Work.
Source. President Uchtdorf conference address October 2009

Suggested song: Put Your Shoulder to the Wheel. Page 252
Suggested scriptures: Genesis 3:19, D&C 84:79, 2 Nephi 9:51

Pres. Uchtdorf says: "I would like to speak today about two important principles that sustained me through this formative period of my life." referring to his growing up in Germany after the war and the work he had to shoulder as a young man as well as enduring being made fun of and called names that deeply hurt. He states he learned that adversity when confronted with faith, courage and tenacity, could be overcome.

The first principle he talked about was--

WORK
A few statements from this talk follows;

How I admire men, women, and children who know how to work! How the Lord loves the laborer! He said, "in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, and "The laborer is worthy os his hire." He also gave a promise: "Thrust in your sickle with all your soul, and your sins are forgiven you." Those who are unafraid to roll up their sleeves and lose themselves in the pursuit of worthwhile goals are a blessing to their families, communities, nations, and to the Church.

Our Heavenly Father asks only that we do the best we can--that we work according to our full capacity, however great or small that may be.

Work is an antidote for anxiety, an ointment for sorrow, and a doorway to possibility.

Cultivate a reputation for excellence in all that we do.

Set our minds and bodies to the glorious opportunity for work that each new day presents.

Thomas Monson, "It is not enough to want to make the effort and to say we'll make the effort....It's in the doing, not just the thinking, that we accomplish our goals.
If we constantly put our goals off, we will never see them fulfilled.

Work can be ennobling and fulfilling.

Jacob's Warning: not to "spend...your labor for that which cannot satisfy." If we devote ourselves to the pursuit of worldly wealth and the glitter of public recognition at the expense of our families and our spiritual growth, we will discover soon enough that we have made a fool's bargain. The righteous work we do within the walls of our homes is most sacred; its benefits are eternal in nature.

We are only temporary travelers in this world. Let us not devote our God-given talents and energies solely to setting earthly anchors, but rather let us spend our days growing spiritual wings.

We, of course, brought these principles down to the laboratory of experiment--our home. The activity was to put the timer on and spend time cleaning up our home. This was not the most popular activity we have done and it never has been in the past. However, we accomplished much in the 45 minutes. We talked about the choice we can make in every unpleasant endeavor in life. We can roll up our sleeves and dig in with a great attitude knowing it is for the common good and comfort of those we love or we can choose a negative outlook and grumble and be miserable but still be required to do the work. I am really proud of Jacob. He turned his very negative attitude into a positive one and helped us out to the end. The house was neatly tidied, we got to talk while we cleaned, and he at the end actually offered to go the extra mile and finish up one of dad's tasks for him. Thanks Jake for an awesome attitude!{Katie we missed you but it was fun to do your part for you:>]

Dad and I realize that there are many things in life that are hard or unpleasant. It is easy to sit back and ignore those things and put them off. We also realize the importance of learning how to do hard things. It builds the character we need for conquering the hardships and trials life will hand out to all of us. We will learn tenacity, organizational skills, time management, cooperation, strength of body and soul, etc. etc. We were put on this earth to work and through working realizing our potentials and developing our physical and spiritual capacities.

Thank you Jenny, Dallin and Ashley, Megan, Katie, and Jacob for all your hard work and dedication to good things. We are proud of you for getting your education and Ashley for supporting Dallin in his, organizing your lives, and serving those in your circle of responsibilities. Dad and I love you and pray for you and your happiness in this life and in the eternities.