The Christmas Star

One day a couple of weeks ago I was listening to some Christmas music, and a song came on that talked about the star above Bethlehem. I do not remember which song it was, because a lot of songs talk about that same thing. But it made me think about that star.
You guys probably know all of this stuff that I'm going to write about today, but it was an epiphany for me. Before this I did not really know why people cared about this star so much. Yeah, I was glad that it was there, because it showed people where Jesus was. Other than that  it didn't really matter to me.
Here's what I learned:
That star was visible to everybody. But not everybody who saw it realized its significance.
Christ shows us the way to salvation through himself, as that star led people to him.
Christ gives the world spiritual light, just as that star shining so brightly provided physical light.
Christ provides direction in our life. When we are confronted with different options, all claiming to give us happiness, he shows us what to choose. This star showed these wise men that the way to eternal happiness didn't lie with their gold and riches. He laid in a stable in Bethlehem.

"O Star of wonder, star of light
Star with royal beauty bright
Westward leading, still proceeding
Guide us to thy perfect light."
-We Three Kings of Orient Are

Elaini Garfield- Fundraising for Orphans in India

Hey everybody, I'm trying to raise money to donate to orphans in India. I am working with Elaini Garfield, who you can learn more about here:
http://therebelution.com/blog/2013/11/misselainious-help-me-reach-100k-for-orphans-in-india/#.Uq_qWvRDuSp

This is a really great opportunity.

Here's what she says about it:
"I partner with Warm Blankets Orphan Care.  Warm Blankets is a non-profit Christian mission, dedicated to the rescue and care of orphans and widows in developing nations. There, children are raised, not in cold institutions, but in loving church orphan homes.  The children become a part of a nurturing family environment where special care is given to their physical, emotional and spiritual needs. It is a safe haven.

All contributions go directly to helping the orphans in India and every donation is tax deductible.  Devastated by war, disease, natural disaster or political turmoil, these children receive medical help, protection from trafficking and are given a future and a hope through educational opportunities. The children attend private school with their peers and are taught skills that will enable them to become productive citizens. ESL programs and computer training are just a portion of the instruction that equips the children with skills to further the economic progress in their native countries.  From orphaned or abandoned, to an educated and discipled participant in society, each child learns that they were created with a purpose, hope, and future."

I would so appreciate any donations. If you would like to donate, you can either donate directly to her or give me the money so I can give it to her.

Here's a Facebook page for this:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/India-Fundraising-2013/538240639587655

Words and Music

When somebody says something in words, it is generally difficult to dispute what they mean to say. Words have an objective meaning, so even though there are many different nuances to most things people say, there are not, compared to music, a lot of meanings. Music, though, is different. When you hear a song, there are so many different ways to hear it. The way it was meant to be heard might not be the way a hearer interprets it. It can speak to people in completely different ways depending on experiences, personality, and current mood. When combined, these are beautiful. When the words people choose to complement their music fits perfectly, it is something to be wondered at and respected. And when the words and music are both uplifting, it is truly sublime.

Blessings In My Life

Happy Thanksgiving!
This year I'm posting another list of things I'm grateful for, just to help me remember.

1. The Atonement of Jesus Christ, that allows me to change and become a better person.
2. Encouragement, given by friends, family, classics, and music.
3. Gopsel instruction given every weekday in Seminary.
4. Being able to listen to and play music.
5. The means to record my thoughts, on paper and online.
6.  The feeling I get after exercising.
7. Children.
8. People telling stories that have either happened in real life or that they have imagined.
9. School assignments, to help guide me in my studying.
10. Dances.
11. The printing press, and what is has achieved in this world. It is so wonderful.
12. Flowers.
13. Beauty that can be found anywhere.
14. Sleeping.
15. Individual personalities and ideas.
16. Dictionaries.
17. Smiling.
18. Things that make me stretch outside of my comfort zone.
19. Soft things.
20. Slowly starting to find out who I am.
21. Compassion.
22. The freedoms that I am afforded as a citizen of this country.
23. This blog: http://thoughtsofasimpledreamer.blogspot.com/
Seriously, I love it a lot right now.
24. My friends, including my family. My friends lift me up, make me smile, and are involved in good works. They are beautiful.
25. When I start to really understand something that I have trouble with, like math.
26. Clothing. I really enjoy different feelings and colors.
27. mormon.org
28. Missionaries.

Humanity and Emotion

What is life composed of? This is a question that I have asked myself sometimes, because I really want to figure out life. I want to figure out what human beings really are, and how we interact. So this post is about one of my thoughts on this subject.

Everybody has emotions. And occasionally these emotions get the better of us. There is certainly more to life than this, but this is a major part of what influences actions as a people.
We feel joy. We feel sadness. We feel frustration, excitement, depression, hope, despondency, affection.
Because we all feel these things, we are all able to understand when others feel this, if we try. The problem is, on most occasions, people are too wrapped up in their own emotions to see things as they really are.
As we understand these emotions, we can learn to more effectively deal with people. And we can better try to understand ourselves and learn how to be better people, who know how to control ourselves.

Fixing The World

I really enjoy reading articles about things, mainly things that are political. I love seeing different opinions, and sometimes even seeing things that expand my own views. I also sometimes read comments people make, because I think that it is a better source for refining thoughts when people debate with each other.

But most of the time there are people who state things that I think are atrocious. They call each other names. They say things like, "Everybody of a different view than I am must be wrong because obviously I know everything and if they don't agree they must be evil." In short, they act like little children.

If we want to have a better world, shouldn't we work together as individuals? Shouldn't we listen to each other? Shouldn't we think about each other's opinions, instead of automatically putting up our defenses when somebody disagrees? If we don't, we might as well resign ourselves to living in a world with problems. A world with war. A world with poverty. A world with people who don't really know how to love.

I've been guilty of judging people in this way. And yes, there is a right and a wrong. But we don't always know what it is. And just because somebody else doesn't know doesn't mean we have to hate them. Life is far too valuable to waste on spreading anger.

Quotes on Reading

“How many a man has dated a new era in his life from the reading of a book.”
“Books are the treasured wealth of the world and the fit inheritance of generations and nations.”

-Henry David Thoreau

This quote gives me a thrill. Every time I read it, it feels new, but at the same time as if I've known it for my whole life.
One book that I date a new era in my life from is Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. It planted the seed of knowing Christ in me, and without it I don't think I would have been prepared to accept the gospel and be baptized.

Anyway, here are some more quotes about reading and/or books for you today, that I heard in one of my classes.

"My own eyes are not enough for me; I will see through those of others."

-C.S. Lewis

"No man can be called friendless who has God and the companionship of a good book."

-Elizabeth Barrett Browning

-Henry David Thoreau

Thoughts of a Simple Dreamer

I found this blog today:
http://thoughtsofasimpledreamer.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2013-10-14T10:36:00-06:00&max-results=7

Its title is Thoughts of a Simple Dreamer. Somebody who attends the same school as me writes it.
I think it is beautiful, powerful, and overall amazing.

