Reflections on My Disney College Program

One year ago today I officially started my Disney College Program. I thought about how I really had no comprehension of the magical journey on which I was about to embark, and I had no clue that I would make such dear friends. As I reflected on my experience throughout the day I thought of what I wish I could have told myself at the beginning of my program.
1. Every second you think you are too tired and decide to hang out in the apartment, could be spent in one of the parks making memories. Every second you decide to watch a movie with friends, could be spent with them in the park. If a park is open, and you are not working, you should probably be there.
2. It is okay to go to the parks by yourself. Enjoy the single rider lines! Take pictures. Spend time just looking at the details of the park you miss as you run with a group from ride to ride. Enjoy the shows. It's more fun with people, but going by yourself to a park is more fun than chilling at home by yourself.
3. I wish I could point out exactly who would turn out to be my Disney BFFs and park buddies from the very beginning. The memories I made with those people are priceless. The laughter, the screams, the smiles, and even the tears (Wishes, Fantasmic, and the Finding Nemo musical would get me EVERY time), are all a part of an amazing journey you will miss every day.
4. This experience will change you forever! The people you meet (CMs and guests alike) will teach you things about yourself. You will view the world and the people in it differently afterwards.
5. FROZEN REFERENCE "It's funny how some distance makes everything seem small, and the fears that once controlled me can't get to me at all." All of those problems you have back home like school, your future career, dating, everything, they will all be more manageable after you've taken a step back.
6. Shut up and stop complaining. Yeah, the buses suck, they are always late, and you probably will stand almost every day as you ride home. Yes, you got scheduled for a shift you would rather not have, you got an assignment you don't like, and you aren't working with your friends. You are at DISNEY WORLD, and only for a short time. Enjoy every second.
7. Make the experience magical for EVERY guest you meet. It doesn't matter whether anyone else notices, if you can bring a little more magic to the vacation of each guest, there will be more magic in your everyday life.
8. Don't worry about the money. I mean, don't spend so much that you go into debt or anything. But really, if it is an experience worth having, spend the money.
9. Visit every single attraction at least once. Every. Single. One.
10. Don't worry about the drama. Seriously, you are never going to see those people again.
11. Watch Wishes at least once every other week. Do it. And Dream Along with Mickey.
12. Live every single moment, every minute, every second. Because you are going to miss it all. Laugh louder than you think you should, sing, dance, move it, shake it, celebrate it! Because this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, so make every second count.

My Thoughts on Women and the Priesthood

This post is not an argument. I am not meaning to criticize anyone's belief system or opinions. It's not me trying to change anyone's mind. It is simply my thoughts on women and the Priesthood.

 I watched General Conference and specifically listened for any responses to the Ordain Women movement, or any mentioning of gender roles actually. I, of course, had my own opinions from the very beginning, but I was interested to see what attention, if any, would be given on the topic. The main message I got from conference is men and women have their own, distinct and equally important, roles to fulfill in God's plan. 

I am totally cool with that. 

Let's go over a few reasons why.

A. The Priesthood does not give men some sort of dominating rule over me. When I am married, my husband and I will work as equal partners making decisions in our home. We both will pray for our family, we both will receive revelation, and we will work together, relying on our Heavenly Father for guidance, to make our home a place where we can raise our children in an environment of love. Additionally, the Church relies on the talents, intellect, and willingness of many women to operate as the world-wide Church that it is. Guess who President Monson counseled with when making decisions about the change in missionary age. The Relief Society Presidency, the Young Womens Presidency, the Primary Presidency, women! In this church we are heard, we are respected, we are loved.

B. I realize that as a woman, I will use my own talents to perform my own role. I get to be a co-creator with God one day when I have children. While I don't fully comprehend the magnitude of this role, because I have a mother, I can at least start to understand the profound influence and responsibility it is.

C. God has a plan, and he knows what part he wants me to play. He is going to use me where I am most valuable. Isn't that such a comfort? He knows me so well that He will place me where I can do the most good. 

