seashmore

You don't have to like someone to get along with them. If you have kids and/or mutual friends, there are definite benefits to acting nice in group settings. But I agree with @Jane_Doe about the one-on-one thing. The worst thing that I see happen when marriages break up is when the exes badmouth and talk down about their previous partner to mutual acquaintances (whether that be friends or children). I am very glad my parents and divorced friends have chosen not to do that. @yjacket are you honestly serious about the advice to run from someone who comes from a broken home? That's just absurd. What about the sins of the parents not being on the heads of the children? I understand that home may be the ideal place to learn about marital and family relations, but is it the only place? I would say not. Some of the strongest youth I know come from blended families while some of the most self centered youth I know come from two parent homes. I know a young man raised by a parent and a step parent who, in the same weekend, was sustained as a stake mission prep leader and married the daughter of one of the stake presidency. I know someone born into the covenant his parents are still keeping, and he's been twice divorced before 35.

When I first started at my part time (fast food) job, there was a manager I worked with every week, who would yell at people. I don't mean "yell" as in "criticize or draw attention to wrongdoings," I mean "yell" as in "raise her voice." I can wall up with the best of them, so the first night she yelled at me about drive thru times (I was just learning), I clammed up, let her holler, and went about my business. The next morning happened to be a Sunday, and I had been adamant about my not working on Sundays, so it was a pretty big deal when I showed up to talk to the store manager. I gave a brief account and told him I would not work somewhere where the managers shouted at employees like that. (Oddly enough, she and I are friends now.) Little did I know at the time that she had learned the behavior from him. If you do your job to gold star standards, you're generally safe from his wrath, but anything less than that gets you belittled. Usually in front of others. When I was working full time, there was one person he was particularly harsh on, and was one infraction away from me taking it to corporate. Also, at another job I had in the food service industry, I had a coworker who was harassed by an employee with Down Syndrome. The managers (and my coworker, to a certain extent) saw this as a protected class and did little more than tell his parents. And make him put her phone back. Which irritated me because if any other male employee had pulled any one of this kid's stunts, he'd be gone in a heartbeat. I tried to convince her to at least report the incidents to HR, but she never wanted to. Anyway, the district manager (who had been told of some of the incidents) showed up around lunch time the day after this kid had keyed the word "kiss" into her car. After making his rounds among the managers, the DM asked how I was, and I said, "I had to get [coworker] pizza and ice cream last night because [guy with Down Syndrome] keyed her car yesterday." I was met with a blank stare. Clearly no one else had told him. Their solution was to try and transfer him to a different store. (Where he eventually got fired for spreading feces on a bathroom wall.) I wrote a book on our annual employee survey (there were some unrelated issues I needed to address), and the DM stepped back down to store manager level. The next year, there was no "any additional comments" section. At my current place of employment (local office with about 25 employees) I work with people who are in bad moods all the time, which is what I thought the original post would be about. You know, how to spend 8 hours a day with Negative Nancy and Gloomy Gus. Because I can only project so much sunshine before Debbie Downer tells me to blow it out my backside.

This drove.me.nuts, even as a woman. I wanted to throttle them. I can only imagine how awful the guys felt sitting behind the girls whining there are no guys to go out with. Of course, our ward literally had a 3:1 RS:EQ. I did the math once. Made me feel a lot better about not having any dates.

Til we meet again!

The syrup drips.

I do go for the light/no sugar/sugar free options. I just find them messy.

I've been thinking of this a little recently. Meditation, essentially, quiets our mind, which makes it easier to hear the still, small voice. We had stake conference this weekend, and the closing hymn was the choir singing Be Still, My Soul. Easily one of my favorite calm hymns. And there were people getting up and leaving in the middle of it, obviously to avoid traffic. I felt so bad that they were completely missing the point of that particular hymn. I chose to sit and listen with my ears and my heart to the message in the music, and it helped cement some of the things I had been taught during the speaking part of the conference.

The Last Mimzy. It's a good story, if you can get past the annoying sound effects in the first act.

Tonight I watched Freedom, starring Cuba Gooding, Jr. Weaving together historical and fictional figures, it kinda sorta tells the story of a slave family escaping while also kinda sorta relating it to the writing of the hymn Amazing Grace. It has a lovely soundtrack, and you can tell that everyone involved was more concerned with the message than making money. Rated R for violence, but I didn't think any of it graphic or gratuitous. A few low-stakes swears by the bad guys. Well worth the $1-3 I spent on it. It ended with a statistic about there being 29 million people in slavery today and a plea to end slavery and sex trafficking (which is odd, as I just watched a few episodes of a crime drama earlier this week about that).

I have distinct memories of different teachers forgetting it was Fast Sunday and bringing treats for youth Sunday School classes. I used to be a barista, and steamed chai was one of my favorite scents. I've always loved the smell of coffee, too. I imbibed a little while I was inactive and never really liked the taste, but I always walk slower and breathe deeper in the coffee aisle of the grocery store.

That I can do, but I'm not a fan of the syrup (even the light/sugar free).

