Goals!!

New Year is coming up and with it comes the feeling to set goals to do try harder and do new things during the upcoming year.

Someone once said that if you don't write down a goal then it's only a wish. I think that's true in the way that if you write something down and put it where you see it often, you tend to do more about that goal.
Once you've written it, put it up where you can see it often and then work toward that goal.

I enjoy playing soccer, or football, and, as all sports, soccer requires teamwork. You can't expect to score a goal all by yourself. You have other players all over the field helpping you.
In the same way, a goal can be better achieved when you tell your friends and family about them. That way they know and can support you and give encouragement if needed.

Motivation also helps.
A couple years ago I wanted to buy a LEGO architecture set of Falling Water. My motivation was the joy and fun of building it once I got it.
So, once I knew what it was I wanted, I started saving money. It took time, pateicnt and effort but I did it and I felt amazing.
I'm sure you've felt this way before, you studied hard for a test and thanks to all that work and the time you spent, you passed.
Fulfilling a goal feels...amazing. You realize what you can do.

Challenge: make a goal, even if it seems kind of small, and do it. 

Challenge #2(Two challenges I know!): make a long term goal. Do you want to go to college?

Have a wonderful New Year's Day and a great year!!

Service

Winter is a great time to serve. Especially during Christmas season.
Now, I know Christmas has rolled by (barely) but now you have a whole year to think about what service you want to give next Christmas. 

A friend on Facebook shared this video a while ago; it's...spectacular. There's not really a word to describe it correctly. It's just amazing.

So, no, you don't have to go around handing money out to people to do service. In fact, I'll bet that you serve people left and right everyday without realizing it.
There's two kinds of service. Big in-the-news type service and small day to day type service. Both are important. (Although the day to day type services are, for the lack of a better word, better, I think.)

-Challenge: Do an act of service, big or small, today-

Christ

On this, the eve of the day we celebrate Christ's birth, I though it'd be appropriate to write about Him. Because, of course, He's what it's all about.

Jesus Christ, Savior of the world, was born in a manger in Bethleham to Mary and Joseph.
That year everyone was ordered to return to the city of their roots, so to speak. Joseph and Mary traveled to from Nazareth to Bethlehem, a journey of around 62 miles. That by itself is a pretty big hike, not to mention Mary was pregnant. Now a days, doctors tell women who are expecting not to exert themselves.
Things were differently different back then.
Once there, Joseph could not find an inn for him and Mary to stay at. And Mary was just about ready to have her baby. No pressure!!
Thank goodness that they were able to stay in a stable. Back then a stable wasn't what we think of. It was most likely a cave where the animals stayed.
And so, in the lowliness (and no doubt smelliness), of that stable, Jesus Christ, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Prince of Peace and Messiah, among other titles, was born. He was not born in a palace or even an inn. No, He was born in a humble stable with the animals.
Shepherds in a nearby field were visited by angels and told to go to Bethlehem to see the Christ child. The shepherds obeyed and once they had seen the child, they went around and told everyone else of what they'd seen.
Now the significance of the shepherds being visited by the angels is this: they tended to the sacrificial lambs, the lambs that would be used as sacrifices in the temple.

Christ is the reason for Christmas. You've probably heard this a thousand times but, if you take off the second syllable of Christmas you get Christ. Do the same thing for 'The Spirit of Christmas.' Take the second syllable of Christmas and you have, 'The Spirit of Christ.'

It's very appropriate to have a holiday for Christ. He came here on His Father's mission and cleared the path for us to return to Him as long as we follow Him and obey His words.

During a talk at church one of the speakers asked a very interesting question. It was something like this, If Christmas is all about Christ and His birth, then how come we celebrate it by focusing on the presents and things? He said it better then I did or ever could but you get the idea.

One December we gathered together for a family meeting. We began by asking our 11-year-old son how he would feel if on his birthday we gave presents to everyone but him. He didn’t like that idea at all. We went on to ask if there is a holiday when we give gifts to others but not to the person whose birthday we are celebrating. It didn’t take the children long to realize we were talking about Christmas. We decided to start making Christmas more meaningful by giving gifts to Jesus Christ, whose birthday we are celebrating.

Our children wondered what they could give the Savior. We talked about what He desires of us. We discussed His Atonement and His desire for us to give up our sins and be obedient. We talked about how He wants us to give of ourselves by serving and sharing our talents.

That year, we had each family member write on slips of paper the gifts they planned to give the Savior and place the slips in a box. On Christmas morning, before we opened the other gifts, we had family prayer and shared with each other the gifts we were giving the Savior for the coming year.

As the years have come and gone, the tradition of giving gifts to Jesus Christ has helped our family focus on the real meaning of Christmas and on our love and gratitude for Him.1

What an idea! Give a gift to Christ.
We read this in an early morning class I take and then we each wrote a gift to Christ on the back of the piece of paper.
The gift could be anything from serving others or smiling more to writing in your journal more often or more meaningful prayer or scripture study.

Today this is my challenge to you: think about then write down what your gift to Christ will be. It's kind of a New Year's Resolution but more spiritual, you might say.


I still can't believe it, Christmas is tomorrow!!
Well, as you open you gifts and spend time with loved ones, remember why it is that we have this wonderful holiday.

__________
1 Remebering Christ at Christmas. LDS.org. https://www.lds.org/liahona/1999/12/remembering-christ-at-christmas?lang=eng

Family Time!!

Holidays are the perfect time to spend time with family.
And families are the most important unit on earth.

Some of the most important, and fun, family memories come from the holidays. Not just Christmas; Thanksgiving, Birthdays, New Year pretty much any event that is important to your family.

Now is the time that families are together the most; make the best of it.

Relax

This season is always a busy one. There's activities, plays, parties, family gatherings, shopping, recitals. It's kind of amazing how many things go on during the holidays.
In the movie Rascal, Willard North says something like, "What if we went through life and came to the end and we had never stopped to look at the flowers?"

