Author: Angela

I write so my family will always have letters from home.

Simple solutions

One night when I was sick recently, I struggled to fall asleep. There played in my mind a rapid-fire slideshow of images I had seen on my phone while I was sick in bed. Advice, decor, shopping, Christmas traditions, clothes, and all kinds of information flashed in an endless loop, robbing me of peace.

Eventually, sleep came, and when I woke up, I had no appetite for more images. Media was wearing me out, physically and mentally. It was time to consume less.

The solutions to our problems can almost always be articulated in a few simple words, or can be broken into simple steps.

Consume less.

Say less.

Be less impressed with yourself.

Drink more water.

Breathe.

Be present.

Keep going.

Do one thing differently.

Add one thing to your routine.

Call them.

Begin.

Each of these has been a solution, simply expressed, to different problems in my life.

My best advice for a concrete, approachable solution to your biggest problem is to pray. Trust that the idea, motivation, help, or information you need will be given to you at the perfect time. It will almost always be a simple command or a sequence of simple, actionable steps. Really!

Not the villain

The Nativities are gone and winter decorations and collections of dishes take their place on the shelves in my kitchen.

As I phase out the Christmas decorations, I need to remind myself that I am not the villain of the house for taking down all the joy. It always makes us sad to see them go.

Here are the things I am telling myself,

The decorations will be back again. They are special partly because they are a novelty.

I need to simplify my lines of sight and reduce the number of objects requiring attention. It’s time for me to hibernate, read, sew, and be cozy for a few months without all the extras. It’s okay to need a break.

    I will miss him.

    In honor of President Jeffrey R. Holland who passed away last week, Mark and I spent a lot of time sharing with one another our favorite talks by this beloved Apostle. After our call ended, I took a minute to appreciate the privilege of having such a conversation with a 19-year-old.

    There are so many talks that we shared and there are many that I love. If I had to choose just one, it would be The Grandeur of God from 2003. I keep it folded in my scriptures for ready reference. Here are some of my favorite words,

    God, in His ultimate effort to have us know Him, sent to earth His Only Begotten and perfect Son, created in His very likeness and image, to live and serve among mortals in the everyday rigors of life.

    To come to earth with such a responsibility, to stand in place of Elohim—speaking as He would speak, judging and serving, loving and warning, forbearing and forgiving as He would do—this is a duty of such staggering proportions that you and I cannot comprehend such a thing. But in the loyalty and determination that would be characteristic of a divine child, Jesus could comprehend it, and He did it. Then, when the praise and honor began to come, He humbly directed all adulation to the Father.

    “The Father … doeth the works,” He said in earnest. “The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever [the Father] doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.” On another occasion He said: “I speak that which I have seen with my Father.” “I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me.” “I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.”

    He came to improve man’s view of God and to plead with them to love their Heavenly Father as He has always and will always love them. The plan of God, the power of God, the holiness of God, yes, even the anger and the judgment of God they had occasion to understand. But the love of God, the profound depth of His devotion to His children, they still did not fully know—until Christ came.

    So feeding the hungry, healing the sick, rebuking hypocrisy, pleading for faith—this was Christ showing us the way of the Father, He who is “merciful and gracious, slow to anger, long-suffering and full of goodness.” In His life and especially in His death, Christ was declaring, “This is God’s compassion I am showing you, as well as that of my own.”

    I am so blessed to have had Elder Holland’s witness of Christ through my years of important decisions, marriage, and all the years of raising children. Apparently, he spoke at my middle school because his youngest son was in my class, but I don’t have a memory of it. Foggy middle school years aside, he was very influential in my life and I will miss him.

    Thought journey about love and faith on an early morning

    When I want to understand my relationship with God, forged by covenant, my go-to article is by President Nelson. A key point revolves around the Hebrew word, hesed. This week, this paragraph stood out to me,

    Hesed is a special kind of love and mercy that God feels for and extends to those who have made a covenant with Him. And we reciprocate with hesed for Him.

    The Everlasting Covenant by President Russell M. Nelson, Liahona, October 2022.

