Do unto Others

"It is never wise to seek or wish for another's misfortune.  If malice or envy were tangible and had a shape, it would be the shape of a boomerang." —Charley Reese

I read this quote today and liked it so much I decided to post it.  I don't know who the guy is who said it, but I agree with him.

I have never understood how or why people take pleasure in someone else's misfortune.  I am always happy when good things happen to others.  I don't enjoy seeing others sad or miserable.  I want everyone to be happy and have joy in their life. 

This is the main reason I served a full-time mission for the Church.  Because true joy is found in living the Gospel and obeying God's commandments.  I wanted to share that joy and happiness with others.

Those who wish misery upon others are usually miserable themselves.  So Charley's boomerang analogy is fairly accurate.  Perhaps that is why someone would wish for others' misfortune and misery.  Because, like Satan, misery loves company. 

And when you delight in others' misery, you are just reinforcing your own misery.  Like a boomerang, it comes back to you.

So instead, may I suggest, take delight in the good and happiness of others. Follow the Golden rule. 

"Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets."  -- Matthew 7:12

Treat others the way that you would want to be treated.  If you do, you will find that your own happiness and joy will increase.

That's my two cents.

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day Dad!

   I miss you!

The Dance

I'm not usually one to like covers as well as the original.  But this is gorgeous.  Kelly Clarkson in tribute to Garth Brooks sings this heartfelt version of "The Dance".

Beautiful version of a beautiful song.  I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

Gospel Thought

“The Lord compensates the faithful for every loss. That which is taken away from those who love the Lord will be added unto them in His own way. While it may not come at the time we desire, the faithful will know that every tear today will eventually be returned a hundredfold with tears of rejoicing and gratitude.” -- Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin

Joints for Jabs

What kind of insane world do we live in?  I saw a commercial on TV yesterday, while watching Jeopardy, that said that the Washington State government has approved an incentive program for COVID vaccinations.  The incentive program called "joints for jabs" gives marijuana joints to people getting the COVID vaccine.

The State of Washington is now giving harmful drugs to its citizens as bribery?! 

This world we live in has gone mad!  Absolutely insane.  Reality is more unbelievable than most fantasy stories.  Nothing surprises me anymore.  But I do often have to quote John McEnroe, "You cannot be serious."  But unfortunately they are serious.  Dead serious.

How much crazier can mortality get?  

That's my two cents.

A Moment More of Difficulty

“To exercise faith is to trust that the Lord knows what He is doing with you and that He can accomplish it for your eternal good even though you cannot understand how He can possibly do it. … When you pass through trials for His purposes, as you trust Him, exercise faith in Him, He will help you. That support will generally come step by step, a portion at a time. While you are passing through each phase, the pain and difficulty that comes from being enlarged will continue. If all matters were immediately resolved at your first petition, you could not grow. Your Father in Heaven and His Beloved Son love you perfectly. They would not require you to experience a moment more of difficulty than is absolutely needed for your personal benefit or for that of those you love.” -- Elder Richard G. Scott, Trust in the Lord, October 1995 General Conference

I love this quote.  It's an oldie but a goodie.  Mortality is hard. In fact, mortality is a mess.  When we get discouraged with life and with our trials, this is a good quote to recall.  To know that we should exercise faith and put our trust in the Lord because in his infinite wisdom, He understands what we are going through and why we are going through it much better than us.

The trials of mortality are for our benefit to help us grow and progress towards becoming more like our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.  Like Elder Scott says, They love us perfectly.

I love the last line, it's worth repeating.  "They would not require you to experience a moment more of difficulty than is absolutely needed for your personal benefit or for that of those you love."

So when your trials seem unbearable, remember that our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ would not require us to go through a moment more of difficulty than is absolutely necessary for our benefit or for the benefit of our loved ones.  This knowledge is what gets me through the hard times of mortality.

That's my two cents.