Now is a perfect time to stop and look around.

This a great little video about stopping to look around and appreciate the beauty and memories that surround us.

In this month of December, I think the busiest month of the year, we really should stop, look and think. Stop what you're doing for a minute. Look around and see the blessings. Think about those blessings and aprreciate them.

Christmas is a time for family, friends and love. It just happens to be super busy. But that doesn't mean we can't stop and slow down to rest.

In a fast moving, fast growing world, don't forget to Stop, Look and Think

Remember What It's All About - Part Two

There's just so much you can write about the meaning of Christmas.

I think we all know the classic A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. The miserly Scrooge and the cast of Christmas loving people.
Scrooge has a change of heart as he sees how his past choices have made up his present time and how the choices he makes now will decide the future. He learns to live in the Past, Present and Future; he promises to remember the past (but not linger on it too much), live in the present and look forward to the future.

I don't know if this exactly has a lot to do with the meaning of Christmas but I really like it; there's a radio drama series called Adventures in Odyssey. It's a great and teaches valuable lessons.
There's a couple episodes on the Christmas season.
One reminds us that if we can't be with our families for Christmas, or we're just feeling down during the holidays, simply remember past memories, Christmas or not. It also suggests that if you're feeling down, go serve someone. Sound funny? I can't blame you but I don't know how many people I've heard who've said the same thing.
Two other episodes, both in three parts, tell the story of Christ's birth and the travel and visit of the Magi, or Wise Men.

The episode I'm going to focus on is called The Day After Christmas. It's about a girl named Annie who, although she received a truckload of presents the day before, is already bored. She doesn't realize what she has.
She has the opportunity to visit a ghetto and befriends an elderly widow who everyone basically ignores. She learns that there's more to Christmas then the presents.
She learns that a part of the Christmas Spirit is service.

Service has always been an important thing in my life. Leaders at church talk a lot about it and I hear about it at home too.
Service is selflessly giving of your time, talents or things for someone else. 
Service is a big part of the holiday season. I don't mean that people just randomly throw money out of their cars or anything but people are so much more inclined to serve in the months of November and December then in any months of the year. I don't know why exactly that is but everyone says that. And it's true.

Christmas is a time when, although money can be a problem and days are packed full of activities and parties, we all tend to pull together in different ways.
We care for people more, we bake cookies and give them to people, we wish the best for everyone. I know there are people who do these kinds of things all year long but it happens more around Christmas.

So, as you go about your busy holidays, remember, there's more to Christmas then the worldly things.

(Yes, I know, I've already packed 3 videos in this article but this last one is a great video about the meaning of Christmas) 

_____

All these videos can be found on YouTube and LDS.org

Acts of Kindness

Acts of kindness are always special. Random acts of kindness are great too.

On Facebook a newspaper centered in Roanoke, Virginia, Growing Up In The Valley, has a 'Random Acts of Kindness' event going on, where you try to do an act of random service everyday.

Today I saw this as an advertisements on YouTube:

It was really good and reminds us about the powerful and incredible joy of giving. Like the guy says at the end, "It doesn't have to be material things."
I agree, you don't have to go out and do what the people did in this video.
One of the givers mentioned that "giving is always better." Another said that by giving we grow.
Interesting isn't it?
But at the same time it's true, at least I think so.
I like shopping for Christmas. Partially because it's such a wonderful secret to keep but mostly because I can't wait to see the person's face when they open it.

When we give we grow. Hmm. What do you think about that?
I think we do grow when we give. We grow in the knowledge that joy comes from giving to others. We grow to pay attention to others needs besides ourselves.

I have a challenge for you. Today do some act of kindness. It could just be smiling at someone, opening a door for someone, giving a hug, listening. Small things like that are all acts of kindness.

Giving is one of the best parts of the holiday.

Christmas music - and music in general

I don't know about you but I think Christmas music is relaxing.
I love to listen to uplifting music, in fact that's the only kind of music I listen to. And Christmas music is almost always uplifting and clean.
Christmas music just makes you feel good.

I have this kind of weird pet peeve, I don't like anyone getting their Christmas decorations out before Thanksgiving but I like singing Christmas songs all year round. Kind of weird, yeah, but Christmas music doesn't just have to be for Christmas. It's still uplifting and happy.
Now, of course, some people don't like singing Christmas music unless it's around Christmas and I respect that, I just like Christmas songs so much I sing them all over.

Music can enrich your life. It can edify and inspire you. Music has a profound effect on your mind, spirit, and behavior. Choose carefully the music you listen to. Pay attention to how you feel when you are listening.

~For the Strength of Youth

Music is powerful.
Just like friends, music can and will influence us.

I suggest, no I challenge you to pay attention to what music you listen to. Pay attention to the lyrics and how the music makes you feel. Do you like what the song is saying or implying? Do you agree with the song? Does this music make you feel good?
I'm not saying that if you completely change your music repertoire, I'm just saying that music has a very powerful influence on us and we need to understand that.
People say that you are what you eat, and someone once said, "You are what you do," as in your actions; I'm going to add something to that, you are what you listen to. You really are. What you listen to has the ability to change you. It can change your behavior, habits, what you say, practically everything and anything you do.

Another reason why music is so powerful, is because it can get stuck in our heads. It happens to everyone. And it can either be really nice or super annoying. I remember once a friend and I went to a Shakespeare play and the actors play music and sing before the show and at intermission. One song they sang was "What makes you beautiful" and later, my friend and I couldn't get it out of our heads. I don't think it's a bad song, I like it, it was the first time we'd heard it and we could only remember some of the chorus. So we sang that over and over and over and over and over. That was pretty annoying.
Getting off track, anyway, music can get stuck in our heads and once it's stuck it's hard to get out. It can be done but it's not necessarily easy.
(Sometimes it's a good thing, like if you're trying to memorize something)

I love music because it can be super inspiring. Some music makes you want to get up and do something for someone, some music lets you know you're important and of great worth.

