the food that has been put on barren tables, the faith that has been nurtured in desperate hours of illness, the wounds that have been bound up, the pains that have been ameliorated by loving hands and quiet and reassuring words, the comfort that has been extended in times of death and consequent loneliness?"

For those of you who are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, ponder to yourselves: What blessings have come to you from the efforts of Relief Society sisters, including those who are serving in Young Women and Primary?

For those of you who aren't members of the LDS Church, I highly recommend looking into the benefits that Relief Society can bring to your life! 😇

For me, the Relief Society has been my anchor ⚓ throughout my adult life. Every move my family and I made to a different city was made easier by my association with wonderful Relief Society sisters! No one is perfect, but the sisters of the Relief Society truly and continually try to help others in Christlike ways! 💛 I am grateful for my membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and my subsequent access to the Relief Society!

Question: How can we each strengthen the Relief Society in our own wards?

Here are some ideas found in section 6 (pg. 103–104):

"No one can calculate the tremendous force for good that you can become. 

"I feel to invite women everywhere to rise to the great potential within you. I do not ask that you reach beyond your capacity. I hope you will not nag yourselves with thoughts of failure. I hope you will not try to set goals far beyond your capacity to achieve. I hope you will simply do what you can do in the best way you know. If you do so, you will witness miracles come to pass."

I love how President Hinckley clarifies that we sisters are not supposed to sacrifice ourselves to the point of destruction. Yes, there's a fine line between doing enough and overdoing it. We must be aware of our human limitations, but we be must also be willing to push just a little further to improve in tiny increments! 😀

In "Preach My Gospel," there's a wonderful section that helps us identify if we are doing "enough":

"You can feel certain that the Lord is pleased when you feel the Spirit working through you." (The Spirit is also called the Holy Ghost.)

Isn't that idea so beautiful?! It's the perfect way to gauge our efforts! (I didn't include that part in my lesson because I just found it today. Oh, how I love finding new gems of jewels!)

Questions: How can we gain a better vision of what God sees our potential to be? How can we progress toward reaching our potential?

Obviously, those questions will be answered differently by everyone. For me, the way I learn more about myself and what Heavenly Father knows I can become is by searching and seeking. I'm constantly reaching out to our Heavenly Father through prayer, scripture study, endlessly researching gospel topics, going to church every Sunday, serving others, attending the temple, etc.

The way I progress toward reaching my eternal potential is, first, by having endless faith that Heavenly Father loves me(!), that He will answer me (eventually!), and that He will help me every step of the way!

Secondly, I never, ever give up! Even when I make mistakes or sin, I never stop striving to become what our Heavenly Father knows I can be/achieve. I always try to think of and thank our Savior for the marvelous opportunity He has provided for me to be connected to heaven!

If I ever start feeling down about myself, I pray pray pray! 😀 Then I listen for inspiration/revelation from the Holy Ghost, and I act on what He tells me.

Now I'd like to share a little homework assignment! 😁

Susan Easton Black Durrant spoke at my stake's Women’s Conference about wonderful, prominent LDS women who did extraordinary things in their lives. It really was amazing to hear of those phenomenal women's contributions. While the majority of us will never become "prominent Mormons" in terms of the public spotlight, that doesn’t mean we can’t be prominent to our families, or the people in our communities! 😊

*By the way, I searched on LDS.org about the current membership numbers of the Church. As of March, 2017, MormonNewsroom.org showed that The Church has 15,634,199 members throughout the world. When I did a Google search about the number of prominent Mormons, the biggest website I could find listed 857 members of The Church on it. So, our chances of becoming "prominent Mormons" are a measly .00006%! That's quite the statistic! The good news is, each of us have at least a 50% chance of being important to our families! Of course, that all depends on what we choose to do with our lives! 😉

Thus, I want all of us to ponder President Hinckley’s statement and think about when we have seen examples of the "marvelous … power of women of faith." What can we learn from those great women that will help us in our own lives?

Let’s all take the opportunity to write in our journals—or a blog (Yay! #EnthusiasticFantastic! 😄), or some other form of social media—about the kind of women we want to become. Let’s really evaluate ourselves with an honest heart (our strengths and weaknesses) and set realistic goals to achieve our desired potential—as well as our heavenly potential!

