Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to our dear prophet, Thomas S. Monson.

I love this man and have an infinite amount of respect for him and the counsel that he gives. He is, obviously, an inspired man and I know that he addresses what the Lord would have him address as he speaks. I'm so grateful for his guidance and counsel.

Here are some of my favorite snippets from the last two conferences! 

"Find someone with whom you can be compatible. Realize that you will not be able to anticipate every challenge which may arise, but be assured that almost anything can be worked out if you are resourceful and if you are committed to making your marriage work."

"If you choose wisely and if you are committed to the success of your marriage, there is nothing in this life which will bring you greater happiness"


"When you are married, be fiercely loyal to one another. Priceless advice comes from a small framed plaque I once saw in the home of an uncle and aunt.  It read, "Choose your love; love your choice." There is great wisdom in those few words. Commitment in marriage is absolutely essential."

"The gift of the priesthood is priceless. It carries with it the authority to act as God's servants, to administer to the sick, to bless our families, and to bless others as well. Its authority can reach beyond the veil to death, on into the eternities. There is nothing else to compare with it in all this world. Safeguard it, treasure it, live worthy of it"

"And then months and years go by, and for one reason or another, love dies.  It may be the result of financial problems, lack of communication, uncontrolled tempers, interference from in-laws, entanglement in sin. There are many number reasons. In most cases divorce does not have to be the outcome"

"My beloved brethren, may righteousness guide out every step as we journey through life. Today and always, may we be worthy recipients of the divine power of the priesthood we bear. May it bless our lives and may we use it to bless the lives of others, as did He who lived and died for us -- even Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

"My beloved brothers and sisters, may we make whatever sacrifices are necessary to attend the temple and to have the spirit of the temple in our hearts and in our homes. May we follow in the foot steps of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who made the ultimate sacrifice for us, that we might have eternal life and exaltation in out Heavenly Father's kingdom."

"We face many challenges in the world today, but I assure you that our Heavenly Father is mindful of us. He loves each of us and will bless us as we seek Him through prayer and strive to keep His commandments" 

"the right of choice; second, the responsibility of choice; and third, the results of choice. I call these the three Rs of choice"

"When faced with significant choices, how do we decide? Do we succumb to the promise of momentary pleasure? To our urges and passions? To the pressure of our peers?"

"Decisions are constantly before us. To make them wisely, courage is needed -- the courage to say no, the courage to say yes. Decisions do determine destiny."

"I plead with you to make a determination right here, right now, not to deviate from the path which will lead to our goal: eternal life with our Father in Heaven. Along that straight and true path there are other goals: missionary service, temple marriage, Church activity, scripture study, prayer, temple work. There are countless worthy goals to reach them."

"My beloved brethren, may we be filled with gratitude for the right of choice, accept the responsibility of choice, and ever be conscious of the results of choice. As bearers of the priesthood, all of us united as one can qualify for the guiding influence of our Heavenly Father as we choose carefully and correctly."

"We can lift ourselves and others as well when we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thought and cultivate within our hearts and attitude of gratitude.  If ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins, then gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues. Someone has said that 'gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues but the parent of all others."

"However, those things which provide deep and lasting happiness and gratitude are the things which money cannot buy: our families, the gospel, good friends, our health, our abilities, the love we receive from those around us. Unfortunately, these are some of the things we allow ourselves to take for granted."

"We often take for grated the very people who most deserve our gratitude. Let us not wait until it is too late for us to express that gratitude."

"A grateful heart, then, comes through expressing gratitude to our Heavenly Father for His blessings and to those around us for all that they bring into our lives.  This requires conscious effort at least until we have truly learned and cultivated an attitude of gratitude. Often we feel grateful and intend to express our thanks but forget to do so or just don't get around to it.  Someone has said that 'feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it"

"We live in a troubled world, a world of many challenges.  We are here on this earth to deal with our individual challenges to the best of our ability, to learn from them, and o overcome them.  Endure to the end we must, for our goal is eternal life in the presence of our Father in Heaven."

"I ask: if attitudes, deeds, and spiritual inclinations were reflected in physical features, would the countenance of the woman who complained be as lovely as that of the woman she criticized?"