Can I say Mr. n Mrs. Boyd?

It's a big night for the Boyds! Craigers and Cerissa are gettin hitched.

We all had a little fun while FREEZING our butts off, waiting for the two slow pokes.

The big question!!!

If we just had Craig and Cerissa, people would stop looking at us funny...

And the big moment:

I don't know how to make this bigger :(

"Son, thou art welcome"

In Sunday School today Laura Fairbanks quoted The Last Battle, book seven of The Chronicles of Narnia. Which happens to be my favorite fantasy series ever. Also, the only one I have repeated multiple times. As she was reading I could remember how I felt when going through C. S. Lewis's wonderful count of 'Aslan.' Any-who, It's too good to pass up, so I thought I would put it up for everyones enjoyment. It is the story of Emmeth and his search for the God Tash, when he encounters the truth. When he encounters Aslan.


"It began to be said that Tash and Aslan were one, then the world became dark in my eyes. For always since I was a boy I have served Tash and my great desire was to know more of him, if it might be, to look upon his face...
...So I went over much grass and many flowers and among all kinds of wholesome and delectable trees till lo! in a narrow place between two rocks there came to meet me a great Lion... I fell at his feet and thought, Surely this is the hour of death, for the Lion (who is worthy of all honor) will know that I have served Tash all my days and not him. Nevertheless, it is better to see the Lion and die than to be Tisroc of the world and live and not to have seen him. But the glorious One bent down his golden head and touched my forehead with his tongue and said, Son, thou art welcome. But I said, Alas, Lord, I am no son of thine but the servant of Tash. He answered, Child, all the service thou hast done to Tash, I account as service done to me. Then by reasons of my great desire for wisdom and understanding, I overcame my fear and questioned the Glorious One and said, Lord, is it then true, as the Ape said, that thou and Tash are one? The Lion growled so that the earth shook (but his wrath was not against me) and said, It is false. Not because he and I are one, but because we are opposites, I take to me the services which thou hast done to him. For I and he are of such different kinds that no service which is vile can be done to me, and none which is not vile can be done to him. Therefore if any man swear by Tash and keep his oath for the oath's sake, it is by me that he has truly sworn, though he know it not, and it is I who reward him...Yet I have been seeking Tash all my days. Beloved, said the Glorious one, unless thy desire had been for me thou woulds't not have sought so long and so truly. For all find what they truly seek."

The symbology of Christ is so strong when reaching this point of the book. Befittingly it is placed near the finalization of the series where all who are seeking the truth are found.

Some Old Favorites

Here are some of my favorite shots from summer:

Cockatoo Images

Kurtis Dallon

Willis Tucker Park

Mukilteo Beach

Temple Square, UT

The Clearview Dog Park

Pike St. Seattle

Martha Lake 

Martha Lake

Lake Cavanaugh

Lake Cavanaugh

haha, Just kidding! I wish.

This Little Guy

Our pumpkin patch this year seemed extra special. Spending time with this little guy, and a two year absence may have had something to do with it. This guy doesn't need a good photographer. He just makes everything look good.

Cockatoo Images

Kurtis Dallon

The Little Prince

This past summer a friend mentioned this book to me. I shamely admitted to not only ever reading it, but had never heard of it. Those of you who have read this know that I was in for a surprise. If you haven't read it, just nike it my friends. 

Here's what I thought and some other people too:

The little prince

Themes

The Dangers of Narrow-Mindedness

The Little Prince exposes the ignorance that accompanies an incomplete and narrow-minded perspective. In Chapter IV, for example, when the Turkish astronomer first presents his discovery of Asteroid B-612, he is ignored because he wears traditional Turkish clothing. Years later, he makes the same presentation wearing European clothing and receives resounding acclaim. Because the three-petaled flower described in Chapter XVI has spent its whole life in the desert, it incorrectly reports that Earth contains very few humans and that they are a rootless, drifting people. Even the protagonists of The Little Prince have their moments of narrow-mindedness. In Chapter XVII, the narrator confesses that his previous description of Earth focused too much on humans. In Chapter XIX, the little prince mistakes the echo of his own voice for that of humans and falsely accuses humans of being too repetitive. Such quick judgments, the story argues, lead to the development of dangerous stereotypes and prejudices. They also prevent the constant questioning and open-mindedness that are important to a well-adjusted and happy life.For the most part, The Little Prince characterizes narrow-mindedness as a trait of adults. In the very first chapter, the narrator draws a sharp contrast between the respective ways grown-ups and children view the world. He depicts grown-ups as unimaginative, dull, superficial, and stubbornly sure that their limited perspective is the only one possible. He depicts children, on the other hand, as imaginative, open-minded, and aware of and sensitive to the mystery and beauty of the world.
In the story’s opening pages, the narrator explains that grown-ups lack the imagination to see his Drawing Number One, which represents a boa constrictor swallowing an elephant, as anything other than a hat. As the story progresses, other examples of the blindness of adults emerge. As the little prince travels from planet to planet, the six adults he encounters proudly reveal their character traits, whose contradictions and shortcomings the little prince then exposes.The little prince represents the open-mindedness of children. He is a wanderer who restlessly asks questions and is willing to engage the invisible, secret mysteries of the universe. The novel suggests that such inquisitiveness is the key to understanding and to happiness. However, The Little Prince shows that age is not the main factor separating grown-ups from children. The narrator, for example, has aged enough to forget how to draw, but he is still enough of a child to understand and befriend the young, foreign little prince.

Enlightenment through Exploration

As the critic James Higgins points out, each of the novel’s main characters hungers both for adventure (exploration of the outside world) and for introspection (exploration within himself). It is through his encounter with the lost prince in the lonely, isolated desert that the friendless narrator achieves a newfound understanding of the world. But in his story of the little prince’s travels, Saint-Exupéry shows that spiritual growth must also involve active exploration. The narrator and the prince may be stranded in the desert, but they are both explorers who make a point of traveling the world around them. Through a combination of exploring the world and exploring their own feelings, the narrator and the little prince come to understand more clearly their own natures and their places in the world.

Relationships Teach Responsibility

The Little Prince teaches that the responsibility demanded by relationships with others leads to a greater understanding and appreciation of one’s responsibilities to the world in general. The story of the prince and his rose is a parable (a story that teaches a lesson) about the nature of real love. The prince’s love for his rose is the driving force behind the novel. The prince leaves his planet because of the rose; the rose permeates the prince’s discussions with the narrator; and eventually, the rose becomes the reason the prince wants to return to his planet. The source of the prince’s love is his sense of responsibility toward his beloved rose. When the fox asks to be tamed, he explains to the little prince that investing oneself in another person makes that person, and everything associated with him or her, more special. The Little Prince shows that what one gives to another is even more important than what that other gives back in return.

Motifs

Secrecy

At the heart of The Little Prince is the fox’s bold statement that “[a]nything essential is invisible to the eye.” All the characters the little prince encounters before coming to Earth eagerly and openly explain to him everything about their lives. But the little prince finds that on Earth, all true meanings are hidden. The first character to greet him on Earth is the snake, who speaks only in riddles. In subsequent chapters, the narrator and the little prince frequently describe events as “mysterious” and “secret.” This choice of words is crucial to the book’s message. To describe the mysteries of life as puzzles or questions would imply that answering them is possible. The fact that events on Earth are cast as mysteries suggests that they never can be resolved fully. However, this idea is not as pessimistic as it might seem. The novel asserts that, while many questions in life remain mysteries, exploration of the unknown is what counts, even though it does not leads to definite answers.

The Narrators Drawings

The narrator’s illustration of his story emphasizes Saint-Exupéry’s belief that words have limits and that many truths defy verbal explanation. The narrator places drawings into the text at certain points to explain his encounter in the desert, and although his illustrations are simple, they are integral to understanding the novel. Saint-Exupéry defies the convention that stories should be only text and enriches his work by including pictures as well as words.

The drawings also allow the narrator to return to his lost childhood perspectives. He notes that he uses his Drawing Number One to test adults he meets. The drawing is actually of a boa constrictor swallowing an elephant, but to most adults it looks like a hat. Whether or not a character recognizes the drawing as a hat indicates how closed-minded he is. The narrator notes several times in his story that drawing is very difficult for him because he abandoned it at age six, after finding that adults were unreceptive to his drawings. Therefore, his decision to illustrate his story also indicates his return to the lost innocence of his youth.