When I was younger, I was confused why men got to hold the Priesthood, and all I got was the joke "Get married and you can hold the Priesthood whenever you want." How many times have you heard that one, ladies?

But now I understand that God has designed a plan that will result in my eternal happiness. And I trust him. As a part of this plan, he has designated different roles for men and women that are equally important, though vastly different. 

To illustrate my point, I have come up with an analogy. In the human body, we have both a heart and a brain. Both organs are vitally important, and they need the other in order to keep the body alive and healthy. If the heart is not present, no blood will flow to the essential organs in the body, including the brain, and the brain will not be able to function. If we are without a brain, the body will not receive the direction and instruction it needs in order to perform as it needs to, including the heart. Both are necessary. 

Cardiologist Penn Laird Jr., M.D., in an posting you can read here, said the following:

 "When you get down to the question of which is more important, obviously they both are. In fact, I think it’s probably a useless argument to try to rank one above the other. In fact, it may be useless to try to rank any organ in the body above another-we need them all!"

Additionally, you would not expect the brain to function as the heart, because that wouldn't help the body. No matter how you slice it, two hearts will not make up for the lack of a brain. Conversely, two brains will not be able to perform the function of a heart. It's not because one is more important than the other, but there are simply different functions that need to be performed.

So it is with men and women. We have equally important, and distinctly different roles to play within the church. In fact, we rely upon each other to perform these roles well in order to support each other. 

Sister Carole M. Stephens, First Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency, in her address "Do We Know What We Have?"said:

 "We all need each other. Sons of God need daughters of God, an daughters of God need sons of God. We each have different gifts and different strengths. First Corinthians chapter 12 emphasizes the need for sons and daughters of God, each one of us, to fulfill our individual roles and responsibilities  according to the Lord’s plan, that all may benefit."

I don't want to go into a long list of men's roles vs. women's roles, but if you want to read any information from this past General Conference, I recommend Elder Christofferson's talk, Elder Andersen's talk, and Sister Stephens' talk. What I do want to touch on is the importance of the individual roles.

God, in his infinite wisdom, knows that in order for us to become exalted like him and his companion, our Mother in Heaven, we each must play our part.  God has given me a role. He doesn't need me to hold the Priesthood, not because he doesn't think I'd do a great job, but because he has something entirely different he is entrusting to me. Just as he doesn't ask the brain to perform the heart's role, he hasn't asked me to perform a role he has given to the men. 

I know that our Heavenly Father is real, and I know that he has designed a beautiful plan, in which we each have been trusted with a unique role to play. And praise be to God for his love and wisdom in this.

Tell Them You Love Them

This morning of millions of parents said goodbye to their children as they made their way to school. Some of them lovingly hugged them, or maybe kissed them on the cheek. Others were frazzled. Everything went wrong this morning, the breakfast burned, a new shirt ruined, they were late for work, and their child was whining because they didn't want to go to school. Some maybe said harsh words that they didn't mean because they were stressed. But oh, how each of them loves their children.

Last night there were millions of big brothers and sisters busy at work. It's the end of the semester. Projects and tests are overwhelming even the most dedicated student. Maybe their little brother or sister wanted to play a game with them and started to be annoying. Perhaps they took the time to play, or maybe, in a moment of frustration, they lost their cool and snapped at the child, ordering them to go away. Maybe they promised to play with them the next day. These older brothers and sisters worked late into the night, far past when their young siblings go to sleep, and woke up before them as well. Surely they will have time later to show their beloved brothers and sisters how much they really love them. 

Now the world weeps, and the angels along with them. Today parents were robbed of their children, brothers and sisters were torn away from the siblings who love them. Their last moments with their loved ones vary, but no one expected that their last words would be so final.. They never expected that their brief hug goodbye would be their last. And why would they?

