Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Coincidence?

So I sat down in a comfy looking chair in the library at school. Somewhere I only go the print documents and then leave. Which is amazing considering my love for books. Well I'm browsing the internet for a while and look up to give my eyes a rest when what do I see? Several books on fantasy writers and writing. My favorite kind of literature. Literally within arms length of where I arbitrarily decided to sit.

So is it coincidence or fate? Who cares! I'm grabbing a book and settling in for a few hours....

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Be of Good Cheer!

"These things I ave spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace, in the world ye shall have tribulation; but be of GOOD CHEER, I have overcome the world." John 16:33

This month has been a trying one. I will spare everyone all the details because really it doesn't matter. I read this scripture today and it really spoke to me. Of course there will be trials, there will always be trials but don't fret too much of it, BE OF GOOD CHEER, the Lord has overcome the world and through him we too may overcome the world and the trials we will experience here. Isn't it wonderful to be part of this gospel, to have that knowledge that we can be of good cheer and face the adversities of this life.

Friday, June 18, 2010

Impossible

Alice laughed. `There's no use trying,' she said `one ca'n't believe impossible things.'

`I daresay you haven't had much practice,' said the Queen. `When I was your age, I always did it for half-an-hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.'
(Lewis Carrol, Through the Looking Glass)


I've always love science fiction and fantasy. It dreams up the impossible and makes it possible. My favorite reference for this is Star Trek. While it's not my favorite work of science fiction for my purposes now it more than illustrates my point. When Star Trek first aired cell phones, bluetooth technology, and voice recognition software were only ever dreamed of and automatic doors( H G Wells writes about this in 1899) were just hitting the market. Today we are on our way to creating realistic holograms, tricorders (devices to sense and analyse chemical elements and life forms, record massive amount of audio and video and shift through the materiel fairly quickly), universal translators, and LaForge's Visor.


The creators of Star Trek and many other sci-fi works dreamed the impossible and challenged science to make it possible.


I often find myself dreaming about the impossible, whether it is in the realm of science fiction or fantasy. I definitely think about it more than the half hour that the White Queen suggests and find that when I dream of the impossible I can see the world around me in a different light.


Don't shy away from ideas because someone says they are impossible. Make them possible.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

The ity's

ity - a quality, state, or degree of being

H. David Burton said "Virtuous traits form a foundation of a Christlike life and are an outward manifestation of the inner man" and "if virtues are lost, families will be miserably weakened, individual faith in the Lord Jesus Christ will soften, and important eternal relationships may be jeopardized."

So what are the virtuous traits or ity's as he calls them.

Integrity - "the light that shines form a disciplined conscience. It is the strength of duty within us."
- David O McKay
Humanity - the quality of being humane, kind, benevolent

Charity - the pure love of Christ

Spirituality - "... learning how to listen to the spirit and letting it govern our lives."
- Carol B Thomas

Accountability - choice and accountability are inseparable, there can be not choice there is no consequences good or bad and there can be consequences if we are not held accountable for those choices. "If me were merely animals, the logic favors freedom without accountability."
- Boyd K Packer

Civility - "... we are so 'at home' we forget simple civility... criticizing one another, losing our tempers, and behaving selfishly." - Wayne S Peterson

Humility - "True humility will inevitably lead us to say to God 'Thy will be done'."
- Marlin K Jensen

Fidelity - "...depends, not upon formal vows, but upon an inherent sense of decency and honor."
- Harold B Lee
"We pledge eternal fidelity as we kneel at that sacred altar."
- Matthew Cowley

and many more. What else can you add?

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Two in one day...

I wanted to add a fun little story to my last post but thought it would be too much.

During our lunch break yesterday they took us to the cafe on campus to introduce us to the food and let us wander around the club booths that were set up. After seeing the booths and getting my salad I began looking for a place to sit. There wasn't many open places as a large number of students brought friends or parents with them. Finally, deciding I didn't want to eat at a table by myself, I sat down at a table with a friendly looking mother - daughter duo and introduced myself. We exchanged pleseantries and found out that we are have the exact same major - Mass Communication with a concetration in Journalism. Needless to say we had a lot to talk about over lunch.