Music is a blessing. It can and will change us. I think music can be like our choices; every song or music piece you listen to can shape you.

Music, I think, is a big thing all over the world. It can be a way of sending a message of peace, a way of saying thanks, a way of sharing what you believe in, all sorts of things.
Music speaks to us. It moves us.

If eyes are the windows to the soul, I think ears may be the doors to the heart.

Be careful what you let in.

Mormonad: Make Room

So this is just a link to a Mormonad that I thought was super cool.

Click here to see it (It'll come up as a PDF)

If you don't have time, I'll summarize.
I can't really explain the image but I what I really liked was the text at the bottom. It says: Make Room. "Each of us is an innkeeper who decides if there is room for Jesus!" ~Elder Neal L. Maxwell.

I love that!
We're each an innkeeper. I've never thought of it that way. But we are. We decide for ourselves if we're going to make room for Jesus.
So, as you go about your holiday shopping and gift wrapping, parties and setting up decorations, don't forget to let Jesus in.

Said the shepherd boy to the mighty king,
do you know what I know
In your palace warm, mighty king,
do you know what I know
A Child, a Child shivers in the cold
Let us bring Him silver and gold
Let us bring Him silver and gold

Said the king to the people everywhere,
listen to what I say
Pray for peace, people everywhere!
listen to what I say
The Child, the Child, sleeping in the night
He will bring us goodness and light
He will bring us goodness and light

~"Do you hear what I hear"

Remember What It's All About

December 1st already?
Time flies.
Well, as we continue to move into the holiday season remember what Christmas is all about. It's not about the gifts. It's not about the food.
It's about Christ.


Sometimes I wish Christmas was everyday but not for the same reason as most people.
There's just a special spirit that surrounds Christmas. People are kinder and we reach out more during this holiday then any other I know.
Wouldn't it be great if we all acted like that all year long?
So, I guess, what I'm really saying is, I wish we had the spirit of Christmas with us all year long.
It's such a special, extraordinary kind of spirit. And although we do strive to be caring and helpful all year long, the spirit isn't the same.
It's just...special.

"Can anyone tell me what Christmas is all about?"
Good question Charlie Brown! He asks this questions during a Nativity rehearsal as he tries to figure out the meaning of Christmas.
And then Linus, our good friend with the blue blanket, walks to center stage and quotes from Luke:

"'And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
And the angel said unto them, Fear not; for, behold, I bring you tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.
And this shall be a sign unto you: Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace and goodwill towards men.'"

"...That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown."¹

I was glancing around looking for things to help illistrate my point and I ran into this statement on Wikipedia from the 1889 volume of The American Magazine:

"to give up one's very self — to think only of others — how to bring the greatest happiness to others — that is the true meaning of Christmas"2

This is a wonderful video that seems to perfectly illustrate the above statement. It does not take place during the Christmas time (I don't think) but it applies just the same.3

Dr. Suess wrote the classic, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. It's about the Grinch who hates Christmas so he decides to stop Christmas from coming by stealing all of the Who's Christmas things. He sneaks down in the middle of the night, grabs all the Who's things and takes flight. But you know, that didn't stop Christmas from coming at all.

Every Who down in Whoville, the tall and the small,
Was singing! Without any presents at all!
He HADN'T stopped Christmas from coming! IT CAME!
Somehow or other, it came just the same!
And the Grinch, with his grinch-feet ice-cold in the snow,
Stood puzzling and puzzling: "How could it be so?"
"It came with out ribbons! It came without tags!"
"It came without packages, boxes or bags!"
And he puzzled three hours, till his puzzler was sore.
Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before!
"Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store."
"Maybe Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!"3

How great! "Maybe Christmas means a little bit more!"
And how right he is! Christmas isn't the things. It's the feelings, the family, the friends. The love and the caring, the togetherness, the songs, the laughter, the fun and the hugs. And most of all it's God' gift to us all.

And so on that last note, on the first day of December,
I hope you'll all continue to remember,
That it's not about things, about Santa or stockings.
Christmas is about the joy and the hope and thanksgiving.
It's about being together and knowing ones better,
And maybe that's why Thanksgiving and Christmas are so close together.


(Okay, very last note: this is great video about what Christmas is all about.5)

----------------
1 "A Charlie Brown Christmas" movie
2  The American magazine, vol. 28 (1889) found on Wikipedia
3 This video called "Ripple" can be found on YouTube
4 The Grinch Who Stole Christmas by Dr. Suess
5 This video, "He is the Gift", is on YouTube and LDS.org

Stand up, stand out, break the mold

Be different.
Being different is important, especially in the world today; be who you are. If you're not careful you'll lose yourself in the turmoil out there. Seriously, it's a fast moving, ever changing, scary world we live in.
Morals changing, illness spreading, fear growing. It's all around us.
And we have to push back. We have to fight the current like salmon.

Salmon are fish that are hatched, swim to ocean and then return to their birthplace to reproduce. Some salmon on their way back home, swim hundreds of miles against the current to reach their destination.
Wouldn't it be easier if these salmon just let the current take them to another spot? Probably. But they don't. I don't why they do what they do, they just do. They have a goal and they give it their all, even if it means their life.

In 1923 at a track meet between England, Ireland and Scotland, during a 400 meter (437.445) dash, Eric Liddell made his famous run.
Just moments after the pistol went off and the runners took off, Eric was knocked to the ground. "Well, there his chance of winning," Everyone thought.
But they were wrong.
Eric got back up and ran like he was a bullet shot from a gun. He surpassed all the other runners and just barely won the race.
Imagine, it would have been  so much easier for Eric to just sit there and say, "You know, you win some and you lose some." But he didn't. He got up and he ran. He was determined to finish the race. And he did.

