Crazy Day

Okay, so I've had a crazy day, full of YAY times and really sucky times, and I wanted to share it with you all.
One problem, it would be great if I had some pictures, but the worst moment of my day arrived as a virus on my laptop. Which means that I'm trying not to use it and this is being typed up on the family computer. And, I don't' put my pictures on here. So, you'll all have to be patient.

Anyway, let me tell you about the rest of my day.

Jacob came over this morning, yay! And I found one of the most comfortable positions to sit in ever. Yeah, I almost fell asleep. (sorry to be so boring Jacob)

Then, AMANDA came to visit!!!!!! I haven't seen that woman for like two months of plus. I think I was slowly dying a painful death due to withdrawals, but don't worry I'm okay now. Meagan came with her, and it was super fun to see her too.

Those two girls came with me to campus where I donated my hair. As in I cut off 10 INCHES! That's a lot of hair. I love the cut, but I miss my hair. Mixed feelings, but since I've donated before, I know how to deal with them. Don't worry, I'll try to get some pictures up when I have a working laptop.

Then, we went to lunch at the Creamery. There were EFY kids EVERYWHERE! I kind of wanted to beat them all over the head because it meant it took forever to get our food. But, it's okay because I had chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream from the creamery, which totally made it worth it.

After lunch, we stopped by Sarah and Matt's. My sister is so pregnant. She's beautiful. And soon I'll have a niece! Like really soon, as in she is due in about 2.5 weeks but could come earlier than that. It will be awesome. And don't worry, I took Sarah chocolate when I visited. I'm an awesome sister like that.

Then, I had to pack. For my family reunion which I go to on Wednesday! I love reunions. Love them. So I am excited for it. But I usually don't pack so last minute. Like I would have started packing a week ago. It was stressful.

Especially because this is when I discovered that my laptop is sick.
But it wasn't all bad, because Jacob came back over and tried to help me figure out what was wrong with the computer. But then he had to go to work.

So I went swimming with the girls. I love swimming. It's a great thing. And Amanda and I just talked and caught up on life and things and it was super. Kind of like the Krispy Kreme (SP?) donuts that we bought on the way out of Provo because I caught a ride with Amanda and Meagan as far as South Jordan.

And dad picked me up there and now I am home. At our beautiful house in Fruit Heights. And that was my day. It was all crazy up and down emotion wise. But you know what? I'm still happy. Because that's how I want to be. :)

Can you sense that?

You all remember my whole happiness is a choice thing? Well, that's going real well for me right now. Among other things, and I've found myself at a point where I am perfectly happy. And a part of that happiness is a great feeling of peace. Sure, I've still got some confusion in my life, or it wouldn't' be life. But overall, I'm at peace. Which has given me the opportunity to pay attention to a few things. A lot of things actually, the little small things. Which has led to this post at this moment. My apologies to all of you that I may seem to be rambling, I kind of am. But I would like to share with you all something I've thought of lately, something I've paid more attention to than usual:

The senses. Yeah, I'm talking about the five senses. You know them: taste, touch, hearing, smell, sight. I've discovered that when you're really at peace you can pay more attention to the wonders that are the senses, and I've been thoroughly enjoying that experience. Even if your life may not be completely at peace right now, I suggest you take a moment. Find somewhere you can relax and feel some peace just for a little bit. And then just feel. And when I say that I also mean hear and see and taste and smell. Do it! As soon as possible. But as long as you're sitting here wasting time on the internet, let me just share with you some of my thoughts and experiences when it comes to the senses.

Taste: Okay, so all of us go around using this sense all the time. We're usually eating on a pretty regular basis and we don't' really think about taste very much past the point of deciding whether we like something or not. But have you ever really thought about the reasons you love what you do? I will admit that this is one sense I still don't pay a ton of attention to, but I promise that I have been thinking about it a little. For example, I was trying to figure out why I'm addicted to chips and salsa. Well, duh, it's the taste. There is something about the salty crunchiness of my favorite brand of chips that mixes perfectly with the slightly hot yet entirely fresh taste of salsa. MMMMM. so good. So pay a little more attention to what you're eating. It's even more enjoyable when you figure out why you enjoy it in the first place.