At the end of my lesson, I handed out this 3.75 x 3.75 card to all of my ward sisters to help remind us of our great potential and capacity! (I created it in black and white because my printer is a basic laser printer, and I wasn't really planning on sharing it here on my blog! Ha ha.) It makes me happy every time I read it!

Well, friends, we've finally made it to the end of my lesson! It feels great having shared it with all of you(!)—especially since I was just recently released from being a Relief Society teacher. I was immediately called to be a Sunday school teacher (there are two teachers; we alternate teaching every other Sunday) for the 12–13 year-olds in my ward.

I'm truly excited for this new opportunity(!) as I've never been a Sunday school teacher before! I'm fully prepared and ready to teach my first lesson tomorrow—which feels great! Let's just hope my 12-year-old son is okay with me teaching his class! 😂 #sayalittleprayerforme! 😊

Just Do It! Dump Facebook! :)

Two days ago, I read Lauren Field's troubling article, "Should we fear the future of Facebook?", in the In Depth section of the Deseret News. Even though its subject is worrisome, I feel very strongly that everyone should read it and share it with their peeps!

After I finished the article, my mind instantly went to the family of my birth (and their spouses)—more than half of them are still active on Facebook. I composed an email to my peeps that included the article listed above and sent it right off.

I won't bore you with my entire email, but this is the first sentence I sent to my beloved Fam, "I just read this article about Fakebook and I'm convinced yet again that Facebook is NOT good for any of us!" I strongly encouraged my family members to read the article and delete their Facebook accounts!

Thus, I was super happy (and genuinely surprised!) to receive an email yesterday morning from my wonderful sister-in-law. She's been wanting delete her Facebook account for a while now, but kept hanging onto it for little reasons. Happily, she said the article I shared is what convinced her to finally "dump Facebook"! Yay yay happy day! Now I just need to get the rest of my extended family to break up with Facebook, too! Ha ha.

Don't worry, I'm not too pesky about trying to get them off of Facebook. I fully understand that everyone gets to choose how they live their lives. That said, I wonder if I might persuade some of you in the world wide web to dump Facebook, too? 😇

What really bothers me about Facebook's status these days (ha!) is that the company and its influence has grown much bigger, I think, than anyone ever planned on. I believe it's so big, in fact, that there are problem accounts/groups on Facebook that aren't being monitored properly. I don't think Facebook has the employee power or resources to handle the vastness that it's helped create in our www—not to mention the fallout that happens to its users in real life! And the fake news that engulfed Facebook users during the United States Presidential Election is downright scary!

Yes, I worry about a company that has that much access to its customers' personal lives. I totally worry about the tornado vacuums and virtual reality bubbles that Facebook has created in our society. That sounds extreme, but I believe Facebook's "social experiment" is far from over!

In fact, whenever I think of Mark Zuckerberg, my mind instantly goes to the cartoon, "Pinky and the Brain"—and Mr. Zuckerberg is Brain, just waiting to take over the world! Ha ha. For a fun visual, see this YouTube video: Pinky and the Brain intro.

Now I wouldn't necessarily call Mark Zuckerberg a literal genius, but he has accomplished what no one else could do—and on such a grand scale. So I give him props for that. But his great accomplishment certainly doesn't make me want to sign away my privacy and free time to him, that's for darn sure!

I realized that it's been two years to the day since I quit Facebook! (And I so did not plan my post this way! 😁)  As I look back over those two years, I'm amazed at how ecstatic I truly am—and continually feel(!)—that I dumped Facebook! Leaving Facebook behind really is one of the best social media decisions I've ever made! 😀

Of course I've found other ways to spend my social media time since leaving Facebook, but overall, I have a lot more free time! My brain is absolutely less cluttered—which means I have more time for researching other things I'm interested in or passionate about. My soul is so much less annoyed! I can honestly say that I'm a better person for having shunned Facebook! Yay me! 😄

If you're not yet tired of this subject, feel free to read more of my thoughts about Facebook and why I ended up leaving it—my previous posts are in chronological order:

"My Facebook Experiment"

"Unfriending vs. Unfollowing"

"Farewell, Facebook!"

I could go on and on about the dangers I see in Facebook (like I did to Greg yesterday morning!), but I'll refrain. Suffice it to say, I'm so happy I use Instagram and my blog to keep up with my friends and family! As I've said many times before, I wish everyone would write a blog! And I still deeply feel that way!

