Choose to be Happy

Today I was able to be present at a blessing or benediction for two of my cousins, where I had the opportunity to share my testimony with the congregation and various family members. There have been times when I have shared a testimony and can't really recall what exactly I said at the pulpit. Today I had that feeling after bearing mine, the one thing I clearly remembered was this one statement "I choose to be happy". I love the word Gospel its Greek root meaning is "glad tidings" and the Gospel of Jesus Christ truly is such.
I have not always been able to see a more positive outlook, because its very easy to dwell on the negative and slip into self pity, depression, denial, and anger. Those feelings are not of God, for something that makes you feel weighted down and miserable is not of divine origin. The gospel really does bring the light of Christ to our lives and when we allow these dark feelings to take hold and persist, that light cannot shine through and you can and will lose touch with God.
By choosing to be happy I have come to fully appreciate the implications and teachings of the gospel. I have learned that my choices require actions, just like having faith requires action, being happy also requires action. It is not easy to be happy all the time, and I am not advocating a constant medicated state either;however by choosing to focus on the positive happiness just follows.
The pursuit of self indulgence does not bring true happiness and yet so many prefer to follow those paths and in doing so they miss out on so much.
God created man to be happy and that feeling can come from so many avenues such as living and loving the gospel, having and accepting family for who they are, good friends, helping strangers, etc.
So to put it simply: Choose to be Happy.

A woman's role. . .

Today I have been thinking a lot about the privilege of being a woman. I really am grateful that God made me a woman and not a boy. There is nothing better then being able to feel power through my own femininity and my ability to create life. I enjoy being able to offer comfort and solace to those that needed, to be able to offer a hug that envelopes you in warmness. Yet, as a modern woman I have a duality to my nature, one that I am learning to embrace and balance.
As an LDS woman I have always been taught that a stay at home mom is the primary choice, that to do so would enable you to rear the "best" children and family. Yet, I am also taught that education and personal development is also an important aspect that should not be neglected or regulated to "maybe later". My struggle is that I am not the quiet, meek girl that will be happy to stay at home 24/7, with no mental /outside stimulation.Can we as LDS women have both?
I believe that it is possible. My own mother is an example of an amazing woman that worked full time and yet I never felt neglected or abandoned by her. I credit my mother with a lot of my strengths and my personal drive to get as much education possible, to speak my mind, to not allow others to take advantage of me, to be kind, compassionate, understanding, and fair. My mom truly learned the balance the gospel preaches,balancing family life with outside secular obligations and influences.
The reason I felt the need to write this post is that today in my Developing Nations class we talked about the role of women in developing democracies. It was an interesting discussion that many developing nations, such as in Africa, are implementing quotas that require a certain amount of women filled positions be present in government, and other public sectors. I personally believe that this government mandated quotas are a vital first step to opening the door to women so as to allow them to realize their full potential. Women have come a long way in the work place, government, home life, education, entertainment areas. Alas the glass ceiling still exists and we struggle against it everyday. As a devout Mormon woman, I can honestly say that I love the Proclamation to the Family, and yes a mother is the keystone to a strong family; however that mother must be a strong woman in her own right to be able to teach those principals. I am so grateful for the women's movement pioneers that opened so many doors for me, such as Susan B. Anthony, Harriet Tubman, Emmaline Wells, Dolores Huerta, and yes even Rosie the Riveter.
I definitely feel that its a great time in history to be a woman, and that we must take advantage of every opportunity available to us. So that when we do decide to have a family, we can raise another generation of strong girls, and boys, that respect the struggles of the past and work to better the future.

About time. . .

that I finally created a blog. I have been thinking about it a lot lately, considering that I always have something to say and what better forum then in a blog. I will definetly post more later, but for now I am satisfied with the progress.