Kindness begins with me.

I can't believe I'm starting school this week!! This is my last year of college!!! I'm so excited and so NERVOUS!! But I think it'll be a fantastic year!! :)

I thank God every day for the fact that I have made it as far as I have. In school, in life...I am so, so thankful for the happiness that I feel, and the love, and the peace. I have been a little stressed about this school year, but also I have just been able to accept it. I'm so thankful for the last couple of weeks I've had before school and after working at Bear Lake to rest and relax and get ready for the school year. It's been a blessing to have this time for myself with hardly any responsibilities (don't get me wrong–I had plenty of things to do).

I am grateful for the lessons that I have learned not only in all my time at college, but especially in the past year. I have learned and grown a LOT! And I can't wait to see where this next school year takes me!! I have high hopes that this year will be the best one by far!!

Today I subbed for Porter's class in Primary. I was super nervous, considering the fact that I don't think I've ever taught in Primary–actually, I don't think I've even ever taught a lesson period. Wait...maybe one time. But it was a long time ago and I was 12. It's been awhile.

Anyway.

The lesson that I taught today was on loving one another. In John 13: 34-35, it says, "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." We talked about how commandments are laws that Heavenly Father gives us to bless us and help us return to Him. I am so thankful for the example of our Savior, Jesus Christ, on how to love one another. We talked about when Jesus healed the 10 Lepers, when He fed the 5000, and when He stayed with the Nephites, and blessed and healed them. Jesus did all of these things because He loved the people. Just as Jesus did, we, too, can serve, bless, and love those around us. We need to bless and serve those around us and let them know we love them because everyone wants to be loved. Everyone wants to know that they are loved. We need to do the best we can to be like Jesus and obey Him and our Heavenly Father. We are here to learn and grow, and by obeying the commandments, we can learn and grow.

I've learned a lot this summer, and this past year, and one thing that stands out to me as I look back over the year is this: everyone deserves to be treated with respect and loved. Even if you don't agree, even if you have had issues in the past...everyone deserves to be treated with respect and loved. There are a lot of things that have happened this past year that have been hard for me to deal with. Sometimes they were my fault, and sometimes they weren't. Sometimes I dealt with them, and sometimes I didn't. But I have learned how to deal with things. I have learned how to choose to be happy, and I have learned how to accept and let go of people and experiences.

Life is hard. You can't make people do anything. You have to deal with their choices and they have to deal with yours. But you can always be the bigger person. You can always show them love and kindness, no matter what they do. Even if they don't show you the same courtesy. You will never regret being kind or loving.

I wrote a poem this summer that I wanted to share with you. :)

I Can Fly, by Mattie Radke

I can fly over the garden wall, past the sea, beyond the wind, and far away from the depths of depression in my mind. 

I can fly over the parts of me that yearn to change for you. 

I can fly past the parts of me that want to be exactly like you. 

I can fly beyond the visions of me, wishing I was as funny as you. 

I can fly far away from the depths of depression that lead me to believe I'm not as amazing as you. 

The lesson I've learned throughout my summer is be yourself–not because everyone else is taken, but because the world has need of you!

I wrote this poem when I was kind of feeling a little bit down. I was trying hard to try to fly, like I was talking about in the poem, but as I'm reading it now, I realize that when I wrote it, I was only hoping and wishing that I could fly. I wasn't really flying. But now, I think I have been able to fly. I've been working on my relationship with my Savior, and that has really helped. I'm not perfect at it [flying], and sometimes I still struggle, but not only since I wrote the poem have I changed, but the past couple weeks have been amazing, and I've realized that I don't need to change for anyone–I am who I am, and that's fantastic! I am amazing and funny and beautiful and I give a lot to this world. And if I have the right people in my life, they will (and do) love me for who I am.

You give so much to this world! You are special, and unique, and amazing, and wonderful, and beautiful, inside and out. And I love you. And God loves you. There is no one on Earth who can do what you do, or give to this world what you give. I am thankful for you!! I am thankful that you are here. I am thankful that you are you. I am so happy that you have a passion–whatever it is–and that you follow it. I hope you know how much you are loved and how much you are admired by those around you. And I hope that you will tell those around you how much you love and admire them. Everyone needs to be told that they are appreciated and loved.