Ever hear about Kate Shelly? She was a young women of 15 who, one stormy night after a pusher crashed into Honey Creek Bridge, crawled across the Des Moines River bridge to alert the train station so the midnight train wouldn't crash.
The midnight train had been delayed due to the storm but Kate didn't go in vain. After she delivered her message, she lead a rescue party to help the four man crew of the pusher. Unfortunately, only two of the four men survived. One climbed hand over hand on a rope from where he was tangled in a fallen tree. Another wasn't able to be rescued until the water level dropped. One drowned and the other wasn't found.
Due to Kate's exposure in the storm, she was bedridden for three months.
And just think, she could have just stayed home, safe and warm. Someone else could have gone, someone older. But Kate felt it was her duty and she completed her task. Although the midnight train had been delayed, she saved the lives of two men. And I'm pretty sure those men appreciated it.

All these people; they didn't sit back and watch, they saw and did. They stood up, stood out and broke the mold. They did what most others wouldn't. And they were just ordinary people like you. Salmon are just fish. Eric Liddell was just a missionary and an amazing runner. Kate Shelly was only 15.
But all three did/do amazing things.

To break the mold is to do something differently. To stand up and out. To do hard things. To let your light shine to those around you. To keep going when times are tough. To endure.

----------
You should read more about Eric and Kate; they're pretty cool people! (You can learn about salmon too if you want)

Three Cheers for the Pilgrims!

Think about all the courage those pilgrims must have had. 1) They left their homes behind, 2) they didn't know what was going to happen to them.
That's pretty big. They had guts.
They were pioneers; setting up a home in the wild wilderness.

Now, some of the pilgrims were going to the Americas for religious freedom, some weren't; the others were basically going to set up a colony, kind of for their own gain.
But, you know, that's sort of the principles the U.S. was founded on. Freedom of religion and hard work.

Unfortunately, the pilgrims also ended up bringing disease. Of course unfortunate but, it was bound to happen some time or another. I mean, if Columbus didn't discover America and the pilgrims came over, then someone else would have. And that other someone would have ended up bringing disease as well.

Pilgrims. Landed on Plymouth Rock in 1620. Faithful, hard working, courageous people who, although afraid, sailed across an ocean to a strangle land nobody really knew about. So...

Three cheers for the pilgrims!!

Thanksgiving - The start of the holiday season!

Thanksgiving is practically right in our faces!
Thanksgiving. Is it your favorite holiday? Your second favorite? Is it...on the bottom of you list?
Either way, Thanksgiving is, to me, the start of the holiday season. It's also when people generally start thinking about others more. 
And Thanksgiving is when we really look around and notice all our blessings we have.
Two or three years ago I started a little tradition for myself; I get some paper and write down every blessing/thing I'm thankful for from maybe a week or two to Thanksgiving. Try it, just write down a list of things your thankful for. When you write them down you realize just how many blessings you have. It's amazing.

Have a great Thanksgiving!!

The Giver

Just a warning: this does contain spoilers.....which means that you need to read this book (if you haven't) so you can read this without spoiling it!!
_______
The Giver by Lois Lowery has been one of my favorite books since I read it a couple years ago.
It's all about agency and the importance of choice; do we realize how important choice is? I mean, it's all around us, do we take our choices for granted? Do we use our agency wisely?

"For all the children

To whom we entrust the future"

 (Dedication)

I like Lois Lowery's dedication. This is a book for the raising generation! This is especially for you, the youth of the world!

How awesome is that? I don't know about you but when I know that something was written for me, I try to pay close attention.

So, let us begin....
There is so much stuff in this book, it's hard to know where to start.
I looked at my notes (one of the best ways to do that is to mark in your books, if it's yours) and I pulled out some stuff that stood out to me.

• People obeyed instantly
• In a way it's kind of like Hunger Games
• There's a standard apology system
• No birthdays
• Dinner - everyone talks about their day
• Breakfast -  everyone talks about their dreams
• Title (job)
• Families - husband, wife, son, daughter - apply for spouse, apply for child
• Ceremony of lost
• Ceremony of found
• Always fifty new children
• They use correct words
• No choices
• No color

Just by reading this list you know it's a different kind of book; this isn't just a regular story, this a story...with a lesson.
And it's a very important lesson. I look around and see a lot of people who make choices. You make choices, I make choices.
What if we didn't have choice?

"I don't know."
Maybe you know someone who seems to (or does) say this a lot. I admit that's what I do, because let's face it, making choices is hard sometimes.
But when we say, "I don't know," we're taking our ability to choose for granted. That's...kind of harsh, yeah. But it's also true, at least I think so.

So I'm just going to go over some of the stuff on my list and believe me there is loads of other things you can get out of this book. It's simply amazing.

1) People obeyed instantly.
For a moment think about it. What if you told your sibling (or friend, whoever) to do something and they did it without question? How cool would that be? Life would be so much easier...but thinking about that, doesn't that almost make you nervous?
Your sibling would not have agency. They'd either have been forced so many times to obey that it became routine or they grew up that way. They lost their agency.
In The Giver, that's how things are. If you don't, you get chastened or, if it's really serious, you get a warning and then, if you do it again, you get kicked out.
This leads into my second point.

2) Standard Apology System
If you've done something wrong you apologize. That's how life works. Hopefully we all do this. It's important; it shows that we know we've done something wrong and we're sorry.
This is how they do in The Giver:

Example # 1:

"I apologize for inconveniencing my learning community." Asher ran through the standard apology phrase rapidly, still catching his breath. ..."I apologize to my classmates".

"We accept your apology, Asher." The class recited the standard apology response in unison.

