Stress Management

A lecturer explained stress management to an audience. He held up a glass of water and asked, "How heavy is this glass?" The answers ranged from 20g to 500g. The lecturer replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it. If I hold it for a minute, it's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, my arm will ache and get sore. If I held it for a day, you'd have to call an ambulance. In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes." He continued "And that's the way it is with stress management. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on. As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for awhile and rest before holding it again. When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the same burden. So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down. Don't carry it home. You can pick it up again tomorrow. Whatever burdens you're carrying now, let them down for a moment if you can."
Here are some thoughts to keep in mind as you go through life:
*Always keep your words soft and sweet--in case you have to eat them.
*Drive carefully. It is not only cars that can be "recalled" by their Maker.
*If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.
*If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.
*It may be that your sole purpose in life is just to be kind.
*Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because you won't have a leg to stand on.
*When everything's coming your way--You're in the wrong lane.
*You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person.
And remember the scripture, "Cast your burdens upon the Lord, and He will sustain thee."

They Communicate Volumes

Katie, I read your blog today about the talk by John Bytheway, and it got me thinking about the experiences I have had for the past three years as a service missionary in a long-term-care hospital branch. I serve in a Primary where most of the children are in wheelchairs. They have little, if any, mobility on their own and few can verbalize many sounds at all. But they communicate volumes with their eyes and their smiles. Kayla has the most beautiful long eyelashes and someone always does her hair in beautiful curls and hairstyles. She is small for her age, and has a very loving family--as most of these children do. Sometimes she looks up above her head and smiles--and I feel that she is seeing something, or someone, that we can't see. Caroline, though she is confined to a wheelchair and can't really talk, is a good friend to other children. She squeals with delight and is so welcoming to all of the women who serve in the Primary, and to the Young Women from our stake who come to our Primary every Sunday and sing and participate with us. The Young Women are our voices. Our children love the Primary songs. Although most of them cannot sing the songs, they love to hear them. Jessica's favorite song is "I Am a Child of God." Though she is often in pain, she always smiles when we sing that song and does what she can to sing along. Cody, in spite of many health problems, always has a smile for everyone. You can't help but get a feeling of love from these children.
I have also learned so much from the adults that live at the hospital. Elva is now 104 years old. Every day she tells every one she meets, "I love you" and she reaches to give them a kiss--usually she kisses your hand because that is the first thing she can reach. But if she does manage to give you a kiss on the cheek, she does not want to let go. I think it is very humbling to be kissed on the hand by this sweet woman who continually expresses love to everyone she meets. Our new branch president, President Love, has set a goal to help all the members of the hospital branch to prepare and receive a temple recommend--even if they physically cannot get to the temple. It has been a very inspirational experience to be able to go to the temple with the four or five patients who are able to attend. I had never seen Jeff smile until I saw him in the temple-- and he had a smile on his face the whole time he was there. Another young man was a great example to me of faith and obedience when he expressed his feelings about the Sacrament to one of our service missionaries: "I have a tracheotomy and I cannot eat, but I can press the bread to my mouth and I can lift the cup to my lips."
Lately, after our Sunday meeting schedule, some of us (as service missionaries) have been organized into two small singing groups that go to two different rooms each week and offer to sing a couple of hymns to the patients. This has been a great experience. Though we are not well-rehearsed, the spirit of the hymns has touched the hearts of the patients we have visited and some have been moved to tears. I have always been amazed at the wisdom and testimony of those who have written the hymns, and I love the beautiful music that conveys those spiritual messages of faith, hope, and charity.