I couldn't even read the whole card. I had the same reaction I had when I walked in to find my roommates watching The Notebook: this is why boys hate girls. This is why I hate girls.

I have a hard time eating fruit that's been frozen. I'll even avoid ice cream flavors with fruit chunks in them.

I don't mind eating produce, but I hate buying it. How do you solve the problem of needing to hit the grocery store every 3-5 days to keep fruit fresh? I almost never buy berries because they get mushy and/or moldy before I can eat all of them. And I get terminally bored with prepping fresh veggies that I'll spend the next three to four weeks trying desperately to not get lethargic about eating. I'm really hoping that taking my 18 y/o sister in next week will help me improve my kitchen habits. You know, being a good example and all that.

I KNOW! Maybe someday...

These thoughts had crossed my mind before, but watching that movie brings them about more often.

*waves*

Not to mention how tight knit and transient we are. It's a small church, after all. You're bound to run into someone you knew under your original name. Unless maybe you went to a completely different continent. But even then, who's to say some kid from your previous life's ward doesn't get sent there on a mission?

What happens with all of the membership records and family history for Mormons who enter the federal witness protection program? I mean, they don't just get deleted, do they? Are new records created for their new identities? It's not like they'd have to be baptised again or anything, but the church can't just make that stuff up, can it? Maybe this is a question best mulled over when I can't sleep.

From a never married sister who spent seven years in Singles Wards outside of UT.... First, focus more on being the kind of person you want to marry instead of trying to find the person you want to marry. The insecurity and lack of confidence are more off putting than the introversion. Especially at 25. You've had plenty of time to get to know and like yourself. I suggest starting there. Find something about yourself that you like, and reflect on it daily. Maybe it's the way your eyes crinkle when you smile, maybe you're a talented singer, maybe you have a knack for cutting paper in a straight line. If you can't find something, go out and get one. Learn to play the ukulele, build a bicycle from parts, make an effort to dispense at least one compliment a day. Second, so what if you're a potato? They're actually pretty versatile as a food, not to mention economic and tasty. "There's a lid for every pot," they say. President Hinckley said, "Most kids turn out to be just people." Third, don't depend on the Church (or anyone else) to solve your dating problems. Singles Wards/activities are NOT meet markets. Fourth, don't become discouraged or bitter. You'll end up being your own worst enemy. Trust me. Fifth, just call up a girl and ask her to dinner or for a walk in the park.There was a guy in my singles ward who literally went down the roll and took each active and unattached girl on a date. It was awkward as all get out the first time through (yes, he went through more than once, and I was one of the first) but I really admired him for his efforts. Unfortunately, it didn't work out for us, as (along with other things) I found out on our date his second time through that he doesn't listen to music. At all. Until he said that, I hadn't realized how important it was to me. I wish I had kept in better contact with him because I'm convinced he'd be perfect for a friend of mine. Sixth, don't let your goal of marriage get in the way of your dating. What I mean by that is, don't get ahead of yourself. Have you ever played Frogger? Trying to marry someone when you aren't actively trying to date anybody is like crossing the stream before the street. Sorry if I said too much or came off like a drill seargant. Best of luck. If you're ever in the Midwest, let me know, and I'll see if I can't set you up with at least a practice date to keep your skills fresh.

1 Cor. 15:54-55

Most often, dreams are a way for the subconscious mind to communicate to the conscious mind. The happiness and good feelings you get while reading and thinking about the things you're reading about in the Book of Mormon are a better indicator of your doing the right thing than the dreams you had.

I didn't choose "perfectly clear" for the first two options because there's still room for revelation (see 9th Article of Faith). In retrospect, I probably should have put "perfectly clear" for the last question, but didn't because I found the question unclear. Taking the question out of context, yes, the qualifications for salvation are clear. However, the context of the other two questions led me to believe they were asking about "exaltation," which are mostly clear to my understanding. (I see salvation as being saved from everlasting death while exaltation is being exalted and living with our Father in heaven. Two different things.)

My biggest takeaway from this go-round is in verse 51. "Wherefore, do not spend money on that which is of no worth, nor your labor for that which cannot satisfy." The past month, my employer has issued a step challenge. Each week, whoever gets the most steps gets a gift card and then there's a random drawing for everyone who averaged 10,000 steps a day. My major hobbies (crochet, reading, and writing) are pretty sedentary, although if the weather permits, I'll read while I walk. In order to meet the challenge, I've had to change my priorities quite a bit, and it's got my wheels turning about what is really and truly important to me. There's one girl who gets 20-30,000 steps a day. She's trying to get to a healthier weight, so is working out before and after work and sometimes over lunch hour. It is consuming her, and it's turning others to be consumed with their appearance. So, the verses in this chapter regarding the resurrection were also viewed in light of this step challenge and its consequences.

Clearly he was a big part of your life, so forgetting about him entirely isn't what I would suggest. What I would suggest, however, is forgetting about a future with him. You may have to get tough with yourself and say: why would I want to spend time with someone who can so easily set me aside? Put yourself in what I call "reply-only mode." Don't initiate any more contact with him, but keep an open mind and an open heart if he reaches out. Best of luck.