Faith is Required to Endure

How do people survive this life without faith? I'll never understand it. I love this quote by Neal A. Maxwell in the January Ensign.

"One's life...cannot be both faith-filled and stress-free....

"Therefore, how can you and I really expect to glide naively through life, as if to say, 'Lord, give me experience, but not grief, not sorrow, not pain, not opposition, not betrayal, and certainly not to be forsaken. Keep from me, Lord, all those experiences which made Thee what Thou art! Then let me come and dwell with Thee and fully share Thy joy!'...

"Real faith...is required to endure this necessary but painful developmental process."

January 2010 Ensign page 48

(Added January 15).....I just read the entire original talk by Elder Maxwell. It is one of the best things I have ever read about faith. I plan on reading it again and again for inspiration on ways to improve my own faith.

The talk is titled "Lest Ye Be Wearied and Faint in Your Minds" and is in the May 1991 Ensign. I found it easily by searching by that title on LDS.org.

Winter Wonderland

Yesterday Greg and I dusted off the old snowshoes and headed to Harriman State Park. It's one of our favorite winter activities. It was a perfect day to be outdoors....not too sunny, not too cloudy, not windy, not too cold.....just perfect.

Walking along the banks of the Snake River and watching the swans is so relaxing and peaceful, (until you run into a large group of BYU-I freshmen who are being oriented to the area). Oh well, I guess you can't have everything. At least we got there in the afternoon when the last group was just finishing up. They took 600 students there earlier in the day.






If you have opportunity to go to Harriman in the winter, I would say, go for it!!

Right as we were hiking out, the sun came out and really made everything look beautiful.