Released

Whew. Boy is my heart full. Last Sunday we were released as the youth sunday school teachers and Michael was set apart tonight as a counselor in the elders quorum presidency. I probably haven't talked about it too much on this blog, but I have absolutely LOVED teaching the youth in our ward. I was therefore equally (if not more so) devastated when we received our release. Release....poor choice of words if you ask me. More like banishment. Or rip my beating heart right out of my chest whydontya. I have grown to love those kiddos in a way I never thought possible. You better believe I bawled all through that sacrament meeting when we found out. and the looks on their faces when we walked up to our classroom and their new teachers were already there... my sundayschoolmama heart couldn't take it.  It was my turn to teach and Michael and I joked that it was my "last lecture". You would have thought we were dying! BUT, as beautiful as our year with our kids was it has officially come to an end. I cant talk about it. I'm still coping.

My "last lecture" was based on Elder Uchtdorf's first presidency message, When is the best time to plant a tree. Haven't read it yet? DO IT. It is so amazing especially for the start of a new year. here is the link to it= http://www.lds.org/liahona/2014/01/the-best-time-to-plant-a-tree cid=HPWE010114311&im=true&lang=eng .

We talked about new years resolutions, starting with a blank slate through repentance, making and keeping goals, procrastination the ultimate enemy of progress, and the fact that sometimes we procrastinate out of fear. This really hit home to me because I think I have been procrastinating deciding what to do after I graduate because I am afraid. However, we also talked about the inevitability of failure throughout life. We will all fail (it is probably the only guarantee of mortality) but it is much better to try for something then let it pass you by and never know what might have been. This reminded my of our favorite quote by Teddy Roosevelt. I have probably mentioned it on here before, but it goes like this:

"in life's great arena, it is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of great deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes up fort again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the glory of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."

Powerful eh? No need to be afraid. I am currently studying for the GRE. We are moving forward with faith...not fear. Here is to 2014 being the best yet!

hap hap happy new year