Stages of Understanding

Last Friday I had an opportunity to attend a meetings with the headmaster of my high school. His name is James Ure, and he's pretty much amazing. These meeting happen every month of the school year. This time the topic was "Stages of a Williamsburg Academy Semester", but I think a more appropriate topic title is "Stages of Understanding", so I'm going to refer to it as that. I'm going to give you an overview and then the notes that I took on this.
 First, when you start studying anything you don't understand it really well immediately. You understand words and sentences in some places, but you don't really understand the general idea at all. This is stage 1. 
Stage 2 is when ideas start to make sense in their entirety. There are still parts you don't understand, but big chunks are coming together nicely.
 Stage 3 is when you understand the idea completely. You get it.
 Stage 4 is when you can connect the idea with other ideas and your own life.
 So, here's my notes:
Example of Reading-
Stage 1-Sounding out words with syllables.
Stage 2-Understanding sentences and paragraphs.
Stage 3-Understanding pages and chapters, and how they connect to each other.
Stage 4-Reading entire books and seeing the relationship between other books. Then you see relationships between whole collections of books.
Example of  Ideas-
 Stage 1-Understanding bits and pieces, but not seeing where it’s going.
Stage 2-Understanding the major parts of an idea.
Stage 3-Understanding the whole idea.
Stage 4- Seeing relation between different ideas.
 Example, from U.S. Government:
Stage one- I know that there are three branches of federal government.
 Stage two-I know what those three branches do.
 Stage three- I understand checks and balances, specific clauses, powers left to state and towns.
Stage four- I see connections between principles in Constitution and other things, such as Locke, 7 Habits, and personal life. 
How Long It Takes To Grasp It-
Stage 1-Hourly/Daily Stage
2-Daily/Weekly Stage
3-Weekly/Monthly
Stage 4-Semesterly
 Stage lengths, NewStudent/ReturningStudent:
Weeks 1-8/1-3
 Weeks 8-14/4-8
 Weeks 14-16/8-12
 Emotions of different stages:
Stage 1-SOMEONE PLEASE REMOVE THE HATCHET FROM MY FOREHEAD. There is this huge idea and I have no idea what it looks like. I only have simple understanding! Please help!
 Stage 2-I guess I’m learning something at least from this class. This sentence makes some sense. I’d better highlight it!
 Stage 3-Cool! I just closed this book. I get John Locke. I love understanding it.
 Stage 4-I’m a flippin’ genius. Seriously. I dazzle myself with how wise I am. I just answered my mom’s question about the semester, and told her that it connected with human nature, and why they act in the way they do. I connected so many things. Wow.
 WHAT TO FOCUS ON:
Stage 1-
Be gentle with yourself.
 Keep a dictionary next to you. Look up unfamiliar words and write them in the margins of the book, or in a notebook you keep with you if you’re not reading your book.
Focus most on the first sentence of the paragraph.
When you understand something, highlight it. Underline, highlight, love, kiss, surround with hearts anything you understand.
Try to remember your general topic.
Don’t stress if you’re not catching everything.
 Don’t worry. Be happy.
Keep working. Persevere.
Stage 2-
Write summaries of paragraphs or chapters in a study guide.
 Keep good notes.
Rewrite in your own words.
Stage 3-
After completing your study of the topic, review all your notes. All your study guides.
Make timelines, charts, and diagrams of your information.
Help your mind wrap around looking at this in a new way.
Think about how parts of a topic connect.
See how it applies in your own life.
 Stage 4-
 Review all notes several times.
Think of questions that connect the themes and ideas of one class to another. One book to another. Whatever.
Get in a study group with two or three other people who you like, and ask them how they connect things. Enjoy it. It is magical. Truly magical.
Teach people!

The Way You Look Tonight

First, I hope everybody had a lovely Halloween yesterday. I dressed as Belle, and hung out with my family and friends.
 Second, the song that I chose this week is The Way You Look Tonight as sung by Frank Sinatra. When I'm upset about things sometimes, I listen to this song and I feel a lot better.
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRbaDeflYLI
Some day, when I'm awfully low
When the world is cold
I will feel a glow just thinking of you
And the way you look tonight
 Yes, you're lovely, with your smile so warm
And your cheeks so soft
There is nothing for me but to love you
And the way you look tonight
 With each word your tenderness grows
Tearing my fear apart
And that laugh..wrinkles your nose
Touches my foolish heart
 Lovely ...
Never, never change
Keep that breathless charm
Won't you please arrange it?
'Cause I love you
Just the way you look tonight
 And that laugh that wrinkles your nose
It touches my foolish heart
 Lovely ...
Don't you ever change
Keep that breathless charm
Won't you please arrange it?
'Cause I love you a-just the way you look tonight
Mm, Mm, Mm, Mm,
Just the way you look tonight

Quotes on Music

“Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent” 
― Victor Hugo

Lately music has been a big part of my life. So, here are some quotes on the topic.

“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination
and life to everything.” 
― Plato

“If I should ever die, God forbid, let this be my epitaph:
THE ONLY PROOF HE NEEDED
FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD
WAS MUSIC” 
―  Kurt Vonnegut

“A painter paints pictures on canvas. But musicians paint their pictures on silence.” 
― Leopold Stokowski

“Music is the universal language of mankind.” 
― Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Mozart's Requiem

Last Saturday I spent about an hour listening to Mozart's Requiem. I didn't do anything else at the same time, I just closed my eyes and really listened.
This post is about my feelings as I listened. I do not know the lyrics, so these feelings aren't based on what the song actually says. It is based solely on the feelings I had as I remembered the death of my people, and listened to this funeral mass, combined with the knowledge I have of the afterlife.
It amazes me how Mozart expressed death so well.
The initial numbness and inability to understand that a loved one is dead.The feeling as you look at the body of a loved one, and it just starts to sink in that you won't ever see them again in this life. Their warm hug, their funny jokes, the comfort they give.
The feeling of how unfair this is, of how this might as well be forever. How barren life will be without them.
The uncertainty of what happens after death. The wrenching pain of imagining never being with them again.
Then, the feeling of peace when you start to really remember the promise of eternal life. How they are free from the struggles and turmoils of mortal life.
The hope of being with them again.
The plea to join them again. The plea to be forgiven for mortal inadequacies, and to be restored to divine life.

Crimson Days

My brother listens to Avenged Sevenfold a lot. When he's cleaning the kitchen, we can hear it playing through the whole house. He got the album Hail to the King recently, and I like what I know of it so far. One of the songs that I really love is Crimson Days.
So, here's a link to listen to it, with lyrics:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qluJXYlgCIw

I think it's really beautiful.

