It snowed today, nine inches in Salt Lake Valley and now it’s our turn.

Since I moved to Utah Valley, I’ve had the feeling like I’m in an afterlife. When I look out the window at our neighborhood once I was moved to tears. It was so beautiful.

I expect an Messenger to come to me and say “Shawn, you died on the way to Spanish Fork. You’ve been dead three years. This is the afterlife.”

This year, I decided not to shovel the driveway. There is now an impenetrable six inch slab of ice. It would take a monumental effort to chip away at that. I think that is perhaps how it is with grudges, bad feelings, and bad habits. It takes a continuous effort to keep them clear– to forgive often and make small course corrections.

Today, I feel inclined to say a word of encouragement to young readers (ages 12-16). Keep your chin up. Life gets better. Whatever you are going through, it gets better and you will get past it and be a stronger person for it.

This life is a great voyage of self-discovery. We are half-blind for a reason. Without the veil between us and the Celestial World, there would be no need for faith, and indeed faith could not be developed. Being human, we would remove from our lives all misery and suffering, and thus deprive ourselves of one of the greatest things a soul can have: to KNOW good from evil, bitter from sweet, sickness from health.

Before this earth life, we lived with Heavenly Father. We knew each other well as a great family. Now, we are in mortality to learn by our own experience. There is no other way. When we make mistakes we can repent and get things right. Sometimes, something that seems so bad at the time ends up to be a great blessing.

Tragedy or Destiny. This is one of the greatest discourses on this subject that I have ever read in my life. If you take time to read it through, you’ll be glad you did.

It occurred to me that if Heavenly Father were to reveal himself to someone, so that he knew for a fact that He was real, that it would take away his freedom of choice to some extent. There would be a tremendous burden to now act on that knowledge. Rather, Heavenly Father gives a little light here and there depending on the level of obedience, which must be given of free will.

Cost of the pearl: everything you have. The pearl is to know for a fact that god lives and to know him personally; what is He really like? Casual curiosity is not enough.

I want to express my deep love and gratitude to those that have sent kind emails, kept the business afloat with orders, and helped with advice and labor.

My heart is full of kindess to you young people, going through your tumultuous young years. I assure you that the thunderstorm in your mind does pass and there is calm.

PS- Every once in a while I get the urge to make a post like this. I don’t want to come across as “preachy”. I don’t make any pretentions to being a good person. Anyone that knows me can attest to my irreverence and imperfection. If this was helpful to you, please drop me a line, otherwise I will probably just keep it to myself.