JOY IN THE MORNING is a beautiful phrase, and it has profound meanings. What I have learned is that the choices I make today not only affect me today, but they also affect me tomorrow as well. If I want to wake up with joy in the morning, I need to do my part to make it happen each day. When tragedy and major disappointments strike and knock us down, we must immediately turn to the Lord and seek His guidance to get back up.  He will heal our aching hearts, inspire our thoughts, and cause the right people to come into our lives who will help us get through our difficult times.

A contributing factor to many deaths by suicide is the use of alcohol and drugs. Excellent health—physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually—can be achieved when you have a zero tolerance for these substances. The use of alcohol and drugs, even occasionally, messes with our minds. We cannot become the person we know in our hearts we desire to be when our minds get off track while stumbling along the path of dead-ends and detours, which alcohol and drugs always bring.

I love the quote by Cindy Trimm that says, “Your yesterday does not define your tomorrow.” I know that God loves each one of us, and He wants us to become the best we can be. Nothing from our past—heartaches, disappointments, failures, depression, anxiety, addictions—can keep us chained to our past. As it says in the New Testament in Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me". 

The book, Good Inside by Becky Kennedy, erased many years of repeated self-criticism about my past mothering and grand mothering efforts. Not only do I now understand how “good inside” each of my children and grandchildren are, I also know how “good inside” I am! It’s a beautiful feeling—quite amazing really!

I am grateful for the family relationships I have and for the love and fun times that bind us together. Being part of a family is a great blessing as we continually move forward to strengthen each other, forgive and forget past offenses, and remember to appreciate what we have learned from each other over the years. It’s a miracle when a family can all be happy together!

Becoming a “Gentleman, Husband, and Father” is just as vital to the world as becoming a “Woman, Wife, and Mother” as parents share in the blessing of raising kind, loving children who will help to make the world a better place to live. Yes, we as mothers and fathers must always maintain our optimism and eternal perspective!

During the Easter season this year, I was thinking about the many stresses I had in my life at the time. I then felt the Savior’s words come into my mind, “Have you dropped your burdens at my feet?” I immediately thought of the song, “How Gentle God’s Commands.” In the 4th verse it says, “Come drop your burdens at his feet and bear a song away.” I knew I needed to make a change and rely on my Savior more to help me!

March 5, 2010, is the day our son Jonathan passed away. As a family, we like to honor him on March 5th  by doing something nice for somebody else. Jonathan was always going out of his way to help others; he was very kind and had a heart of gold. “March Forward Today with Kindness” is now my motto to remember to be kind every day of the year as I reflect on my son Jonathan’s life.

I believe anxiety can be reduced and/or eliminated by using these five “remedies” each day. The act of being proactive spiritually, physically, mentally, emotionally, and socially every day can transform your life. Using one of these “remedies” is good. Using all five is best!

I hope in 2024 that we will all make our physical health our number one priority. Of course, taking care of our spiritual health with prayer, scripture reading, and journal writing is a close second, but a healthy spirit inside an unhealthy body cannot do much. My new motto is:

“Take care of my body first. Take care of my spirit second. Take care of others third.”

September 10th is National Suicide Prevention Day. I hope as Fall marches quickly into our busy lives, we will pause sometime this month and think about those whom we know who were so depressed that they took their own lives. Please reach out to the loved ones of these individuals on these sad anniversaries—it is always nice to know that others care and remember our loss. “Strength comes in numbers” is an old saying, but it still applies today in both joy and pain.

I now understand that we must love ourselves first if we want to feel God’s love for us. Our negative thoughts and feelings towards ourselves trap us in a dark cave where the sunlight of God’s love cannot penetrate. We must crawl out of the cave by loving ourselves and trusting that God’s love and sunlight will be there waiting for us. I promise it will be!