The scripture I chose for my mission plaque is still a favorite:

D&C 58:27-28 "Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness; For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves."

If we want to truly be agents unto ourselves, if we want to really maiximize the gift of agency, then it is important that we know what we really want, and that we choose to do the things that will help us to get there.

It is equally important that we don't allow ourselves to get trapped in a mentality of victim-hood and resentment. We must take full responsibility for what we are choosing AND for the reasons behind what we choose.

I recently went to Hawaii with my family for vacation.

And guess what I learned?

Even in paradise, my family isn't perfect. HA!

There is no such thing as an ideal family, unless we change our definition of what that means.

Having my son Caleb on the podcast was so much fun, I have decided to bring on as many of my children as I can.

Today's conversation is with my oldest daughter Becca, who is just an incredible person.

We're talking about her memories of our home as she was growing up; about what worked and what didn't.

She has some pretty great insights.

Sometimes when life feels heavy, we WANT to turn our burdens over to the Lord, but we just don't know how.

I created this guided meditation as a tool to help you release some of the negative emotions that you may be carrying around.

If you hate meditating, you can just skip this one ;)

But for me, practicing meditation has been a game changer in learning to still my heart and my mind and connect with God in a whole new way.

Being a human has never been easy.

And with the world as chaotic and noisy as it is these days, it makes sense that sometimes life can feel overwhelming.

Thankfully, God has not left us alone.

Through His spirit and the words of His prophets, He has given us tools for thriving in these "latter days."

We know what to do when life feels heavy.

Here are the talks I reference in the episode:

"Joy and Spritual Survival" by Russell M. Nelson

"Happiness, Your Heritage" by Deiter F. Uchtdorf

"Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives" by Russell M. Nelson

Today we're talking about the gift of "interpretation of tongues," but not in the way you're probably thinking.

All of us hear peoples' words or observe their actions, and we make it mean something. If we leave our brains unsupervised, our interpretations can often be unhelpful.

Being intentional in how we interpret the words of others is a gift we can cultivate.

It's a skill that helps us develop charity and creates better relationships.

Moroni 7:45

Maybe it's my age, but I find it hard to remember things sometimes. Even really important things.

Apparently, Laman and Lemuel had the same problem.

We have been counseled many times in the scriptures to remember.

In today's episode, we're talking about why that is really important counsel for faithful parents.

Henry B. Eyring's talk here.

Sign up for a free ministering session here.

"Blessed are the flexible, for they will not be bent out of shape." -Anonymous

Today we're talking about the valuable skill of flexibility in parenting.

Why is it so important, and why is it so hard??

Also... go check out my new website HERE

I don't know if your kids are like mine, but when they become teenagers they hate all of my ideas.

If they know I want them to do something, they will often choose the exact opposite.

How, then, are we supposed to encourage them to set goals?

How do we help them progress if they tune out every suggestion?

I have 3 tips for you today that I think will help.

Sometimes the Christmas season gets to be so busy and so stressful that we forget to be still and spend time with the Savior.

This is a guided meditation I've posted here before.

It's one that I love to use every year at this time.

Think of it as my personal Christmas gift to you!