Yesterday, I watched an interesting TED Talk about blogging—clear back from 2006! While our social media society has drastically changed since then, the speaker's point—that everyone should be blogging about their lives—is as important today as it was 11 years ago! I totally agree with Mena Trott! Here's her talk if you're interested: "Meet the founder of the blog revolution."

Then, last night after dinner, I started watching the new documentary, "Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise" via our Roku's PBS channel. I was only about 15 minutes into it when I felt strongly that I needed to finish this creating this post instead.

But before I started writing again, I looked at the list of literary works Ms. Angelou created over her lifetime. I was impressed—okay, blown away!—to see all of her accomplishments! Yet in that very same moment, I felt the fire within me roar even stronger that everyone needs to be writing (i.e., blogging! 😍) about their lives as much as possible! Obviously, we shouldn't blog to the point of becoming unbalanced in our lives—we need moderation in all things, but each and every single one of us should absolutely be writing about our lives on a consistent basis.

In the end, I'll let my favorite hashtag of the day have some time in the Enthusiastic Fantastic spotlight. 😊 Yes, I'm all about the #neverfacebook movement! I thought I created that awesome hashtag, but according to Twitter, it's already been used to complain about Facebook many times! Ha ha. I hope you'll join me in my #neverfacebook "mission" and spread the word!

P.S. I had a lot of fun creating this typographic design!

*Update: 08/03/17:
To further support my ideas in this post, please watch this fascinating TED Talk, "The manipulative tricks tech companies use to capture your attention," by Tristan Harris. It will blow your mind! And then it will make you decide to take back your life and own your brain's attention! We all must fight being "controlled" by big tech companies!! #notgonnadoit! 😂

*Update: 09/28/17:
With all that's going on with Facebook in the news these days, here's another article that raises the alarm bells about Facebook. Fakebook is not good for our world!

"Facebook’s Frankenstein Moment,"by Kevin Roose of the New York Times.

*Update: 12/16/17:
Here are three more important, must-read articles that futher support my #neverfacebook! stance! 😊

"The End of the Social Era Can't Come Soon Enough"
It seems increasingly likely that our society will one day view our infatuation with Twitter, Facebook, and the like as a passing, often destructive fad.By Nick Bilton

"Sean Parker on Facebook: 'God only knows what it's doing to our children's brains'"
Parker says he’s become a 'conscientious objector' on social mediaBy Thuy Ong

"Social networking sites may be controlling your mind – here’s how to take charge"
By Simon McCarthy-Jones

Fankle Recovery, Month Seven

(This is my seventh post in My Fankle Journey.)

Wow, I can't believe it's actually been seven full months since my posterior tibial tendon surgery (August 3rd, 2016)! When I began my Fankle journey, I honestly never thought my recovery would take this long! And yet here I am, still quite in the middle of my ankle-surgery recovery. So, I thought I'd give a little bit of an update as to where Fankle stands today! 😉

I still have stiffness and some degree of pain in my Fankle every morning when I wake up. It doesn't seem to matter what I've done the day before, I'm still always aware that Fankle exists. I can stretch and stretch my calf and ankle until I feel I'm going to scream from the tediousness of it all (#mytedioustendon! ha ha), and finally feel better for a little while, but it never lasts long. I'll excitedly think, "Hey! Maybe I am improving! Maybe I'll feel significantly better tomorrow!" But sadly, I wake up the very next morning with my familiar ankle stiffness/pain in tow. It's very disheartening and beyond frustrating.

I've had a few blessed days over the past seven months where I didn't have pain (just an awareness that Fankle exists), but they didn't last. 😢 I've tried to figure out any sort of pattern as to what I did differently that made my pain disappear during those minuscule days, but for the life of me, I can't see any regularity in my behavior that constitutes a pain-free, non-tight Fankle.

I wear supportive athletic shoes with good arch supports about 80% of the time; I've stretched Fankle until the cows come home; I've iced my way through untold on-demand TV episodes; I've worn high heels once in a while to give my tendon a break (Because I have high arches, high heels are truly such a nice break{!}, which I know sounds a little nutty, but it's true!); I've massaged my ankle for unbelievably lengthy periods of time; I've taken super hot showers; I've done and done and done! But after all of my work and experimenting, nothing makes sense as to what makes my Fankle totally pain-free for longer than one day at a time.