Quotes on Hope

“Hope is the power of being cheerful in circumstances which we know to be desperate.” 
- G.K. Chesterton


This quote is interesting. I have defined hope as the willingness to act upon a wish and make it a reality before. But there are multiple definitions of hope. In addition to the one above, here are couple more to think about:

Dictionary.com says,
"the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best: to give up hope"

Webster's 1828 Dictionary says ,
"Confidence in a future event; the highest degree of well founded expectation of good; as a hope founded on God's gracious promises; a scriptural sense."

What This Semester Of Schooling Has Taught Me

School started. It's been amazing. Just like I expected.
At the beginning of the year I was a little overwhelmed, mainly because I had gotten out of the habit of keeping up on assignments and remembering what is due when. Also, I started doing classes in a new school, so I had to try to get used to using the new website. But I'm getting used to stuff again, and my classes have been so great.
There are two classes in particular that have made me think, and realize just how complacent I often am in my own thinking. An example of this is when my teacher asked us to define what family is, in the context of family being a necessary pillar of freedom as a society. I went into class expecting to have to think a little harder today, but when I asked myself this question, I really didn't know.
Of course my first response was a family is a man and a woman with children. Pretty basic stuff, right?
But then I started thinking more. What about those families where a parent is abusive? What about the impossibility of having two parents? What about a couple unable to have children?
There are many more considerations that we thought about, and I don't feel like sharing my conclusion with you. Because that's not the point of this post, and you should probably make your own conclusion on this.
The real point of this post is that education comes through us thinking and using our own minds to try to make sense of what we learn. It isn't what teachers give us. It's what we make of it.
Going back to the family question, if I had just listened to the teacher and the other classmates I wouldn't have gotten very much out of it. I would have been like, "Okay, I guess this is what a family is." Participating in this allowed me to realize that this is a complex situation that requires us to try and understand the viewpoints of others and of our own selves. It allowed me to view my own thought process more clearly. It allowed me to gain further capacity for critical analysis of different things in the future.
As part of a midterm message about working on assignments and such, my teacher Mr. Szczesny sent this to all of his students:
"The content you learn is one thing, but the study habits you learn are another and more potent thing."

The Messenger

As part of my new blog post schedule, I'm posting a song today!

I was listening to music today, and The Messenger by Linkin Park came on. I love this song. It's really, really beautiful.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSrYh5jmxzw

Shnazzy Up!

I am part of a service organization (called Shnazzy Up!), which one of my friends from school started about two years ago. Mostly what I do is organize service projects every month, and attend monthly meetings. While I'm afraid I do not organize these projects as steadily as I should, it does help me to focus more on service.
This organization is for youth from 12-18. It is managed and run entirely by youth. Only youth participate, with the exception that adults sometimes provide transportation, take photographs, and other such things.
This month I'm working on planning a project to help make "blessing bags", as shown in this blog post:
http://kwavs.blogspot.com/2011/05/blessing-bags-how-to.html

If any youth want to get involved, you can contact the creator through this website:
http://www.shnazzyup.com/
He is a marvelous guy, and will be happy to help you get to know more about it. Also, you can ask me questions you have. :)

Post Schedule

Good morning! This semester is my first experience with official high-school classes (which I'm taking along with my other school classes, Seminary, family responsibilities, and personal interests), and I'm terribly busy. I also want to post more often, though, because I really love this blog and am afraid I'll forget to post at all if I don't post more often. So I created a schedule of different types of posts. On Mondays I plan to make a regular post. On Wednesdays I plan to share a quote of some sort. On Fridays I plan to share a song or piece of music that I enjoy. Do you have any thoughts on this schedule?

Beauty in Appearance

In my experience, everybody wants to look nice. They want to feel beautiful. This is a tricky issue, as it has been for as long as we can remember, and will be until the world is perfected.

There are three parts of this topic that I want to cover:

Is this desire sinful?

How can we keep our priorities straight, when faced with countless different messages about beauty?

What is beauty in appearance?

 Some people believe that the desire to be pleasing outwardly is sinful, and shouldn't be allowed to exist within themselves. They believe that others' beauty can be a sign of wickedness. I believe this is false. A want to be beautiful can help us to honor our bodies by taking care of them better, can help us feel more dignity and confidence as children of God, and can help us appreciate beauty in the world around us.

It does become sinful, though, if you start obsessing over what you look like. If thoughts of your beauty start creeping in until it crowds out more holy and truly beautiful thoughts. If it makes you feel less because you aren't perfect.

This leads us into the second part of our topic, how to keep our priorities straight concerning beauty.

Although it's okay to want to be beautiful on the outside, this should never take place of developing true beauty of character. We can do this by carving out time in our day for the things that need done, like serving others, studying scriptures, praying, education, and homemaking. 

We can do this by not comparing ourselves to others. This trap leads far too many people to be sad and upset because of their appearance, causing them to spend an unhealthy amount trying to "fix" their supposed flaws, so they can be just like somebody else.

We can do this by reminding ourselves that the most beautiful traits are on the inside. One way to remind yourself is to write a quote on a post-it-note where you will see it often, or some such thing. I like to review this quote whenever I can:

“Women of God can never be like women of the world. The world has enough women who are tough; we need women who are tender. There are enough women who are coarse; we need women who are kind. There are enough women who are rude; we need women who are refined. We have enough women of fame and fortune; we need more women of faith. We have enough greed; we need more goodness. We have enough vanity; we need more virtue. We have enough popularity; we need more purity.”

-Margaret D. Nadauld

And finally, we need to figure out what godly beauty in appearance is. There is a difference between worldly beauty and godly beauty, but I prefer to devote this blog to things of God, so that's what we're focusing on.

Not everybody fits the world's definition of beauty. Not everybody can fit that definition.

A child of God should respect themselves enough to keep good hygiene. They should eat healthily and exercise in order to be healthy. They should dress and groom in a neat manner. I, personally, wear light makeup some days, but this isn't necessary at all.
Mostly, a child of God should think good thoughts and smile. This is always attractive.

Beauty in Friendship

One area of my life that I consider to be particularly beautiful is all of my friendships. I love my friends so very much. So, today I'm writing about a few different friends of mine and how they make my life more beautiful. I'm excluding my family because I know them too well to limit myself to only a few things, and my adult friends because there would be far too many to write about.

Also, I think it would be weird to mention them by name so I'm only going to use the first letter of their first name. :)

M-
This friend occasionally drives me crazy with his weeks\months of non-communication, but I love him anyway because I am fairly confident he doesn't ignore me on purpose, and he makes me want to be better at educating myself. I can always rely on him to discuss philosophical things with me, even things that other people would consider strange.
J-
This friend can make me laugh anytime. He always sounds enthusiastic to talk to me, he's very complimentary, and is willing to help me with the crazy projects that I start.
F-
This friend helps me with school stuff, inspires me to try harder, and is very kind. She is super smart, and challenges my thinking.
C-
No matter how long I go without talking to her much, I always feel secure in her friendship. She is slightly crazy, hilarious, and can be serious when needed. She is also a nerd who is willing to do nerd stuff with me.
H-
H makes me not take myself so seriously, allows me to have fun, and makes me feel comfortable.
P-
P is kind, funny, gracious, and complimentary. She tries to be a friend to everyone.
D-
D is kind, beautiful, loyal, and I feel like we can always be friends. He's encouraging, even when I'm having a really bad day and he can always make me feel better.
L-
He is funny, charming, and makes me smile when I think of him.
S-
He talks to and listens to me. He is also very funny, and puts up with my weirdness very well.

