"Caring for others takes a team."
-President Eyering:
First Counselor in the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
When I heard this message my mind started to wander...
if caring for others is a team effort... why am i often content to rely on others to help the people in need? why have i slacked in my role as a team-player?
My attitude for service definitely needed to be re-vamped over the past couple of weeks. In months and years past, a chartiable heart has come so naturally to me; I rarely had to think about looking for ways to serve someone. However, because I allowed my mind to become preoccupied with other things, the natural tendency toward charity slipped. I started to notice selfish thoughts when it comes to service.
oh, i can't hold the door for that person... i am far too busy and can't be late for class.
i had a long day at work and school and i am tired. aj can take care of the dishes later.
etc.
When my mind would switch to selfish mode, I consciously knew that I was not being serviceable. I knew that my selfish actions would make life harder for the other person involved. Yet despite all of that, I let the inward thinking pattern slip into my life and soon it became normal.
The past few weeks, however, I have been able to take a step back and look at life through eyes of someone who wants to "make good things happen every day." It is still hard sometimes (selfish habits are hard as rocks to kick) but I know that eventually I can re-train my brain to think with charity first.
One experience I had Friday night helped me remember how good it feels to serve! Something I hadn't felt fully in a long while. Afterwards I was able to feel a joy rush through me and I knew that I had done something that made a positive difference in someone's day.
I am so grateful for my call to serve others. It is something I definitely need to work on... but I know that with time I can become more of a team player on Team "Share the Love."
c:
Grace
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Inconvenient Samaritan
well, hello!
This semester AJ and I have the wonderful opportunity to take a New Testament class together (and i loooooove having class with him). This class has been incredible and has helped me grow significantly in my understanding of the scriptures. and boy, do i love it. i love going to class each tuesday and thursday and being able to feel the spirit as we listen to sister platt.
Anyways, Sister Platt has asked us to do a project titled the "Inconvenient Samaritan." The premise is this: service is not meant to be convenient. Service should come as some kind of sacrifice, whether physical, financial, or psychological. She asked us to look inward and determine a plan to serve more effectively and, hopefully, inconveniently.
So, thus I begin a two week period of conscious service. I plan to post my experiences each day to track my efforts.
today.
Today has been incredible. I started my two-week process by searching for something uplifting to post on Facebook and then reading a General Conference talk that ties along with it.
You might be wondering... grace, this is not inconvenient in any way! But it really is for me. Today's gospel message takes me out of my comfort zone and pushes me a little bit to share with others the things that make me the most happy. Oftentimes I don't want to share the gospel with others because I am afraid of how others react. While I thought if a way for me to do this project I realized, why should i be worried about how people will react if i am taking time to share happiness and sunshine?
and thus begins my search.
In my search I found a talk by M. Russell Ballard entitled, Be Anxiously Engaged. It talks a lot about service and how sometimes it feels like the things we do aren't enough. i experience those feelings a lot. So when it feels like my miniscule efforts for service are too little to matter, Elder Ballard reminds us that even the small acts of service add up and we will never know how much they contribute to the whole. In a hive of honey bees, each 1/12 of a teaspoon of honey is necessary to build up the hive's whole store. Just like honey bees, each person's efforts to service are desperately needed to add up to the world becoming a better place.
this makes me want to serve more. When I feel insignificant, I need to remember that it is not my job to single-handedly change the world. Instead I can work with others to make sure good things happen everyday.
i think i just found a new motto...
make good things happen every day.
i can do that.
c:
much love,
g
This semester AJ and I have the wonderful opportunity to take a New Testament class together (and i loooooove having class with him). This class has been incredible and has helped me grow significantly in my understanding of the scriptures. and boy, do i love it. i love going to class each tuesday and thursday and being able to feel the spirit as we listen to sister platt.
Anyways, Sister Platt has asked us to do a project titled the "Inconvenient Samaritan." The premise is this: service is not meant to be convenient. Service should come as some kind of sacrifice, whether physical, financial, or psychological. She asked us to look inward and determine a plan to serve more effectively and, hopefully, inconveniently.
So, thus I begin a two week period of conscious service. I plan to post my experiences each day to track my efforts.
today.
