My Visiting Teacher asked me to help her for a few minutes in her lesson last Sunday. Her lesson was on Temporal and Spiritual Welfare. This is one thing that I have not written about yet on this blog. I have never considered it a strength of mine, in fact it served as a reminder that I needed. The topic that she gave me to share my thought on was section # 4 “The Peace and Contentment that comes when we save a portion of our earnings and avoid unnecessary debt.” Helping with this lesson solidified these things in my mind and has proven to be perfect timing for me for two reason; first, my husband’s new job and second, Christmas Shopping.
I only had a few minutes, so I didn’t say all of this, but this is the full version of what I compiled before the lesson and I promised to post it here…
My grandfather was so great at saving money and staying out of debt. He counseled us to pay tithing and fast offerings first and then 10% to personal savings, but I am certain that he exceeded that counsel. I think he paid his tithing, paid his bills and saved the rest. With his savings in addition to insurance, he was able to take care of his family long after he passed away; my grandmothers’ 24 hour home health care and hospital bills before she passed away, my aunts’ home healthcare before she passed away and my father’s health care and living expenses (at the age of 75)! That is being prepared and leaving his family protected against financial storms.
I just want to highlight a few points that were made in this section of the lesson that spoke to me and talk about why and how this topic supports yet another way for us to be prepared for the unexpected…
The first thing that I quoted was; “The Lord desires his Saints to be free and independent in the critical days ahead. But no man is truly free who is in financial bondage.”
Pointing to myself I said; “This is what financial bondage looks like…” And then I said; “I’m sure I could be much worse.” But the truth is I could be better too. We don’t have any money saved right now. We live month to month, paycheck to paycheck. If we have anything extra after we pay our bills, we buy things that we want. Among those bills is one credit card that I use for emergencies and payments on our “new” fridge that we bought a year ago. We also have debt with the IRS, because of my husband’s self-employment job and unfortunate circumstances that were created by our CPA.
If we had been able to make a few sacrifices and had money in savings, instead of buying what we wanted, we would have $200 extra each month right now to put into savings. Our fridge would have been bought with cash and our emergency expenses would have been covered. But instead we are in bondage, paying for things that we needed in the past in addition to interest and sometimes late fees.
Another quote from the lesson is this; “More than ever before, we need to learn and apply the principles of economic self-reliance. We do not know when the crisis involving sickness or unemployment may affect our own circumstances. We do know that the Lord has decreed global calamities for the future and has warned and forewarned us to be prepared. For this reason the Brethren have repeatedly stressed a “back to basics” program for temporal and spiritual welfare.”
Economic self-reliance… Preparing for the Unexpected… The Brethren said it. That’s enough for me.
“In the long run, it is easier to live within our income and resist borrowing from future reserves except in cases of necessity – never for luxuries. It is not fair to ourselves or our communities to be so improvident in our spending that the day our income stops we must turn to relief agencies or the Church for financial aid.”
“Do not, I solemnly urge you, tie yourselves to payment of carrying charges that are often exorbitant. Save now and buy later, and you will be much further ahead. You will spare yourselves high interest and other payments, and the money you save may provide opportunity for you to buy later at substantial cash discounts.”
“Brothers and Sisters, peace and contentment come into our hearts when we live within our means. God grant us the wisdom and faith to heed the inspired counsel of the Priesthood to get out of debt, to live within our means, and to pay as we go – in short, to “pay thy debt, and live.”
My husband and I talked about this yesterday. He started a new j.o.b. that will bring us consistent income. He has been self-employed our entire marriage. This new job will provide security and consistency, allowing us to create and live within a budget. We will pay tithing and fast offerings before we pay anything else and after bills, pay off our debts.
Eventually, hopefully sooner than later, we will be able to save the money that we have been putting into debt payments. For awhile we will be tight, living within our means and paying all excess debt that we have. Christmas is coming up. We will be simple in our gift giving and receiving this year (we came up with that plan in our discussion about this lesson). I know that the Lord will bless us as we follow this counsel. And in the long run it will all be worth it; the sense of peace and contentment and security will be worth it all.
Sunday, November 22, 2015
Sunday, November 15, 2015
Gratitude Brings Peace, Creates Joy and Instills Faith
Teachers and Missionaries are taught that expressing gratitude is one of the ways of inviting the Spirit into their discussions. It is among prayer, praising God in song and testifying of God's truths. To me that says expressing gratitude is important to God; the Spirit dwells where there is gratitude.
November is the month for giving thanks. When I used to Facebook, I posted one thing every day in November, that I was thankful for. That was a good practice for me for one month, once a year. But my sense of gratitude ended shortly after I stopped focusing on my life through "Gratitude" lenses.
Last year in our efforts to cultivate gratitude, our family started a practice of sharing with each other, one thing that we are thankful for, every day at dinner.
We wrote them in a book and drew pictures or glued a photo to make it a keepsake. After about a month, our gratitude practice ended. We stopped when things got busy, not because we didn't have time, but because we didn't think about it. So we're giving it another shot this year. Like any other trait we want to acquire, we need to keep practicing gratitude.
It's easy to be grateful for the things that make us happy. But when we make an effort to be grateful in the middle of our trials, we find joy, which by definition is greater than happiness, because it lasts beyond our circumstances. It is true, a grateful heart is a happy heart. I know that for a fact.
