Doctrine and Covenants 88:119 "Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God."
Salt Lake Temple
Hopes and dreams for my future home, family, education, and life accomplishments when I was 18:
1. Get married. I never expected to be twenty-seven and still single. I graduated from high school, went to BYU, and knew that I would be married by the time I graduated. Graduation came and went and I literally did not have a plan B. I ended up working as a bank teller for two years while I prayed and thought about where my life should go. That path has taken me to get a master's degree in American Studies and has currently brought me to law school.
2. I wanted children. I only wanted a small handful when I was eighteen.
3. I wanted a huge, pottery barn house.
4. Go to the temple
5. Serve a mission
Hopes and dreams for my future home, family, education, and life accomplishments now:
1. Get married. I still hope and pray for this promised blessing, but am now content with being single for however long God needs me to be.
2. Have children. I want lots of children, which is a dream that could get biologically scary in a few short years. I have also come to the realization that there are children who currently need my maternal instincts and feelings. In fact, my desire to have children brought me to law school. There are so many children who are the victims of their parents and society, which is why I'm studying family and child advocacy law.
3. I want a quaint, small and cozy house. I do want a huge yard where I can raise chickens, bees, plant a huge vegetable garden and lots of flowers. I would also love to have an orchard and a dairy cow. This is a 180 degree shift in my thinking that has occurred due to Henry David Thoreau's influence.
4. I want to graduate with a law degree. I also plan on taking online or classes at a community college throughout my life. There's so much to learn, and I want to soak it all up. I have been and am a college professor, so taking a free class would be a bonus! Some subjects that particularly interest me: writing, Russian language, literature, visual arts, music, humanities, history, theatre, family history, politics, languages, philosophy, and comparative religion.
5. I have fulfilled my goal of going to the temple for myself.
6. I have served a church service mission for five years at the Church History Museum. When I graduate, and if I move back to Salt Lake, I want to go back to my mission.
7. I want to wear myself out in the service of my God, church, community, and the world.
8. I think it would be interesting to run for public office.
9. I want to help the plight of children in the world: orphans, those trapped into a human trafficking scheme, children who are abused and neglected, to increase educational opportunities, secure their basic necessities of life, and to raise the social currency of children.
Technically, if I'm reading the manual right, this fulfills this requirement; however, it fills a bit insufficient for me right now. I'm going to study this scripture in greater depth, focusing on each aspect and how I can apply each element into my life. Updates will probably be sporadic, but I will keep you posted.