Today has been incredible. I started my two-week process by searching for something uplifting to post on Facebook and then reading a General Conference talk that ties along with it.
You might be wondering... grace, this is not inconvenient in any way! But it really is for me. Today's gospel message takes me out of my comfort zone and pushes me a little bit to share with others the things that make me the most happy. Oftentimes I don't want to share the gospel with others because I am afraid of how others react. While I thought if a way for me to do this project I realized, why should i be worried about how people will react if i am taking time to share happiness and sunshine?
and thus begins my search.
In my search I found a talk by M. Russell Ballard entitled, Be Anxiously Engaged. It talks a lot about service and how sometimes it feels like the things we do aren't enough. i experience those feelings a lot. So when it feels like my miniscule efforts for service are too little to matter, Elder Ballard reminds us that even the small acts of service add up and we will never know how much they contribute to the whole. In a hive of honey bees, each 1/12 of a teaspoon of honey is necessary to build up the hive's whole store. Just like honey bees, each person's efforts to service are desperately needed to add up to the world becoming a better place.
this makes me want to serve more. When I feel insignificant, I need to remember that it is not my job to single-handedly change the world. Instead I can work with others to make sure good things happen everyday.
i think i just found a new motto...
make good things happen every day.
i can do that.
c:
much love,
g
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Just an Ounce of Gratitude...
Sometimes I get down on myself for not posting more... but then I come to days like this and remember that the reason I post isn't to simply update on anything; I post to express the most inconceivable emotions and hopefully figure them out through words on a screen.
it usually works, trust me!
Today has been marvelous! I sat next to AJ in a pew at church and thought to myself, i am the luckiest girl alive. I have no complaints about today- it was perfect!
I felt the Spirit really teach me today! I have been yearning for a cry-for-the-full-3-hours kind of Sunday and, man- today was it! i am taking this moment to apologize to my fellow pums12th ward members for my shameless tear ducts! this is not the last time... fair warning. Everything that was shared was exactly what I needed to hear, and it just makes me all the more grateful for my Heavenly Father who really paid attention to that need and allowed my need to be filled.
after writing a paragraph and deleting it due to a major feeling of disconnect, i have decided:
i am not going to bore you with details of how i felt during each meeting...
instead, i will share my testimony and
hopefully then this restless feeling will pass and i will get to take a nap.
I really know that I have a loving Father in Heaven who loves me and cares for me more than I could ever deserve. I am blessed with the ability to walk, hear, smell, see, feel, and know what is going on around me. I will be forever grateful for those foundational qualities of my life. My God has blessed me with so many things and sometimes all I can think is: who am i to deserve this?
who am i to deserve to see the fire-like sunset that took my breath away?
who am i to deserve it when my little niece waves and giggles when she sees me?
who am i to deserve to feel so much love from my husband. he is so kind to me- what have i ever done to deserve that?
who am i to deserve wonderful opportunities for growth; doors that keep opening up at my heels. i have rarely been stressed about my future... why me?
who am i to deserve delicious food and friends that make me grin from ear to ear?
who am i to deserve the promise of eternity... made possible by a Brother, Savior, and Friend.
I am so grateful for everything I have ever been blessed with. My heart is overflowing with gratitude right now... so much that it hurts!
who am i to deserve to know my Savior?
I long for others to feel this feeling. This pure gratitude and overwhelming, tangible sense of reliance on Christ. I am so grateful for my understanding of the Plan of Salvation! I ache for those around me to be happy... to know that there is good in the world and to have something...to have eternity... to hope for. I yearn to find ways to help someone feel an ounce of love; a small something to remind them of the pure love that Heavenly Father knows for each one of us.
oh what joy, as gratitude fills my heart!
I don't know if I have said all that needs to be said... but my mind and heart are satisfied knowing that I have taken this ounce of time to share my emotions.
with (so much deep, enveloping, heart-felt) love,
g
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
"It All Starts Here": Our Engagement Story
This is what I wrote the night that Austin Hamner Jr. asked me to marry him. this story warms my heart C:
sunday 1.22.2012
today has been surreal. i don't know if i can properly put it into words... but here i go...
