Defending Traditional Marriage

In 2015, the Supreme Court ruled to legalize same-sex marriage. To be completely honest, I never really cared to do any research about the case (Obergefell v. Hodges).  As I was reading the summary of the case, there were many things that stood out to me, both from the justices that were for the legalization of same-sex marriage, as well as from the justices who dissented.  I feel that it is very important that we are all informed about the issues that are relevant in society today.  It is easy to develop an opinion without doing the proper research.  Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf said, “Never in the history of the world have we had easier access to more information—some of it true, some of it false, and much of it partially true. Consequently, never in the history of the world has it been more important to learn how to correctly discern between truth and error.” Elder James E. Talmage quoting a newspaper article said, “The man who cannot listen to an argument which opposes his views either has a weak position or is a weak defender of it. No opinion that cannot stand discussion or criticism is worth holding. And it has been wisely said that the man who knows only half of any question is worse off than the man who knows nothing of it. He is not only one sided, but his partisanship soon turns him into an intolerant and a fanatic. In general, it is true that nothing which cannot stand up under discussion and criticism is worth defending.”

It is important that we seek learning and knowledge from credible sources and develop an opinion that we can respectfully share with others.  We also need to be willing to listen to people who have differing opinions from us.  We should try to understand where they are coming from and give them respect.  We don’t have to agree with what other people believe, but we can still love them and show them kindness.  As the views and laws of the world are continually getting farther and farther from God’s laws, we must be willing to stand up for what we believe in and what we know to be correct.  One of my favorite quotes from the dissenting Supreme Court Justices said, “The Court invalidates the marriage laws of more than half the States and orders the transformation of a social institution that has formed the basis of human society for millennia, for the Kalahari Bushmen and the Han Chinese, the Carthaginians and the Aztecs. Just who do we think we are?”  The traditional, (and true) definition of marriage as being between a man and a woman has been around for thousands of years.  We must continually stand up for and be advocates for traditional marriage.

Divorce

Dallin H. Oaks gave a talk entitled Divorce. In it, he said, “In one way or another, divorce touches most families in the Church.”  And I think we can add that it touches most families who aren’t members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as well.  It may not touch you through an immediate family member, but most people have an aunt, uncle, or cousin (or really close friend) that has been divorced or is currently going through a divorce.  It is hard to see the pain that they endure.  I don’t believe that anyone (in their right mind) goes into a marriage believing that it will end in divorce.  What would be the point of getting married in the first place?  

In society today, divorce has become more and more prominent.  Spencer W. Kimball said in a General Conference address, “The time will come when only those who believe deeply and actively in the family will be able to preserve their families in the midst of the gathering evil around us.”  Satan is working to attack families more than ever before because he knows that the family is central to Gods plan of happiness.  He works to distort the way we see things and blinds us to the consequences of our actions.  We have to be willing to stand up for what we believe in and be able to convey our thoughts to others when they have questions. 

According to The State of our Unions, while the national divorce rate may be fifty percent, for most people it is much lower.  There are several factors that have been found to decrease the chance for divorce.  They include having an annual income of more than $50,000, being affiliated with a religion, having parents that are still married, having a college degree and waiting an average of seven months after marriage to have children (p 74).  While some of these factors are out of our control, most of them are completely in our hands.  In my opinion, the most important factor in avoiding divorce is having a relationship with God.  When a husband and wife are both continually striving to draw closer to God, they will grow closer to each other as well.  I know that God will help strengthen marriages so long as husbands and wives are both trying their hardest to live righteously and strengthen their relationships with him and each other. 

Marriage and Family

It's been awhile since I posted anything on here....  But guess what?  I'll be posting once a week for the next 3 months! I'm taking a couple of online classes this summer while I'm living at home so that my last semester this fall won't be super crazy. One of the classes I'm taking is about marriage and one of the requirements is to start a blog.  So here we are again!  For those of you who have been reading my blog for a long time, you know this isn't the first time I've used this blog for an online class haha But hopefully my writing has improved just a little in the two years since then!  I'll mostly just be sharing things that I learn from my class as well as maybe a few personal experiences, we'll see ;) I would also appreciate any feedback you are willing to give!! On that note, have a great Thursday! And because, why not, here's a picture of my cute bottle calf ;) 

Come What May and Love It!

