I Survived Another Halloween!

I survived another Halloween! This year, it actually feels like I have survived an ordeal. I was involved in setting up, participating in, and cleaning up a big dance party. This event consumed almost my entire day. Worth it? Certainly! My feet are very sore from dancing and walking and standing for hours, which makes sleeping in my comfy bed tonight a great blessing.

I am grateful I had a great costume this year. I had limited costume resources, and pairing up with my roommate to dress in suits as security guards was a great idea. So much fun! It worked out great as a costume for an energetic dance party tonight.

I'll also say I'm grateful we had safe travels to and from the event.

Leaf Fighting

October birthday traditions are the best.

I ran into a friend today, and she invited me and one other friend to go leaf fighting. It was a birthday tradition for her. This was a new concept to me, but it's quite simple: grab a bunch of leaves and throw them at each other. Yep. It's just like snowball fighting, but with autumn leaves. I hadn't had such child-like fun in the great outdoors in a while, at least not since I went puddle jumping! Actually, that puddle-jumping episode was almost exactly a year ago. Hmm...well obviously autumn is the best season ever.

I am grateful for a great session of leaf fighting.

To the Temple

It has been too long since I've been to an LDS temple. It's been almost three months, actually. My roommate and I made a night of it tonight. It took some time with travel, but once we arrived at the temple, we felt was peace. I felt my faith in God renewed and strengthened a little more, just enough to continue confidently.

I am grateful for an evening trip to the temple with my roommate.

A Good Run

Tonight, I watched the Republican Presidential Debate, and what a wild ride that was!

But instead of going on about that, I'd like to express my gratitude to the success of my jog after work today. It was hard and my body seemed to complain because I struggle with establishing a consistent exercise schedule. But, the light drizzle, the Piano Guys music, and a small labyrinth made this jog an adventure. I am grateful for a good run tonight.

And, of course, all the best to all the men and women who are continually running for the American presidency.

"My Heart Sorroweth..."

This was a rough day for me. A few blunders in the office, attempts to correct said blunders, and general self-frustration. In short, my pride took a few hits today. Then my friends, my home teachers, shared 2 Nephi 4:16-19. I know those verses well, but they never occurred to me today, and I realized that I needed to hear them. My eyes had the beginnings of tears from emotion. Those words from Nephi were exactly what I was feeling and thinking, and the answer at the end of verse 19 is simply perfect.

I am grateful for a familiar answer at the end of a rough day.

The Heart of "Hamilton"

I was once in a theater class in which the teacher expressed the idea that every show has a scene, every musical has a song, that can be called "the heart of the show." My classmates and I didn't get it at first, so he asked us to name that song at the heart of Fiddler on the Roof. We all knew the show, and we named several of the songs: "Tradition," "If I Were A Rich Man," "Mazel Tov," "Sunrise, Sunset," and "Anatevka." None of us were right. The teacher's answer: "Far from the Home I Love." That song, in the teacher's view, captures the central theme of the story. Since then I've enjoyed looking for the heart of every show I encountered, such as Seussical's "Alone in the Universe," or the scene in Our Town where Emily realizes the value of every moment of life.

Tonight, I tried to find the heart of Hamilton. Like every show, it has a lot to say, and many different messages resonate with the different people who see and hear it. If you were to ask me what the heart of Hamilton is, I would say "It's Quite Uptown." Alexander and Eliza have been devastated by awful scandal and terrible loss. The conclusion reached in this song can be heard at 3:40 of the linked video:

Forgiveness, can you imagine?

I believe fewer concepts can be more encouraging. After all that happened to the Hamiltons, forgiveness appeared, and both husband and wife could start to move on with lighter shoulders. I believe that kind of healing is possible because of the sacrifice made by Jesus Christ. How very vital is forgiveness in life, love, and liberty.

I am grateful for what I believe to be the heart of Hamilton the musical. 

Same Story, Different Books

You guys! Check out this cool connection I discovered today! Two stories, one from the Bible and one from the Book of Mormon, that parallel each other.

The Bible tells the story of Paul and Silas when they were persecuted and sent to jail. After a miraculous earthquake, Paul speaks with the jailer and the jailer is converted to the gospel of Christ. (Acts 16:19-33)

In the Book of Mormon a group of new converts, people who used to live on contention and bloodshed, buried all of their weapons. Soon after, their enemies came to their city to attack them. The enemies came and killed everyone they could find, but the converts would not fight. They had fought too much and they decided they were going to be peaceful. Many people died while praying to God. The enemies soon realized what they were doing and were ashamed of what they had done. Many of them were converted to the gospel. (Alma 24:16-27)

In both cases, believers of Jesus Christ are severely persecuted for their beliefs, and their persecutors later saw the error of their ways and were converted. I think it's really great to find more similarities between the stories and principles of the Bible and those of the Book of Mormon. I am grateful for a testimony of two witnesses to the power of staying strong in what is right and true.

