Bloom Where You're Planted 2

As I was driving home from church a couple of weeks ago, I began thinking about my roots in the city we were living in and how hard it would be to leave.  The thought of roots lingered in my mind and my attention was drawn to my years of yard work.  I began thinking about the roots of plants that I have cared for including those plants that I transplanted.  I recalled the care that had to be taken when you dig them up and move the plant to a new location.  You have to know the plant and what it can handle.  You can't just move it any time of the day and you need to make sure that the new location is prepared and will help the plant grow. One thing is to make sure it is well watered and then move it when the climate is most suitable.  At first there is a shock value to the plant but with water and tender loving care it can prosper in its new location.

As I thought about the plant, I thought about how my Father in Heaven knows and loves me.  He has watered and cared for me as my roots grew stronger and stronger and watched lovingly at those times when my roots were not as strong.  He would not move us if our roots were not strong enough to handle the change.  He would not place us in a place that we couldn't continue to grow.  He is indeed the gardener and He KNOWS exactly where we need to be planted so that we will continue to grow.

That was a sweet thought that reminded me of how much our Heavenly Father loves me and all of us! This also made me think of the saying, "Bloom where your planted". This has come to mean a lot more to me lately.  I have to say that I have mostly thought of it as more as a tangible place of being, but now understanding that sometimes we are planted smack in the middle of trials and it is important to remember to continue to bloom or strive to bloom wherever we find ourselves.  I would add that if you can't bloom, then you need to turn to the gardener to find out what changes need to be made so that you can blossom to your full potential for that time and season.  Sometimes it may just be our attitude or our thoughts and other times it may be our literal location.  If you can't bloom where you are seek to understand why and make those changes.

I wish that I could be my best 100% of the time, but the fact is I can’t, but I hope to never quit trying. It is easy to become discouraged and tired of the hardship, but I know I agreed to come here and face the challenges that only could be experienced in mortality. 

May we live so that when that final summons is heard, we may have no serious regrets, no unfinished business, but will be able to say with the Apostle Paul, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith” [2 Timothy 4:7]. [“Now Is the Time,”Ensign, November 2001, 61]

The Chirping Cricket

As young girl I often had trouble falling asleep.  I would lay in bed sometimes for hours just thinking and making stories up in my mind until I would finally drift off to sleep. One night however, things were a little different.  As I lay there trying to go to sleep, I was very distracted by a noise.  There was a cricket somewhere close whose chirping would not stop.  I tossed and turned as I tried to put the sound of the cricket out of my mind. I wasn’t sure where the cricket was but I thought surely he will quit chirping any minute now. 

It was winter time and we didn’t have carpet on our tile floors so the floor was cold and I didn’t want to get out of my warm bed so I tried plugging my ears, pulling the covers over my head and even using my pillow to muffle the sound, but no matter how hard I tried I couldn’t think the noise away.  In fact, it seemed that the cricket was singing louder and louder as time passed. 

 I finally pulled the covers away, jumped out of bed and followed the sound of the cricket.  It was by my window, but I couldn’t find it so I pounded on the window and the noise stopped.  Finally I would get some sleep.  I crawled back in bed and just as I got comfortable and ready to doze off, the cricket started up again.

Back out of bed and over to the window, I still failed to find the cricket but he was there, I could hear him.  I finally concluded that it must be on the outside of my window.  I had no choice.  If I was going to get any sleep I would have to extract that cricket from the window to cease his exasperating chirping.  So with a stick and flashlight I took off outside. I headed to the side of the house where my bedroom window was located.  I approached the window and directed the light to the approximate location of the intruder and began my poking.  I was determined to find and remove that cricket before returning indoors. 

While I was busy trying to eradicate this little noise machine other things were happening inside my home.  Little did I know that my noise had awoken my father.  While I was proceeding to stand in my pajamas in the cold dark of the night, with flashlight and stick in hand poking at a cricket, I hear a noise from behind me. I turn around instantly to see my father standing behind me ready to attack!  He didn’t know I was the one outside my window.  He thought it was an intruder and he had come to remove the flashlight, stick poking individual from outside of his teenage daughter’s window.  

The girl was startled by her father and the dad was relieved to find that he knew the intruder. Together they were able to relocate the cricket and both returned to bed.

Today we all encounter some kind of cricket in our lives.  We should work to recognize and remove those crickets that are chirping so loud that we are distracted from what is important.  Crickets aren’t bad, but when you are trying to sleep and they are making noise, they can take away from a quality rest. 

