Summer Update

I have been so bad at keeping this blog updated with family adventures.  I hope with the start of school and my "attempt" to get back into the swing of things and organized that I can do better.  Usually there just isn't much going on.  We are happy to just survive another week with the normal problems that we all have.  But since I know that family (hi MOMS!) wants to know more of the daily grind, I'm going to try to do better.

Family Overview:
Tori, Josh, Zach and I spent most of July in Texas helping Mom and Dad Bryson move their candy store to the other side of the mall.  Mandie, Mom, and Dad did the hard part of moving everything out of the old store in May before coming to see us in Colorado for Tori's graduation, but when the time finally came, we needed to move it all back in.  Wow.  That was a hard, crazy move.  I don't know how they managed to get all that out of the store since it was so hard to get it back in with even more of us.  My cap is off to Mandie for sure!

We got to spend a good three and a half weeks with family in Texas.  While most of it was work, we did enjoy just being together.  I'm glad things worked out that we could go.  Thanks Mom and Mandie for all the stress of getting us down there.

Hank:
While I took most of the kids to Texas, Hank and Henry stayed behind to work.  Hank got several pieces of work news while we were away.  It turns out that we won't be moving this summer or fall after all.  We were pretty sure that a move to Florida was in the works, but since Heavenly Father knows more than us, He has decided to keep us in Canon City for one more year.  We have faith that this will work out for the best, especially with Henry being a Senior this year and having so much going on with that.  But we were a little dissapointed as we felt it was time to go on many fronts.

Hank also learned that he was being moved over to the ADX.  This is the maximum security prison that houses the worst of the worst. Hank was able to join us in Texas for two weeks, and then started working at the ADX as soon as we got back.   He's already being nick named "The Inmate Whisperer" and "Dead Shot" thanks to some crazy incidents that happened out there in his first week.  Hopefully this move will be good for him, as the entire brass seems to think he'll be able to go anywhere he wants after being there for a year.  We'll see.

Hank is currently serving in the Elders Quorum presidency, although we don't expect that to last more than a week or two.  His president was called into the Bishopric, so we expect a realignment of his calling.  We'll see what happens there.

Kim:
This has been a pretty rough summer for me.  I feel like I've failed a bit with the store and in being a mom, so my esteem has taken a bit of a knock.  Then with other "life problems" that came along this summer, I came pretty close to a breaking point.  I'm so grateful to family that was there to pull me out of it and bend over backwards to help me.

I've been trying to find my place now that I'm back to being a stay home mom.  I'm still trying to keep pretty busy with my Kandy Kreations store and blog.  I shut a lot of the store down to help me catch my breath, so it's been slow, but I've been trying to transition over to making money on the blog while doing the things that I enjoy.  It's been slow, but I have hope.  I also started a second blog that I had originally planned to be a moving guide for prison families.  It hasn't gone the way I hoped, so I'm trying to realign my vision with reality and enjoy what I am doing.  This second blog has been a place where I can showcase the hidden gems of Canon City and take the kids to do some fun things.  It's been fun.

I am currently serving in the Young Women presidency.  It's the one area that I always felt I would least enjoy.  I'm working with the Beehives, which has been both fun and challenging.  They still have the excitement of being in Young Womens, but they are easily distracted in just about everything.  It's been an interesting calling and I'm trying to bring my Recreation degree and love of parties to interest and entertain the girls.  Sometimes I wonder if they think I'm just nuts, but they go along with my crazy ideas usually.

Tori:
Tori was a big help to us down in Texas both in setting up the store and working it.  She enjoyed her time down there while starting the Smallville series.  She also made a new "friend" that she met while working the store one night towards the end of our trip.  They went out on a "date" and had a good time, after I stalked his facebook page and made her promise to send status updates along the way.

While down in Texas, we came up with a "life plan" for her, at least one to get her going until she figures out where she's heading.  Her plan is to head back down to Texas about Thanksgiving time so she can help out at the candy store during the long holiday hours.  After the new year starts, we hope to enroll her in cosmetology school so she can get her licence and start doing hair.  This will give her time to figure out where Heavenly Father wants her to go and the skills to be able to afford to get there.

Tori is still technically in Young Womens.  They said she could stay until she leaves in the fall as long as she's finishing up her Personal Progress.  She is working on a clay replication of the Salt Lake temple as her last value project.  It's been a little more challenging than she thought, but we're hoping it won't take as long as the real temple did to build.  The Primary have pulled her into the nursery to be a helper for the summer while the regular teachers are away.  Once school starts, we aren't sure if she'll stay down there or not.  She loves working with the little ones, so we'll see if she gets any say in the matter.

