Our talks :)

This ended up being quite the weekend! My mom and Tom made it and they were the life of the ward party Sat night as Patti Cake and Kactus Pete. How kind of them to drive all the way from Colorado to Bountiful to participate - it was awesome. The picture here is of them/us at the party, then today before they left (the gal who takes pictures/sends ward info out happened to walk by just before they left, and had her camera!) :)

Our talks went just fine, and it was remarkable to have Blake's Mom and Dad, my Mom and Tom, Danielle, and Josie, Braden, and Bailee all there to listen! How nice of them to make it a priority today! :)

We spoke with Maddie Sorenson, one of our cute Beehives, who spoke on the YW value "virtue", and Ben Prusse, a wonderful guy who just got back from a summer service mission to Nauvoo.

They had listed us as "Blake and Melissa Dimond" :) - so I let Blake go first and I think he was happy about that! We'd tweaked our talks just a bit and are including them below in case anyone is interested in the final. :)

I'm so thankful Diane took my YW lesson, since it meant I got to come back with Mom and Tom, get lunch, and spend a little more time with them.

My Mom was really cute - she explained they don't know exactly how to support us, but want to do something - so they gave us a super cute layette set to show they are rooting for us and are excited for the possibility of a baby soon. :)

I feel so lucky to have wonderful family members and friends, that is for sure!!!

Here is Blake's talk:

Good morning Brothers and Sisters. We were assigned to speak on the topic “You Are My Hands” from President Uchtdorf’s talk in April’s conference this year. I have decided to focus on how we can apply these principles in our lives.

· In President Uchtdorf’s talk, he describes how everyone is walking his or her own path and is going in a different direction at different times of their lives. When we are tempted to judge, we should remember Jesus loves everyone and wants everyone to be able to live with Him and Heavenly Father again.

Thinking of everyone’s differences, and how we should appreciate them, and not condemn them, makes me think of my favorite poem:

It’s not that easy bein’ green,

Having to spend each day the color of the leaves,

When I think it might be nicer being red, or yellow, or gold, or something much more colorful like that.

It’s not easy bein’ green,

It seems you blend in with so many other ordinary things

And people tend to pass you over, ‘cause you’re not standing out like flashy sparkles on the water, or stars in the sky.

But green is the color of spring

And green can be cool and friendly like

And green can be big like an ocean

Or important like a mountain

Or tall like a tree

When green is all there is to be,

It could make you wonder why.

But why wonder, why wonder?

I am green, and it’ll do fine

And I think it’s what I want to be. (Kermit)

When I think about this, I realize we shouldn’t judge other people – we don’t know who they are, what their situations are, or where they are going. Even if people blend in with “ordinary things”, they are still unique and valuable; even if they are colorful and different, we should appreciate them and not condemn them for their differences.

· In President Uchtdorf’s talk, he describes how as disciples of Jesus Christ, we are called to support and help others heal. This could be physically, emotionally, or spiritually. He explains that we are all commanded to have compassion and comfort those in need of comfort. When I think about how we can do this, I think about a Primary song that we sang when Melissa was teaching the CTR 7s – “I’m Trying to Be Like Jesus”. It goes like this:

I’m trying to be like Jesus, I’m following in his ways. I’m trying to love as he did, in all that I do and say. At times I am tempted to make a wrong choice, but I try to listen as the still small voice whispers “Love one another as Jesus loves you. Try to show kindness in all that you do. Be gentle and loving in deed and in thought, for these are the things Jesus taught.”

I’m trying to love my neighbor; I’m learning to serve my friends. I watch for the day of gladness when Jesus will come again. I try to remember the lessons he taught, then the Holy Spirit enters into my thoughts, saying “Love one another as Jesus loves you. Try to show kindness in all that you do. Be gentle and loving in deed and in thought, for these are the things I’m taught”

I think that this song perfectly describes what we can think about, and how we can act, if we want to support and help others on a daily basis. Also, when we pray, we often express thanks for having the opportunity to make a difference in others’ lives, which helps us remember that it is a great privilege to help those around us.

· We learn from President Uchtdorf’s talk that our hands can serve like Christ’s hands have served, and this can help us to feel love and gratitude. As we extend our hands and hearts toward others, we become happier and more peaceful, and more receptive to the Holy Spirit. This brings to mind another primary song, “Kindness Begins with Me”, and makes me think about great examples in my life.

