Come What May

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, The courage to change the things I can, And the wisdom to know the difference. (The Serenity Prayer, Reinhold Niebuhr) The past few months I’ve been able to work as a direct care technician in a care center for intellectually disabled children and adults. I’ve discovered that sometimes life is not so pretty. Some feet are webbed, some eyes are blind, some backs are crooked, and some people eat their poop. Sometimes when I look at my sweet boys and girls I just want them to be normal. I want them to be able to get out of their wheelchairs, to walk around the block when they need some fresh air, to taste food, to stop playing in the toilet every half hour. I want them to enjoy simple pleasures of life and most especially I want them to go home and be with their families more than is now possible. I know there are others with even more difficult lives and it is hard for me to imagine. These boys and girls are special people....

A little talk on Family History. While Joseph Smith was in Liberty Jail in 1839 he wrote an epistle to the church.  The end of that epistle is D&C 123:17: “Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed.” When I read that scripture my question is what things lie in my power and how do I them cheerfully? I hope that we all think about our participation in and attitude towards God’s work of salvation.  What more can we do for the Lord? Two years ago I was called to be a missionary in the Chile Osorno Mission. I served there for 6 months until I got sick and came home early. For a long time after my mission I was very sick and very dependent on other people. On occasion I wouldn’t even eat until my brother came home from school to feed me because I couldn’t get up and walk to the kitchen by myself. I didn’t like...

“Heavenly Father, are you really there? And do you hear and answer every child’s prayer?” (A Child’s Prayer) Someday I would like to be a bit more polished, punctual, graceful, cheerful, competent, and put together; but since that is not going to happen any time soon I am learning to make do.  On this particular Monday morning I was a bit of a mess.  I slept in too long and woke with a sore throat, lost my keys, had a dead battery and a broken phone charger, failed a quiz, failed a test, forgot my calculator, forgot my pencil, missed class, and even found out about a charge for overdue library books from 4 months ago in a moment of desperation. Then I went to work.  I am a direct care technician at a care center for disabled people. I generally anticipate being hit, pinched, having my hair pulled, or getting knocked into at least once or twice throughout the day. That’s in addition to the feeding, showering, and changing of diapers. (Sounds like motherhood, I kno...