I hope you all have a wonderful week!! Happy September!! :)

Xoxo
Mattie

Respect, love, and kindness–be perfect in trying.

Tender mercies are amazing, beautiful little things that always seem to come when I'm feeling the most down. I'm thankful that my Heavenly Father knows my needs and fills them, and I'm grateful for the little reminders that I am not alone, forgotten, or unloved. I'm grateful for the opportunities I have to bless others with that same knowledge, and to fill them with feelings of happiness, peace, and love.

 Sacrament meeting was wonderful! I loved all the messages on gratitude that were given today. Two of my favorites were:
-Being grateful is a good way to be happy.
-Being grateful for the things Heavenly Father does for us can improve our relationship with Him.

One of the things I learned in temple prep today I already sort of knew, but the way that it was presented was amaaaazing and just really stood out to me!

Josh wrote on the board:
worthiness ≠ worth/value
worthiness = preparation

I loved that! It was so clear and easy to see what worthiness is and is not. Worthiness is your preparation. It's not your worth or your value. You are ALWAYS going to have worth and value. That is never going to change. Your worthiness, however, will depend on how prepared you.

Josh shared a quote by President Hinckley. He said, "We believe in chastity before marriage and total fidelity after marriage. That about sums it up. That is the way to happiness in living. That is the way to satisfaction. It brings peace to the heart and peace to the home."

We talked about how we all have things that hold us back, but because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we can get through it. We can make it through. We also talked about how there are a lot of different Christian/nonChristian churches, with a lot of different beliefs, and you can pick and choose which one fits your standards. But Josh said, "This is the church that helps us fit God's standards" (emphasis added). I loved that! We are not meant to change the Lord's standards, but we are meant to try and live them.

We talked about how to help people who are struggling with maybe the Word of Wisdom, or the Law of Chastity, and we just said how important it is to listen, and to love them no matter what, and to be respectful and courteous when they're talking to you. It's sometimes hard to share the deepest parts of you with people, and if they make fun of you, or make light of the situation, it doesn't make you want to open up to anyone ever again.

Relief Society was beautiful! We started off with a Dove beauty campaign video that shows/talks about how we view ourselves versus how we view others, and how others view us. We talked about how, as we visit teach our sisters, we help them see their potential. We help them see themselves how we see them. :)

We talked about fellowshipping with those not of our faith today, and there were just a few messages that I loved that I wanted to share:
-Focus on the positives about people.
-Just be a good example.
-Kindness is key.

President Hinckley's fourth point was one of my favorites. He said, "When we treat others with love, respect, and kindness, we show that we are true disciples of Jesus Christ." I love that so much. There is really no other way to show that we are true disciples of Christ. Treating others with respect, kindness, and love, no matter what the circumstances, is the epitome of being a disciple of Christ.

Personally, I try every day to treat others with love, respect, and kindness. It's important to me that everyone feels loved and respected. Sometimes, I make a mistake, but I try again and again. I might not be perfect at treating others with love and kindness, but I am perfect in trying, and I think that that is all God asks of us.

I'm so grateful for the lessons today. I'm grateful for my Savior, and for His hand in my life. I'm grateful for my Heavenly Father and for His love and support. I'm so thankful that the Christmas Musical Fireside I am in charge of is going well already!! I can't wait for it!! I'm so excited and grateful to be in charge of it! It's going to be so amazing and I am just super ecstatic about it!

Hope you have a great week! It's almost Thanksgiving! Hold on for about 11 more days!

Xoxo
Mattie

Mattie's guide to being happy, kind, and Christlike.

Always be optimistic.

Just smile. 

Thank everyone. 

Don't forget to be kind. 

Never make someone feel bad for doing something nice when the time isn't ideal for them (or you). 

Xylophones are fun to mess around on. If you get a chance, do it! 

Hey, wait! Don't forget to be patient! That's important. 

Respect others, even if you disagree with what they are doing/believe in. It's their decision/belief. Not yours. 

Be available. If someone needs to talk, and they turn to you, listen. They came to you because they trust you. 

Love everyone. Someone may not have someone to love them, and someone may feel unloved. Don't let them feel like they don't have someone who loves them, and don't let them feel unloved. 

