Dark Nights Then Sunrises

There is something we have yet to talk about! Something that I cannot even believe we've missed! It's something beautiful, and moving. I've converted upwards of three people to it. This something that I'm referring to is...the incredible story of Les Miserables! I know right!! How could I have not written about it yet?? In my eyes its just about the most applicable thing ever to a blog about finding happiness. I mean after all the title does translate basically into "the miserable people." But while heartache and tragedy does befall the characters of this story of miserable people, the overall message from Mousier Hugo is that "even the DARKEST night will end and the sun WILL rise!"

For all of you lovely people who read my post about Sister Spence last week, thank you for your kind comments, messages, and wishes of happiness that you sent me via blogger, Facebook, etc. I really felt your love and I want you to know that I am doing very happily. Because of Heavenly Father and a lot of prayer I was able to climb that specific mountain in my life. It was an experience of overcoming sadness that I hoped could help someone in anyway.

Everyone will experience these dark nights and sad mountains in life. It is normal and it is ok. Let me add to that, it is ok because there is an ending to our sorrows and heartaches. Whether in one day, two days, three years, or like many of the characters in Les Mis, in the coming life. The message it shares with me is one of hope, optimism, and trust in God.

Each character faces agonizing and unbearable hardships. Valjean deals with unfair treatment and poor circumstances, the which causes a haunted past that he can never escape. Fantine was an upstanding and virtuous woman who was left to the cruelest of desperation to provide for her child. Eponine experienced one of the hardest friend zone slams in history and dealt with the loneliness accompanied with it. And so on with all the characters of Les Mis, each experiencing their own dark nights of sorrow and unhappiness.

There comes a point for each of them, that they must each decide, will I fight or will I give up? I think of those moments, those epic moments, of these people on the edge of right or wrong, death or life. I can see the moments even now: Enjorlas at the barricade before the final battle. Valjean as he looks upon the man blamed for his crimes. Eponine between Marius and his impending death.

I Feel the Earth Move

Sister Moore and I camping out

So last night, as every single SoCalifornian knows, the earth was really shakin! At 9:10pm while making some mission related phone calls, my companion and I felt a thud against our apartment building that made us jump outta our skin! Then after that we were movin' and a swayin'! Our call was lost and we were able to really let out our exclamations (aka screaming, we are girls ok?!) We were pretty shocked and I personally was excited that we were experiencing a real life California earthquake!!

After the earthquake, waved past, our friend, Michelle, texted us all the information on the earthquake and that we should prepare for a possibly bigger after shock, so "grab your flashlights!" For a split second after I read the text Sister Moore and I just looked at each other and without saying a word we both just jumped up and started epic preparations!

We first grabbed our flashlights as instructed. Then we swung our emergency kits and jugs of water to the front door. We stuffed a backpack of what we felt were essentials (journal, family heirlooms, ipad, glasses, wallet, bread, spam etc.) We then changed our clothes to work clothes in case a HUGE earthquake hit and we would be doing disaster cleanup service. What if it gets hot? It's ok we will put shorts on underneath our sweats just in case. I put on my lucky reindeer socks, next shoes were on, and we were camped out by the door!

We had a few people check up on us to make sure we were ok, we told them we were and that we were prepared! Some might laugh at the level of our prepardess! The people who checked up on us sure did! And we even did a little bit too! After all, we had even decided to eat sandwhiches right then in case a full scale disaster did happen and it meant no real food for a while!

It's Like A Real Life "Will of God" Moment

Sometimes events unfold in your life or suddenly come up that cause unhappiness. Loved ones pass away, jobs are lost, best friends move, any number of unpleasant or heartbreaking events. What can I say? Sometimes the plan we have for our lives, is not the one that Heavenly Father has. But we have His promise that it is for our good and for our experience. I am going through one of these events RIGHT NOW in my life, that has caused me to feel very unhappy. I have however learned many valuable lessons from it already and hope that my explanation of it will help you with any unhappiness you may feel at life right now.

While on a Mormon mission, you always have a companion. The Lord commanded them that they go forth two by two. And I mean you ALWAYS go forth with this companion. Imagine an invisible cord was tied between you and another person that is about 15 feet long...that is missionary companionships for ya!

My mission is 18 months long and every 6 weeks, which is called a transfer, it is possible that I will be paired up with a new companion. I have been on my mission for a year, and during that time I have had many companions. Some I get along with great, others...not so great.

My current companion, I absolutely love!! Her name is Sister Spence, and this is not the first time we have been companions. Turn the clock back one year ago, when I first started my mission, can you guess who my companion was? You nailed it, you genius you, it was Sister Spence! We work hard, laugh, talk, play, and tell stories! It has been the happiest time so far on my mission!

Sister Spence and I were sure and reassured that we would be working together for another 6 weeks...but we found out on Thursday that Heavenly Father had something else in mind. Sister Spence will be leaving this area Anaheim Hills and go into my previous area in Garden Grove. When we received the phone call that informed us of the coming transfer and impending separation, we were...let's just say, unhappy, VERY, unhappy, and we were both heartbroken.

My Own Road to Happiness

This one time in my life, I was so not happy. I tried and tried to be happy, but I just wasn't. I didn't have many friends growing up (and by many I actually mean any!) and like most preteens/teenagers I didn't know where I fit in the world, but it definitely felt like nowhere. I felt so completely and utterly alone. That is not a fun feeling. I didn't even have any sure belief that God was there. It felt like my life was pointless and that nobody wanted me around.

I remember this one time coming home after school, I think it was when I was in 7th grade, and I just started crying to my dad. He has always made me feel wanted and special all of my life. Not that I would always listen to the good advice and kind words he gave me. It was during this time that he was my only friend. Anyways, back to the story! We were in our living room and I was laying on the floor just crying! haha! (Now it's pretty funny to look back on it, in the moment, so not fun, now, pretty funny. I think I can laugh about it because I have overcome it!)

Life After All is a Great Balancing Act

I think there is a very simple way we can bring our lives into harmonious happiness, and the secret is all about bringing our lives into balance.

We have so many things vying for or time and attention. We are pulled, tugged, moved, drawn, plucked, stretched, torn, contended for, hauled and dragged in any and ever direction. Look here! Look there! Buy me! Buy them! Do that! Move this! Be this! Change it all! Want more! Go!

I've gotta get up; kids up; brush teeth; breakfast; off to school; off to work; fix this problem; now this problem; make the boss happy; school calls, someone is sick; leave work; kid; doctor; pharmacy; home; soup; more kids; dinner; dog; spouse; laundry; toys; yelling; bills; tv; homework; mean neighbor; spills; until its bed time again and its quiet in the house but you still have ringing in your ears. And you sit there and feel unhappy or incomplete. That book you wanted to read is still on the shelf. My spouse is unhappy because I don't

even have the energy to talk an eighth of how we used to when it was just us...