Happy New You! by Suzanne Hancock

The year was winding down, only seconds until the ball dropped in Times Square. Dick Clark smiled through the television screen and led the countdown, as we joined in chorus at my mom's house. 10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1... When the clock struck midnight, hugs and kisses and the usual greeting filled the room, punctuated by Tyli, my then two-year-old niece, exclaiming with great vigor, "Happy New You!" We all laughed in delight at her misunderstanding of the name of the holiday. It was only later that I recognized the wisdom in her innocent error.

Each January, we set out to change something about ourselves, something to enhance our lives. Among the top resolutions are those of losing weight, exercising more, and eating better, which are all related in their end goal to be more physically fit. Although these are admirable goals that will lead to healthier bodies, I believe they can be extended to improve our lives even more.

LOSING WEIGHT: Many of us are carrying excess pounds of regret, grudges, hatred, and heartache. Whether this is as a result of our own actions or the actions of others, it matters not. What matters is we have a Savior. Jesus Christ atoned for our sins, our weaknesses, our pains. When we decide to get down on our knees and sincerely ask for forgiveness, or strength, or healing, the numbers won't show on the scales in our bathrooms, but the weight on our heart will be lessened.

Elder David A. Bednar said,

"We are not and never need be alone. 

We can press forward in our daily lives with heavenly help.

Through the Savior’s Atonement we can receive

capacity and “strength beyond [our] own."

EXERCISING MORE: While I can attest to the physical and emotional benefits of exercise, no amount of Beachbody workouts is going to help me as much as an exercise of faith.

In Hebrews, Chapter 11, verse 1, the Apostle Paul taught that

“faith is the substance [assurance] of things hoped for,

the evidence of things not seen."

I have faith that my Savior lives, that his Atonement is for me. Faith that there is a God above who hears my prayers and answers them for my good. Faith that families are forever and because of that I will see my beautiful mom again. I exercise my faith more every day when I choose to believe that the best things I can imagine exist, not only in the scope of religious beliefs, but also in the people in our community.

EATING BETTER: I really need to improve in this area. I don't eat enough vegetables, and some days I just eat too many cookies. However, when I do as Nephi taught and "feast upon the words of Christ" by reading and studying the scriptures, I am filled with spiritual nutrition. There is a power in the Bible and the Book of Mormon that is unsurpassed by any health food out there. No energy drink can give you the jump start to your day that the word of God can. Plus, the scriptures are calorie, fat, and even gluten free!

With February 2015 already upon us, many of us, myself included, have given up on our New Year's resolutions. We have failed again in our minds, with thoughts of maybe next year scrolling through our brains like a news ticker. It's a good thing that our Heavenly Father does not care about what month it is. He offers us blessings without regard to the date or the time. We can begin today to forgive and be forgiven; we can begin today to have faith in God and Christ and believe in the goodness found in those around us; we can begin today to read the joyful words written for our benefit. If we do these things, our before and after pictures will show healthier spirits and comforted hearts.

Although many years have passed since Tyli misspoke on that holiday night, I still repeat her words each New Year's Eve, and I also repeat them whenever I need to be reminded that there is always an opportunity to become a happy. new. me.

Total Commitment by Stacy Frazier

A hen and a pig were walking down the street together when they passed a sign advertising ham and eggs.  Said the hen,“Isn’t it great that we can be of service? Doesn’t it make you feel just wonderful to be able to do something for others?” The pig replied, “For you it is small daily service given with little cost to yourself. For me, it is total commitment!  The hen was involved, but the pig was committed!

I have been thinking a lot of about commitments lately and thought I’d share a few things I found as well as add my two cents!  I listened to an interview of a young man recently named Kyle Dake who is a four time NCAA wrestling champion in four different weight classes. He talked about many things that helped him achieve the success he has had but what he said about commitment was outstanding.  He said his parents didn’t push him into anything but if he did commit to something, he’d have to honor that commitment.  By being held accountable to those commitments, he was able to achieve his goals. His philosophy includes hard work, positive thinking and never giving up.  He said, “You can only lose when you quit.”

The journey of success is long and dotted with a series of commitments to worthy goals.  A person does not become committed to worthwhile goals just by making the declaration or decision.  It must be daily progression toward established purposes.   Dale Carnegie once said, “If you are not in the process of becoming the person you want to be, you are automatically engaged in becoming the person you don’t want to be.”  Goals that we set to become better people are just that without commitment.  Total commitment entails work. Our actions have to mirror what we say. Goals should always be made to a point that will make us reach and strain. “Success should not necessarily be gauged by always reaching the goal set, but by progress and attainment.” (Spencer W. Kimball) True happiness is not made in getting something. True happiness is becoming something. This can be done by being committed to lofty goals. We cannot become something without commitment.