Unexpected Delight

Today was a true adventure because I spent the day out fishing and boating on the river with a few friends. It was all very refreshing. There was a time this morning when we went kayaking. We only had one kayak that could hold two people, so I spent some time waiting at the dock. I admired the trees and the river, and watched the larger motor boats go by.

The first motor boat sped along, followed by its wake. The waves spread to the dock where I was sitting, which was built very close to the surface of the water. Each wave from the sake passed under the dock and some waves were high enough to slap the dock's underside and leak through. This phenomenon made a rather amusing sound, like the sound of someone brushing a stick against the bars of a wooden fence. I watched, listened, and laughed. I don't know why I was so delighted by that sight and sound, but I was. I looked out on the river, hoping to see more motor boats. Soon there came another one, wake and all, and the delightful sounds under the dock occurred again.

There is so much in life and nature and people that can be unexpectedly enjoyable and fascinating. I am grateful for the sound of wake waves under a low dock.

Conversational Learning

I had lots of great conversations with friends about many different topics today. One of my favorite topics was about government, particularly the judiciary. I learned so much today about the responsibility of a federal judge, which is to learn what the law is and apply it to the cases they hear. That's basically it. Learning is so empowering. I feel more able to understand other people,  and to live well with them. I am grateful for the new things I learned about government today.

Collective Encouragement in an Individual Struggle

This has been a rough night for me and my classmates. We all have papers to write and we're all either stressed out or we're beyond caring. Either way, we're burning midnight oil. What I am grateful for are the encouragements we give ourselves. Three or four times at least, someone in our group has posted a Facebook message or brought food or something to offer a brief respite from our late-night work. The fact that we're all here together, working individually but supporting each other, that's encouraging. I am grateful for the encouragement and smiles we provided for each other tonight as we wrap up a particularly stressful week of homework.

P.S.--One of my classmates posted a song ("Non-stop") from the new musical, Hamilton. It was the first time I heard a song from the show, and it blew me away! A highlight of the evening, I'd say. :)

A Small Statement on Would-Be 2015 Fashion

So, today's the day Marty McFly arrives: Oct. 21, 2015. It's fun to compare a 1980s interpretation of the future to the actual future (meaning, of course, today). One thing that hasn't been pointed out very much is men's business fashion, particularly as demonstrated in this photo.

Two ties!? Really? What an odd concept. To celebrate this noteworthy day, I put on an additional tie after work. It's a strange fashion, but doable, also impractical, and rather fun. That being said, I am grateful we don't normally wear two ties with a suit in 2015. Yes, that is what I'm grateful for today. I guess I could also say I'm grateful for the yummy pumpkin pancakes I had for dinner, but I'll stick with gratitude about fashion.

Forgiveness Miracles

In this week's religion class, we discussed the miracles performed by Jesus Christ in the New Testament. You know, healing the sick, causing the blind to see and the lame to walk and the deaf to hear, raising people from the dead, and forgiving. For some reason, I had never thought about those forgiveness incidents (woman taken in adultery, man sick with palsy, etc.) as "miracles." That label is more often given to events that are more tangible. However, to begin anew, to start afresh, to be clean from the sins and mistakes of yesterday, that is a miracle. Also, to see eye to eye with someone else, to put grievances behind you, to look forward and not backward, to forgive yourself and press confidently on, that too is miraculous.

I am grateful for a discussion of miracles, particularly miracles of forgiveness.

Some Alone Time with the Book of Mormon

Why am I not overly stressed about the additional work load at the office or the five-page paper due this Friday? As I consider this, I think I'm still focused on enjoying this semester-long adventure. I find opportunities each day to grow in one way or another. Today, during lunch, I had a few moments alone with the Book of Mormon, especially Moroni 10:5-7. I pondered my search for truth, light, and goodness in life, and I saw how much I am learning about myself and the issues of the world in just a matter of months. I am grateful for that alone time because my dedication to truth and goodness was renewed.

Yeah, I'll get the work done, and I'll do the best I can with the time I have. And through it all, every day is an adventure.

Gaining Ground

There are a few weaknesses I've noticed in myself, and I've told myself many times that I need to improve. I try to progress away from bad habits, but it seems like I'm not gaining much ground.

