grannysue

It took my mother's husband 25 years to join the church. He often attended with her, but he just wasn't converted. Then, one day, a window somehow opened, and he "got it." Now he wonders what took him so long, but he came to the truth in his own time, and that's as it should be. Maybe the same thing will happen for you, DS. I hope so!

My favorite talk was Elder Bednar's Tender Mercies talk a couple of years ago in conference.:)

I guess upon further reflection it could also mean just having senses and fleeting perceptions of premortal life and what we knew there.

The spirit world, I guess...or at least some people residing there.

To me it also means acknowledging my complete dependence on Heavenly Father for everything and my absolute need for the Savior's grace/atonement. It also means having faith that He has a better plan than I do and knows what's best for me, even in difficult times. Knowing this makes submitting to His will a lot easier because I know whatever is happening in my life will be turned to my good.

Recently I worked for seven years in a law office where most of the workers were Catholic and they were extremely respectful of my religion, which is heartening. Also, my sister teaches in a Catholic school for girls, and the people in the administration love her and are very supportive of her religion. In general, I find that Catholics I meet and befriend are not critical of Mormonism, so that's good news at least, even if there are a few select groups within the faith that go negative on us.

I know this sounds strange, but when someone hurts me for no reason, it really helps me to pray for them. I begin the prayer by telling Heavenly Father that I am very angry/hurt/whatever and then I ask for my heart to be softened. I tell Heavenly Father that I know the person who hurt me must be having a lot of problems and personal discomfort to treat me that way. Then I pray that the person will be healed and that things will go better in that person's life and in mine. I ask the Lord to remind me that whatever that person said tells me about his/her heart, not mine. I ask Him to help me feel His love and approval. It really helps. When I pray for a person, I feel better feelings towards him/her and then I can comfortably interact with that person. Remember, the only one whose opinion really matters is the Lord's. Church is a time to focus on His love for you and your love for Him. Let the rest take care of itself. Hugs, Sue =)

My son is bipolar, with depression being the worst of his symptoms. Like your daughter, he had goals but could never stay stable enough to get through a whole semester. Whenever he would try to take medication for his symptoms, they would give him too much and then he would quit them because he hated the side effects. Finally, he went to a very conservative psychiatrist that gave him really low doses (below what is supposed to be "therapeutic") of the mood stabilizer and anti-depressant. It took three months, but he pulled out of it and has now been doing well for 2 1/2 years. It is a major blessing. He is also in school and excelling. So there is hope! If medication is needed, a lot depends on finding the right doctor that doesn't just throw medication at them like crazy. And talk therapy is such an important part of it, too. The medication he takes hasn't completely taken away his moods, just made them manageable. The rest he gets through by using coping mechanisms learned in therapy. Oh, one more thing. I used to be a therapist and my eldest son still is. Your daughter will not be denied a career as a play therapist due to her depression. Quite the contrary. In that world, she will get a lot of empathy and understanding. (Many of the people who are interested in psychological professions become interested because of their own or a family member's experiences with mood disorders.)

While some of the singers from Idol are being dropped, Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood are very popular and have won Grammys.

