directions to happiness

Several times this past month I attempted to post on here, but just haven't found the words to say. But this past month, my heart has been so full. Before I got my mission call, I had heard and witnessed many times how Satan really works at the Lord's servants and I didn't realize how real he is until I experienced it for myself. Never before have I really experienced and recognized the power of Satan so personally-- until I pursued the path of being a missionary. 

Obviously, trials are apart of this life. We are going to face them and we can either let them tear us down or build us up-- that part is up to us. Satan works in such a way that, through our trials, he convinces us to lose hope, to neglect our faith, and to ultimately, step away from the path that leads to happiness. Christ works in such a way that He shows us how our trials can strengthen us, better us, and teach us. An important part of this divine growth is hope. Without hope, we would never be actively driven to continue pressing forward with faith. Without hope, we would be giving into Satan and letting our trials tear us down. Hope is the first step, followed by faith. Like Elder Holland said "if the bitter cup does not pass, drink it and be strong, trusting happier days ahead." Not only are we encouraged to be strong and endure our trials well, but we are encouraged to have hope that there will be happiness along the path of difficulty. 

Satan persistently works at those who strive to be a vessel for Christ, but that knowledge doesn't make things easier. Things won't always become easier for us as we, children of God, strive to serve and be the best we can be. But, it is through such challenges that we discover our own divine strength and potential. Things don't usually get easier, we just become stronger-- at that is what makes this journey of life and righteousness so worthwhile, because we can actually do it. We just have to constantly remind ourselves that the Lord loves us and Satan does not and that when the going gets rough-- we are being given the opportunity to exercise our agency in faith and we are being refined in the process. Satan is miserable and, as my grandmother (and I'm sure some other ancient philosophers as well) always said, "misery likes company". We were made to find true happiness, not to be miserable.

Something I learned from a returned missionary in my ward is when she related to me moments on her mission of when she faced such difficult times and such trials and how she was so grateful for them because it was through those moments of hardship that she truly was able to learn what it really meant to pray and what it really meant to grow to know and rely on her Savior. I haven't been out in the field yet, but I know that our trials teach us things we may not be able to learn any other way. Trials are the best and worst things to happen to us; they're special because they seem like miserable experiences in the moment, but they can direct us down the road to happiness.

Never before has life been so crazy and hard, but never before have I recognized how so very blessed we really are and how blessed I really am.

Go out and make this week the best one you've had yet.
love, Courtney


Also, to read Elder Holland's awesome talk, click here

fall & friends

"Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the Fall."

F. Scott Fitzgerald

I've never been more in love with Fall than I am right now. Fall in Utah right now is too unreal, it's so beautiful. And when the beauty of things become too much, I usually want to take some snaps of it. So I forced my number one to come with me up to Provo Canyon and, of course, we had a photo shoot.

 What a babe, right? Gents, Kelly Duringer is single. She's also on the social networks (@kduringer).

I just want to take a minute to say how grateful I am for this girl. I remember on the first day of Freshman Orientation how we were in the same Y Group and as we went around the group talking about ourselves and what not, I remember saying to myself, "If I become friends with anyone in this group, it's gonna be her." From there we happened to be in the same Writing 150 class, we lived on the same floor, and we were in the same ward. Once we clicked, we were inseparable. She has been there for me through the good, the bad, and the ugly. I'm convinced that we were best friends in the pre-existence and that we will be old grandmas together. I'm so glad that I have someone that I can be weird with and then two minutes later be immersed in deep conversation with. I'm so blessed to be able to call this girl my best friend.

Celebrate relationships with others, because, when you think about it, people are pretty great.

Happy Tuesday!

CALLED TO SERVE

After out beloved Prophet, Thomas S. Monson, made the announcement a year ago that missionaries would be able to serve at a younger age, I began to realize that lives were about to change.

I have never been the perfect (or close to it), poster-child for the Church, but ever since I was baptized, I've always had a love for the Gospel and for helping people. These two things combined with the many experiences I have had throughout my youth that have testified to me that serving a full-time mission is what I should begin preparing for, have driven me to foresee a mission in my future.

When I went to my cousin's farewell talk (years ago when the thought of a mission was waaaaay beyond my consideration at the time), he said something that changed me that day; he said, "Decide today if you are going to go on a mission. Make that decision now."

So I did. I decided right then and there, in that very chapel in Houston, Texas that I was going to go on a mission when the time came.

So after hearing the announcement, I prayed, fasted, thought hard about my priorities, prayed, considered the pros and cons, tried to push the idea of serving right now out of my mind just to make sure I couldn't actually put it out of my mind and that it really was what I wanted, prayed some more, and I soon began to realize that everything that tugged at my heart pointed toward a mission. Of course the last thing I want to do is leave behind people I love, BYU, starting my major, good job opportunities, the usual, etc...

but,

I love this Gospel so much and I even love people that I have never met before. How is that possible? I don't really know, but I know that love is from the Lord, who IS our Savior, Jesus Christ. I want to share this message of truth, not because serving brings me happiness, but because the Gospel and the divine love from above can bring others happiness and everyone deserves to feel that love and know where and who is it from. I KNOW that when we sacrifice good things for better things and work according to the Lord's timing, things work out for us. And it works that way because the Lord loves us so much.