E-

He is slightly strange, has the best stories, and shares with me what he learns.

All of these people make me want to be better in some way, or make me feel better. They're very different, but the love that I have for all of them is beautiful. And their love for me makes me want to be more beautiful.

Rush, 2 Nephi, and Choices

"Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself."
-2 Nephi 2:27

I was memorizing this as part of my Seminary today, and it struck me that as we live our lives, we can choose everyday if we are going to do something that will improve our lives, and make it possible for us to have liberty and eternal life, or we can choose to be idle and remain in ignorance, falling into the captivity of the devil.
Every time we choose not to make a choice which is uplifting, we slide downwards. This can include sins of commission or of omission. As Rush says, "If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice."


I know that it is ultimately up to us to decide what spiritual destiny we have. We choose our actions, which have natural consequences attached. If we want to be happy, we choose to follow Christ. If we want to be miserable, we follow the devil. Who will you choose?

Creating Beauty

"It seems that everyone has a sort of urge within them that drives them to create something beautiful."
-Dallin Hill
My friend said this to me in a conversation we had once, and I find it to be true.
Life would be ultimately pointless without beauty, because beauty urges us to become better. When we create beauty, we enrich life and fulfill part of our missions. This is why everybody wants to create beauty.
This is why artists create art, why writers write, why parents work to give their children good lives, why philosophers search for truth.
This made me consider what I do to create beauty. Some things that I thought of were writing, teaching, photography, improving my character, improving my outward appearance, gardening, doing my chores, and reaching out to make friendships.




I don't know why I've been thinking about beauty so much lately. But it seems that everyday I find something that makes me think more about beauty. Every day.
Because of this, I think I will spend the next few weeks writing about different aspects of beauty. Hopefully you all enjoy it.

My Garden, Part 8

Last week sometime I harvested my beans. I've been waiting for them to be dry, so I can save them to plant next year. I am so very glad that they grew well, even if there aren't very many. They're beautiful.

        

My pumpkins are both ripe now. The plants are healthier than when I last posted, too.

My corn has started to produce an ear, even though it's still really short. Next year I'll grow it separately and see if it grows taller.

My Garden, Part 7

My pumpkins are growing marvelously for the most part, but one of my plants looks like it is dying. I haven't found a reason for that yet.
I have three fruits that are growing now. Here is a picture of the biggest one:

As you can see, it is much bigger than my hand. It is so very beautiful.

My corn is about a foot and a half tall, which concerns me, because my grandmother's corn is much taller.
My corn already has tassels.

 

My beans have grown to their full height and have started producing now.

Qualities For Marriage

Last week I had the opportunity to attend Girls' Camp. It was a lot of fun, and I learned a lot about the theme, which was "Stand For Your Happily Ever After". One lesson that my unit moms gave centered on preparing for marriage, so they gave us a notebook to keep qualities that we would like our future husbands to have and qualities that we need to develop to be worthy of that type of man.
I think this is a great idea, because if we don't know what we want in our eternal companions, we will settle for less than what we want. And if we don't know how to improve ourselves in order to be better people ourselves, we won't be able to love our spouse as fully as we could if we became our best selves.

Here is a list of qualities of future husband that were already written down and a few that I added:
A man who doesn't keep me guessing about his feelings and what he wants.
A man who pursues me.
A man who sees me as the bright spot in his day.
A man who means it when he calls me "baby".
A man who will forget about all the other things in his life, [except the Lord], before he forgets about me.
A man who does what he says he's going to do.
A man who doesn't make me feel [more] anxious, uneasy, or worse by being in a relationship with him than I did being alone.
A man who makes an effort to be a peacemaker and bring harmony to fights and disagreements.
A man who is not afraid of commitment and is proud to call me his.
A man who makes being around him feel natural and easy.
A man who doesn't suppress his feelings to look cool or appear uninvolved.
A man who never keeps me in the dark.
A man who never would do anything to compromise the integrity of our relationship, or get anywhere close.
A man who can respectfully discuss issues without manipulation or losing his temper.
A man who is strong and tough, but not a "bad boy".
A man who does not make me feel ashamed, needy or "unliberated" for wanting marriage and a family.
A man with whom a relationship would bring me closer to my aspirations for the future.
A man who makes me feel comfortable enough to bring up sensitive topics.
A man who doesn't need forever to realize I'm one of the best things that's ever happened to him.
A man who would move mountains to keep me.
A man who genuinely doesn't like to be without me, instead of just not wanting to be alone.
A man who allows me to love freely, without restrictions.
A man who doesn't have to heal in the relationship, but has already taken care of his past.
A man who makes it clear in his everyday actions that my happiness is important to him.
A man who makes a constant attempt to love the people I hold dear, and especially my family.
A man who does not engage in any activity to an extent in which I feel uncomfortable.
A man who understands that there is no reason to yell at anybody, except for safety.
A man who treats me just as perfectly in public and around his friends as he does when we're alone.
A ma who treats me better than I feel I deserve.
A man who never belittles me to feel superior.
A man who goes out of his way to make sure that I know my worth is infinite, that I'm smart, valuable, and deserving of everything I've ever wanted.
A man who hungers for information about me and doesn't spend our time solely talking about himself.
A man who has the ability and desire to provide.
A man who doesn't make me feel like I have to give up anything which I find to be essential for making life enjoyable.
A man who honors the woman I am and have the potential to become.
A man who will always want to protect me from things that frighten me.
A man who is nice to me all the time and who is clearly a good, kind, loving person.
A man who makes me hope that my sisters and best friends can find someone like him.
A man who believes in love the verb, not the noun.
A man who respects my need for space.
A man who makes me want to become better.
A man who will stop conversations to tell me that I'm beautiful.
A man who acknowledges when he is wrong or at fault and is willing to repent.
A man who has a quirky sense of humor.
A man who is intelligent.
A man who is willing to converse about deep subjects.
A man who respects everybody.
A man who loves the Lord more than he loves me.
A man who makes me smile.

Writing

Writing is pouring thoughts, memories, and ideas out of your head, allowing your soul to flow through as symbols. Writing allows these things to communicate past barriers of time, place, and death. It allows us to think in ways other than things that we do all the time, such as speaking or just having thoughts jumbled in our minds. Writing establishes order, creates beauty, and preaches truth, in its best state.

My Garden, Part 6

My corn is doing well. It is keeping up with the beans, and is still green and alive. That's about all it has to do yet.