Just like a cricket, some good things in life can become a distraction that prevents us from doing better things and preventing us from hearing the spirit and receiving those greater blessings in life. 

James E. Faust said, “But we hear other voices. Paul said, "There are . . . so many kinds of voices in the world" (1 Corinthians 14:10) that compete with the voice of the Spirit.  The Spirit's voice is ever present, but it is calm. The adversary tries to smother this voice with a multitude of loud, persistent, persuasive, and appealing voices. Learn to ponder the things of the Spirit and to respond to its promptings; filter out the static generated by Satan. As you become attuned to the Spirit, "thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it" (Isaiah 30:21). 

Hearkening to the "voice of the living God" will give you "peace in this world, and eternal life in the world to come" (see D&C 50:1; 59:23). These are the greatest of all the gifts of God (see D&C 14:7).”   (Speeches, The Voice of the Spirit, James E. Faust)

  I couldn’t sleep with the noise of the cricket and we can’t do our Father’s work if we allow the noise of the world to obstruct our actions.  We need to keep the crickets away from the windows of our lives.

Tiny Sandals & Little Hands

One of my joys came when my granddaughter Hannah, who was one year old at the time, came to visit during the Christmas Season. While she was visiting, I had planned to deliver some Christmas packages to the neighbors and thought it would be fun to take her on this little walk with me. She had recently mastered the art of walking...at least barefooted, but since this walk would be outdoors, shoes would be needed.  Her mom adorned her little feet with cute tiny sandals and then we set out for our walk delivering Christmas gifts. (Yes, in Texas you can wear sandals even in December).

As she stretched her petite arm upward to grasp my finger with her small hand, we caught glances and shared a smile of delight, then proceeded on our little mission. She walked with so much gusto only to be slowed by the occasional stumble caused by the unfamiliar sole of the shoe.

Not being disturbed at all by her slight faltering, she continued to put one foot in front of the other with as much joy and excitement as she did before she had stumbled.  She seemed to realize that she never had to worry about falling because she knew that grandma had her hand firmly in hers ready to keep her from tumbling down as long as she was holding on to my hand.  She may stumble but would not fall.

Hannah didn’t know where we were going, how long we would be gone or even why we were really crossing the street, but she trusted her grandma and was happy to be on the walk.

As I thought about these sweet moments spent with Hannah, I realized that we all have times that we are not as comfortable walking in a pair of shoes as we may be in others. Throughout our lives we have different pairs of shoes that we will wear on our feet.  Like a new pair of shoes, we will have new experiences that may take some time to get use to before we can feel as comfortable walking in them as we did with our previous walking gear. While breaking in our new shoes, there is also a good chance that we too will stumble, but if we grip firmly to our Heavenly Father's hand (and those that represent His hands) we will not fall. We may stump our toes, get blisters or falter some during our learning, but we won't fall unless we let go and try to walk alone.

Just as Hannah was happy to follow my footsteps, we should also be full of joy to follow in our Father’s footsteps.  I know that as we walk in his steps each days, that our eyes can be opened and we can learn to enjoy the simple pleasures and wonders of our world and become even as little children having joy in our eternal journey. We take one step at a time. In doing so we reach toward the unknown, but faith lights the way. If we will cultivate that faith, we shall never walk in darkness.  

“Come ye, and let us walk in the light of the Lord” (Isa. 2:5). 

 As we walk in the light my prayer is that we can all find the joy and fulfillment that can be ours as we journey through this world.

Listen to the words of Mormon: “Know ye not that ye are in the hands of God? Know ye not that he hath all power?” Mormon 5:23.

 I'm thankful for sweet experiences such as holding on to Hannah’s hand that day that will continue to remind me what I have been taught.  

 “If we will … walk hand in hand with Him in His paths, we will go forward with faith and never feel alone.” (October 2003 Conference,  The Lord Thy God Will Hold Thy Hand, W. Craid Zwick)

Where Am I?

When I was 16 and living in Dallas, Texas, I was fortunate to be able to drive one of my parent’s cars. It was a huge old Lincoln Continental with back doors that opened backwards.  That was really cool.  It also had electric windows which was not common for the time.  On a Saturday I was headed to watch a Stake young men’s basketball tournament. Our stake covered a large area so I would be traveling a good distance to get to the stake center.

