In Genesis we learn that “Adam called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.” Mother of all living – what a beautiful and all-inclusive title! On this beautiful Sabbath Day, as we take the time to honor our mothers and all mothers (mothers of all living), let us take a moment to contemplate the many roles that mothers play in our lives. Let us take a moment to express gratitude to God for our mothers and to our mothers for all they do for us.

·         Mothers are creators and innovators. They give birth to all human beings. We thank you mothers for the role you play in us coming to this life.

·         Mothers are physicians and healers. In a meeting with some young children who gathered for their First Holy Communion, the priest asked the children to share some thoughts about how their mothers help them. One young girl responded, “She takes care of us when we are sick.”

·         Mothers are educators. They teach their children their first lesson of life. They teach by example and sometimes with spoken words.

·         Mothers are chefs. It is fun to hear professional chefs give credit to their mothers for their style of cooking. There is no better way to welcome a child home after school than with the smell of homemade (mom-made) food.

·         Mothers are nurses. The nurturing instinct and ability of a mother never gets old. When my mother was alive, she frequently checked up on me to make sure I was taking care of myself. Even when she was 90, she made sure she did her work as a mother – a nurturer.

·         Mothers are advocates. They keep peace in the land (home).

·         Mothers are servant leaders. They are the first on the job and last to go home (retire to bed). There are times they are on call 24x7. They often eat last. If there isn’t enough, they quietly go without.

·         Mothers are visionaries. They help their children see the future.

·         Mothers know how to make sacrifices. Anon put is this way, “Someone asked a mother of thirteen children, “How in the world do you have time to care for thirteen? She replied, “When I had only one child, it took all my time; what more can thirteen do?””

While this list is short of all the roles that mothers play in our lives, I am happy to conclude with this experience I had yesterday with my oldest grandson. I asked him, “When you think of mothers what comes to your mind? He replied “Heart”. One powerful word. I was so intrigued by his quick and genuine answer, I followed up with another question; “What do you mean by that?”. He responded with no hesitation again, “Because heart is the symbol of love.” I was so impressed by his insights and wanted to learn more from him. I said “Is there anything else you want to say.” He said, “No, I said it all. It is L-O-V-E.”

My dear grandson! You are right. You said it all. Mothers are L-O-V-E and mothers are loved. Happy Mother’s Day to all mothers for you are the mothers of all living. Happy Mother’s Day to my dear wife, Fenise!

If you like this post, I invite you to take a moment to think of the mothers in your lives. Take this moment to let them know how special they are to you. Share with our readers what other roles your mother plays in your life.

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Thank you for your time!!!  Illens Dort – authour of Thinking and Acting with a Compassionate Heart. To buy a copy go to https://www.amazon.com/author/Illensdort

“Where there is no vision, the people perish” (Proverbs); and a person without a clear vision is lost on the journey of life.

Solomon, King of Israel, wrote this very well-known proverb; “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” If a nation can perish for lack of a vision or lack of a clear vision, what can happen to a person who lives without a clear vision? It might surprise you to know that there are a lot of people in this world that wake up every day and tackle life without a clear vision. They don’t know where they are going. They may not even know why they are here. Living life without a clear purpose is like being blind and not knowing it.

When someone is born blind or becomes blind, the other senses and faculties of that person take over and work to compensate for that sense that does not function. The fact that the person is aware of that blindness helps him or her find ways to utilize the other faculties so he or she can make up for the deficit. When someone lives life with no clear vision, the person is lost and does not even know it.

Why is it important to create a clear personal vision? CEO of Becoming Your Best, Co-author of the book The Transformation Challenge and Former  F-16 Pilot, Rob Shallenberger states “Your personal vision is the seed of your legacy.” I love this definition. It is simple and clear. What legacy do you want to leave for your posterity? How do you want the people that matter the most to you remember? Where do you want to be tomorrow or few years from today?

 Regardless of where you are today, you can lead your life to a higher position by just taking few minutes to draft your personal vision. It may take several drafts before you get a perfect one. If the full picture is not yet clear in your mind, you can start with the picture that you have in your heart and mind at this time. You can grow into your vision. You can also amplify and magnify your vision as time goes by. The goal is to start now. Start where you are. You can seek the help of a mentor. You can share your thoughts with members of your families and get their inputs. Start with a pen and a piece of paper because you will want to write it on paper so you can remember it, visualize it, and even practice it.

Remember “Where there is no vision, the people perish;” and a person without a clear vision is lost on the journey of life.

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Thank you for your time!!!  Illens Dort – authour of Thinking and Acting with a Compassionate Heart. To buy a copy go to https://www.amazon.com/author/Illensdort

To fully appreciate this life and all the beauty of this earth, one needs to understand the purpose of life. There are three simple and important questions that we need to address. These questions can help us better understand the significance of this mortal life and the majestic power and love of the author of this creation. These questions are:

1)    Where do I come from?

2)    Why am I here on earth?

3)    What will happen to me after death?

The first question; “Where do I come from?” The Lord told Prophet Jeremiah that he knew him before he was even born: “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee;” (Jeremiah 1:5). Each human being has a premortal life and lived with his or her Heavenly Father before he or she came to this earth. Birth is a transition from this pre-mortal life to this mortal probation.

Why do we refer to this life as a probationary state is because when our spirit enters this physical body or temple, we become mortal. This means one day we will die. This leads to the next question; “Why are we here?” We often hear that there are two significant moments in a person life; 1) the day he was born and 2) the day he knows why.