Touch: I've been exploring this one quite a bit actually. It's been a lot of fun. One of the best forms of exploration? Walking home barefoot. Yeah, I've been doing that. And it is totally awesome! I know it probably sounds a little eccentric to find so much joy in this, but on a regular walk home from work I can experience about 6 different textures on my feet. And when you're really paying attention to it, it's amazing how big of a difference you can feel. Try it sometime. It will be worth it, if you really want it to be.

Hearing: This one may be even more awesome then walking around barefoot to explore the sense of touch. Do you realize how many different things you can hear in a day? In a second? And the potential for beauty that each of those sounds have. For example, let me tell you what I can hear right now. I can hear myself typing, a sound I really don't think about that often. But now that I've pointed it out to myself, I'm thinking it sounds pretty awesome. I also have some music playing on my computer. Ah, without the sense of hearing, you'd never be able to appreciate music. Life would be so boring! and less meaningful. I also happen to be sitting next to an open window, which means right now I can hear the cars driving on Highway 89 about a block away from my house. Most of you probably think I've gone crazy, but I LOVE the sound of cars on a road, especially a busy road. Which points out one really awesome characteristic of sounds. There are millions, and we all love different sounds because they connect us to different memories. Isn't that great?

Smell: That's also another thing that we get to associate with memories, or with people, or a ton of things. Isn't that great? I've been paying more attention lately to how people smell. Which sounds a little weird, but whatever, I have been. Which means I'm learning to recognize how certain people smell. And if something else reminds me of them because it smells similar, isn't' that a great thing? Oh also, I've been remembering how much I love the smell of grass, and dirt, and all things outside and summer related. Oh, heavenly. And the best thing about smell, it lingers. So you get to hold onto the memories for a just a little longer.

Sight: I think this may be the sense I've been the most lax at increasing my attention to. But, I have noted a few things. Shades. Of colors. That is a great thing. I've learned to pay more attention to them. which helps me appreciate more beauty. And one other thing I've noticed. Patterns etc, in nature. There are tons of them, and they have an amazing natural beauty that we sometimes forget to take note of. The other day I could have stared up through a tree's branches for hours, simply the patter with which the leaves are displayed was super awesome!

Okay, thanks to those of you who suffered through my ramblings about my sense adventures of late. Now go out and have some of your own, and contemplate how amazing God's power must be to give us the gift of all five senses. And realize what evidence that is of how much he loves us. He didn't' have to make this world beautiful for us either, but he did. Now really, go enjoy it!

Just Beeeee yourself

A very wise line from a classic Disney movie, and something I've been thinking about a lot lately. It's kind of been in the back of my mind for a while as an idea for a blog post, but last night I was reminded about the idea by the song Let My Be Myself by 3 Doors Down. Here are the lyrics for you (without the repeated chorus, etc):

I guess I just got lost
Bein' someone else
I tried to kill the pain
Nothin ever helped
I left myself behind
Somewhere along the way
Hopin to come back around
To find myself someday

Lately I'm so tired of waiting for you
To say that it's ok, but tell me
Please, would you one time
Just let me be myself
So I can shine with my own light
Let me be myself
Would you let me be myself

I'll never find my heart
Behind someone else
I'll never see the light of day
Living in this cell
It's time to make my way
Into the world I knew
Take back all of these times
That I gave in to you

This song just resonates with me because over the years I've come to realise that one of the most important things to do in life is to discover who you really are, and learn to love that person. But that's only part of what really makes life happy. Life can't be complete without other people in your life to love and care about, and to have them love and care about you. But you can't build true relationships on a lie. Which is why you have to be able to be yourself.

I've never been the type of person who was extremely popular or had a ton of friends. But I have always had a small group of close friends. And I've been happy with that. I had a conversation with one of my friends a few weeks ago. She told me that sometimes her real friends seem to end up being her fake friends, and the people she think are her fake friends turn out to be real friends. We were talking about why she would feel that way, and she talked about how she often lets the people dictate how she acts around them. We came to the conclusion that that fact was probably a source of the problem.

So then I started thinking about myself, and what I do with my friendships. I don't know when exactly I made the decision, I don't think I'd even realised that I had. But somewhere along the line I decided that I wasn't going to let the opinions of others dictate who I was. And for the most part, I haven't. And the result of that has been that I have some friendships that I know I can trust completely. They accept me for who I am and don't judge me for what I'm not. These are the kind of friends you can always count on. And I've slowly built my life to be full of such relationships, they are the source of joy in my life.