    Wait, I can reciprocate hesed (loving kindness) to God?

    In other words, hesed isn’t just Heavenly Father’s role in the covenant relationship? He truly wants my love?

    How, then, can I show that love?

    in gratitude for God’s merciful love (hesed), we show our loyal love (emunah) by keeping His commandments.

    Faith: A Bond of Trust and Loyalty by Elder Sandino Roman

    So, keeping commandments is the way I show loving kindness/devotion to God. That seems obvious, now that I write it.

    Elder Roman used a different Hebrew word, emunah, rather than hesed, to describe our role in the covenant relationship. What does the word, emunah mean?

    The short answer is faith, but like all Hebrew words, it is rich in meaning.

    From website Chabad.org

    So, I am to practice, hone, and create a lifestyle of action to show my love for God.

    By doing, I come to know God. This is how I build a loving relationship with Him.

    The process isn’t, “know then do.” The process is “do in order to know.” This is faith. This is love.

    And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the Lord hath said will we do, and be obedient.

    Exodus 24:7

    15 ¶ If ye love me, keep my commandments.

    John 14:15

    So, I can show love for God through obedience, crafting a life of faithful action.

    If all of this is true, a key question is, What is the most important faithful/loving/obedient act that I can do right now?

    Maybe it is to apologize to someone.

    Or, it could be to share my faith with others.

    Perhaps it is to praise God more and whine less.

    It’s often going to be temple work.

    Always, it is to acknowledge that the Savior makes a relationship with God possible.

    Whatever the Spirit inspires us to do to show love for Heavenly Father today, may we do it and find rest in Him.

    A few lists to end the year

    I love the quiet days between Christmas and New Year’s Day. Although the silence was painful after our family left, I have begun to order my thoughts about the past year, journaling, reading notes, reviewing my planner, and organizing myself for the new year.

    I love reflecting on questions like these during the quiet hours. I will include a few of my answers, too.

    What are the lessons from 2025?

    • God can fix things so quickly, so completely, and so elegantly.
    • I have true friends on whom I can call when I need help.
    • I can trust God’s wisdom when my trials don’t go away.

    What books and people did I keep close to me?

    • Book List Here, with my favorites in bold. I read the Doctrine and Covenants the most because I was teaching it.
    • People: my family, a few close friends.

    What do I want to remember?

    • How Tim and Queenie looked in the sealing room at the temple on their wedding day.
    • Playing with our grandson in the backyard and at the beach.

    How have I grown?

    • I trust God a bit more.

    What were some triumphs?

    • Wedding luncheon for Tim.
    • A few special moments during lessons I taught in church.

    How did the Savior show up in my life?

    • In word: the scriptures, words of prophets, impressions during prayer and in the House of the Lord.
    • In power: to endure challenges.
    • In music: during my most challenging moments, good music came to my mind. (Shalom by Dan Forrest; Slow Down, sung by Sissel; Seek the Lord by my mom, in her voice; I Want to Be Strong, a song we sang at Girls Camp 30+ years ago.)
    • Through people who listened to me and loved me.
    • In fresh ideas
    • In chastening: He helped me change my thinking. Often.

    Not according to the plan

    In January, I planned my year, assigning important tasks for specific months. My plans are often thwarted, but I continue to make them because vision is important.

    There will always be obstacles, but I want to have a purpose and direction throughout the year. It doesn’t matter if some things don’t happen on schedule or lesser things don’t happen at all.

    I finished a “June” project this week. Good job, me, because it is a Christmas gift!

    I am sick in bed today with a humidifier to soothe my cough and ease congestion. The gifts I planned to wrap in November sit beneath my desk beside the bed, not yet wrapped, but at least they are collected. I choose to think of it as a testament that I tried, and planning ahead helped me to be prepared for this illness in December.

    Times change

    This cousin was Tim’s little buddy a few years ago, somebody he would carry around, but a lot has changed recently. Now he looks like somebody Tim could call to help move a sofa. How great is that?!