Lessons Walt taught me . . .

When I was a little girl I loved the films and cartoons of Walt Disney.   Sunday evenings was always Disney night in our house.  We ate it up as a family and if a Disney film was playing at the Cinema you could be sure I'd be one of the first in line to see it.   It was the same when I grew up and had children of my own.  Some of the later stuff has been a bit questionable at times . . . but as a whole Disney is still what I would consider family material.

For the most part they are wholesome and clean, without any bad language, gratuitous sex and horrible violence.  They usually have cute and loveable characters and catchy music and songs.  They are timeless and ageless . . . you enjoy them as a child and you enjoy them as an adult.  If you are looking for a lesson to be taught or to be learnt, you can usually find one in a Disney film.



I think one of the first lessons I learned as a child was in Bambi when Thumper's mother asked him what his father had taught him that morning  . . .

"If you can't say something nice... don't say nothing at all."

That taught me that  it was better to keep my mouth shut than to say anything that might hurt, discourage, demean, or destroy . . . some things are better left unsaid.

“Coveting, pouting, or tearing others down does not elevate your standing, nor does demeaning someone else improve your self-image. So be kind, and be grateful that God is kind. It is a happy way to live.” 
~Jeffrey R Holland




Although it may seem for a while like the bad guy is going to win, good always triumphes over evil.  The nice guy does not always finish last.  Just keep doing what you know to be right and to be true and in the end truth, honesty and goodness will prevail.  The bad guy never wins in the long run.




A job worth doing is a job worth doing right.  Taking shortcuts, trying to get away with a job only half done, or using shortcuts that may make it go faster, but let you down in the long run . . .  these things are just not worth it if your integrity or someone else's safety is at stake.  




Outward appearances are often quite deceiving.  Never judge a book by it's cover.  Some things look really good on the outside, but are rotten to the core.  Other's look quite plain, but hold true gems at their heart. Learn to be discerning. Never take anything at it's face value.




Inside each of us is the potential to be, to do, to become, to achieve something great.  Most of us never reach our full potentials . . . either because of a lack of confidence, or out of fear . . . because we don't know who we really are.   The ugly duckling felt ugly  when he was comparing himself to a bunch of ducks that were looking down on him . . . he didn't know he was really a swan, one of the most graceful and beautiful of birds.  Realizing who he really was . . . was life changing.   Never let your fears and misgivings limit your potential.  You have nothing to fear . . . except fear itself.

“With all my capacity I encourage you to discover who you really are. I invite you to look beyond the daily routine of life. I urge you to discern through the Spirit your divinely given capacities. I exhort you to prayerfully make worthy choices that will lead you to realize your full potential.”
~Elder Richard G Scott     



Patience is a virtue.  Dreams can come true.  As long as we keep moving forward, believing and trusting in all that we know to be true and to be good, doing our best, having faith and trust . . . and acting on that . . . all will be well.  Prayers will be answered in God's own timing.  Maybe not always in the ways we have envisioned them to be . . . and maybe we won't always like the answers we get . . .  but with patience and time . . .  and a little bit of faith,  we will see the silver lining.  This I know to be true.

“Patience, that heavenly virtue, had brought to humble Saints its heaven-sent reward.”
~President Thomas S Monson  



Anyone is capable of changing.   Never hold a person's past against them.  If someone has truly repented of their wrong doings . . . and has turned their life around for the better, that is who we should celebrate.  None of us should have to carry our misdeeds and failures with us into the future like albatrosses hung around our necks.  Take the lessons learnt and move forward.  Leave the past in the past where it belongs.

“I plead with you not to dwell on days now gone, nor to yearn vainly for yesterdays, however good those yesterdays may have been. The past is to be learned from but not lived in. We look back to claim the embers from glowing experiences but not the ashes. And when we have learned what we need to learn and have brought with us the best that we have experienced, then we look ahead, we remember that faith is always pointed toward the future.” 
~Jeffrey R Holland



At the end of the day these are the things matter most . . . faith, hope, love, family, friendship, loyalty, honor, integrity, virtue, honesty . . .  anything else is just a pale imitation.

What was your favourite Disney film when you were a child and why?  I really want to know!

A thought to carry with you through today . . .

ღϠ₡ღ¸.✻´´¯`✻.¸¸.
The world is full of vibrant color.
Don’t let it lose an ounce of its luster.
Assume this day is going to be good, and it will.
God made it so. ღϠ₡ღ¸.✻´´¯`✻.¸¸.
~Max Lucado  


 

There's a real treat in The English Kitchen today . . . Oatmeal Cookie Dough Butter.   Delicious and good for you too!

⊰✿░S░W░E░E░T░✿░B░L░E░S░S░I░N░G░S░⊰✿  

Have a great day!