Might I suggest, since this is obviously so important to the well-being of your family, that you "experiment upon the word" by attending church and being involved for a period of one year? That is what my mother's husband did when they married, and he felt just like you do at the outset. Over time, though, he gained a testimony. Maybe that would happen for you, too. At the beginning, he was only involved with the Church because it was important to my mother. Now it's important to him. He was baptized several years ago. Below are the scriptures from Alma 32 that apply. I hope all goes well for you and your family. 27 But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than adesire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words. 28 Now, we will compare the word unto a seed. Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves—It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to eenlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me. 29 Now behold, would not this increase your faith? I say unto you, Yea; nevertheless it hath not grown up to a perfect knowledge. 30 But behold, as the seed swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow, then you must needs say that the seed is good; for behold it swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow. And now, behold, will not this strengthen your faith? Yea, it will strengthen your faith: for ye will say I know that this is a good seed; for behold it sprouteth and beginneth to grow. 31 And now, behold, are ye sure that this is a good seed? I say unto you, Yea; for every seed bringeth forth unto its own alikeness. 32 Therefore, if a seed groweth it is good, but if it groweth not, behold it is not good, therefore it is cast away. 33 And now, behold, because ye have tried the experiment, and planted the seed, and it swelleth and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow, ye must needs know that the seed is good. 34 And now, behold, is your knowledge perfect? Yea, your knowledge is perfect in that thing, and your faith is dormant; and this because you know, for ye know that the word hath swelled your souls, and ye also know that it hath sprouted up, that your understanding doth begin to be enlightened, and your mind doth begin to expand. 35 O then, is not this real? I say unto you, Yea, because it is light; and whatsoever is light, is good, because it is discernible, therefore ye must know that it is good; and now behold, after ye have tasted this light is your knowledge perfect? 36 Behold I say unto you, Nay; neither must ye lay aside your faith, for ye have only exercised your faith to plant the seed that ye might try the experiment to know if the seed was good. 37 And behold, as the tree beginneth to grow, ye will say: Let us nourish it with great care, that it may get root, that it may grow up, and bring forth fruit unto us. And now behold, if ye nourish it with much care it will get root, and grow up, and bring forth fruit. 38 But if ye neglect the tree, and take no thought for its nourishment, behold it will not get any root; and when the heat of the sun cometh and scorcheth it, because it hath no root it withers away, and ye pluck it up and cast it out. 39 Now, this is not because the seed was not good, neither is it because the fruit thereof would not be desirable; but it is because your ground is barren, and ye will not nourish the tree, therefore ye cannot have the fruit thereof. 40 And thus, if ye will not nourish the word, looking forward with an eye of faith to the fruit thereof, ye can never pluck of the fruit of the tree of life. 41 But if ye will nourish the word, yea, nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow, by your faith with great diligence, and with patience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it shall take root; and behold it shall be a tree springing up unto everlasting life. 42 And because of your diligence and your faith and your patience with the word in nourishing it, that it may take root in you, behold, by and by ye shall pluck the fruit thereof, which is most precious, which is sweet above all that is sweet, and which is white above all that is white, yea, and pure above all that is pure; and ye shall feast upon this fruit even until ye are filled, that ye hunger not, neither shall ye thirst. 43 Then, my brethren, ye shall reap the rewards of your faith, and your diligence, and patience, and long-suffering, waiting for the tree to bring forth fruit unto you.

I like "All These Things Shall Give Thee Experience" and "If Thou Endure It Well," both by Neal A. Maxwell. A great book on the atonement that is not by an apostle is "Great Shall Be Your Joy" by Steven A. Cramer.

May I recommend a conference talk by Elder Douglas L. Callister of the Seventy? Unfortunately, I don't know how to make a link to it, but you can search for the talk by name at lds.org. The whole talk should be read, but I will post just an excerpt here: "When the 23-year-old Heber J. Grant was installed as president of the Tooele Stake, he told the Saints he believed the gospel was true. President Joseph F. Smith, a counselor in the First Presidency, inquired, 'Heber, you said you believe the gospel with all your heart,...but you did not bear your testimony that you know it is true. Don't you know absolutely that this gospel is true?' Heber answered, 'I do not.' Joseph F. Smith then turned to John Taylor, the President of the Church, and said, 'I am in favor of undoing this afternoon what we did this morning. I do not think any man should preside over a stake who has not a perfect and abiding knowledge of the divinity of this work.' President Taylor replied, 'Joseph, Joseph, Joseph, Heber knows it just as well as you do. The only thing that he does not know is that he does know it.' " "It is a grand thing to know––and to know that you know and that the light has not been borrowed from another." The rest of the talk is about how to know that you know that you know. <g> Enjoy!

I like the CD's "Peace Like a River" and "Consider the Lilies" by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. I'm also fond of Afterglow, almost any of their CD's. And John Canaan, too. You might like the EFY CD's as well (from Especially For Youth). They do a new one very year.

My mom was married to her non-member husband for 30 years before he converted to the Church. We never had a clue that such a thing would happen, but he went through a big health crisis in his life and ended up turning to the Church. I guess what I'm saying is that you never know what can happen! He is now a member of the bishpric, and he used to be so shy he avoided groups. Now he is shaking hands up and down the aisles and giving hugs to people. It's amazing, truly.

It's my understanding that any children born in the covenant go with the woman who bore them as far as sealing is concerned, and I've always figured that is why women can only be sealed once.