The greatest gift that we can give someone is our time.

I am really grateful for everything that my Savior has done for me this semester. And I hope that He has been able to count on me to do a lot for the people that have been in my life. I have learned a lot this semester and am looking forward to the summer, and new adventures and experiences. I hope that the Lord will continue to place His trust in me and I hope that I can really come to be His hands and help those around me. I hope to learn and grow more, and I hope that I can become a better, selfless, and more Christlike person.

"The greatest gift that we can give someone is our time." ~Megan Roper. I absolutely LOVED this piece of truth that she shared today in sacrament meeting. People deserve our time and full attention. Nothing says, "I love you" or "I value you and care about you" more than spending time with someone, and taking the time to listen and comfort them, and take care of their needs. 

I feel like the overall message that I was getting today was to just love. And I'm so grateful for that. Mainly they were talking about loving and serving other people, but I honestly believe that it also means you. You can't help other people if you're not taking care of yourself. That is something that I struggle with, but I have decided that I am going to work on that so intensely this coming summer. I am going to work so hard on my scripture study and prayers, I am going to work so hard on going to bed and waking up at reasonable hours, and I am going to work on being healthier. While I am working on that, I am also hoping to be better at being more aware of the needs of those around me, and I am going to try to serve more. 

I am honestly so, so, so thankful for the past two years that I have had here at Cinnamon Tree. Today was my last Sunday with the ward officially, and I am so, so, so sad to be leaving, but I know that it is what I need in my life right now. I am going to miss everyone, and I am going to miss the warm environment, and all of the love. I am going to miss all of the lessons that I learn from my friends and my roommates. I am going to miss all of the love, support, and care from the Bishopric and their wives. I am going to miss the feelings of connection, love, and home.

I am so grateful for all of the people that I have met here, and I am so grateful for all of the amazing and wonderful adventures that we've had together. I am so grateful for all of the wonderful and amazing examples that I've met in my life! There are so many people who have changed my life just by being themselves, and I am so, so, SO blessed to have had them in my life!! I am so grateful for the time that we have spent together, and for the efforts that they have made to bless my life. I am grateful for the person that I am today. I would not be who I am today, or where I am today, without my experiences at Cinnamon Tree, and without the people that I've met here. 

I am so excited for this summer but I am also sad. However, I know that I will always be able to call them my friends! I can't wait to see where life takes me this next year, but also where life takes my friends. I love them all so, so much and I wish them the happiest and best life imaginable! And I hope that they know that I am always, always here for them. 💜💜💜

God has blessed me with the best two years here at Cinnamon Tree and I honestly wouldn't change them for the world. 💜💜💜💜💜

I hope that everyone who still has finals this week, or finals in the upcoming weeks, knows that they can do it! You are smart, strong, capable, and you have put so much time and effort into your classes this semester. I know that you can finish the semester strongly! 

God loves you. I love you. You are going to do great things in this world. Don't give up. Keep holding on. Keep serving. Keep loving. Keep being you. 

Xoxo
Mattie

The answers will come in time.

Finals week is finally here and I could not do it without my Savior. This week has been really difficult mentally and I am so grateful I am not alone. I got my first two finals DONE! And although I am nervous for the remaining three, I feel like I will be able to focus and study more this week.
I am so thankful for friends willing to talk and listen. It has been so helpful this week. Finals week is always hard, but for some reason this semester's finals have seemed to be so impossible. I think it might be because of a lot of things, but I am slowly working through it with the help of my Savior. He has made this insanely difficult semester bearable, and He has blessed me with amazing roommates and friends that I can talk to. I can never thank Him–or them–enough for being willing to be there, and for being there for me on my darkest, most lonely, most depressing, most unmotivated days. There are some things, I've come to realize, I have to live with, and some of those things I can't deal with alone. So I am beyond blessed to have a loving Heavenly Father who sent His Son to die for me so that I don't have to go through it alone. I can always turn to Him and He will always be there for me. 

I had a wonderful day today, and I did a lot of thinking. I've done a lot of thinking these past few weeks.

College is so difficult.

Dating is so difficult.

Life is hard. You have to deal with lots and lots of people with many different personalities. You have to figure out how to deal with their emotions, and how to treat them properly. You have to go to work, and go to school.

It's hard to maintain an eternal perspective in life sometimes.  But God will bless you with people. He will bless you with experiences. He will bless you with exactly what you need to remind you of your divine potential. He will bless with you with exactly what you need to keep an eternal perspective.

You have to keep your head up.

You might be going through some crazy tough times, and it might have been happening for a long time, or for a short period of time. You might not understand WHY these things are happening to you. You might not be able to see HOW these trials will help you in the future.

But I promise you...the answers WILL come in time. God will not leave you alone, without answers or peace. He will bless you. He loves you and wants what is best for you.

Xoxo
Mattie