Throwback Thursday #5

This week's Throwback Thursday is from July 5 of this year, the very first holiday post I ever did write.

Given the season, I figured it might be nice to look back on a holiday past and recall another reason we choose days to celebrate and remember. I don't have too much to say on this account, but here's to hoping you enjoy the flashback.

Click here to visit Explosion Day!

The Lament of the Singles (Poem) [with Added Commentary]

The Family: A Proclamation to the World

This poem is a bit more unique than the others I've written here in that it doesn't really contain a happy ending, but, rather, a hopeful one. While it is true that I tried to capture some emotions I have personally experienced throughout my lifetime, my true inspiration for this piece comes from observing the several recent experiences of a few individuals I call friends.

Without further ado, The Lament of the Singles ...


We were designed as a simple half
a perfect line through a perfect pie graph

So when we lose the other side
forgive us for the easy slide

No matter who ends it, no matter the reason
Our bones will lock up, and our mind will be freezin'
Our agony acute in any season
No time at all before we're bruised and beaten

When she says, "It's over," his face takes on a pall
When he says, "Can't do this," her tears begin to fall

No one said this search would be that easy
Begging to the sky that this weight will soon leave me

Sometimes it's not for lust, and sometimes it's not for love
It's the dreaded fear of being unnaturally alone
It's one thing to desire a castle to call home
But when we're out upon those streets, we grimace and we groan

God made us this way for a special purpose
A need for another to be stoked like a furnace

One thing we must remember in the darkness we must delve
He didn't send us here to wander all by ourselves

So patience and virtue are our weapons then
Battling our demons seeking to break and bend
Someone will bring light into our shadowed glen
And if we wait, we'll soon not ask for when

Hey there! I wrote a commentary about this post on the 17th of February, 2016. Click here to read it!

Blessings from Heaven: Trip to Logan

Luke 2:7 - "And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and, and laid him in a manger ..."

I had the wonderful opportunity yesterday to head up to Logan and help my sister move her gear to another place.

It really was awesome. Not only was I able to severely decrease the load my sister would have had to shoulder herself, I was also able to get to know her a bit better and talk about life, the universe, and everything with her. It was unfortunate that I had work in the evening and had to leave so soon, and I'm looking forward to visiting her again later this week at the advent of the Christmas season. And, of course, an added bonus was that I also got to see my old mission friend again!

It was a day spent foolishly, at least by the world's standards. With two mandatory exams scheduled back-to-back the next morning, and me having found no time to study them beforehand, it was a day spent hurtling toward failure. But, of course, I wanted to do as Christ would. And I knew if I did, He would bless me.

Well, it is true that the Lord can only bless you with as much effort as you put in. I'm pretty sure I utterly bombed my geography test, though time will tell if I was able to somehow guess correctly consistently. However, on my ASL exam, the grade for which I already got back, I ended up getting just shy of an A, actually bumping my grade up. I was met with a clarity in ASL communication that I rarely experience, and with only a few exceptions was able to understand everything that was being 'said' through sign.

That blessing, of course, could have only come through God, granted unto me because of my willingness to put my own concerns aside for someone in greater need of help than I. I don't say any of this to brag, but to encourage and exhort everyone to do the same, to seek out what Christ would do in every situation. I promise you, not only will you feel joy in so doing, but you will also be granted great blessings to aid you as well.

I love my sister. I wish I could find more ways to help her, as well as those around me. I'll just keep on praying.

Clean Day, Rough End

Did You Think to Pray? - 140

I accomplished a lot yesterday.

I went to church, I played techie for my EQ class, I went home teaching, I worked on my journal, I visited ward prayer, I finished up some work stuff, and I got all ready to leave for Logan for the next day.

This is how I looked (and felt, really) at the end of the day.

I took some pictures with better quality, but my incredible eye for photography immediately recognized the mood of the photograph required a lower quality to completely capture my artistic vision. 