BUT let me clarify here... When you are in the middle of trauma that is caused by unfortunate circumstances in your life, pain is deep ~ naturally! It won't be fixed by cultivating happy thoughts and that should not be expected by anyone. It's not bad or weak or broken, if you can't feel gratitude during those times. But I testify to you, that Christ will lift you when you turn to Him during those heavy times. I will show you how that works in a minute. Gratitude invites the Spirit and creates joy. I have a testimony of that.
In 1 Peter:1:7, Peter taught; "That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ." I feel the Savior closest to me during the most difficult times of my life. I find strength and light, comfort, growth, healing and peace through Christ. The peace that only Christ has to offer. He wants me to know that He is there and He shows me that through His tender mercies every day, sometimes several times a day. He also wants me to notice and remember the blessings of my trials. For that and other things that I am learning, I am extremely thankful!
The law of opposition does its finest work in our toughest trials, when we look to Christ for support. I learned the value of feeling drained emotionally, when I felt passion the very next day. I learned that in order for me to experience and appreciate beauty, I needed to experience ugliness. I need to feel insecurities, to know what genuine self-love and confidence feels like. I need to experience "humanness" and "life" to feel empathy and connection with others. And I need to truly repent to know true forgiveness. I know about the law of opposition; I learn these things from the scriptures. But it wasn't until I started experiencing opposition myself on a regular basis, that I really started to get it! "I must go through the valley to stand upon the Mountain of God", like that song says that is sung by The Christian band, Third Day.
Christ went through trials of loss, anger, abandonment, temptations, sadness and heartache to gain empathy for me. He stayed faithful to His Father's will through all of it. He is our best example of Gratitude! Job is also a good example, he praised God in his blessings and his trials. And as we know, he had plenty of trials! I also love the example of Nephi in the Book of Mormon. In 2nd Nephi, Chapter 4, Nephi acknowledged his trials. His father ~ his best friend in life ~ just died and members of his family were blaming him for their afflictions, some were even threatening his life. In the middle of his "humanness", his sadness and fears and frustrations, he turned his heart (like a super power) to delighting in the things of God.
In verse 17, he says; "Nevertheless, notwithstanding the great goodness of the Lord, in showing me his great and marvelous works, my heart exclaimeth; O wretched man that I am! Yea, my heart sorroweth because of my flesh; my soul grieveth because of mine iniquities." I believe that he is referring to his lack of faith or ingratitude as iniquities. I can tell myself this, like Nephi is telling himself... 28 "Awake, my soul! No longer droop in sin. Rejoice, O my heart, and give place no more for the enemy of my soul." <--(Satan)
Read 2 Nephi chapter 4 to learn more about what a super-power like faith is from someone who has a grateful heart. He said in vs. 34 "O Lord, I have trusted in thee and I will trust in thee forever, I will not put my trust in the arm of flesh.. 35 I will lift up my voice unto thee; yea, I will cry unto thee, my God, the rock of my righteousness. Behold my voice shall forever ascend unto thee, my rock and mine everlasting God."
Gratitude fasts are a good way to develop abilities that we need that are beyond our natural "human" abilities. Gratitude is being thankful before the blessings come, because you know that God WILL deliver. Instead of asking God for what you need or want, you thank Him for what he has already done for you; for always taking care of your needs and the needs of your loved ones. By doing this, you leave everything in God's hands and you can relax about needing to have control with the outcome. It is that faith that brings miracles.
One year before our daughter was born, my husband and I flew across the country to adopt a baby girl. A baby that we considered to be ours for 7 months. The baby that we named and spent thousands of dollars on in Social Work and Attorney fees and travel expenses. The one that had a birth mom that we grew close to, that we called Baby Mama and a birth dad that we called Baby Daddy (among other names that weren't quite as friendly). When the day came for us to take "our baby" home, Baby Daddy changed our plans. He refused to sign the papers to relinquish his rights, leaving mom with no other choice but to keep their baby.
I am thankful that God didn't listen to us in our broken hearts, begging and pleading with Him; "We'll do ANYTHING to have this baby! Soften Baby Daddy's heart, WHATEVER IT TAKES! Give Baby Mamma courage to do the RIGHT thing!"
This trial brought us closer together as a couple and closer to God. It showed us who our true friends are, it brought us closer to many of you, and it brought us our daughter who we adore more than life itself. Our daughter's birth mom watched us go through that trial. If we hadn't gone through that trial the way that we did, she may have turned to an adoption agency, instead of us to find a family for her baby, an agency with whom we were not associated.
God knows what He is doing, of that I testify to you. I am thankful to God for His Restored Gospel; for the strength and peace and knowledge that it provides, for the Principles and Priesthood Ordinances that provide us with hope and security and power and miracles! I stand as a witness of His miracles and tender mercies. I am thankful for every relationship that I have, especially the more difficult ones that help me to grow.
I am thankful for my health and the health of my family members, and our illnesses that cause us to depend on our loving and nurturing Father in Heaven. I am thankful for my husband's business and his talents and ambition in providing for our temporal needs and those times when we struggle financially, because of the miracles that we witness in our times of need. And for my husband and our adorable daughter who provide the perfect combination of joy and fun and struggles that all work together to make my life beautiful and fulfilling!
