This week I have really been trying hard to focus on my chosen attribute of patience. Nothing I had been trying seemed to be working. I have decided to just not engage. That seems to be helping me stay calm even though I am still listening to the chaos around me. Surprisingly the kids seem to be fizzling out faster with their arguments when I am not involved in the discord. My son, who is usually the one at the center of all the conflict, seems to really be mellowing. He is more helpful, agreeable and less defiant. I am not noticing the same thing in my daughter but I think it might be that she is having a hard time adjusting to the change in my response. I will continue to look for more ways to be patient as I continue to avoid reacting. I have also enjoyed reading about the beatitudes this week. Here are a few thoughts from the Book of Mormon Student Manual Chapter 41. Matthew 5:3a defines a beatitude as 'to be fortunate' 'to be happy' or 'to be blessed." Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary defines beatitude as "a state of utmost bliss." These all sound like great blessing in our lives and I hope that as I strive to have a little more patience, I will in turn acquire more of the philosophies of the beatitudes. Along these lines I learned something that I feel is very interesting to consider. When I was working as a loan processor many years ago, my boss was very in to motivational talks and positive thinking. She had me listen to a speaker on cassette (see I told you it was many years ago). His talk was titled, "The Platinum Rule." The main philosophy was that if we treat others the way we would want to be treated that is not necessarily the way they want to be treated. If we truly want to reach people, make a difference in their live and make them feel loved and valued we need to treat them the way they want to be treated. This may be different than the way we want to be treated. In order to do this we need to listen to them and observe their likes and dislikes. It may be helpful to learn their color code or love language to see what motivates them and what makes them feel valued and appreciated. I found this to be very profound. The golden rule takes quite a bit of effort but the platinum rule takes even more investment of time and sincere effort. The investment is well worth it!