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What’s more inviting than a nice warm bowl of homemade chicken noodle soup? There’s something about that warmth that can be very comforting. I quite often find myself making a pot of soup to take to someone. Just like it takes the perfect blend of ingredients and seasoning to make that soup warm and inviting, it sometimes takes the Holy Spirit to direct our hearts and minds to know the needs of others.

As human beings we all have the natural need of feeling loved and cared for. Of course there are many ways we can serve and help someone in need. Sometimes a listening ear or a hug can do far more than even a bowl of chicken soup. Living alone, I find quite often that I talk to myself or someone who has passed on. (Hopefully I’m not going a little crazy!) Its so nice when someone drops by to visit and I can actually have a conversation with another person. There are times when I really need to vent and share all my frustrations. A really good listener to me is one who does just that…. who really listens without voicing their opinion or giving advice. Since I have recognized that need in myself I try to extend that same courtesy to others.

I can testify to you that if you pray for an opportunity to serve someone or know of someone’s needs, you will receive those opportunities. You can be an instrument in God’s hands! It can be exhilarating! Serving others and thinking outside of my own needs has quietly and surprising helped heal my own suffering.

Our Savior Jesus Christ is the perfect example of thinking of others before ones self. He went about doing good. He looked for those in need, then he helped them.

So…….. make a pot of soup for someone, send a text that says “Hi, How are you today?”You will be blessed. I promise you your struggles wont disappear but they will feel lighter.

Sharing my blog with others is much appreciated! Comments welcome on Facebook at Tanya Christiansen or email me at ctr75@comcast.net I would love to hear about your experiences!

“Following the Savior will not remove all of your trials, but it will remove the barriers between you and the help your Heavenly Father wants to give you. He will walk beside you and even carry you when your need is the greatest.”

Dieter F. Uchtdorf

     Most of us had the experience of learning to walk which generally consisted of scooting, crawling and lots of stumbles and falls. For me…learning to be a confident and strong adult has followed the same pattern of techniques I learned as a toddler.

      I never realized just how much I leaned on my husband for strength and support until he was gone. He was my strength, my life…and yes, my crutch. And when that crutch was pulled away… I fell!!! Not only was I facing the normal grieving that comes with losing my spouse, but I also lost that daily validation of his love for me, which was something I desperately needed!

Even though I believe that all mortal beings have worth in the sight of God, for some reason I seemed to think that truth did not apply to me.  I really didn’t care at that point to pick myself up off the floor and take that first step into my new life. It truly is a miracle that I am a survivor and able to write this post!

Those first few months alone were excruciating. My life played before me like a movie. Things I hadn’t allowed myself to think about for years surfaced bringing with them all the pain and horror. At first as little uncomfortable thoughts here and there and then as loud claps of thunder that stirred me from my restless sleep. I didn’t know how or where to begin to deal with these memories that flooded my every thought and threw me into a non functional state. Through the help and support of those around me who knew how troubled I was, I began to gain a desire to be free from the burden that I carried.

        Ironically I required two foot surgeries during that time and was not allowed to put any weight on my foot for a period of six months. I had no idea that this physical trial would be the key to me learning important lessons that would help me begin to turn to my Savior Jesus Christ for the healing He offered me.

The days were long and hard as I crawled up and down my stairs straining my arm muscles as I pulled myself around. I depended on others for help with normal simple things that I could no longer do for myself. My second surgery was the result of me getting a little too confident and crashing on my scooter.  

As I scooted and crawled around I was taught by the Spirit and I realized that without my Savior Jesus Christ I could do nothing for it was through him that I existed, that I could breathe and take part in this mortal life. I knew that He was there for me and that if I would allow Him to, and exercise faith in His power I could receive not only physical healing but also emotional healing if it was His will.

The day finally came for me to stand up and put a little bit of weight on my foot. It was terrifying at first but eventually I could put my full weight and take baby steps in a walking boot. Unfortunately for the next few months it felt like I was walking on a large flat rock. It was actually very uncomfortable. Through faith, physical therapy, and lots of stumbling I am now walking, bearing the weight of my physical body and also the weight of the trials and hardships of this mortal life. But I do not walk alone. My Savior Jesus Christ is there by my side to take every step with me. 