We have many examples in our little town of what the power of commitment can do. Whether committed to another person, a program, a relationship, a worthy goal, a team, a personal standard, or living up to a promise to yourself, without that inward obligation, the success will not be complete.  Marvin J. Ashton said, “I’m thinking of a five-year old boy who fell out of bed during the night and came crying to his mother’s beside. To her question, “Why did you fall out of bed?” he replied.  “I fell out because I wasn’t far in far enough!”

The simple differences between those committed and those who are not is the difference between the words want and will.  To reap the full benefits of life, we must fill our days with commitment to worthy goals. We must be all the way in!   As we stay accountable to our commitments by appropriate actions, we will find that we will grow and improve along the way.

Of Journals, Unconditional Love, and Discipleship by SueAn Stradling-Collins

      In 1975, President Spencer W. Kimball invited the youth to “… Get a notebook, a journal that will last through all time, and maybe the angels may quote from it for eternity. Begin today and write in it your goings and comings, your deepest thoughts, your achievements, and your failures, your associations and your triumphs, your impressions and your testimonies. Remember, the Savior chastised those who failed to record important events. ... This is what the Lord has commanded and those who keep a personal journal are more likely to keep the Lord in remembrance their daily lives." (New Era, Oct. 1975)

     I was obedient to that counsel and started writing in a Holly Hobbie spiral notebook.  I filled up two with things like, “I'm so excited that _______________ (insert boy's name here) talked to me today.” or “I can't believe _____________ (insert boy's name here) is such a jerk.”

     While in college at ASU in 1985, I had to take a class on how to teach writing to teenagers.  The professor, Dr. G. Lynn Nelson, told us that we would need a journal for the class.  “I want you to go to a place that sells journals and stand among them and let one choose you.”  At the time, I was pretty sure Lynn was crazy, but I had been told by a prophet to keep a journal, so I chose one instead.  (In the ensuing 30 years, many journals have chosen me.)  Throughout the semester (and in every other class and seminar I could take from Lynn), he taught us how to really write in a journal.   We were to look inside, to be honest, to set goals, to evaluate who we were, to deal with feelings of happiness, sadness, hurt, pain, and joy.  He admonished us to pray in our journals.  No hard and fast rules except writing and writing and writing and using words to discover and heal.  He told us in his ultra-quiet voice that writing and praying had healed his throat cancer.  We believed, and we continued to write and write and write.  And having taught us how to write and keep a journal, we were then ready to teach our students the same.

     In the Church, we often teach that we keep journals for our posterity, but I testify with Lynn that the keeping of and writing in a journal is an amazing power to us in this lifetime.  I know that when I am truly writing in my journal, I am healthier mentally, physically, and spiritually, and it is easier to keep the Lord in remembrance daily.

     One of the other lessons Lynn taught me was unconditional love.  If I was not his favorite student, I never would have known it, and I believe that all/each of his students felt the same.  He accepted each of us as we were, never criticizing, only correcting, and encouraging us to improve.   Lynn was my student teaching adviser, and if I needed advice, he gave it.  If I wrote him a letter, he wrote back;  if I needed to talk, he listened; if I was in town, he made time to visit.  After I married Chuck, he showed Chuck the same love, because he knew that I loved Chuck.  I called him a few months back after not visiting in years, and there was his calm voice, “Ahhh, SueAn, my friend, how are you?”

     Again, through example, Lynn showed us how to treat each student as an individual.  As Lynn's students and disciples, we set out to help teens learn to write in a way that really mattered.  And we tried to love our students unconditionally. 

     As Christ's disciples, are we trying to share the good news and joy of His gospel with others and love them unconditionally?

     I called Lynn again last month to visit.  His wonderful wife, Lorrie, answered the phone and told me of his passing in November.  We cried together.

            “...but the raindrops still shimmer on the green leaves and the morning star still floats in

             the eastern sky at 5:00 a.m. and sometimes I hear children singing....

            “...so I hold your friendship like a flower in my heart - - know that I am with you, my friend.

                                                                                            peace and love,

                                                                                                               Lynn”

                                    (from a letter Lynn wrote me in November of 1991)       

I would be happy to share journal writing with anyone on an individual basis or in Family Home Evening, as well as with a class or any large group. 

Life Is Beautiful by Nicole Johnson

I grew up in St. Johns and always loved this little town. Everything about it was home. When I married and moved away, I hated to go. For many years, Shane and I tried to find ways to move back to St. Johns. We got as close as we could in 2009, when we moved to Heber, AZ. We loved Heber and the people, but in December of that year we found out that Shane would no longer have work and we needed to relocate. We were devastated and unsure of where we should go next. In January of 2010, we moved to St. Johns to start again. We were thankful to have somewhere to go and somewhere to work, but we were not happy about the circumstances that led us here. After ten months of being back in St. Johns, Shane found new employment and we were once again leaving St. Johns. It wasn’t easy leaving family, but I wasn’t that sad to be leaving town. I did not have the same attachment that I’d had before. We moved our family to southern Arizona and got settled in. Everything was going well, but something did not feel right. A seemingly long six months passed and we found ourselves planning a move back to St. Johns. We did not have a reason. We did not have a plan. But we did have a will and the Lord.