As I'm preparing to head back to Rexburg tomorrow, the all too familiar feelings of stress and anxiety are beginning to weigh me down. I feel this way every time I embark on a new thing, and even though going to college and living in Rexburg isn't exactly new, It's still a change. I've been thinking a lot lately about attitude and how really, we choose whether or not we are happy and positive!  I really saw the impact of that in my life this last fall. I could have easily been miserable and negative, being in a completely new place and working crazy long hours. But I chose to make a conscious effort every day to be happy and willing to learn and work hard. Some days were still rough, don't get me wrong, but for the most part, I had an incredible learning experience and I am very grateful for my time in Kansas! I know that when we try to put God first in our lives, things really do work out the way that they're supposed to! So, I'm going to, again, choose each day to be happy and seek to make others happy as well. We can't control the challenges that we will face in this life but we can choose how we react to those challenges!
 

Three months?!?

And just like that, my third month in Kansas has ended! It has gone by so fast, as cliche as that sounds. I can't believe that in 2 short weeks, I will be headed back home to Idaho. I get a little teary eyed just thinking about it! These past 3 months have contained some of the best, most fulfilling days, as well as some of the hardest days of my life up to this point! I am so grateful that Heavenly Father led me to Kansas! This experience has changed me for the better and given me a better understanding of who I want to be and what I enjoy doing. I still don't know what I want to do after I graduate but I've realized that it's okay. I will figure it out when the timing is right. Kansas has really become a second home to me and a little piece of my heart will always be here! ❤ 

2 months down??

How two months have already gone by since I've been in Kansas is still a mystery to me! I can't believe that I am more than 1/2 way done with my internship! This month has been a hard one, to say the least. My grandma passed away on October 11th. While it wasn't completely unexpected, (her health has been deteriorating over the past year) it still hit me really hard! Being away from my family was really hard but I was incredibly blessed to be able to go home for her funeral! I also had the opportunity to share some memories during the funeral. My main goal was to bring a smile to the faces of my family members and all of the people who were there. My grandma was an incredible woman. While no, she didn't have a filter most of the time, she taught me so much about life, service, sacrifice, hard work, and perseverance. I will miss her phone calls while I'm at college asking me about the things I'm learning and whether or not I'm taking time to have fun. I'll also miss stopping in to see her when I'm in Weiser. Me and my siblings were so extremely fortunate to live so close to both sets of our grandparents all growing up. I wish I would have appreciated them more when they were all still alive! I'm grateful for the legacy that my grandma left behind! All of my siblings were able to make it to Idaho for the funeral and it was so great to spend time together as a family. We were just missing my brother in law.

Anyway, it was so great to be able to spend a few days at home, but I was definitely ready to come back to Kansas and get back to work!! Being in Kansas for the past two months has been SUCH a blessing in my life. It has gone by way too fast and I don't know how I'm going to leave when the time comes!! 

One month in Kansas!!

I cannot believe one month of my internship is officially over! So far, I have had an incredible experience! I have learned more about myself, my strengths, my weaknesses and my insecurities over the past 4 weeks than I thought possible! Surprisingly, I haven't been homesick at all! I have met so many incredible people who have made me feel so at home and welcome! When I first decided to move to Kansas, I thought I was going to really miss the mountains! While it has taken awhile to get used to how flat it is here, I still find it really beautiful. Also, the storms here are amazing! And I thought the stars were amazing in Idaho but they are just as beautiful here! I can't say enough how much I love it here and how grateful I am to have a semester off from school where I can do some soul searching and maybe get a little better idea of what I want to do with my life!

After a day of moving cattle!! Soooooo dusty!!

Bryce sent this to me last week after I thought I was going to get eaten by a crazy cow!!

A gorgeous sunset!!