Friday, February 27, 2009

The Benefit of the Doubt

Have you ever watched a corny chick flick, or maybe a TV show where the main character makes a huge mistake?  Namely mistakes with regards to friends, significant others, and family. And you sit there and yell at the tv screen because you see the irony. You see what both characters are dealing with... I know that it ties knots in my stomach. I think to myself: "if he/she could just see what the other is going through... they wouldn't give up on something they both want."

This is one reason I try to give everyone the benefit of the doubt.  You never know when your actions might help or harm another.  That's why it is so important to keep an open mind, and if things don't always go as planned... sometimes you show how much you care by holding on and being there for that person.

We all express ourselves in different ways.  Next time you think to judge another, keep in mind that they might be having problems that only the know about.  We're all in this world to be tested.  Sometimes life gets hard... we can all agree with that.  It's important to remember our hard times, and to look at someone and not judge their shortcomings. Remember: The worth of souls is great in the sight of the Lord.


This poem is a little off topic. However, I love it, and it fits pretty well.

The Touch Of The Master's Hand
Myra B. Welch

 Twas battered and scarred, and the auctioneer

thought it scarcely worth his while
To waste much time on the old violin,
But held it up with a smile.
"What am I bidden, good folks," he cried,
"Who'll start the bidding for me?
A dollar, a dollar, then, two! Only two?
Two dollars, and who'll make it three?
Three dollars, once; three dollars, twice;
Going for three . . ." 
But no,
From the room, far back, a grey-haired man
Came forward and picked up the bow;
Then, wiping the dust from the old violin,
And tightening the loose strings,
He played a melody pure and sweet
As a caroling angel sings.

The music ceased, and the auctioneer,
With a voice that was quiet and low, said: 
"What am I bid for the old violin?"
And he held it up with the bow.
"A thousand dollars, and who'll make it two?
"Two thousand! And who'll make it three?
"Three thousand, once; three thousand, twice;
And going and gone."said he.

The people cheered, but some of them cried,
"We do not quite understand, what changed its worth?" 
Swift came the reply:
"The Touch Of The Master's Hand."

And many a man with life out of tune,
And battered and scarred with sin,
Is auctioned cheap to the thoughtless crowd,
Much like the old violin.
A 'mess of potage,' a glass of wine;
A game - and he travels on.
He is 'going' once, and 'going' twice,
He's 'going' and almost 'gone'.
But the Master comes and the foolish crowd
Never can quite understand
The worth of a soul and the change that's wrought
By the touch of the Master's Hand.

Sunday, February 22, 2009

A Work in Progress...

Recently, I've had a lot of time to think.  It is amazing how much a walk, a good song, or a quote can change how you think about something. 

Today in church we talked about how grateful we need to be for what we have.  
I know this:
I have always wanted to be independent; Moving away from home was the perfect opportunity to be independent and learn more about myself. 

I have learned:
How to do my laundry without  messing up the colors of my clothes.
Drinking soda every day will make me sick.
I need to sleep.
Making your own decisions isn't all it's cracked up to be.
Big jackets and hot chocolate are MUSTS in the snow.
Ice is evil and will cause you to get large bruises if you fall.
Microwavable food is amazing.
Friends are your family away from home.
It's easier to see who your true friends are.
I love my family so much

I have ALWAYS loved my family, but I never appreciated all of the nice things that my mom and dad did for me. I also miss Laura going through my closet before seminary... and singing at the tops of our lungs to whatever was on the radio. I miss when I would be sad... and Lizzie would come find me...no matter how much I wanted to be alone.  She'd bring me tissues and band-aids...even if I didn't have any cuts. :-)  I guess that growing up means understanding how much you love and appreciate your family. I like to think that I appreciate them now.  I don't appreciate them enough, but I know I appreciate them more than ever.

