Fighting Back: Ill Week

Alma 7:11 - "... and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and sicknesses of his people."

Since I returned from my mission, there have been few illnesses that have literally kept me from accomplishing the things I need to do. As it is, I have missed most of my classes the past two days. I probably would have missed all of them were it not for the RA appreciation party held today, for which I only dragged myself out of bed for two reasons. 

First, I'd made a promise I'd be there. 

Second, I needed to eat something, a simple task I hadn't completed for nearly eighteen hours. 

Thankfully, I managed to drug myself enough beforehand that I felt almost normal, but even as I write this post now, I feel the brunt returning.

Regardless, though I'm not feeling as peachy keen as I want, I have used what little free time I allow myself to maintain the gifts God has given me. 

I still haven't missed a blog post, not from yesterday, not today. 

I am nearly done with the sixth digitized volume of my mission journal.

I haven't failed to turn in any daily assignments.

I even managed to improve my aptitude with my favorite musical instruments, including the Melodica down below.

Yes, being sick has given me an excuse to slack off, and, to be honest, I've enjoyed that to a certain extent. However, I haven't let the sickness define me. I am still being the best I am, no matter what, even seeking to serve those around me when given the chance. And as I do so, I know I will feel all the more stronger.

Weak Things (Poem)

Ether 12:27 - "... for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."

Do you remember the time
when I stumbled at the last?
A failure over a success,
opportunity barely passed.

Funny how when that happens
I seem to think it's only me.
That others next and just beside
find only victory.

Even if my next-door neighbor
triumphs in what I don't,
I can at least be assured
in all that I have sown.

In some things, I am weak.
The difference, I am strong.
And with my strengths, I'll have
the chance to help others along.

So if I trip or fall, I will
now pledge to rise again.
Just because I bruised my knees
doesn't mean it's over with.

Sunday Snapshot: Window

Always Remember Him - Henry B. Eyring

Fellow Children: Date Night

Job 38:7 - "When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?"

Last night, I went on a triple threat, triple date with some of my closest friends and some near strangers.

It was fascinating to me how quickly the entire group bonded. Some of us already knew each other, to be sure, but we'd never hung out with that specific group dynamic before. Regardless, we all very naturally entered the setting with a certain excitement and grace that removed any and all anxieties. By the end, even though I still didn't know everyone on the same personal level, I felt I could easily call everyone my friend.

This got me thinking about how, spiritually, we all knew each other 'back in the day,' when we chose to follow Jesus Christ in the pre-mortal existence. Sometimes, I meet someone for the first time, and we hit it off instantly. Meeting people like that is like seeing an old friend, someone who I've already known for quite some time. Some people wave this off as mere coincidence or some psychological miscommunication, but I believe it's because the person is an old friend. They're just someone we don't know.

Everyone we meet is a lot like us in ways we may not be able to immediately recognize. We knew each other. We loved each other. We cared for each other, and we can continue to build upon what we already have.

So get on out there! Make some 'new' friends today!

Not Far Behind: ASL Club

Doctrine and Covenants 101.65 - "... when I shall come in the kingdom of my Father to reward every man according as his work shall be ..."

I went to ASL club this past Wednesday as part of my class work. The presidency in charge of the club explained to us that we would be playing a game. The contest began when the person in charge gave the club at large a hand shape. The object of the game was to toss a ball to the various members of a smaller group. Each time someone caught the ball, they had to present a previously unsigned word with that beginning hand shape in mind. Eventually, someone would turn out the lights, and whoever still had the ball in hand was out of the game.

I sometimes struggle in learning ASL. I sometimes feel like I'm the only one who didn't 'get' something, and there are many aspects of the language in which I still feel inadequate even for my level.

As I participated in the club, however, I quickly discovered I am not as far behind everyone else as I thought. To begin with, I was one of about half of the people in our group who understood the instructions straight from the presidency, and had the opportunity to try and explain. I was able to remain in the game the entire time, even as I noticed some of my fellow students struggling with the same things I do.

Perhaps sitting in the front of class keeps me from fully comprehending my fellows' confusion, but one thing is for sure.

Sometimes, we feel like we're so far behind everyone else, that they're more prepared than us, that they're more capable of trials than us. It's hard to really know how we're doing in comparison to everyone else. I promise you that you're not trailing as far as you think. God gives us the strength to push and overcome anything, and I know for certain that, so long as we're putting in that sincere effort, we'll be fine in the end.

Throwback Thursday #15

Today's Throwback comes to us from September 7 of last year.

Many of you are fully aware that I belong to a wide variety of different fan bases. Many of you are also aware that I try my best not to define myself by my fan bases. AKA, playing DnD is something I do, not something I am. I would more or less be the same person if that activity somehow completely vanished from my life.

I think the first time I ever really thought about this conclusion was on this day, the day I met Brandon Sanderson and Gollum and a whole heap of other interesting characters. Shoot, it may have even been this day when I first formulated these opinions.

Either way, I'm fully aware I reveal my geeky side quite frequently throughout these blog posts, so if you want to more about what I think about that, click here to visit SLCC: Finding a Place!

Enjoy to the End: The Final Stretch

Ecclesiastes 3:1 - "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven."

And as a follow-up to this post from a week or so ago ...

I was actually reminded yesterday that I never followed up on that with you guys. So, here ya go!

One of the toughest things I have to accomplish in the upcoming weeks is maintaining the standards for myself I owned from the beginning of the year. I'm coming out of a weekend of abject laziness, stricken by a contagious Springtime, but my life has been trucking on regardless. I have fourteen credits of exams for which to prepare. I have an increasing amount of responsibilities at work.* I have goals for myself, including keeping up on this blog, that I want to complete.

However, as the Preacher so eloquently states in the above scripture, it isn't yet time for me to fully relax. I'll have that opportunity over the summer, when I, hypothetically, gain ten extra hours of free time and twenty hours of structured employment. Now, it's time to endure to the end. Shoot, it's time for me to enjoy to the end.

And, of course, I send that right back at you. No matter how difficult it becomes to focus in the midst of the season's volatile ascension, don't give up! Don't faint! You're doing great!



*It is especially important for me to magnify these responsibilities considering that, while my position is changing, my employer will not.