***For those of you who may be unfamiliar with the parable of The Ten Virgins, you can click here to watch the video clip or read it here.***

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I taught Relief Society this last Sunday about spiritual and temporal welfare. Due to the time constraint, we briefly went over temporal welfare and ended with a video clip of The Ten Virgins. My heart broke as I watched the five foolish women stand outside the door of the Bridegroom. Can you imagine being told that you do not know Christ and having the door shut in your face? All because you were unprepared? I don't want to know what that's like. And I don't want you to know what that's like!

I needed this reminder, not just temporally, but spiritually! Oh this is the time to prepare to meet our maker! I am always having to remind myself to more fully give my will to God. And sometimes it's hard. I feel like even at my young age, I'm so distracted by all the big decisions that I need to make that I fail to remember that my life should be in the service of God. Am I ever grateful for second and third chances that are given to humble myself and get back on path.

I want to be prepared for that day! I want to be a strong woman of faith who has withstood the evils of the world. I want to be there when He comes again in His glory. I want to be able to look back at my life knowing that I had tried my best and had done what the Lord asked me to do. I want to be able to have those memories of being the Lord's vessel in bringing others unto Christ.

Prepare yourself spiritually to be an instrument in God's hands. Oh how he will bless  you both spiritually and temporally! Through God you can do all things! Ancient and modern-day prophets have testified of this truth!

I promise you that you don't want to be one of the five foolish women outside the Bridegrooms door! You don't have to be. You weren't destined for that. You were destined for glory! Eternal life is worth it! We can prepare for it! And we can have it! Through Him, we can have it! We have all the tools to help us get there. We can endure to the end by careful and prayerful preparation!

Silent Conviction

Personal Credence: I think it's okay to have moments in which you don't necessarily have to come out and speak on certain issues. You can still hold strong to your own deep convictions without speaking.
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I have so many things that I want to say regarding the recent news of the Mormon church. However, I've kept myself silent on the matter. I don't feel the need to add my own spiel on it. I have my own convictions and I will silently stand by them. Does it mean that I don't care? Absolutely not. I do care- a lot actually! Does it mean that I am intimidated or scared to share? Absolutely not!

I think many people have already voiced their opinions on the matter and I don't see the need to add mine to it. I've read too much negativity the last few days to even have a desire to share my opinion. So, no. I will keep to myself my thoughts and feelings.

Hats off to You Veterans

Today is Veterans Day and my heart has been brimming with gratitude. I'm lucky enough to live in a country where many have dedicated their life to serving and protecting America. Am I ever grateful for those men and women who work hard to give me the freedoms that I have.

I'm lucky to have family members and friends who have served America and am I ever grateful for them. They truly are wonderful and I am grateful to have them in my life. My respect for them is through the roof!

There is so much that I want to say, but honestly, I can't find the right words. So I'll just say thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you! May God continue to watch over you and your loved ones. Because of you, I am inspired to live my life more fully and more wisely. It's because of you that I have this opportunity to make someone of myself. So thank you! Thank you for your service.

Moment of Honesty: Self-Sabotage

I have a habit of ruining good things for myself. I reach an unbelief that clouds my mind and hardens my heart. And so I ruin it. I see it as protecting myself from any potential pain. I've been cut enough to know better. I would rather disappoint myself than to have someone or something ruin it for me.

It's time to break this habit and experience life.

When our paths crossed...

Personal Credence: I believe that there is no harm in following even the smallest of promptings. If you feel it, DO IT.
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I once read that if you feel prompted to do something, DO IT! Here's the catch, it doesn't have to be a big impression; if you have even the slightest thought or feeling, DO IT!

I've been doing this. It first started off small and the more I've been doing it, I've been realizing how many good things I think of that I just quickly dismiss. For example, I often think that I should read my scriptures for a little bit or send a text to someone telling them I am thinking of them. I've been trying to be more obedient to those things.

The other night, I woke up early in the wee hours of the night and had a thought that I should go to the Temple. I thought about it and then went back to sleep. Much later in the day, near the close of my shift at work, I had the thought again that came with a sense of urgency. I gave in and went right after work. After the session, I typically sit in the Celestial room for a while to gather my thoughts and pray, but I didn't this time. I sat there for maybe 5 minutes and then decided to go home. I bundled up and started walking out the door. The walk home began and I walked quickly in the crisp fall air. I had been following this girl and if anyone knows me, I like to keep distance from people, so I crossed the street. After I was a little half way to my apartment, the girl crossed the street and we were walking side by side. So as per usual, she starts talking to me. What I thought would be a brief conversation, turned into a wonderful conversation that ended with a hug. She was the sweetest girl alive! We talked about everything from books to dating to Buzzfeed food experiments! She was radiant and had a bright feeling about her. I felt so grateful to be in her presence and so grateful to know her. The silly thing is, I can't remember her name for the life of me. But I do know she lives a block away from me and as we parted ways, she and I hoped we would run into each other again.

She was the reason that I was supposed to go to the Temple. I was supposed to meet her and am I grateful that I did. I may not ever see her again, but I am grateful that our paths have crossed. She was probably just being her friendly self, but what she may not know is that I enjoyed being in her company. I felt so good being in her presence and feeling her light. It really lifted my spirits and I was already pretty happy.

There are going to be times that you're going to do something that you might not be sure why. That's okay! Just trust yourself. If you feel or think of something good to do, however big or small it is, DO IT. There's no harm in doing good. Happy Thursday!

Happy November!!!

It's November already?! What the crazy! November is one of my favorite months because of Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Shout out to you readers who have been submitting your blog post requests, most of which are the continuation of my Love Letter and Becoming Series. I assure you there are more to come. I was also asked if I would do a giveaway and you know what, I just might do that. Maybe. No guarantees. But it's likely. Very likely. I don't know, it might be like a pineapple or something. If you don't like that then you know, haters gonna hate. Also, I was asked to do beauty tutorials... Yeah...uh,no! I don't do beauty tutorials because I feel like that would make everyone feel incredibly uncomfortable. But thank you for the suggestion.

Embrace the Awkward

I'm the Queen of Awkward. I'm notorious for having an awkward conversation and/or inserting an awkward pause mid conversation. I'm so good at saying things that come out awkward. That's what I do. And I promise it's not on purpose. No, I think it stems from being a "loner" and not developing a lot of social skills as a young girl. I don't know. So if ever you to run into me and strike up a conversation, consider yourself warned that the potential of any awkwardness that may will pursue is not my fault. You got yourself into that mess. (Kidding, kidding...but really tho.) But if you're mean to me, I'll make sure to make it even more awkward just to see you squirm. #hatersgonnahate