Example # 2:

"I have caused you anxiety," She said. "I apologize to my community." Her voice flowed out over the assembled crowd.

"We accept your apology," they all uttered together.

I don't think this is real repenting and forgiving. I mean, it's...meaningless. It's routine; it's normal for them. It's a habit.
Now, I think it's a good idea to be in the habit of forgiving and repenting but it needs to be sincere and heartfelt.

Become really, really good at repenting thoroughly and quickly. ...Become really, really good at forgiving.

~JÖrg Klebingat

3) NO COLOR
This, next to not having choices, is a big thing in the book (and movie).
Can you imagine not having color? Look around. I bet there are tons of different colors around you. What if all you saw was gray? Yuck.

"If everything's the same, then there aren't any choices! I want to wake up in the morning and decide things! A blue tunic, or a red one? ...But it's the same, always."
~Jonas

4) What everyone thought about choice
This was not on my list but I bring it up because it is so interesting to see what Jonas says about choice.

"But now that I can see colors, at least sometimes, I was thinking: what if we could hold up things that were bright red, or bright yellow, and he [Gabe] could choose? Instead of the Sameness."
"He might make wrong choices."
"Oh." Jonas was silent for a moment. "Oh, I see what you mean. ...We don't dare to let people make choices of their own."
"Not safe?" The Giver suggested.
"Definitely not safe," Jonas said with certainty. "What if they...chose wrong?"
..."Frightening, isn't it?" The Giver said.
Jonas chuckled. "Very frightening. I can't even imagine it. We really have to protect people from wrong choices.
"It's safer."
"Yes," Jonas agreed. "Much safer."

To me, this is just plain weird. How could he see color and start learning about choice and think this?
It's beyond me. But then again, Jonas has a point. Don't we want to make sure everyone chooses correctly? Yes, I think we all do. We're taught right from wrong, what to do and what not to do. Our parents want us to choose the right. But can't do that if we can't exercise our agency.

I hope I was able to tell you how important agency and choice is. It's a gift we have that we use everyday of our lives. The question is, do we use it wisely?

"It's the choosing that's important, isn't it?"
~The Giver

Using Our Lives

This not my work.

This is a speech from an online class I took (I have others if you look at some of my earlier posts). 

 I was waiting for a title but it's been a while and I figured it was about time this got up here.

------------------------

How can one define a life's worth? How can its merits be given value and its actions cost? When an object is given worth,  it is valued upon its use. But can the same evaluation be made of a person?

            When an experiment is made in science, the results must be placed in specific parameters. The scientist in question must be able to take something as fluid as emotion or opinion and turn it into something which has a specific set of characteristics. For example, if a scientist were to evaluate intelligence, he must be able to set a specific group of things to look for, such as problem solving, mental speed and so on. Only if results can made devoid of opinion, either of researcher or viewer, can they be trusted.

            But what values would be chosen to make such a search of human worth? Would they be physical characteristics? Or would they instead be in terms of ability to understand and memorize information? But what then of problem solving abilities, or the arts? Even taking every value here stated would be an incomplete list, and many would be difficult to put in specific parameters.

            What then, can one do to define the worth of a person? Can it be done? It has been tried without success many times, from placing a price on a slave to human IQ.

            A life cannot be given a specific worth, but the worth it has can be raised. After all, a life does have worth, even if it cannot be measured. That worth could therefore be increased by increasing those things that give it worth. What, then, is the way to achieve highest worth in life?

            To change a piece of iron into a sword, a smith must work to heat and bend the metal into the shape which he desires. Likewise, to turn a mere talent, which is good, into a true skill, we must work to bend it into the shape we desire. Just as a sword is more useful than a simple piece of iron, a skill is more useful than a talent.

            But the more important question than how to increase worth is why to increase worth. What use does it serve?

            To quote Aristotle from his book Nicomachean Ethics:

            "Every art and every scientific inquiry, and similiarly every action and purpose, may be said to aim at some good. Hence the good has been well defined as that at which all things aim. But it is clear that there is a difference in ends;foor the ends are sometimes activities, and sometimes results beyond the mere activities. Where there are ends beyond the action, the results are naturally superior to the action.

            "If it is true that in the sphere of action there is some end which we wish for its own sake, and for the sake of which we wish everything else, and if we do not desire everything for the sake of something else (for if it were so, the process would go on ad infinitum and our desire will be idle and futile), clearly this end will be good and the supreme good."

            He then names the ultimate good as happiness.

            Having knowledge of the ultimate good gives people the ability to reach that good, much like an archer aiming for a target. Therefore we must strive to achieve that ultimate good, which is happiness. The next question is what must be done to get to that goal. Just as an archer must know to pull back the bowstring, and how to aim and so forth, we must know how to get to happiness. What is it that gets us there? Would it be the same for each person?

            Happiness does not reside in material wealth of possessions, nor is it found in fame or prestige. Otherwise, how could musicians and artists, most of whom never obtain money or fame, be happy? In fact, how could any but the very elite be happy? And yet, many people are. No, happiness must lie elsewhere.

            Happiness lies in the fulfillment of the measure of our creation, or doing what we are meant to do. Those who are best at science, or music, or craftsmanship can all be happy if it is what they are meant to be doing. Therefore, we must find that which we were created to do. We must do that which we were created to do. For when we do it, we will obtain happiness.

The Hunger Games

Spolier alert.
I'll be kind of jumping around on topics, just so you know.
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Suzanne Collins. First Hunger Games book published on September 14th 2008. Second on September 9th 2009. Final book on August 24th 2010.
Hunger Games movie: March 2012. Catching Fire movie: November 2013. Mockingjay Part 1: November 2014. Mockingjay Part 2: November 2015. 

Hunger Games is three part book series by Suzanne Collins. The series is liked by many people, probably worldwide but I don't know that for sure.
The setting is in a dystopian world with strange rules, problems and a corrupt government.
Hunger Games is an adventure. It's a romance. It's a life changer if you know how to recognize it.

