"What's the WORST That Could Happen?"

Amanda Dickson spoke to us at Time Out. I LOVED HER! She was HIL-ARIOUS!

One of the things I loved most about her was her opinion on seeing things in a positive light. She talked about being pregnant at an older age and worrying about "the WORST thing that could happen".

Then her son was born. Everything she worried about had happened. He had a lot of "disabilities" to deal with. And the worst thing that could happen turned into the BEST thing that could happen.

You know I would totally love that! I believe that with my whole heart! What was the worst thing that could happen when my Twins were born....well, pretty much all of it and then some happened. However, the "worst" thing has become the most beautiful thing! EVEN after having him pass away. Hard, yes. But the fruits of such experiences can be beautiful, if we allow them to be!

She talked about how change brings an amazing energy into our life. How even a simple change can make all the difference. She said, "If you are feeling low, change something. If you don't have plans, get some. If you have some, cancel them. JUST CHANGE."

When we fall into routine we tend to arrive at our destination without really realizing just how we got there, because it is so automatic to us. If we change it up, even the way to drive to work, etc., it shifts energy in your life and causes you to be more aware.

Amanda is not a member of the LDS church. However, she talked about how amazing she thinks it is that in our church we have and are Visiting Teachers. She said, "How cool is it that you are assigned to love someone?! Maybe someone that hasn't been loved by anyone else and needs your love." I really loved that she was so passionate about belonging to an organization where you are "assigned" to look out for and love each other. :)

She ended by telling us to remember that "Our Best Is Good Enough". We don't have to be some kind of perfect. When we are doing our best, whatever that is at anytime in our lives, it is GOOD ENOUGH".

Amanda has written a couple of books. They both quickly made their way to my list of books to read! You can check them out HERE.

JERICHO ROAD

 

(See that second guy back? I watched him thinking, "He Looks JUST like my friend Mindy's hubby". Turns out, when I told Mindy about it, after a surprise run in with her at Time Out, it is her hubby's brother! Crazy!)

A FEW HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE BOYS:

* ETHER 12:4

"Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God."

* ALMA 7:12

            "And [Jesus Christ] will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities."

suc·cor [suhk-er]: A word that originated from the Latin word succurrere, meaning

to run to the rescue

*One of the guys in the group, after becoming a lawyer, went to Uganda to help write wills for the parents

   that were dying from AIDS and leaving their children behind. He talked about how these little children

   would see them and get so excited. They were so happy. He asked a man there why the children were so

   happy and excited to see them. The man replied, "Because they see you and know

  you are here to help them."

  

   Then he said, "That is why WE feel so good when we feel the spirit. It

  is because we can feel God and we know He loves us and is there

  to help us!"

  

* In 1952, Florence May Chadwick was the first woman to attempt to swim the 26 miles

    between Catalina Island and the California coastline. As she began, she was flanked by small boats that

    watched for sharks and were prepared to help her if she got hurt or grew tired.

    After about 15 hours a thick fog set in. Florence began to doubt her ability, and she told her

    mother, who was in one of the boats, that she didn’t think she could make it. She swam for another hour

    before asking to be pulled out, unable to see the coastline due to the fog. As she sat in the boat, she

    found out she had stopped swimming just one mile away from her destination.



    Two months later, Chadwick tried again. This time was different. The same thick fog set

   in, but she made it because she said that she kept a mental

   image of the shoreline in her mind while she swam.

   I absolutely LOVED this story! What a great example of how infinitely important it is to keep your eyes

    or mind focused on your end goal!

     I have been thinking about this a lot lately. This whole experience on Earth. Our purpose. There is SO

     much to distract us and get tangled up in, so that we lose our focus. The "fog" sets in. Doubt overcomes.

    We get lost.

   

     This is why I believe it is so important to spend time each day finding a way to be inspired. Scriptures,

     inspirational thoughts, meditation, PRAYER. All of these help us stay grounded and confident in our

     direction!

     Do Not Be Decieved. Do Not Lose Focus!

*Jericho Road has a song called "For The Love Of A Woman". They talked about how Pop Culture is full

   of music about women that is degrading. They wanted to write a song that really captures the value of

   Women.

   As they sang this song I had a woman sitting next to me. Before the event started I heard her talking about

   her husband. I didn't listen in for details, of course. However, I overheard enough to know there had been

   infidelity and a lack of love from him for a long time. She was completely shattered.

   During this song I could feel her heartbreak as she cried. It made me think about how I was surrounded

   by nearly 1,500 women. How many of them ached the way this woman did? It was suddenly

   overwhelming to me. There are so many people everywhere that are going through their own trials. Marital

   problems, wayward or struggling children, infertility, single women that wished to be married, I am sure I

   wasn't the only woman in the room that had lost a child. And yet, not one person around me knew my

   situation. No one knew how my heart ached.

   How many times are we quick to judge or put down the actions of someone, without FULLY knowing

   their circumstances? There is no possible way, even as much as we think we might now, to know the

   very heart and thoughts of a person.

   As far as the song went...I loved it! It made me grateful that I have a husband that could have written that

   very song about the way he feels about me! I love that I KNOW that!

If you are interested in hearing any of Jericho Roads songs, you can listen to their greatest hits HERE, or as always, check them out on iTunes!