BEEgining a New Year

     Each year in December I review my journal pages, where I keep my current goals, and then ponder and pray while rereading my patriarchal blessing. Phrases stand out as I am inspired to select a theme and then slowly, the Holy Ghost reveals a pathway that I should follow during the upcoming year.
     I've repeated this process over the past twenty+ years. It is sort of like starting a new hive. Here is a wonderful ten minute video about how to start a new hive that I found while simply clicking on my computer's Word template page's "how to" selection. Amazing what you can find with just a little curiosity.

How is this post like Dan making a new hive?

     First I have done this before and I have all of the equipment I need for my new posts including my 2013 journal (new hive box), my patriarchal blessing (the honeycomb sheets) and a pound or two of bees with their queen mailed straight from California (lots of ideas and a new list of goals for 2014.) And yes, I am from California; no I am not a beekeeper. But as I have explained in earlier posts the name of my post,
BEE in the Desert,  is taken from my maiden name: Beverly Elaine Eckles AND the fact that I live in Tucson, Arizona at the edge of Saguaro National Monument a state park located on the west side of Tucson about seven miles from I-10 on Picture Rocks Road, a classic desert location. Also, when I wanted to name my blog Malachi 3:16, the program didn't like the colon and wouldn't accept that as the name of my blog.

So begins a new year of posts 2014

     Will I be more regular in posting this year? That is the big question. I've pondered why I haven't posted too much in 2013 and have decided that it was still of year of mourning for me. My goals for this year are quite simple and writing my personal history, working on finding family through descendant research in FamilySearch Family Tree using Puzzilla.org to discover new relatives that I can take to the temple, and getting into the best of health are the main categories. Blogging will help keep me on track with these and perhaps my interests will be of some value to others.

Finding Balance

Spiritual Growth               Selfless Service

     Self Improvement

New Year's Resolutions or Goals?

New Year’s Resolutions or Goals?

I’ve never given much thought to the difference between a New Year’s Resolution and a Goal. I heard on the television news that they were taking a poll asking three questions (this was on January 3^rd) about New Year’s Resolutions: Which of these do you anticipate you will do

            1. Breaking the resolution right away

            2. Keeping the resolution for a week

            3. Keeping the resolution for several months

            4. Keeping the resolution all year

In the results taken from viewers, 39% felt they could go through the year; another 29% figured they might make it for several months.

Where do you fall in the poll? Is it time to recommit?

In order to learn a little more about the difference between a resolution and a goal I went to The New World Dictionary to give me some hints. The following are definitions found there.

RESOLUTION: 1) the act or process of resolving something or breaking it up into its constituent parts or elements  2) a resolving, determining; deciding.

RESOLVE: 1) to break up into separate, constituent elements or parts; analyze 2) to change or transform 3) to explain or make clear

GOAL: an object or end that one strives to attain; aim.

Here is what I conclude: to resolve or determine to do something is the motivating desire to change or transform oneself. The goal is the end object of a plan of action, determined by breaking up the process into constituent parts.  A goal must have a definable, measurable result and is usually tied to an end date. Often, short term goals (with date to be achieved by) help one to meet a long term goal.

QUOTE: In the January 2012 Ensign “Recognizing God’s Hand in our Daily Blesings,” by Elder D. Todd Christofferson,  we find a quote by President N. Eldon Tanner, First Counselor in the First Presidency, who said,

 “As we reflect on the value of resolving to do better, let us determine to discipline oursleves to carefully select the resolutions we make, to consider the purpose for making them, and finally to make commitments for keeping them and not letting any obstacle stop us. Let us remind ourselves at the beginning of each day that we can keep a resolution just for that day.”

 –N. Eldon Tanner, “Today I Will….,” Liahona Mar. 2003, 27-28; “Just for Today,”

 New Era, Jan. 1975, 5.

A Resolution is Often Broken Because it was Just an Intention

An Intention Becomes a Resolution When it is Written Down!

Remember to consider why you are making a resolution and carefully identify your motivating factor. Next, set a goal to reach or implement your resolution.  Then commit to keep that resolution DAY by  DAY until you have reached your GOAL.

I use my Patriarchal Blessing to set my personal goals for the year. After prayerfully reading it once a day over a period of time in December, I notice that certain words or phrases pop out at me. I use these for the basis of some personal scripture study. I discover ideas for my New Year’s goals seem to present themselves to me under inspiration. We all know what we ought to be doing. It doesn’t take a magician to tell us these things. I then write down my goals with several dates for meeting smaller steps towards a major goal. Keeping these at the front of my journal helps to keep me on track. I seldom try to resolve to do more than five different things at a time. Too many goals make me just want to give up.