The song goes like this:

I want to be kind to everyone, for that is right, you see!

So I say to myself, remember this – kindness begins with me!

I have had many people in my life exemplify this, and I would like to share some stories of these people.

o First, there is my boss. He works 10 hour days, and after working, he often goes home to attend to his own yard and house, but also can be found doing yard work for his elderly neighbors. He shovels their walks in the winter and puts up and takes down Christmas lights. He is never asked; he just does it.

o Next, there is my Dad. He is a great example of how hands can serve others.

§ To our family, he is like our hero. He never asks for anything, and you never have to explain why you need anything – he just shows up and helps, no questions asked, and no complaints. I would imagine he feels good helping others, but he is so quiet and matter-of-fact, you’d never know. Helping others is just part of who he is.

§ He has been a leader in Scouting, organizing badges and keeping track of all of the boys’ progress, for years. I don’t remember him being officially called to do it; he just stepped in to help and kept on doing it since there was a need in his ward (even though he doesn’t particularly like church). He is a great resource for us as we participate in Scouting now also.

§ When Melissa was in the hospital with West Nile virus, she was having severe anxiety and nightmares and didn’t want to be by herself at night. I was exhausted and knew I couldn’t stay all day and night. When my Dad heard this, he immediately offered to stay with her. He said that “he was used to the shift from when he worked at Hill Field Air Force Base” – even though he’d retired over 10 years ago. He would bring materials to read, and sat by the vacant bed, using the bathroom light, in her room so that the light wouldn’t bother her. He ended up going there every night while she was in the Rehabilitation Unit – which was about two weeks straight. He never complained, and if Melissa woke up or was alarmed for any reason, he would go straight over to see what she needed.

o Really, both of my parents deserve a lot of credit for showing me how to serve others. A great example from both of them is how helpful they were to my sister when she had triplets. My Mom and Dad moved in with her to help with everything from feeding, to changing diapers, to helping with laundry. They lived with her for 5 months, then slept at home, but spent all day there for at least another 6 months.

I helped as much as I could after work. Trying to feed three babies with only two hands is a huge challenge! I remember holding up one of the bottles with my feet. I was amazed by my parents’ patience and willingness to help without complaint.

My parents are extremely helpful in many ways – they often offer help before we know we even need it! We appreciate them and their examples very much.

When I helped my sister with her kids, it helped me to feel love and gratitude. I didn’t expect anything in return, but I always felt good inside knowing I was making a difference – even though it seemed to never end. I knew I was helping my sister and my parents, and I felt good.

· I know that through our hands, we can feel the Spirit, and through our hands, we can bring the Spirit to others. As we strive to be kind and to serve others, we will feel happy and want to continue striving to do better. My wife was helping me with this talk and thought that the song “The Golden Rule” from the musical “ My Turn on Earth” summarizes how we can practically apply this idea in our daily lives. I’ll just refer to part of it here:

The Golden Rule is terrific tool to help you decide what to do – and, did you know, though it doesn’t show, there’s a Golden Rule inside of you? It says do unto others as you would have others do to you!

Here, let me show you just how it works. When someone wants to play, but you say “Go away!” Just turn it around, and what have you found? If he were you, and you were him, would you think it fair to be left right there with no one to share and no one to care? The Golden Rule says no!

But if you say “Stay and play”, if you try to be kind, well, what do you find? Would you enjoy a nice girl or boy, a friend you could stay with and have a nice play with, a friend you could run with and have lots of fun with? The Golden Rule says yes! It says “Do unto others…as you would have others do to you!”

I know that President Monson is the true Prophet and that he is dedicated to serving others, and I know if we follow his example, we’ll learn to be closer to the Spirit, and more like Jesus Christ, which will help us to be happy. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

...and here is my talk:

Good morning, Brothers and Sisters! A little over a week ago, I was lucky enough to get to go to baptisms with the Young Women and Young Men at the Bountiful Temple. While I was there, Brother King sat by me and said “What are you and Blake doing this morning?” It was pretty early for a Saturday, so I didn’t realize that an assignment was looming until I had gotten home, changed my clothes, and the phone rang from the King’s house. Blake and I both looked at each other with a bit of angst, but I was very proud of him for answering and agreeing for Brother King to come right over. I was even prouder when he agreed, with just a little hesitation, that he (well, we) would participate today. What a privilege, though, to be a part of this meeting, speaking with such neat people.

