Happy stuff yourself like a Turkey day a.k.a Thanksgiving

I really wanted to get on here and share my gratitude. I have had some pretty incredible experiences in the last few weeks. Which has given me an increased sense of gratitude. Perfect for this time of year to have increased gratitude.

These are a few of my most grateful things:
*My bed-It reminds me that I have a warm home to come home to.
*Holidays-that bring my family together.
*Friends-that cover my eyes in the mushy parts of movies.
*Food-I absolutely love it
*Perspective-it has changed my life.
*A healthy body-I find when my body is in tune my spirit is more receptive.
*Light-even the smallest amount of light can bring comfort to a very dark place.
*Trials-I have found my greatness through some of my most difficult life experiences.

What a fantastic opportunity to have a day a time of year to really reflect on my greatest gifts. I know that none of these things would have been possible without the greatest gift that I have been given. A magnificent Creator that gave me life and the power of choice. I know without my Lord and Savior none of this would be possible. For this I am the most Grateful.

Luvs,
Britt

Gratitude!

Gratitude is a tool I am constantly using in my life. When I'm frustrated or stressed or feeling sad, I start listing all the things I'm grateful for in my life. There is always something to be grateful for, even if it is something small. Once you start seeing the little things you are blessed with you start seeing other larger things you are blessed with. I've seen in my life that the more you express that gratitude for what Heavenly Father has given you, the more he will bless you with!

As the end of 2013 is swiftly closing and with Thanksgiving Day here, I have been really thinking about all I'm grateful for and all that I have been blessed with this year. It has been such an amazing year! I've experienced major successes, answers to prayers and MIRACLES!

I am so very grateful to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints! The knowledge I have gained throughout my life of my Savior and God's Plan of Happiness has been a comfort and motivation to me. I am so thankful for my Savior and His Atonement. I have learned so much this year about using the Atonement in my life!

I'm thankful for the power of prayer! For many years I've been praying to find an amazing guy to share my life with and this year that prayer was answered beyond anything I could have imagined!  I'm so thankful for the better promises my Heavenly Father has for me. They have been worth the wait!

I'm thankful for my amazing family! I can't even truly express my gratitude for them. I am truly blessed! My family is always there for me and supporting me on my goals and dreams. They've been there for me in hard times and the best of times in my life. They make me laugh when I really need to laugh. They put up with my bad moods and my crazy ideas. They remind me constantly of the love and service I get to share with others. They are amazing examples of living Christ-like lives! I am truly grateful to call them my family!

I am also grateful for the opportunity I have to teach and inspire others both in my work as a teacher and on this blog. It is my hope and prayer that you can take the time each day to count your blessings and see all the good that The Lord has blessed you with in your life.  I know that as you do this you will be even more blessed in your life and you will find happiness!

Love,

Meg :0)

Better Promises

A couple weeks ago, I was in my jeep with My-Handsome-Guy-With-the-Killer-Smile. I had Hilary Weeks' album "Say Love" on.  I'd listened to it before, but because I wasn't driving, I was able to really concentrate on the words of a song called "Better Promises." My heart filled with a deep love and gratitude towards my Heavenly Father as I listened to the words. In that moment, sitting next to my love with his hand in mine, I took a little trip down memory lane to the path that led me to my very own better promise.

From the time I was a small child, I have dreamed of being a wife and mother.  It just never worked out for me before. I would come close, but Heavenly Father kept telling me no when I really wanted Him to tell me yes.  At the time it was hard to keep having faith that things would work out for me. Feelings of loneliness and overwhelming sadness were my constant companions. 

One day I realized I had just given up.  I had taken that dream and pushed it to the back of my mind. I focused on my career and things that weren't really important.  I was trying to fill up the place in my heart that was empty. My heart was broken, and I had no idea how to fix it. I remember praying so hard to find a way to be truly happy again. That's when Heavenly Father placed me in the path that led me here to my better promise. That was the first step in my journey of discovering the greatness inside myself and living in my Soulful Brilliance!

