First Semester's Rehearsal, A Success!

I direct an a cappella group, and our first rehearsal of the semester was tonight. When I showed up, everyone was tired. There was a tone of the stress that comes from a full day on campus. It wasn't the best way to begin a rehearsal. As we practiced our music for an hour and started to get used to singing together, people started to enjoy themselves more. By the end of the hour, the entire group was significantly more social and cheerful. I was amazed to witness this change as I talked with people after the rehearsal. People were engaged in rehearsal and they had checked their concerns and worries at the door, to pick them up again an hour later in better spirits. I am grateful that I can take part in something that helps someone have a good conclusion to their day.

Just Enough

Today, I'm grateful I had just enough quarters to get laundry done; no more, no less. It was just like yesterday when I grabbed a small stack of programs for church meeting, and I grabbed the exact amount I needed for my friends who were sitting near me. As it is with just about anything, it all worked out!

A Music Conducting Class

My first year of college, I enrolled in a conducting course. I was taught in the ways of conducting and directing choir groups. Ever since then, I have had many opportunities to wave my arms around in front of singing people to signify the beat and the mood of a song. I am grateful I took a music conducting class. It has helped me feel confident and comfortable conducting in front of a choir or in front of a congregation.

Caught in the Rain

This was a really great day for me in general, and one of the highlights of my day was jumping on puddles. One of my friends had a spontaneous desire to play in the rain, so I joined in. I had an epic water fight with two others out on the parking lot of our apartment complex. We all got soaked, but we were having so much fun! I think I've only ever been puddle-jumping two or three times in my life, including today. there is a verse in the third chapter of Malachi in the Old Testament in which the Lord promises to open the window of heaven and pour out a blessing so much that there won't be room enough to receive it. I felt I received a lot of blessings today and I showed my gratitude by soaking it all in, and getting soaked in the process. :) I am grateful that I took time today to jump in the puddles.

Five Actors, Twenty Characters

I attended a production of "Much Ado About Nothing" in which five professional actors portrayed twenty roles. They had only small props, their skill, and the audience's imagination to tell the story. I was extremely impressed by all the actors, and they reacted to the audience very well. I am grateful for a wonderful show provided by five talented English actors.

French Juvenile Literature

This evening, I watched a French film called Le Petit Nicolas at an event put on by the French Club. I had seen the movie once before, but I enjoyed it so much when they showed it last year that I decided to watch it again this year. I am just a little familiar with the cartoon the film is based on, and I hope to find a copy of the original stories to read them for fun.

Another French children's book I've come to love recently is Le Petit Prince (The Little Prince). Both of these "little" stories make me laugh and they get me thinking about how the world appears through a child's eyes. I am grateful for these delightful and thoughtful French classics: Le Petit Nicolas, and Le Petit Prince.

Hey, I Made a Funny!

I was attending class with some friends this evening. Afterwards we were talking and I made a few jokes, like I normally try to do when I'm in a generally chipper mood. This is nothing really new, but I simply noticed today that it was enjoyable to add some good humor to the conversation, especially if a friend laughs. Today I am grateful for a chance to give some friends an opportunity to laugh, and that friends gave me an opportunity to laugh at the end of a long day.

Happy to Serve

Today my sister traveled to her mission after an intense six weeks of learning Spanish in Provo. Between flights, she was able to call her family, and my brother and I were able to talk to her for a brief time before her next flight. My brother asked her if she was happy. She said she was because she gets to serve as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She gets to spend eighteen months sharing her knowledge of the truth of Jesus Christ to those who nded to hear the message. I am so happy for her, and I am grateful to know that she is happy in the Lord's service.

A Temple Re-dedication

The temple in Ogden, Utah built by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints underwent expensive renovations over the past three years, and today it was re-dedicated as a house of the Lord for temple work. I am grateful for temples because they serve as a peaceful refuge from the rest of the world. Today I am grateful that I was able to witness the re-dedication this morning. The sermons were guided by the Spirit, the choir was excellent, and I felt in my heart a renewed desire to do what is right.

We Left the Theater

When I was younger, I learned the importance of staying strong and confident in my beliefs. I decided when I was young that if I didn't feel comfortable with a certain song or with a certain movie, then I should walk away. I have learned the value of seeking for that which is good, lovely, and praiseworthy.

Because I try to be careful with the movies I watch and the shows I attend, I don't remember the last time I got up and walked out of a theater because I felt so uncomfortable with it. But tonight, I was watching an international movie with a couple of friends. We were looking forward to watching it because it looked interesting to us. But things happened in the movie that we weren't expecting, and it made us uncomfortable. We kept watching but it didn't seem to be getting any better. We were so disappointed with the movie that we left about halfway through it.