Taming

Saint-Exupéry’s tale is filled with characters who either should be or have been tamed. The fox explains that taming means “creating ties” with another person so that two people become more special to one another. Simple contact is not enough: the king, the vain man, the drunkard, the businessman, the geographer, and the lamplighter all meet the prince, but are too stuck in their routines to establish proper ties with him. The fox is the first character to explain that in order to be truly connected to another, certain rites and rituals must be observed, and two people must give part of themselves to each other. In fact, the process of taming is usually depicted as being more labor-intensive for the one doing the taming than for the person being tamed. Despite the work and emotional involvement required, taming has obvious benefits. The fox explains that the meaning of the world around him will be enriched because the little prince has tamed him. In contrast, the businessman cannot even remember what the stars he owns are called.

Serious Matters

The concept of “serious matters” is raised several times in the novel, and each time, it highlights the difference between the priorities of adults and children. To adults, serious matters are those relating to business and life’s most basic necessities. For example, the businessman who owns all the stars refers to himself as a “serious person,” an obviously ridiculous claim since he has no use for and makes no contribution to his property. Even the narrator expresses an understandably desperate claim that fixing his engine is more serious than listening to the prince’s stories. However, the narrator soon admits that the engine troubles in truth pale in comparison to the little prince’s tears.

Saint-Exupéry clearly sides with children, represented by the little prince, who believe that serious matters are those of the imagination. For the little prince, the most serious matter of all is whether the sheep the narrator has drawn for him will eat his beloved rose. As the story progresses, the narrator’s understands the importance of the little prince’s worry. The narrator responds with compassion to the prince’s concern about the sheep from the beginning, setting his tools aside and rushing to comfort the prince in Chapter VII, when the little prince cries out that the question of whether his sheep eats his rose is much more important than the narrator’s plane. However, in his final comment, the narrator says that the question of the sheep and the flower is so important that it has changed his view of the world, revealing that he has understood the question’s importance himself.

Symbols

The Stars

As a pilot, the narrator attaches importance to stars because he depends upon them for navigation. After the narrator meets the little prince, he finds the stars hold new meaning for him because he knows that the prince lives among them. The stars in The Little Prince also symbolize the far-off mystery of the heavens, the immensity of the universe, and at the end, the loneliness of the narrator’s life. The narrator’s final drawing, which accompanies his lament of his loneliness, is of a single star hovering over the desert landscape in which the prince fell. In this one image, the presence of the star both highlights the prince’s absence and suggests his lingering presence. The star is also a reminder of the large and densely populated universe beyond Earth that the prince recounted visiting.

The Desert

The novel is set in the Sahara Desert, a barren place ready to be shaped by experience. The desert is also a hostile space that contains no water and a deadly serpent. In this capacity, the desert symbolizes the narrator’s mind. Made barren by grown-up ideas, the narrator’s mind slowly expands under the guidance of the little prince in the same way that the deadly desert slowly transforms itself into a place of learning and, once the well appears, refreshment.

The Trains

The trains that appear in Chapter XXII represent the futile efforts we make to better our lot. The train rides are rushed voyages that never result in happiness because, as the switchman informs the prince, people are never happy where they are. Also, the trains rush at each other from opposite directions, suggesting that the efforts grown-ups make are contradictory and purposeless. Again, it is children who grasp the truth. They see that the journey is more important than the destination and press their faces hungrily against the windows as they ride, taking in the scenery.

Water 

By the story’s end, the drinking of water emerges as a clear symbol of spiritual fulfillment. The narrator’s concerns about running out of water after he first crashes into the desert mirror his complaint that he has grown old. Later, when he and the prince find the mysterious well, the water the narrator drinks reminds him of Christmas festivities. His thoughts of Christmas ceremonies suggest that his spirit, and not his body, is what truly thirsts. The salesclerk sells a thirst-quenching pill, but the little prince reveals that there are no true substitutes for real spiritual food. The pill may quench one’s desires, but it has little to offer in the way of real nourishment. The prince declares that he would use the minutes saved by the pill for getting a cool drink of water, the only real spiritual fulfillment for which one can hope.

Analysis of Major Characters

The Little Prince

The title character of The Little Prince is a pure and innocent traveler from outer space whom the narrator encounters in the Sahara desert. Before the little prince lands on Earth, Saint-Exupéry contrasts the prince’s childlike character with different adult characters by having the prince hop from one neighboring planet to another. On each planet, the prince meets a different type of adult and reveals that character’s frivolities and weaknesses. Once on Earth, however, the little prince becomes a student as well as a teacher. From his friend the fox, the little prince learns what love entails, and in turn he passes on those lessons to the narrator,

The little prince has few of the glaring flaws evident in the other characters, and he is immediately shown to be a character of high caliber by his ability to recognize the narrator’s Drawing Number One as a picture of a boa constrictor that has eaten a snake. Nevertheless, the prince’s fear as he prepares to be sent back to his planet by a snakebite shows that he is susceptible to the same emotions as the rest of us. Most notably, the prince is bound by his love for the rose he has left on his home planet. His constant questioning also indicates that one’s search for answers can be more important than the answers themselves.

