Strong and Immovable

Photo: Ben Romney, Europe "Stonehenge"

"Latter-day Saint women must be strong and immovable in their faith. They can and should excel in living and sharing their testimonies of the Lord Jesus Christ and His restored gospel. We do this as we:
1. Make and keep covenants with Him.
2. Are worthy and worship in His temples.
3. Study His doctrine in the scriptures and the words of prophets.
4. Qualify for, recognize, and follow the Holy Ghost.
5. Share and defend His gospel.
6. Participate in sincere personal and family prayer.
7. Have family home evening.
8. Live principles of self-reliance and provident living.
"These are essential things which must be done before nonessential things. These are simple, indispensable practices that almost seem mundane. . . . No one can do these things for us—these are personal practices and habits that set us apart as strong and immovable for that which is correct"

-Julie B. Beck, Relief Society general president

Temple Marriage Covenants

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"Temple marriage covenants do not magically bring equality to a partnership. Those covenants commit us to a developmental process of learning and growing together—by practice. ". . . Equal partnerships are not made in heaven—they are made on earth, one choice at a time, one conversation at a time, one threshold crossing at a time. And getting there is hard work."

Bruce C. Hafen, "Crossing Thresholds and Becoming Equal Partners," Ensign, Aug. 2007, 28

Not Alone...

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“We read to know we are not alone.”
-C.S. Lewis

Good Books

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"Some books should be tasted, some devoured, but only a few should be chewed and digested thoroughly."
-Cornelia Funke, Inkheart

Books...

"Books have to be heavy because the whole world's inside them."

-Cornelia Funke, Inkheart

Problems...

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"You can't talk yourself out of problems you behave yourself into."
-- Stephen Covey

Progress...

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Progress means not just changing, but changing for the better. If no set of moral ideas were truer or better than any other, there would be no sense in preferring civilized morality to savage morality, or Christian morality to Nazi morality.

"We all want progress. But progress means getting nearer to the place where you want to be. And if you have taken a wrong turning, then to go forward does not get you any nearer. If you are on the wrong road, progress means an about-turn and walking back to the right road; and in that case the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive man. "
— C.S. Lewis (Mere Christianity)

Truly Know

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What do you despise? By this you are truly known.

-Frank Herbert, Dune

A Leader...

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"A leader is one of the things that distinguishes a mob from a people. He maintains the level of individuals. Too few individuals and a people reverts to a mob."

-Frank Herbert, Dune

Our Dead...

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The meeting between ignorance and knowledge, between brutality and culture - it begins in the dignity with which we treat our dead.
-Frank Herbert, Dune

A Generous Thought...

"Never suppress a generous thought."
-Camilla Kimball

Long-Term Planning

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Short-term planning is important, but I do not believe in planning less than one week. I think people that are into "day-to-day" planning are just prioritizing crises and they'll find themselves buried in the thick of thin things and managing their lives by crises. The shortest unit of planning should be a week, but that doesn't mean we can't adapt or be flexible.

-Steven Covey, Lving the 7 Habits

The child that tests you most...

The key to a successful family is how you treat the child who tests you the most. Be grateful for that one child because it gives an example to the rest that shows you are a principle centered parent.

-Steven Covey, Living the Seven Habits