However, I have been unlucky enough to have some friendships that didn't fit that description. If you look back up at the lyrics from Let Me Be Myself, I really can relate to them. I had a close friendship that ended up going downhill, and I'm not even in contact with that friend anymore. I honestly am not sure of her reasons for not wanting my friendship anymore, but I did have to figure out my own reasons for being okay with losing her as a friend. And what it really came down to was that she wouldn't let my be who I really was, without feeling judged. And in the end that is what made the friendship unhealthy for me.

So, in conclusion my word of advice to you is to figure out who you are, love that person, and find friends who will also love that person, no matter what.

Home Sweet Home

So, I spent the last weekend with my family at our new house in Fruit Heights. And, I'm absolutely in love with it already. The house and the yard. They are fantastic. So, I took some pictures to share with you. I only have some of the yard and my room though, because nothing else was unpacked and cleaned enough that I felt pictures would do it justice. But, enjoy.
Looking out on the fountain

Our beautiful Day Lilies

Front Yard

My dad is in love with this globe willow

My family on our awesome deck

I am very excited about this window seat

The closet is awesome too

Eventually I'll get some more pictures of the house on here. As it is you should at least be able to appreciate the amazing yard that we have!

One more for my list, and maybe yours too

I'm addicted to music. I'm not very knowledgeable about it (I'm working on that) but I listen to a lot of it. But even more importantly I think, I actually try to listen to the lyrics of the songs I listen to. Some people don't do that, but I do. And I find a way to make them applicable to my life if that is at all possible. One of my favorite things to do is to find songs that I find inspiring, songs that can give me a lift when I'm having a bad day. I have a playlist on my computer just for these songs, and trust me, it helps me out tons on a bad day. One of my best sources of discovering songs like this is the fact that all I do at work is clean and listen to music. Well, a few weeks ago I discovered another great inspirational song and thought I'd share it and my thoughts about it, with all of you.

The song actually comes from the movie Spirit, the one about the horse. I've never actually seen it, but I have the music because Kiera had it, and I'd heard it was good. This is one of the Bryan Adams songs, and it's called Sound the Bugle. Here are the lyrics for you:

Sound the bugle now play it just for me
As the seasons change remember how I used to be
Now I can't go on I can't even start
I've got nothing left just an empty heart

I'm a soldier wounded so I must give up the fight
There's nothing more for me lead me away...
Or leave me lying here

Sound the bugle now tell them I don't care
There's not a road I know that leads to anywhere
Without a light I fear that I will stumble in the dark
Lay right down decide not to go on

Then from on high somewhere in the distance
There's a voice that calls remember who your are
If you lose yourself your courage soon will follow

So be strong tonight remember who you are
Yeah you're a soldier now fighting in a battle
To be free once more yeah that's worth fighting for

I don't know about the rest of you, but the lyrics to that song, especially the last two stanzas, really hit me quite hard. And when you put them to music, it's amazing, so you should all listen to the song sometime.

As if the song weren't already powerful enough, I started thinking about it from my point of view as a Latter Day Saint. So often I think life gets really hard on us, we make a mistake, or we just get tired and feel like we cant' go on anymore. We get to the point where we don't care about anything, and we don't want to go on anymore. But then, just like the song says, a voice comes. A voice from on high, begging us to remember who we are. Each one of us is a divine son or daughter of God, no heritage could ever be greater or more awe-inspiring. I believe that at the times when you truly understand and believe that heritage, you have the strength to do anything. But if you ever forget that, life gets too hard, and your courage disappears right along with that knowledge. But if you regain that knowledge and get back into the fight, eventually you'll find that everything you've found so hard in life has somehow gotten easier. You find yourself free of your doubts, fears, and discouragements. And then, as long as you keep listening to that voice from on high, you can face anything life throws your way.

That is what this song means for me. You can agree with me or interpret it as you will, but I wanted to give you the chance to pay attention to the lyrics. Hope you enjoyed them.

I've heard it said, that people come into our lives for a reason

"The same God that placed that star in a precise orbit a millennia before it appeared over Bethlehem in celebration of the birth of the Babe has given at least equal attention to placement of each of us in precise human orbits so that we may, if we will, illuminate the landscape of our individual lives, so that our light my not only lead others but warm them as well." - Neal A. Maxwell

I know that I have kind of touched on this topic in a few previous blogs but 1. None of you probably really remember it much and 2. It's been on my mind a lot lately. So, I'm going to write an entry about it anyway.