It is true that although we have been in the ward for a little over four years, we have escaped this assignment - or blessing, depending on how you look at it - until now. Although many of you know us already, I will give a brief introduction to the Dimonds .

Blake is the youngest of three children. He was born and raised in Bountiful, just east of the Mandarin. He went to Viewmont High School and the University of Utah, where he graduated in Business. Blake works for Crown Casters and Handtrucks in Salt Lake City, where he helps with everything from sales, to physically building casters and handtrucks of all shapes and sizes, to customer service, and everything in between.

I am the oldest of three children. I was born in Boulder, Colorado, and have lived in El Paso, Texas; Las Vegas, Nevada; Littleton, Colorado (where I graduated from Chatfield High School); Salt Lake City, and Bountiful. I came to Salt Lake City in 1992 to go the University of Utah, where I graduated in Biology and then completed a Masters in Public Health degree. I currently work for the Utah Department of Health where I manage the Communicable Disease Investigation and Response Program, or “CDIRP” for short. You’ve got to love government acronyms.

Blake and I did not have a traditional courtship. We met in our early 20’s when we worked together at the Carriage Court Restaurant – he was the “Room Service King” by the time I started working there. He didn’t really notice me – at all – though I often heard him telling stories that made me laugh and I knew he was a very funny – and handsome – person. We became friends after a while, and he would call me to chat now and then. Finally one day I asked him if he wanted to hang out – and he did. We dated for a couple of months, and then I moved and was focusing on my Masters degree. We still would call each other a few times each year, and in 2003, I decided I wanted to go out with him again, so I called him and asked him if he wanted to hang out – again – and he did. The rest is history. Well – I guess I SORT of forced the proposal –but that’s a story for another day. We were married on October 15, 2005. After a few rough years, as Blake tells it, after going for time, we decided we liked each other enough to go for eternity – and we were sealed this year on January 2.

We have lived in our home since July of 2006. We are lucky that we love each other, and we love our home, our neighbors, and this ward! We have been blessed beyond our expectations since choosing to live here and are very thankful that we both knew our house was “the one” for us.

I will mention before getting into the topic that normally, I actually enjoy speaking – but that is usually when I have a Powerpoint to go along with, which is a great tool for masking fear and keeping you on track!

I was very happy to hear we were assigned the topic of Elder Uchtdorf’s talk “You are My Hands” from April’s General Conference. I remember hearing this talk and being flooded by thoughts of wonderful people who have helped me so much, and I truly love this topic.

For me, the essence of the talk is the idea that “As we emulate [Christ’s] perfect example, our hands can become His hands, our eyes, His eyes; our heart, His heart”. I decided to focus on why I think this idea is important for my talk today.

As I considered the “why” of this principle, the first thing that came to mind was “How do our Heavenly Parents see each of us”? In Doctrine & Covenants 18:10, we read, “Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God”. We know that our Heavenly Father, and his son Jesus Christ, love us perfectly and unconditionally. To me, this means that they love every single one of us. I am not a parent yet, but I notice when people have new babies that they often gaze at them with a look that clearly shows they are seeing how perfect that little one is – perhaps even seeing a glimpse of how Heavenly Father sees them. When I get annoyed by some people, I often wonder what they were like as infants, and think about how (hopefully) their mother looked at them lovingly and realized how magnificent they were. Sometimes this helps me to try to think past what’s bothering me and to try to have some patience to get to know the person better and learn to appreciate them.

I used to ride the bus to work and school when I was going to the University of Utah. Often I would have very interesting people sit by me and start talking. Sometimes I admit I would be deep in thought and wish they’d leave me alone, but usually I’d become engaged in the conversation and end up thinking “what an interesting person that was”. I remember once when a man with a rather large lump on his nose, who, going by his smell, seemed to have skipped a few showers, sat by me and started telling me all about his life. At first, I couldn’t get past the lump, or the smell – it was pretty gross. But as I talked with him and listened to his stories, I realized that poor man didn’t have anyone else to talk to! I realized that I had no way of knowing if any of his stories were true, or if he was suffering from a mental illness, but it didn’t really matter. He was certainly not threatening, and I felt happy to listen as it seemed to cheer him up, and the stories were really interesting!