My beans are growing tall, and each plant has little white flowers budding. I didn't do very thorough research before starting to grow this kind of bean, because it somehow slipped my mind. Anyway, now I did some more research because I was concerned about the fact that they were flowering already, and I found out that they are a bush bean variety, that takes about three months to maturity. This means that my beans will be ready before everything else in my garden, and that I don't need to find a way for my beans to climb. These are very useful things to know.
Since I planted on May 19th, the beans should be grown sometime next month.

My pumpkins are also growing very well. They are much bigger than I anticipated, and are growing rapidly. They pretty much take up my whole box, in addition to growing our onto the lawn. I now know that I was mistaken about having female flowers last post, because the female flowers really are coming out now.
The problem I have, though, is not knowing if any of the flowers are being pollinated. I may have to try hand-pollinating, because at least one has shriveled up and died, due to not being pollinated.

Some things I have been doing for my garden:
Journaling about it
Naming each plant individually or as a group
Having concerts for it
Watering as needed
Weeding as needed
Watching out for slugs and other insects

Enjoyment In Life's Pursuits

The world today is full of uninspired people who simply do what they do as a means to an end. While there are some who love what they do, there are many who don't. What can be more dangerous to the human spirit, than spending their lives in doing things which they are not passionate about, and which they don't even at least find enjoyable?

I know many people who don't enjoy what they do. I have members of my family who don't enjoy what they do. Especially when choosing careers, most people just find what they can do that is more profitable or easier than things that they would do if there were no other considerations.

I firmly believe that everybody should find some reason to go and do things other than that they have to, simply to survive. Whatever you are, whether a cashier, a mother, a student, or anything else, I challenge you to truly love what you do.

"Adam fell that men might be; and men are that they might have joy."
-2 Nephi 2:25

Love

A couple of day ago,, I watched the movie of and read the book of The Phantom of the Opera. As always, there was a lot of crying involved. However, this was for a different reason than usual. Usually I'm just upset that the Phantom is all alone. This time, I was upset about all of the people who never showed him any love, and created a monster through their harshness.
This had helped to realize that I need to show more love. In our everyday lives, anger doesn't do any good. I have realized this from the many times I have tried to improve something or somebody through anger, no matter how seemingly reasonable that anger was. It has never worked. What has worked, though, is kindness and love.
This is something which I need to work on, because I still respond to things harshly and angrily, especially to those I love most deeply. Anger doesn't work. The world needs more love, to drive out all of the anger and fault and ugliness that exist.

"What wisdom can you find that is greater than kindness?"
Jean-Jacques Rousseau

The Color Code

I just recently finished a class on leadership, which focused heavily on personality tests. Normally I am very wary of personality tests, and think that they are just made up garbage meant to entertain. But these tests that we took made a lot of sense, and I could see how the results were reflected in my own life.
One of these that we took was the test in The Color Code by Taylor Hartman. This book states that there are four basic personalities htat are contained in some measure in everybody. These personalities are Red, Blue, Yellow, and White. To summarize, Red is driven by the need for power, Blue is driven by the need for intimacy, Yellow is driven by the need for fun, and White is driven by the need to avoid conflict.
I myself had a test result stating that I was Red and Blue in equal measures, and I can definitely see this in my own life. The Red is expressed in me by the way that I take lead in class when the teacher is gone, how I can't bear to see people do things in a way that I think is wrong, and how I almost always am organizing some sort of group. The Blue is expressed through my sensitivity, the way I get closely attached to people when I consider them my friends, and how I get upset when people take things flippantly.
White and Yellow were both very low in me, which I can see. I guess Yellow is expressed occasionally in me, with how I enjoy stake dances and such. I have been trying to develop more White qualities, such as being more accepting.

I would encourage you to take this test and read this book, because I believe that it helps each of us to improve ourselves if we gain a better awareness of who we already are. It also helps us to lead others and be a better friend when we know about others, so please share with people who you care about.

Ninniachel Mentoring

This year, I have been working on starting my own business. It is called Ninniachel Mentoring, and you can read all about it here: Ninniachel Mentoring. My classes start this week.

This post isn't just trying to promote my business, though. It's about what I have learned so far while doing this.

First, while preparing five classes, I have learned a whole lot about how much work it takes for people who teach full time. Preparing just one class was exhausting, and took hours.

Second, I learned about picking and choosing  what I need. For my Beginning World History class, I had to choose what parts I really feel like need to be in the class, and had to cut out some. This was very difficult, and a little bit saddening, because I had to leave out some of my very favorite historical events/people.

Finally, I have learned that when you do something like this, you have to dedicate yourself to it, or it will fail. When I don't think about this constantly, I don't put in the work I need to to ensure that these classes and my business will be great, rather than mediocre.


I have learned more, but this is all I feel like writing about right now.

My Garden, Part 5

My garden is growing much better now.
My pumpkins are green and look healthy. My two connected ones are really big. All of them have flowers now, so I did a little research on when pumpkins should start flowering and when flowers start to turn into fruits. Everything seems to be right on schedule. So far, I've only got male flowers, but that is okay because the female flowers don't usually come until later.
(The difference in appearance between male and female flowers is that the male flowers are on a long and thin stem, while the female flowers are on a short, round thing that looks like a little baby pumpkin.)

My beans are very big. They started growing a couple days after my last post. The only problem I see with the beans is that they are growing faster than the corn, although they didn't start growing unitl a few weeks after the corn.
I planted the beans three in a hole together, but I didn't have the heart to kill them, so I transplanted them to a different part of my box.

My corn is green again, because it's been getting enough sunshine. It is pretty tall, though the beans are taller.



I hope to post a picture of my garden soon, but I cannot transfer any photos from my camera onto my computer right now.

Giving our Lives

I have been reading the New Testament a lot lately for Seminary, so I can finish by the end of next week. I have been reading almost every day since September, but somehow I am still only in 1 Corinthians, and I should have been completely done two days ago. Anyway, as I have beeen reading in an attempt to finish, I came across this scripture:
"What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own
For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."
(1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

Sometimes, it is tempting to say that we deserve a break, and that we don't need to be constantly trying to become better. But we do need to carry on. I'm not trying to suggest that we have to be perfect immediately, or that we have to "run faster than we have strength", but I am suggesting that it is our responsibility and our privilege to be called to serve God with our bodies and our souls.

" Firm as the mountains around us,
Stalwart and brave we stand
On the rock our fathers planted
For us in this goodly land--
The rock of honor and virtue,
Of faith in the living God.
They raised his banner triumphant--
Over the desert sod.
We'll build on the rock they planted

A palace to the King.

Into its shining corridors,

Our songs of praise we'll bring,

For the heritage they left us,

Not of gold or of worldly wealth,

But a blessing everlasting

Of love and joy and health.

 

And we hear the desert singing:

Carry on, carry on, carry on!

Hills and vales and mountains ringing:

Carry on, carry on, carry on!

Holding aloft our colors,

We march in the glorious dawn.

O youth of the noble birthright,

Carry on, carry on, carry on!"