The quote I started this entry out with was something my Doctrine and Covenants teacher shared with us, and I loved it as soon as I heard it. The concept that the Lord places people in precise orbits meant to bring their lives together is something I've gained my own testimony of in the past few years. It's also something I've been reminded of a lot in the past couple of months because of certain people I have in my life. I'd like to share just a few of the people in my life, whose lights have and are still leading and warming me.

I know, without a shadow of a doubt that God places us in families for a reason. I love my family, I love my parents and my siblings, and I would not be Lydia Ruth Hirschi without the role they have played in my life. My parents are some of my best friends, and growing up I built a relationship with them that a lot of kids aren't lucky enough to have. I tell my parents everything, and because of that they trust me. That is something I truly value. I know that the way my parents raised me helped lead to that trust, that perhaps I wouldn't' have found with someone else. I've been reminded of how much they mean to me in this last week as I helped them pack and move. I was tired and hot and kind of sore, but it was a great feeling to just be working on a project with my family. I know that I was meant to be part of the family I am in, and I am so grateful for that.

Another group of people that Heavenly Father brought into my life were the girls I roomed with during Freshmen year. I know I've mentioned it before, but it still amazes me how girls that have such different personalities could have grown as close as we have. They've helped me through a lot, and I still talk to them about everything. I know that our friendship will last for years to come, probably forever. And I know it all happened because the Lord knew how much I needed them each in my life.

I also feel so blessed to have the girls I roomed with this year in my life. I met Kiera and Amanda in quite interesting ways, and the speed with which we built our friendships could be called miraculous. I'm glad I know that they will always be a par of my life. And it was so great to meet Kinsey and Shannon this year, because they both played a part in who I've grown to be over the last year. I plan on staying in touch with them for a very long time.

Lately I've found another group of close friends from a kind of unexpected source. The people I work with are fantastic! I don't know if I've ever had so much fun with a group of people that I've worked with. We're all pretty close and I talk to them about all the exciting things going on in my life. We enjoy keeping each other updated, and I know I can go them all for advice anytime. I may not see them very often outside of work, but I know that they are a blessing in my life.

Finally, I know the reason I'm in the ward I'm in is so that I could build lasting friendships with people I wouldn't have met any other way. I've got a great circle of friends right now. People I care about, and that I know care about me. We know how to have fun together, and how to help each other through any tough times. I love my life right now because I get to spend time with them on a daily basis.

Something I've mentioned in past entries is that happiness is a choice(it's kind of my current mantra, so deal with me mentioning it a lot). I believe that this plays a role even when it comes to the people we have in our life. The Lord may place our orbits in such a way that they collide, but we have to choose to let others into our lives, and into our hearts. And then we also have to choose to acknowledge the Lord's hand in the friendships and relationships we build.

So next time you meet someone new, consider what the Lord could have in store for that meeting. Don't miss out on the chance to gain a needed friend, or perhaps even more importantly to be that needed friend for someone else. And if life is taking a different direction then you may have expected, realize that the Lord just needs to you be in someone's orbit for a while. It may be for them, but may just as well be for you. And as long as you let the Lord direct your life, you can give and receive the light and warmth you need to be happy in this life.

What I learned during Spring Term

Okay, so some of these may have been mentioned in previous entries, but most haven't, so you'll be okay.

1. All stories are invasion stories, even if they don't seem like it.

2. I can tell you the sentence pattern of any clause or sentence, and then precede to diagram it for you.

3. I know why everybody loves Bro. Bott. He really IS that good.

4. Happiness is a choice.

5. If you spend too much time with someone, they will eventually corrupt you with part of their personality....but there is a whole story behind that one I won't share. Don't worry, its not overly interesting.

6. I can say no to random proposals...6 times in a couple weeks. (Don't worry, they were all jokes)

7. Running through sprinklers at 1 A.M. with your coworkers can be a lot of fun.

8. Spring Term rocks because you get to know more people better.

9. It's okay for me to change my mind, and make random decisions. They just have to be the right ones.

10. Happiness really IS a choice. (I still need to work on that one)

11. Mirror messages are a great mode of communication, but they don't' make up for actually seeing your roommate.

12. I CAN survive college without all of my girls, but it gets really hard sometimes.

13. Don't take 9am classes when you work until 1am. At least not if you need plenty of sleep like I do.

14. You can live off of granola bars and fruit snacks for lunch.

15. You can learn a lot in two months.

That's just a few. I'm really grateful for this opportunity I've had to be where I am in my life right now and to learn these things and many more. I'm looking forward to learning more during summer term, even if it isn't about why you really should say "lie out" instead of "lay out".