To some degree it's true, I'm not tremendously different from the person I was a week ago or a month ago or more. But I realized today that if I'm not gaining much ground, I'm still gaining.

I've just noticed several times today how I've become a little quicker to improve or fix my mistakes. When I notice I'm doing one of my habits, I react and change more quickly. It is a little easier for me to do good for myself and others.

I could say that I'm grateful for small progress. But, I am more grateful that I was able to notice that progress. When I am grateful for something, I think there are many times when what I received was not just the "something," but also the ability to notice it.

Late Birthday Cards

You know what's better than a birthday? A prolonged birthday! This happens when birthday cards and letters arrive in the mail a few days after the fact, renewing the birthday celebration! As you may guess, that happened to me today. It brought smiles to my face. I am grateful for late birthday cards and letters.

"You Are Amazing/You Suck!" Why, Thank You!

Within a three-hour period today, two opposing phrases were directed at me: "You are amazing!" and "You suck!" Both times, I smiled and appreciated the compliment.

Let me explain.

The first one is easy. I had just shared my beat-box and echo-voice skills at a talent show, so a few people were impressed enough to tell me afterwards, "You are amazing!" I may not be a professional performer, but I currently have enough skill to impress my peers.

The second phrase was spoken a couple hours later. I was playing Ticket to Ride with some friends. I had placed my train pieces to claim a space that one of the other players really needed. I got in the way of their strategy. The other player let out a burst of temporary frustration: "You suck!" That made me laugh because such things are spoken by many players when they run into an obstacle in a game.

Taken in isolation, the two phrases are opposites. However, both times it was a compliment to me. First a compliment to my beat-box skill, second a compliment to my board game skill (or just sheer luck). Funny how the English language works, eh?

I am grateful for today's social activities: a talent show and some board games.

A Great Debate

The highlight of my day was a small event that was related to class, but was completely initiated by us, the students. We thought it would be fun to have our own debates! We learned that some Civil War soldiers organized debate societies and they would discuss issues that were important to them at the time. Tonight, the topic was related to the United States' relations with North Korea. I knew very little about the entire situation but I decided to volunteer as one of the two debaters, and the two of us were each assigned pro or con. I got the more difficult side, and I say that because I had a hard time finding information that could strongly support what I would argue for.

Tonight was our debate. It was short and informal, only about 40 minutes, but it was fun. More importantly, it was enlightening for all of us. Half the time was presentation. The other half was taking questions from the audience. There was a vote at the end. By the vote count, I "lost," but I was personally on the edge of the two sides anyway. Everyone there enjoyed our debate activity, and both of us debaters received several compliments. More than anything, the debate focused on discussion, and I appreciate that.

It was a great debate, not because it was spectacular or significant. It was great because it was fun and enlightening for all fourteen of us that were there. I am grateful for tonight's independent debate, of students, by students, and for students.

Righting the Wrongs Against Rights

Some of the articles I read today for a class were directly related to human rights. It's not a topic I often think about, but I did today. The articles discussed tremendous violations of human rights, and described how the Human Rights Council in the UN address those situations. They helped me by making me more aware of what they see in the world. I am grateful for the way many nations work together to support human rights throughout the world.

We Heard, We Talked, We Listened

Like many people in America, I watched the Democratic Presidential Debate tonight. There is much about politics that I don't understand, and oftentimes I feel frustrated at how hard it is for me to find truth in such proceedings as these large, televised debates.

But I am grateful for these televised debates. Watching them led me to talk with my friends about it, and I was able to ask a few fundamental questions that led to great discussions. Perhaps, concerning politics, the biggest challenge for me is to figure out where I stand in principles of American government. I already know where I stand in many issues on a more personal and private level, but that's not all there is. I felt I heard and received more truth in tonight's small discussions than I did in the televised debate, and I think that's okay. The search for truth is a personal journey.

Today, I am grateful for friends who listened and talked with me during and after tonight's debate.

The Person at the Desk

I ran a few errands today, and one of them required the use of a printer and a scanner. The only scanner I could find was at the front desk of my building. So, I talked to the employee there and she helped me efficiently get the task done. A very simple exchange, but I am very grateful for the people who work at the front desk.

I Know You're Not Reading This, But Go Anne!

I was on a video chat with my brother and sister-in-law for about an hour tonight. One of the many subjects brought up was my sister, Anne. She and my sister-in-law haven't met yet because Anne has been serving as a full-time missionary. My brother and I spent several minutes talking about hilarious moments with Anne and her "anne-tics" (heh heh, that pun was so intended).

