September 11th

Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light

What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?

Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight,

O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?

And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,

Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.

Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,

Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,

What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,

As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?

Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,

In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:

'Tis the star-spangled banner! Oh long may it wave

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore

That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion,

A home and a country should leave us no more!

Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution.

No refuge could save the hireling and slave

From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:

And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand

Between their loved home and the war's desolation!

Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land

Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.

Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,

And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."

And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

My name is Aubrey, I live in Logan, Utah, and I remember. I remember September 11th, 2001.  And I am proud and grateful to be a citizen of the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Love Yourself.

Here's a perspective to consider, and some quick words of wisdom to ponder on.

We all work so hard to love others; to have compassion on them; to forgive them.  Why?  Because they are all children of God and have their own challenges and deserve to be respected and loved.  That compassion and charity is a great thing to strive for.  Now, have you ever turned that around to yourself?  You are a child of God.  You have trials and challenges every day, and you are not perfect.  Do you respect and love yourself?  Do you forgive yourself when you make mistakes?  Do you look past your flaws, your extra few pounds, your occasional mood swings, your dirty dishes in the sink, your less-than-perfect grades, your split ends in your hair that you just keep putting in a bun, your freezer/box dinners that you didn't have time to make fancy, your impossibly high-set expectations of yourself that you just don't fulfill....  Do you look past all that and see the beautiful person inside that is just trying to do the best he/she can?  You deserve to be happy.  You deserve to slow down and enjoy the blessings of life.  You are NOT expected to be perfect.  Sit down and relax, and remember what's most important to you.  Just as you constantly strive to love your neighbor, love yourself.  Exactly the way you are!

Happy Sunday!

Missionaries

So, Brock and I have a lot of close family and friends that are out serving LDS missions right now.  I just spent all morning writing to them, and I got to thinking.  I was telling my little brother that I am so happy for him that he's out serving, and that my whole life I always wanted to be a missionary, but that the Lord had a different plan for me that was just as wonderful....  his name is Brock :-)

And I kind of feel like I got to serve my own mission, here in Logan.  Right when I turned 21, the standard age for a Sister Missionary, I got called as the Relief Society President in my ward.  I served in that calling for 9 months, until Brock and I felt that it was the right time to move into a new place.  I learned so much from that calling, and I am so grateful that I had that opportunity!  And now I have a calling in the Primary, with the music, and with Activity Days!  And I feel like this is the second part of my mission.  I am a firm believer in the organization of Activity Days.  One of my best friends in the world joined the church because of that organization, back when we were really young.  I had her over to play, and Activity Days started so I invited her to join.  It turns out that we learned to sing a song in Sacrament at that activity.  So I invited my friend to come to that as well, since she had learned the song.  It was that moment that led her to continue coming to church, and eventually getting baptized.  Now she is married in the temple and has a beautiful family.  She inspires me every day!

And I feel so blessed to now have that opportunity again, to influence the lives of these young girls in Activity Days!  I know that it is where I am supposed to be right now, and I am so grateful for the opportunities I have been given to serve.  And I am so grateful for all of the people out there who are serving full time missions, who inspire me every day and remind me what's most important.

We don't have to be out in a foreign land, set apart as full time missionaries, wearing the badge, to be missionaries and do the wonderful work of the Lord.  As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, we covenant every week to take that name upon us.  We are wearing the badge, and it's important to remember that and to be an example of the believers.  Every day we can find ways to serve others and bring people closer to Christ.  And maybe one day, Brock and I can serve a full time mission together... but until then, here's to member missionary work!  :-)