And more than any other blessing that I have, I am thankful for the knowledge and power that I am given because of Christ's Atonement. He suffered and died for ME! I am thankful for life's toughest moments, the refining fires that I need to make my life, with everything and everyone in it, more precious than gold!
November is the month for giving thanks. When I used to Facebook, I posted one thing every day in November, that I was thankful for. That was a good practice for me for one month, once a year. But my sense of gratitude ended shortly after I stopped focusing on my life through "Gratitude" lenses.
Last year in our efforts to cultivate gratitude, our family started a practice of sharing with each other, one thing that we are thankful for, every day at dinner.
We wrote them in a book and drew pictures or glued a photo to make it a keepsake. After about a month, our gratitude practice ended. We stopped when things got busy, not because we didn't have time, but because we didn't think about it. So we're giving it another shot this year. Like any other trait we want to acquire, we need to keep practicing gratitude.
It's easy to be grateful for the things that make us happy. But when we make an effort to be grateful in the middle of our trials, we find joy, which by definition is greater than happiness, because it lasts beyond our circumstances. It is true, a grateful heart is a happy heart. I know that for a fact.
BUT let me clarify here... When you are in the middle of trauma that is caused by unfortunate circumstances in your life, pain is deep ~ naturally! It won't be fixed by cultivating happy thoughts and that should not be expected by anyone. It's not bad or weak or broken, if you can't feel gratitude during those times. But I testify to you, that Christ will lift you when you turn to Him during those heavy times. I will show you how that works in a minute. Gratitude invites the Spirit and creates joy. I have a testimony of that.
In 1 Peter:1:7, Peter taught; "That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ." I feel the Savior closest to me during the most difficult times of my life. I find strength and light, comfort, growth, healing and peace through Christ. The peace that only Christ has to offer. He wants me to know that He is there and He shows me that through His tender mercies every day, sometimes several times a day. He also wants me to notice and remember the blessings of my trials. For that and other things that I am learning, I am extremely thankful!
The law of opposition does its finest work in our toughest trials, when we look to Christ for support. I learned the value of feeling drained emotionally, when I felt passion the very next day. I learned that in order for me to experience and appreciate beauty, I needed to experience ugliness. I need to feel insecurities, to know what genuine self-love and confidence feels like. I need to experience "humanness" and "life" to feel empathy and connection with others. And I need to truly repent to know true forgiveness. I know about the law of opposition; I learn these things from the scriptures. But it wasn't until I started experiencing opposition myself on a regular basis, that I really started to get it! "I must go through the valley to stand upon the Mountain of God", like that song says that is sung by The Christian band, Third Day.
Christ went through trials of loss, anger, abandonment, temptations, sadness and heartache to gain empathy for me. He stayed faithful to His Father's will through all of it. He is our best example of Gratitude! Job is also a good example, he praised God in his blessings and his trials. And as we know, he had plenty of trials! I also love the example of Nephi in the Book of Mormon. In 2nd Nephi, Chapter 4, Nephi acknowledged his trials. His father ~ his best friend in life ~ just died and members of his family were blaming him for their afflictions, some were even threatening his life. In the middle of his "humanness", his sadness and fears and frustrations, he turned his heart (like a super power) to delighting in the things of God.
In verse 17, he says; "Nevertheless, notwithstanding the great goodness of the Lord, in showing me his great and marvelous works, my heart exclaimeth; O wretched man that I am! Yea, my heart sorroweth because of my flesh; my soul grieveth because of mine iniquities." I believe that he is referring to his lack of faith or ingratitude as iniquities. I can tell myself this, like Nephi is telling himself... 28 "Awake, my soul! No longer droop in sin. Rejoice, O my heart, and give place no more for the enemy of my soul." <--(Satan)
Read 2 Nephi chapter 4 to learn more about what a super-power like faith is from someone who has a grateful heart. He said in vs. 34 "O Lord, I have trusted in thee and I will trust in thee forever, I will not put my trust in the arm of flesh.. 35 I will lift up my voice unto thee; yea, I will cry unto thee, my God, the rock of my righteousness. Behold my voice shall forever ascend unto thee, my rock and mine everlasting God."
Gratitude fasts are a good way to develop abilities that we need that are beyond our natural "human" abilities. Gratitude is being thankful before the blessings come, because you know that God WILL deliver. Instead of asking God for what you need or want, you thank Him for what he has already done for you; for always taking care of your needs and the needs of your loved ones. By doing this, you leave everything in God's hands and you can relax about needing to have control with the outcome. It is that faith that brings miracles.
One year before our daughter was born, my husband and I flew across the country to adopt a baby girl. A baby that we considered to be ours for 7 months. The baby that we named and spent thousands of dollars on in Social Work and Attorney fees and travel expenses. The one that had a birth mom that we grew close to, that we called Baby Mama and a birth dad that we called Baby Daddy (among other names that weren't quite as friendly). When the day came for us to take "our baby" home, Baby Daddy changed our plans. He refused to sign the papers to relinquish his rights, leaving mom with no other choice but to keep their baby.