Reading the book I remember thinking about all the events and wondering what it would be like to actually live there. And I'm pretty sure I would be the first to die if I was ever picked as a tribute.
And thinking about that, can you imagine how messed up the government was? They were practically sending kids to their deaths. How wrong is that?
But then you have to remember that everyone was used to it (scary thought). I mean, they grew up doing that.
And nobody really thought otherwise.
Think about that; you've grown up seeing people getting killed. you're really not very well off (especially if you're in District 12).

I put Panem into Google Translate, Latin into English, and it means bread or the bread. That name is probably significant but I don't know in what way.

At the end of the series I find it super interesting that Katniss votes in flavor for more Hunger Games. Peta votes against it. It seems that Peta better understood what harm the games did and he seemed to have forgiven the Capital. Not an easy thing to do.
Katniss chooses for the Games to continue. Not because she's evil or unfeeling. Because she's hurt and lost friends, family, good people, innocent people died. That would be a pretty tough decision to make.
What would you have chosen? Or, I guess a better way to say that is, what would want to choose? We never really know until it happens. (Of course, something like this will never happen. Or should happen.) Would you have chosen to continue having annual Games?
I can't say I would blame you too much if you did. I mean, talk about sorrow, pain and loss. War brings all of that. But it also brings love, compassion and friendship.

The Hunger Games is a series that you really has you thinking and I wouldn't recommend reading it unless you're 12 at least. It's a great series but there's a lot to think about and take in.

Cacth up

I know I haven't done anything for a while but I'm starting to work on a Hunger Games essay...when I'm finished and post it I have no clue. My excuse is just like everyone else's: I am crazy-you-won't-believe-it(-or-maybe-you-can) busy.
So, that's all I have to say...

The Family - an endangered species

So, this essay was one of my longer ones and I used a lot of quotes and sources. Just warning you, it's long and there's a lot packed in.
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Will the family become extinct?
Probably not but the family is certainly endangered. There are all sorts of ways the family is being torn down, bit by bit.
Here's a list of just 5 ways the family is becoming extinct:
1) Abortion
2) Same sex marriage

3) Jobs
4) Divorce
5) Having sex even although couple is not married
I'm sure there's more ways the family is being degraded; and that's why we have to defend the family. I mean, if we don't who will?

Abortion.
Abortion is terrible. Abortion is when you kill the baby while it's in the womb. It's sad. Some say that abortion is murder. I don't know what I think besides that abortion is wrong. When you do that to a baby you don't let him/her have a chance to enjoy life. If you don't really want the baby (which I think is positively sad) then put them up for adoption, there are people out there that can't have babies who would be honored to take care of yours.

Same sex marriage.
The world says that if you disagree with same sex marriage then you're being unfeeling and prejudice. That's not true. I don't agree with same sex marriage but that doesn't mean those people are bad. I know a couple who are married and of the same sex; they're a nice couple, I just don't agree with their opinions.
We don't say that people from, for example, New Mexico are bad just because they live in a different place. You never need to be ashamed of your opinions. And you don't need to change your opinions just because others say you should.

Jobs.
Believe it or not jobs can get in the way of families. It's a great thing to love your job but never forget your family. Your family is there for you rain or shine, snow or sleet, tornado or hurricane.
There's another way jobs can interfere. Some people don't want to start a family or even get married because they're worried it will slow them down which is possible but family is a gift.
And something to remember: In Genesis, God told Adam and Eve to multiply and replenish the earth.

Divorce.
This is a thing that tears families right down the middle. I can't even imagine what it would be like having to travel between homes and all that stuff.
Unfortunately, sometimes there needs to be a divorce and that's why we try to avoid them as much as we, as mortals, can.
On Yahoo News there's an article entitled "What If We Couldn't Get Divorced?"1 The article talks about how if we couldn't get divorced we wouldn't have as many marriages. Personally I think that it would all somehow work out. God wants us to marry and have babies so I'm sure He has a plan.

Sex out of marriage.
This another big one.
There are hundreds, probably thousands, of kids born out of wedlock. Not only is this somewhat awkward but it's also a little like divorce; the child might grow up without two married parents and that can be really hard on them.

Now that we've talked about things that tear down the family let's talk about the blessings that family brings.

Some of the blessings of family:

1) Support

2) Care

3) Love

Can you imagine not having any of that? Sadly there are kids who deal with that kind of thing.

There's a great document on the family and the roles of the Father and Mother. It's called The Family: A Proclamation to the World.2 It's only a page long but there's a lot of great information in it. I would really encourage you to read it; there's a lot of stuff in there.

Now a family isn't perfect. Nobodies family is going to be perfect and what I'm getting to is that there is no "perfect family" image. Some families are going to have a mom and a dad, some have just a dad, some have just a mom, some have two moms, some two dads. Some have just one or two kids, some have six and over and some are in between. Either way you're still a family.

Cleon Skousen wrote a book called The 500 Year Leap. In this book Mr. Skousen names 28 principles that are needed for a strong government. Principle 26 says that "The core unit that determines the strength of any society is the family; therefore, the government should foster and protect its integrity."3
Interesting, huh? The government should be protecting the families integrity.

This reminds me of a section in a book called Laddie by Gene Stratton Porter. In chapter thirteen Little Sister explains to us what Father thinks makes a strong nation. "...people who couldn't seem to be made to understand what was required to upbuild a nation. He said our language was founded on the alphabet, and to master it you had to begin with "a". And he said the nation was like that; it was based on townships, and when a township was clean, had good roads, bridges, schoolhouses, and churches, a county was in fine shape, and when each county was in order, the state was right, and when the state was prosperous, the nation could rejoice in its strength."4

Now that probably didn't make a lot of sense at the beginning because I started in the middle of a sentence but you get the idea; Father says a strong nation starts with good roads. I'd add that a strong nation starts with strong families.