Henry:
Henry has been one busy little bee this summer.  We have rarely seen him with work and football practice.  As a lifeguard at the pool, he's there almost from 9am to 9pm every day.  He's gained a little bit of a fan base with some of the little girls and his swimming lesson groups.  In the few spare moments that he's had, he started practices for the high school football team with a few friends.  He's enjoying being back on the field and hoping that Canon City has a better passing team than his last team did.  He's really needing his uncles to come visit and practice with him, since Hank has no free time and I can't throw a ball to save anyone's life.  (Anyone up for a road trip?)

He'll start his senior year in two weeks and will keep being busy then too.  He's taking a few honors classes while playing football, singing in Encore, and being a Peer Counselor.  I'm not sure how he's going to do it all, but he's a hard worker when he puts his mind to it.  I just imagine we won't see him much except at football games and encore shows when we're cheering him on.

Joshua:
Josh is one of a kind.  I can see moments of his maturity and growth and moments when he still enjoys the funny, shocking, stupid things of being a kid.  I guess thirteen does that still.  I am totally amazed at how he's slowly starting to be more help at home with the little things that he volunteers to do.  I have hope that some day we won't see him in jail or the hospital for following his Daredevil ways.  Although he did decide to fill up the little pool we have and go swimming when it was 40 degrees out last week in the rain.  I'm surprised he and Zach didn't get hypothermia.

Josh will start 8th grade this year.  He's determined he's really going to buckle down and get his work done this year, but we'll see if that really happens.  I don't know how anyone teaches this grade.  Trying to get him to do his work is like pulling teeth, so I have great hope that he'll finally see the light this year.  He is talking about doing both soccer and football this year, but I'm not sure it's going to happen.  The time and money may just be more than we can handle, so we're trying to figure out how to work that out.

Zachary:
Zach has loved Henry working at the pool this summer and has become an unofficial lifeguard.  He's down at the pool almost every day with Henry and has become a little fish.  He had a small birthday party at the pool when we got back from Texas since that's where all his friends are these days and it was fun to see him show off his pool skills.

He'll start fourth grade this year and will continue in the GATE program.  His math skills are pretty exceptional so we're glad he goes to a Math and Science school that has the resources to guide him.   He's really looking forward to going back to school.  (Gotta love when they are that young still.)  He had decided he wanted to play soccer for the city in the fall, but after hanging out with Henry, he's wanting to be like him and play football too.  We'll see where that leads.

We'll that's it for our family's summer activities.  With school starting in the next few weeks, we should be getting into a schedule and down on the crazy summer hours the kids are living by.  I hope to keep you all more updated on our life updates, so keep us in your thoughts and prayers always please!

March 1-Photo of the Day

My boys playing peacefully together. Thank goodness for Daddies and Small Miracles!

I Heart Faces Photo of the Day Challenge Day 1

"Doing Good to Others" Teachings of the Presidents of the Church Lesson 22

Source

This lesson starts by telling how President Snow was journeying  through Iowa in February of 1846.  The weather was difficult and they struggled through rain, snow, and mud.  One day they ran into a gentleman who needed help carrying his trunk.  There was no room in President's Snows wagon, but they did not turn him away and made room for his stuff.

That next day, the axle on their wagon broke.  They were miles from the nearest house and the nearest town with no way to fix the wagon.  Yet, they were blessed to find this gentleman who they hadn't turned away was a wagon maker and fixed the axle better than it had been to start with.

By doing this small act of service, President Snow and his family were blessed to have the answer to their problems when they arrived.

A repeating pattern that shows up in this lesson, and with service, is how many times in the service of others did it bring about a much needed answer or start a sweet blessing in our own lives?

President snow touches on this when he talks about the rewards of teaching; 

"Let a man remember that there are others that are in darkness and that have not advanced so far in knowledge, wisdom and intelligence, and let him impart that knowledge, intelligence and power unto his friends and brethren, inasmuch as he is farther advanced than they are, and by so doing he will soon discover that his mind will expand, and that light and knowledge which he had gained would increase and multiply more rapidly."

President Snow continues;

"Now an individual in order to secure the highest and greatest blessings to himself, in order to secure the approbation of the almighty, and in order to continually improve in the things pertaining to righteousness, he must...go to work and be willing to sacrifice for the benefit of his friends." 

