WARNING this is a soap box....

I was reading a marriage website the other day and saw a post about another website that promotes having an affair! UGH! Their big thing is, "life is short, have an affair". Okay does that even make any sense?!

I have thought of this periodically. Why would this appeal to SO many people?! There are 8.5 million members! CRAZY! (I did not go to the affair promoting site, I don't want to read that crap, I just read about it on the pro marriage site)

So the other day it occurred to me. I realize that idea is completely of the devil but where are the roots? What idea was planted and has been fed for so long to make people think it is okay and even a good thing?

Everyone has heard the saying, "the grass is greener on the other side" right? The other day I remembered a friend telling me of a conversation with some other women in her neighborhood about the characters in Twilight. Okay, not all the characters, just Edward and Jacob, the two main male characters that the main female character has to choose from. Well, one of these girls says, "if an Edward came along I would swoop him up in a heart beat!" What a horrible thing to say and horrible thought to entertain! You've already made your choice! It seems we battle with ingratitude on a regular basis. To be grateful or ungrateful, that is the question.

No wonder so many Prophets, if not all the Prophets talk about the importance of being grateful, developing an "attitude of gratitude"! No wonder.

It is kind of funny because we have all learned in one way or another that the grass really isn't always greener on the other side. There are so many things that go on in others' lives that we have no clue about. I have some talk's by Sheri Dew on CD and one thing that she says is, "I have never met anyone who was happier after they were unchaste, or disloyal or had an affair..." Isn't that the truth?! "Wickedness never was happiness"!

Gosh darn, if life is so short, have an affair with your spouse! Flirt, love, be secretive, call when you shouldn't, leave cute messages, meet them for lunch, make love during the day, go out on dates, meet at a hotel, buy them gifts, adore them, enjoy them etc! Focus where you promised to focus! You promised you would love them forever! Be loyal! Do it! Betcha they love you back and you love it!

What are your thoughts?

Posted by Becca :)

last day.

Supposing today were your last day on earth,

The last mile of the journey you’ve trod;

After all of your struggles, how much are you worth?

How much can you take home to God?

Anonymous

I read this yesterday and it's a good reminder to break things down and put things into perspective. If today were your last day on earth what would you do?

The apple for the day is: think about it and then act like it. :)

what do you see?

So, you know that story where Jesus is in a house teaching (and it was probably a totally amazing sermon) and some people brought a man that was sick of palsy to be healed and they put him into the house through the roof?

You can read it HERE

I was reading a book the other day and they mentioned this account and it had never occurred to me that Jesus could have been super bugged. They totally interrupted Him you know! But the scriptures point out:

20And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are ^aforgiven thee.

24But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to ^aforgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house.

25And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own house, ^aglorifying God.

He simply saw what was good...He saw their faith! He chose to focus on what was good about the situation and blessed them for it! AWESOME!

Of course I immediately think of marriage, family and relationships of any and every kind! What if we all did this!? Follow the example of the Savior and when someone is doing something that could possibly bother us, look for the good!

The apple: is there something that your spouse has been doing lately that is getting to you? Take a step back, look for it, look for the positive. I bet you can find it! Then act on that in a truly Christlike fashion. Appreciate them and then bless them for it. Are they asking for your help? Do they possibly need your attention or some quality time? Oh, and in all seriousness, if this is hard in some situations, I am sure we can pray for help. The Lord can always help us see the good.

Example: if your spouse is taking lots of pictures of you, it is probably because they think you are rockin' awesome. You should see that and smile for the picture!

Just kidding, but seriously. :)

Hit a tree, or ski!

My senior year in high school a couple of my friends took me skiing at Alta. I had never been before....and haven't been since! :)

I was quite nervous about the undertaking to be honest. I think I told everyone I talked to that I was sure I would hit a tree!

No one was super shocked to hear that I did!!!...along with fall off a cliff and almost hit the side of the mountain, covered in rocks! I got stitches in my armpit too!

About a year after this happening I was carpooling to Weber State with a friend who is in a wheelchair and is nothing short of amazing! She was the one driving us to school. She ski's too. Well, we were talking about skiing and since I had only been skiing once, I only had one story to share. I told her that I knew I was going to hit a tree that day and she said, "if you think you will and you focus on it, you'll hit it". She has taught me more than one lesson about goal setting since then, and her point is very valuable. I was set on having a difficult time skiing that day and I did. I decided to hit a tree and I did!

In our lives, something is going to happen, lets choose positive things we would like to see happen and work towards them!

The apple for the day is: think about the mountains you'd like to climb, the things you would like to do and talk to your spouse about them. Set some goals and begin working for them...together!

what is your focus?

"Marriage is beautiful when beauty is looked for and cultivated. It can be ugly and uncomfortable when one is looking for faults and is blinded to virtue." -President Hinckley

If you focus on certain characteristics in your spouse, you will see them more, good or bad.

Look for the good today! Focus on all the wonderful things your spouse is and does. Tell them what you notice. Also, write it down! Begin a gratitude journal if you don't have one already!

"fireproof your marriage"

http://www.fireproofthemovie.com/index2.php

If you haven't heard of this movie, watch the trailer. It is a pretty good show. (cheesy, but good)

I totally liked the message behind it. I thought the love dare was along the same lines of an apple a day. I think it is right on. We need to be more focused on our marriages everyday.

well, watch the trailer if you want. there is also a website you could check out too. http://www.fireproofmymarriage.com/index.php