Be the good

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I found this quote a few weeks ago on Pinterest.  I haven't stopped thinking about it since.  It is so simple, but can be so profoundly meaningful in our lives.  Since graduating college and entering the workforce, my eyes have been opened to a world that I naively thought I would not have to encounter.  I knew it existed, but I was very content in ignoring it. I didn't grow up around bad language or dirty jokes, and I never thought that I would end up surrounded by it at work.  But with every job I've had, it's been there and it is so hard to shut out!  I will confess that I find myself slipping with a word or too at home.  I hate it!  And I know I'm better than that.

Being in nursing, I have also had to get used to being surrounded by illness and death.  I see firsthand how it can impact people's lives, the quality of life they live, and even their families. A few months ago I took care of a patient that was dying and saw my first code.  That patient did not make it either.  Growing up, everyone was pretty healthy, and I only attended one funeral before collage.  My great-grandfather died of pneumonia when I was 13.  He was 89.  Now, I see patients who have end stage renal disease and lose limbs before they are 50 because of smoking and poor health. Needless to say, sometimes ignorance truly is bliss.

It can be easy and depressing to get wrapped up in all of the terrible things in this world. That is why it is so important to believe and know that there is good in the world, and realize that we can be part of it by being good ourselves.  After watching General Conference this weekend, I feel even more renewed and resolved to do this myself.  How do we make it in this world?  Know who you are, be it, and be it well.  Not only can we stand in holy places, but we can make the place we stand a holy one just by being the good for this world.  I loved this quote that Sister Dalton shared:

You can get the free printable here!
I hope you all had a great weekend.  I know this week is going to be great.  I can just feel it!

Linking up with Molly and Carissa 

Gifts of Christmas {Printable}

Remember that part at the end of How the Grinch Stole Christmas where he has his epiphany? It is such a poetic answer for the true meaning of Christmas:

“And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.”

I love this quote and I can still hear Boris Karloff's voice when I read it....our family loves watching the cartoon special every year.

However, I think I love this quote even more:

This is a great quote from Howard W. Hunter that we talked about in church on Sunday. That little bit more is the things that we say and do.  The best gifts we can give definitely don't come from a store!

Get my free printable here.

Subway Art

I finally completed my first art project in a long time!!  This subway art is a great way to display our bucket list of  places we want to travel to.

If you want to make one of your own, here's how:

Start with a wooden board, any size you like and paint it in the background color. (My board was on the bigger side... 12" x 41")

Create your template (Microsoft publisher is my favorite program to use right now), print, and set it up on the board. Mixing fonts is great, but keep it at 5 or less...too many is too busy

Next I used a screwdriver to trace the letters.  That leaves a slight outline in the wood that makes painting a breeze and will give you perfect letters.  The lighter the background, the easier it is to see the outlines made by the screwdriver.  Obviously, I went for more of a challenge with the chocolate brown.

Then comes the fun part...painting!

In case you like mine, here is a template for a smaller version... 3.5" x 10.5":  

Subway Travel Template