There's a story that comes from the life of President Monson that shows how he had a wise mother who taught him this at a very young age.

"Sunday dinner was a big event in the Monson home, featuring roast beef with gravy and mashed potatoes. On Monday the family ate leftovers from Sunday dinner. On Tuesday they had stew from the end of the roast. Wednesday they had pork chops, and on Thursday a sirloin steak that fed everyone at the table. Friday was lamb chops or fish, and Saturday link-sausage sandwiches. Variations included Lima beans and ham one night, homemade meat pies another. Chopped fruit salad with marshmallows was a favorite, as was rice pudding. Gladys was known for her cakes. She often tinted each layer a different color—green on the bottom, pink in the middle, and yellow on the top—and covered the whole cake with thick chocolate frosting. Even Old Bob got one of Gladys’s cakes for his ninetieth birthday, with nine candles, one for each decade."

"Every Sunday Gladys would prepare a plate of food for Old Bob; before the family sat down to dinner, she would send Tommy off with the plate. One Sunday he asked, “Why don’t I take it down later?”

"His mother responded, “You do what I say, and your food will taste better.”

"He wasn’t sure what she meant, but he headed off for Old Bob’s, waiting anxiously as aged feet brought his neighbor to the door. Bob reached for a dime to reward the delivery boy. “Oh, Mr. Dicks,” said Tommy, “I wouldn’t want to take your money. My mother would tan my hide.”

“My boy, you have a wonderful mother,” Bob said as he patted Tommy’s blond hair."

"When Tommy got back, his dinner did taste better. “I didn’t realize,” he recalls, “I was learning a most powerful and important lesson about caring for those less fortunate.”

Why does our happiness increase when we help others find happiness?

How can we as parents and grandparents help our children to learn this truth?

If there is anything that life and service teaches, it is that helping those around us and spending our time on someone elses' needs cures our sadness and mutes our own troubles.

"...When you find yourselves a little gloomy, look around you and find somebody that is in a worse plight than yourself; go to him and find out what the trouble is, then try to remove it with the wisdom which the Lord bestows upon you; and the first thing you know, your gloom is gone, you feel light, the Spirit of the Lord is upon you, and everything seems illuminated."

I know many of you have heard how we were flooded in the mid west floods several years ago.  As bad as I felt we had it, it wasn't until I got out there and helped the others recovering that I could see how blessed we were, and sometimes, how to fix our own troubles.

Joseph Smith's favorite hymn, A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief, illustrates this wonderfully, especially verses two and five.

2. Once, when my scanty meal was spread,

He entered; not a word he spake,

Just perishing for want of bread.

I gave him all; he blessed it, brake,

And ate, but gave me part again.

Mine was an angel's portion then,

For while I fed with eager haste,

The crust was manna to my taste.

5. Stript, wounded, beaten nigh to death,

I found him by the highway side.

I roused his pulse, brought back his breath,

Revived his spirit, and supplied

Wine, oil, refreshment--he was healed.

I had myself a wound concealed,

But from that hour forgot the smart,

And peace bound up my broken heart.

It seems to magnify our blessings even more when our service is outside our circle of loved family members and friends.

Why do you think this is?

When it is truly selfless and doesn't benefit us in any direct way, the heavens seem to see this and reflect it.

While big efforts and service are noteworthy and needed in some cases, none of us can overestimate the power of a few kind words in some one's day.  Small acts of service add up quickly and we have the opportunity to do them every single day, especially within our own family.

"We have been sent into the world to do good to others; and in doing good to others we do good to ourselves. We should always keep this in view, the husband in reference to his wife, the wife in reference to her husband, the children in reference to their parents, and the parents in reference to their children. There is always opportunity to do good to one another."

President Snow describes a heightened sense of others around us as godliness:

"We have just got to feel … that there are other people besides ourselves; we have got to look into the hearts and feelings of others, and become more godly than what we are now."

When we get to the other side of the veil, we will remember each other and remember the feeling of love, affection and friendship that we may not remember now.

"We are of the same Father in the celestial worlds. … If we knew each other as we should, … our sympathies would be excited more than they are at the present time, and there would be a desire on the part of every individual to study in their own minds how they might do their brethren good, how they might alleviate their sorrows and build them up in truth, how [they might] remove the darkness from their minds. If we understand each other and the real relationship which we hold to each other, we should feel different from what we do; but this knowledge can be obtained only as we obtain the Spirit of life, and as we are desirous of building each other up in righteousness."

One of the fruits of the Spirit is to cause us to be more interested in each other and more aware and concerned one for each other.  