I am thankful that God didn't listen to us in our broken hearts, begging and pleading with Him; "We'll do ANYTHING to have this baby! Soften Baby Daddy's heart, WHATEVER IT TAKES! Give Baby Mamma courage to do the RIGHT thing!"
This trial brought us closer together as a couple and closer to God. It showed us who our true friends are, it brought us closer to many of you, and it brought us our daughter who we adore more than life itself. Our daughter's birth mom watched us go through that trial. If we hadn't gone through that trial the way that we did, she may have turned to an adoption agency, instead of us to find a family for her baby, an agency with whom we were not associated.
God knows what He is doing, of that I testify to you. I am thankful to God for His Restored Gospel; for the strength and peace and knowledge that it provides, for the Principles and Priesthood Ordinances that provide us with hope and security and power and miracles! I stand as a witness of His miracles and tender mercies. I am thankful for every relationship that I have, especially the more difficult ones that help me to grow.
I am thankful for my health and the health of my family members, and our illnesses that cause us to depend on our loving and nurturing Father in Heaven. I am thankful for my husband's business and his talents and ambition in providing for our temporal needs and those times when we struggle financially, because of the miracles that we witness in our times of need. And for my husband and our adorable daughter who provide the perfect combination of joy and fun and struggles that all work together to make my life beautiful and fulfilling!
And more than any other blessing that I have, I am thankful for the knowledge and power that I am given because of Christ's Atonement. He suffered and died for ME! I am thankful for life's toughest moments, the refining fires that I need to make my life, with everything and everyone in it, more precious than gold!
Thursday, September 17, 2015
Less = More
I am enjoying my experiences with finding creative ways to make money. Here is one of my experiences...
I have mentioned in one of my previous posts, that the Lord is helping me in my preparations for what is to come, (whatever that is). One thing that I have been impressed to do lately is to simplify and organize our home. Two months ago, I received a few promptings to cleaning out our "storage room" (aka the most disgusting, dust collecting, junk filled room wehave had). I didn't act on the promptings right away, but before long, I discovered why it was such a good idea.
One month later, my father needed a place to stay. His lease was ending and he had a hard time finding another place to live that was in his price range and in an area of town that he wanted to live. We invited him to live with us until he could find a home of his own. We had to clean out that storage room in order to clean out two other rooms for him and build a bathroom.
The rule that determined our simplifying decisions is if we haven’t used it in 6 months and don’t have definite plans to use it within the next three to six months, get rid of it. I dumped drawers and into boxes to sell or donate or take to the dump, and took out any items that I wanted to keep. Eventually, the only things that we will have left in our house are things that we use regularly. No more someday craft projects, no more clothes that may fit better someday, no more junk lying around for us to trip over or dust off or take up space. It feels great!
“Let’s turn our dust collecting, space taking items into money.” That’s what I said to my husband. Luckily he was on board. I am happy to report that most of the things in that junk room were treasures for others, who paid money to take them off our hands. A Yard Sale… It’s a lot of work, but honestly, it was worth it. Indoor/Online yard sales are great too if you want to take time to post pictures on those sites or Facebook pages. Our outdoor yard sale lasted three days. We took everything that didn’t sell to the D.I. and TAG at the end of each day. TAG is a Thrift Store that pays a small amount of money for your donations.
I also found some things that I was able to cross off of our “Survival Shopping” list and I am making room for the things that matter most. “Things” don’t really matter, so de-junking hasn’t been difficult. What we have left now from our pile of things to get rid of, are items that are the most valuable, things that people don’t pay enough money for at yard sales. Those items will be on e-bay this week, auctioning off for the most amounts possible; like my husband’s golf clubs and my leather, Harley Davidson jacket.
We are using the extra funds to purchase food and other items that we have been wanting to add to our storage.
Our 4-yr-old daughter wanted to help us with our yard sale, but didn’t want to give up some of her stuff, even though it was stuff that she has grown out of and never plays with any more. So I made her a deal; “When someone buys your stuff, you can have the money to buy a new toy!” She also sold orange juice, donuts and candy.
One month later, my father is living with us. Our basement will be finished soon, which will increase the value of our home if we ever decide to re-finance or sell it. We have had that “someday” goal since we moved in 10 years ago. Things are working out better than I thought was possible. Where there’s a will, there’s a way; I have always believed that.
I have mentioned in one of my previous posts, that the Lord is helping me in my preparations for what is to come, (whatever that is). One thing that I have been impressed to do lately is to simplify and organize our home. Two months ago, I received a few promptings to cleaning out our "storage room" (aka the most disgusting, dust collecting, junk filled room we
One month later, my father needed a place to stay. His lease was ending and he had a hard time finding another place to live that was in his price range and in an area of town that he wanted to live. We invited him to live with us until he could find a home of his own. We had to clean out that storage room in order to clean out two other rooms for him and build a bathroom.
The rule that determined our simplifying decisions is if we haven’t used it in 6 months and don’t have definite plans to use it within the next three to six months, get rid of it. I dumped drawers and into boxes to sell or donate or take to the dump, and took out any items that I wanted to keep. Eventually, the only things that we will have left in our house are things that we use regularly. No more someday craft projects, no more clothes that may fit better someday, no more junk lying around for us to trip over or dust off or take up space. It feels great!