She is quite mature now, but I remember well those silly moments with my sister. Even now, when I read her letters, she is incredibly joyous. She practically smiles with her words! More than once, in describing the happy work of her mission, she has written about how "sparkles and rainbows are coming out of [her] ears." Her words, not mine. :) The best part of writing about her here and expressing my gratitude for her is that she's not going to read this. She spends very little time on the internet on her mission. If perchance she happens upon this post, well, here it is Anne. You're wonderful!

I am grateful for my sister. From what I've seen, her presence on this earth has done nothing but a lot of good.

P.S.--This is post #800, dedicated to my sister. :)

Living Gettysburg

Today, more than most days, I have a lot to be grateful for. I had several highlights today, mental, spiritual, and social. But here, I will share a spiritual highlight.

It was a privilege to spend part of my weekend in Gettysburg, yes, the historical battlefield. Before touring the fields, I saw a film followed by a cyclorama presentation. Throughout all of this, I thought of my ancestor, George Riley Hall, who fought in the battle of Gettysburg (he survived and lived to old age). The cyclorama was a large circular mural of the view of the battle as you would see it at the top of a hill near Cemetery Ridge. The arrangement, lighting, and sounds of the presentation made the battle feel very real. It was very easy to imagine myself there at that time.

After the dramatic presentation, I stayed in the room for a few moments, taking it all in as subtle dramatic music played in the background. The Civil War was to me no longer an abstract idea or a large dot on the American timeline. I spent those few quiet moments with tearful eyes and a grateful heart. An hour later, I went on a tour of the actual field and discovered where my ancestor fought and lived, but also where thousands more fought and died.

I have many people to thank for this special moment. Many people, including and especially our wonderful tour guide, made the Gettysburg conflict come alive for me today. To them, I am grateful.

George Riley Hall

For one of my classes, I've had to read a book about the Civil War and write a brief response to it. Naturally, I was curious to see if I had any ancestors that were involved in the war. I didn't think there would be, thinking of all my ancestors who were in Europe, Quebec, or Utah in the mid to late 1800s. But no! According to FamilySearch.org, I have a number of relatives that lived out on the east coast at the time (all that I've found were up in the north)! I looked around for any young men that died between 1861 and 1865, but to no avail. Then, my eyes were drawn to an old photo of a man named George Riley Hall. The thought occurred to me that he looked like a military man, so I clicked on his name and discovered his history.

This man had fought in the battle of Gettysburg, became captain of a New York regiment, and fought in many other battles. Before and after the war, he served as a Christian school teacher. He died of old age, having served faithfully for his country and his God.

Incredible.

I am grateful for my third great grandfather, George Riley Hall.

Tiny Witch Hats!

The time of the year has come, that of early October when I get to make witch hat cookies! Every year, for nearly twenty years, I have made and shared these cookies. I have the ingredients (cookies, chocolate candy, and chocolate frosting) and will make them soon.

Here's what's really awesome. I have a lot this year, given by family and friends, and I'm excited!

Here's the best part: in a package from home, I also got tiny cookies and tiny chocolate chips. So for the first time ever, I get to make tiny witch hats! I never thought of this before! What a splendid idea! Thank you, Mom and Dad, for sending me the idea and the supplies. :)

Reading a Book, Again

Lately, I have been making an effort to spend more time reading books and less time on social media and entertaining internet videos. I have always loved reading books, but I haven't really read one in a while. Reading requires a disconnect from everything around you, and the hardest part is that it's not as instantly gratifying as simple entertainment on the internet.

As I did some reading today, some for a class, some for pleasure, I was reminded of how much it engages the imagination. Here is another stark contrast between books and a computer screen: you create more when you engage with books. On an electronic screen, everything is given to you. Every sound and sight that you need is provided (though there are many videos and movies that are good and worthy of praise). My favorite part about a book is that you get to create your own images, and there is more interaction between you and the content creator.

It is interesting to me that I, a guy interested in a career in libraries, should have a sort of rediscovery of the virtues of reading books. But, it had been a while since I had allowed myself the luxury of reading a book for my own reasons. I am grateful for the excitement and inspiration I find just from reading a book.

What's So Awesome About It?

An interesting phenomenon happened to me today. I was sitting in a religion class this evening, next to a person I knew to be generally quite cheerful and happy. Whenever this person spoke in class, they would speak with very positive overtones and would say things like "I just think it's so awesome!!"

