"just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly."

-proverb

epiphany.

a few days ago i was driving to work and noticed that the clock in my car was running a little behind schedule. noticing this, i changed the time so that it would instead be 5 min. faster than the real time. as i went throughout the day i realized that when i looked at my clock i really did think that the time was what it read to be (instead of being fast). and then it dawned on me..

as i looked at that clock, i saw the time for what it was. i believed in the time it showed me, even though i know i just set it fast earlier that day. i had forgotten what the time really was and not only til i remembered that i set it fast was i able to give myself a reality check and realize that i still had 5 extra minutes.

as we go through our lives are we telling ourselves we aren't good enough? are we looking into the mirror and not truly seeing who we really are? are we telling ourselves negative things so that we believe we aren't as great as we are supposed to be?

like looking at a clock set a little bit fast, we sometimes look at ourselves with a false perception/belief. we cannot even fathom the love that our Heavenly Father has for each one of us. we only come to realize this when we give ourselves that reality check and see that we are not the person that we are telling ourselves we are, just like remembering that our clock is set fast.

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said:

“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”

i hope that i can come to accept the fact that i am great. i have amazing potential to bring others to Christ. i want to strive to not only see others through Christ's eyes, but to also see myself as He sees me.

happy sunday!

morgs

dedicated to my cousin.

i have a bazillion cousins but this is for one who i was very close to growing up. we are 2 1/2 years apart but she has always been someone who has made me laugh and loved me with open arms even though i am the littler cousin. anyways, i have to blog about this to remember a very funny day in my life. my cousin, leslie, is HILARIOUS. she is up at BYU but came home for the break and her SUPER CUTE boyfriend (without the label) came down to be with her for new years. let me tell you..he is delicious. only problem is that he thinks the army is cool and he signed up for 3 years. well this boy (aka hunk of MAN) is the WHOLE package. he has graduated from college, has a job, runs marathons, speaks german, finnish, and french, and is just easy on the eyes!

on sunday night we had a family get together and i discovered something...my sister and i are probably the most forward people i have ever met. we were up in the game room when my cousin's boyfriend was playing ping pong and had to grab a ball that fell next to the pool table. luckily, for my sister she was playing pool and was right in the way. he said "oh sorry, i just have to grab this ball, one minute.." she decides to reply, "oh take ALL the time that you need!" bahaha. madi madi madi. SO FUNNY. later, it was time to leave and i hugged my cousin then shook her boy's hand and said "ok bye! stay cute!" awkwardly enough, my parents didn't get out the door for 10 more minutes so i felt so dumb! oh well..all i can say is if my cousin doesn't marry him...i will take one for the team ;) (just kidding!) well, lou--i love you. please please..i am begging you-BE AN ARMY WIFE!

xoxo,

morgs

well...

i guess this is proof of how bad i am at writing in my journal! wow...it has been over a month! it is kind of funny to realize that my blogging stopped right around finals and now that i haven't been in school i haven't blogged. i guess that isn't an excuse since i am still FB/blog stalk happy.

i gave a talk on sunday on charity. i don't usually have a hard time writing talks but for some reason this one didn't come very easy. maybe because charity can be interpreted so many different ways..anyways, i spoke with 3 other "college kids" from the ward which was kinda cool. i was such an emotional bawl baby! it was ridiculous. usually i get emotional/choked up when i bare my testimony but SHOOT i was crying before i even gave my talk.

it's funny how picking out talk topics works out. it usually happens to be like the one thing that i need to work on or something for me to learn about. i feel blessed for getting the opportunity to learn.

on another note, it was my last sunday in my family ward. i am SUPER nervous about switching over to a single's ward but it just is time. i don't know how to explain it other than it just feels like i need to move on. i am so sad about leaving my sunbeams. seriously. i broke down in tears telling the bishop i was going to switch because i didn't want to leave my sunbeams (i know..this does not help my claim stated above that i am not an emotional wreck..). i am going to miss them! i had the best class ever. they said the cutest things and i could always feel love from them. whether it be a cute statement about how they thought the bishop was jesus's dad or telling me how beautiful my earrings were. so sweet. it makes me so excited to have a family of my own (now...just to find a husband)..haha just kidding. i am not on the prowl.

anyways, this is my long and boring update of a post to let people know i am still alive. in closing, i would like to leave a quote from my talk on charity.

"If you judge people, you have no time to love them."

