One of my favorite scriptures this school year has been Alma 26:12, which says,

"Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever."

Also,in my Book of Mormon class this morning, we were studying the war chapters in Alma. We were discussing Alma 50:23--

"But behold there never was a happier time among the people of Nephi, since the days of Nephi, than in the days of Moroni, yea, even at this time, in the twenty and first year of the reign of the judges."

In the presence of so much conflict and war, the people were happy. My teacher talked about how we have agency on how we feel each and every day. He said, "You can wake up and complain that you have to get up and go to classes. Or you can rejoice and thank Heavenly Father for being at this wonderful University and for the amazing opportunity you have been blessed with to gain an education." I would much rather do the latter. I love Brigham Young University and everything about life. I love my family, I love this wonderful Gospel that never ceases to amaze me, and I love my Heavenly Father and my brother Jesus Christ. There is something amazing that happens each and every day and I know that it is our choice every day to make it a great day...or not. I know I have so much to be grateful for and I cannot express my gratitude of the opportunity to be at BYU. I learn so much every single day: about life, about various academics, and most of all, about myself. I am learning to become a better student, a better roommate, and more importantly, a better person. I can't remember who said the quote, but they talked about how instead of looking at the characteristics of other people that you want in a future spouse, look for the characteristics of people that you want to incorporate into yourself. I see this in my own roommates...Beth: she is so kind and self-less. She is always willing to do whatever is most convenient for others instead of herself. Sarah: she never, never, ever stops serving others. Kristen: she has so many insights about the Gospel and is an example of a true disciple of Christ. She incorporates every part of the Gospel into her own life. Amanda: she has grown so much over the course of the school year. She is able to apply doctrines to her own life. Megan: she is such an example of quietly serving others and is almost always the first to notice things in others, whether something is wrong or just to compliment others. I have come to love these wonderful women and have come to strive to be more like them and to become more Christ-like.