Merry Christmas. :)

I had about a bajillion ideas rolling around in my head for what I wanted to do on my blog for Christmas. But I can't do a bajillion things. Oh well. I'll deal with it.

 I have a great love for these three people. Jesus: well, obviously. My Savior. My Redeemer. My Best Friend. Born in a lowly stable. (AKA a cave full of dirty animals. Stables weren't so nice back then.) The greatest man to ever have walked the Earth born amongst animals. And then Mary. Oh, Mary. I can't wait for the day I can meet her. And thank her. You know, she was like...14. 14 and gave birth to the Savior of the world. How pure she must have been! How precious and virtuous. I also think of the strife she must have gone through. Not only the knowledge she did she give birth and raise our Savior, but she watched Him suffer and die. I have such respect for her. And I want to thank her. And give her a big hug. Christmas would not have been the same without her faith and courage. And then Joseph. His faith also astounds me. Despite all trepidation or worries he might have had, he helped raise and teach Jesus.

It was the shepherds, the humblest of people, who first saw Jesus. Angels appeared to them, and sang of Jesus' birth. (I secretly hope I was in that choir.) What that must have been like! And it just shows, it is those who are humble who will be invited to be in the Savior's presence. 

The wise men. Who traveled days, months, years! To find Jesus. To give Him gifts. The wise men help remind me what Christmas is about - not receiving, but giving. And it reminds me to give to Christ. What is my gift to Christ? I never know what I have to give, if anything I have is of worth to Him. But, I can serve, and I can love. We all have something we can bring to Christ.

One of my favorite Christmas songs is "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" - originally a poem by Longfellow.

"I heard the bells on Christmas day

Their old familiar carols play

And wild and sweet the words repeat

Of peace on Earth, good will to men.

"And in despair I bow my head

'There is no piece on Earth,' I said.

'For hate is strong and mocks the song

Of peace on Earth, good will to men.'

"Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:

'God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;

The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,

With peace on Earth, good will to men!'"

There is a story behind this poem. Why Longfellow wrote it. I suggest you look it up. But, one of the reasons why I love this so much, is because it mentions what almost everyone goes through: doubt; fear; getting caught up in the darkness of the world. But Christ breaks through all of that. With Him, there is hope. Doubt and fear are shattered, and light shines through. Because Christ is hope. That is why He was born, even in a lowly stable-cave. So that there would be hope, even in this dark and depressing world we live in.

Don't forget what Christmas is all about. Give a little more. Love a little stronger. Shine a little brighter. And have a very Merry Christmas!

Before I die...

Just came across a page on Stumbleupon that was this "Before I die" project. On a wall, people wrote what they wanted to do before they died. It made me think: What do I want to do before I die? Some were maybe more...materialistic or frivolous. Others were meaningful and heart warming.

So...what do I want to do?

*Write a song
*Learn at least one more instrument
*Get a Masters
*Meet the Prophet
*Play "All of Me" by John Schmidt, and have it actually sound like it.
*Get married in the temple to a man I love with all my heart
*Become a mom - a GOOD mom.
*Have the courage to see myself as I truly am, both flaws and strengths, and not be afraid of myself.
*Become a psychologist and help children through their problems
*Make a difference in the world
*Live in a way so that Christ is seen in my face and my eyes.

So. What do these goals mean? what are their significance. Do they uplift? Do they have the potential to make  us - well, me - a better person? What do you want to do before you die?

The sweet taste of freedom

This is how I feel right now. For reals. I have turned in my final assignment. I have taken my last final. I am now officially done with my first semester of college. I have somehow managed to survive. And it is such a wonderful feeling! I'm so glad it's over. I seriously am in the need of a hardcore break. I may sound like a baby, but this semester took a lot out of me. And I'm seriously considering my sanity in taking 7 more semesters, plus grad school for a Masters. And possibly a Doctorate.

Within these few days, I've had so many tender mercies from the Lord. For example: my computer likes to delete parts of files. This makes for an angry/frustrated/ready-to-breakdown Beth when she is trying to get an assignment done, and she opens up a file, expecting there to be just as much as when I last saved, instead of having it half gone. It happened last night. I finished it, which frustration. I left all my programs open, and put my computer on hibernate, because then they stay up. I turned my computer on this morning. They were closed. With that file over half gone, and another file completely empty. No words to describe the bajillion feelings rolling around in me. Then, a wonderful soul, Cory, comes over and somehow retrieves the files. Joy! Bliss! Sweet relief!

