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. :)