Beautiful

Tonight my ward had a relief society activity. I'm not sure who it was that came up with it, but it's just what I needed. 8 of us were asked beforehand to read a chapter of a book during the activity, a book called Beautiful by Jenny Phillips. 

This is a quote from her website about it that I loved:

"Beautiful" is a powerful reminder to women and young women of the deceits of the adversary and the truths of the Savior on the topics of true beauty, modesty, and what matters most.

I was really moved by the story and I wish I could eloquently put into words just how I felt. I felt the spirit bear witness that the message of the story was true and the Savior, My King, has given me 'keys' to return to his kingdom and that He is imploring me to seek after them.

Lately I have been really struggling to figure out my priorities and having a hard time with choosing between good, better, and best. I just feel like time is passing me by so quickly and I don't have time to do everything I'd like to do. For instance I'd love to go to culinary school, get a teaching degree, stay at home with my babies and really teach them and help them discover and become who they are, start my own business, become a foster parent, create a homeschooling curriculum, learn how to sew and play the piano, host parties, have an honest and uplifting blog that I write everyday, be a friend to everyone, read uplifting blogs, scrapbook all of our memories, go on family outings often, sing in choirs, read all the classics and other books I find interesting, organize and clean my home, serve often, recognize and respond to the promptings of the spirit, watch my favorite shows, paint and create art, play sports, and the list goes on. For some of these things it is easy to decide what is good, better, or best. For others it's not so easy because I feel like a few major ones are my calling in life but I don't know how to make them come to pass or what order I should do them in. And of course I know that some 'best' things I'd like be doing everyday are studying my scriptures, being a good mommy, praying, teaching the gospel to my family and those around me, etc. 

Anyway, after reading this book I am inspired to work on finding the 

'ten keys of beauty' found in Moroni 7:45...

 45 And ^acharity suffereth long, and is ^bkind, and ^cenvieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily ^dprovoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

...and I am hoping and praying that doing so will help me become as beautiful and I felt tonight listening and reading this book and that I discover which path(s) to take.

*Note: There was also a beautiful musical number after we read the story which comes from the cd that came with the book. I highly recommend purchasing this book (or borrow it from me) because it has changed me for the better.