The Narrator

The narrator of The Little Prince is an adult in years, but he explains that he was rejuvenated six years earlier after he crashed his plane in the desert. He was an imaginative child whose first drawing was a cryptic interpretation of a boa constrictor that had swallowed an elephant. Eventually, he abandoned art for the grown-up profession of pilot, and he lives a lonely life until he encounters the little prince. He serves as the prince’s confidant and relays the prince’s story to us, but the narrator also undergoes transformations of his own. After listening to the prince’s story about the knowledge the prince has learned from the fox, the narrator himself learns the fox’s lessons about what makes things important when he searches for water in the desert. The narrator’s search for the well indicates that lessons must be learned through personal exploration and not only from books or others’ teachings.

Both the narrator and the prince are protagonists of the story, but they differ in significant ways. Whereas the prince is mystical and supernatural, the pilot is a human being who grows and develops over time. When the narrator first encounters the prince, he cannot grasp the subtle truths that the prince presents to him, whereas the prince is able to comprehend instantly the lessons his explorations teach him. This shortcoming on the narrator’s part makes him a character we can relate to as human beings more easily than we can relate to the otherworldly, extraordinarily perceptive little prince.

The Rose

Although the rose appears only in a couple of chapters, she is crucial to the novel as a whole because her melodramatic, proud nature is what causes the prince to leave his planet and begin his explorations. Also, the prince’s memory of his rose is what prompts his desire to return. As a character who gains significance because of how much time and effort the prince has invested in caring for her, the rose embodies the fox’s statement that love comes from investing in other people. Although the rose is, for the most part, vain and naïve, the prince still loves her deeply because of the time he has spent watering and caring for her.

Much has been written comparing the little prince’s relationship with his rose to the relationship between Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and his wife, Consuelo, but the rose can also be read as a symbol of universal love. In literature, the rose has long served as a symbol of the beloved, and Saint-Exupéry takes that image in good stride, giving the prince’s flower human characteristics, both good and bad. Because of the rose, the prince learns that what is most essential is invisible, that time away from one’s beloved causes a person to better appreciate that love, and that love engenders responsibility—all of which are broad morals that obviously extend beyond the author’s personal history.

The Fox

The fox appears quite suddenly and inexplicably while the prince is mourning the ordinariness of his rose after having come across the rose garden. When the fox immediately sets about establishing a friendship between himself and the prince, it seems that instruction is the fox’s sole purpose. Yet when he begs the little prince to tame him, the fox appears to be the little prince’s pupil as well as his instructor. In his lessons about taming, the fox argues for the importance of ceremonies and rituals, showing that such tools are important even outside the strict world of grown-ups.

In his final encounter with the prince, the fox facilitates the prince’s departure by making sure the prince understands why his rose is so important to him. This encounter displays an ideal type of friendship because even though the prince’s departure causes the fox great pain, the fox behaves unselfishly, encouraging the prince to act in his own best interest.

The Snake

Even though the snake the little prince encounters in the desert speaks in riddles, he demands less interpretation than the other symbolic figures in the novel. The snake also has less to learn than many of the other characters. The grown-ups on the various planets are too narrow-minded for their own good, and the prince and the narrator edge closer to enlightenment, but the serpent does not require answers or even ask questions. In fact, the snake is so confident he has mastered life’s mysteries that he tells the prince he speaks only in riddles because he can solve all riddles. In a story about mysteries, the snake is the only absolute. His poisonous bite and biblical allusion indicate that he represents the unavoidable phenomenon of death.

The Giver

This is a classic. I have read this book two times. It is definately on my "recomendations" list. If you are interested in some beautiful motifs, and symbolism check this book out. Here's some great notes I compiled/wrote:

The Giver

A breakdown of the literatures themes, motifs, and symbols.

