TJ Hirst

Try-It With-Me Tuesday, an interactive weekly time and place to foster connections that challenge and encourage the process to become a well-rounded person.

Thus far, I have mostly posted challenges that stretch me and those who try it with me. But an equally important part of my goal in writing for Try-It-With-Me Tuesday is to give and receive encouragement. Yes, I need encouragement to overcome discouragement—especially now as I jealously await (from my snow-covered locale) the spring-time weather that has arrived in other parts of the country.

To encourage is to inspire with hope, courage, or confidence and to give support. Personally, I need courage and inspiration to continue in a worthy purpose, whether it be writing on this website, being a good wife and mother, or serving God by nurturing my own spirituality and serving others. We all need encouragement in our process to become the person we want to be. For that reason, here is my challenge for the week:

Encourage someone this week by giving genuine praise or positive feedback.

Interestingly, this challenge comes from the reflective thoughts I have had since writing Commonality in a Community of Mothers. Many women across all religions share a common desire to use our time wisely to accomplish meaningful and inspired purposes, including being good mothers. Sarah at Genesis Moments considers this question as it relates to earning an income but concludes with the inspiration she gains from women who encourage her:

Most importantly, I am learning through these humble spiritual giants to pray above all things, on all things, about all things, under and through all things and that God is faithful if we believe in Him. He knows our comings and goings and will see us through.

I loved reading her thoughts and followed her link to Musings of a Housewife, where I read some more:

I often wonder what I’m doing with the blog. Is it a waste of time that I should be spending on more holy pursuits, or is it an opportunity for me to put my gifts to use by bringing women together and bringing new products to moms? Is it simply a place to socialize and ramble, or does it serve a greater purpose? Do I share too much, or should I share more? Am I really being myself? I evaluate these questions often.

Another forum posed a similar question To Blog or Not to Blog? in response to this excellent talk given by an LDS leader on womanhood and motherhood.

I took from that talk this important message:

There is no one perfect way to be a good mother. Each situation is unique. Each mother has different challenges, different skills and abilities, and certainly different children. The choice is different and unique for each mother and each family. . .What matters is that a mother loves her children deeply and, in keeping with the devotion she has for God and her husband, prioritizes them above all else.

Elder M. Russell Ballard
Daughters of God

As I consider all of these words from varied religious perspectives, I know that I can be tough on myself or overly sensitive to the reaction of others in regards to my own priorities and purpose. Knowing, however, that this is not a struggle that I alone face, I am inspired to trust in the personal messages of encouragement that I receive from my own prayers and to look for opportunities to give encouraging words to others.

Do you want to Try It With Me? Share your thoughts next Tuesday, April 22, at Finding What Inspires on this week’s challenge. I am also spending some time trying to memorize something inspiring for the April Reading Challenge.

Join in by trying the challenges with me, commenting, linking, or suggesting a challenge. If you want to write a post on your blog about what happened when you took the challenge, I will publish your link. Just link to my website in your post and send me your link.

Try-It With-Me Tuesday, an interactive weekly time and place to foster connections that challenge and encourage the process to become a well-rounded person.

The April Reading Challenge is to memorize something you have read that inspires you.

The students I teach in an early morning religion class are encouraged to memorize 25 scriptures from the Old Testament of the Bible this school year. One student has expressed that memorization helps her recall what she has learned and answer questions about her religion.

I am no longer a student with a need to recall for tests, but like this student, I have discovered there is still value in memorizing even after leaving formal school. In fact, it wasn’t until I discovered the value beyond recall for tests that I was enthused and motivated to memorize. Memorization develops my mental concentration in all tasks and is a tool to control my thoughts. In addition, when I memorize something that has inspired or enlightened me and then bring it back to my mind, I retain the emotions and knowledge I initially felt and also gain new understanding from it.

What important benefits have you gained from memorization?

Even though my goals (and yours) to memorize are valuable, for me to actually memorize this document will require diligent, almost vigilant, daily attention. A deadline (April 29th) helps. Being accountable to another person (anyone who reads this) also helps.

Here’s what else I am doing and plan to do to help me memorize:

I write each paragraph out on a note card.

I study the first card until I can say it without the card.

It takes me at least a day or two, sometimes even a week, to learn each card.

When I know the first card, I move on to the second card and study it.

I actually study my cards while I exercise or wait.

I try to say both cards together before I move on to the third card.

When I think I know each card, then I study the document as a whole.

I try to recall each paragraph, one at a time, until I can say it all together.