I am grateful for these friends because they started to get up before I did. When I realized what was going on I quickly joined them. I am grateful for these friends who felt the same way I did about the movie and that we supported each other in our decision to leave and seek better entertainment.

Avast! It Be a Fine Holiday, Mateys!

What be it that ye common land-lubbers love most about pirates? Be it the pillage and plunder? Be it the murder and crime? Alas, no! It be the adventure of the open seas! It be swash-bucklers and treasure and the crazy Cornish-type talk and Johnny Depp, says I!

I hope everyone had a good National Talk like a Pirate Day. A big thank you to Krispe Kreame for legitimizing this fantastic holiday. :)

You Never Know

I feel that the message from this video is very applicable to me and to our time. I am grateful for the reminder that when I do my best and doing what God wants me to do each day, I can help bring about more good than I could possibly know.

Good Haircut from a Good Friend

I am grateful for my friend who gave me a haircut this evening. She didn't do it for free, but I still appreciated that she was able to cut my hair. Not only did she do a good job, we had enjoyable conversation. Often, I don't feel like chatting with hair stylists because they are complete strangers. But my friend and I really enjoyed chatting as she made my hair look good. It was a nice way to end the day.

An Old Gentleman and His Printing Museum

Well, one highlight of my day was tryouts for my a cappella club tonight. It was a great success.

But today I'd like to express gratitude for an old gentleman who founded a fantastic printing museum downtown. He's spent a great portion of his life in the business of printing and in the history of printing. I visited his museum today as part of a class field trip. He and two other gentlemen talked about Gutenberg and the whole process of making type and printing copies of the Bible. These gentlemen have a replica of a printing shop and they have everything to print pages of the Bible just the way Gutenberg did. I was impressed by their enthusiasm and their passion for this stuff. I enjoyed their presentation very much. I am grateful for an old gentleman and his marvelous printing museum.

The Piano Guys

I'm pretty sure I've expressed gratitude for them before, but I'll do it again anyway. I am very grateful for the work done by The Piano Guys. Millions of people admire them for their music and for their online videos. Being an amateur cellist myself, I am particularly impressed by Steven Sharp Nelson. He is my cello hero! The wit and humor of each member of the group is infectious and refreshing. Their skill in videography, song writing, and performance is inspiring.

The Piano Guys are also admired for their integrity and for their sincerity. They are unashamed in declaring their beliefs and principles. I am grateful for the good they do in the world.

To Jon, Steve, Paul, and Al, thank you. :)

A Special Birthday!

Today marked the 200th birthday of the American National Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner. What a tremendous milestone! I am grateful for the national anthem of my home country. My campus plays it on the grounds twice a day, we sing it before every major sporting event, we hear it when an American wins an Olympic gold medal. all of us in the United States of America should be grateful for all that our national anthem stands for.

Oh, and I guess I almost missed a memo about this being my dad's birthday too, or something like that. ;)

Stake Conference

In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, a congregation of 100-200 people is a ward, and several wards make a stake. Every year, each stake holds a stake conference in which local church leaders and members gather to share gospel messages with each other. The first session of stake conference for me and my stake occurred tonight. There were several inspiring messages given about sharing the gospel and finding opportunities to be a friend to those in need. I appreciated the examples that were given and the principles that were taught that encouraged me to me more mindful of the needs of people around me. What opportunities am I blessed with every day to be a friend to someone, to meet someone new, to share the good news of Christ, or to strengthen meaningful relationships? I am grateful for the talks that were given in stake conference tonight, and I look forward to more such messages tomorrow.

Impressive Improv

I know what it's like to perform on a stage before a large audience, but I'm not familiar with performing without some sort of script or rehearsed plan in mind. I have a tremendous appreciation for those who perform improv comedy well. I had a fantastic time enjoying an improv comedy show with some good friends tonight, and that's what I'm grateful for.

Small, Simple, and Fulfilling

Sometimes, it's hard for me to feel that my life is very fulfilling. Very often I feel I could do more or there are these things I told myself I would accomplish but haven't yet. My roommate reminded me of many seemingly ordinary things I have in my life that are fulfilling. They include getting an education at a great school, doing good work in my campus job, extending my group of friends by getting involved in a club that focuses on one of my great hobbies, supporting friends in their activities, and organizing activities to continue to make and keep friends.