This morning during Church, Bishop Radmall announced that the Temple Preparation class was starting today. I asked him if it would be alright if I went- seeing as I would be engaged within the next couple weeks. Bishop could see how excited I was and said that it would be more than okay if I attended the class. It was wonderful. I gained a lot about my role as a child of God.
After Church, Laura (my roommate) and my home teachers came over! This was a huge blessing because I haven't been home taught since April 2011. I felt very blessed because of their diligence.
Then AJ and I went to AJ's Aunt Vivian and Uncle Louie's home for dinner. We decided on the way to their house that afterwards, we would drive to the Provo Temple and walk around. Dinner was amazing and it was so much fun to spend time with everyone!
While we were there, AJ asked me if he could wear my CTR [choose the right] ring. I didn't want to give it to him because I thought that he would lose it! But he insisted, so I let him keep it. i actually was kind of frustrated because i really didn't want him to lose it- and i was sure that i would have to go buy another one!
Well, we left and drove up to the Provo Temple. The gates were closed- so we parked on the east side of the Temple (uphill) and looked out from above. AJ wanted to get out and walk around and I said something along the lines of, aj, i am wearing ridiculously tall, open-toed high heels and a skirt. it is freezing outside and there is snow on the ground. you will have to carry me across the snow. He agreed and swooped me into his arms.
We looked out at the valley and the Temple and AJ said, "Grace, it all starts here." i was completely oblivious to what was about to happen because i knew he didn't have the ring. and so i definitely missed this clue. We talked about some other things, and hugged while we did so. I could feel his heart beating really hard- and he was breathing nervously... and this is the first time that i thought that maybe, maybe he would propose. I justified myself out of thinking that he was going to do it because: he didn't have the ring, it was completely random to propose today, and there was no way that he would kneel in the snow. After I let the proposal idea leave my mind, I felt AJ's hands fidget behind my back. I thought, so... he's taking off the ring....... but I still hadn't completely put it all together. He said something about how he wanted to have the real ring, but he just couldn't wait-
and then he got down on one knee
in the snow
and asked me to marry him.
C:
I was shocked. Literally speechless! But after a few moments of speechless exuberance, I managed to formulate "yes." I kissed him and we laughed together and he said, wait... you said yes, right? Silly boy, I laughed and replied of course! Then he swooped me into what I thought was a dip, but he just set me in the snow! I cried, aj, what in the world! it is freezing! and he said, well, i thought i might as well do something crazy! As if proposing to me wasn't crazy enough!
He pulled me up and I pretended that there was something in my shoe. I reached down, grabbed a handful of snow and chucked it at him. We had a mini snow fight and then he put my CTR ring on my finger. He said, i am the luckiest man in the world. and I said, i'm the happiest girl in the world.
We got in the car and that is when it really hit me. I started crying because I felt so grateful. I never thought that gratitude would be the most prominent feeling when I got engaged- yet here I am overflowing with gratitude. I told AJ some of the reasons why I am so grateful. The Spirit was definitely there.
We called my family and his family and then went over to Spencer and Ashley Anne's home to tell them the news! AA and Spence got out the video camera and recorded us telling the story! i am so grateful for their foresight. and don't worry- i will put it up when i can!
now that i have written what happened- it is time to write how i am feeling...
I am amazed- It is wonderful and beautiful to me that AJ, the man of my dreams, chose me. I am so grateful that he saw some kind of potential in me and decided to grab my hand and take a leap of faith with me. I feel at peace, like everything is going to be better than I can imagine. I feel happy! I can't stop smiling- I truly feel like a queen! He is so loving and kind to me. I am so grateful.
I am so grateful for my loving Heavenly Father who trusts me enough to give me such a beautiful life. I have more blessings than I can count- and I am amazed that despite my undeserving nature, He gives them to me anyways. My testimony is strong in my God and I know that He loves me.
I wish I was more eloquent right now... but all I can say is that the Spirit confirmed to me many times that this is right. I have seen AJ's potential and I am excited to stand with him throughout eternity. Gratitude for AJ and for my Heavenly Father fills my heart and I truly feel like the luckiest girl in the world.
it all starts here...
and i can't wait.
much love,
Grace [soon-to-be] Hamner
sunday 1.22.2012
today has been surreal. i don't know if i can properly put it into words... but here i go...