The one thing that does make sense is this: I will definitely not take any more pain pills during the rest of my recovery unless it's absolutely necessary. I've learned that it's much better to feel my ankle pain every day so I don't overdo it, than to blissfully not feel any pain at all and definitely overdo it. (I already explained in my post, "Fanklebaby" about the negative effects of NSAIDs on tendon healing, which is the main reason I don't take ibuprofen on a regular basis.)

Every time I've taken ibuprofen during the day (maybe four times in the past seven months?), I've totally regretted it the next day. My Fankle always seems to take at least three days to recover from my pain-free ibuprofen-induced frivolity 😉, and I'll not to do it anymore! In my defense, I took pain meds in the first place because I was enduring Shark Week, i.e., it was that not-so-lovely time of the month and I needed some real help to survive my day! Thus, after all of my efforts, I'm trying to convince myself that it's just a matter of time for my ankle pain to fully subside.

From all the research I've done (I've spent uncountable hours researching posterior tibial tendon repair surgeries!), I see over and over that until about nine–12 months, ankle surgery patients are still suffering and feeling some sort of pain on a daily basis. Yeah, that would have been great information for my podiatrist to give me before and after my surgery!

My only criticism of my podiatrist is that he definitely should have prepared me for a year-long recovery! Yet nothing in our appointments leading up to my surgery ever indicated such a lengthy, complicated, heart-wrenching recovery! But maybe it's just me who's struggling? #idon'tthinkso! 😒 I'm sincerely not trying to diss my podiatrist—I know he's one of the best podiatrists in my area—but I honestly wonder what he was thinking when he prepared me for surgery and left out the vitally important year-long-recovery bit?!?! #frustration!

*One of the reasons I continue sharing my experiences with posterior tibial tendon surgery recovery is to help others in the same boat know what to expect. I've been greatly helped by people online sharing their experiences with the same surgery I had, so I hope I can help someone else navigate this painful process in the future!

I promise, I don't mean to sound so gloomy! I'm just being realistic. Recovering from major ankle surgery is a major deal, plain and simple!

The good news is, I am getting stronger! Yay! When I first began my new at-home physical therapy regimen (after I finished my in-office physical therapy—December 27th, 2016), I was ridiculously sore every single day. I almost couldn't even stand to walk around my house! No pun intended! It took everything inside of me to keep doing my physical therapy routine on a daily basis. After I completed my first week of at-home physical therapy, I finally began to feel a little less sore. At week two, I thought, "I'm going to survive!" 😊

As I've said before, obedience takes strength! And it took a lot of physical, emotional, and spiritual strength for me to stick with my entire physical therapy program (in-office and at-home) for 17 full weeks!

Thus, there really aren't enough positive words/sayings/descriptions to express how thrilled I was when I completed my entire physical therapy program on February 8th, 2017! Aahh! 😁 I was beyond excited and happy to finally be rid of my daily physical therapy routines! I don't know if I've ever been so tired and filled with pain for such a long period of time. So yeah, it feels unbelievably great knowing I've done my very best! 

As I've continued recovering, I've been exercising to my PiYo videos occasionally over the past several weeks. PiYo has been really fun(!), but I could tell after completing several videos that Fankle wasn't doing very well with it—even though it's pretty much all non-impact. Near the beginning of doing PiYo, my ankle began swelling again and I took it as a sign that I needed to back off the serious exercising for a few more weeks. Lately, Fankle has been much less swollen, and I'm really excited about that improvement! 😀

*Side note: One of my physical therapists said it would take about six months for the swelling in my ankle to go completely away, and she was right. It was probably around six-and-a-half months when Fankle finally stopped being swollen consistently every day. As I've begun month seven of my recovery, the swelling is pretty much gone! Hip hip hooray! Occasionally I'll have some swelling right around my surgical site if I've been on my feet for many hours without taking a break. But I think it's safe to say that the extreme swelling I endured for so many months on end is (hopefully) a thing of the past!