“Let’s turn our dust collecting, space taking items into money.” That’s what I said to my husband. Luckily he was on board. I am happy to report that most of the things in that junk room were treasures for others, who paid money to take them off our hands. A Yard Sale… It’s a lot of work, but honestly, it was worth it. Indoor/Online yard sales are great too if you want to take time to post pictures on those sites or Facebook pages. Our outdoor yard sale lasted three days. We took everything that didn’t sell to the D.I. and TAG at the end of each day. TAG is a Thrift Store that pays a small amount of money for your donations.
I also found some things that I was able to cross off of our “Survival Shopping” list and I am making room for the things that matter most. “Things” don’t really matter, so de-junking hasn’t been difficult. What we have left now from our pile of things to get rid of, are items that are the most valuable, things that people don’t pay enough money for at yard sales. Those items will be on e-bay this week, auctioning off for the most amounts possible; like my husband’s golf clubs and my leather, Harley Davidson jacket.
We are using the extra funds to purchase food and other items that we have been wanting to add to our storage.
Our 4-yr-old daughter wanted to help us with our yard sale, but didn’t want to give up some of her stuff, even though it was stuff that she has grown out of and never plays with any more. So I made her a deal; “When someone buys your stuff, you can have the money to buy a new toy!” She also sold orange juice, donuts and candy.
One month later, my father is living with us. Our basement will be finished soon, which will increase the value of our home if we ever decide to re-finance or sell it. We have had that “someday” goal since we moved in 10 years ago. Things are working out better than I thought was possible. Where there’s a will, there’s a way; I have always believed that.
Sunday, September 13, 2015
Ezra Taft Benson Talks About The Last Days
"Knowing what we know as His servants can we hesitate to raise a warning voice to all who will listen that they may be prepared for the days ahead?
Unto an otherwise gloomy picture, there is a bright side; the coming of our Lord in all His glory. His coming will be both glorious and terrible, depending on the spiritual condition of those who remain."
We know not the day, nor the hour of His coming, but of this you may feel assured; you stand close to the great day of the Lord!
D&C 101:38
"As a special witness of our Lord, I humbly declare to you that he lives and He is close to His servants. His words shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled. Whether by His own voice or the voice of His servants, it is the same."
President Ezra Taft BensonInsurance, preparing for the unexpected
My husband is self-employed. For the first 9 years of our marriage, I worked and provided health and dental insurance. When I stopped working to be at home with our daughter, our benefits ended. We were without insurance for a couple of years. I tried to apply through the Federal Government’s “Health Marketplace” website (for Obama Care), but we were denied coverage, because according to their calculations, we qualified for Medicaid. So I applied for Medicaid through the Utah Department of Workforce Services site.
They denied us because we made too much money for their criteria. I gave up on applying for insurance, knowing that I was taking a risk and that we would have to pay penalties for having no insurance. Freedom from the runaround headache outweighed the loss from penalties, until… April of this year, when I found myself in the ER because of complications from a health condition that I have. My condition is not life threatening, but it is painful. My Dr. recommended that I have surgery ASAP. A $25,000 surgery was not an option without insurance.
So I applied for insurance again two year after my first attempt. This time I applied for Medicaid first and was ~ you guessed it ~ denied coverage. This time, our denial from Medicaid became our ticket to Obama Care. You cannot apply for coverage outside of the open enrollment period (around Oct/Nov), but there are a few exceptions to that rule, like change in employment, change in family member count, and denial from Medicaid. Their denial letter was sent to the Market Place, which gave me the key to that locked door.
Long story short; I applied, we qualified for coverage including premium payment assistance. We now have better Health Insurance than we have ever had (even when I was employed by Intermountain Healthcare)! Our coverage started on July 1st. On July 2nd my husband was diagnosed with a disease that requires frequent medical attention and expensive medication that would have been beyond our ability to pay. Call it coincidence if you want, I call it miracles and Divine Intervention.
If you don’t have insurance, apply for Medicaid through the Department of Workforce Services. If you are disabled or over the age of 65, apply for Medicare. If you are denied coverage, apply for Obama Care through the Health Care Marketplace. If you need help with any of this, call or e-mail me. I can walk you through it or direct you to someone else who can. I can also tell you about financial assistance through Intermountain Healthcare. If your medical bills are beyond what you can pay, they will help you by setting up a monthly payment plan or in some cases, writing off a portion of what you owe.
They denied us because we made too much money for their criteria. I gave up on applying for insurance, knowing that I was taking a risk and that we would have to pay penalties for having no insurance. Freedom from the runaround headache outweighed the loss from penalties, until… April of this year, when I found myself in the ER because of complications from a health condition that I have. My condition is not life threatening, but it is painful. My Dr. recommended that I have surgery ASAP. A $25,000 surgery was not an option without insurance.
So I applied for insurance again two year after my first attempt. This time I applied for Medicaid first and was ~ you guessed it ~ denied coverage. This time, our denial from Medicaid became our ticket to Obama Care. You cannot apply for coverage outside of the open enrollment period (around Oct/Nov), but there are a few exceptions to that rule, like change in employment, change in family member count, and denial from Medicaid. Their denial letter was sent to the Market Place, which gave me the key to that locked door.
