Powerless

It's crazy to think of the power we have.

Or the Lack of.

To know something is so real, as real as the rising sun, or as real as you or me. 

              But not being able to convey that to someone else.

I've always heard that song "Jesus Take the Wheel".

                But Jesus won't take the heel.

                    That's the biggest most wonderful and terrible things in our lives.

                                                                                                                   Our Agency to Choose.

God can hand us a map, 

                        And help us along the way.

But not God, nor Jesus, 

                                                                                  Will EVER take the wheel. 

It's our car, it's our lives.   It's our wheel, it's our Choices, 

God Will NEVER choose for us. 

All that God can do, 

                   Is share his message.

And he decided long ago, that it would never be a forced decision.

That we would always have our agency.

They won't drive the car for us.

All they can do is give direction. They can give guidance and care.

God provides speed limits, and road signs.

We can follow them,

IF...

                  We....

                                     Choose.

So that perhaps maybe, if we do choose to follow those road signs, and follow the guidance, that perhaps someday, we can reach our destination safely, and happily,

Having enjoyed the whole ride. 

A tree: By Libbie Poirier

Kitty Love

One little kitty.Very special.

Very cute.

Very playful.

We run in circles after each other. 

Chasing each other.

You're so playful, I tell the kitty.

I don't consider the kitty my best friend.

But what if it was.

My best friend.

The most playful being on the earth.

The one who jumps on me when I'm sleeping.

The one who allows me to have the bed, when it sleeps on the floor.

Gives me the blanket because it has enough fur to keep it warm,
or even if it is cold, it has enough love for me to just let me have the bed.

To tell me if I look good or not for the day.
The one who is there for me when I confide in it.
The one I tell the concerns of my life.
The fears I have.
Every secret, every fear, every feeling I ever had.

I told.

But why. Why would the kitty ever want to hurt me?

Or why would anyone ever want to hurt a kitty.

Something so playful, so wonderful, so beautiful, so captivating.

But somehow, it still ends up hurt.

Maybe the play was too much.

Maybe the rules were too tough.

Maybe the good didn't outweigh the bad.

How can one go from being a best friend, a playful loving friend, to someone who wants to hurt, and wants to scratch and kick and bite.

This kitty is the best kitty I've had.

I cannot see why anyone would ever want to hurt this kitty.

Kitties need love. That's all they want. This kitty would do anything for my love.
This kitty does anything and everything for my love.
And in return, I can play with the kitty as much as I want.

And the kitty will always love me.

People need love too.

Pure love.

Love that comes from Christ.

So that no matter how many scratches or kicks that one gets, the pure love can maybe overcome it.
A love so deep that won't be abused. Christ loves us so much. We are sometimes kittens in his play pen. We may bite or scratch, but he will still feed us and give us water, and clean us when we need to be pure.

Christ will never abuse the love we have for him, and he will never stop loving us.

People stop loving all the time. People abuse the power of love.

But Christ won't. God won't. They will always be there. 

Leap with Two Feet

"Faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trail of your faith. " Ether 12:6

For those of you who took seminary, you will know that that is a scripture mastery.

A scripture that you would memorize to help you on a mission, or later in life, whenever it would come in handy.
The clue is: Ether 12:6,
 Faith before witness.

It rhymes, so it helps you remember it better.

I can not say that I've ever looked at life through the eyes of someone else. I could have tried. But I can't.

Last weekend, I had this really hard conversation with one of my best friend's.

He couldn't feel God in his life, and he couldn't believe God is real.

I can't understand that. God has done so much in my life that gives me constant proof that he is real, each and every day of my life.

And I wonder, what is the difference?

I try and think of all the different possibilities. Of course, there is the upbringing, if his parents believe in God. Then there are his friends, if they believe in God, then there are the struggles, if the struggles made him lose hope in the possibility of God.

But the truth is, I DON'T KNOW. And I can't know.
Because there is no way that I could see through the lens that he sees through, because those are his experiences and his life.

And there is no way that he could see through the lens that I see through, because these are my experiences and my life.

I think, why can't we? It would make it so much easier and better, to say "Hey, look through my lens." and then he could see that God is real. He would know.

But he can't. It's not that simple.

And honestly. That's where faith comes in.

Faith to me, is something that we can not understand.

But it's something that is worth it, and we understand better, after we have taken that leap of faith.