It is not my intention to boast. I only hope that the things I've mentioned (which were mentioned to me by my roommate) can help everyone who reads this post to recognize the good things they are doing in their lives. So many of these things seem small, and many people wish they could do more. But, as it says in the Book of Mormon, "by small and simple things are great things brought to pass...and by very small means the Lord doth confound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls." (Alma 37:6-7, page 300)

Dance Party 'Til 10:30pm

I love dancing. Social dancing, ballroom dancing, a bit of Latin dancing, even the basic hopping around kind of dancing with a DJ. Even if I feel like I don't know a lot of moves, I enjoy dancing. I attended a very enjoyable dance tonight. The music wasn't too heavy for me and I didn't feel too claustrophobic (some dances have too many people that like to crowd in at the front the whole time). Also, it was nice that this particular dance lasted from 8pm to about 10:30pm. Not too long or too late. A few slow dances here and there were great, and I felt surprisingly outgoing throughout the event. I felt great about myself and happy that I got to spend time with lots of people I consider friends. My feet are so sore (my shoes weren't well suited for this sort of dancing), but I feel so glad. I am grateful that I went to a very successful social event tonight.

Seeing a Friend While Working

I'm grateful for those moments when you see friends coming by while you're working. It's always a brief encounter, but always very pleasant. :)

Canoeing

I've gone on a few canoeing trips as a teenager. We went with a bunch of friends to paddle down the river that was near my home. Today, I went canoeing again. Twice. Not only did no tremendous mishaps happen, it was fun to enjoy the scene and glide down a smooth river.

Summer Shade

Have I expressed my gratitude for shade yet? I am grateful for it today because the shade of nearby trees made the walks to and from church much more pleasant (especially since I was wearing a suit and a vest).

A Colorful Planner

I spent a couple hours today updating my planner. I drew in all my classes for the semester and color-coded them. I do this every semester. I enjoy this because when I'm done I have a planner full of color and that makes my week look much more appealing and exciting. I am grateful that I took the time to spice up my planner today with lots of colors.

An Inspired Message from Elder David A. Bednar

A few weeks ago, Elder David A. Bednar, one of the twelve apostles in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, gave a talk at Brigham Young University in Utah about using social media to share truth and righteousness with the world. Today, I watched a video recording of this talk. You can access it from the link below:

https://www.lds.org/prophets-and-apostles/unto-all-the-world/to-sweep-the-earth-as-with-a-flood?lang=eng

My heart was touched, my mind was enlightened, and I was filled with the desire to follow Elder Bednar's council. I am considering how I can continue to help "contribute consistently to the growing flood of truth and righteousness." I feel this blog of gratitude is a great start, and I share my posts on Facebook. As I ponder Elder Bednar's message, I will continue to seek out ways to do good in seemingly small ways with my time, my talents, my resources, and with technology.

I am grateful for Elder Bednar's inspired message. Along with the thoughts I mentioned above, I feel a greater need to be prepared for the day when Jesus Christ will come to earth again, and for the challenging times ahead that precede His coming.

Getting My Schedule Figured Out!

I don't remember having this many issues with scheduling my classes, work, and other activities on any previous semester. I talked to co-workers, I considered the commitment I can give to certain things, I lined up my class schedule, and everything is working out! I am grateful to get scheduling things figured out on this first week of school and that it's coming along more easily than I thought it would.

Classy Roommate

My roommate has never done Classy Wednesday with me before, and today he did! Granted, he had a presentation in one of his classes today, which gave him a reason to look nice. Even then, he didn't have to go so far as to wear a classy vest, but he did anyway. That made my morning. Again, I'm grateful for Classy Wednesday, but this time I'm grateful for the fact that I saw someone else dress up for it as well.

Note: This isn't the first time someone participated in Classy Wednesday with me, but it has been quite a while.

Lost Books, Found

So, funny story: I got all my textbooks this afternoon, and then I ate dinner on campus before I went to work. Five hours later, I was contacted by a friend from home who had found my books in the food court area! I had completely forgotten about them! I am grateful that my friend was the one who found my books and that we were able to make arrangements for me to get my books back. What a blessing on my first day of the new semester!

Writing a Letter to my Missionary Sister

My sister has been in the Missionary Training Center for a few weeks now, and today I took the time to write her a letter and send it to her. I continue to be impressed by how much my own full-time missionary service comes to mind, even over two years after the fact. The excitement my sister shares in her letters to those of us in her family are inspiring, and I am grateful for the opportunities I have to remember my own missionary service and at the same time support a missionary currently serving.