To sum up: Be optimistic, be happy, be grateful, be kind, be compassionate, be fun, be patient, be respectful, be available, and be loving. :)

This world is going to get a whole lot worse before it ever gets better—though I'm not sure that it is going to get better—so it's important to remember that we are all people. We all have problems and we all make mistakes. If everyone was just kind to everyone, and wasn't mean to each other, all of our problems would be over. So be kind. Even if no one else is. Be respectful. Even if they're not. Smile. You could make someone's day. Just be as Christlike and compassionate as you possibly can. You'll be blessed. :)

The Golden Rule.

Okay, the Golden Rule is do unto others as you would have them do unto you, right? Right. Let me talk here for a second. I'm sick of the world. Wait, wait, wait...hear me out. I'm tired of people being rude and inconsiderate and judgemental. People just don't listen or respect each other's religions or beliefs or ideas. People are always bashing on other people's religions as if they know exactly what it's about and what its focus is when usually they don't. And I find that just absolutely rude! It makes me sad that our world has come to this. People just need to:

1) Respect each other. Respect their beliefs. Respect their faiths. Respect them as a person. This is being kind. 

2) Respect that people have different ideas. Different ideas are okay. 

3) Respect that people are sometimes wrong—even if they don't know it—and that they can have their own opinions. Respect them when you need to correct them. This is being considerate. 

4) Respect people as you want to be respected. 

I feel that if the whole world was more respectful, life would be a lot easier and the world would be a kinder place to live. I just don't understand why people are so rude to each other. It breaks my heart to see people be rude to each other and disrespectful—my heart aches for all of them—but they have their agency and I have mine. If it hurts my heart so much, how much more does it hurt our Heavenly Father's? He loves us more than anything in the world; how does He feel when we treat each other like garbage? I feel like some people are just rude and mean because they are bullies and they like making fun of people and making them cry and making them sad. But why would you do that? You don't like it when people do that to you, do you? No? So then why do it to others? I just don't understand.

People are entitled to their own views, but I just don't understand why some people have to bash other people's faiths, ideas, etc. It makes them HAPPY! If someone wants to be a Muslim, let them. If someone wants to be LDS (Mormon), let them. If someone wants to be atheist, let them. If someone wants to be Catholic, LET THEM. It's not hurting you, is it? No. It's not hurting them, either, is it? No. So then why bother arguing about it, or making mean and rude comments about their religion and beliefs, or making mean and rude comments about them? You wouldn't, that's why. Yet some people do. 

We all make mistakes—this is the truth. Sorry if you thought some of us were perfect. None of us are. But we can become perfect. Through our Savior, Jesus Christ—who was perfect—we can become like Him and like our Heavenly Father. I am not perfect—far from it—but I am trying my best every day to become more Christlike. Following the Golden Rule is one way. Being more loving is another. Being respectful. Showing love. Being kind. Treating people how you want to be treated.

Jesus' example of following the Golden Rule is so heartbreaking but He wanted to do it for us. He wanted us to come back and live with Heavenly Father. Here is what the Jews did to Him (not in any specific order):

-They placed a crown of thorns on His head (St Matthew 27:29; St Mark 15:17; St John 19:2). 

-They spit on Him (St Matthew 27:30; St Mark 15:19). 

-They smote Him (St Luke 22:63-64; St John 19:3; St John 19:3). 

-They smote Him with a reed (St Matthew 27:30; St Mark 15:19). 

-They mocked Him (St Matthew 27:29; St Mark 15:18-19; St Luke 22:64; 23:36; St John 19:3).

-They gave Him vinegar and gall to drink (St Matthew 27:34). 

-They nailed Him to a cross and crucified Him (St Matthew 27:35; St Mark 15:24; St Luke 23:33; St John 19:16-18). 

https://www.lds.org/bible-videos/jesus-is-scourged-and-crucified?lang=eng

What did Jesus do to stop them? In each of the accounts in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, He did nothing. He was the Son of God and He had the power to smite them from the face of the earth, yet He did not. He did not say a word. While He was up on the cross, He said, speaking to Heavenly Father, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do" (St Luke 23:34). They did all those awful, awful things to Him—one of their own—and He asked Heavenly Father to forgive them. If that is not following the Golden Rule, I don't know what is. I love my Savior with all of my heart and I am trying to be like Him more and more every day. I hope that people will come to know Him through me, because if that happens, then I am truly becoming more like Christ.