Long story short; I applied, we qualified for coverage including premium payment assistance. We now have better Health Insurance than we have ever had (even when I was employed by Intermountain Healthcare)! Our coverage started on July 1st. On July 2nd my husband was diagnosed with a disease that requires frequent medical attention and expensive medication that would have been beyond our ability to pay. Call it coincidence if you want, I call it miracles and Divine Intervention.
If you don’t have insurance, apply for Medicaid through the Department of Workforce Services. If you are disabled or over the age of 65, apply for Medicare. If you are denied coverage, apply for Obama Care through the Health Care Marketplace. If you need help with any of this, call or e-mail me. I can walk you through it or direct you to someone else who can. I can also tell you about financial assistance through Intermountain Healthcare. If your medical bills are beyond what you can pay, they will help you by setting up a monthly payment plan or in some cases, writing off a portion of what you owe.
Thursday, September 3, 2015
Survival Kits Part II
I finished our 72 Hour Kits by the last day of July like I wanted to. With each of us having our own backpacks, we will survive for 72 hours; that is reassuring. Since then, I have been working on adding to our survival supplies, one item at a time.
We are going to experience earthquakes in Utah; that is a well-known fact and it's inevitable. Our dollar is losing its value; that is also a well-known fact. Companies are going out of business, people are losing their jobs and new jobs are becoming limited. Whatever the cause, we will need to survive off of the food and water that we save right now. And it will be for longer than 72 hours. That is why the Lord has directed His prophets for years to warn us to be prepared. Now is not the time to ignore those warnings!
I believe that the Lord will protect us by leading us away from here before the destruction hits, like He has done in the past. Whether you believe that or not, whether we leave or stay, we will need to be prepared. As much food and survival supplies as we can save right now. Survival supplies is not a directive from the Brethren. I added that part to my list, for personal preference. I will not go out of debt to provide our family with those things. And I will not preach this as doctrine or necessity, it is only my personal prference.
My list is prioritized by the greatest necessity, not by the most affordable items. With our lack of funds and lack of knowledge of what we will need, we are relying on the Lord to guide us. He is helping me prioritize and showing me ways to make, save and spend our money. I have been prompted about what I should buy and in some cases, where I should buy it. But His council for you and yours may be different, so I won’t share our list with you at this time. If you need some suggestions, search Pinterest or Google and go with what YOU feel inspired to go with for your Survival Supplies.
The answer to the Trivia Question; "What is one thing that survivors of Hurricane Katrina didn't have that they wish they had more than anything else after their disaster?" - - - More than food, more than water, more than first aid kits ~ Official Documents... Family members were separated and many were brought to hospitals. Getting to them without the right documentation was impossible. We will need Birth certificates, Social Security cards, Photo IDs, Adoption Papers etc. For some of us, these will end up being the most important items that we have in our supplies.
We are going to experience earthquakes in Utah; that is a well-known fact and it's inevitable. Our dollar is losing its value; that is also a well-known fact. Companies are going out of business, people are losing their jobs and new jobs are becoming limited. Whatever the cause, we will need to survive off of the food and water that we save right now. And it will be for longer than 72 hours. That is why the Lord has directed His prophets for years to warn us to be prepared. Now is not the time to ignore those warnings!
I believe that the Lord will protect us by leading us away from here before the destruction hits, like He has done in the past. Whether you believe that or not, whether we leave or stay, we will need to be prepared. As much food and survival supplies as we can save right now. Survival supplies is not a directive from the Brethren. I added that part to my list, for personal preference. I will not go out of debt to provide our family with those things. And I will not preach this as doctrine or necessity, it is only my personal prference.
My list is prioritized by the greatest necessity, not by the most affordable items. With our lack of funds and lack of knowledge of what we will need, we are relying on the Lord to guide us. He is helping me prioritize and showing me ways to make, save and spend our money. I have been prompted about what I should buy and in some cases, where I should buy it. But His council for you and yours may be different, so I won’t share our list with you at this time. If you need some suggestions, search Pinterest or Google and go with what YOU feel inspired to go with for your Survival Supplies.
The answer to the Trivia Question; "What is one thing that survivors of Hurricane Katrina didn't have that they wish they had more than anything else after their disaster?" - - - More than food, more than water, more than first aid kits ~ Official Documents... Family members were separated and many were brought to hospitals. Getting to them without the right documentation was impossible. We will need Birth certificates, Social Security cards, Photo IDs, Adoption Papers etc. For some of us, these will end up being the most important items that we have in our supplies.
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
The Lord's Day
Why are the leaders of the church so committed to instilling the importance of keeping the Sabbath Day holy right now? They teach principles that the Lord inspires them to teach. LDS.org is full of talks on the Sabbath Day; last month every time I turned to that site, it seemed like there was a new article or talk posted on the subject on their home page. Local leaders have been asked to focus on teaching and instilling the importance of this commandment. I want to share some points from a few of those talks that touched me, some points that inspired me to make some changes in my Sabbath Day worship.
There are many ways to improve our relationship with Christ. Our level of spirituality is determined by our attitudes and doing the things that will bring us closer to Him. I gain spiritual strength by attending the temple each week. Serving others, regular scripture study and thoughtful, regular prayers are other ways to improve our relationship with God. My husband has helped us tremendously by leading us in the habit of having Family prayer each morning before he leaves for work and every night before our daughter goes to bed. I have been leading us in the habit of Family Home Evenings every week and have seen the difference that this is making for our daughter. She remembers the things that we teach her, soaking all of it in like a sponge. It helps me in my daily teaching moments with her.
