A Year From Oak Cottage: January 2007

"I see a wonderful future in a very uncertain world. If we will cling to our values, if we will build on our inheritance, if we will walk in obedience before the Lord, if we will simply live the gospel we will be blessed in a magnificent and wonderful way. We will be looked upon as a peculiar people who have found the key to a peculiar happiness."
~Gordon B Hinckley

"The more you trust and rely upon the Spirit, the greater your capacity to create. That is your opportunity in this life and your destiny in the life to come. Sisters, trust and rely on the Spirit. As you take the normal opportunities of your daily life and create something of beauty and helpfulness, you improve not only the world around you but also the world within you."
~President Dieter F. Uchtdorf Second Counselor in the First Presidency

"Who knows but that something wonderful may happen today. Have faith that it will. After all, every morning is a chance at a new day."~Marjorie Pay Hinckley

"They do not love, that do not show their love."
~William Shakespeare

"Let us get our instruments tightly strung and our melodies sweetly sung. Let us not die with our music still in us."
~Spencer W. Kimbell, "The Miracle of Forgiveness"

"By small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise. "
~Alma 37:6

"Cultivate an attitude of optimism. Know that God is watching over you, that He will hear your prayers and will answer them, that He loves you and will make that love manifest." ~President Gordon B Hinckley

"Come what may and love it."
~Elder Joseph B Wirthlin

"If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always gotten." ~unknown

"If you begin to live life looking for the God that is all around you, every moment becomes a prayer."
~Franco Bianco

"You see things; and you say "Why?" But I dream things that never were; and I say "Why not?" ~George Bernard Shaw

"Forever is composed of nows." ~Emily Dickenson

"I know where I'm going and I know the truth, and I don't have to be what you want me to be. I'm free to be what I want."
~Muhammad Ali

"Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world."
~Harriet Tubman

"While standards generally may totter, we of the Church are without excuse if we drift in the same manner. We have standards—sure, tested, and effective. To the extent that we observe them, we shall go forward. To the extent that we neglect them, we shall hinder our own progress and bring embarrassment to the work of the Lord. These standards have come from Him. Some of them may appear a little out-of-date in our society, but this does not detract from their validity nor diminish the virtue of their application. The subtle reasoning of men, no matter how clever, no matter how plausible it may sound, cannot abridge the declared wisdom of God."
~President Gordon B Hinckley

"Without question, we need to be informed of the happenings of the world. But modern communication brings into our homes a drowning cascade of the violence and misery of the worldwide human race. There comes a time when we need to find some peaceful spiritual renewal. "I acknowledge with great gratitude the peace and contentment we can find for ourselves in the spiritual cocoons of our homes, our sacrament meetings, and our holy temples. In these peaceful environments, our souls are rested. We have the feeling of having come home."
~James E Faust

"We don't have to be perfect today. We don't have to be better than someone else. All we have to do is to be the very best we can."
~Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin

"Occasionally discouragement may darken our pathway; frustration may be a constant companion. In our ears there may sound the sophistry of Satan as he whispers, "You cannot save the world; your small efforts are meaningless. You haven't time to be concerned for others." Trusting in the Lord, let us turn our heads from such falsehoods and make certain our feet are firmly planted in the path of service and our hearts and souls dedicated to follow the example of the Lord."
~President Thomas S. Monson

"Our task is to become our best selves. One of God's greatest gifts to us is the joy of trying again, for no failure ever need be final."
~President Thomas S. Monson

"I see a wonderful future in a very uncertain world. If we will cling to our values, if we will build on our inheritance, if we will walk in obedience before the Lord, if we will simply live the gospel we will be blessed in a magnificent and wonderful way. We will be looked upon as a peculiar people who have found the key to a peculiar happiness."
~Gordon B. Hinckley

"A home is much more than a house built of lumber, brick, or stone. A home is made of love, sacrifice, and respect. We are responsible for the homes we build. We must build wisely, for eternity is not a short voyage. There will be calm and wind, sunlight and shadows, joy and sorrow. But if we really try, our home can be a bit of heaven here on earth. The thoughts we think, the deeds we do, the lives we live not only influence the success of our earthly journey, they also mark the way to our eternal goals."
--President Thomas S. Monson

We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give.
~Sir Winston Churchill (1874 - 1965)

"As mothers in Israel, we are the Lord’s secret weapon. Our influence comes from a divine endowment that has been in place from the beginning. In the premortal world, when our Father described our role, I wonder if we didn’t stand in wide-eyed wonder that He would bless us with a sacred trust so central to His plan and that He would endow us with gifts so vital to the loving and leading of His children. I wonder if we shouted for joy at least in part because of the ennobling stature He gave us in His kingdom. The world won’t tell you that, but the Spirit will."

~Sheri L Dew

"When I think of the Savior, I often picture Him with hands outstretched, reaching out to comfort, heal, bless, and love. And He always talked with, never down to, people. He loved the humble and the meek and walked among them, ministering to them and offering hope and salvation. That is what He did during His mortal life; it is what He would be doing if He were living among us today; and it is what we should be doing as His disciples and members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints."

~Dieter F. Uchtdorf

As you can probably tell my faith is a very important part of who I am. Have you ever asked yourself the following questions, questions such as:

“Who am I really?”
“What is my purpose in having been born?”
“What am I doing here?”
“Where am I going when I leave here?”
“What is the real meaning of life?”
“Isn’t there more to life than this?”
“Are families truly forever?”
“Does God care about my suffering?”
"What's missing in my life?"

Click on the following link where you can find the answers to these questions and so much more, answered in real time by real people. I would invite you to check it out for yourself and find out some of the answers to burning questions you may be asking: Mormon.org