Giving Liezel a Cookie...

If You Give A Mouse A Cookie is a children's book that describes a mouse who wants a cookie, and to go with his cookie, a glass of milk, his glass of milk gives him a milk mustache, so he has to go to the sink to wash up, while in the bathroom he notices he needs a haircut...etc.
And so it goes in my life, I start to do something, and in the process of doing that initial something, I go off on a tangent of other things, and on and on it goes. Here's an example, I pull my clothes out of the dryer and take them to the bedroom to fold, and in route from the laundry room I notice the dryer sheet, so I pull it out to throw away, but I have taken out the garbage and need a new trash bag. I go looking for a new trash bag, and find one, but as I pass the pantry on the way to the trash can my eye catches a can of pumpkin and I remember I have been wanting to make pumpkin bread, so I pull out the rough ingredients, but need to consult a recipe book for specifics. I find the recipe book, which is page marked with a ticket stub from a concert, and I decide to put it with my scrapbook stuff, where I find the scotch tape and remember I need to wrap a birthday present to take to institute, which reminds me that I need to print off a quote for class and on the way to the computer, I pass my laundry basket with clothes still waiting to be folded.
The good news is, I am burning calories and likely exceeding the daily recommended steps in a day. My question though is am I still carrying the garbage bag around with me? Where did the dryer sheet end up? And now that I have the scotch tape, how many rounds about the house will it take to get the present wrapped?

Cardinal Virtue

The Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) has a beautiful clear voice that starts early in the morning. Without seeing the flit of red feathers I know a cardinal is nearby because of its song. It seems to be saying to me, "Be of good cheer. Be of good cheer." I suppose you can hear what you want to hear in that four syllable song. I suppose you could hear, "Eat your broccoli" or "Take out the trash", but the point is, I choose to hear an encouraging message. Choosing to be of good cheer, choosing to hear the message of good cheer in little things and having the confidence that life offers things to be cheerful about is the high road...a cardinal virtue.

An Eternal Investment

This is the gem of truth from Gordon B. Hinckley's little book, Stand A Little Taller for today, the 9th of April. I love it!

"It is not a sacrifice to live the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is never a sacrifice when you get back more than you give. It is an investment. And the living of the gospel of Jesus Christ becomes a greater investment than any of which we know because its dividends are eternal and everlasting."

p.s.--I took this photo of the Angel Moroni atop the Atlanta Temple earlier this week, great symbolism!

A New Apostle

This past weekend was the 179th Annual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. A new member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles was sustained by the church membership. I have been impressed by many of his messages over the last few years and wanted to share a few of his thoughts:

"The opportunity to choose good over evil is precisely why we are here. The message is: Beware of the evil behind the smiling eyes!...As we increase our understanding and love for the Savior, His light will illuminate everything around us. We then will see evil for what it is."
--“Beware of the Evil behind the Smiling Eyes,” Ensign, May 2005, 46

"How do we find our way through the many things that matter? We simplify and purify our perspective. Some things are evil and must be avoided; some things are nice; some things are important; and some things are absolutely essential. The Savior said, 'This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.' Faith is not only a feeling; it is a decision. With prayer, study, obedience, and covenants, we build and fortify our faith."
--“It’s True, Isn’t It? Then What Else Matters?,” Ensign, May 2007, 74–75

"Our spiritual journey is the process of a lifetime. We do not know everything in the beginning or even along the way...At times, the Lord’s answer will be, 'You don’t know everything, but you know enough”—enough to keep the commandments and to do what is right.' Challenges, difficulties, questions, doubts—these are part of our mortality. But we are not alone. As disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, we have enormous spiritual reservoirs of light and truth available to us. Fear and faith cannot coexist in our hearts at the same time. In our days of difficulty, we choose the road of faith."
--“You Know Enough,” Liahona, Nov 2008, 13–14

Love is a many splendored thing

Spring has officially settled over Atlanta. The flowering dogwoods and azaleas are the sure sign that she has arrived (p.s.-in case you were wondering early April is the PERFECT time to visit). It's not just the plants though, that know spring has arrived. Creatures large and small have caught the twitterpated bug, and as it happens, so has a local resident at the property. I was working outside of the temple apartment building yesterday when an eldery man came walking down the sidewalk whistling this kind of enchanting tune with great gusto. We chatted a minute and I asked him about the song. It is an "oldie but goodie" called "Love is a many splendored thing", a 1955 creation that was quite the thing in its day. In honor of dogwoods in their glory and spring in the air carried by the tune of a classic love song, take a listen and relish in another lovely April.

Love is a many splendored thing - Google Video

p.s. again--I like Frank Sinatra or Nat King Cole's version better, but this is nice, just the same.