Carry On, Hymn # 255 in the LDS hymnbook

 

 

 

My Garden, Part Four

A day or so after my last post on my garden, my sister's dog came through and ran around in my garden, and then dug up one of my pumpkins. At least, that's what I'm guessing from the big dog prints and the hole that was dug around the area my pumpkin was in, and the fact that my pumpkin wasn't even in my garden box anymore.

I replanted my pumpkin, and it seems to be doing pretty well now. The only thing that seems to be bothering my garden is that it has been raining off and on for the last couple of weeks. I haven't actually seen the sun come out for two weeks. This is a problem, because everything that I'm growing likes to be fairly dry and warm, which it can't be given the current weather.

Another problem that the rains brings is slugs. The slugs absolutely love the wet conditions, and they are coming out in full force. One climbed up the wall into my garden and started eating on one of my pumpkins. I am now looking for solutions to slugs, that keep them away but don't hurt them, because I don't like hurting things. If you have any ideas, please let me know. So far, I am thinking about using beer or corn meal, but those would kill the slugs.

So, my garden is not doing as well as I had hoped. The corn and pumpkins are both yellow, my beans have not even started to grow, and it's all too wet. Hopefully things will get better soon.

The Blessing of Music

A few weeks ago, part of my family and I went to a women's retreat for my Grandma's church. This was in Leavenworth, which is a lovely location, and I really enjoyed everything there, except having to be gone on Sunday. The part I enjoyed most, though, was hearing a pianist play at the hotel.

I've always enjoyed music, but I believe this is the first time I loved music. It spoke to my soul, though I didn't know any of the songs except one. I can remember few things more lovely than was this piano at this time.

I now appreciate more fully music, as a gift from God that can bring the Spirit closer. It can intensify our emotions. It can inspire to action.It can bring hope.

Please, find music that speaks to you truly and immerse yourself in it. Listen to it while doing nothing at all. Play it on an instrument. Sing. Anything to help you feel what a blessing music is.

My Garden, Part Three

Good morning!
I hope everybody had a lovely Mother's Day.

About three weeks ago, I filled my box with dirt, mowed grass, and compost. Then, I pleanted my corn and my pumpkins.

A few things might have gone wrong, and we'll see how it goes.
First, my pumpkins stayed in their starting containe for way too long, and started to grow together. Two of them were so intertwined that we had to leave them together, and the third we separated. I'm concerned that the roots won't be resilient enough to continue growing after any teards that may have happened, and that the two might be too close together.

Second, there was only one layer of mowed grass/compost mixture and it made the bottom layer. When the roots reach down that far, I'm not sure if it will be good enough to allow the roots to have a firm grip. I don't know, though, as this is just an idea that popped into my head as I was thinking about my garden.

Third, I believe I planted the corn too closely. I don't know about this either, but it's pretty close.



Altogether, I was just having one of those days when my brain doesn't work well enough to think anything through. Hopefully it goes well. So far, my pumpkins are looking healthier than they were before I planted them, and the corn is growing nicely.

In the World, Not of the World

Last night, I was watching television with one of my relatives. She really enjoys watching one show on the television, and I really enjoy watching a different one, so we watch both. In between shows there is a little gap of time, and my relative wanted to change the channel early, so we didn't forget to change it in time. I asked her not to, as right before my show there is a show that has content that doesn't need to be in my life or in my mind.
I expressed my feelings, and she told me, "Megan, just because you don't want this stuff in your life doesn't mean that you have to hide. You can't be an ostrich with your head in the ground. You have to face this eventually." (As I don't take notes on every single conversation I have, this is paraphrased.)
While this was well-meant and I agree that you can't hide from the world, I don't agree that you should immerse yourself in immorality simply because it's there. The world is full of wonderful things, and some bad things. Some of these bad things are necessary to encounter, so we can make them better, but others we are not. We can walk away from a TV show whose purpose is to entertain through vulgar and crude means.  We can walk away from people whose language is below our standards. We can walk away from situations where immoral behaviour is shown as acceptable.
We can find far better options. Instead of watching a degrading TV show, we can watch one that is uplifting. Rather than people whose moral code is far below our own, we can become closer to people who encourage you to live your standards more fully. Instead of going to places where immorality is encourage, we can hang out in "holy places", as we have been commanded.

We have been told to be "in the world, but not of the world". When we choose to partake of degrading media, company, and situations, we are immersing ourselves so thoroughly in the world that we can't help but become what the world is. This is what we, as children of our Heavenly Father who have the Gospel, are told to do. This is what we must do, for the safety of our eternal souls.

Writing in Books

A few weeks ago, I let my friend borrow my copy of Catching Fire, with one condition- she had to write her thoughts on it as she read. This might seem a little bit odd, but I want to have a library full of thoughts, feelings, and memories. I don't simply want books with the author's thoughts and my thoughts; I want a conversation, continuing through barriers of space and time.
Many people are uncomfortable with the idea of writing inside of books. As Oliver Demille and Shannon Brooks' book, A Thomas Jefferson Education for Teens, explains, we need to break the taboo, so that we can get a better education. Yes, writing in books does make them less aesthetically pleasing, but it is worth it (even when you come across those notes you wrote a few years back that don't make sense).
Today I got back my copy of Catching Fire. She only wrote one note, but it made me think, and it made her write in a book, which should help her to be more comfortable with the idea. I have shelves full of books already, but this is the first one which has more than one person's handwriting in it. It is the beginning of a legacy.

Conveying Our Thoughts Clearly

Oftentimes when I try to speak, my words come out wrong and I say something I didn't mean to at all. I end up saying something that people think is hurtful, when my intentions were actually entirely peaceful and uplifting. This is really frustrating for me, because I never want to make anybody feel bad, but I do.
This happened more frequently when I was younger, possibly because as a little girl I got very upset with anybody who even slightly disagreed with me, and then I didn't think before I spoke. Another reason might be that I never enunciated my words very well, which can always cause confusion. Nowadays it just happens when I don't phrase my words in a clear manner.

It also happens in ways that aren't particularly hurtful, but aren't desirable. For instance, I was giving a presentation on Austrian economics in my class today, and when I was asked a couple of questions after the presentation I muddled my answers completely. What I was saying didn't even make sense to me, let alone the rest of the class.

I want to do something about this. I don't want to keep on making the same mistakes over and over, so I'm going to improve my speaking skills. One way that I'm doing this is having a debate club with my little brother, where we meet once a week and debate something, such as whether wearing boots everywhere is a socially desirable thing or not.

This is a problem that I am sure many of us deal with, as it is so easy to slip up and say something we don't mean to, or to not be clear with what we mean. I believe it is something that we can manage with practice. And I believe it is something that we should try to manage as we progress along the path to greatness.

Children of a Heavenly King

 

I found this image on Pinterest. It is so beautiful, and it reminds me of what it means to be a princess. Most of the people that are shown in this image are princesses in the sense of being born into or marrying into a position of earthly royalty, but that is not what all of us need to do. We are all heavenly princesses, because we are daughters of our Heavenly Father, who is the King of all. Please, please remember this:

Remembering who we are will save the world.