I was fried and frazzled. So much done, and so much left to do, what with finals looming just around the corner and a whole bunch of other projects I'm excited to take part of. It seems with every ending comes a lot of stuff that needs to be taken care of. Stat.

The thing is, at the end of the day, despite my worry and stress, I was able to kneel down and pray to the Father to know what to do and how to do it. It was a comfort. And, as I began the week on this particular Monday, I felt confident I would be able to tackle everything that came at me, even if I went down with whoever or whatever it was I am planning on tackling. And that was enough.

Now don't you go on and forget.

Sunday Snapshot: Fog

Matthew 14:25

Get Out There: Another PAH-TAY

Psalms 115:16 - "The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord's: but the earth hath he given to the children of men."

About a month ago, I found an e-invitation in my email e-asking e-me to come to an e-surprise birthday party. I mean, regular surprise birthday party.

This, of course, meant I needed to keep a secret from the friend for whom the party was being thrown. Don't get me wrong, I'm great at keeping secrets, but I'm so smug whenever anyone entrusts me with a secret, I find it amusing to waggle the secret in front of people's faces with increasingly less-obscure hints until I'm frankly blurting it outright.

... so, not so great at all.

Anyway, I made sure to carefully monitor all contact with the family to ensure I didn't spill the beans, which led to some of them wondering why I'd all but fallen off the earth. Regardless, I successfully failed to spill the beans right up until the party itself.

Upon my readying to journey out into the night, I found myself worrying about the deadly creature likely prowling around at the party itself, formally known as 'strangers.' I may be a good friend of the birthday girl, but our relationship was my sole connection to her other social circles. As I drove up to the rendezvous point, I found myself worrying, Oh man, what if they think I'm lame? What if I have nothing to add to the conversation? What if I just sit in a corner, painfully sipping root beer? What if they ask about my entomology collection? I don't even have one of those!

In the end, unsurprisingly, I had a good time, and was able to make some solid acquaintances before the night was over. I was even able to participate in an epic slow-motion video of someone chucking a gummy bear into someone's mouth from long-distance. It was great!

The point is, I think we're all sometimes scared to shove ourselves out in situations with which we're unfamiliar. But the other point is, think of all the opportunities you can miss out on if you allow yourself to be paralyzed with fear each and every time one arises! God didn't give us this world with all its pitfalls, risks, and dangers to stay inside and tremble. He gave us this world to breathe it in! So get out there! BREATHE! I promise you, you won't regret it.

Some of the PAH-TAY goers at their finest.

Makin' Memories: Dance PAH-TAY*

Luke 2:4 - "And Joseph also went up from Galilee ..."

Yesterday was the Helaman Halls Yuletide Gold-Tie invitational, or, as some of the RAs had taken to calling it, the 'Chicken Fried School Slide.' Other options included the Yule Tried Cow Hide, the Spool Lied Fool Cried, and the Mule Shied Wool High. Anyway, this thing was yesterday!

I had some more clear photos, but I appreciated how trippy this one is.

I went with a group of RAs on a friendly double date, and we had a serious blast. It was an interesting event in that, unlike many social events to which I pander, it really felt like people were there to just have fun. And fun was had! I saw friends among the RAs, among my residents, among other residents, classmates, and even superiors, and all of them were just enjoying the experience of kicking loose one last time before finals and break.

True, my raucous partying meant I felt so inclined to sleep until just before noon today, and some of my personal responsibilities were inadvertently shirked the day before, but, that's what I used today for!

All in all, the experience was a blast, and even looking back on some of the things I 'missed out' on, like Geography review session, I wouldn't take it back. Some things you just can't experience twice. I think there are a lot more 'once-in-a-lifetime' opportunities out there that we don't recognized just because they seem more common than not. And honestly, five years from now, I think I'll look more fondly on this party of mine instead of how many countries are within the boundaries of SWANA.

So go on out there! Make some memories this season! I'll be waiting!

The girl on your right has lights in her hair. Like, EMBEDDED in there. It was SUPES COOL

*I also claim rights on all usage of the term 'PAH-TAY,' as originally coined here.