Be the change that you wish to see in the world.

—Unknown

So, here I am on Korean Airlines, flying over the Pacific Ocean on my way to Bali, Indonesia, a place I have only read about in travel magazines and brochures and have seen in the movies. I hear it is a worthy destination, a magical and beautiful retreat, with much culture to experience. Life is an adventure, and I am living another one! I had planned this trip for a year with my friends and have so looked forward to it. Bali is on the other side of the world from where we live and across the international date line. It will be a long, eighteen-hour trip: lots of time to read about the ultimate destination.

Bali is one of seventeen thousand islands that make up the country of Indonesia; eleven thousand of them are not inhabited. With 245 million inhabitants, Indonesia is the fourth-most-populous country in the world. Bali is rather small, with a population of three million. It is nicknamed the "Island of the Gods" not only because of its amazing beauty and generous nature but because of the Hindu belief that it belongs to many Gods and to the spirits of their ancestors.

By the eighteenth century, Balinese princes brought high priests from both Hindu and Buddhist religions from India. They adopted the three Hindu gods Vishnu (the guardian), Brahma (the creator), and Shiva (the destroyer). Everywhere you go there are temples. These are places of worship, and there are at least three temples in each village, one for each of these three gods. To please the gods, people craft pretty decorations from palm tree leaves and other offerings, such as flowers and fruit, to display daily. They honor the gods and believe that activities such as dancing, painting, and music make the gods happy. Bali has its own dialect, but since Indonesian independence in 1945, they also have a national language. Children learn to speak Balinese at a very young age, before they start school; in school they learn Indonesian. Everyone is bilingual.

Experiencing life outside of America would be a blessing to any American. My very first impression at the airport and in the city of Senur was of poverty. I immediately felt so appreciative of living in United States of America. I am grateful for my ancestors and the sacrifices that brought them from England to America, and for parents who raised me in Utah. I ask myself, "Why is this so? What did I do to deserve such a special circumstance, and what was I going to do to be deserving of that legacy?" I realized that responsibility comes with these blessings! I know I could choose not to appreciate what has been given, or I could move forward with a clear intention of building on this foundation and leaving a legacy for my own posterity.

My own life's experiences have led me to believe that we have the power and authority to create our life world, our reality. A person can choose to be happy by focusing on all the positive things in his or her life with gratitude. Embrace the moment! There are always things to learn and experience. The only thing in life that is a sure thing is change—constant change.

It serves all of us if we learn to go with the flow, to accept those things we cannot change, and to move forward with a positive perspective. I believe that's why we came to this physical existence, to learn, to discover ourselves, and to be creators. I believe that we came to manifest our own divinity to God. Our answers are within us, but we know that we never really arrive and there is always more to learn. We can discover the true power that is in each of us to create whatever we want, with God and our angels at our side waiting for us to ask for their assistance.

I have much gratitude for my parents who instilled in me basic value of integrity: be your word. If you say that you are going to do something, do it no matter what it takes. Other important values that I was taught were hard work, personal responsibility, service and compassion toward others, enthusiasm for life, and attitude. My mother always said that the three most important words in the English language are attitude, attitude, and attitude. These values have guided me through my life and are the foundation of my belief system.

I had a wonderful childhood! I was born in Logan, Utah. I was raised in Ogden until I was five years old and then moved to Salt Lake City. I was the middle of three girls. When I was young, I was chubby, had big blue eyes, and a head full of blonde curls. I was a towhead. I was born pigeon-toed. I loved to dance, and my mother put me in ballet at a very young age to turn my feet out. I think that my feet were longer than I was tall, and by age twelve I was taller than all the boys. I was the girl that chased the boys, caught them, and held them down so that the other girls could kiss them. I became a real tomboy; I loved to do all the "guy things." I climbed trees, built forts, rode dirt bikes, and played ball yet loved playing dress-up and enjoyed my doll collection.

I also had a brother who was two years older than I, William Jr., or Billie, as we called him. He passed away when he was eighteen months old. My parents believe that it was a reaction to the DPT immunization shot. He died in my father's arms. My older sister was Melody Lynn; my little sister, Kathryn Marie. All four of us were two years apart. My mother was very busy!

Melody was the beauty queen; being beautiful always seemed to come natural to her. We called her our Cleopatra. She was gorgeous, with big, blue-green eyes, lots of thick, long eyelashes, plump rosebud lips, peaches-and-cream skin. Melody won lots of beauty pageants, and she was really into makeup and fashion. Moreover, she has been an example of courage, strength, and determination to me. She has a heart of gold.

Kathryn—we call her Kathy—was a doll. She was very thin and had beautiful dark hair and fair skin. Her bright blue eyes sparkled. Kathy was born with a hole in her heart and had one of the first open heart surgeries in Utah, back in the early sixties. She was one of the few children who survived that particular surgery. I always wanted to take care of her. Kathy is very giving and compassionate. She has always been by my side when I needed support. She is just that kind of person. We remain close to this day.

I only vaguely remember our home in Ogden, but I do remember when I was about four years old I got mad at my mother for some reason. I told her that I would just run away and that she would never see me again! She smiled and said, "Oh, are you sure? I love you, and we would miss you so much!" I was sure of it and ran to my room to pack my little doll's suitcase. As I filled the suitcase with what I thought I would need, my mother came in and said, "Please, let me help you. You probably will need a sweater," as she put one in my little doll suitcase. I was a little shocked that she was so eager to help me, but I continued to finish my packing. She hugged and kissed me good-bye and stood at the door waving to me as I left the house and walked up the street. I kept thinking, where am I going to go? It's so scary out here in...