As I think about this now, was this poor man loved any less by his mother than I was by mine? Probably not! More importantly, was his value any less to Heavenly Father than mine? Most assuredly not! Just because of his lack of hygiene that day, was he excluded from what we learn about the Savior’s love for us in 2 Nephi 26:24-25?
24 He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw all men unto him. Wherefore, he commandeth none that they shall not partake of his salvation.
25 Behold, doth he cry unto any, saying: Depart from me? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; but he saith: Come unto me all ye ends of the earth, buy milk and honey, without money and without price.

I think verse 28 clarifies this even more when it states:

Behold, hath the Lord commanded any that they should not partake of his goodness? Behold I say unto you, Nay; but all men are privileged the one like unto the other, and none are forbidden.

The next part of the why to me, then, is “why do they need us to help”? Surely when they have the power to part the Red Sea, or to feed the masses, or calm the tempest, they do not NEED us. I would say, though, that we need that experience in order to truly learn charity and love. If we skip learning how to listen to the promptings of the Holy Ghost, I would imagine He will prompt another to help the person we could have helped. I think Heavenly Father has a large army of people who are willing to listen and help. But what will we miss in missing that experience? Will we become more like the Savior, or less, if we choose to focus on our own needs instead of looking outward towards opportunities to help others? I believe that this principle is not one that Heavenly Father or Jesus Christ need for themselves as much as they need it for US to become like them.

I woke up this morning thinking of many examples of this, and would like to share a few. If Jesus were here:

· Would He carry my “overnight” bag that had way too much in it, into the cabin at Girls’ Camp as Mallory did?

· Would He greet me with a smile as big as Texas and give me a hug like Sammie Sorenson or Bro. Hoffman do on a regular basis?

· Would He drive from Littleton, Colorado to Bountiful, Utah for an overnight trip to make animal balloons, paint faces, and visit with the kids at the ward party as Patti Cake and Kactus Pete did?

· Would He spend time with me while I was in the hospital while others took a needed break and tell me about living in Hawaii and working at Hill Air Force Base as my father-in-law did?

· Would He listen to my concerns and desire to start a family and help me find hope as my sister-in-law and mother-in-law have?

· Would He tell me I look cute, when I feel anything but cute, like Nikki Sellers does?

· Would He give me a blessing to find direction and comfort when I needed to make a big decision about work as Blake did?

· Would He answer the phone at 10 at night on a Friday, while watching a movie, to help me find a number since my pump had broken after jumping in the ocean in Hawaii, as Geri Kendrick did? Would He then help me figure out how much lantus insulin to take until my new pump arrived as Bro. Donaldson did?

· Would He offer to teach today so that I could focus on my talk as Diane Grant did?

I think in each case He would, and I think He is happy that each of you are helping others on a daily basis and acting as His hands!

If we use this principle as a teaching tool to help us to be humble and to learn and grow, especially when it means helping someone we wouldn’t normally think to help, I think we are more likely to learn humility, to learn to better follow promptings of the Spirit, and, if we are open to the experience, we may even have the opportunity to get a glimpse of what the Savior sees in those we are serving.

When we embrace this principle, we are learning to live the 2nd great commandment described in Matthew 22: 39-40:
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

I think we learn through experience, too, WHY these two commandments are the foundation of all of the law when we strive to obey and truly live them. I think, then, we are getting closer to qualifying to return to live with our Heavenly Father, which is a goal that He has for us, as much as we have for ourselves.

I’d like to briefly bear my testimony that I love the idea of becoming His hands, seeing with His eyes, and knowing His heart. I have seen wonderful examples of others working towards this and have been the recipient of remarkable acts of service, many from members of this ward, as well as many outside of the ward, including people who are not members of the church. I am so grateful for this, and love that it makes me want to do better and strive more fervently to be a better servant. I’m thankful for the opportunity I had to speak today, and hope the Spirit has been able to convey something that will help you as you go about your day since I know my words are imperfect! I love you all and thank you for the amazing people you are. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.