"Be upright, just and merciful, exercising a spirit of nobility and godliness in all your intentions and resolutions—in all your acts and dealings. Cultivate a spirit of charity; be ready to do for others more than you would expect from them if circumstances were reversed. Be ambitious to be great, not in the estimation of the worldly minded, but in the eyes of God, and to be great in this sense, “Love the Lord our God with all your might, mind and strength, and your neighbor as yourself.” You must love mankind because they are your brethren, the offspring of God. Pray diligently for this spirit of philanthropy, this expansion of thought and feeling, and for power and ability to labor earnestly in the interest of Messiah’s kingdom."

The church, and Relief Society in specific, are set up for us to help and serve one another.  As we do so, it will cultivate more love and service within our own lives, homes, and hearts.  If we look for these opportunities and pray for new ones, we will draw closer to our Heavenly Father and be more like His son, Jesus Christ.

Much of this lesson was inspired by Classic Mormon Mom.

The Sky Is Falling!

It seems like this spring was the time for plays in our family.  During one month, each of our kids was involved in a school play.  Zach's school did a fairy tale themed play and he got to be Chicken Little.

Most of the kids got to dress up as Princesses and easy characters.  Chicken Little was a little difficult for us to design up a costume for, especcially living in a small town without any beloved craft stores.

But Chicken Little loved his costume, especially the rubber glove feet so it all worked out good.  And he did an amazing job!  Can't wait to see him in more plays in the next few years.

"I Am That Merry Wanderer of the Night"

Josh's middle school put on a production of Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream this spring.  I was shocked when Josh came home and said he had received the role of Puck.  This was his first play and it was Shakespeare....  I could only imagine what it was going to be like.

But I have to admit, I was completely AMAZED!  They did a wonderful job and Josh put everything into his role and handled the tough lines perfectly.

He did a great job and I wish I could have recorded the play to enjoy again and again.

I know he's excited to have joined the great Thespian tradition in our home and there will be many more productions in the future.

Strengthening Our Family: Family Home Evening Sacrament Talk

I was asked to talk in sacrament meeting today on Strengthening the family.  I really had a hard time figuring out what I needed to say.  I started my talk several times and then just didn't like the direction.  I even had it half way written and the computer unexpectedly shut off causing me to lose it all.

I don't know if the Lord was telling me that I was on the wrong track or not.  I never did feel comfortable with any of it and the actual talk delivery was horrid.  But at least it's over and here is what I came up with....

We are blessed to live in the last days….a time of great joy and great trials….

Satan is attacking the family from every side.  As Latter day saints, we are blessed to have prophets that can see and recognize the fight against us.

President Boyd K. Packer told this story:

The back windows of our home overlook a small flower garden and the woods which border a small stream. One wall of the house borders on the garden and is thickly covered with English ivy. Most years this ivy has been the nesting place for house finches. The nests in the vines are safe from foxes and raccoons and cats that are about.

One day there was a great commotion in the ivy. Desperate cries of distress came as 8 or 10 finches from the surrounding woods came to join in this cry of alarm. I soon saw the source of the commotion. A snake had slid partway down out of the ivy and hung in front of the window just long enough for me to pull it out. The middle part of the snake’s body had two bulges—clear evidence convicting it of taking two fledglings from the nest. Not in the 50 years we had lived in our home had we seen anything like that. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience—or so we thought.

A few days later there was another commotion, this time in the vines covering our dog run. We heard the same cries of alarm, the gathering of the neighborhood finches. We knew what the predator was. A grandson climbed onto the run and pulled out another snake that was still holding on tightly to the mother bird it had caught in the nest and killed.

I said to myself, “What is going on? Is the Garden of Eden being invaded again?”

There came into my mind the warnings spoken by the prophets. We will not always be safe from the adversary’s influence, even within our own homes. We need to protect our nestlings.

We live in a very dangerous world that threatens those things that are most spiritual. The family, the fundamental organization in time and eternity, is under attack from forces seen and unseen. The adversary is about. His objective is to cause injury. If he can weaken and destroy the family, he will have succeeded.  (Boyd K. Packer)

Elder M. Russell Ballard continued this by saying:

Let me say again that the family is the main target of evil’s attack and must therefore be the main point of our protection and defense. As I said once before, when you stop and think about it from a diabolically tactical point of view, fighting the family makes sense to Satan. When he wants to disrupt the work of the Lord, he doesn’t poison the world’s peanut butter supply, thus bringing the Church’s missionary system to its collective knees. He doesn’t send a plague of laryngitis to afflict the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. He doesn’t legislate against green Jell-O and casseroles. When evil wants to strike out and disrupt the essence of God’s work, it attacks the family. ("Let Our Voices Be Heard," Ensign, November 2003, p.16)

We have been told in “The family: a proclamation to the world” that the family is central to

the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children. 

