A Mother's Day Call, Four Ways

The highlight of my day was the time I was able to participate in a four-way Skype call with my entire family. My sister, currently serving a mission in Argentina, was able to call us on Mother's Day! There was my mom and dad at home, myself, my sister in Argentina, and my brother and his wife on their honeymoon. It took about half an hour to get everything to work, but work it eventually did. I felt so happy to be together with my entire family for a little while. This was a special Mother's Day blessing.

A few years ago, when I was serving my mission, I asked my mom what she wanted for Mother's Day. She said just being able to talk with and spend time with the entire family was a present enough for her. I am grateful for my mother, who values what matters most in life and in heaven.

For My Brother

I am sorry for my blog absence these past couple of days. I was on vacation and the there were wi-fi issues at the place where I stayed. Where was I these past couple of days? I was in Colorado to spend time with my family. We were all there for my brother's wedding!

I've been to several weddings before, but never before have I been very emotional during the ceremony.I'm so proud of my brother, and for the wonderful person he is. He is a great, outgoing friend to everyone. He is extremely positive. He takes worthy risks and goes on great adventures. He is very comfortable and confident about being himself. He is a faithful man, fortunate enough to have found a wonderful girl to marry.

Just like with my friend's wedding two weeks ago, things will be a bit different, but I will always love and appreciate my brother. I am grateful to be blessed with a wonderful, enthusiastic, and faithful brother. :)

Adventure Time in the Library!

In the library where I work, a few new art books were acquired. One of them was a book all about the art and development of Adventure Time! Yes, the cartoon. Kids and adults everywhere, rejoice! I love seeing something as silly as a cartoon show given validity and scholarly potential by appearing in a book in a library! This made me smile, a lot. I even spent some time at the desk perusing the book, enjoying the colorful pictures and the explanations for the character and scenery design, as well as the character development.

Libraries may not be buying quite as many books as they used to. But when they do acquire new books, they have a reason. Today, that reason was Adventure Time. :)

Service for a Hospital...and a Future Eagle.

I was invited to participate in an outdoor service project. It turned out to be an Eagle Scout project, in which a bunch of local college kids came to help plant shrubs on the grounds of a local hospital. It was slow going at first, as we tried to learn what we needed to do. But once we got our instructions, we went to work. One of my favorite things about service projects is that moment (or several moments) when I look around and notice the tremendous progress that was made. That was fulfilling, and inspiring. We worked for a few hours, and we got the designated grounds mostly covered with the new shrubs! I am grateful for a successful Eagle Scout project. Also, I had fun hanging out with friends in the process. :)

Another Great Talk for Young Adults

I listened to a great sermon given by a church leader this evening. He talked about assessing ourselves on the "spectrum of faith," (between having no faith in God, and a perfect knowledge of God). He based his talk on the 32nd chapter of Alma in The Book of Mormon. I appreciated his remarks. A video of the hour-long devotional is here.

It was also said that we need opposition to help us appreciate the good. This is a fundamental principle I've known about for a while, but today I applied it directly to a few aspects of my life that I was struggling with, and I knew that things would get better as I continue to do what I know is right.

I am grateful for a wonderful worldwide talk given directly to people my age. :)

To the Top of the Mountain and Back

I love hiking, though I get nervous in the dark and I am certainly a novice. Tonight, I went on a hike with some friends. It was a popular spot for college kids and couples because at the top was a magnificent view of the landscape. I had never gone before, and I was not fully prepared for the hike. It was much steeper and longer than I imagined, and add this to the fact that I'm not entirely fit, and I had a bit of a cold. It was the most challenging hike I had ever done, and it amazed me that so many people would take this trail.

Thankfully, I brought water and some snacks. Also, most of us walked in pairs, so I had someone next to me who shared my slow pace. I've been in similar situations before, but this was the hardest yet for me. Each time I'd send many silent prayers to God for protection and strength. Well, I made it there and back. We all made it back safely (another silent prayer, this time of gratitude). A miracle and a blessing for me. :)

I am so grateful for the gorgeous view at the top of the mountain, and the miracle it was that I had the strength I needed to return safely to my apartment.

Paint the Halls with Lots of Colors

In my apartment complex, we were given permission to paint around our front doors. It was exciting, and rather challenging! I seriously spent 3 1/2 hours painting, but it was all worth it. My friends and neighbors came up with great paintings too. I got several compliments on my painting (grey around the door frame, with black letters up top, and turquoise and red scattered throughout). At this point, I don't consider myself to have painting talent. But, I am grateful to be blessed with a bit of an artistic eye. I owe this to art and music classes in my youth, as well as God-given talents.

I believe everyone has an artistic talent of some kind and to some degree, in any discipline of art and expression. It's just a matter of confidence. God wants all of His children to let their light shine, to be their best selves and to help others do the same.