But of all the things that we can do to increase the spirituality in our homes, keeping the Sabbath Day holy is the most rewarding. I believe that this is where our connection with God begins; our spiritual growth is determined by how we honor the Sabbath Day. Blessings come in making an effort and the quality of our relationship with God depends on it.
One of the talks that I found on lds.org last month was from Neill F. Marriott, from the Young Women’s General Presidency. It was entitled Reverencing the Sabbath. After reading this article, I committed to doing better. The following is an excerpt from that article. “We deepen our discipleship as we prepare to keep the Sabbath holy and offer up our vows in righteousness (see D&C 59:11); we then receive the guidance of the Holy Ghost, even personal revelation, in our daily life.” When we commence each Sunday prepared and reverent, our depth of Sabbath understanding will be as spiritual food to all members of our family. Faith in the Lord will grow in our homes as we bring our Sabbath day reverence into our living places.”
“Personal revelation in our daily lives...” I love that! I could use more! “Commencing each Sabbath prepared and reverent”, means preparing before the Sabbath arrives. Be ready by bedtime on Saturday night; clothes washed and ironed, Sunday bag packed and meals prepared if necessary. My daughter and I have been known to take hours to get ready. Starting on Saturday will save a lot of headache on Sunday morning. I also realized recently that Sunday morning, one hour before church starts, is too late to instill in our daughter, a sense of excitement and honor for the Sabbath, church and the Sacrament. It takes more than forcing excitement to go to church and more than anything we’ve ever tried, to instill a sense of honor in her for the entire Sabbath Day. It takes having it instilled in us first. Being better examples of sincere reverence and honor is the only way.
There are many families with more children than we have who make it to church on time every week. I know how it feels to be on time and what it tells others about my attitude towards the host and the event that I am attending. What am I telling the Savior every time I’m late to the most important meeting of the week according to Him? Those who are usually on time know that it is a sign of respect to show up 15 minutes early. It says; “I am happy to be here”, “I am ready and willing to participate” and “You and your meeting matter to me”. In my efforts to improve my Sabbath experience, I am committing to doing what it takes for me and my family to be on time every week, which for me means being ready one hour before church starts.
I love Sundays! That is one day that I get to rest from my weekly labors. It’s the best day of the week for me to focus on Family History work. I take extra time to write in my journal, write for my blogs, and visit the sick and afflicted. When we can be together as a family, it’s when we take our walks and visit family and friends. I get to immerse myself in the scriptures and gospel studies. I get to renew my covenants with my Savior during the sacrament and recommit my life to Him. I get to learn from others’ experiences and testimonies and I get to share mine. Even though we do all of these things, we also do things that defile the Sabbath.
The Sabbath is between us and the Lord; we don’t need someone to tell us what we can and cannot do on Sunday to honor the Sabbath. Some people believe that going to the beach on Sunday is inappropriate, for them it might be. But when I lived in San Diego, I found that a quiet, secluded place on the beach, a place where the Spirit of the Lord can dwell, was great for Sabbath worship of reading, writing and praying. Exodus 31:13 says Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you. You can just ask yourself, “What sign do I want to give to God?” See Russell M. Nelson’s talk on LDS.org entitled; The Sabbath Is A Delight.
How do you feel when you take the sacrament? I thought about that question recently during one of my studies. When I am annoyed with my adorable, active, and sometimes irreverent daughter during the administering of the sacrament, we are both missing out on the blessings of the Sacrament. In Sister Marriott’s words; “The effect of partaking of the sanctified bread and water gratefully and humbly is to make of us new creatures, spiritually reborn, as Paul teaches in 2 Corinthians 5:17. Week after week as we strive to live the sacramental covenant, we change.” Another way that I am committing to improve my Sabbath experience is to approach the sacrament ordinance differently.
Our children are expected to live the letter of a law that they don’t completely understand when they are asked to be quiet during the sacrament. There’s nothing wrong with that, but more than the habit of being quiet, I want to instill a reverence for our Savior in our daughter. It takes more than being quiet to feel reverence. “As the sacrament is passed, we allow the Atonement of Jesus Christ to enter into our being, individually and personally… With our symbolic action we are saying to God and man that we reach out to the Atonement of Jesus Christ, take it into our souls, and desire His atoning blood to be applied in our lives. In this holy moment we acknowledge our constant need of the Redeemer, our desire for His forgiveness and blessing, and our commitment to live our covenants.” Sister Marriott.
The Lord has given us the most important invitation of our lives: a chance to spend a day with Him. How are you going to prepare spiritually and physically for that day and what blessings are you hoping will come from your time with Him? That thought provoking question comes from another article on LDS.org, entitled “Blessings of the Sabbath Day”. The answers that you come up with tell you the blessings that you will receive from spending the day honoring and remembering our Savior and renewing your covenants with Him each week on His Holy Day.