So what can we do as parents, sons and daughters, aunts and uncles, and grandparents do to help our families win this war?

I can tell you it is the “Primary answers”; you know the ones that you learned at a young age…scripture study, prayer, going to church…  If you think about it, those are the answers to all of life’s problems.  I could just quote President Kimball and say “DO IT”, be done with my talk and sit down and we would all be good.

For The basic key to strengthening our families in a world of trial and sin is to have the Spirit of the Lord come into our homes.

Many years ago, the prophets of The church were inspired to introduce a program that will help our families by providing a way for us to bring the spirit and these Primary Answers into our homes each week….Family Home Evening.

President Hinckley stated that “if every family in the world practiced  ...Family Home Evening…you’d see a very great difference in the solidarity of the families of the world.”  (interview, Boston Globe)

Elder Bednar continued by saying…

"Each family prayer, each episode of family scripture study, and each family home evening is a brushstroke on the canvas of our souls. No one event may appear to be very impressive or memorable. But...our consistency in doing seemingly small things can lead to significant spiritual results." (Elder Bednar,Ensign Nov. 2009)

Through his prophets, the Lord has told us that"... Like iron links in a chain, this practice will bind a family together, in love, pride, tradition, strength, and loyalty."  (President Bensen)

I know in our home, we have an on-again/off-again relationship with family home evening.  It is hard with so many of us going so many different ways each week to gather together and to put the time and effort into the lesson and activities.

So, in a time of increasingly busy schedules, how can we have regular and successful Family Home Evenings?

One key answer to that question is preparation. Using a Family Home Evening Outline is a great way to easily and quickly plan Family Home Evening. Giving each family member a Family Home Evening assignment will also help by delegating responsibilities and to encourage participation of all family members, including during the lesson.

Since I HATE to give lessons or talks, I am often surprised how eager my children are, especially Josh and Zach to give the lesson and be involved in the activities.  Even our young children can participate by helping hold up pictures, describing or pointing to things in pictures, and repeating a phrase or two about the topic being taught.

It is important for us to remember that the home is the place to teach our children the “vision of eternity” and “how to help them follow the road signs in order to reach their (eternal) destiny.”

“We must understand that each of our children come with varying gifts and talents.  Some seem to be given gifts of faith at birth.  Others struggle with every decision they make. “As parents we must constantly find the quiet moments during Family Home evening to teach them and bear our testimonies in a way that will help our children fight the battles in their lives.

I imagine it was during times like these that Alma from the Book of Mormon taught his son the gospel, so that years later when alma the younger was “racked with torment…and harrowed up by the memory of his many sins, he remembered hearing his father teach about the coming of Jesus Christ, a Son of God, to atone for the sins of the world (Alma 36:17).  His father’s words years earlier were remembered when he was struggling and led to his conversion.

Our lessons do not have to be elaborate General conference talks…they can be simple 5 minute lessons on the important things our families need to hear.  The important thing is for our families to HEAR it and to hear it with the spirit of the Lord in our home.

The best way to have a successful Family Home Evening is to just have it. The purpose of Family Home Evening is to be (and learn) together as a family and all you have to do to achieve that goal is to simply hold Family Home Evening. 

The more regularly you bring your family together for Family Home Evening, the more accustomed they will come to being together, participating in Family Home Evening, and being united as a family. 

I know our Family Home evenings are often a bit loud with laughter filling far too much of the evening.  But that’s our family.  I am blessed to have children that like being together (most of the time).  We have our moments like most families do.  There is too much yelling at times.  Too many doors slammed.  We are not perfect.  But we keep trying.

And as we have more and more “On-times” with our Family Home evening efforts, I find that we have fewer arguments, more joy and laughter, and more happy times in our home.  This encourages me on those days when I don’t want to put the time into preparation to keep plugging away.

The first presidency has said…“In our Home Evenings, we can fill our souls with the things of God, thus leaving no room for evil to find a place in our hearts or minds.” (The First Presidency, Family Home Evening [manual, 1972], 4).