Themes

The Importance of Memory

One of the most important themes in The Giver is the significance of memory to human life. Lowry was inspired to write The Giver after a visit to her aging father, who had lost most of his long-term memory. She realized that without memory, there is no pain—if you cannot remember physical pain, you might as well not have experienced it, and you cannot be plagued by regret or grief if you cannot remember the events that hurt you. At some point in the past the community in The Giver decided to eliminate all pain from their lives. To do so, they had to give up the memories of their society’s collective experiences. Not only did this allow them to forget all of the pain that had been suffered throughout human history, it also prevented members of the society from wanting to engage in activities and relationships that could result in conflict and suffering, and eliminated any nostalgia for the things the community gave up in order to live in total peace and harmony. According to the novel, however, memory is essential. The Committee of Elders does recognize the practical applications of memory—if you do not remember your errors, you may repeat them—so it designates a Receiver to remember history for the community. But as Jonas undergoes his training, he learns that just as there is no pain without memory, there is also no true happiness.

The Relationship Between Pain and Pleasure

Related to the theme of memory is the idea that there can be no pleasure without pain and no pain without pleasure. No matter how delightful an experience is, you cannot value the pleasure it gives you unless you have some memory of a time when you have suffered. The members of Jonas’s community cannot appreciate the joys in their lives because they have never felt pain: their lives are totally monotonous, devoid of emotional variation. Similarly, they do not feel pain or grief because they do not appreciate the true wonder of life: death is not tragic to them because life is not precious. When Jonas receives memories from the Giver, the memories of pain open him to the idea of love and comfort as much as the memories of pleasure do.

The Importance of the Individual

aAt the Ceremony of Twelve, the community celebrates the differences between the twelve-year-old children for the first time in their lives. For many children, twelve is an age when they are struggling to carve out a distinct identity for themselves, differentiating themselves from their parents and peers. Among other things, The Giver is the story of Jonas’s development into an individual, maturing from a child dependent upon his community into a young man with unique abilities, dreams, and desires. The novel can even be seen as an allegory for this process of maturation: twelve-year-old Jonas rejects a society where everyone is the same to follow his own path. The novel encourages readers to celebrate differences instead of disparaging them or pretending they do not exist. People in Jonas’s society ignore his unusual eyes and strange abilities out of politeness, but those unusual qualities end up bringing lasting, positive change to the community.

Motifs

Vision

The motif of vision runs throughout The Giver, from the first mention of Jonas’s unusual pale eyes to the final image of the lights twinkling in the village in Elsewhere. For most of the novel, vision represents all perception, both sensory and emotional. Jonas’s eyes, which appear to be “deeper” than other people’s, are actually able to see more deeply into objects than other people’s eyes: Jonas is one of the few people in the community who can see color. Jonas’s perception of color symbolizes his perception of the complicated emotions and sensations that other people cannot perceive: he sees life differently from the rest of the community. Jonas shares his abilities with the Giver and Gabe, both of whom have eyes the same color as his. Although the ending of the novel is ambiguous, we know that Jonas sees the village in his mind, even if the village does not really exist.

Nakedness

In Jonas’s community, it is forbidden to look at naked people, unless they are very young or very old. Moments involving physical nakedness are closely related to the idea of emotional nakedness: Jonas feels an emotional connection with the old woman, Larissa, when she trusts him to wash her body, and his training involves receiving memories through his bare back. Both situations involve trust and intimacy; both are curiously related to the idea of freedom. Jonas thinks of the naked woman as “free,” perhaps because he associates her physical nudity with a mind bare of the constraints his society places on human behavior, and the information that the Giver transmits to him is liberating in much the same way—it helps him to look beyond the community’s rules and beliefs. Nakedness is also related to innocence and childishness: the Old can be seen naked because they are treated like children, and Jonas’s relationship to the Giver is like a child’s to his father or grandfather.

Release

Though few people know it, the word “release” actually refers to death—or murder—in Jonas’s society, but throughout The Giver, the word means different things to different people. At the beginning of the novel, most of the characters truly believe that people who are released are physically sent to Elsewhere, the world beyond the limits of the community. Release is frightening or sad because no one would want to leave the community, not because it involves violence or death. Later, when Jonas discovers the real meaning of release, the word becomes ominous. At the end of the novel, however, when Jonas escapes despite the fact that he is forbidden to request release, he changes the meaning of the word once again, restoring its original meaning—an escape from the physical and psychological hold of the community.