Here's the strange thing; I actually felt a bit of annoyance at such superlative cheerfulness. As soon as I became aware of that, I was taken aback. Why on earth would I feel that way? What made me feel annoyed? Was I jealous or skeptical of something? It was so strange. Really, there was nothing wrong with that person's disposition or mannerisms. They had done nothing wrong. Therefore, this must tell me that something is missing or lacking about myself.

I consider myself a happy person, but I don't think I smile very often or show much emotion. I often take care to look and act professional whenever I am around people. I think I err on the side of being professional, though. This is something that will take some pondering for me. This internal interaction has shown me something about myself.

For all of these reasons, I am grateful for the cheerful disposition of the person who sat next to me in today's religion class.

Irregular Meter

My musical tastes include pop songs, classical pieces, classical musicians playing covers of pop songs, and a cappella music (covers and original songs). I also like avant garde music, to a point. This type of music is often influenced by the music of different cultures. The other night, I listened to an Iraqi musician play some stirring music, and it had irregular meter. This means that you couldn't quite count "one-two-three-four" to count measures because the beats were more like this:

1-2-3, 1-2-3, 1-2
1-2-3, 1-2-3, 1-2
1-2-3, 1-2-3, 1-2
1-2, 1-2, 1-2, 1-2

Tonight I came across a piece by Philip Glass, the second movement ("Abdulmajid") of his Symphony no. 4 "Heroes." That meter went like this:

1-2-3, 1-2, 1-2
1-2-3, 1-2, 1-2
1-2-3, 1-2, 1-2
1-2, 1-2, 1-2, 1-2

Determining such structure feels like solving a mystery, and I get excited when I figure it out. I am grateful for irregular meter in music. It may be weird and unconventional, but some good music can be made that way.

Post-Conference Talks

As much as I enjoy General Conference (and I do enjoy it a lot), I really appreciate opportunities to talk about it afterwards. It is encouraging to see other people that you know talking about and applying what they heard during the conference. Such conversations confirm the impressions I felt while I listened to the talks. I am grateful for conversations about General Conference after the fact.

Three New Apostles

It is General Conference time, once again! The messages are inspiring, as always. This General Conference is especially exciting because three new apostles have been called. They fill vacancies that have been left by three apostles that had passed away in recent months.  I truly believe that they and the other nine apostles hold the very same positions as the twelve that Jesus Christ called and sent forth to teach all nations some 2,000 years ago. Their primary calling is to serve as witnesses of Jesus Christ and to direct the affairs and direction of The Church  of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints today.

I can only imagine the sort of burden it must be to hold such responsibility. The three men called today to be apostles have already given many years of service in the Church, but now they will serve in a much higher capacity. I am sure the responsibilities of an apostle can be exhausting and time-consuming, so my thoughts and prayers are with them and their families as they strive to do the work that God directed them to do.

Some who read these blog posts may not see these apostles the same way I do, while others agree with me that they are directly inspired and chosen by God to be apostles. Either way, just about anyone can see that the leaders of the Church accomplish a lot of good in the world. For a few months, there were a few empty chairs among the apostles. Now three more have been called, and they are ready to get to work. I am grateful for the three men who accepted the tremendous responsibility that comes with being an apostle in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Poetry Out Loud

I came across a poem written by the Poet Laureate of the United States, Jean Felipe Herrera. It was a longer poem, and I didn't really understand it. It didn't really speak to me. I had no emotional connection with it. Then I remembered what one of my professors said about how poetry is meant to be read out loud. Poets don't just play with words, they play with sounds, like Shakespeare and many others did. So, I read the poem out loud. There was beauty in the rhythms and the sounds, and those elements created a mental picture of a place and time in America. I don't know if that was the poet's intention, but that's what I got from it that time. I am grateful for a professor who encouraged reading out loud.

Successful Navigation of the Informational Maze

More researching, more writing at the office today. My main focus for the day was one article that was especially difficult. There just wasn't much information readily available, almost nothing, actually. I made some inquiries and got mixed results. Back to my own devices (though my only device was my desk computer), I went back to Google. With maps, searches, Wikipedia, and a lot of scrolling, I hit a few breakthroughs and found the sources I needed to fill up several paragraphs for the article. I was amazed with how things unfolded. I was truly going one step at a time without quite knowing what the next few steps were until I got there.

By the end of the work day I still hit a couple of roadblocks, but I'm working with that. I am impressed and grateful to know how to navigate the internet for the benefit of my information needs. One of the main reasons I want to be a librarian is that I want to be the guide in people's quest for information (and, hopefully, truth). I don't want to be the guy who knows everything, but the guy who knows where you need to go next.