Thankful for Family

It's Thanksgiving! I ate an absurd about of turkey, mashed potatoes, corn, stuffing, and many other side dishes one could possibly imagine. The food was amazing and I enjoyed myself and I am truly grateful for the invitation to join the Farnsworth Family for the holiday.

I did sneaked out and call my family today. I got to talk to each of them for awhile. It was great to hear their voices, but it really made me miss them all the more. This was the first Thanksgiving I've had without some sort of family near. It really made me reflect on the blessing of family.

I guess in a way I have always taken my family for granted. It wasn't until last summer that I learned to appreciate them. I would do anything for my family. I am truly grateful for the love and the support they give me. I miss them and wish I could be with them. I pray for their well-being and I pray in gratitude for each and every one of them daily.

I am blessed and grateful to know that Families are Forever. And I look forward to the day that blessing can become a reality for me.

Show Thanks for your Freedoms

I want to thank all of my family and friends who have or who are serving in the military for my freedoms. What you have done is selfless and amazing. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Temple Blessings

I am truly amazed and blessed to be able to go to the Temple for my own Endowment. It was an absolutely amazing experience, so special, so sacred, so true, so real. I am blessed to be able to make these Sacred Covenants with Heavenly Father. I can feel his happiness, his love for me and how proud He is. 

I have such amazing friends who support my and my decision to go through the Temple. I felt so loved and blessed to have some of them there with me!!

Promises, promises, promises.

Lately a lot of things have been coming up at church about dating and relationships. It's been rather frustrating. In my opinion, there seems to be a huge disconnect between the readiness of the two larger parties involved. I feel that the urgency of marriage is being pushed upon a collective group of individuals that is not ready to make the promises necessary. With that in mind, the other day I read a story that I want to share....

"Promises, promises, promises. It seems that good friends always keep their promises. Several years ago I met a girl with whom I feel madly in love. She was beautiful, talented, and fun to be with. I finally got up enough courage to ask her out. She said yes! I couldn't believe it. I don't even remember what we did because I was so happy to be going out with her. We were together, and that's all that mattered. I was a prince in frog's clothing, and she was a beautiful princess.  

We went out a few more times, and I was beginning to wonder if she liked me the way I liked her. The magic moment finally arrived. I took her to her door and was saying goodbye when she stepped close to me, took me by the hand, looked deep into my eyes, and asked, "Would you like to go to general conference with me on Saturday?" Not exactly what I expected, but of course I said yes. 

There was a minor problem though. I was going to be in Idaho staying with a friend the night before conference. If I was going to go with her, I would have to leave Idaho at about three in the morning to make it back for our date- the first session of conference. I knew it would be worth it! I told her I would make it in time, and she promised to pick me up at 8:30 A.M. 

As promised, I drove most of the night so I could meet her for our conference date. When I reached my home, I quickly got ready. I was tired and exhausted, but I was excited to be with her. In my best suit, with scriptures in hand, I excitedly looked out the window at 8:30 A.M. 

Half an hour later I was still looking. We have plenty of time, I  thought to myself. But by 9:30 A.M., she was still nowhere in sight. I began to worry and feel that it might be a good idea to give her a call. But then a thought crossed my mind: I want to see if she can keep her promise to pick me up in time for conference. It would be a great way to find out if she liked me enough to understand what I went through to meet her on time. I didn't call. 

I sat down on the couch and waited until 10 A.M., staring into the distance. Another hour soon passed. My frustration turned to disappointment. Then at 11:30 A.M. the phone rang. I quickly picked it up. 

"I'm sorry," she said. "My alarm didn't go off, and I slept in." I couldn't believe what i was hearing. I drove most of the morning to be with her. My mind understood that she didn't pick me up because she slept in, but my heart understood that she didn't care about me enough to keep her promise. What other promises would she not be able to keep in the future?"

There have been many times that the promises made to me have been forgotten or broken. The idea that the other person doesn't care enough about me, as a person, to keep their promises is a scary one. For about two years now, keeping promises is something that I have tried extra hard to do. If I say I am going to do something, I do everything I can to do it and keep that promise. This is something that I put high value on. When the story talked about the mind and heart understanding two different things, this was my "ah-hah" moment. It wasn't until this point that I realized the challenges we are faced in dating. The "promises" that we keep to each other can entirely make or break a relationship; keep it at a friendship level or allow it to progress to something more.