In 1915 the First Presidency of the Church gave us this promise: “If the Saints obey this counsel [to hold family home evening], we promise that great blessings will result. Love at home and obedience to parents will increase. Faith will be developed in the hearts of the youth of Israel, and they will gain power to combat the evil influences and temptations which beset them” (“Home Evening,” Improvement Era, June 1915, 734).

I know that there is nothing more that I want for my children than to gain strong testimonies, go on honorable missions, and marry happily in the temple.  The lord has promised that Family Home evening is a way to strengthen our families from the war Satan is waging against us and to obtain those goals for our family.  By doing this every week, I can help my kids grow towards the happiness of eternal families and we can have “no empty chairs at our eternal table.”

Agency and Accountability Sacrament Talk

Tori had to give a talk today in church.  She was super nervous, but as always did a WONDERFUL job.  So many people commented to both of us how great of a job she did.  I don't think the notes that she based her talk on can tell you how down to earth and wonderful her talk was, but here they are anyway.

Strength of Youth 

Agency and Accountability

What is agency?

   Agency is “the ability to choose and to act for yourself” (True to the Faith, 12).

   Elder Robert D. Hales said: “We teach that agency is the ability and privilege God gives us to choose and ‘to act for [ourselves] and not to be acted upon’   

   (2 Nephi 2:26). Agency is to act with accountability and responsibility for our actions” 

2 Nephi 

     27 Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and call things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself.

  ---Continues to say---

     28 And now, my sons, I would that ye should look to the great Mediator, and hearken unto his great commandments; and be faithful unto his words, and choose eternal life, according to the will of his Holy Spirit;

     29 And not choose eternal death, according to the will of the flesh and the devil which is therein, which giveth the spirit of the devil power to captivate, to bring you down to hell, that he may reign over you in his own kingdom.

---FAVORITE PARAGRAPHS IN STRENGTH OF YOUTH

Heavenly Father has given you agency, the ability to choose right from wrong and to act for yourself. Next to the bestowal of life itself, the right to direct your life is one of God’s greatest gifts to you. While here on earth, you are being proven to see if you will use your agency to show your love for God by keeping His commandments. The Holy Ghost can guide you in using your agency righteously.

You are responsible for the choices you make. God is mindful of you and will help you make good choices, even if your family and friends use their agency in ways that are not right. Have the moral courage to stand firm in obeying God’s will, even if you have to stand alone. As you do this, you set an example for others to follow.

DEUTERONOMY 11 

    26 Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse;

    27 A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you this day:

    28 And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day,

JOSHUA 24

    30 And now remember, remember, my brethren, that whosoever perisheth, perisheth unto himself; and whosoever doeth iniquity, doeth it unto himself; for behold, ye are free; ye are permitted to act for yourselves; for behold, God hath given unto you a cknowledge and he hath made you free.

    31 He hath given unto you that ye might know good from evil, and he hath given unto you that ye might choose life or death; and ye can do good and be restored unto that which is good, or have that which is good restored unto you; or ye can do evil, and have that which is evil restored unto you.

In several verses in the scriptures it talks about how we know good from evil and sometimes its gonna be hard to choose, weither its hard because we know the right disition but we want so bad to see what the other choice would be like, or its because we're really not sure. Thats when we need to pray to see weither its a sunrise or a sunset (EXPLAIN THAT) 

MORONI 7

 15 For behold, my brethren, it is given unto you to judge, that ye may know good from evil; and the way to judge is as plain, that ye may know with a perfect knowledge, as the daylight is from the dark night.

QUESTION AND ANSWER

  @  How can I convince my friends that our standards are really about freedom and are not a burden?

    “The commandments are not a burden or a restriction. Every commandment of the Lord is given for our development, progress, and growth. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught: ‘God has designed our happiness. . . . He never will institute an ordinance or give a commandment to His people that is not calculated in its nature to promote that happiness which He has designed’ (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith [1976], 256)”

   @  What are the consequences of how I use my agency?

   “Your use of [agency] determines your happiness or misery in this life and in the life to come. You are free to choose and act, but you are not free to choose the consequences of your actions. The consequences may not be immediate, but they will always follow.

 

  @  Besides choosing between right and wrong, how else does agency apply to my life?

   “You are . . . responsible for developing the talents and abilities Heavenly Father has given you. You are accountable to Him for what you do with your talents and how you spend your time. Choose to do many good things of your own free will” (For the Strength of Youth, 3).

  @  Why does Heavenly Father allow Satan to tempt us?

   “Satan’s increasing influence in the world is allowed to provide an atmosphere in which to prove ourselves."