Christ is there for each one of His children. He will be there for you if you let Him. No matter what trials come your way, You never have to walk alone!

Life is full of wonderful lessons if we open our eyes and look for them!

Please feel free to comment on facebook or at ctr75@comcast.net

I want to start my post by explaining what I feel it means to ‘Connect with Christ.’ I’m not talking about believing that He exists or even striving to live as He did. Although those things did proceed that deeper connection for me. I am talking about truly knowing Him so deeply that you open the door to His knocking and allow Him into every part of your life accepting His will and timing in all things.

Although I had a mom who loved me, I grew up around alcohol, partying and profanity to name a few. There was alot of contention in our home as we tried to blend two families together. Sundays were very seldom a day of worship. I can’t remember a single family prayer. There wasn’t a firm Christian foundation or an example of living as the Savior lived. At age seventeen I got married and moved to Texas. I divorced two years later. I felt completely broken during that time of my life. It was much easier to listen to Satan’s lies than divine inspiration, Satan had me right where he wanted me. In bondage!

There were many barriers and stumbling blocks that kept me from truly connecting with Christ. Some of those barriers were:

A shaky foundation. A weak testimony of my Heavenly Father’s plan. Feelings of no self worth. Making bad choices. Not praying or reading my scriptures. Comparing myself to others. Not seeking help. Feeling I didn’t deserve happiness.

Although I attended church, married in the temple to a wonderful man and raised our kids to the best of my ability, I never felt quite right. I carried heavy burdens that I didn’t know how to free myself from. I read a million self help books that didn’t help me. What I really needed was the Master Healer. But how could I connect with Him and access the power of His Atonement?

I believe that life’s experiences helped to humble me so that I could be taught……so that I could be prepared to someday truly convert and connect with Christ. I learned along the way that both praying and scripture study are very interconnected and both are ways we can communicate with our Father in Heaven and receive guidance through divine inspiration.

One day in 2018 I was reading my scriptures and I came across a verse that felt as if it was just for me. It read:

“But if ye will turn to the Lord with full purpose of heart, and put your trust in him and serve him with all diligence of mind, if ye do this, he will according to his own will and pleasure, deliver you out of bondage.”

How glorious those words were to me!!! ‘Deliver me out of bondage!’ I had just been told exactly what I needed to do. I can testify to you that as I have done these things that are contained in this scripture I have connected with Christ in a deeper and more meaningful way than I could have ever imagined possible. My burden is lifted and I feel delivered from bondage!!!

If you are carrying a heavy burden I invite you to read “The Traveler and the Heavy Burden,” by Deborah Rowley and Sarah Newell. This little book has a very powerful message about giving your heavy burden to the Lord.

Comments are welcome on Facebook under Tanya Christiansen or at ctr75@comcast.net.

Have the days of miracles ceased? Or could it be possible that they are happening all around us everyday and we are failing to recognize them.

On Dec. 13th of  2013 my husband was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer and given three months to live. Sudden news of that nature causes the world as you knew it to come to a screeching halt. You even stop for a moment and question if this is reality or just a really bad dream. Definitely not what we had planned for those fast approaching ‘Golden Years.’

My husband was at total peace that his life was in the Lord’s hands. Although he hoped to remain with us, and was granted a few extra months, he always prayed for the Lord’s will to be done. He never complained from the day of his diagnosis to the day of his passing.

Well…. my feelings on the other hand were quite a different story. My thoughts quickly turned to the scriptures and the many miracles performed by the Savior because of great faith! I decided that I could do the same as people had done in ancient times and pray for the Miracle of healing for my husband. I would exercise great faith, nothing wavering! I studied, fasted….and prayed several times each day for a Miracle. Eight months later on Aug. 20, 2014 , (6 Year’s from today) my husband took his final breath and passed to the other side.