This time, we knew it was where we needed to be. Still not under the best of circumstances, this time, but we made the best of it. This time, our attitudes made the difference. When this happened, things began to fall into place for us as a family. And we began to feel at home once again. We found the beauty in ourselves, our family and this wonderful town.

And now I see it everywhere.  

I see the beauty in a sunny day and the clear, starry night sky. I see beauty in the green grass at the city park and gracing many lawns in the summertime. I see beauty in the home grown gardens, the potted plants and flowers, the old worn trees with faded bark. I see beauty in the rain puddles, the irrigation ditches and the rodeo grounds. I see beauty in the gently falling snow upon the Christmas lit roof and again in the trees iced with frost.

I see even more beauty in the people.

There is beauty in seeing unity in the San Juan Fiestas, the 4th of July celebrations, the Pioneer Days and the Christmas programs.Beauty in the support shown at sporting events and school plays. Beauty in the participation at the County Fair by those with amazing talent.

I see beauty in the gentle hug of a lifelong friend, and in the polite gestures given to any and all. I see beauty in the parents kissing their kids goodbye as they send them off to school. Beauty in the youth of St. Johns, watching them learn and grow. I see beauty in the teachers, coaches, examples that shape and serve our children. I see beauty in the ones that serve individually, in their church and in the community. I see beauty in the smiles, laughter and chats shared at the local watering holes. Beauty in the coming together at a wedding, or a funeral.I see beauty in the aged hands of those that mold this town. I see beauty in those who come together in joy and tragedy, smiles and tears. True beauty in the joy of human love. Yes, once I opened my eyes, my home of St. Johns is the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen.

He Shall Prepare a Way by Kortlynn Herring

I recently returned from serving in the Japan Tokyo Mission.  What an experience.  There aren’t enough words to describe the feelings I have and the lessons I learned.  But there is one lesson learned that has affected me the most.  Our Savior, Jesus Christ, lives, and His atonement is real.

Before I had the opportunity to serve a mission, I knew what the atonement was, but I didn’t really understand what it all meant, and how it applied to me.  I could always give the primary answers, and I knew some scriptures that talked about it, but I had never truly applied it to my life.  I don’t mean repentance, which I definitely have the experience of, but the often overlooked, strengthening power, or enabling power of the atonement.

At the beginning of my mission, I read a scripture that I had read hundreds of times before, that took on a new meaning to me, it helped me begin to understand the enabling power of the atonement, and I adopted it as my mission scriptures.  It’s 1 Nephi 3:7.  It reads “And it came to pass that I Nephi said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord has commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save He shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commanded them.”  The more I studied, and the longer I was out on my mission, I realized that on my own, I couldn’t do this.  I began to notice how truly weak I was, and how often I messed up.  I realized that even though I wanted to “go and do” and “accomplish” the thing that I had been commanded, that I couldn’t do it.  I began to question where the prepared way was.  I began to wonder where the miracles were.  Why wasn’t I fluent in Japanese yet?  Why were so many people turning us away?  What more could I do?  Why do I feel like I’m failing, even though I’m trying?  I remember asking myself these questions, over and over, and then I realized that I didn’t have to do this alone.  He didn’t call me on a mission to see what I could do by myself.  He didn’t call me to see how gifted, talented, or smart I was.  He called me, to do my best, and to help me realize that the way had already been prepared.  That the power to do hard things, the power to overcome all my trials, had already been provided.  I just needed to ask for it, and trust it.

It was then that I began to realize that the prepared way, was my Savior, Jesus Christ, and the power to do this, was through Him and His atonement.  He knows we are weak.  He already knows we will make mistakes, and that we just aren’t quite good enough on our own.  But that’s not the point.  The point is, that through Him, we can.  That because of His atonement, we will be able to accomplish EVERYTHING the Lord would have us do.  Through His atonement we can OVERCOME any trial, any challenge.  He has given us the power to go and do.  We just need to trust Him.  I just needed to realize that I didn’t have to be perfect at everything I attempted, that I just needed to do my best, and trust Him to carry me the rest of the way.

I’m still learning this lesson.  I think this is a lesson, that I will continue to learn for the rest of my life.  But I can now say, without any doubt that Christ lives.  And because He lives, we can live.  Because He willingly atoned for us, we not only have the power to repent and become better, but He has given us the power to accomplish everything that is required of us.  I’m so grateful for my Savior, and the love and support that He gives me.  I know that through Him, we can do all things.  In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.