There are many ways to improve our relationship with Christ. Our level of spirituality is determined by our attitudes and doing the things that will bring us closer to Him. I gain spiritual strength by attending the temple each week. Serving others, regular scripture study and thoughtful, regular prayers are other ways to improve our relationship with God. My husband has helped us tremendously by leading us in the habit of having Family prayer each morning before he leaves for work and every night before our daughter goes to bed. I have been leading us in the habit of Family Home Evenings every week and have seen the difference that this is making for our daughter. She remembers the things that we teach her, soaking all of it in like a sponge. It helps me in my daily teaching moments with her.
But of all the things that we can do to increase the spirituality in our homes, keeping the Sabbath Day holy is the most rewarding. I believe that this is where our connection with God begins; our spiritual growth is determined by how we honor the Sabbath Day. Blessings come in making an effort and the quality of our relationship with God depends on it.
One of the talks that I found on lds.org last month was from Neill F. Marriott, from the Young Women’s General Presidency. It was entitled Reverencing the Sabbath. After reading this article, I committed to doing better. The following is an excerpt from that article. “We deepen our discipleship as we prepare to keep the Sabbath holy and offer up our vows in righteousness (see D&C 59:11); we then receive the guidance of the Holy Ghost, even personal revelation, in our daily life.” When we commence each Sunday prepared and reverent, our depth of Sabbath understanding will be as spiritual food to all members of our family. Faith in the Lord will grow in our homes as we bring our Sabbath day reverence into our living places.”
“Personal revelation in our daily lives...” I love that! I could use more! “Commencing each Sabbath prepared and reverent”, means preparing before the Sabbath arrives. Be ready by bedtime on Saturday night; clothes washed and ironed, Sunday bag packed and meals prepared if necessary. My daughter and I have been known to take hours to get ready. Starting on Saturday will save a lot of headache on Sunday morning. I also realized recently that Sunday morning, one hour before church starts, is too late to instill in our daughter, a sense of excitement and honor for the Sabbath, church and the Sacrament. It takes more than forcing excitement to go to church and more than anything we’ve ever tried, to instill a sense of honor in her for the entire Sabbath Day. It takes having it instilled in us first. Being better examples of sincere reverence and honor is the only way.
There are many families with more children than we have who make it to church on time every week. I know how it feels to be on time and what it tells others about my attitude towards the host and the event that I am attending. What am I telling the Savior every time I’m late to the most important meeting of the week according to Him? Those who are usually on time know that it is a sign of respect to show up 15 minutes early. It says; “I am happy to be here”, “I am ready and willing to participate” and “You and your meeting matter to me”. In my efforts to improve my Sabbath experience, I am committing to doing what it takes for me and my family to be on time every week, which for me means being ready one hour before church starts.
I love Sundays! That is one day that I get to rest from my weekly labors. It’s the best day of the week for me to focus on Family History work. I take extra time to write in my journal, write for my blogs, and visit the sick and afflicted. When we can be together as a family, it’s when we take our walks and visit family and friends. I get to immerse myself in the scriptures and gospel studies. I get to renew my covenants with my Savior during the sacrament and recommit my life to Him. I get to learn from others’ experiences and testimonies and I get to share mine. Even though we do all of these things, we also do things that defile the Sabbath.
The Sabbath is between us and the Lord; we don’t need someone to tell us what we can and cannot do on Sunday to honor the Sabbath. Some people believe that going to the beach on Sunday is inappropriate, for them it might be. But when I lived in San Diego, I found that a quiet, secluded place on the beach, a place where the Spirit of the Lord can dwell, was great for Sabbath worship of reading, writing and praying. Exodus 31:13 says Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you. You can just ask yourself, “What sign do I want to give to God?” See Russell M. Nelson’s talk on LDS.org entitled; The Sabbath Is A Delight.
How do you feel when you take the sacrament? I thought about that question recently during one of my studies. When I am annoyed with my adorable, active, and sometimes irreverent daughter during the administering of the sacrament, we are both missing out on the blessings of the Sacrament. In Sister Marriott’s words; “The effect of partaking of the sanctified bread and water gratefully and humbly is to make of us new creatures, spiritually reborn, as Paul teaches in 2 Corinthians 5:17. Week after week as we strive to live the sacramental covenant, we change.” Another way that I am committing to improve my Sabbath experience is to approach the sacrament ordinance differently.
Our children are expected to live the letter of a law that they don’t completely understand when they are asked to be quiet during the sacrament. There’s nothing wrong with that, but more than the habit of being quiet, I want to instill a reverence for our Savior in our daughter. It takes more than being quiet to feel reverence. “As the sacrament is passed, we allow the Atonement of Jesus Christ to enter into our being, individually and personally… With our symbolic action we are saying to God and man that we reach out to the Atonement of Jesus Christ, take it into our souls, and desire His atoning blood to be applied in our lives. In this holy moment we acknowledge our constant need of the Redeemer, our desire for His forgiveness and blessing, and our commitment to live our covenants.” Sister Marriott.
The Lord has given us the most important invitation of our lives: a chance to spend a day with Him. How are you going to prepare spiritually and physically for that day and what blessings are you hoping will come from your time with Him? That thought provoking question comes from another article on LDS.org, entitled “Blessings of the Sabbath Day”. The answers that you come up with tell you the blessings that you will receive from spending the day honoring and remembering our Savior and renewing your covenants with Him each week on His Holy Day.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)