Where had I gone wrong? My faith had not been enough. My one big misstep here was that I was not willing to except any other outcome, even if it was the Lord’s will to not grant that healing. It took me a very long time to get passed feeling that I had failed.

As time went on and I studied, worked with my church leaders and continued to pray I began to see things in a whole different light. I learned one very valuable lesson and that lesson is Eternal Perspective! Our Father in Heaven answers our prayers with Eternity in mind. Sometimes healing is granted, other times He does not intervene. The growth we need will come as we turn our will to His. It may not be the desires of our hearts at that moment but one day it will make perfect sense.

As I try to look at my husband’s passing from an Eternal Perspective I do see the Miracle of Healing. My husband has been freed from his disease infected body. His pain is no more. Because of his death I searched for strength to survive and a way to be free of heavy burdens I carried. Since Ray’s passing, I personally have witnessed the Miracle of healing through the enabling power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Some of my family has grown closer and become more kind and forgiving. Testimonies of Eternal things have been strengthened. Our knowledge of the Gospel of Jesus Christ has increased. And I believe there are many more Miracles that I have not recognized. Maybe just in writing and sharing these thoughts, a Miracle might occur for someone out there somewhere. That is my hope!

I know that I will see my husband again. I long for that day to be united with him. I accept God’s will and timing in all things. I trust that He knows what is best. I can testify that Miracles have not ceased. Some magnify themselves and others remain unseen.

“Give your will to Him, thats when the Miracles begin.”

“For Behold, I am God; and I am a God of Miracles; and I will show unto the world that I am the same yesterday, today, and Forever.”

Please comment, I would love to hear your insights! Find me on facebook or at ctr75@comcast.net

As varied as the leaves on a tree or the intricate design of each tiny snowflake, LOSS comes in all kinds of shapes and SIZES. Most Loss brings disappointment, sadness or heart wrenching agony!!! But some Loss can actually bring relief, like an uncomfortable confrontation ending or the loss of a child’s first tooth. Or maybe letting go of a grudge you’ve held onto for way too long.

My first remembrance of a negative kind of loss was when I dropped a little leather purse my Dad had made me, out our car window. I cried until he made me another one. And then just a short while later when I was only 8 years old, I lost my Dad to a massive heart attack. This loss felt nothing like losing my purse. Death was frightening to me. I had so many questions. Did my Dad still exist? Would I see him again? The little knowledge I had of life after death wasn’t enough to keep my fears at bay. I didn’t know it then but I would have many more opportunities and experiences as I grew older that would help those questions to be answered.

Next at age eleven I experienced the loss of friends and relatives when my mom remarried and we had to move. When I married at age seventeen and divorced at age nineteen, I faced the loss of what my expectation’s of a good marriage were…. but soon after proved to be a great blessing as I found my Eternal companion. Certainly my life would be smooth sailing now!!!!!

There was nothing that my husband and I wanted more than to have a large family, but we would experience several more losses trying to achieve that goal. Our first baby was born without any complications. Our next two children were born at 28 and 29 weeks with miscarriages in between and two and a half months each in the nicu. As hard as those pregnancies were I wasn’t at all prepared for my next loss when our first son was stillborn followed by a healthy daughter then a second stillborn son. My last pregnancy was twin daughter’s, but three days after their birth one of my twins died from a Strep B infection. I can’t begin to express the pure agony I felt!

At this point I was pretty upset with God to say the least and with a shaky foundation of His plan for me I had some pretty serious doubts about the truthfulness of it all. This threw me into a frenzy of searching desperately for answers to some of life’s most troubling questions for many, such as… Is there really life after death? Answers did come for me, slowly…..little by little, but it took much study, fasting and prayer on my part. And with those answers my anger, envy and sadness decreased as my faith increased.

Although I am shaken, I am not broken. Although I am lonely, I am not alone. Although I have lost for a time, I have gained Forever! I testify that God exists and he knows what you and I need to become the best version of ourselves!

I learned so much from Trent, Bryan and Karen, my little Angel Babies! Six years ago this month I experienced my most difficult loss of all when my husband of forty years passed away.