Another tender mercy: having a fabulous visiting teacher, Christine Posvistak. Seriously. She visit taught me Monday. After giving the lesson, we just talked for about half an hour. For those of you who know me well (is there anyone who reads this who doesn't know me well...?) know that often times I'm not much of a talker - but I can be if you, one find me in the right mood and two somehow spark something that gets me talking. You just have to somehow get me talking, and then it can be kinda hard to get me to stop...sometimes...Anyways. It was a nice break. and it was uplifting. Something needed with all the stress of finals and nonsense like that. Then, last night when the whole file partially disappearing happened I was not happy. When I'm not happy, I try to think of happy thoughts - which is often difficult for me to do on my own. Literally the only thing I could think of was being visit taught, so I sent her a text thanking her for it, and then she called me to see how I was doing. I was feeling happier and less stressed when she called, but it still made me happy. It just brightened my night to know that she cared. She's only the best visiting teacher ever. Yeah. Be jealous.

Also. Holly Dixon. I always ask her for happy thoughts when I'm too low to think of my own. Joshua Giraffe by Raffi - go look it up. Right now. So. Random. And hilarious. Holly almost always puts a smile on my face when I need it most. She helped turn my night around.

Life is great right now. I'm happy. I'm free! no worries for about threeish weeks! I leave for Mesa tomorrow. I'll get to spend my whole winter break chilling with my family and friends. I'm so relieved to be done! I have survived my first semester of college. I have survived my first 6 months living on my own, living on my own paycheck, going out of my comfort zone a bit, living with girls I had never met before (I have this fear of people thinking I'm crazy, obnoxious, annoying, and a punk. So living with people I've never met before was super intimidating for me.) This semester has proven to me that I, indeed, can do hard things. And now I have the chance to relax. I'm going to read like a fool. So. Many. Books. I've been going through withdrawal.

I am happy. The end. :)

The importance of good friends

Yeah...so it's been awhile. It's called college likes to take over my life. But, today is a Sunday, and I try not to do homework/study on Sunday. And, I figure with finals and final projects being due that I'm not done with yet, I can use all the blessings I can get!  So I have time to do a blogpost! I won't bore you the details of what my life has been like. Because, really. It's boring. Class. Homework. Work. Sleep. Eat. Wanting to sleep, but going to class. Sleeping instead of going to class. (Only like...twice this semester. Promise, Mom...) But, I do have something to share.

In sacrament meeting today, we sang hymn #293, "Each Life That Touches Ours for Good." I've heard it before, but I think that was the first time that I've actually sung it. Or at least paid attention to the words.  It got me thinking about the importance of friends - which is something I think about a lot. Because I have awesome friends, who have gotten me through a lot. So, during the Sacrament, I opened my scriptures to the Topical Guide and looked under friends/friendship.  I came across Proverbs 27:17, which intrigued me, so I actually turned to it.  It says:

"Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend."


The Spirit spoke to me after pondering this scripture. We are meant to be striving to become like Christ - to live in a way that allows His image to be shown in our countenances (Alma 5:14).  According to this scripture, like things sharpen each other - like iron sharpening iron.  It says that a man will "sharpen" his friend's countenance. I took this to mean that our friends will help us show Christ's image in our countenance.  I believe this with all my heart. I have made many friends whom I can see Christ shining through their faces.  As I have grown closer/do grow closer to these friends, I, myself, am changing. I am impressed by their example and try to follow it. Friends are meant to draw us closer to Christ - that's why we are supposed to surround ourselves with good friends, friends who will uplift you and inspire you to be a better person. When you do this, and you follow their example and become closer to Christ and more like Him, you become that friend who brings others closer to Christ.

I have so many friends who do this for me. I'm astounded by their strength, their love, their testimony, their closeness to Christ. I have tried to express my gratitude for my friends. But, I don't think I will ever be able to express enough gratitude for them. I'm SO blessed to have them in my life. I've let some of them know that I see Christ in their eyes, but there are some I haven't told. They have strengthened me, and brought me closer to my Savior. I sincerely hope that I have been able to be that sort of friend to others.

Seeking out good friends is incredibly important. I'm glad that I've gone down the path I have been, so that I've had the opportunity to come in contact with these incredible people.