Why are we here? We are here to gain a body and to have experiences that will prepare us to return and live with our Heavenly Father again. We are here to form lasting and eternal relationships with members of our families and our fellowmen. We are also here to have joy.

What after this life? What is the purpose of this life if we were to come here, live a good life, form great relationships with people we really love and one day death will erase all? I had this question when I was a teenager. I could not believe that a loving Heavenly Father, Father of all mankind, will create us, human beings, the most important piece of His creation, and to suddenly all will go to waste. This did not make sense to my simple mind. Deep in my heart I felt there was a greater purpose for this life. I am satisfied now this question has been resolved for me. My life changed the day I received that deeper knowledge.

Ancient scriptures teach us this truth; “And we see that death comes upon mankind, yea, the death which has been spoken of by Amulek, which is the temporal death; nevertheless there was a space granted unto man in which he might repent; therefore this life became a probationary state; a time to prepare to meet God; a time to prepare for that endless state which has been spoken of by us, which is after the resurrection of the dead” (Alma 12: 24).

The Apostle Paul also helped me find the answer in his teaching to the Corinthians; “For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory (Corinthians 15: 53-55)?

Through the power of the Resurrection, a free gift of God given to us through the merit of His Son, Jesus Christ, who was the first to be resurrected, the sting of death has been removed and brought for us victory over death.

We all will live again and will never suffer physical death. We will have an immortal body. What a blessing! What a gift! What an expression of love!

Share your thoughts in regard to these three questions.

1)    Where do I come from?

2)    Why am I here on earth?

3)    What will happen to me after death?

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share your thoughts in the comment field below.

Thank you for your time!!!  Illens Dort – authour of Thinking and Acting with a Compassionate Heart. To buy a copy go to https://www.amazon.com/author/Illensdort

Three years ago, my wife and I decided to go on our first trip to Europe. We thought about it for a long time. We planned it and saved money so we could enjoy the trip. We had five countries in mind: France, Italy, Spain, England, and Germany. With the help of our daughter Samentha who was living in Belgium with her husband, we narrowed the list down to three places; France, Spain, and Italy.

                During that trip to Europe, we considered each country as a milestone. We made a very long list of things to do and places to see. But what made that vacation more enjoyable were the many small and great moments that occurred along the journey.

                Life is like a journey with a point of departure and a final destination. If we were to focus only on these 2 points, life here on earth, could have been boring because we don’t remember the circumstances of the events of our births and the time of returning is so unpredictable and can seem too far in the future. What make life more fun are the moments (small or big) and milestones that happen along the way. For example, in many cultures we celebrate birthdays, Christmas, Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Independence Day. Today, our Mexican friends are celebrating Cinco De Mayo; a time when family members and friends gather together to remember their victory over France in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. This was a great milestone—a significant moment—in the history of Mexico.

                As we look at milestones, one can divide them into two categories; predictable/planned and unpredictable/abrupt. The predictable milestones include birthdays, Christmas Days, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Independence Day, Communion Days, Baptism Days, Sweet Sixteen events, etc. Events such as the ones like Cinco De Mayo, independence days were unpredictable and abrupt before they became predictable. There are unpredictable events such as earthquakes and tsunami that change the way we do things. No matter the nature of the milestones, we need to take a moment to embrace them, to enjoy them, to learn from them, and to allow them to shape our character and help us to grow and to continue strong on the road of life.

                Do you take time to enjoy the precious moments of life and to celebrate each major milestone of your life? Do you take a moment to reflect upon these milestones and learn from them? Do you take a moment to record them so you can remember them?

What is a life that is not lived? Let us take a moment to enjoy life and to create memories in our hearts and minds that will never be erased. Let us take a moment to think about the purpose of this life. Let us take a moment to appreciate the beauty of this creation. Let us take a moment to thank God for the gift of life and for the beauty of this earth. Let us take a moment to breathe deeply and be grateful for each breath we take. Let us take a moment to express gratitude and to show love and compassion to one another.

Let us take a moment to live.

If you like this post, I invite you to take a moment to share it with people in your circle of influence.

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Thank you for your time!!!  Illens Dort – authour of Thinking and Acting with a Compassionate Heart. To buy a copy go to https://www.amazon.com/author/Illensdort

“Passion is about oneself. Compassion is about others. Compassion is the good deed we do to alleviate the suffering of others.”

How do you define passion? What does it mean to be compassionate? When you think of a compassionate person, who comes to your mind and why?

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Thank you for your time!!!  Illens Dort – authour of Thinking and Acting with a Compassionate Heart. To buy a copy go to https://www.amazon.com/author/Illensdort

 “Let your heart be fertile soil where great thoughts can grow and produce the fruits of strong character” —Illens Dort

The great Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote “Sow a thought and you reap an action; sow an act and you reap a habit, sow a habit and you reap a character; sow a character and you reap a destiny.” This quote from Emerson has a great influence on me. A thought is like a seed. Once it is planted into the soil of your heart, you have the responsibility to nourish it. When you take time to cultivate the thought, it will grow. It will transform you and the people with whom you associate. Therefore, let your heart be fertile soil where great thoughts can grow and produce fruits of strong character.

Share with us how you cultivate your thoughts and learn from them.

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Thank you for your time!!!  Illens Dort – authour of Thinking and Acting with a Compassionate Heart Amazon.com/author/ILLENSDORT