This morning during Church, Bishop Radmall announced that the Temple Preparation class was starting today. I asked him if it would be alright if I went- seeing as I would be engaged within the next couple weeks. Bishop could see how excited I was and said that it would be more than okay if I attended the class. It was wonderful. I gained a lot about my role as a child of God.
After Church, Laura (my roommate) and my home teachers came over! This was a huge blessing because I haven't been home taught since April 2011. I felt very blessed because of their diligence.
Then AJ and I went to AJ's Aunt Vivian and Uncle Louie's home for dinner. We decided on the way to their house that afterwards, we would drive to the Provo Temple and walk around. Dinner was amazing and it was so much fun to spend time with everyone!
While we were there, AJ asked me if he could wear my CTR [choose the right] ring. I didn't want to give it to him because I thought that he would lose it! But he insisted, so I let him keep it. i actually was kind of frustrated because i really didn't want him to lose it- and i was sure that i would have to go buy another one!
Well, we left and drove up to the Provo Temple. The gates were closed- so we parked on the east side of the Temple (uphill) and looked out from above. AJ wanted to get out and walk around and I said something along the lines of, aj, i am wearing ridiculously tall, open-toed high heels and a skirt. it is freezing outside and there is snow on the ground. you will have to carry me across the snow. He agreed and swooped me into his arms.
We looked out at the valley and the Temple and AJ said, "Grace, it all starts here." i was completely oblivious to what was about to happen because i knew he didn't have the ring. and so i definitely missed this clue. We talked about some other things, and hugged while we did so. I could feel his heart beating really hard- and he was breathing nervously... and this is the first time that i thought that maybe, maybe he would propose. I justified myself out of thinking that he was going to do it because: he didn't have the ring, it was completely random to propose today, and there was no way that he would kneel in the snow. After I let the proposal idea leave my mind, I felt AJ's hands fidget behind my back. I thought, so... he's taking off the ring....... but I still hadn't completely put it all together. He said something about how he wanted to have the real ring, but he just couldn't wait-
and then he got down on one knee
in the snow
and asked me to marry him.
C:
I was shocked. Literally speechless! But after a few moments of speechless exuberance, I managed to formulate "yes." I kissed him and we laughed together and he said, wait... you said yes, right? Silly boy, I laughed and replied of course! Then he swooped me into what I thought was a dip, but he just set me in the snow! I cried, aj, what in the world! it is freezing! and he said, well, i thought i might as well do something crazy! As if proposing to me wasn't crazy enough!
He pulled me up and I pretended that there was something in my shoe. I reached down, grabbed a handful of snow and chucked it at him. We had a mini snow fight and then he put my CTR ring on my finger. He said, i am the luckiest man in the world. and I said, i'm the happiest girl in the world.
We got in the car and that is when it really hit me. I started crying because I felt so grateful. I never thought that gratitude would be the most prominent feeling when I got engaged- yet here I am overflowing with gratitude. I told AJ some of the reasons why I am so grateful. The Spirit was definitely there.
We called my family and his family and then went over to Spencer and Ashley Anne's home to tell them the news! AA and Spence got out the video camera and recorded us telling the story! i am so grateful for their foresight. and don't worry- i will put it up when i can!
now that i have written what happened- it is time to write how i am feeling...
I am amazed- It is wonderful and beautiful to me that AJ, the man of my dreams, chose me. I am so grateful that he saw some kind of potential in me and decided to grab my hand and take a leap of faith with me. I feel at peace, like everything is going to be better than I can imagine. I feel happy! I can't stop smiling- I truly feel like a queen! He is so loving and kind to me. I am so grateful.
I am so grateful for my loving Heavenly Father who trusts me enough to give me such a beautiful life. I have more blessings than I can count- and I am amazed that despite my undeserving nature, He gives them to me anyways. My testimony is strong in my God and I know that He loves me.
I wish I was more eloquent right now... but all I can say is that the Spirit confirmed to me many times that this is right. I have seen AJ's potential and I am excited to stand with him throughout eternity. Gratitude for AJ and for my Heavenly Father fills my heart and I truly feel like the luckiest girl in the world.
it all starts here...
and i can't wait.
much love,
Grace [soon-to-be] Hamner
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)