I went to Bank's Lake today with some friends from Church.
And we spent all day cliff-jumping and swimming.

(Group of all of us at Banks Lake)

At first, the little cliffs weren't bad. But then we got to the big ones.

And I got to see my dare-devil Friend Colleen Ochocinsky go first.
She jumped off like it was nothing.
She had done it before. She knew what it felt like, and she knew that she would end up safely in the water, and glad that she had done it.

But, the truth is, I hadn't done it. I didn't know what it felt like, and I honestly didn't know if I would end up safely in the water, and I definitely didn't know if I would be glad that I did it in the end.

She could tell me over and over and over and over again, that I will be happy that I made that jump. She could tell me that there are no hard rocks beneath. She could tell me the happiness and joy and thrill that comes from jumping.

But until I do it, there is no way that I will ever know for myself.

And then I realized.
My testimony, my love of Christ, and my knowledge of a living God. It's mine. And that's what it is.

There is no way that I can get someone else to have a testimony, unless they do it and experience it themselves.

I think with one of my best friend, I was trying to get him to believe, and to understand, and to know, like I knew that God is real, and that Jesus Christ died for our sins.

But the truth is, the honest harsh truth, is that he will not know any of that, until he decides to jump. Until he decides to make that leap of faith.

It's so terrible to think about sometime.
That we have to make the leap of faith, and we have to believe, before we get the proof before our eyes that God is real.

And I wonder why it works that way.
It's hard.
Because all I want to do is tell everyone the joy that comes from this Gospel and following Jesus Christ and how God has such a great plan.

But they won't know, until they believe that it can be true.

I wouldn't know until I actually jumped off that cliff, that it was fun, and it was safe, and it was worth it.

I had to trust, and just give my everything. Full feet in, two foot jump, to know truly that what Colleen had told me was the truth.

And that's what everyone else has to do too. They have to go, jump, both feet in, trusting that God has a plan and trusting that in the end, it will be worth it, and we will be saved.

If you're lacking the belief and trust in the Lord, first analyze your faith, and see if you are truly jumping both feet in, not knowing what is coming next, but trusting that it will be okay.

(Cliff on Banks Lake) 

Wagoner's Wonderland

The power of family is something that is truly incredible. 

God gave us family, so that we can learn, so that we can be in this wonderful, terrible, beautiful, horrible life together. And that we can survive, and have an incredible time while doing so.

I want to talk about my Great Grandpa Owl.
When I was younger, I would hear everyone talk about Grandpa "Owl".
I've been told he was the nicest, most generous man that anyone could ever meet.

It wasn't till about two years ago that someone was talking to me, and said,
"Libbie, Did you just say 'Owl'?"
I said "Of Course! Grandpa Owl!!"

Well, it turns out, his name wasn't Owl. It was Al. And Al was short for Alfred.

That caused much mocking, and laughing throughout the family.

But I mean, even now, the two sound so similar...

I mean, really... A-L or O-W-L? How was I supposed to know?!

Alfred Sax, is the correct name, for all who don't know.

He owned an orchard in Peshastin, WA and a long
time ago he sold it to a wonderful man named Louie Wagoner.

A winery was built, this is called the Icicle Ridge Winery.

Sometimes people say "It's a small world"..
but in my mind, It's a big world! A HUGE WORLD, with millions of influences from God.

This summer I decided to live in Ellensburg, rather than Mississippi, and I decided to take classes rather than my first idea to work. I also decided to take Spanish rather than my first impression of taking sign language. Due to all of these changes and influences in my life, I ended up meeting a friend of a lifetime, Daniel Rossback.

While searching for an Ellensburg apartment for the Summer, he had the opportunity to live with his friend in Peshastin instead.

His friend, Nick Wood, has a wonderful loving family.
Nick's mom is Kristen Wood, formally known as Kristin Wagoner.

Who just happens to be Louie Wagoner's daughter.
Talk about 'coincidences.'

Long story come to be short, I got invited to a jazz concert at this Wagoner, and Wood owned Winery, and was able to enjoy a splendid Saturday and Sunday with The Wagoner's and Wood's, and of course my friend Daniel.

(Sign outside of the Wood's House) 

And I got the honor of talking to the loving Louie Wagoner. Who said this to me:
"If you are half the person that your Great Grandpa was, then you will be an incredible lady"

I almost cried.
Louie Wagoner, someone so hardworking, loving, kind, honest, incredible, was telling me that my Grandpa was an even more incredible man.

