Surrounding Myself with Spiritual Influences

As I have been working on bettering myself and my circumstances, I have been reading self-help books, working as an ordinance worker in the temple, and doing my internship through Catholic Charities so I can finish my degree. I have had a strong concentration on improvement while not losing my testimony of Jesus Christ. Each step that I am taking draws me closer to my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ because of this concentration. 

This week, I have been doing a lot of e-learning at my internship. Most of it has concentrated on being trauma informed. One thing that I love about these trainings is that they combine mental health concepts with the teachings of Jesus Christ. 

The most recent training that I have been working on is about self care to help with vicarious trauma. One thing that struck me was the concept that to love others and God we must learn to love ourselves. It was pointed out that when asked by the Pharisees, "Master, which is the great commandment in the law?" Jesus gave an answer of love saying, "Thou shalt live the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." Then, He continued this with, "...Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." (Matthew 22:36-39) The last part of these verses tell us we should love ourselves. If we don't, we can't love others the way they deserve to be loved. 

I am working with people who have been through real trauma. They have been dehumanized. They are looked down on by society in general. How can we make a change in even one person's life? I don't have all of the answers, but we need to take care of ourselves and carry on that love and care to those we can. I hope to be able to find my place in this space helping others, but I am learning that as I do what I can to find my space as a helper, I need to learn to care for myself as well. 

After Day 2

Day 2 of General Conference was a bit harder to get through. This is only because I was tired and the second session of the day was during my usual Sunday nap. I made it through the morning session with no problem, but I slept through the first hour in the afternoon. Thankfully, I have it recorded and it is available on the church's website, and I can rewatch it anytime. 

My takeaway so far is that it is ok to not be perfect. This life is about progress. The Lord loves our efforts to keep our covenants. I have heard these things before, but it hit a bit different this time. 

I love the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I love that it is not a gospel of protection. It is a gospel of love and compassion, learning and growth, passion, and following the most powerful man to ever live on this earth. I am thankful to be a member of the Church of Jesus of Latter-Day Saints. I know my efforts to love and live this gospel will help me progress throughout eternity and lead me back to my mom and brother after this life. 

Life Changing Book

 

The book The Law of Love is such a wonderful book about how to love without the expectation of getting anything in return. He talks about how to implement it in all aspects of life using personal stories and inspirational quotes. Each time I opened this book, I felt edified. I love this book so much that I am planning to buy it for several people for Christmas. 

Canning Applesauce

I have vague memories of my mom canning jelly, applesauce, and apple pie filling. The main memory is the smell that filled the house. I have craved that smell for many years not knowing exactly where to find it. Earlier this week, I remembered and made a plan to make and can applesauce this weekend. Today, the plan was executed with Chad as my helper. 

We started with pealing, quartering, and coring nine pounds of apples. Then, we cooked them in a large pot until they were soft. 

Next, Chad puréed them in the food processor and heated the purée to boiling while I washed some of jars. Then, we filled the jars to 1/2 inch below the top of the jars, smoothed out the air bubbles, wiped the tops, and put lids on the jars to prepare them for the water bath. 

At this point, we filled the pot higher than the tops of the jars and boiled them for 20 minutes. The jars are now on a towel on the counter cooling. 

I am so excited to have made this. I am getting back to my plan from earlier this year, and it fills me with joy!

Harry Potter Sweater Progress

 

My Harry Potter Time-Turner sweater is coming a long a bit slower than I had hoped. I can't just sit and mindlessly knit this sweater, so I have to work on it when doing something that doesn't require much brain power like watching certain shows. Also, this sweater is kit with fingering weight yarn. (I'm not sure why I didn't think it would take a while to knit a sweater out of such light weight yarn.) Even though it is taking longer than I had expected, I am loving the process! I have already learned from this pattern, and know I will learn more as I go. 

Purple Sweater Done

I finally finished my FRIENDS sweater. I love the purpleness of it. I love the yellow frame on the pockets. I love how warm it is. I will definitely be wearing this often. 

This sweater really challenged me. I have never crocheted something like this, and the only sweaters I have made were knit as one piece. Sewing it together was the most challenging part for me. I have also only knit the few sweater I have made. Learning new techniques and stitches really worked my brain. I am excited to continue to learn my crafts. There are more patterns I will make from this book.