Our Bodies and Emotions
This week in our institute class we talked about the connection between our bodies and emotions. A healthy body is important to being emotionally resilient. As we take better care of our physical health our emotional health will also improve and vice versa.
Our bodies are a gift from God and as the Apostle Paul taught should be treated like a 'temple' which houses our spirit; "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you..." (1 Corinthians 3:16)
President Russell M. Nelson said, "Your body is the temple for your spirit and how you use your body affects your spirit. God is the father of our spirit. We are part of His divine purpose. And when he created us physically, we were created in the image of God. Development of the spirit is of eternal consequence. When we truly know our divine nature, then we will control our appetites. We will focus our eyes on sights, our ears on sounds, and our minds on thoughts that are a credit to our physical creation as a temple of our Father in Heaven... For these physical gifts, thanks be to God."
Regular exercise can greatly benefit our emotional health. Physical activity stimulates your brain and releases chemicals that help with your emotions and ability to see situations clearly. Taking time to be active can leave you feeling happier, more relaxed and less anxious. Physical activity can also be an opportunity to use your body and connect with family and friends in a fun, social setting.
The need for sleep and rest is often forgotten. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said, "Fatigue is the common enemy of us all-- so slow down, rest up, replenish, and refill. Physicians promise us that if we do not take time to be well, we most assuredly will take time later on to be ill" -- Quality sleep can help protect your mental health, physical health, quality of life, and safety. When you're tired, you might find it hard to make decisions, solve problems, control emotions and behavior, and handle change.
We are eternally grateful for our bodies and our spirits. As imperfect as we may be in this mortal existence, in the future we are all promised a perfect resurrected body through the grace of our Savior's Atonement, a tangible body free from death and illness. We expect our future resurrected body to be the best version of our current physical selves. Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ we are also granted the grace needed to overcome spiritual difficulties as well as physical challenges in this life. While we are graciously granted these days in mortality, let us develop our spirits to be a glorious version of who we really are, uniquely gifted, distinct children of our loving Heavenly Father.
Max, Hazel and Tessa (under the age of 6) teach our institute lesson
This last week we featured pictures of our family in different settings as we taught these principles of physical and emotional health. We wish we could share all the pictures here of our children / grandchildren but we will just show three that were helpful in illustrating our messages. We had a picture of Hazel instructing her grandma and grandpa and a picture of Max expressing emotion after unsuccessfully trying to prepare a bag of microwave popcorn and a picture of Tessa getting needed rest.
Cowboy Wisdom
In district council this week we shared with each other our 'whys' for serving a mission. Mission service is a difficult yet rewarding experience, so it is helpful to be reminded and stay focused on our 'why' for serving. We are in a district of 8; 4 young Elders, 2 young Sisters and then us. We meet weekly to instruct and edify each other. One of the Elders in our district, Karter Pentz, is from Morgan, Utah. Before his mission he was homeless for a short time and then went to work as a cowboy and eventually decided to serve a mission at age 25. We are grateful for his wisdom as a young adult cowboy. Here is some cowboy wisdom he shared.
Your horse is an essential companion as a cowboy. He spoke of teaching a new horse to learn to pull in a yoke by yoking him with a more experienced horse. This would calm the young horse, and keep him from wanting to run away and help him to learn to pull productively, in unison. Who would all you wild horses like to be yoked with?
Toby and Tony
This last week we met Elder Betteridge's newly discovered Newcastle cousin, Tony Brown, at Toby Carvery's. This is a restaurant chain in England; one serving of meat (your choice) and all you can eat vegetables. It was a delightful meal and we have a followup with him to explain why family history is important to us.
What is Wet and Light all Over?
The first hydro-electrically powered home in the world-- Cragside.
William Armstrong was a visionary victorian inventor and his wife Margaret was a keen gardner. They married in 1835. They created an amazing estate called Cragside in the late 1800's (1869-1895) complete with a hydraulically powered elevator, running water and electric lights. Originally a modest fishing lodge, they transformed Cragside into a fantasy castle of luxury and convenience.
William Armstrong is one of Britain's least celebrated geniuses. He was a visionary inventor, engineer and business man. In his heyday right here in Newcastle he employed 25,000 people manufacturing hydraulic cranes, ships and armaments. Their passions of engineering and natural science are reflected across the Cragside estate, which we visited on Saturday.
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