A Pleasant Surprise on an Off-Day

Today was quite an off day for me because I was feeling sick throughout the morning and afternoon. Through all of that, however, I got a really pleasant surprise from home: a copy of the board game, "Ticket to Ride"! I had mentioned to my parents that I was interested in the game, and they sent it to  me as a very late Christmas present. It made my day! I am grateful for a much appreciated surprise package from home, on an otherwise off-day.

Sixteen Pieces of Light

There is a story in the Book of Mormon about a man who comes to the Lord about a problem: his people needed a light source in their boats before they sail off to the promised land. The man brought sixteen clear stones and asked the Lord to touch them so that they can give light. Because of the man's faith, it happened (see the second and third chapters of Ether in the Book of Mormon).

Now another story: for my friends and neighbors in the same apartment complex, we have been adding small pebbles to a water jug to mark little acts of kindness and service that we've done for each other. Normally, I put in a couple pebbles each week, but this week I decided to actually count opportunities I take to serve others. Over the past week, I've counted about fifteen.

I mentioned this to a good friend yesterday, and today I found a note at my door. The note came with fifteen pebbles to put in the water jug. The small gift was a pleasant surprise! The words in the note were very thoughtful, truly sincere, and much appreciated.

The note, plus fifteen small stones, made my day brighter and happier. This experience reminded me  of a story of a man who asked the Lord to help his people put light in their boats...

I am grateful for a very kind and considerate gesture from a good friend who is also a very good person.

A Successful Fireside

These past few weeks, I have been contacting people to help organize a large musical fireside (a devotional which focuses on musical numbers) focused on the true meaning of Easter. There were seven songs performed, and they were all very lovely and inspiring. I was able to perform in one of the songs with a couple of friends, and it too was successful. We performed better and more sincerely than we did in our practices! The Holy Spirit was truly with us. I am grateful for a wonderful, successful musical event tonight.

Study Break: An Invitation

What did I do all afternoon and all night? I worked on a fun language creation assignment! It did take a lot longer than I thought though, and I am mentally exhausted from it! Imagine how refreshing it was, then, when something came for me in the mail: an invitation to my roommate's wedding. I am excited to make the trip, and the invitation itself looked very well done.

With all the work I put in today, I appreciated a little reminder of exciting things to come. There is more in my life than just schoolwork! I am grateful for the very nice wedding invitation from my roommate.

My Powers of Analysis

Recent discussions with my parents over the phone got me thinking about the specifics of my college graduation, which is coming all too soon (though it's not until next year). To work through a problem, I like to think very analytically. I like to think it through and make a well-thought-out plan. I looked at the remaining classes I needed to take, when they were offered, and other plans and priorities I had in the coming months. I wrote up my analysis and sent it to my parents. Though I value their advice and input, I wrote everything up more for myself than anything. Because of that work and thought process, I now have a much clearer vision of my last year in my undergraduate studies, and I am grateful for that. I am grateful for the powers of analysis and reasoning that heaven has blessed me with.

...Now to figure out graduate school...

My Adventures with Scrabble

I attended a small Speed Scrabble tournament. It was a contest between the English department and the English Language/Linguistics department (I am part of the latter). In an unusual turn of events, it turned out that there was only one English student and 9-10 ELang/Ling students. We all played against each other and kept individual scores. after a couple of rounds, we discovered that the one English student had earned a lot more points than anyone else in the room! Everyone was really impressed! We all congratulated the student at besting all of us at Scrabble. It looks like the English department has won the trophy this year.

No matter, because we all got to enjoy ice cream and good company anyway. :) I am grateful for my evening adventures with Scrabble today.

Giving and Receiving

I had a great time performing in an a cappella concert tonight! It was perhaps the best show I've been in so far, not only because of the splendid performances, but also because of the support I received from several people I admire and appreciate.

Over the past couple of years, I have become less and less embarrassed by opportunities to display talents that I have. It can be hard to share something and then accept all the compliments that may come afterwards. I have been learning to be a gracious giver and receiver of kindness. I am grateful for the opportunity to share talents with others (in this case, singing and beat boxing), and for the support I received in sharing them.