"I would charge you to say again and again to yourselves, 'I am a daughter of God' and by so doing begin today to live closer to those ideals which will make your life happier and more fruitful because of an awakened realization of who you are."
Harold B. Lee

(Notes:
I don't know where this image comes from, so I can't credit it. Much thanks to whoever made it. :)
Also, for all of you who are not daughters of God, but rather sons of God, please adapt this to fit your situation. You are incredibly important as well.)

My Garden, Part 2

Good morning!
Three days after I planted them, my pumpkins started sprouting. I wasn't expecting them to come up as quickly as they did, because it says on the seed packet that it should take between one and two weeks for pumpkins to germinate.

They are very, very tall, and have their true leaves now. I had to weed out all but one plant from each pellet, which made me very sad, but I put the plants that I took out in the compost pile, where they might grow.

Lately, the weather has not been cooperating with my plans. A couple days ago, ten days after the supposed last frost date, it frosted so heavily that we couldn't even open our car doors. The other days it has been raining very heavily.

I do, though have my box built. My dad built it for me, and I bought the lumber.
I also have soil to put in it, which I bought when I got the lumber.

My Garden, Part 1 (again)

This year for one of my school projects I am growing a garden. I try to grow a garden, or at least think about it, every year, but it usually does not work very well. (Last year I tried to grow pumpkins, and they grew decently until slugs ate them, people stepped on them, and they got mowed over by a weed whacker.)
So, I'm trying again. I'm going to grow pumpkins, corn, and Calypso beans. Two days ago I started the pumpkins indoors, where I'm going to let them grow for indoors for three weeks.
This weekend, in between sessions of General Conference (which I'm really excited about), I am planning to build boxes to fill with dirt, compost, and old leaves. Next week, I plan on planting my corn. A week after that, I plan on planting my beans.
I'm going to keep track of my garden on here, as well as in my garden journal, because I find that writing on this blog helps me to think about things better, and it is significantly easier to read something that is typed, rather than written by myself.

Here are the words to The Prophet Said to Plant a Garden, from the Children's Songbook:

 The prophet said to plant a garden, so that's what we'll do.
For God has given rich brown soil, the rain and sunshine too.
And if we plant the seeds just right and tend them carefully,
Before we know, good things will grow to feed our family.

 We'll plant the seeds to fill our needs, then plant a few to spare,
And show we love our neighbors with the harvest that we share.
Oh, won't you plant a garden, too, and share the many joys
A garden brings in health and love to happy girls and boys!

Maya Angelou (Guest Post)

I hope everybody had a wonderful Easter, and that they were able to spend time with their families and remember Jesus' resurrection.
A few days ago, I asked my friend Maggie to write a guest post on this blog. She is a blogger on The Green Theory, and on Becoming Maggie. I would encourage you to check out those blogs as well.
I really enjoyed reading her post this week, and I hope you do, too. :)

"Introduction:

Recently I came across a quote by Maya Angelou, and was thinking of what I could write about for this guest post. As I was searching my blog for past ideas, I saw this quote once again. It was, “Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all people cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends.”
And so I decided to Google her name, of course. And I saw that her birthday was April 4th. And I was like “Hey! Why don’t I do a post about her, especially because her birthdays coming up!!”
So there you have it. My random yet so meaningful scholarly thoughts!

Maya Angelou & Deep Thoughts and Conversations
Here are some words I’d use to describe Maya Angelou. But of course she, and no one, should be confined to words but acquainted with such words, so that they can rise higher. After all human beings should be more than words, no?
Unshakable.

Faith.

Driven.

Strong.

Lion-hearted.

Lady.

Young.

Single Mother.

Traveler (Egypt and Ghana, Africa.)

Civil Rights Activist.

Scholar.

Role Model.

Poet.

So I guess I hope after you read the quotes below, you can challenge yourself to both inspire and to aspire. Try to write regularly. I haven’t in quite a while, but as I’ve been writing more consistently this past week it's been great! And very rewarding. So just choose to free yourself and your thoughts by writing them down. Be inspired. And I hope you choose to learn a bit more about Maya Angelou, because she’s definitely a great role model. So.. I dare you to dream a little. Inspire a little. Aspire a little. And then go make that magic happen!

“Life loves the liver of it.”---I could seriously spend all day digesting this, just thinking about what she means when she said this. I love doing this. In doing this, I’m in my element!(‘being in your element’ means doing both what you love and what you’re good at.)
When I think of [a] liver, I think of the human digestive system.. Process, challenges, digestion, filter, slimy, organ.
I know we could never be 100% sure what she meant by that. But we can try!
*from ehow.com*

The Anatomy of the liver:

“The liver weighs about 3 pounds, and the main function of the liver is to convert glucose to glycogen and back again if necessary.

Glycogen is a carbohydrate that is used to store glucose, which is used by the body as energy. Through these methods, the liver regulates the amount of glucose in the human bloodstream.”

So I challenge you to think about this, or anything that may cause you to open your mind a bit more, [and] to make you think in depth.

I crave deep conversations. People say I'm quiet, and should talk more, but when I get to know someone well enough, I open up, and usually get to have meaningful conversations with them.
The other day my brother (10years old) and I were sitting on the trampoline talking. And I decided to try having a deep conversation with him. I wasn’t sure how mature he was, or if he would just act silly about it. But I gave it a shot. And surprisingly he took it well and actually responded with depth. I was so happy, [as] not many people my age (14) can carry on a deep conversation! And that frustrates me sometimes.
I was trying to think of what we could talk about. So I asked him what he thought about rain (lol),where it came from, what (in an artistic and slightly silly sense) was it. And so we talked about it, him giving me answers, looking at me like ‘duh, anyone should know that.’ But then I would challenge his thought and say ‘well but doesn’t this…’ or ‘what about that..’ ‘how is that possible..’ ‘explain why..’ And we decided that in the artistic/silly sense..
Rain comes from the suns sweat and goes into the clouds. Then the clouds sweat, because of the hot temperature of the sun.. And then gets dripped onto the earth. And when people are being all dramatic in Movies..kissing in the rain, dancing in the rain etc. They’re really dancing/kissing in the clouds sweat. Ew. Gross! Haha. Well I guess that’s as deep a conversation you can have with a ten year old, but it was still pretty cool. He’s definitely got an imagination!
So, truth is I love deep conversations and even if their silly ones, they still have meaning and I think their important to have.(Imagination takes a huge role in the silly ones!).. Because its not good to be a shallow type of person. After all, you want people to take you seriously.

Some of Maya Angelou’s deep thoughts:

“My great hope is to laugh as much as I cry; to get my work done and try to love somebody and have the courage to accept the love in return.”

“My mother said I must always be intolerant of ignorance but understanding of illiteracy. That some people, unable to go to school, were more educated and more intelligent than college professors.”