~Mother Theresa

love,

morgs

B.D.C.

for months i have been getting phone calls from a special someone (or shall i say someones?) i like to call UBS. yes, that's right. united blood services. about a year ago i had the opportunity to donate blood at the institute building and because of my dear institute teacher who was only alive because of blood transfusions i eagerly volunteered. little did i know that i would have the universal blood type of O negative and come to find that UBS would hunt me down like they were ravenous wild wolves..(so if you need blood--let me know..ha)!

anyways, today i finally volunteered to donate again. i even got a cool shirt. hello Blood Donor Club!! who would have thought they would have blood donor club shirts..let's get real guys..i met some very nice people there who donate regularly and it made me realize that no matter how bad needles freak me out (not to mention they are a billion times thicker than normal needles), i need to do something to give back to the community. to love my neighbor. to serve others. to help save lives.

i was very touched to see so many people in one little room to come and donate anything they could. between those who just donated blood or those who donated platelets/plasma, etc. i was touched. i cannot express how much it meant to me to see those who were donating for the cause of saving lives, especially those who were donating platelets for cancer patients. cancer has always been something that has struck close to home. growing up i had one of the greatest best friends lose his dad from lung cancer only later to lose his mother from the same cancer. my grandpa has been fighting cancer for years and i can't help but get emotional each time i see him try to put on a smile to mask the pain. i feel blessed and loved. i thank Heavenly Father for each day i get to spend with him because i know others have not been as lucky. i KNOW without a doubt that Heavenly Father puts trials in our lives so not only that we can grow from the experiences but that we may also KNOW what we are capable of. He sent us others to be answers to our prayers--our friends, family, and even those we may not know right now help us to survive physically, spiritually, and emotionally. so, for this thanksgiving i will continue to be grateful for those who are willing to donate the little things to others in life because indeed, those are the things that truly matter.

through His eyes..

i have been thinking a lot lately. a lot about myself and what i can do better to feel the spirit each day in my life. i feel so stuck in a rut lately-emotionless. i know there are things i can improve on (this is no news flash), but life gets crazy and often times i lose sight of what matters most. lately i have thought about our Heavenly Father and how He sees people--what they mean to Him, how beautiful they are to Him, and their great worth.

as i have grown up in the church i felt like a very nonjudgmental person. i am supportive of those who have fallen short of expectations, done something "wrong," or for those who are just "lost" with nowhere to go. but i have come to realize that i am actually a very judgmental person. i hate to admit it, but it is something that i try to work on every single day. it doesn't just come easy. it's EVERY SINGLE thought i have about EVERY SINGLE person i come in contact with. i feel as though others judge me-my appearance, personality, everything. whether i "should be eating this," "wearing that," etc. i have come to the realization that although i am very judgmental of people, i am very nonjudgmental about the sins they have been involved in because frankly, i have been there. i know i am not perfect. but i can strive each day to have {perfect moments}.

this week i have tried really hard to see those around me through His eyes. i have tried to see their worth, value, talents, and look past their appearances. it has really helped me to realize the importance of human beings on this earth. i have come to remember that even the murderers, thieves, liars, and people like me all sustained Christ. we chose His plan. we have all come down here to learn. and so, i ask this..what would the world be like if we could all just see through His eyes?

thought for the day.

Your talent is God's gift to you. What you do with it is your gift back to God.

~Anonymous

I am going to Peru this summer to volunteer! I.am.so.EXCITED. I cannot wait! I feel like it should be happening tomorrow. I am so happy the Lord gives us opportunities so that we can learn and grow and find ourselves through serving others.

my day of birth.

i am 20. officially. well actually, UNofficially. i technically wasn't born til 11:35 PM. but, forget that--i am sure glad we celebrate all day long!! and truly, if you are part of the Clement fam, (aka my mother's child) you celebrate pretty much ALL week! i love my mother.

now, i could go on and on about my 20 years of life, but i don't want to brag about my senile age.. ;) what i am really thinking about right now is my best friend Elder Nathan Larson. a few days ago i got a letter from him with a birthday card inside but he required that i couldn't open it until my birthday soooo what did i do at 12:00 am? i opened my card OF COURSE! (buckle down for the long read ahead! so sorry--just so emotional)

i am SO blessed to have this boy as my best friend. i miss him so much yet i know he is serving the Lord and for that not only is he blessing himself and his family and the people of Korea, but i feel blessed as well. i can't help but be emotional after reading his card and knowing how great of a friend he has been to me through the years. we've had our shares of fights and arguments, but when it comes down to it all i remember are the laughs, memories, and tears (both from laughing together or crying from pain). He has always been there for me. i love you nate dogg. i can honestly say your card has been the best present of my 20th birthday. you bring so much happiness into my life and all those around you. you mean so much to me-i don't know what i would have done without you. this i know for sure: WITHOUT YOU...i would have been WAY MORE confused about college. Would not have gotten an A in chemistry. Not understood a whole lot more in Calculus. Would have heard a whole lot more "world war III's" in my house. Would have cried a whole lot more tears alone. And would have been incomplete.

BUT..good news! you came into my life and saved the day! (more like the past 4 years!) you helped me through college when i didn't get it (and didn't laugh at me when your incredible brain couldn't understand how i didn't get it). you tutored my sister and saved a lot of heartache for my mother. you let me cry on you when no one else was here. you became part of my family. i love you and i always will love you for being my best friend! thank you nate dogg for being the best example to me i could ever ask for!