In the pamphlet For the Strength of Youth it says, "Being part of a family is a great blessing. Your family can provide you with companionship and happiness, help you learn correct principles in a loving atmosphere, and help you prepare...
"Strong families require effort...do your part to strengthen it. Be cheerful, helpful, and considerate of family members. Many problems in the hime come from family members speaking and acting selfishly or unkindly. "Seek to be a peacemaker rather than to tease, fight, and quarrel.
"Willingly help in your home. Participate in wholesome family activities.
"Strengthen your relationship with your brothers and sisters. They can become your closest friends."5

That's a lot but isn't that true? "Strong families require effort." I like that. I mean, we can't not study for a test and expect to pass. That's not how it works. And it doesn't work like that in families either; you've got to do your part.

I also like how it told us to be peacemakers. Thomas S. Monson said, "To my mind come the words of the scripture: “Charity is the pure love of Christ, … and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.” Brothers and sisters, some of our greatest opportunities to demonstrate our love will be within the walls of our own homes. Love should be the very heart of family life, and yet sometimes it is not. There can be too much impatience, too much arguing, too many fights, too many tears. Lamented President Gordon B. Hinckley: “Why is it that the [ones] we love [most] become so frequently the targets of our harsh words? Why is it that [we] sometimes speak as if with daggers that cut to the quick?” The answers to these questions may be different for each of us, and yet the bottom line is that the reasons do not matter. If we would keep the commandment to love one another, we must treat each other with kindness and respect."6

And I'd like to say that your sibling(s) can become your best friend. You still fight but you also make great memories together. I feel like I can talk to my sister about almost anything and I think she thinks the same about me. 

You may lose contact with friends but hopefully you will never lose contact with your family. Because family lasts and family is always there as a strong foundation in your life.

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1 http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/what-if-abc-news/what-if-we-couldn-t-get-divorced-151151882.html
2 https://www.lds.org/topics/family-proclamation?lang=eng
3 The 500 Year Leap by Cleon Skousen 

4 Laddie by Gene Stratton Porter, pg
5 For the Strength of Youth, pg 14-15
6 https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/04/love-the-essence-of-the-gospel?lang=eng#10-10985_000_46monson

The Importance of Clear Perspective

Have you ever watched something on YouTube and the image was blurry and unfocused? And then you watch the same video or a different one that has a clearer or completely clear picture? The difference is astounding. You don't realize how much you're missing until you can see clearly.
It's like sunglasses; you put them on and everything gets a little bit darker. Take them off and the color is restored.
Try it. Grab a pair of sunglasses, put them on, leave them on for as long as you can stand it and take them off. (If you do it during the summer, or just on a sunny day, and you do it outside you get the full thing.) The difference is amazing. The image before was colorless and dull. The image after is colorful and lively. If you keep the sunglasses on for a while then you begin to get used to them and in a way you forget what a clear vision looks like...until you take them off. And then it's like BAM!! color restored.
Our image needs to be clear. Can you imagine going around with sunglasses on? Everything would be gray and...boring. Yuck.
Now, imagine that you need glasses. If you have glasses already then imagine you're buying a new pair. Right now you're creating you're own pair of unique glasses. The only thing you cannot change is the lens. Your lenses are specially ordered lenses. Unfortunately that means you cannot tint them. And they are not the kind that turn into sunglasses when you go outside. Sorry! So with that information, what do they look like? What do they feel like? You might even think about what they smell like, I don't know. Are they red? Blue? Black? Silver? Neon green? Polka dotted? Are they horn rimmed? Are they rectangular? Oval shaped? Whatever you want (as long as it'd be on a real pair of glasses; you can't have spy glasses like in Spy Kids).
You've bought the glasses. Before you open the case and read the owner's manual you need to commit to keeping your glasses clean and well cared for. I mean, you wouldn't wear them if they were blurry, scratched and/or dirty. You'd clean them, get them repaired if necessary, whatever it takes. These glasses help you to see so please keep them clean.
...What are you waiting for? Open the case! ...Wow. They look awesome. Try them on. Cool. Don't forget the manual now.

Glasses 1 pair

Custom Made

These belong to _______________

Owner's Manual

YourGlasses Inc.

Cleaning Instructions

If your lenses are blurry - exhale lightly on lens and clean with smooth cloth.

If lenses are dirty - follow above instructions for blurriness. If that fails clean gently with a damp cloth. If that does not work, take your glasses to the closest YourGlasses consultant.

If lenses are scratched - if it's a small scratch you should be fine. If bigger or you gain more, have lenses replaced.

WARNING

Do NOT drop, step on, put in a blender or do any other thing to glasses that may result in damaging them.

Warranty

This product has a life-time warranty.

However, YourGlasses Inc. will not be able to change your glasses design once you have chosen it due to the complex contract we hold.

If you need to replace your glasses, please bring them to a consultant. They will help you to replace them.

YourGlasses Inc. Contract/Agreement

YourGlasses Inc. pledges to give you only the finest custom made glasses available. Glasses are designed by you therefore YourGlasses is not responsible for "messed up" or "terrible" designs. YourGlasses will not change the design you have made once you have placed your order. 
A YourGlasses consultant will help to replace lenses and, if necessary, the glasses themselves. Replacement is completely free but we cannot guarantee a quick fix.
If you are not completely satisfied with your product please meet with a YourGlasses consultant.

Common Questions

• Why do you call some of your employes 'consultants'? Because our consultants will consult with you on how to fix or replace your glasses.

• Why do I need special lenses? I've never had really bad eyesight. Our lenses are handmade by only the best thus each pair is unique as is each person and each person's personality. This is another reason why we allow you to design your own glasses.