Last Day at home

So, I went home for Father's day today. I love my dad. See the previous post. But anyway, my family is moving this week, and I probably wont' be able to make it up to help them because of work and transportation etc. That means that I probably was in our house for the last time ever today. It was home to me for 8 years plus, and since I tend to get a little attached it was a little hard. Not as bad as it could have been, but I still felt pretty sentimental. Enough to take some pictures. My family made fun of me, but I don't care. I want to remember that house, I made a lot of memories there. But my whole family is excited for a new start and a great adventure, it will be awesome. And part of growing up is moving on, so I'm okay with this.

I'm grateful for the chance

to honor and thank my Dad this Father's day. I've always kind of been "Mommy's little girl" which is kind of fitting since I'm the youngest. But that doesn't mean I love my Daddy any less, and he means so much to me. I'm pretty sure he knows that, but just as a reminder to him and everyone else I'm writing this entry to talk about the few things I love most about my Dad.

He taught me to work hard. I've watched him do so much over the years to build a good life for my family. He isn't' afraid to dig in and get his hands dirty if there is something that needs to be done. He can take apart and put back together a whole lot of things, and if anything breaks, Dad can most likely fix it.

That fixing thing extends to more than just objects. I talk to my mom way more than my Dad, but when things are really crazy and I don't know how to handle them, I know I can always turn to him. Somehow he always knows the perfect thing to say to make everything better, or to at least get me heading in the right direction.

Dad knows how to be serious when I need that, but he also knows how to have fun. He is a tease, and he can always make me happier. He is the reason I see teasing as a sign of love and caring, because that is why he did it. I've made some great memories of just goofing around with him when that was exactly what we needed.

I've always known that my Daddy believed in me. He taught me that as long as you give it 100% of your effort you've done the best you can, and you can be proud. He has supported me through all of my efforts for twenty years now, and never once have I doubted that he was there for me.

He hasn't just led and taught my family by word, but also by example. And he has been a great teacher for me of how to live a good life that you can be proud of.

Those are just a few of the reasons I love my Daddy. I am so blessed to be his daughter. I am so thankful for his love, support, and trust over the years. I look forward to many years of the same, and hope he knows just how much he means to me.

Pretty pretty please...with a cherry on top

I know some of you may be getting tired of this request, but I am asking again anyway. There are a whole bunch of new poems on my writing blog from my creative writing class this last term that I would really love to have people read. I would love even more to have some comments, I don't care if you know what you're talking about or not. Or if you totally love them or absolutely hate them. I just want some opinions, I'm trying to improve myself as a writer and feedback helps. So, in case you don't' know it yet, my writing blog is http://lydiasliterature.blogspot.com/
and I would love you forever and ever if you could take a look at some of my stuff. It doesn't' have to be the newer stuff either. And comments are proof that you cared enough to do this for me. (yes I'm trying to guilt you into it, but I'm admitting it so its not that bad and you should do it anyway) Thanks in advance to anyone who is so kind as to help me out.

You all need to see this

Calvin who I work with told me I needed to watch this, so I came home last night and did just that. You all need to see it too. So here is a link for you. http://www.hulu.com/watch/67437/saturday-night-live-high-school-musical-4

if it doesn't work just go to hulu and search for high school musical 4 SNL. It is totally worth your time. Enjoy. :)

Just keep swimming, swimming, swimmng

The pool is open again. FINALLY. I have been going crazy waiting for this because I love swimming. I think sometimes that surprises people, you know, that I'm a swimmer. But it's true. Sometimes I really miss the good old days on swim team when I had a reason to swim laps. I know I didn't' feel that way about it then, but I do now.
The pool is TINY now. And, I have to complain about that. The whole five feet thing I can deal with, because you can do flip turns at three feet, but I think I get about 4 butterfly strokes in before hitting the other side. Yeah, that isn't really the best way to get back into swimming. Which I really want to do. But I realised something today; it has been way too long since I've done some good swimming. My fly stroke felt so slow, and even my freestyle was lacking. Good thing I finally have a pool, just when I'll be getting some free time.
Everyone is all excited about the larger hot tub. And, I appreciate it, I really do. I just wish I could have it and a longer pool. But, I think I'll make do with what we have, since I'm pretty sure I'll have to pay to use the pool on campus.