Perhaps today a mother found a perfect gift for her little girl and wrapped it with care. Perhaps a small child was smiling at his friend and classmate, boasting of his plans with his beloved older brother. Perhaps we shared similar moments this morning with our loved ones as many of the victim's families did with theirs. 

Tonight a mother weeps, unable to look at the messy room that was such a big deal this morning. Tonight, a father wishes he had taken a moment  in his busy morning to glance into his child's room and see his sleeping angel. Tonight siblings long for a simple game with their beloved brothers and sisters. Tonight families wish for one more moment to hold their beloved little ones. 

Now God holds those children who were welcomed to their heavenly home far too early as he wipes away his own tears. Tonight he longs for the people of this world to reach out to him so that he might heal their broken hearts.

So tonight, tell your children you love them, call your mother and tell her that you care. Take a moment to play with your sister, or remind your father that you are still daddy's little girl. Hold your loved ones tight and remember that life is fragile. And most importantly, pray. Pray for your sister as she struggles with her class, pray for father that he might return safely from work, pray to have the strength to do what is right, and pray for those whose little ones were so cruelly taken from them.
May we all take the opportunity to show our love more now than ever, and may God grant peace to the hearts of the victim's families. 

Faith vs. Fear

A sickening knot ties itself in my stomach. I inhale, I exhale, but it doesn’t seem to make a difference; it’s just as if I didn’t breathe at all.  I feel the starting of a dull ache in my head. I’m stressed, I’m afraid, and I know that I can’t do it.

The closer I get to graduation, the more afraid I become. I’m afraid because I don’t know what to expect, I’m afraid because I don’t know what to do, I’m afraid to try because I’m afraid to fail, and I’m afraid I’ll be unhappy. It becomes easier to just sit back and hide from the world and try to escape to a place where fear doesn’t exist. It’s easier to stop moving forward.

The debilitating power of fear is one of the strongest forces on earth. Relationships are destroyed, dreams are never realized, and kingdoms fall all because of fear. Nothing makes a task more difficult to accomplish or a goal harder to reach than the gut-wrenching feeling that you can’t do it. Maybe you’re afraid is because you are trying something new that you don’t feel prepared to face, maybe you are afraid because it’s something you’ve failed at before, or maybe you are afraid that you aren’t up to the task simply because you believe you aren’t enough. The motivations are varied, but the effect is the same. Fear makes a difficult task impossible. As long as you allow your fear to rule your decisions, you are destined to fail. And it’s true; I would fail if I didn’t know one simple truth.

Faith is stronger than fear.

Faith has the power to calm any heart and soothe any soul. Faith is strong enough to wipe out all fear.  “If ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true.” Alma 32:21. I don’t have faith that I will land my dream job and all of a sudden my life will be perfect. I don’t have faith that my problems will be simple and easy to solve. I can hope for these things, but because they aren’t necessarily truth, that’s not faith. Knowing that God is in control, he loves me, and as I strive to align my will with his, I will find happiness, is faith. As I have faith, I know that my life will not be easy. I know that I won’t always succeed.  But I also know that as I do my best and I trust in the Lord I will be happy.

I feel myself start to calm down. I inhale, I exhale, and I feel my heart rate slow down. My head still hurts, but I know soon that will fade. I’m still stressed, I feel pretty nervous, and I know that I can do it.

Destination Identity

Hi. My name is Kassidy. I am 21 years-old and a senior at BYU. For sixteen of those years I have been a student, and it has become a large part of my identity. As graduation has been getting closer and closer, I have realized that my student status has defined me in many ways. Soon I will lose that part of me, and I’ll start to figure out who I am beyond a girl with a laptop and expensive textbooks. This blog is a way for me to figure out who I want to be, and what that entails.

This quote by Jodi Picoult essentially encompasses everything I want to say.

“It’s about a girl who is on the cusp of becoming someone… a girl who may not know what she wants right now, and she may not know who she is right now, but who deserves the chance to find out.”

I may not know what lies ahead, and I might not know how I am going to get there, but this is my journey of becoming who I want to be one day at a time.