Shenandoah National Park

Last Thursday I went hiking in the Shenandoah National Park. I will be honest: the hike killed me. The pain in my knee made for a long trip back to the car but the moving and being in the beautiful outdoors made it all worth it. A few leaves were starting to change and the views were gorgeous. Dana gave us a lesson in poison ivy so we stayed rash free and the highlight of the trip...we saw a bear! As we were driving out of the park a black bear ran across the road in front of our car.

We had hiked up to see a waterfall and all we saw were wet rocks; pretty but wet. Not the best time for waterfalls.

Joined the selfie club!

Ali and I enjoying the sunshine and the leaves starting the change.

I love the starkness of this tree especially compared to the lush green surrounding it.

 

I general I am not a very active person but I am amazed how much better I feel when I get up and move, not only physically but emotionally as well. The goal now is to start moving more often so then it isn't quite the battle to get moving.

I'm not perfect nor am I alone

www.uvureview.com

A few weeks ago I was looking for articles about being LDS (a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) and having depression. I found this article skimmed it and then moved on. In the mean time I kept thinking about different points from the article.

One being the concept of not being righteous enough. '“In the LDS Church it’s like, ‘I feel depressed,’ and it’s like, ‘Oh you must not be righteous, maybe you should go serve somebody and then you would be,’” Lindsay (name changed) said. She told Doty how feeling judged by others contributed to her depression. Lindsay, age 32, also said, “It’s just something we do to ourselves, that’s not coming down from the prophet, it’s not coming down from God. That’s just us comparing ourselves to each other and having that perfect standard.”'  For me it is a mixture of feeling judged and judging myself very harshly.

The next idea was how to use the Gospel to overcome depression.
"However, Doty cautioned practitioners about incorporating gospel messages into therapeutic treatment programs. She counted few women who were coping with depression by turning to scriptures, prayer or temple attendance because these strategies caused them to feel more inadequate.
“Let’s not set them up to fail by throwing all these things that, in a deep depression, actually come off as guilt producing,” Doty said. She prescribed a system of treatment that helps LDS women reach a healthy, functioning level then introduces the principles and habits of gospel living.
“Give people permission to not be perfect,” Doty concluded. She said the ability to cope with one’s imperfections precedes healing by virtue of the atonement of Jesus Christ." Just yesterday I was trying to be better and read my scriptures and my level of anxiety went way up. My thoughts kept turning "What if I can't do this everyday?" "Why don't I feel the Spirit?" "When I try to be good my depression gets worse. Am I going to have a breakdown tomorrow?" Needless to say it wasn't a very spiritual moment.


The article from which I quoted can be found at the following link.

http://timshawsamplewriting.wordpress.com/2013/04/15/lds-women-deal-with-depression/

"Rooms" by James L. Rubart

A few weeks ago my boss was telling me about this book she had just started and couldn't stop thinking about or put down. When you work in a world surrounded by books to find one that really makes an impression is noteworthy. After hearing her talk about the book to multiple co-workers I decided to give the book a try. I listened to the book in my daily commute and found it a great way to absorb the book.

Micah Taylor, a software excecutive, gets a letter from a great-uncle he never met who is dead. The uncle left Micah a house on the beach. As Micah explores the house the rooms keep changing forcing him to deal with issues Micah would rather leave buried. As he explores the house Micah also finds himself drawn closer to God and renews his faith in Christ. There are twists and turns I didn't expect and times when I wished the story would move a bit faster but I loved the way the book made me think about my faith and how I live it.

Even though this book had a few doctrinal points that I don't agree with I found the book to be very thought provoking and very true in regards to how to live a Christ-cntered life. This story truly shows that man cannot serve two masters.