HAPPINESS

Sunday, September 22,2013
LDS Los Angeles California Temple.  

"Happiness is the object and design of our existence ..Don't you forget it."

September is coming to an end as we all know. This year will soon come to an end as well, 2013 a very successful year for me at least. I got baptized on Sunday, March 10, 2013. I got confirmed and received the holy ghost on Sunday, March 17, 2013. I could truly say that, I've gotten so many blessings in my life. Starting with the gospel, my family, and my friends. On September 22, we took a little trip to the Visitor Center, behind the California, Los Angeles LDS Temple. Although I haven't gone inside, I have had the wonderful opportunity to admire it from the outside. In the Visitor Center we had a chat with some sister missionaries, about how much God loves us, and we talked about how essential family is. I could testify that my family has gotten closer. We may not be as perfect as they show it in the videos. But, that's why we're here on earth to learn from our mistakes, mend them and go towards perfection. It may not be as easy as we would like it to be, but Life's a climb.

If my happiness consist of family and love? Why is it that it's easier to forget the simple things, when we have too many things to worry about? I may not be a rich girl, but I am rich when it comes down to love. We may not be perfect now, but I know that one day in exaltation we will all be. 

LDS Los Angeles California Visitor Center;
Family Cardona, Family Friend, Missionaries: Elder Roberts, Elder Fish.

" We work together in faith and unity-faith that the Lord will guide our steps and unity with each other and with the missionaries, always motivated by our love for Him, our love for one another, and our love for those we serve" - Neil L. Anderson, "A Spiritual Work"

When you figure out love is all that matters.

Every single morning, I wake up to a couple of text messages: 

1. "Good morning!"
2. "I love you."
3. "Hey beautiful."

Every night, before I lay my head down to sleep I get one text message:

• "I love you, good night."

There's days where I feel like, I'm alone even if I do get messages like the ones above. I know I could be so inconsiderate and I just start my day off with the wrong foot. Everyone has those days. I remember this one instance, I was having such a terrible, miserable day, I think it was because I was being a drama queen. I didn't realize at the time, the only one I was harming was myself. I was listening to one of my favorite songs; in which I could remember one verse: "Like it or not it's the way it's got to be. You got to love yourself  if you could ever love me."-Lifehouse "whatever it takes". Now, I have no idea why that part stayed with me, all I know is that when it comes to knowing what real love is, it has to come from within. If something is a love-hate relationship then, its not worth it. We need to learn that in order to receive, we must learn how to recognize what true love is, we need to love ourselves before loving someone else. Like a baby's first steps require admiration and all the attention, that's exactly what we need in order to become a better person in life.

Like the daily text messages I receive, our Heavenly Father doesn't forget to demonstrate how immense His love is. It doesn't matter how small it is, or how big it is. There is not a day that goes by that I don't feel special. There's not a night that goes by without me praying and feeling like God has heard and answered my prayers. Though there's days, there's days that I feel hopeless, but then I remember "I am a daughter of Our Heavenly Father, and he loves me." Maybe in the midst of my hopelessness, there's selfishness blinding me to see how wonderful my life is. I know he loves me, I know because without God's will I wouldn't have all the blessings I have today.  

1 John 4:18
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

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