Brrrrrrreeeee! Half time! Buh doo doo doo doo doo doo

Well, I'm sad to say I'll be taking a brief sabbatical as we move. My books are all packed up and tomorrow will be on their way to Akron. Meanwhile, after unpacking tomorrow I'll be back in Pueblo staying with Mom and Dad until our house here receives needed repairs. Maybe I'll remember to grab my books, maybe I won't. Just don't plan on me posting for a few days.

Poisonous Serpents

I was reading in Ether (my favorite book in the Book of Mormon) about a plague of poisonous serpents the Lord set upon the people in a time of wickedness. Then successions and histories are given and a few chapters later, representing decades of time, a brief description is given of the snakes finally being driven from the land and that area being open for the people to hunt and gather food. I thought about how often we turn to our Heavenly Father and want our poisonous serpents to be immediately banished. The truth is, sin has consequence. Sometimes that consequence lingers through several weeks, months, or even years of consistently trying to be faithful before it is banished and we are able to gain access to blessings we have been waiting to enjoy. We cannot instantly have the Spirit, the Comforter, with us when we have not been putting ourselves in his power. We cannot instantly have our spirits lifted when we have been wallowing in worldliness and carnal-mindedness. I was reminded of this tonight when I tried to write a talk I'm giving tomorrow in church after watching a rated R film about a Satanic serial killer. Just because I was turning my mind toward spiritual things did not mean that the lingering yucky feeling did not interfere with my ability to gain guidance from the Spirit. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not a quick fix. I'm to the point with my weight that I am not looking for a quick fix. I have tried several of those and it has not done anything for me but keep me slowly climbing the scale. I am in this for the long haul, whether my poisonous snakes keep hanging on or not. I know that if I remain faithful, they will eventually be banished and those promised blessings will be kept from me no longer.

Sorry

I haven't posted again this week because we had Sarah's birthday party today. I've been running around trying to get ready for it. Ashy and I made an awesome cake! The point is, I'll be posting again now that I have a little more time. I've done two exercises this week and I plan on doing two more tonight if I can. I came across something cool in my scripture study this week. I'll share in my next post. Thanks for being patient with me while I took care of Sarah's party. Oh, and before anyone asks, Yes, Sarah's birthday is in August. I didn't have a big party for her 1st birthday b/c she would be too young to enjoy it. This year I was going to have an actual party but I found out we were moving and Sarah may or may not have any friends with which to have a party. Thus we had it a month early. The End.

P1D1

Last night the exercise talked about carnal-mindedness vs. spiritual-mindedness. As I wrote earlier, I've done this exercise a few times, so I tried to look at it a different way. Instead of thinking about a carnal solution, I thought about carnal reasons for wanting a solution. Why do I want to lose weight? Is it so the world will approve of me? Or is it to restore the sanctity of my body, to show gratitude for the wonderful gift it is and to be more obedient to the principles of the gospel?
That was just my little comment for Principle One, Day One. PLEASE, someone else post something. Anything. I don't care! Just let me know I'm not alone.

One More Time with Feeling

Okay, I'm guessing no one did all the exercises for Principle One. I know I didn't. What can we do to make this happen? Should we post our exercises on our blogs? Maybe just a few thoughts from each day's exercise? I want this to work. I need this, and I'm sure we all could use it. I'm going to sit down right now and do the first exercise from Principle One. Right after I post a list I told Kyla I'd post.

"No matter how entrenched an addiction may seem, it can be made to vanish before the spiritual power within you." - Deepak Chopra

1. Did you get the right amount of sleep last night?
2. Did you start your day with nurturing activities that strengthened you in body and in spirit?
3. Did you find real pleasure in your work?
4. If you felt angry at someone or something, were you able to express this in a constructive way?
5. Were you able to experience nature today with awareness and appreciation?
6. Did you find time for enjoyable activities or exercise?
7. Were you able to spend some quiet time by yourself?
8. Did you laugh with real pleasure today?
9. If you felt tired or under stress, were you able to rest for a while?
10. Did you take your meals in pleasant surroundings, with company you enjoyed?
11. Did you show love today to friends and family members?
12. Did you freely and joyfully receive their love in return?

These were listed as Dr. Chopra's 12 Steps to Overcoming Addictions in his book, Overcoming Addictions, if you can believe it.

And to get us started, here are some thoughts I had the first time I did Principle One.

"As President Benson said about taking the slums out of the people - if I seek the Lord to solve the underlying spiritual illness, of which being overweight is a symptom, the outward change will follow. Permanent change is affected from the inside out, and our very inside is our relationship with our Heavenly Father and our Savior. If we spend all our time working on a physical solution, it will die with our bodies. If we implement a spiritual solution, it will rise with us to the next life and continue to develop there, eternally."

I love you guys and hope this can help get us all started.

83rd Time's the Charm

I am having a really hard time wanting to do these exercises because I've done them like 4 times in the last 6 months or so. I have done the first and second principles A LOT. I am going to really sit down and do them all tonight, though, so I hope everyone is at least trying. AND the first principle is hard for me. I always think, "Yes, I am worthless trash. I know. Do I really have to go through this yet again?" Maybe that's why I do have to do it yet again. I have the feeling they want you to feel some sense of relief at knowing you're an ineffectual clod of dirt. The relief somehow escapes me. Is anyone else having a hard time? We're here to support one another. Don't stay silent if you're struggling.