Thoughts from ME

From the doctrine of Christ/ Rel200 packet and Proclamation From personality theories and Psychology in general (Quotes taken from Hergenhahn and Olsen's "An Introduction to Theories of Personality" 1 unless otherwise stated.) ALFRED ADLER “Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children… In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners.” (Family A Proclamation to the World) “Every marriage is tested repeatedly by three kinds of wolves… the third wolf is excessive individualism.” (Bruce C. Hafen’s “Covenant Marriage”) For Love and marriage to succeed requires these three ideas: Preparation of involving two people, consciousness of equal worth, and capacity for devotion. (Social Interest) We declare that God’s commandment for his children to multiply an...

An experience. I'm a teacher's assistant and part of my job is holding the open labs for students in neurobiology to come study neuroanatomy. I'm in charge of Tuesday nights. It was the week of Thanksgiving and my school doesn't hold classes on Wednesday so many students had already left for the holiday. I didn't want to hold the open lab and even considered not holding it. I'm so glad I did. One student came. Just one. He studied for fifteen minutes before we began to talk. I asked him a simple question that led to what I sincerely hope will be one of the most influential moments of my college career. This kid is young. Just started college. He doesn't know what he's doing yet. He probably isn't comfortable living on his own, making his own choices, making his own dinner even. But he is old enough to be a missionary. So I asked him whether he was planning on serving a mission for our church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He ...

The prospect of graduating from college is terrible-nerve-wrecking-awesome-exciting-throw-up-in-your-mouth-happy. Does that explain it to you? Does that properly explain how you felt when you graduated? After a HUGE amount of time which I'd rather not share because it's slightly embarrassing, I am graduating with my undergraduate degree in Psychology. A Bachelor of Science. My degree qualifies me to do nothing. Absolutely nothing. Do you know what you have to do to use your BS in Psychology? You have to get more schooling....  ...  So what will I be doing? Honestly? I don't know yet. It sounds awful. It feels awful.  I have been admitted into a medical school. I'm grateful for an acceptance. And it's definitely a path and a continuation and will lead me into a career. So there's that.

"Thus saith the Lord of hosts; consider your ways." Haggai 1:7, KJV Seeing: colors. the bright yellow-orange-pink of grapefruit. the grey-blue of the day waking up. Making:  baby steps to perfection and eternal life. Cooking:  feijouda (a brazilian black bean meat stew - it's delicious, trust me.) Drinking:  raspberry herbal tea. the color of this tea is beautiful. a rich brown with red tones. Reading: textbooks. sensation and perception. abnormal psychology. the lesson on pride today for sunday school. Hearing:  some of my favorite christian rock music. there is a lot of christian music i can't stand. but there are plenty that i love. jj heller's love can make you new - a beautiful testament on the enabling power of the atonement. Wanting:  this moment to last forever. more frequently than not, i find myself comfortable in my now and not wanting it to go. the lesson of enjoying my now took a lot of work and patience and maybe i learne...

[This post is dedicated to missionaries who served in the VRM. "Where there is no vision, the people perish."] I should never have lost her. When I came home from my mission it took me what seemed forever to reassemble my life. After I first returned to Utah I felt so lost. I had lost my purpose when I had been released as a missionary. I was struck with how easy it was to return to old, poorer habits. I remember talking one day on the phone to my grandma and saying how I felt that God and the Spirit were so far from me. She boldly and lovingly chastised me by saying, "Melissa, God has not pulled away from you. It is you  who have pulled away from him." I began analyzing my choices. Trying to make better ones. Reteaching myself what I had spent eighteen months teaching  - the reality of the atonement of Christ. This included the redemptive power (which I really needed a lot at that time) and the enabling power (which I needed to apply with equal fervor.) It ...

In the LDS religion we have our own hymnal that we sing from. The same hymn book is used across the world with little variation. There is one song in particular that is popular. It's called "I am a Child of God" and it is taught very young to our youth. While I will be the first to teach about and testify of the reality behind the words, I don't particularly care for the song. There are two instances in my life, however, where the song has played a significant role. The first was on my mission. While a missionary in Virginia, we were teaching a family. One inactive husband, one beautiful mother, and two awe-inspiring-crazy-tae-kwon-do-ing boys. We sat with the two boys in the living room and played the song as a video which can be found at the end of this post. We taught the boys the words and together we watched the video as the parents stood talking in the next room. I will never in all my life forget the feeling I felt as those two boys testified of the reality...

I'm reading a book written by a very inspired woman. Her name is Rachel Remen, M.D. I have taken forever to read this book. This in itself surprises me. I cannot remember the last time it has taken me weeks to finish a book. Interestingly, I have read this book at an appropriate pace - I know this because I read a bit here and it's exactly what I need to hear. I read a bit there and it's exactly what I need in that moment. I feel as though God is handing me small moments of clarity . Dr. Remen says, "The pattern of our most fundamental beliefs is reflected in the smallest of our behaviors. If this is so, breaking up the pattern at any one point may eventually free us from it. The way in which we go into the grocery store may tell us everything about the way in which we live our life. {sidenote: She's referencing Carl Jung here who would ask his patients where they had been just before they had come to him - whether they had just been running errands, like the gro...

I found this incredibly moving and therapeutic. For you.