Relief Society Lesson: Two Principles for Any Economy

Here is my outline/visual aids for my Relief Society lesson today.

Two Principles for Any Economy
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

October 2009 General Conference

The First Principle:
Work

Work is an antidote for anxiety, an ointment for sorrow, and a doorway to possibility.
-President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Retirement is not part of the Lord’s plan of happiness.
-President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

The Second Principle: Learn

For members of the Church, education is not merely a good idea—it’s a commandment.
-President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Doctrine and Covenants 130:18-19

18 Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection.

19 And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come.

The Prophet Joseph taught, “Knowledge does away with darkness, [anxiety], and doubt; for these cannot exist where knowledge is.”

quote page:
Learn:

You and I are here on the earth to prepare for eternity, to learn how to learn, to learn things that are temporally important and eternally essential, and to assist others in learning wisdom and truth (see D&C 97:1). Understanding who we are, where we came from, and why we are on the earth places upon each of us a great responsibility both to learn how to learn and to learn to love learning.
-David A. Bednar February 2010 ensign

President Young repeatedly taught that “the object of [our mortal] existence is to learn.” -David A. Bednar February 2010 ensign

Work:

"I do not believe people can be happy unless they have work to do. One can really be more of a slave to idleness than to work. Work also keeps us humble and reminds us of how all our blessings come to us from our Heavenly Father...

The gospel of work is a very important teaching of the Church. If we learn to work early in life we will be better individuals, better members of families, better neighbors, and better disciples of Jesus Christ, who Himself learned to work as a carpenter."
-Neal A. Maxwell

One More Thing...

What don’t people understand about being quadriplegic? In the process of trying to refinance to get a lower interest rate, I’m being told now that I have to sign my own initials, and get a new power-of-attorney drawn up. Apparently the one I’ve been using for over seven years is not good enough. It was good enough for the first bank, good enough for the IRS, and every other legal situation. They want me to get a doctor’s note saying that I cannot sign. How ridiculous! They make it perfectly clear when you go in there that they cannot discriminate for any reason. Yet, they are discriminating against me because I cannot sign my own name. What’s even more ridiculous is that I was present and read over the documents, and agreed to have my mom sign them for me. This was in front of the guy who drew the papers up.

This world is really messed up.

That’s my two cents.

Venting Frustration

Why do people feel compelled to comment on my blanket/how cozy I look? It’s becoming extremely annoying. Anytime I go out in public, I get comments about how warm/cozy I look, how they wish they were wrapped up in a blanket like me, one guy even said to his child, “don’t you wish you were that comfortable?”. Really? How is being quadriplegic and unable to regulate body temperature comfortable? Are people really that stupid or insensitive? I understand that people are trying to be friendly, and perhaps they don’t know how, but most of the comments I receive are insensitive and hurtful.

Just because I’m in a wheelchair people don’t need to feel compelled to try to be friendly to me. I would much prefer they ignored me. I would like to be treated the same as I was before my accident. People didn’t constantly make comments to me about my coat or jacket.

Another thing that annoys me when I go out in public, are the children who inevitably ask their parent, “what happened to her?” I even heard this question in Spanish the other day. Although I do not speak Spanish, I did take Spanish in junior high, and understood this simple question. I understand that children are curious, and don’t see freaks like me every day, but it still hurts.

Also, the constant stares from children and adults alike, are annoying. I used to get a few stares before my accident, but for much different reason. I could go on and on but, I think I’ve complained enough today. I’ve tried to keep my blog focused on moral and ethical issues. But I guess I just needed to vent my frustrations today.

That’s my two cents.

ID Card

For those of you sitting on the edge of your seat, biting your fingernails in anticipation, wondering if I was able to obtain my state ID card, you can relax, I got it! Mom was able to find my Social Security card, with a little help from above. It was an answer to prayer. She kept having a feeling to look in a certain place. And there it was! It was actually still in my wallet in my purse that hadn’t been touched since my accident. It was like going back in time looking through it.

Anyway, so we went to the DMV yesterday and it was so much simpler than the first time. 45 minutes later I had my temporary ID card! Who knew it would be such a hassle? Apparently I did because I put it off for several years.

Too Tall Grass?

The government is really getting out of hand. Yesterday I saw on the news that a city here in Western Washington, Lynnwood, is proposing a law to regulate how tall the grass in your yard can be. Get real. Don’t they have better things to do than to worry about the length of your grass? Honestly, the government is already way too involved in telling us how to live our lives. When I heard this on the news last night, I had the same response John McEnroe would’ve had if he heard the story, “you can’t be serious”.

That’s my two cents.

Cursed Washington State

I have a bone to pick with Washington state. Yesterday I went to the DMV to get an identification card. I checked their website to make sure I had all the required documents. So, to make a long story short, after waiting for two hours, they tell me that my California drivers license has been expired for five years and two months, and therefore is not an acceptable document. The time limit is five years.


The funny thing is, they only told me this after the first lady had processed my application, scanned all my documents, and sent me to the next lady. Who apparently is incompetent and couldn’t figure out how to put the information into the computer properly. So, to make things easy for her she just decides to tell my she can’t process my application without a different document. I hate stupid people.

I mean really, what more do they need to establish an identity? I had an expired passport, an expired California drivers license, my original birth certificate, and a yearbook with my photo and name. I also had a photocopy of my Social Security card, but this, of course, is unacceptable. So, they sent me to the Social Security office to get a replacement Social Security card. They told me, with all of the documentation I had, I would be able to get a replacement Social Security card.

So, we drove over the Social Security office, with 10 minutes to spare before they closed. Gave the lady my documentation and told her I need a replacement social security card. After which, she informs me that I need a valid state ID in order to get one.

I informed her that I was trying to obtain a state ID, this is why I needed a Social Security card. I even showed her the photocopy of my social security card. I told her the DMV sent me over, so that I could get a replacement Social Security card, so that I could obtain my ID card. All she did was print me out a letter stating why I couldn’t get a replacement Social Security card. That sure helped a lot.

So, unless mom can locate my Social Security card, I guess I’m out of luck.

What’s irritating to me is all of the foreigners who were speaking Chinese, and Spanish, just breezed through the line and all they had to show was their foreign passport. Or foreign driver’s license.

Just because I let my passport and driver’s license expire [pardon me for having a life altering experience, and trying to survive], why are they no longer useful as a means of identification? I still had to show the required documentation to obtain those. Just because a few years go by, they are no longer useful as a means of identification?

If I would have had the exact same documentation two months ago I would not have this problem. Why is my California drivers license suddenly unacceptable when it has been expired five years two months? But perfectly acceptable being expired five years?

I find that utterly ridiculous.

I also find it ridiculous that I cannot obtain a copy of my Social Security card with a birth certificate and expired passport or driver’s license.

But, foreigners can come to this country, easily obtain a state drivers license/ID and a Social Security number/card. And start drawing Social Security money that we, natural born citizens, have paid into our entire lives. Yet, I cannot draw Social Security benefits or obtain a state ID card.

That is really messed up.

By the way, to obtain a current passport, all I have to do is fill out an application online, mail in my old passport, two new passport photos, and $75. Wait six to eight weeks. And get a new current passport in the mail. Should it be easier to get a passport than a state ID card? I think not. Washington State stinks!

That’s my two cents.

Happy Groundhog Day!

I like Groundhog Day.  I don't really know why I like the silly little tradition.  It's just fun.  I heard on the news today that Punxsutawney Phil is only 40% accurate.  You would do better to flip a coin.  :-) For those of you who care, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow today so that means six more weeks of winter.  Although, we haven't really had winter here this year because of El Niño.Anyway,Happy Groundhog Day!