My great news happened on February 4th when I s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d my ankle while reading a book in bed. (That sounds lazy, but I literally had no more get up and go juice left inside of me! I was beyond exhausted and simply had to take a break. If I hadn't fully rested that day, I honestly think I could have fallen asleep in the middle of my day!) Let me explain...

One of the things I did while recovering from my longboarding accident—before my surgery—was stretching my ankle by pulling my toes upward. Whenever I did that motion (usually in bed while I was barely waking up) I felt a sickening, prickly, stinging sensation in my posterior tibial tendon. Yes, it was very painful, but it was also the strangest feeling i'd ever experienced. At the time, I couldn't pinpoint what that pain was; what was causing it; what it meant; or how describe it to anyone, but now I know better!

It sounds horrible, but I know now that every time I stretched my toes and pulled my foot upward (before my surgery), I was pulling apart any healing that my posterior tibial tendon had accomplished. 😓 I'm guessing I probably made my torn tendon worse with every foot flex! I shudder to think about those icky moments!

So, four Saturdays ago, when I was stretching my foot like I had many times in the past, I felt something very different. I suddenly felt strength in my posterior tibial tendon! Yes, I still have ankle pain (probably from scar tissue), but I no longer feel the same weakness, or experience that intense fear/worry that I've endured for so many months. (It's been nine months {tomorrow} since my accident!) I nearly cried tears of joy for feeling that new strong sensation! I only hope that lovely feeling continues!

I'm sure some of you will laugh at me for sharing this, but one of the things that's been sooo hard for me is not being able to wear every pair of my favorite high heels like I want. Yes, I'm able to wear wedges and many versions of high heels, but I haven't been able to wear all of my awesome platform high heels just yet—Fankle is simply not ready for them. Even though I have so many cute pairs of high heels that I really want to wear to church again (and my church wardrobe is subsequently smaller because some of my dresses are too long for non-platform shoes), I'll have to continue being patient. #thestoryofmylife! 😂

I repeatedly tell myself, "Wait until ____ months, then reevaluate where you are. Maybe after ____ months you can wear those platform high heels again!" It's become quite comical (and frustrating) that I'm still telling myself that same bit of advice no matter how many months pass! The good news is, I can see real progress in my high-heal-wearing abilities! 👠 I'm getting better and better at wearing them with each passing Sunday! #yayme! I don't want to get overly excited, but I think I might be able to wear all of my shoes (for limited periods of time) within another month or two! #freakin'hallelujah! I'll just have to patiently wait and see...

One area of my recovery that continues to puzzle me is that my posterior tibial muscle itself continues to be so darn tight and achy all along/behind my tibia. I keep thinking it will loosen up one of these days, but it's not happening. Yes, I expected my tendon to be tight because it had surgery and the scar tissue has built up—but not my entire muscle!

There are days when I just want to take a big soup spoon and push/dig/scrape my posterior tibial muscle until it finally relaxes! That sounds insane, but I can't describe it any other way. Plus, the posterior tibial muscle is just super hard to get at. I've watched massage videos to see how they access it, but I've not been very successful at it myself. The good news is, my muscle tightness has improved/relaxed a teeny bit over the past month! It's by no means perfect yet, but I'm finally catching this little glimmer of hope that one day I won't want to dig my calf muscle with a soup spoon! Ha ha. 😄

I'm also beyond ready to be able to run up and down my stairs again! It's crazy to think how much the little things bother us when we aren't able to do them anymore. I had years when I was exhausted every day because of my hypothyroidism, and running up/down the stairs was the last thing I wanted to do! Yet, oh my, what I wouldn't give to be able to fully bound up and down the stairs any time I want! That said, I've felt a smidgen of improvement on my stairs the past couple of weeks! I tried bounding just a little bit, and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be! Yay! Thus, I'm going to keep trying a little more every day! Within reason, of course...

One thing that has helped me tremendously over the past several weeks was something President Russell M. Nelson said in his most recent Worldwide Devotional. He said (these are separate paragraphs throughout his talk—emphasis added),

"When I was a young medical student, my rigorous study of the human body convinced me that God lived. And as I came to know that the body was God’s creation, I became increasingly intrigued with the [divine laws] of God that govern the function of the body." 

"Divine law is incontrovertible and irrefutable. Divine law cannot be denied or disputed." 

"...Not even for God’s prophet could the [divine] law relating to the transmission of electricity be ignored." 