Time has flown by, and March is upon us.  Today, we also discussed how we need to  appreciate every moment we have.  Every minute we waste being unhappy or ungrateful is time we will never get back. We discussed the talk "Finding Joy in the Journey" and it mentioned this quote:

"Pile up too many tomorrows and you'll find that you've collected nothing but a bunch of empty yesterdays." 
-The Music Man

I am a work in progress, but I've decided to try and appreciate every moment I have. I'm not going to rush to grow up or to be too independent... or I just might end up with a bunch of empty yesterdays.

Monday, February 2, 2009

Cleaning Up

DISCLAIMER: I have not proofread this.  So, if you find errors... it's because I had to go and proofread real homework. ;-)

It's dusk outside, and there's some snow on the ground... inside my bright dorm room, my roommate is listening to her rap... and doing a dance. The sink slowly drip-drops as our California flag sways away from our wall...N64 controllers, backpacks, shoes, and dirty laundry litter our floor... maybe it's time to clean up...

But first, I want to comment on ballroom try-outs...
 As I walked into the RB, I saw them in massive groups.  I noticed their athletic builds and their perfectly kept sandals.  Their makeup was flawless, and I could find no imperfection with any of them... I watched the masses parade into a room... I followed the sound of their Latin sandals clicking against the hard floor. I walked into the room and took a look around...Those Latin sandals that I had followed into the room gracefully clicked the floor...  I nervously clicked the heels of my own Latin sandals... secretly wishing that they would take me home... I was so intimidated. There was no way that I could dominate that dance floor.  So, I left the ballroom try-outs... without even trying out.  oh well, there's always next year! ;-)

Well, let's see... college life has been great, so far. It has been a month since I returned to school.  This semester, I have started volunteering with TOPS.  I basically go and help in a classroom.  I love the kids! They are all so cute! It has been fun so far!

Some more volunteering I'm doing is at BYUSA. I have started by writing a few press releases for BYUSA, and that has been going well.  Last week, I wrote one about "Knight Games."  It's basically a medieval carnival in the Wilk.  Next week, I have to write one on YBall.  That should be interesting.

Speaking of press releases, I get to write press releases for the Stanislaus County Fair!  I loved working there last summer, and I was so happy when they said I could write press releases for this year!

Unfortunately, I'm not writing press releases in my communications classes... I'm not even writing articles.  That really bums me out... I miss writing in my classes... my communications 275 class is fun.  Learning how to use video editing software is almost worth getting up at 7:15 for 8:00am lab. ;-)  The teacher for my communications 239 class is a cool guy, but I wish we got to write... like in communications 211...last semester. On the bright side, my presentation group scored a 90% on our project!! YAY! We would have done better if we hadn't gone 10 minutes over! Ooops! :-P

Speaking of scores, I am soooo excited about my American Heritage test!  American Heritage is a dreaded class...that EVERYONE at BYU has to take.  I was freaking out about my test... because the TA sent emails that said things like "if you're not happy with your score, don't worry...we'll curve them."  Well, I went in and took it... I felt my palms sweat in anticipation.  I read over the questions carefully and made a smeary mess of my bubble sheet. With shaking hands, I gave it to the testing center attendant. I quickly ran by the screen with not so much as a glance... I came home and turned on my computer... With my heart pounding, I clicked the link that would give me my score... I got a... 91.2%...wait?  Did I see that correctly?  I keep making sure it's real, and apparently, it's real! I still have to wait for the written portion to be graded, but I am sooooo grateful that my studying and prayers paid off!!
 
Matt's taking that class with me... which makes it awesome! :-)  He opened his mission call on Friday.  He's going to Tallahassee, Florida Spanish speaking!!  I am so excited for him, but I will miss him...

Man, I have been typing for a really long time...

As I have been typing, it has become very dark outside... there's some snow on the ground. Inside my bright dorm room, my roommate is still listening to rap... and doing a dance. The sink slowly drip-drops...our California flag makes a swaying movement... the N64 controllers, backpacks, shoes, and dirty laundry still litter our floor... maybe it's finally time to clean it up.