It's been two and a half years since that first step, and I've had an amazing journey learning so much about life and being happy.  I was able to turn to my Heavenly Father in faith and love and allow Him to heal my heart. I am so grateful for the tools I have learned to help me be a happy person no matter what challenges come into my life.  I am so grateful for all those hard experiences that have helped me grow and learn and come to the path that led to My-Handsome-Guy-With-the-Killer-Smile!  Last week he asked me to marry him:0), reminding me once again that Heavenly Father really does have better promises for us! 

If I can give to you one gift today, it would be the knowlege that Heavenly Father loves you SO much!  He may not answer your prayers the way you would like him to answer them.  He may give you some difficult learning opportunities.  You may feel all alone and hurting. You may want to give up on your dreams and goals. Just remember and never forget that those experiences are a blessing in disguise.  It may take time to see them as blessings, but one day you'll be able to look back and be thankful for the lessons you learned that helped you get to your better promises!

Luvz,
Meg :0)

The Truth About Me

As I've been working the past couple of month on finding out some truths about me, I've have discovered some pretty amazing things! Many of which stem from some big Truths about me.  This journey has been amazing, and I am feeling more confident, happy and present in my life!  Here are a few things that I've learned and been reminded of in this journey:  I am wanted! I am loved!  I am faithful!  I am dependable!  I am capable of doing hard things!  I am full of love!  I am powerful and inspiring! I am deserving! I am an anchor!  I am captivating! I am a perfect radiant sun shining brightly and nurishing myself and others with joy, peace, and love!  I am a light! I am a faithful daughter of God!

 

I cannot even put into words the love I have felt in the last few months from my Heavenly Father as I have embarked on this Truth About Me Challenge. Each truth I recognized brought me one step closer to recognizing more of my Soulful Brilliance and living in it!

 

I know with all my heart that He loves each of us individually!  I know that He hears our prayers! He may not answer them right away or even in the way you think they should be answered, but they will be answered. He knows the path that will help each of us become what we need to be to be able to become as He is.

 

One of my favorite quotes is from Neal A. Maxwell, "Faith in God includes faith in His timing."  Remembering this has helped me make it through many times of loneliness and waiting for good things to come into my life. I know that as we live in gratitude for what we do have Heavenly Father will bless us with the desires of our hearts.  I'm so thankful for all the tender mercies He has sent into my life, and for the chance I have to recognize them.  Remembering that the truth about me is that I am a faithful daughter of God has helped me to do more of the little things each day that will help me grow closer to Him, which in turn has helped me to find more and more blessings in my life!

 

Dearest friends, I hope that you have had a chance to discover more of the truth about yourself and to grow closer to the Savior in the process.  If you haven't had the chance to take part in this challenge, please take the opportunity to start it today!  I know that as you discover truths about yourself, you will be able to accomplish so much in your life!  You will grow closer to the Savior and be able to find strength in Him!

 

I would love to hear the truths that you have learned about yourself and how it has help you in your life.  Please share by commenting below or emailing me at meg@soulfulbrilliance.com.

 

Luvz,

Meg:0)

the truth about me...surrender

 

 

Have you ever had one of those times in your life

when you have this genius idea to do something

that is pretty involved,

and after you get going other things come

into your life that have a higher priority than

your first genius idea, so your genius idea

takes a back seat?

That's what happened to me and

the Truth About Me Challenge.

The truth about me is

that I choose to prioritize and

sometimes that means putting

some things on the back burner for a little while. :0)

But I'm back and ready to get going again!

 

About the time I wrote my last post about patriarchal blessings,

Britt and I were talking about how there were some

situations in our lives that we wanted to let go

of the worry and fear that surrounded them.

We wanted to surrender to them and just let them

unfold as Heavenly Father wanted them to

so we could learn what he wanted to teach us.

We got together one afternoon and wrote

what we were surrendering to on some balloons

and let them go outside.

I've done this surrender exercise many times,

but this time was just different.

I was just totally and completely ready

to let go of my worries and fears

in a way I'd never been before.

Watching them float away was freeing!

 

 

 Now every time I begin to worry or stress

about those situations I remind myself

that I surrendered that to my Heavenly Father.

 

I get to have faith that my Father in Heaven

will lead me on the path that is best for my life.

The path that will lead me to my best and brightest self!

The path that will teach me all I need to learn

before I return to live with Him!

