New Year, New Goals

As we wound down our trip in UT and anticipated our trip back to PA I began preparing for my lesson in Relief Society. I decided to highlight the talk “Daily Restoration” by my favorite Dieter F. Uchtdorf. I really loved studying the talk more fully and applying it to a new year with new goals while recognizing the ability we have each day to be a little bit better than the day before. Even when we fall short, as we often do, we have a new day to give us a fresh start and fresh perspective all because of our Savior Jesus Christ.

As I prepared I reflected back on the first lesson I guided on the Savior’s Abiding Compassion and asked myself do I show myself compassion as I make and set and sometimes fail at my goals?

With all of this in mind I put together a lesson outline with lots of questions to involve the group. The ladies in our group have no problem voicing their opinions and testimonies so I never have a problem getting engagement and sharing, however, what I was not anticipating this week was the addition of a few deaf people to our class. There was a woman that knew sign language and she sat down near the front of the room by me and the three people that were deaf sat on the front row and watched her sign what I and other women in the room said. The most powerful part was when the translator would raise her hand and say “I have a comment here,” and we would proceed to watch one of the people sign to her and she would verbalize for the rest of us the comments they were making. It was seriously SO powerful. The spirit they brought really was palpable as they shared about focusing on Christ, raising a family, being kind to others, being patient with yourself and that things really do work out. I was in awe at the power and testimony that could be felt as they shared their thoughts with the group. It was a testament to me that our testimonies can be shared so many different ways and that we really do need each other. Watching the translator interact with the people was amazing. I look up to all of them.

The challenge for the week I gave the group was to write down a daily discipleship goal: something they can do each day to come closer to Christ, recognizing that when they fall short they have another day to improve because of Him. It was sweet to ask if anyone would like to share and hear what some of their goals were. There were goals about conversations with others, prayers, and being grateful and focusing on the positive. There were personal stories shared and I really do love getting to know the women in the ward better and hearing of their experiences, perspectives and most of all testimonies. 

As I set my own personal goals for this year I reflected on one of my favorite talks from Elder M. Russell Ballard entitled “Return & Receive.”
It is an awesome talk that changed the way I think about goal setting. He shares that the most successful people he knows not only have goals but they also have plans to achieve them.

He talks about how we should first have a simple vision even as small as a two word phrase. He gives the example of our Heavenly Father’s vision for us is Moses 1:39 to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man but simply put He wants us to Return & Receive. From there he advises we set our goals and with each of our goals we figure out specific plans to help us achieve our goals. That way goals aren’t just a vague illusion but a destination with a path to get there.

With this in mind I set goals in each of the four areas that I remember working with the Young Women in Bountiful to set when we were living back home in UT: Spiritual, Intellectual, Physical and Social. Jaden set goals of his own and we shared them with each other and talked about ways that we can support and keep each other accountable with our goals. Recognizing that we won’t always have perfect routines but we can strive each day to be better and chip away at our goals a little at a time.

I can honestly say I have entered 2022 feeling “refreshed” like Elder Uchtdorf talks about in his talk. I am so excited for what this next year holds especially as we make goals and work hard to achieve them and become better each day so that we truly can one day Return & Receive and fully embrace the blessings of our Heavenly Father’s vision and goals for us.

Peaches

• Spending the last few days of our trip with family
• Dad and Jaden gave me a blessing as I start school which was awesome
• Going to breakfast with my cousin and seeing my aunt and uncle and cousins before they move
• Eating awesome food and watching the Rose Bowl with the Richins
• Zach and Jenna picking us up from the airport
• Trying a new Thai place and having dinner, games and movie night with Zach and Jenna, (we watched The Proposal in honor of Betty White’s passing)
• Awesome Relief Society lesson
• When I followed up on my previous challenge about having Abiding Compassion one of the women shared how she was trying to remember how when God created the Earth in Genesis he kept saying “it was good” and that as she looked at her children, her own creations she wanted to say the same “they are good” because she knows that is what God says about her. I absolutely LOVED that thought!!!
• Listening to the translator share testimonies of the people in the class who were deaf
• Breakfast for dinner with Zach and Jenna
• Started a cleanse after pigging out on so much food over the holidays. We’re using Clean Simple Eats cookbook and it’s been good so far!
• Grocery pickup, seriously so convenient and nice. Sometimes I struggle with it because I like to pick my own produce but it seriously is so convenient and we’ll probably be using it a lot once we’re both back in school  
• 9:00 church. No longer conflicts with Jade's naptime
• Misplaced my wallet when we were back home and Jaden got so mad at me and said "You HAVE to start carrying a purse" Major & Natalie must have heard him because when we came home they had sent me a purse for Christmas
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pits

• Saying bye to family
• Utes didn’t pull off a win at the Rose Bowl
• Had a Covid scare a few of our friends in Utah tested positive and Jade wasn’t feeling well but took tests and they came back negative so we were still able to travel back to Pittsburgh
• Having to cancel plans with friends when Jaden wasn’t feeling well  
• Spending NYE with the Christiansens 
• Watching the Rose Bowl with the Richins
•  Going to dinner with Jeff and Amy
• Betty White passed away, my mom and I binged the first season of Golden Girls after we heard the news. Ever since I worked at The Villas assisted living in Kaysville while I was in high school I have loved the Golden Girls because it was always on when I was at work
• Jaden praying for a safe return "to the place where we live" because "home" is Utah not Pennsylvania. Mom and I got a kick out of that and will always refer to PA as "the place where we live" now
• Almost missing our connecting flight home, had five minutes to book it between gates and about didn’t make it but some foot stomping up the jetway and Jaden’s sprinting got us there in just enough time to wait for a flight attendant and then another delay when they couldn’t get the cabin door shut and had to call maintenance. But we made it!
• Some of our friends were sick so we didn’t get to see them after we got back
• Humid cold is so dang cold
• Feeling nervous about going back to school 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lessons Learned

 

• Write down your goals and your plans to accomplish them
• Change happens day by day and you get a new chance every day because of the Savior 
• Look at the things we create and say they "are good"
• There are many ways to share our testimonies
• We need each other
• Maybe don't choose flights with 40 minute layovers