Thoughts for the day

Last night after the youth activity, Jon and I went to our friend's house, Donna-lee and Dennis, to return their church keys. While there we lost track of time chatting and didn't leave until 1:30 in the morning! I love talking with them because we get into some deep spiritual discussions about life and the gospel. We were talking about what we were like years ago and who we have become now. I know I have changed a huge amount since I was a teenager, in fact, I change every year as I learn about what it means to be a child of our Heavenly Father. As I was reflecting on the choices I had made as a youth I noticed there were many negative ones.... or so I thought. I struggled to think of any good things from my past. Driving home, Jon and I further talked about this phenomenon. Recently he gave a talk in church he mentioned that 'he always desired to be a good kid' . I thought, me too so why did I make more mistakes than him? The answer: I didn't. We all make mistakes in our lives. That is what life is about: learning to become more like our Saviour but it will not happen over night. It's like learning the guitar, we are bound to hit a few bad notes before we get the tune right. So back to the original thought of why I noticed more negative than positive choices, its because I seek them out, I try to remember just the negative. Now I don't consciously do this but I believe it was from over 15 years of practice. Now it is second nature to remember the bad moments and not the good ones. It doesn't help that I have journals full of childhood lamentations because I only wrote when I was upset. When things were going well I was having too much fun to write to write about it.
So last night on the ride home, I forced myself to remember all the positive choices I had made, I knew I wasn't a 'bad' kid, I remembered wanting to do the right thing but I couldn't remember specifics. When I finally made myself focus a flood of good memories rushed back to me. I did try to follow the commandments and I did make righteous choices!! I know it will take time to undo the damage I've done with constant negative thinking but I look forward to remembering all the gloriously bright and sunny thoughts of my past. And I plan on writing them down.

So my advice to all, look for that silver lining in every part of your day. No one wants to be around someone who is depressed and pessimistic all day. Then write about it, record those wonderful moments.