I BELIEVE Loss CAN BRING GROWTH THAT CAN COME IN NO OTHER WAY!

“The Lord giveth and Lord taketh away, Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

Comments welcome on Facebook or at ctr75@comcast.net

“We Love Him Because He Loved Us First“

Let me begin by telling you a Love Story. This is not your typical love story, but a story about a Father and His Son. The Father had many children whom he loved very much, however this Son was highly favored by the Father because of his goodness and obedience. The Son had a deep respect for His Father and also for His brothers and sisters.

All of the Father’s children were cherished and taught while they lived in His presence. Because of the Father’s deep love for His children He desired that they would have the opportunity to become like Him and enjoy Eternal blessings.

The Father presented a plan to His children that would give them a physical body and a mortal experience. This plan would also allow each child to govern themselves and make their own choices through the gift of Agency.

The Father knew that His children would make many mistakes that would bring disappointment and heartache. He also knew they would experience, sickness, disabilities, tragedies and even death. These things were necessary for their growth and development. Part of this glorious plan included a Savior who would pay the price for all men’s sin and suffering so that the Father’s children could return and live with him again if they were repentant and obedient to His laws and commandments.

I can’t imagine the depth of Love that the Father and the Son feel for each of us who are here on earth experiencing mortality. How agonizing it must have been for the Father to watch His Only Begotten Son suffer and die for the salvation of all of His children. How agonizing it must have been for Christ to bleed from every pore and die on the cross. I have often wondered how many drops of blood did he spill for me.

These great sacrifices were made for YOU and for ME! Because of Love….. Perfect Love! A Love that none of His children can fully understand.

I have a testimony of the truthfulness of this Love story. I know these things to be true! I know the Father and the Son love each one of us with an Eternal Love!

Love is Powerful! Love can heal broken hearts! Love brings forgiveness! Love gives second chances! Love can change the World!

Give Love and Love will come back to you!!!

Comments welcome on fb or at ctr75@comcast.net

One of the most difficult steps in this process of healing was learning to TRUST again. That’s when I felt ‘Stuck on the Fence’. As much as I wanted to swing my leg over and jump down to my ‘new beginning’ I just couldn’t seem to do it! My fears of feeling inferior or being hurt again over powered my Faith that I could trust those people who I chose to be apart of my life. Avoiding people as much as possible had become one of my coping skills over the years. It just felt more safe that way. My husband was ‘a people person‘ so in earlier years it worked out well when we attended things together. But now being alone, it became necessary to set boundaries and decide how involved I would be with the people I associated with.

As I worked with my therapist to improve my mental health and perceive the world correctly, I also worked with my church leader to improve my spiritual health. It was very surprising to me how often the suggestions from those two people connected and led me down the same path. My progress did not always go steadily forward. I often slipped backwards having to repeat steps such as reprocessing and redirecting my thoughts. It was at those moments that I wanted to quit and give into the darkness. I thank God everyday for those people who stood by me and encouraged me as I faced barriers and stumbling blocks.

Developing a personal relationship with my Father in Heaven and my Savior and trusting in their plan for me became a vital part of my healing. I studied the Atonement of Jesus Christ and learned that he had not only suffered for my sins but also for all of my pain and suffering caused by the wrong actions of other people. Christ himself had felt the physical, mental and emotional torment I had experienced.

After four years of intense work and the enabling and healing power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ I felt ready to leap to the other side of the fence. I called it my “leap of faith day.” My therapist called it discovery, which is testing those beliefs I had to see if they were accurate and then draw my own conclusion. I have found most of my fears to be inaccurate. There are good honest people in this world who genuinely care about my well being.

If your thoughts are often clinging to damaging and disturbing beliefs that keep you from enjoying life, you can find healing through Christ’s Atonement and if necessary through professional help. Seeking help is not a weakness but actually just the opposite.

It takes strength to say, “Help Me,” it takes strength to say, “Teach Me,” and it takes strength to say, “Show Me the Way.”