Later in the day we split from our orientation groups into our individual majors to get registered for class. My major was the last one called, almost forgotten about as a matter of fact, and when we stood to go me and my lunch buddy were the only two! Of all the people I could have eaten lunch with I chose the only other person in our whole orientation group in my major!!!

This is what happens when I follow those little feeling (aka the Holy Ghost's promptings) I elaborated on in my Sunburn post.

The Next Step

I've been putting of school for a long time now. I went for a while when I worked for the University of Phoenix but that was only because it was free and convienent and I didn't bother to take any classes that would do me any good.

When I quit my job and school and moved to Alabama I felt like something was missing. Of course something was missing, I'd just left a busy city life of full time work and full time school for a quiet country life. Don't get me wrong I love the quiet country life, the soft breezes, the wonderful smells, the sounds of frogs out my back window, two lane highways, and having to drive forever along those two lane highways to get anywhere; but with all that is good there was still something missing. I've been searching for employment since coming here almost a year ago and have come up empty, even when the odds were stacked in my favor and everything seemed right I just never got that job.

Recently I decided to put all my free time to work for me by going back to school. So I applied for admissions to the University of Montevallo, the closest university to me and it just happens to be an awesome school, and I got in. I didn't think I wouldn't, in fact it didn't even occur to me that I wouldn't, maybe that was a little arrogant, or just confidant, I'll let you decide. When I got the letter however a little thrill went through me, see I never went through the whole college thing after high school, I never even applied to colleges, so to get an acceptance letter was new and exciting. I immediately jumped into action getting everything squared away to start school. I still wasn't entirely sure that this could fill in what was missing but it was something.

Yesterday I had new student orientation. Just being on the campus, moving forward with me life and meeting new people gave me a sense of pride. I started to feel like that something missing was being filled in.

I decided after some much needed reflection and prayer that all my frustrations with job hunting, being so close to so many jobs but never getting one, was a push that I needed to go back to school and that this school is where I needed to go back to.

Now, if only we can figure out why Kevin can't find a job. :)

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Sunshine, angry Ohioans, and one awesome Police Cheif

I'm a red head. Fair skin, blue eyes, blonde eyelashes, the works. So why is it that I never remember to cover up in the sun. I'm from Arizona, I had a perpetual sunburn for my entire childhood. And yet the lesson never sticks. I never rememeber sunscreen and a hat when it really counts.

Today was one of those days. Burnt to a crips, stick a fork in me I'm done, etc. I knew, when I was asked to sit on a corner holding up a sign for 8 hours a day for three days that sunshine and me don't mix. I thought I was prepared, I had my iPod for music, my sister for company, water to hydrate and an umbrella that was almost more trouble than it was worth. I had a feeling this morning that I needed to bring a hat, put on sunblock, wear long pants, cover up more in general, of course obstinate me I didn't listen. Now I'm paying for.

There are a lot of life lessons to be learned from my experience holding that sign on that corner today. First, listen when you feel like you need to do something or you will get burned, sometimes quite literally. Second, even if their nice to your face their secretly hoping you do get burned. That's where the angry Ohioan comes in. See we were paid by a guy in our ward that own a pawn shop to sit and advertize his business while some big out of state company tried to set up a gold buying convention just up the road. He really just wanted to piss the people off and make them feel unwelcome in our little town. Afterall, if Ohio got his business what was he going to do. The manager of this little Ohio operation decided after watching us for an hour to come talk to me, sike me out I guess. He had a smile plastered on his face just waiting for me to crack. Of course I was on to him and didn't let him get to me. Though I did get burned, we just won't let him know. ;)

Shortly after his visit I recieved another very friendly visit from the chief of police. They had recieved, "8,000" calls from the Ohio operation this morning and thought he would make sure we were doing ok. He didn't like their operation any more than we did! He assured us that state law wouldn't allow them to continue their operation after next month, wished us well and went on his way. Lesson three, small towns rock. We have to stick together and depend on each other to survive.

So, next time I have the feeling I'll follow, I won't trust someone because of a smile and I'll remember to get the back of my neighbors when they need it.