• When I went to have my glasses replaced all my consultant and I did was talk. And we didn't always talk about glasses. We talked about me. And after that my glasses were fixed. How is that? Are you magicians or something? No, we are not magicians. The truth are these glasses help you see spiritually. Your frames represent your personality, what you think of yourself and your uniqueness. When you talk to a consultant about yourself, your lenses or glasses repair themselves because of your personality. In a way you could say we are magicians but a better way to put it would be that the glasses are magical.
• Who can be a YourGlasses consultant? Anyone who feels that they can undertake the job. A consultant must be ready to act at anytime and must be willing to let their house be used for work when needed. They must also be able to comfort, assure and understand others.

So, have you read through the manual? Good. We'll move on then.

I was at a conference once and one of the speakers spoke about wearing spiritual glasses. That is partly where I got the idea for this paper. The other half of inspiration was gained when I was watching a video on YouTube. I watched one version with unfocused pixels and then I watched the same video but with better focus. I'd already watched the video before but I was surprised at how much detail I'd missed and how much detail I'd forgotten from just watching the unfocused one once. Like I said, it really is amazing how much we miss when we don't open our eyes.

I hope we can, as they say, "open our eyes to see." That sounds so simple and weird doesn't it? But sometimes we're unfocused and the colors we see are dull, we need to see all the colors and all the details. We need to clean our glasses and see what we're missing.
There are many things that can and will cloud our minds. Some examples are pride, feelings of worthlessness and sin. The consultants represent mentors, parents, good friends and family. When we're feeling down we can talk to them.
Your glasses represent you. As it says in the manual, the glasses are like your personality, what you think of yourself and your uniqueness. I'd also like to add your beliefs and opinions. The frames and lenses are special because you are special. You pick your personality. And in a way, you can't change your personality.  Well, you can, I guess, but I'm not going to get into that.

Anyway, what I would like you to remember is:

Keep your glasses clean. 

Pioneer Trek

The following really happened.
I just finished participating in a Pioneer Trek. A pioneer trek is when we (youth) dress as the pioneers did and we push a handcart for as many miles as our leaders set for us.
It's hard but it's so worth it. Not to mention it was totally fun. We each had a family including kids, a Ma and Pa, a baby (a baby doll full of rice) and you might even have an aunt and/or uncle.
We had five families and five handcarts. We started on a Wednesday and ended on Saturday. I think we hiked somewhere around 15-20 miles. 10-12 on the first day, 3-4 on the second, 0 on the third (it was the "Sabbath") and 3-4 on the fourth and final day.
First day:
We got together at the meeting place, met our families, designed our flag, checked our stuff, had lunch, put together the handcarts and headed out.
Unfortunately and not unfortunately, we were rained on. Luckily it didn't last for long but it left everyone wet and cold. And our shoes were soaked.
It was a tough first day. We had a lot of uphill and a lot of puddles. My socks that I was wearing were white. They are now purple and brown. (Don't ask me were the purple came from, I don't know and I'm not sure that I want to.)
We arrived at the place designated for our first night and set up plastic tarps to sleep under. We unfolded all the plastic, put the sleeping bags on one half and then folded the other half over.
For dinner we had bread and broth. It tasted amazing.
Day two:

We woke up damp and a lot of people, if not everyone, had partly or fully wet sleeping bags. We had oatmeal with raisins for breakfast and were visited by a member of the US army. The men were asked to join. They agreed because we didn't have anymore food and the army would pay us in it. So the men (excluding the fathers) went and joined the Mormon Battalion. So began what we call The Women's Pull. Us girls pull and pushed our handcarts 1 1/2 miles mostly uphill where we met the boys. We hiked another mile or so to the top, stopped for an apple lunch and went the mile or so downhill. The men stood in front of the bar and us girls held a rope tied to the back of the handcart. (We pretty much got pulled along.)
Below is a handcart so you can get the idea of what I was talking about.

Before we could get to our campsite we had to cross a stream. The water was cold but felt good. The rocks on the other hand were a different story. Then we all unloaded, set up camp and participated in some activities. We each had a different campsite. And this time instead of sleeping in between the tarp we took ours and made a lean-to. Sort of. We tied a rope to two trees and put the plastic over it. Then we pulled out one side, folded part of it underneath. You know what that's just confusing.
Our lean-to looked kind of like the one below but the back was pulled down and duct-taped to the bottom.

We ate chicken and rice with homemade bread and sweet potatoes for dinner. We had a fireside and then we went to bed. And we dried our sleeping bags out next to the fire..
Day three:
It being the "Sabbath," we changed into our second set of clothes and had some of our church meetings, Relief Society/Priesthood and Sunday School. In between lunch and dinner we had solo time. Solo time was where we went into the woods be ourselves for three hours and we were to pray, think, ponder, write in our journals and read our scriptures. After that we dinner and then we had Sacrament meeting. It was also a testimony meeting. After that we had Family Home Evening at our campsites. Then we all just hung out for a while until we were called tot he bigger campfire for popcorn. We ended up singing late into the night. It was awesome.
Final leg of the journey:
After cleaning up the campsites we headed out. We arrived at the last spot in the afternoon and were greeted by our parents.

There are many things that I have not put in; it would take a lot of time to write it all. I can't really make you understand because unless you've been on a pioneer trek, you don't know what it's like. It's like a roller coaster, you can tell your friend all about it but they won't really understand until they ride it themselves. Or a better example might be this: if you went on a camp out and then came home and told your friend all about it they would enjoy listening but they really won't know what it was like and what it felt like because they weren't there.
I'd like to finish by saying that the Trek was hard. It was one of the hardest things I have ever done. But it was also one of the most meaningful things I've ever done.


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I would like to note that a Pioneer Trek is a tradition for the youth of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Different things for Trek are done in different places.