Then I rehearse it in front of the mirror, and finally say it to my family.

This is not a proven method, just what works for me.

How do you memorize?

Your tips and these tips for How to Memorize will be a help to me and those who want to try to memorize something with me this month. Good Thinking to You!

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Note: I did not post my review of the biography from the March Reading Challenge on Saturday as I promised. (I am sure no one was anticipating it). But my change of plans is an interesting insight. I was reading the biography on Dolley Madison with my mom, who lives in another state. She is listening to it on audio tape as she drives home from work. I finished reading the book last week. When we had a brief conversation about it, I was reminded of my desire to try it with her and connect through our discussions. I am going to wait to post my review until she has finished and we have had more over-the-phone book discussions. Those connections are as important to the process as the end result.

Join in by trying the challenges with me, commenting, linking, or suggesting a challenge. If you want to write a post on your blog about what happened when you took the challenge, I will publish your link. Just link to my website in your post and send me your link.

Try-It With-Me Tuesday, an interactive weekly time and place to foster connections that challenge and encourage the process to become a well-rounded person.

I completed the March Reading Challenge with a day to spare and have the April Reading Challenge to try. Want to try it with me? Details are at the end of this post.

I have to admit that the challenge to read a biography this month was a challenge. Biographies in general are not like reading a novel in which the story carries you through without concentrated effort. Let’s just say that this wasn’t something I could just read on the elliptical. But overall, I do love biography and understanding the lives of interesting and inspiring people, and I was glad for the challenge.

What is/was your experience reading a biography? Even if you did not complete what you are reading, I would love to receive a comment from you about it. Just tell me what biography you read (or are still reading), a few facts about the person in the biography, and something that person did or said that inspires you.

I will do a full review on Saturday of the biography I read and just give a short synopsis as part of the discussion on biographies here today.

I read A Perfect Union: Dolley Madison and the Creation of the American Nation by Catherine Allgor. To be perfectly honest, I did not choose this book because I admire Dolley Madison. Rather, I was inspired by the idea that she was an integral part of a marriage “team” and that team of James and Dolley Madison established some important characteristic foundations for our country.

Dolley Madison was the wife of James Madison, the principal author of the Constitution and the fourth president of the United States (after Thomas Jefferson). He took office in March 1809. Although women could not vote at the time,

Dolley brought the feminine values of civility and emotion into government business. The presence of ladies in the audience at governmental proceedings shaped how the ruling men presented their arguments and chose their issues, with the effect of toning down the usual violent rhetoric.

^{Catherine Allgor
A Perfect Union:
Dolly Madison and the Creation of the American Nation}

Her tempering influence was inspiring to me in that she “did her best to bring everyone in the capital—locals, officials, and visitors—together under her roof” in a way that provided a non-confrontational and hospitable forum for understanding and discussing many points of view. I think we cannot underestimate the influence of the tone a woman sets in her home. This biography revealed that Dolley’s tone helped establish national rituals which cemented the foundation of our nation’s capital and the symbolism of the White House.

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The theme of home is deep in my heart and my mind as I present the April Reading Challenge:

During the month of April memorize something you have read that inspires you.

Before you think this is too challenging, please consider that this does not have to be long unless you want it to be. For instance, it could be an important quotation, a meaningful scripture, or a short poem.

In the past year I have discovered the joy of memorization as a way to overcome discouragement, control my thoughts, and think positively. I had never memorized anything until I was inspired to memorize a written testimony of Jesus Christ. Now, I have been working toward memorizing a proclamation about home and family.

I need some help and encouragement to complete my memorization by the last Tuesday in April, which is April 29th. Will you offer your tips and Try-It-With-Me?

If you want to write a post on your blog about what happened when you took the challenge, I will publish your link. Just link to my website in your post and send me your link by Monday April 28 at 6 p.m. (Central Time).

There is an Old Testament scripture story in 2 Kings that has brought me comfort in times of discouragement and challenge when it appears that life, people, or circumstances are pressing upon me.

It is the story of the Syrians attacking Israel, and more particularly the Syrians seeking to find and capture the prophet Elisha so they may destroy his prophetic power that is keeping them from defeating Israel. The Syrian army finds Elisha in the city of Dotham and this is what happens:

Therefore sent he (the king of Syria) thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about.

And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do?

And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.

And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.

2 Kings 6:14-17

This story reminds me that there is unseen help all around, I just need to have faith to see it in the midst of the struggle. What modern-day application does this story have for you?