lost and found

Perhaps it has something to do with being a busy stay-at-home mom, pregnant and wishing I had a best friend close by. Perhaps it's because I am still sick from this pregnancy and my days are somewhat of a dull blur. I've been feeling a bit lost and detached from the world. Today, I found this on a blog (thanks, Jillian!) and it was just what I needed today...

Desiderata
Max Ehrmann, 1927

Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.

Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and ignorant, they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter, for always there will in be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love, for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is perennial as the grass.

Take kindly to the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace with your soul. With all its shame, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.

Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.
--------------------------------------------------
So beautifully written. So many things to think about. Earlier today, I was also reading Dallin H. Oak's "The Challenge to Become." It's one of my favorite talks which I keep in a folder. It was in the November 2000 Ensign - which of course makes me think of my first child being born. Today, the talk was especially powerful to me. In it, he says:

"Most of us experience some measure of what the scriptures call “the furnace of affliction” (Isa. 48:10; 1 Ne. 20:10). Some are submerged in service to a disadvantaged family member. Others suffer the death of a loved one or the loss or postponement of a righteous goal like marriage or childbearing. Still others struggle with personal impairments or with feelings of rejection, inadequacy, or depression. Through the justice and mercy of a loving Father in Heaven, the refinement and sanctification possible through such experiences can help us achieve what God desires us to become."

Elder Oaks goes on to talk about the Parable of the Vineyard. I recently read this long chapter in my scriptures, and to be honest, was bored and had a difficult time with it (it was also bedtime and I was exhausted, so that surely contributed). After reading Elder Oak's words, I decided that the Lord must be requiring me to stay in the vineyard all day long. I always appreciate finding just what I am in need of, when feeling lost. As it talks about in the current book I am reading (The Book Thief), words are truly powerful. I am grateful for the power behind words that move me in the right direction.