So after months of working on my mission papers and trying to ignore the temptation to put my mission off for later on down the road I finally got my papers in and....

I finally got my call.

Dear Sister Howle,

You are hereby called to serve as a missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. You are assigned to labor in the Canada Toronto Mission. It is anticipated that you will serve for a period of 18 months. You should report to the Provo Missionary Training Center on Wednesday, February 26, 2014. You will prepare to preach the gospel in the English language.

I'M GOING TO CANADA AND I COULDN'T BE HAPPIER.

happiness

I'm not always happy, but I'm never unhappy.

There will always be things that make it hard to smile, but to always remember and never forget why we even smile in the first place is what being happy is all about.



Have a happy Tuesday!
Court

bloglovin

I'm becoming all sorts of familiar with the social networks.
So, follow me on Bloglovin?

Thaaaanks a bunch! Have a happy Wednesday!
Court

talks

Long talks.
They're so perfect. It really is through long talks that we learn about all that really matters in our jumbled/confusing/crazy/overwhelming/but-oh-so-beautiful lives, but they teach us so much about ourselves, too. I always come out of them feeling so grateful and enlightened.

Sometimes I think we focus a lot on what we are not and what we lack and what we wish we had and were. But sometimes, I think it is important to recognize what we are and what we have and what we know and what we can become. This reminds me of when Elder Holland talks about our quest for faith in his talk Lord, I Believe when he says "I am not asking you to pretend to faith you do not have. I am asking you to be true to the faith you do have."
I think life is about never forgetting what we do know and have and who we have become now and then from there moving forward being better and better day by day. Elder Hollands put it beautifully when he said:

"The size of your faith or the degree of your knowledge is not the issue--it is the integrity you demonstrate toward the faith you do have and the truth you already know."

Day by day, precept upon precept.<--that is life.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Oh, and thanks to a certain blog I follow, I am now officially obsessed with this song.

As if I wasn't already obsessed with "Royals". It's fine.

Happy Tuesday.

xoxo,
Court

rain, rain, never go away

(thursday's post that was never actually posted)

Today has consisted of rain, good reads, and some camera play. And may I just say that I'm in my happy place. Sometimes there is nothing more tranquil than just being alone doing what you please while listening to the rain drip outside your window. (I can also hear native-soul-searching music outside, so that adds to my happiness).

This morning I read about the power of the Holy Ghost. It's really cool how we
have the ability to learn things that man doesn't know
to remember things when we need to
to be comforted in times of trouble
to know what to do even when we really don't know what to do
and so much more all by our worthiness through the power of the Holy Ghost. It's such a blessing. I love being able to feel so happy when I try a little harder to be a little better.

So, I was playing with my camera this morning. I finally figured out how to get the effects that I've been dying to capture, therefore, I will be taking a much needed trip up the canyon soon to take some shots. All parties welcome.

I also read this story this morning

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same
hospital room.

One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an
hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from
his lungs.

His bed was next to the room's only window.

The other man had to spend all his time flat on
his back.

The men talked for hours on end.

They spoke of their wives and families, their
homes, their jobs, their involvement in the
military service, where they had been on
vacation..

Every afternoon, when the man in the bed by the
window could sit up, he would pass the time by
describing to his roommate all the things he could
see outside the window.

The man in the other bed began to live for those
one hour periods where his world would be
broadened and enlivened by all the activity and
colour of the world outside.

The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake.
Ducks and swans played on the water while
children sailed their model boats. Young lovers
walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every colour
and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen
in the distance.

As the man by the window described all this in
exquisite details, the man on the other side of
the room would close his eyes and imagine this
picturesque scene.

One warm afternoon, the man by the window
described a parade passing by.

Although the other man could not hear the band -
he could see it in his mind's eye as the
gentleman by the window portrayed it with
descriptive words.

Days, weeks and months passed.
One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring
water for their baths only to find the lifeless body
of the man by the window, who had died
peacefully in his sleep.

She was saddened and called the hospital
attendants to take the body away.

As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man
asked if he could be moved next to the window.
The nurse was happy to make the switch, and
after making sure he was comfortable, she left
him alone.

Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one
elbow to take his first look at the real world
outside.
He strained to slowly turn to look out the window
besides the bed.

It faced a blank wall.

The man asked the nurse what could have
compelled his deceased roommate who had
described such wonderful things outside this
window.

The nurse responded that the man was blind and
could not even see the wall.

She said, 'Perhaps he just wanted to encourage
you.'


Chillllllllssss. 
Yep, it was just too good not to share.

What if we all looked for ways to make someone's day a little more beautiful?

Happy Saturday,
Court