I never knew my Great Grandpa "Owl", but I've been blessed to meet and talk with Louie, and if I know one thing about my Great Grandpa, it's that he has a great sense of other's heart's,  and that when he decided to sell the orchard to Louie, he must have known with all his heart, that Louie's heart was so big, and that Louie too, would make a positive impact in so many lives.

God is a part of our lives. Whether we know it or not. God has a plan for ALL of our plans and back-up plans. And God allows us to choose, but He also helps us and blesses us and shows us that each and everyday he is working in our lives. He works in each one of everyone's lives, and we just have to open our eyes, and believe, and have faith, that God is here, and He always will be, and then we will see all that God does, and realize that this world isn't small, but in this big world, God is helping and guiding us in each and every part of our lives, and it just happens that we call those "coincidences".

I don't believe in coincidences. I never have. Coincidences are a way to describe something that doesn't make sense to us. But it makes sense to God. And it isn't a coincidence. It's a wonderful thought-out plan from our Lord.

We should never underestimate the influence of God in our lives. 

And I'm just so grateful for God's influence in mine. 

(Louie Wagoner, Me, Judy Wagoner)

The Greatest Gift

Sometimes I wonder: Is it the power that comes from within, or the power that comes from all around us that allows us to have power within ourselves? 

To think that perhaps we are powerless without everything and everyone around us. 

To maybe realize for a moment, that we are nothing. We are truly nothing.

To say that would also be saying that we are nothing without God, but also that God is nothing without us.

But how could God be nothing? How could God need us?  How and why does God need ME? Why does God even want me? 

Somewhere in the scriptures it explains the great Glory of God. And how his glory increases when we follow him, and when he shares his glory with us.

But what does that really mean?

I want to share something. We live in a mortal world. The things of eternal value are hard to understand. But in this mortal world, God gave us many symbolic aspects. One symbolic aspect is Our parents on earth. 

My Dad for example: He loves me, more than I will EVER know. It's something that I can't comprehend. I can't understand. I've never had a daughter, I've never been a father. I never will be a father. I can't comprehend the immensity of love that my Dad has for me.

God's love is like that. But multiply it by one thousand million kazillion times. We can't understand it. We literally will never be able to know the immense love he has for us.

My Dad is a teacher. In occupation, he's an insurance agent. But to me, he's a teacher. He taught me since I was a baby. He, along with my loving mother, taught me how to walk, talk, move, laugh, jump, swing, ride a bike, read. And so many other things.

When I became older, I didn't need my Dad so much to learn anymore. But he decided to teach me anyways, and hope I accepted it.

(My Dad and I: Milot, Haiti 2012)

Two things I will never forget that my Dad has taught me is 1-To serve others to always love and serve others.

Secondly- He taught me how to fish, and how to drive a boat.

I can't explain the happiness in my Dad's eyes when my fishing pole starts to get tight, and bends sharply, and I start reeling it in. 

The happiness that my Dad has, isn't because of the fish. No it's not the fish at all. It isn't that we get to have a yummy dinner. It isn't that we have bait to catch the crab. 

My Dad's happiness comes from seeing my smiling, laughing, and excited face for when I finally receive that fish, and get to show it off to my older sisters.When I get to hold the fish in my hand and say "Look! I did it! I caught this fish! This fish is mine! And I CAUGHT IT!" 

My Dad gave me the greatest gift. He not only taught me how to fish, but he taught me how to be happy in the moment, and be happy with the gift that I'm given every time I get the wonderful opportunity to fish. 

God gives us gifts too. And someday, when we are older, and when we are worthy, and when we finally get to run to God with his arms open and we get to hug him sooooo tight. Someday, when we finally get to return to our Heavenly Father, we will get to see the happiness in his eyes.

We will see, his happiness, just as my Dad's happiness.

 We will see that God is so so happy that we made it back to him. Heavenly Father will be crying tears of happiness, he will hug me so tight. He will say "Libbie, I'm so happy you're happy. I'm so happy that you're here. I've missed you. You are so strong. You are my amazing daughter. I love you so much. I can't imagine what it would be like without you here with me" 

The truth is, God doesn't need us.

 But he wants us. 

He wants us SO badly. 

He wants to give us all he has. 

He wants us to be happy. 

He wants to see the smiles on our faces and know that we are proud of ourselves, and that we too, are so happy to be there, as a family again with our Heavenly Father.