 

Recently I was studying the Book of Mormon

and came across this scripture,

"For they became a righteous people;

they did lay down the weapons of their rebellion,

that they did not fight against God any more..."

(Alma 23:7)

As I applied this scripture to my own life,

I realized that there are many times and situations

where I am holding a weapon of rebellion.

Sometimes inactivity.

Sometimes not remembering

to do the little daily things that would help me.

Sometimes pride.

Heavenly Father has been standing there

waiting for me to put down those weapons

and allow Him to bless me.

I get to stop fighting his plan for me and

submit fully to His will.

As I did just that two months ago,

I have been immeasurably blessed!

I can't even begin to tell you about all

the happiness, hope and love

that have come into my life

just in that short amount of time.

I'm learning and growing in ways

that I never imagined I would!

 

I used to wonder and worry about why

I was having to wait for some of my prayers to be answered.

I've learned that

surrendering or submitting to our Heavenly Father's will

doesn't guarentee quick answers to our prayers.

Sometimes we get to wait.

Heavenly Father might have other purposes to fulfill.

Maybe we get to wait to build our faith

and to learn eternal truths that we later get to share with

others who come into our lives.

One of my favorite quotes from Neal A. Maxwell is this,

"Faith in God includes faith in His timing."

He knows us and our situations individually.

He knows what will best help us to learn and

grow into the people we need to be.

Sometimes waiting can be hard,

but we are being prepared for our future,

and eventually we will be blessed beyond

anything we have ever imagined!

 

The past few weeks I've been reminded

that I've been prepared for the things happening

in my life right now.

My Heavenly Father has blessed me

with so much and now I get to share

my knowledge and testimony with others,

so they too can find the path

Heavenly Father intended for them!

It's an awesome thing to be

able to be an instrument in God's hands!

 

I am so thankful for all the challenges

I've had in my life!

They have shaped and molded me

into the person He needs me to be.

They have also brought me to

this amazing place in my life

where I get to enjoy so many blessings

that my cup is just flooding!

 

I know that we are all cherished children

of our Heavenly Father.

He has a purpose and a plan for our lives.

All we need to do is to come to him with

a broken heart and a contrite spirit,

and He will guide us in our path!

Remember that

YOU ARE IMPORTANT!

 

Luvz,

Meg:0)

 

 

The Truth About Me

The truth about me is that I am a Powerful Creator. :)

Luvs,
Britt

How Do I Find the Truth About Me? Part Two: Patriarchal Blessings

I remember when I was living in China, I would check every morning to see if I got an email from someone in my family.  I was patiently (okay not so patiently) waiting to hear from them. Any one of them!  When I'd see I finally got one, I would be filled with happiness.  They're letters would tell of home and all that was going on in my absence, and of course encouragement! The best times were actually when I got a letter or package in the mail. Being able to rip open an envelope or a package and find the treasures inside! Some days when I just didn't know if I could make it through the day, I would be lifted by my letters and emails from home and be able to push forward and continue on my amazing journey.

Has there been a time in your life when you've felt this way?

You maybe have days where the storms and winds 

are beating down on you,

and you just don't know if you can make it 

through one more day?

For me my patriarchal blessing

is a letter from home.

I can picture my Heavenly Father

sitting at a desk with a pen and paper

writing me this letter of encouragement,

caution, protection, and inspiration.

It's a letter from the one person 

who knows me better than anyone,

in a place that is my true home.

When we are searching for 

the truth about ourselves,

we can find further answers in our 

patriarchal blessings. 

I know I've share this before, 

but here it is again: :0)

Dieter F. Uchtdorf once said,

"Our Heavenly Father sees our real potential.  

He knows things about us that we do not know ourselves."

Heavenly Father knows us

BETTER THAN WE KNOW OURSELVES!

We can discover more of what He knows about us 

as we read and study our patriarchal blessings.

There are lots of different ways to study your blessing.

Find one that works for you and study it!

Discover things about yourself that 

you never knew!

Luvz,

Meg:0)

P.S.  I'm a little bit behind with my TAM postings on my personal blog (livingincrescendo.blogspot.com),

but I am committed to catching up in the next couple of days!