Symbols

The New Child Gabriel

For Jonas, the new child Gabriel is a symbol of hope and of starting over. Babies frequently figure as symbols of hope and regeneration in literature, and in The Giver this makes perfect sense: Gabriel is too young to have absorbed the customs and rules of the community, so he is still receptive to the powerful memories that Jonas transmits to him. Jonas takes Gabriel with him to save Gabriel’s life, but his gesture is also symbolic of his resolve to change things, to start a new life Elsewhere. His struggles to keep Gabriel alive reflect his struggles to maintain his ideals in the face of difficulty.

The Sled

The sled, the first memory Jonas receives from the Giver, symbolizes the journey Jonas takes during his training and the discoveries he makes. It is red, a color that symbolizes the new, vital world of feelings and ideas that Jonas discovers. Before he transmits the memory, the Giver compares the difficulty he has in carrying the memories to the way a sled slows down as snow accumulates on its runners. The novelty and delight of the downhill ride are exhilarating, and Jonas enjoys the ride in the same way that he enjoys accumulating new memories. But the sled can be treacherous, too: the first memory of extreme pain that he experiences involves the sled. Pleasure and pain are inevitably related on the sled, just as they are in the memories. When, at the end of the novel, Jonas finds a real sled, it symbolizes his entry into a world where color, sensation, and emotion exist in reality, not just in memory.

The River

The river, which runs into the community and out of it to Elsewhere, symbolizes escape from the confines of the community. When little Caleb drowns in the river, it is one of the few events that the community cannot predict or control, and Jonas and the Giver are inspired to try to change the community by the idea of the river’s unpredictable behavior.

"[She] will never pass into nothingness."

Early this morning my cherished great grandmother passed away. At 101 years ''young'' Verda Dallon left us her cherished family to be received by some very anxious and excited family members on the other side. Most anxious and excited being her beloved sweetheart Frank Dallon who departed us years ago. I am so happy for her release at such a wonderful point in her life. Having seen so much good, and loved so many, Verda truly lived a life to the maximum.

So why am I emotional? I AM happy for her. I guess it is the way she moves me. She will always be in my memory as a strong women. She IS a women who lives, loves, and laughs. It can be truly stated, for all of those things were tested throughout her life. But no matter the hate, the hard times or the sickness Verda continued to live love and laugh. Her legacy is deep in the hearts of those who knew her. I love you dear Grandma.

"[Her] beauty is a joy for ever:
[her] loveliness increases; [she] will never
Pass into nothingness."
-John Keats
You are forever a part of me. I love you always

An Old Thing

I found this rummaging through my old stuff. It is the fare well talk I gave before embarking on a two year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Becoming a Disciple of Jesus Christ

Brother Kurtis Dallon - My farewell talk. 02/2010

When I get up here I let my nerves get the best of me. My heart seems to thump in a faster and strange beat, my stomach starts to move, and breathing becomes a focus point. So I pray that my words come out right, that through them the spirit may reach you and that my shoulders will stay firmly high above my feet. That I may stand before my ward family today, each of you and share the Gospel and my testimony.

Brothers and Sisters my topic is to prepare to be a missionary. In one statement; to prepare to serve a mission, become a disciple of Christ. To do that we should develop in the footsteps of our Brother Jesus Christ. This is something that we all should seek. The thoughts I have prepared for today are for everyone here. As we are all called to stand as beacons of light, the light of Christ. So that others may see and draw near to the light of Christ. As I prepare to be a full-time missionary, being a mouthpiece for the Lord I more fully understand that being a missionary is not just for a mission, rather a life’s work. I am blessed to dedicate my time and energy solely for this work in the Sao Paulo East Mission of Brazil for two full years. To become a disciple of Jesus Christ is to seek to be like him.

Gain a testimony

I know the Gospel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, restored by the Prophet Joseph Smith, to contain the fullness of the gospel and to be led by God. I know because I tested the principles taught in the words of the Prophets and in the pages of the scriptures. As I applied these truths to my life I find light, which gives me hope. This hope turns to faith, and knowledge. And knowledge is what I seek, knowledge of my father in heaven, to know what he would have me do. Go to the scriptures. It is said ALL the time. This is because it is necessary. We are all in desperate need of the strength and enlightenment that is found studying those pages.

Marion G. Romney

“A sure testimony is the most valuable possession a person can have. It gives [them] the knowledge, the hope, and the assurance that [they]...can, through obedience to the law and ordinances of the gospel, become a partaker of all the promised blessings” (Marion G. Romney, “How to Gain a Testimony,” p. 9).