(Me with a Fish)

(My Dad and I fishing at Lake Chelan) 

Turtles have Talents Too

Might seem a bit overwhelming to have two posts in a day: But honestly, needs are it be spoken. 

God wants us to develop our talents and our gifts. He loves us. 

I got a journal from my cousins as a graduation gift and in it, it states

 "If she got really quiet and listened, new parts of her wanted to speak" 

(Journal from Julie and Darron Sax for my graduation gift) 

From Deseret Book Stores (a mormon owned store, I found out about four weeks ago)

Now think of the talents you have. Think of other talents you have. Now think of none of those talents.

Sometimes, it takes us to silence our talents in order to realize the other talents that want to take part.

All talents are good. But some talents inside of you can bring you more happiness than others will.

I think that's the difference between choosing good or choosing evil.  

I think it's based on the effort and time you put towards your talents.

Everyone is good at something. I promise you, everyone is GREAT at something.

But not every- something, is a good thing. 

Maybe instead of focusing on all your talents you have.

Focus on the ones that maybe you don't see. 

Focus on the talents that are shouting and crying from inside your soul.

Give them a chance to be heard.

It's time to get out of your shell. 

And let your shy talents get out too. 

Make the world a better place. One forgotten or missed talent at a time.

Turtles have talents too.

(Peyton Duane's Turtle named Leonard, a female turtle) 

The True Treasure

~1 Nephi 5: 21~

"And we had obtained the records which the Lord had commanded us, and searched them and found that they were desirable; yea, even of great worth unto us, insomuch that we could preserve the commandments of the Lord unto our children."

Quick Backstory: These records are the five books of Moses in the bible. 

They tell the creation of the Earth and Adam and Eve.

When Nephi and Lehi and the whole gang went to the wilderness, they were commanded to go back to Jerusalem, in order to get one of the copies of the brass plates, which compared to modern day copies, there were very few. And they only had one place to go ask. And it was Laban. And he was evil and would not give them up. Long story short: Nephi slayed Laban because God told him to. They got the plates and made it safely back into their parents arms waiting for them in the wilderness.

(La Bretagne, France, 2012, Rocks by the Ocean)

We, often, take for granted the things we have before us. 

One of those things, are the scriptures. I don't know about you, but I truly question if I would really travel so far back to a city which was filled with people who wanted to lynch me, and then face terrors and killers, give up all my gold and money, in order to get my scriptures. 

But the truth is, Nephi did it. 

He did it with his faithful Brother who doesn't get much acknowledgment Sam, and also with his other two murmuring, complaining, bad attitude brothers, Laman and Lemuel. 

He risked his LIFE for these plates. And why? So that he could live the rest of his life preserving the commandments, and making it possible for his children to have the commandments too. 

This may be a cynical way to look at it. But it my mind, this is what Nephi did:

He almost died, lost all his riches, got the plates, so that the rest of his life, he would have the responsibility and knowledge of following tons of the rules the Lord have given, and then have his kids have all the rules too.

Honestly, it's crazy. It would be like if we had the option to lose God's commandments of the Word of Wisdom, or the law chastity, or anything else, how many of you, would work so hard to get all those commandments back, and how many of you would take the high road, and easily get away with not having those rules any more. 

Nephi said this "They were desirable; yea, even of great worth unto us" 

When was the last time that you thought of all our commandments and rules as members of this church desirable? When was the last time you thought that these commandments are of such great worth unto us? And when was the last time that you did all you could, in order to search these scriptures diligently in order to receive that worth they have?

I think I want to ask myself those questions every day. 

These rules for Nephi, they were desirable. They have great worth.

Our rules we have now, not only protect us, but they help us. They are desirable, and although we may not feel it now, they are of great worth unto us. 

Do you realize it uses the word "unto". 

That doesn't mean that our scriptures are automatically worth a lot. Or that our lives will change if we read them. 

Unto is a word of choice. We have the choice of the scriptures being of great worth. We have the choice of following the commandments of the Lord. The Lord can bring anything and everything unto us, all for our greatest good. But if we don't allow it to work in our lives, and we don't constantly work on ourselves, then these beautiful, wonderful, scriptures and commandments, are of very little worth in our lives. 

If you want to have a life worth so much,

then search the scriptures, and you will find it brings much more meaning.

Today, Tomorrow, and Every day to come.