At the six month mark around the beginning of summer, I review how I am doing, and determine whether I need to make what I call “Course Corrections.”

Over the years, I have accomplished much towards becoming the kind of person I believe Heavenly Father wants me to be. Using my own patriarchal blessing helps me to eliminate distracting topics in life that lure me away from my life mission as stated therein.

Good Luck in your Goal Setting for 2012! Let me know how you are doing.

New year, New journal, and Saying Good-bye

Happy New Year!

NEW JOURNAL

Today, I move all of my well-prayed over resolutions (read that Goals) for the New Year into a New Journal. I move my patriarchal blessing over, create a cover for my journal, (some years very elaborate, others really simple) and transfer over a few sections that I am currently writing in on various topics as well as some pages of notes on studies that I'm into. It always amazes me that I didn't write as much as I set out to write. But, this past year I guess I did pretty well. I don't write every day, and quite frankly, I sometimes don't even write about those really special spiritual experiences that occurred like I should. It's very cathartic to set that old Journal that says 2011 on the shelf besides the other previous years in the bookcase. I probably won't look at it for awhile. I'll be concentrating on my NEW JOURNAL for 2012.
But Hey, it's a New Year. A New Beginning and I can have good intentions, set goals and begin anew!!!! Yippee!!
On the way to church today, my husband said to me, "I think God likes New Years." I said what do you mean? He replied, "Well, I think he knew mankind needed the markers of days, months, and years to help us learn to keep perspective. You know, set goals, and try to achieve them in some sort of time context."
I pondered that and now I think I realize that since God isn't on the same time continuum as we are, (all things are present before Him) it may very well be helpful to Him, too, as well as to us to have a New Year. We remember birthdays, anniversaries and special holiday dates so that we can mark our progress in mortality. What better than a New Year? Every culture and every calendar has their own celebrations for the beginning of a New Year. The Chinese New Year comes on January 23, 2012, The Year of the Dragon,  and has it's own traditions to celebrate. The Hebrew calendar of course, also has it's New Year celebration, Rosh HaShanah, which was celebrated on September 29-30, 2011 and ushered in the year 5772.

What do I do on New Year's Day? 

I remember my Grandmother who was born on this day in 1889.
I start a new journal with new goals.
And I have one other tradition...you might call it a family tradition: I watch the Rose Parade from wherever I happen to be living. Tomorrow I will tell you about this family tradition in more detail.

Well, the rug was pulled from under me today. One of my traditions, since childhood growing up in Pasadena, CA was to watch the Tournament of Roses Parade, but this year because the January 1st fell on Sunday, the parade will be tomorrow. That is really good, as far as I'm concerned because now I can spend this day, not in the world of flowers, bands, horses and floats with copious commercial breaks, but instead spend it reading the scriptures, praying over which family in my genealogy that I'd like to research and send to the temple, AND rest. My husband and I have both been under the weather for a couple months and today was the first time (our ward's new hour for starting Sunday meetings is now eleven a.m instead of nine a.m.) we both attended together, each with our walker, and stayed for the entire three meeting block. Friends greeted us and were so pleased to see us, that it filled our hearts with joy.

Saying Good-bye

You ask, what on earth do you mean, you just started writing this blog  you can't say good-bye!
No, No, I mean good-bye to the old year, the old bad habits that were conquered, and good bye to the twenty five pounds that I successfully lost. Things like that.
But there are some sad good-byes, too,  like people I admired who died this past year, experiences that I may not have again (like traveling to Pasadena, CA cause I just can't sit that long, and the car won't make it there in one piece), also the peace of mind knowing that my husband's health is still good. It's not, and probably this will be a permanent thing since he is 81 and has prostate  cancer that has metastasized to his spine. So Good-byes are an integral part of remembering.

New Year's Resolutions: Select Five areas or less

Today, while reading your blessing, look for any scriptures that may be quoted in your blessing. Do some of the phrases sound familiar? Look to the scriptures and use the LDS bible topical guide and dictionary to look these phrases or words up.

“Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, … feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do.” –2 Nephi 32:3

When I was young, I would have thought that the words of Christ were only those in red in my old bible. Now as a more mature scriptorian, I realize that Christ’s words are the inspired words of all of his prophets, ancient and modern. They write through inspiration. They are also the inspired words of your stake patriarch as he place his hands upon your head and gave you your own blessing. A multitude of examples of blessings can be found in the Old Testament. This is not a new thing. God is the same now and forever; his principles are eternal, as are his laws and means of communicating with mankind.

Because you have the gift of the Holy Ghost given to you at your confirmation after baptism, you can ask God for inspiration and personal revelation.

MY SUGGESTION:   Feast upon the scriptures that will tell you all things what ye should do and listen  for that voice that is felt rather than heard as you read your patriarchal blessing to set goals for 2012.

Through your faith and study and prayers God will reveal to you the secret mysteries of your life’s mission because they are hidden in your patriarchal blessing. He will show you where you should set goals, if you will listen. You will delight in His words to you. You will find joy in the blueprint of your perfection.

QUOTE: “Seek for a testimony, as you would, (my dear sisters) for a diamond concealed. If someone told you by digging long enough in a certain spot you would find a diamond of unmeasured wealth, do you think you would begrudge time or strength, or means spent to obtain that treasure?… If you will dig in the depth’s of your own hearts you will find, with the aid of the Spirit of the Lord, the pearl of great price, the testimony of the truth of this work.”

—Zina D.H. Young, Third Relief Society General President, 1893, “Daughters in My Kingdom” 2011, Intellectual Reserve, page 56.      

Your diamonds of unmeasured wealth will be revealed to you and you will know what God wants you to be busy doing this next year.           

            List the areas of life mentioned in your blessing. Then select no more than five to set a goal in because I’ve learned from experience that more than that you’ll become discouraged and feel overburdened, overwhelmed, etc. Select a balance of the topics mentioned in your blessing, something like this: family, spritual growth, missionary work, temple work, community involvement. Quite frankly, I’d select only three. Pray which area of focus might be what the Lord would like you to focus on. Record your impressions as you read and reread your blessing. I suspect it will only take a couple readings for you to feel what the Lord would have you focus on in 2012.

New Year's still a few days away: start simple

When I began this process of setting goals at the beginning of the New Year, some 30 years ago, I didn't know what I was doing. And guess what? It still worked! I decided that I wanted to be who Heavenly Father wanted me to be, so I prayed for his help in understanding my Patriarchal Blessing. I received mine while in my early twenties and quite frankly, didn't know what most of it meant. I was a convert to the church and didn't have the Primary or Young Women's classes to give me a little background in the words that I found in my blessing. So, whether you are sixteen or sixty, begin by just reading it through once a day for the next few days, thus...

My Suggestion is that you start simple. Begin with prayer and just read it through once a day. Set a specific time and place to do this. Don't try to determine anything at this point. Just read and be open to any thoughts that come to you. Write these down if you wish in your journal, or start a three-ring binder or notebook.            

 

MY QUESTION FOR YOU: How often have you read your Patriarchal Blessing before this? Ponder if this is your own personal scripture revealed from God, how often do you think you should read it?

            We are told to study our scriptures daily. No, I’m not suggesting that you read your patriarchal blessing every day, except during this initial New Year's goal setting process, but shouldn’t you give it a regular place in your scripture study? 

            It doesn’t matter whether you have only recently received it and upon first reading were disappointed because it sounded so generic, or it didn’t answer one of your Life’s Questions, or if you’ve read it many times over many years. There are insights to be learned by a regular, diligent study of the Lord’s personalized message to you.

If you daily review your blessing these coming days, and pray with sincere intent to set goals in keeping with the Lord’s will, He will bring into you sphere of awareness a book, scripture, quotes, talks, friends and their comments and a guide in your scripture study that will seem like a bright spotlight. You will know when this happens because it will seem so very right, like a bolt of inspiration out of the blue, or an Ah, Ha Moment. You will have a joyous recognition that you are seeing God’s hand in your life.

Elder Packer's experience is very common (See previous post and  "Counsel to Youth" by Elder Boyd K. Packer pages 16-19 October Ensign 2011) Begin today. Read your Patriarchal Blessing and keep it simple, don't make a big project out of it.

I am hoping that you, too, will find out how the Lord blesses us as we take the time to STUDY his words to us through the inspired counsel of the stake patriarch. After 30 years, I’ve found hidden meanings in words and phrases that are in my own patriarchal blessing; discovered themes used to set annual goals; and gained a burning testimony that God knows me intimately and wants me to succeed in my life’s mission. May God bless you with such experiences.