The Virtue of Work

I was reading today in President Hinckley's book Standing For Something, and I began the chapter entitled Thrift and Industry: Getting Our Houses in Order. I believe we are constantly striving to get our houses in order, whether it be spiritually or physically. As I am embarking on a new phase in my life, I am trying to find the balance while striving to find order as well. I have been listening to the most recent conference talks again on my iPod and I came across Elder Oaks talk entitled Good, Better, Best. Since I have listened to it, his words have remained in the back of my head whenever I am planning my day. I think to myself, "Is what I'm doing good, could I be doing something better or is this the best thing I can be doing right now?" Those words have really helped me put into perspective the things that are really worthwhile to spend my precious time on. That brings me back to President Hinckley as he talks about the virtue of work. Since I can't paraphrase very well I write what most stuck out to me.

Work is the miracle by which talent is brought to the surface and dreams become reality. There is simply no substitute under the heavens for productive labor. It is the process by which idle visions become dynamic achievements...But it is work that spells the difference in the life of a man or a woman...Children who are taught to work and to enjoy the fruits of that labor have a great advantage as they grow toward maturity. The process of stretching our minds and utilizing the skills of our hands lifts us from the stagnation of mediocrity.

You, my blogging friends, are so wonderfully talented and I have learned so much from you. You are such hard workers in your homes are thrifty and industrious. Every once in a while I glean something from what you have shared and tried to implement it in my life. Thank you so much for sharing!