Song of the Day.

"When I was a younger man, I thought the pain of defeat would last forever. But now I don't know what it would take to make my heart back down."

Yes, M. Ward, yes. I will be your new biggest fan. If you insist.

The most immense, bright, and overcoming happiness I have ever felt.

Have you ever felt so happy you thought your entire body could burst? 

Have you ever felt a change of heart wash through the insides of your soul? 

Have you ever felt such gratitude to God for your blessings and trials that you could hardly speak? 

As I reflect on the last few months of my life, I feel blessed to be able to honestly answer yes to each of these questions. I have felt complete guidance, peace, assurance, and gratitude wash over all aspects of my life. I write about these feelings in my daily journal, but today I feel prompted to share some of my thoughts publicly. I hope that maybe one of my friends, family, or even a complete stranger, will benefit from something in this post. 

I think the biggest lesson is summed up in this quote: 

While sadness, heartache, grief, fear, and anger play a necessary part in our earthly existence, God never wanted us to dwell in these emotions. They are in our lives so that we can overcome them. They are there to turn us to God and to teach us to rely on Him. They are there to show us that true peace, guidance, assurance, gratitude, and happiness can be found only in Christ. 

A few weeks ago, I watched my niece, Ella, get baptized and confirmed. I was a proud auntie that day, as I watched her make her first covenant with Heavenly Father and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. She covenanted that day to try to become more like Christ, to remember Him, to keep His commandments, and to serve Him. With some powerful experiences with the Holy Ghost fresh in my mind, I tried to explain how having the companionship of the Holy Ghost has shaped, guided, and blessed my life:

It has strengthened me when I thought I couldn't be strengthened. 

It has brought peace when I felt troubled. 

It has put words in my mouth when I didn't know what to say to a troubled friend. 

It has enhanced my understanding of Christ's character. 

It has helped me find lost keys and important documents. 

It has turned my heart toward my ancestors so that I could feel their influence and love.

It has made me grateful for my trials and my blessings. 

It has made me feel the most immense, bright, overcoming happiness I have ever felt. 

I know that as we become worthy for and seek to have the influence of the Holy Ghost in our lives, our characters will change. Our hearts will turn to Christ. We will be filled with peace, assurance, gratitude, and the most immense happiness to ever be felt in this life. 

So grateful and proud of this pretty girl. 

Some of my best.

I'm entering some of these photos in a travel photo contest, and I figured it was about time I put some on da blog too. 

Can I go back to Europe and Hawaii yet?