Use the atonement. I have throughout my life, and will continue to do so. I see it as a tool of hope and joy, not misery and doom. Satan wants us to hide our sins from the Lord as Adam and Eve hid their nakedness in the Garden of Eden. However, God is who we should take our sins to through the atonement of Jesus Christ so that we may overcome them.

We must seek the knowledge of the truthfulness of the Gospel. Realize our potential, our ultimate goal, and our responsibilities. Then start taking action in our choices and being an example to others so that they may see the light of Christ.

Making Choices

2 Nephi 2:25 “men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.” (Have joy, basic purpose. It says might)

Premortal life; the plan of salvation vs. Lucifers plan

One hand- limitations, what is lacking, take offense. Who will I be?

The other hand- See what I have, and feel the love of Christ and see capacity.

Make the right choices. As we do it gets easier. The choices we are faced with are not easier choices. Choices don’t go away. We become more capable to make the right choices as we do so, for the light of Christ rests within us, letting in more room for the spirit.

The choice must be made daily. Sister Gerhardt once gave a missionary moment regarding this. I will tell you out of my own memory and not by any written quotes, so give and take on the details. Her daughter serving a mission in Germany was confronted by a man who stated that she must be brainwashed being a missionary for this church. Inferring her choices and sacrifices were not made by her, rather a mind controlling someone. The idea of taking away the worth of her testimony and the whole reason she was there. Sister Gerhardt's’ daughter then went to explain to this man that she wakes up everyday making the choice to be who she is. Every day she chooses to be a member of this church, and a representative of Christ. This daily commitment is a sign of the validity of her testimony. For can’t we all just one day or in one moment decide to ignore the truth, the spirit? Brothers and Sisters I feel this is so critical for us to endure to the end. As seen all throughout the Book of Mormon, the people were so quick to fall away from the truth they had received. Even in myself I see that at times I want to ignore the truth I have been given in my own idolness, or to follow my selfish desires. We must realize as Sister Gerhardt explained to that man, it is a constant commitment that we must always hold onto. This choice is our own. “Choose you this day whom ye will serve...as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15

Stand tall in the Gospel

This next part, which I have titled ‘STAND TALL IN THE GOSPEL,’ I give a quote. It hangs in our home. Nelson Mandela quoted this in a speech:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate,

Our deepest fear is that we are all powerful beyond measure,

It is our light not our darkness that most frightened us.

We ask ourselves,

Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous talented, fabulous?

Actually, who are we not to be?

You are a child of God, your playing small does not serve the world, there is nothing enlightening about shrinking, so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine as children do, We were born to make manifest the glory of God, that is within us, it’s in everyone and as we let our own light shine we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

-Nelson Mandela

I don’t need to add anything to that statement. it is true. Stand tall in your testimony.

Service

I was recently reminded the importance and beauty of simple service. Unfortunately, Mother does the dishes in my home. And sometimes others help her. I was once a consistent helper in the field of dirty dish-ware. It was a good habit that I let die. My Grandparents are here for a visit. My grandfather and I were eating lunch. I finished and put my dishes into the sink. When he finished he washed his dishes and put them back in the cupboards. Grandpa explained to me how he developed the habit; when he finished eating, if Grandma was done he would take his dishes and hers, wash and dry them. Then put them away. In this small and simple act of service I was able to see that my Grandfather loves his wife. Alma 37:6 “Behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass.” Love is a very great and powerful choice. In this sweet moment I felt this is what I must do to serve my mission. To forget myself and serve even in the simplest of ways. For we know through the scriptures, this beacon of truth, that this is how great things are accomplished.

In Sister Shayla Whipples letter, read in Sacrament meeting a few weeks ago, I still ponder her realizing in the midst of her frustration with others that Christ died for them too. As I hold onto this my qualm, grudge, or unrighteous feeling I have towards another person goes away. For “[Christ] came into the world...to cleanse it from all unrighteousness.” Doctrine and Covenants 76:41. As I am reminded of the powerful love God has for His children, I realize my anger towards another person is so very wrong. Think of the tremendous love Jesus christ showed in the atonement. That love was for you, it was for me. So remember, the co-worker, neighbor, or even family member that has you tied up in knots has the magnificent love of Jesus Christ as well. As a disciple of Christ it is imperative that we serve Christ’s children.

Matthew 25:35-40: “For I was hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, When saw we thee hungered, and fed thee? Or thirsty and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? and the king shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.