2012

It's a new year and though everything should be grand, happy, and new, I am worried for what the future might bring. My life is filled with so much uncertainty I do not know what to worry about first. I need to finish packing for Winter Semester 2012 at BYU-I. I need to finish signing up for classes which is becoming more and more difficult as time passes. But out of all the things to be worried about, family comes first. My grandma is in the hospital with Hepititus C and kidney failure. She is 40-some pounds and can hardly move. Everyday is uncertain and I wait for news of her, fearing the worst. This has become a time for me to turn to my Heavenly Father in prayer and Jesus Christ for comfort. The greatest thing I have to be grateful for is my faith in the LDS church. Nothing could stay my fears more than that.

Thanksgiving 2011

Well... the power went out fifteen minutes before dinner was served. Good thing we could actually eat because the food was finished! It's interesting to be 18 and around 21 year old's with all their "grown-up" ways of celebrating. But i had fun regardless of the circumstances!!!

Living Simply

I watched a youtube video and my favorite line out of it was "Live simply, so others can simply live." What more can people ask for? This life is for us to do our best but not for ourselves. For other people. Live your best in the service of others whether they are a stranger, a best friend, or a family member.

It's The Times...

It's the times when you aren't paying attention that matter most. Those times are when you are talking to a friend and realize how blessed you truly are. It's when you are talking to a roommate and realize how much your mom taught you through chores even when it ment work. It's the times you think back on life and are truly humbled and remember God. It's the times when you look around you and just feel happy for no apparent reason. It's the times when you read a friend's facebook status and smile with gratitude. It's every little second of every small minute of every normal hour of every average day that makes you think about the things that matter.

Sisters and Being Sick

Yesterday, I almost passed out and had to leave church early. Later that day, after I had fed all the guys who don't have kitchens that I know (20 people in all, guys and girls), I got together with my friend and we watched The Work and the Glory parts I & II. Halfway through part II, about midnight, my friend, her roommates and I got to talking about church and the feelings that we have about the gospel and different things in life. We got talking about how we have changed ourselves to be better. We talked about life at BYU-I and the difference it has made in our lives. We shared quotes, smiled, laughed and generally acted like girls do at midnight. And then, we got to talking about how much we love each other, the people around us, and the gospel of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Yes, we are Mormons.

I go to BYU-I, a Mormon school. I have a deep love for this gospel. It has changed my life beyond recognition. I am always curious what kind of person I would be if I didn't grow up with the gospel. People say that a person's intent stays the same no matter what and their character doesn't change. But if I didn't grow up with the values I did, I don't know where I would be. I don't know who I would be. And because of that confusion about who I'd be, the gospel has changed my life.

It's crazy what can happen at midnight on a Sunday when you're sick and surrounded by friends that have become your sisters. There is a quote that states, "Best friends are sisters destiny forgot to give you." That is what I feel like happened for all the girls I know. I can talk to them about anything and they will be there for me. And I for them.

Art

Is it entirely subjective? Do we really notice the beauty of the world around us? Do we stop to notice the guitar player on the side of the road trying to earn his dinner or the leaves strewn across the grass by the wind? Do we look down too often and watch where our feet are stepping rather than looking up and appreciating the world around us? Too often we are told what is good and what we should appreciate instead of looking for ourselves. Too often to we let our head droop from exhaustion until someone says “look.” The world we live in today is extremely contextualized: we are told day to day what to do, what to listen to, what to look at, what to think. It is so much so that we often don’t think for ourselves. When asking someone what they think about a controversial subject, ask where they got their opinion. More often than not, they took their opinion from others and didn’t search it out for themselves. That is the world we live it today: thinking has become a tedious, monotonous and unnecessary task.

Indifference

In Webster's Online Dictionary, there is a certain definition set for 'indifference.' However, I would like to try defining it myself. Indifferece is when someone is apathetic towards someone or something; a.k.a. they don't really car. It is a lack of emotion. For example: 1 - I was indifferent to what my roommate did as long as it didn't affect me. 2 - Someone gets killed right in front of you and it doesn't eve faze you. You don't react.

As Elie Wiesel portrayed in her essay entitled The Perils of Indifference, indifference is making a choice not to make a choice.

You often have to force yourself to be indifferent similar to what Peter Parker did when he decided not to be Spiderman. Indifference makes us inhuman. Sometimes indifference is confused with greed and selfishness. Both actions take away a person’s humanity. Was Christ ever indifferent? However, is indifference always bad? Can we ever enjoy a good meal? Do we have to practice indifference to keep sane, live and function? Can indifference make us in some way human? The only way you can be righteously indifferent is if you are indifferent of your own suffering.