Empowering Daughters of God

Have you ever seen a flower poke up in a crack in the cement, or grow up in an unlikely place, like gravel?  This, to me, is like what Pres. Oaks is talking about.  I'm sure its terribly difficult for that flower to grow in an unlikely or infertile place, but life usually finds a way!  The first thing that came to mind was something my mother has told me repeatedly throughout my life, "grow where you are planted!"  This piece of wisdom is something I strive to live by.  My whole childhood I watched her struggle in a very difficult marriage and even though I saw her tears more than I wanted, she really always found a way to be happy and cheerful.  Most people that knew her then and know her now would say she is one of the cheeriest, happiest and cutest people they have met!  I think her secret was that she always found ways to serve others.     Her situation was never ideal, but she made the most of it!  My situation is also not idea...

  I did not realize, until very recently, how this pandemic has affected me.  Yes, there has been a lot of feelings....... sadness, empathy, anger, frustration, peace, hope, and probably some others.  It has been a roller coaster.  I think I have just been trying to live life as normally as possible and I have ignored some of the things that have changed, for me.  I have locked away some of the emotions I have felt, at times, because I don't want to feel them.  Then I have ignored other things around me because I simply don't want to know.  What can I say, ignorance is bliss.  I have had intense moments of fear for the future, but I have also had overwhelming feelings of hope and peace through it all.   A few weeks ago when listening to the Zoom Sunday School meeting in my ward, it hit me!  I almost did not want to listen because I just did not want to hear people talk about the pandemic, and truthfully there was a part of me that d...