"In a coming day, you will present yourself before the Savior. You will be overwhelmed to the point of tears to be in His holy presence. You will struggle to find words to thank Him for paying for your sins, for forgiving you of any unkindness toward others, for healing you from the injuries and injustices of this life."

While President Nelson was mainly referring to heart surgery in this example of divine law, the Holy Ghost helped me take his words in a completely different direction because I needed that spiritual uplift. 😇

As I thought about my human body in relation to what President Nelson taught, I internalized that our Heavenly Father's divine laws also apply to me.

I thought about the fact that tendons are one of the s.l.o.w.e.s.t. healing tissues in the human body.

I thought about the fact that my ankle's blood supply isn't the greatest right where the posterior tibial tendon is. Yet I know that's exactly how the human body had to be formed—because what if our ankles had a gushing blood supply like we do in our heads? Can you imagine the amount of blood that would pool/escape if/when we accidentally cut our feet? If we had the same amounts of blood in our feet as we do in our heads, we could bleed out so very quickly because of gravity pulling the blood away from our hearts.

I also thought about the fact that the posterior tibial tendons are two of the most important tendons in the human body! Because of their great importance in holding up the arches of our feet, of course the posterior tibial tendons take even longer to heal than most other tendons—more of our mobility is at risk, so they must be darn well strong enough to support our bodies' "suspension bridges"!

I thought about how any tissue in the human body won't grow to its full potential unless and until it is worked and moderately stressed. Without resistance, human tissues atrophy—which is exactly what happened when I was fully protected by my boot/cast and crutches! My calf muscle shrank an enormous amount. And my thigh and buttock muscles shrank a pretty significantly, too. Yes, I had to let my ankle tissues (posterior tibial tendon, tendon sheath, flexor retinaculum, skin) heal from the surgery, but they were nowhere near completely healed until the pressure, weight, and stretching happened from putting my full body weight on my foot. Basically (and obviously!), I had to work to regain my ankle motion and muscle strength!

In further pondering my ankle's recovery and divine law, I find it fascinating that we are commanded to work. Our Heavenly Father's divine law dictates that our growth and healing—whether it be physical or spiritual—won't ever be complete unless we work. Jesus Christ's work is what created our beautiful Earth, and His work is precisely what will bring us back to our Heavenly Father. He said, "For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." (Moses 1:39.)

Jesus Christ is the perfect example of our Heavenly Father's divine law in action! Because of His example, I know that the same divine law that required our Savior to atone for our sins (and die for each one of us) applies to me and my Fankle recovery.

*Before anyone thinks I'm being sacrilegious, please know that I fully understand that my ankle surgery and recovery are nowhere near the Atonement, Crucifixion, and Resurrection. I'm simply stating the fact that divine law applied to Jesus Christ, and divine law applies to me, too.

When I remember to think of my recovery in terms of divine law, I have greater patience in my daily ankle pain and the exhaustion of my recovery. Best of all, I have true hope for a full recovery one day! #prettyplease?! Thus, I'm working at keeping the perspective of divine law in my mind at all times. Of course, some days are easier than others, but I keep trying! 👍 😎

Finally, while I've spent an extensive amount of time complaining in this post about my situation, fatigue, and pain, I want it to be known that the positive difference between Fankle at six months and seven months (first week of February, 2017–first week of March, 2017) is significant. 😀 I most definitely see progress since I finished my at-home physical therapy! And that is a positive I'm trying to remember every day! #somedaysarebetterthanothers I simply wish that my ankle recovery was progressing faster than it is!

Thus, we see that as much as I've felt successful at gaining patience over my lifetime (I've improved a lot, I promise!), I obviously have more work to do! #don'tweall?! I absolutely know that our Heavenly Father sees my progress (And my blessed angels are taking notes! 😇 Ha ha.), but He clearly wants more for my soul, thus, here I still find myself, standing in this extended Fankle-recovery position.

I will absolutely keep going no matter what! I won't ever give up! I will continue working diligently to regain my ankle function, and I'll get myself back in shape to the very best of my ability! But I know both of those goals will take time, and I'm in it for the long haul. As much as I can't wait for all of those positive things to happen (I'm so excited to be fully healed and physically fit again!), I will wait because I have no other option! 😉