“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”

“Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with deeper meaning.”

“The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned.”
“ My life has been one great big joke, a dance that's walked a song that's spoke, I laugh so hard I almost choke when I think about myself.”
“I long, as does every human being, to be at home wherever I find myself.”
“At fifteen life had taught me undeniably that surrender, in its place, was as honorable as resistance, especially if one had no choice.”
“The idea is to write it so that people hear it and it slides through the brain and goes straight to the heart.”
“How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes!”
“The need for change bulldozed a road down the center of my mind.”
“There is a very fine line between loving life and being greedy for it.”
“Love is like a virus. It can happen to anybody at any time.”
“Prejudice is a burden that confuses the past, threatens the future and renders the present inaccessible.”
“I have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver.”
“The sadness of the womens movement is that they don't allow the necessity of love. See, I don't personally trust any revolution where love is not allowed.”
“For Africa to me... is more than a glamorous fact. It is a historical truth. No man can know where he is going unless he knows exactly where he has been and exactly how he arrived at his present place.”
“There's a world of difference between truth and facts. Facts can obscure the truth.”

“It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength.
One isn't necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential. Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can't be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest.”

“If you have only one smile in you give it to the people you love. “
“Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. But anger is like fire. It burns it all clean.”

“I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back.”

“I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back.”

“Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope.”

“All great achievements require time.”
“Any book that helps a child to form a habit of reading, to make reading one of his deep and continuing needs, is good for him.” "

Songs from Les Miserables, and Gospel Principles

My favourite book, other than the scriptures, is Les Miserables, by Victor Hugo. This book inspires me to do better, to help others, and become more Christ-like. So, as it around 1400 pages long and too large to read through and through every day, I listen to the musical fairly often. Some songs remind me of gospel principles, and here they are:
1. Stars, sung by Javert, about Jean Valjean.
This one illustrates forgiveness by showing the exact opposite. It is about how when somebody sins one time, they are lost. There is no forgiveness.
This makes me so, so thankful for the Atonement, that I can be forgiven for the sins that I commit.
(This is a recording of Russell Crowe singing it in the new movie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wwp_WOS4nKM)
2. Empty Chairs at Empty Tables, sung my Marius, about the Friends of the ABC, who are all dead.
This song reminds me of how I used to think that death was the end of all things. I now know that death is not the end of life, but simply the end of mortal life.
 (This is a recording of Nick Jonas singing it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01c1nSML9Mc)
3. On My Own, sung by Eponine, about Marius.
This reminds me of how we are never alone. Sometimes, it is easy to feel that way, but we are truly not alone.
(This is a recording of Samantha Barks singing it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQnJ4mIfT0c)
4. Bring Him Home, sung by Jean Valjean, about Marius.
This song really is an example of faith, as Jean Valjean always is after his redemption. This is Jean Valjean praying that God will save Marius, and bring him home to live happily. Life comes through faith.
(This is a recording of Hugh Jackman singing it:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikpw6c2-Ti8)


Also, just because this is a new song and I love it so very much, here is Suddenly, sung by Hugh Jackman:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lvi-ylOHRP8

Put Your Dreams Away

A little while ago, I was listening to Put Your Dreams Away, sung by Frank Sinatra.
The lyrics are, 
"Put your dreams away for another day
And I will take their place in your heart.
Wishing on a star never got you far
And so it's time to make a new start.

When your dreams at night
Fade before you,
Then I'll have the right
To adore you.

Let your kiss confess this is happiness, darling,
And put all your dreams away."
(The punctuation might not be accurate, as I was just judging by what seemed to make sense.)
I enjoy this song, mostly because I enjoy almost everything sung by Frank Sinatra, but I don't believe this expresses the true meaning of love. Love should build up dreams, instead of replacing them. When you love somebody, you want to help make them happy, and to help accomplish their goals.

Here is a link to Frank Sinatra singing this song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBPLs9ns-q4   
It is absolutely beautiful.

Happy Birthday!

Last Friday was Graceful Ponderings' first birthday. It's been really interesting to go and look back at my first posts, and then look at my latest posts, because I can see a definite change in my writing.
In celebration, I though I'd make a list of a few things which you should probably know about this blog:
1. I use an "ou" instead of just an "o" in words such as favour, colour, and honour. I think it is more elegant, and I like it better.
2. I will probably start out too many posts with things about songs I was listening to, because I listen to music a lot, and what I surround myself with is what I think about.
3. I really, really enjoy reading comments from all of you.

Real Courage

Last week, I had an assignment in school to think about what courage is, choose somebody who exemplifies courage to write a research paper on, do a service project that exemplifies courage, make a plan to develop courage, and give an oral presentation on my chosen person. So, I thought a lot about courage, and I want to share some thoughts on courage.

Soldiers, who fight for the love of what they believe, are courageous.

Teachers, who truly care about their students and are willing to do what they can to help, are courageous.

Mothers and fathers, who help and care for their children, are courageous.

Those who refuse to participate in gossiping are courageous.

Those who stand up for what they know are courageous.


There is also cowardice. Cowardice is backing down when things get hard. Cowardice is giving up, without reason.

Courage refuses to give up. Courage gets up every morning resolved to try to do better, even if it messed up yesterday. Courage follows this advice from Winston Churchill:
"...never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never-in
nothing, great or small, large or petty - never give in except to convictions of honour and
good sense."

Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day, everybody!
To celebrate, here are some songs that I think are wonderful for today:

1. He Sent His Son
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNjHs3-EyzU

2. Families Can Be Together Forever
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0J-_f4oRuWI

3. My Funny Valentine
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKvrSHVsRDo


I hope you enjoy these songs, and this day. :)

Frederic Bastiat

For my class this week, I had to read The Law by Frederic Bastiat. I first read this for a discussion at a seminar in 2009, I believe. Ever since then, I have loved Bastiat, because he has clear, logical reasoning that makes absolute sense. In 2009 I didn't really understand it very well, being very young, but I love Bastiat's works even more now that I have read them over a few times and have grown in my mental capacity.

In The Law, a few of Bastiat's points are:
1. The right to life, liberty, and property are born in man.
2. An attempt to take the fruits of property without the consent of the labourer who produced this property is plunder.
3. A person can live either by plunder or work.
4. The law is established only to protect the rights to liberty, life, and property, which is simply protecting from injustice. Any other use is a perversion of the law.
5. There are two types of plunder; legal and illegal. Illegal plunder is when a person or a group of people plunder without the consent of the law. Legal plunder is when a legislature makes some sort of plunder "okay" by using the law to protect it.
6. Both types of plunder are wrong.
7. Where the law is perverted, conflict will follow.

In case you would like to read The Law, here is a link to a website where you can read it for free:
http://bastiat.org/en/the_law.html

I would highly recommend reading any of Bastiat's essays. I think they are truly classics, which can be read over and over, teaching more every time.