Comments welcome at ctr75@comcast.net or on facebook

I guess you could say that I am kind of ‘Old School’ when it comes to all the online stuff, the over use of electronics, the idea that ‘money can buy you happiness’, and less ‘In Person’ time and conversation with family and friends. I see these things in my own family and it deeply concerns me. The younger generation seems so enthralled in the advances of technology that I believe they miss out on some of those ‘old school’ lessons like living in your means, helping those less fortunate and working hard. Things I believe better develope those character traits such as honesty, compassion and gratitude.

My mom, who is now living at the age of 100 grew up during the Depression. She was one of fufteen children. She was placed in a home to be raised by a neighbor at a young age. She learned to save every penny, to make do with what you have. She worked hard, sewed clothing and canned food. To this very day she saves even little pieces of string to be used later. Her gift at Christmas was new socks. Not the latest X Box machine or a Nintendo switch.

Although I was not raised in a strong religious home, I was still taught that lying and cheating were not acceptable. In the short time that I have been online I am totally shocked by all of the scam artists and hackers trying to take your identity and your money in an effort to make their lives happier and easier.

My church leaders have asked us to ‘shape the world we live in’ through our example of righteousness. I am far from perfect but… I do …take back the 13 cents i’m over paid in my change at the grocery store, even when I get weird looks from people. I tell the truth. If I borrow something I return it.

But is that all there is to being Honest??? I think Honesty is much more!

The definition of the word Honesty includes: uprightness, truthfulness, nobility, moral correctness, virtuous, worthiness, reputability, righteousness, dependability, fidelity, directness, openness, integrity, frankness, and loyalty.

Does Honesty still prevail on the Earth today? Or is it something we are losing sight of?

Comments welcome at ctr75@comcast.net or you can write to me on facebook.

Once upon a time there was a strong noble servant of the Lord who had many responsibilities. Because of his diligence and kindness many people depended on him to protect, guide and strengthen them.

One late evening when this servant had a free moment, (which didn’t happen very often) he looked out over his garden and noticed how badly the weeds had taken over. Somewhere in the flourishing weed patch were some young beet plants struggling for survival. With determination he decided to tackle the situation head on with all the strength he could muster. With beads of sweat rolling down his face he pulled and tugged at the stubborn weeds, often snapping them off leaving the roots in the hard ground that held to them tightly. Sometimes he would mistakenly grab a tender young beet plant breaking it off before it had a chance to grow and fill the measure of its creation.

The noble servant soon learned that if he was to accomplish this task with his desired results that something had to change. He then soaked the hard ground and took more care in grasping the weeds gently yet firmly at the base of the stalk making sure his pull would also present the root. This method would make it a much longer time before a new weed would appear. As the ground softened and he proceeded cautiously he began to see the straight row of beet plants making their appearance. Although this was very time consuming, he realized it was more of a process than an event but well worth the effort as he was achieving the results he desired.

As the noble servant continued on with patience, hard work and the image in mind of a supper with a dish of tasty beets as the star of the table, he accomplished his task of weeding the beets. With his continued care of nourishing, weeding, and keeping the soil loose and moist, the beet plants will continue to produce delicious mature beets that will bring nourishment and pleasure to many.

There are many lessons we can learn from this parable. We all have a constant need to likewise care for the spiritual garden of our souls. Without constant nourishment and care, harmful weeds of mortality will take over and smother out the goodness in our minds and hearts. I have personally been in such a place. I can testify that the way back is long and hard.

Our Father in Heaven has given each of us the tools to keep us safe. These tools of Faith, Obedience, Repentance and Integrity will serve us well in keeping our Spirits free of disease and corruption. It is never too late to weed our Spiritual Garden. Our Father in Heaven has placed His noble servants on this earth to teach us and guide us. Following the example of our Savior Jesus Christ is our greatest tool against the adversary. Satan will take every opportunity to place barriers (or weeds) in our path!

In these days of uncertainty it is my hope and prayer that we may all have the courage and faith to follow those leaders whom we have sustained and take the time to nourish, cultivate and strengthen our Spiritual Gardens!

I love hearing from my readers. ctr75@comcast.net or you can write to me on facebook.