So, besides my random ramblings about the pool and wanting it to be bigger because I want to swim and not be so out of shape I should tell you about my awesome night. None of it was planned before I did it, but I had so much fun.
I went swimming. And then Chelsea decided to curl my hair. And then we decided to go to the stake BBQ and dance. Where it rained, and we danced in the rain. It was beautiful. And then we came back and I swam again. And then I watched Hairspray with some totally awesome people in my ward.

Which reminds me of something else. I really like Spring term. Why? because all these great people from my ward are still here. And before we knew each other and sure we were friends. But now I'm getting to know them better and hanging out with them. And it is fantastic because they are stupendous people.

Santa Claus came to visit

Well, not really. I lied. But someone just as awesome did come: Amy Gomez! Who may or may not be the coolest older sister that my BFF Sara has ever had. It was awesome to see her. We chilled, mocked Sara for not being there with us, and she helped me decorate an amazing cake for Kiera's birthday(thanks Amy). And that cake was fabulous. But, my camera decided to be all temperamental and not work. So if you want to see pictures either Kiera or Amy will have to help you out there. But anyway, Amy told me all about possible adventures I will have in New Orleans, and now I am more excited than ever!

Plus, not only did I get a visit from Amy, but my sister Sarah stopped by as well, AND we had a party for Kiera. Basically it was an awesome day yesterday. Thanks to everyone who stopped by!

P.S. I think I might miss Sara's baby. Otherwise known as her bamboo plant, which Amy came to pick up from my apartment. At least I'm not responsible for keeping it alive though, I'm apparently not the best at that. Since the plant Kaitlin gave me for my birthday is looking a little neglected. (sorry Kaitlin, I promise I love it. I just forget I actually have a living plant)

P.P.S. Kiera left me for a week. All alone in our apartment. I do not like being alone at night. And I do not like the fact that I will have to do cleaning checks by myself, when I'm supposed to be studying for finals. yeah, it sucks. But I hope she has fun visiting Shannon.

A discovery

So, Moydie, a friend of mine has a punching bag. And last night they talked me into trying it. At first I argued that I had to be angry to want to hit something that hard. They said that I didn't have to be angry...and that I probably was angry at something, and just wasn't acknowledging that. Eventually they talked me into it, and I realized they were right. There was something I was angry about.

I think I easily admit being sad, and I easily admit when things have hurt me and caused me sorrow and heartache. But, I don't know how often I really admit that they also make me angry. Last night I did. And I punched that punching bag for three minutes straight. And, WOW, it felt great. I think I shall have to return, Moydie said I can use it anytime I want. And, with how therapeutic last night was, I am planning on taking him up on that offer frequently once Spring Term is over.

Who would have thought that I'd discover a passion for beating up a punching bag? But I think I have.

Having mentioned Spring Term, there are a few more things that I'm planning to do more of once I have extra time: READ!!! Swim, Scrapbook, Study the gospel, have fun, discover new talents, play the piano, spend time outside, exercise. yeah, there are some things I'm looking forward to.

Turn that sad face upside down and smile that frown away.

I've been thinking a lot lately about how I am Happy. Because I am, really, truly, and deeply happy. Even though life isn't' perfect and I still have trials, and all of the bad things from my past, I am happy. I started wondering why that was. It isn't' like my life is so very different or amazingly better than it was when I didn't feel this happy, so what changed?

This is what I realized. I changed. I CHOSE to change. I DECIDED to finally stop letting my pains and sorrows control my life. I CHOSE happiness. The fact really hit me today that happiness is a choice. Even though God wants us to be happy and says that "men are that they might have joy" we still have our free agency. He will never force us to find happiness in this life. It has to be our decision, and we have to be the ones who want it. And that is a glorious thing. Because once we sincerely want to be happy, then the Lord can take away our pains. But he can't do anything about them if we insist on holding them close, keeping our pain right where it can do the most damage.

I'm not perfect at this. I know I still need to let more things go in my life. But I finally realized that I spent way too many years allowing myself to choose unhappiness. And slowly, bit by bit I'm letting my Lord take my pain from me. It is the most beautiful feeling in the world. I can't describe the joy I am finding in my life right now, and I am so grateful for the Atonement that allows that to happen.

So, if you're not happy, figure out why. And let it go. Choose today, this very moment to be happy. And you will be.