A New Beginning

My mom told me I'd better keep this up, so here I am. A few things have changed since the last time you heard from me though.

1. I now answer readily to "Carlee" 

2. I can wake up and go to bed whenever I want. 

3. I can listen to whatever I want, whenever I want.

Other, less worldly things have changed, too.

I no longer feel the spirit guiding every step of my day

I don't have someone next to me 24/7 to validate my feelings, give my advice, and listen to whatever word vomit comes out of my mouth.

In the last week I only bore my testimony 3 times instead of 30. I even went a day or two where I didn't have (or make) time to read my scriptures. Needless to say, life as an RM is not what it's cracked up to be. 

I am grateful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the knowledge it gives us that there really are no endings. President Uctdorf said it best:

"In light of what we know about our eternal destiny, is it any wonder that whenever we face the bitter endings of life, they seem unacceptable to us? There seems to be something inside of us that resists endings.

Why is this? Because we are made of the stuff of eternity. We are eternal beings, children of the Almighty God, whose name is Endless¹³ and who promises eternal blessings without number. Endings are not our destiny.

The more we learn about the gospel of Jesus Christ, the more we realize that endings here in mortality are not endings at all. They are merely interruptions—temporary pauses that one day will seem small compared to the eternal joy awaiting the faithful.

How grateful I am to my Heavenly Father that in His plan there are no true endings, only everlasting beginnings."

The mission isn't the end of my good habits, spiritual experiences, or the end of the growth of my testimony. This is a new phase of my life full of "Everlasting beginnings", and I am grateful for them. I am grateful for the chance to continue to learn and to grow! Just today I learned something in our Gospel Doctrine class. We were talking about the temple. There was a question in the manual that really stuck out to me.

"How does the water of life that is available in the temple heal and give life to marriages? Families? Our ancestors? The Church? What else flows from the temple that gives spiritual life and healing?"

The answer that came to mind is Hope. PMG says that hope is an abiding trust that the Lord will fulfill all of his promises. We learn about those promises in the temple. The more often we go to the temple, the more we remember and can see these promises in our lives. The temple gives us an eternal perspective. It lights the path and makes our temporary struggles seem insignificant. 

Thanks for listening to my rant. And for all of the support over the last 18 months, and 21 years. 

xoxo,

Carlee.