I had been to this building many times, but with someone else driving. Not being behind the wheel was of course reason for not paying attention to our route so, with directions in hand I headed for the games.

As I got downtown I began to panic.  I had taken a wrong turn and was no longer headed to where I needed to be going.  I didn’t know where I was or how to get away from where I was without getting lost even more.  So I quickly exited and found a phone to call home. (Obviously the days before cell phones.)  It was a very daunting area and appeared to not be as safe as I had thought it was before crawling out of my car.  Nevertheless, I was there.  I nervously put my coins into the phone and anxiously dialed home.  My nerves were in knots and then I heard the sound on the other end of the phone say, "hello".  “Dad”, I began to cry.  “I am lost.”  With a comforting tone my father asked me where I was.  I had absolutely no idea, after all, I was lost!  I remember dad saying, “Look around you and tell me what you see.” 

I remember looking around and not liking what I saw but I was able to give him enough information that he was able to tell me exactly what I needed to do to get back on the right road to reach my destination. 

I could have asked the owner of the store for directions, but he didn't know me or where I was going, but my dad knew me, how to help me find my way to my destination, because he KNEW where I was headed.

Once there I phoned him again to let him know that I arrived safely.  Before leaving I called him again so we could review the way home and he would know to be watching for me.  I knew that he would come to get me if I didn’t show up after an allotted time and I knew he would be waiting for me to arrive home safely.  

I am so grateful that my dad was there for me. I am likewise grateful that my Father in Heaven is always there for me too.  Calling home to report where I am and get directions for where I am trying to go has always been a great blessing to me.  I have gotten lost from ti me to time, but all I have to do is call my Heavenly Father through prayer and he will direct my path once again. He has promised, 

“As often as thou hast inquired thou hast received instruction of my Spirit” (D&C 6:14). 

The Path Back

When I served as the Young Women’s Stake Camp Director, I took a day a few months prior to camp to go explore the paths that the YW would be traveling on to meet a hiking requirement.  On the first practice hike, my companion and I just took off walking and were not prepared to make decisions.  This particular area had trails that divided all along the way.  We found ourselves walking and walking and just trying to decide as we came to a split in the trail which might be better based on growth and shade.  It was a good walk, but I had not prepared well enough to map it out for the future travelers.  

Returning home, knowing that I had not accomplished what I had set out to do, I returned again with my husband.  We first obtained a trail map that was supplied by the camp. As we set off on the hike, we still had to make some choices and then made notes to pass along for those that would be leading the hikers during girl’s camp.  To our surprise, we found that if we took a trail we didn’t mean to take we didn’t have to turn around but merely keep walking for a moment and it would take us back to the main trail.  There was always a way back to the trail that would lead us to where we wanted to end up. We also learned quickly that some routes were less desirable so we made sure to make notes of that on our map for the future girl’s camp travelers.

During the camp, though I had carefully mapped out the best way to achieve the needed requirement, those leading sometimes were confused and ended up just making the best choice they saw from their point of view.  Fortunately, I informed the leaders that if they got off the intended trail, there would be a way back to the main path if they continued to move forward.  It was not necessary to return to the fork in the road and take the other path.

 For some, the hike went as planned, as for others, they ended up walking much further than they needed too, but ultimately they all arrived at the same appointed destination.  

As we hike on our daily trails, it is important to know where we want to go.  Imagine you are in a car that is moving but there is no steering wheel. It’s going places but you have no control over where it is going. This is what your life is like if you don’t know where you want to go. Your life is moving but you have no control. Once you know where you want to go it’s like putting a steering wheel into your life.  

Next, get directions. Just because you know where you want to end up doesn’t mean that you know how to get there. The best way to get directions is to ask someone who has been to where you want to go. The best types of people to ask are the people that are successful in the areas of life that you want to be successful in. They will give you advice and wisdom to know how to get to where you want to be.  

How wonderful it is that our Heavenly Father has set up his Church with maps and guides to help us along the way. We know that others have walked where we are walking and will help us if we know where we are striving to end up. Sometimes we may get off the path we want to be on. Our Father in Heaven knowing we would need help sent his Son that through His atonement we can repent and return to that straight and narrow pathway.  We have a living Prophet and leaders that are here to help give assistance and direction. They have walked the path and continue on the trail.  They know what warnings and instructions they need to give us to help make our journey easier.  

Sometimes our choices may not be the best, but there is ALWAYS a way back to the trail that will lead us home.