9/11

Today we commemorate the 2,977 people who died when terrorists crashed 4 planes (although one wasn't really crashed by a terrorist).

When you hear about the events that happened today 14 years years ago, you just feel depressed. But you also feel proud of the brave souls who went in the Twin Towers to rescue others, the passengers of the fourth plane who overpowered the hijackers.
People gave their lives on September 11th, 2001. Police officers and firefighters and EMTs did all they could to save people. None of the passengers on the fourth plane survived.
These people are heroes.

"Say What You Mean, Mean What You Say"

Do we pay attention to what we say? I don't. I mean, I can be pretty sarcastic. But there are some people that would be offended even if you say you're only being sarcastic.

So, taking the whole saying about meaning what you say and meaning what you say, do we pay attention to what we sing?
I personally don't always pay attention to song lyrics but I try to because I think that what goes in our minds definitely plays a part in shaping our characters.

Genius

"He's a genius." "What a genius." "...one of the greatest geniuses on earth."

So, what is genius? The 1828 Webster Dictionary gives a few definitions. I really like the last four:

3. Strength of mind; uncommon powers of intellect, particularly the power of invention. In this sense we say, Homer was a man of genius Hence,
4. A man endowed with uncommon vigor of mind; a man of superior intellectual faculties. Shakespeare was a rare-genius.
5. Mental powers or faculties. [See No.2.]
6. Nature; disposition; peculiar character; as the genius of the times.1

I attended a conference in 2011 and they gave us t-shirts. Whoever wrote what was on them is a genius.

I like how it says that genius is within. Genius is within each of us; we all have a genius inside that's just waiting to be released.

"Just remember, I'm a- [trips and falls] -genius!" ~ Sherman from Mr. Peabody and Sherman

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1] 1828 Webster Dictionary. Online. "Genius."

Sportsmanship

I went up to Maryland this week to watch my cousin play professional woman's soccer. I really enjoyed it; the game was exciting but one of the things that really caught my eye was the players on both teams.
There were a few injuries, none too serious, and at least one member of the opposing team would make sure the fallen player was alright. It was really eyeopening, not that I think that sports teams hate each other or anything, it was just really nice to see.
At the end of the game, which ended in a tie, the teams not only met in the middle of the field to congratulate one another on a game well played, they hugged each other. It was really cool.

Just because we might not all be on the same team, it doesn't mean we can't be friendly with everyone.

Now

NOW, adverb
1. At the present time.

- 1828 Webster Dictionary

I've heard this word many, many times in the past few years. "Now is the time." "You are needed now." "The time to act is now." "Serve now." "Learn now." Etc.
Now, right now, is the time to act, to do. Don't wait for others to do it for you, you do it. Now.

Y.O.L.O. This usually stands for You Only Live Once, which translates into "party now because you only one life so you should live it up now." But in this CD I listened to a few months ago, the guy speaking pointed out that this can go the other way: "you only live once so you should do all you can to make it good." And I agree, I believe that we should all we can to serve others and grow closer to our Heavenly Father. Besides, if all you do is party and try drugs and stuff like that, are you really happy? In the moment maybe but you don't stay that way.

So, now is the time to do whatever it is that you need to do. Build relationships, learn a new skill or hobby, etc. 

Do things that really matter.

How Do You Want To Be Remembered?

Ever wondered about what people will say about you once you're gone, or just on vacation? Do they say you're an excellent friend? Loyal? Funny? Or would they say something different?
Either way, what do you want them to say?

I recently had an interview for a library job and one question I was asked was, "How would your friends describe you?" I thought a moment. "Quiet. They'd probably say smart." But I couldn't really think of anything else. I mean, I don't ask my friends "hey, how would you describe me?" but it made me think about how I'd like people to describe me.
I'd like to say that I'm loyal, funny, smart, kind, thoughtful, a great friend, always willing to serve, helpful. And that brings the thought, "if I want them to say that about me, what do I need to do to achieve that?" Maybe it means that I need to work on being more willing to serve and looking for more ways to serve and then acting on those ideas. Maybe I need to be more attentive to other people's needs and, again, act on my observations.

So, what do you want your friends to say about YOU?

Happy Almost July 4th!

So, July 4th is in just two days. July 4th, America's Independence Day. The day that when we remember how we broke off from Great Britain because we wanted a voice in parliament.

This declaration is one of the most important documents and I invite you to read, or at least skim, over it. Our founding fathers supported this document written primarily by Thomas Jefferson.

(This form of the Declaration was copied pasted from the National Archives and Records Administration website.)

The Declaration of Independence: A Transcription IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776. The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world. He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good. He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them. He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only. He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures. He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people. He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within. He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands. He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers. He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries. He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance. He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures. He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power. He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation: For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us: For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States: For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world: For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent: For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury: For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies: For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments: For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever. He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us. He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people. He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation. He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands. He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions. In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people. Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends. We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor. The 56 signatures on the Declaration appear in the positions indicated: Column 1 Georgia:    Button Gwinnett    Lyman Hall    George Walton Column 2 North Carolina:    William Hooper    Joseph Hewes    John Penn South Carolina:    Edward Rutledge    Thomas Heyward, Jr.    Thomas Lynch, Jr.    Arthur Middleton Column 3 Massachusetts: John Hancock Maryland: Samuel Chase William Paca Thomas Stone Charles Carroll of Carrollton Virginia: George Wythe Richard Henry Lee Thomas Jefferson Benjamin Harrison Thomas Nelson, Jr. Francis Lightfoot Lee Carter Braxton Column 4 Pennsylvania:    Robert Morris    Benjamin Rush    Benjamin Franklin    John Morton    George Clymer    James Smith    George Taylor    James Wilson    George Ross Delaware:    Caesar Rodney    George Read    Thomas McKean Column 5 New York:    William Floyd    Philip Livingston    Francis Lewis    Lewis Morris New Jersey:    Richard Stockton    John Witherspoon    Francis Hopkinson    John Hart    Abraham Clark Column 6 New Hampshire:    Josiah Bartlett    William Whipple Massachusetts:    Samuel Adams    John Adams    Robert Treat Paine    Elbridge Gerry Rhode Island:    Stephen Hopkins    William Ellery Connecticut:    Roger Sherman    Samuel Huntington    William Williams    Oliver Wolcott New Hampshire:    Matthew Thornton