Day 251, October 21

"The world has enough women who are tough; we need women who are tender.  There are enough women who are coarse; we need women who are kind.  There are enough women who are rude; we need women who are refined.  We have enough women of fame and fortune; we need more women of faith.  We have enough greed; we need more goodness.  We have enough vanity; we need more virtue.  We hae enough popularity; we need more purity."-- Former Young Women General President (of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) Margarage D. Nadauld

Yesterday I wrote about the moral force of women.  The above quote is a wonderful description of the goodness and greatness that women can bring to bear on their families, their churches, their communities, their nations.  As I read the qualities needed in women, I was struck by how important is our responsibility to ourselves and to those around us.  It's both awe-inspiring and humbling at the same time.

 So, for today, I am grateful for women who kind and refined, who have faith and goodness, virtue and purity. 

Day 250, October 20

Last week in Relief Society (the women's organization of the Mormon Church), the president spoke about the moral force of women.  She based her remarks on a talk given at General Conference of two weeks ago. 

Women have always been a force for good.  Whether in the home, the church, the community, the workplace, the schools, women act from their nature to nurture.  I am fortunate enough to have many such women in my life. 

There is my daughter Alanna who serves on the board of a victims' advocacy program.  There is a writer friend who makes dolls and doll clothes to give to little girls at Christmas who may receive nothing else.  There is another friend, whose children are long since grown, who reads to preschool children weekly.  And yet other friends who have worked tirelessly to help members of the community clean up after the floods of last month.

So, for today, I am grateful for the moral force of women.

Day 249, October 19

"You're always believing ahead of your evidence.  What was the evidence I could write a poem?  I just believed it.  The most creative thing in us is to believe a thing in."--Robert Frost

I had to read this quote several times before I could grasp the meaning and even now I'm not certain I have it right.  What is it to "believe a thing in?"  We know what it is to believe in a thing, but to "believe a thing in" is different.

Does it mean having enough belief and faith to will something into existence?  Maybe.  Or does it mean the simple act of belief is enough to effect a change?  Again, maybe.

Believing is not easy.  We struggle with empirical evidence, with scientific theory, with a myriad of other wordly things that all weigh in against belief.  And, in the end, belief comes down to taking a leap of faith that, despite what the naysayers maintain, we can
accomplish what we set out to do.

When I first started writing books, I had lots of evidence saying that I couldn't do it.  Chief among that evidence was a rejection letter from a New York editor telling me that I would do well to look for a different occupation.  I admit that I was beaten down by that.  In the end, though, my dream to write and sell a book was stronger than her scathing words.

So, for today, I am grateful for the words of a great man and poet, that we can "believe a thing in."

Day 248, October 18

"The price of greatness is responsibility."  -- Winston Churchill

Yesterday I wrote about accountability.  The fact is, I have not always been accountable.  I have shirked responsibilities and duties, saying to myself, "Someone else will do it."   Sometimes someone else did do it (whatever it was), and sometimes they didn't. 

Occasionally I congratulated myself when I failed to perform my duties.  I said, in effect, "Wow!  Glad I got out of that."  But those
self-congratulatioins were short lived as I admitted that I may have gotten out of work, but I paid a price in loss of self-esteem.

I wonder if that is what is going on in our nation today:  as people "get out of" work and live upon the work of others, does their self-esteem plummet as mine did?  The more we appreciate our own worth, the more we feel able to make things happen and the more we want to act responsibly toward others.  And the more responsibly we act toward others, the better our society will be.

So, for today, I am grateful for those who do not get out of work.

Day 247, October 17

In reading (do you think I spend a lot of time reading?), I learned that the word accountability comes from an ancient Roman term meaning "to stand forth and be counted." 

Personal accountability seems to be in short supply these days.  Everywhere I turn, I encounter another example of someone not owning up to his actions and yet another reason why he should not be held responsible or accountable for what he has done.  Whether it is a businessman shorting creditors or an individual defaulting on a loan or a person not showing up for something when he promised to be there, I find, not apologies, but excuses.  

It's disheartening.  This disease invades all aspects of our lives, whether professional or personal.  I see it in the workplace.  I see it in families.  I see it, even, in church. 

So, for today, I am grateful for those who hold themselves accountable.

Day 246, October 16

Last week I wrote about the physical clutter that takes space and energy in our homes.  Today's post is also about clutter, though of a different kind.

Do you ever feel that your mind is cluttered?  Mine is.  It's cluttered with negative thoughts, regret, envy, guilt, resentment, and  a bunch of other things that detract from my happiness and willingness to serve others.  How can I be able to serve when I'm weighed down with a myriad of such nasties?

I can't.

Sometimes I do pretty well about clearing out this clutter.  It comes as no surprise when I realize that those times are when I am closer to the Lord.  And sometimes I collect mind-clutter like a squirrel storing away nuts for the winter.

So, for today, I am grateful for those occasions when I can clean out the clutter in my mind.

Day 245, October 15

A few days ago when two friends and I were garage sailing, we saw a doe and her two fawns bound across the street.  Their grace and beauty immediately captivated me.  The mother was caring for her babies and the babies following their mother.  And I thought, "Surely they are fulfilling the measure of their creation."

It made me wonder how many of us are "fulfilling the measure of our creation."  The mores and expectations of our current society have deteriorated to such a point where we are no longer surprised or shocked when a mother fails to care for her children, when a father fails to provide for his children, when adult children fail to care for their elderly parents.

This is a different take on the words "fulfilling the measure of their creation."  Yet, I believe, it is a vital part.  How can we say that we pattern ourselves after the Lord if we shirk those all-important responsibilities? 

I know--I'm sounding preachy, the last thing I want this blog to be, but I cannot shake the fear that grips me when I witness husband and wives, parents and children, turning away from each other.

So, for today, I am grateful for those who "fulfill the measure of their creation."