On Marriage and Family

"America! America! God shed his grace on thee"

2010-07-04T19:34:00.001-06:00

Here we are on Independence Day. We hear fireworks at night, everyone wears red, white, and blue, and feelings and excitement run high.

To me, Independence Day means much more than the celebrations. (We're not even doing fireworks--we only have sparklers, which we inherited from someone who was moving.) I have been reflecting on the blessings that God has shed on our great nation. These reflections have been all the more powerful since this year, July 4th landed on a Sunday.

In church the past couple of weeks, we've sung the patriotic songs--"America the Beautiful," "My Country, 'Tis of Thee," and "The Star-Spangled Banner." Each of these songs is, in part, a prayer to God.

America the Beautiful: (in all four verses)

"...America! America!
God shed his grace on thee..."

"...America! America!
God mend thine ev'ry flaw..."

"...America! America!
May God thy gold refine,
Till all success be nobleness,
And ev'ry gain divine."

"...America! America!
God shed his grace on thee..."

My Country, 'Tis of Thee: (4th verse)

"Our fathers' God, to thee,
Author of liberty,
To thee we sing;
Long may our land be bright
With freedom's holy light.
Protect us by thy might,
Great God, our King!"

The Star-Spangled Banner: (3rd verse)

"...Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Pow'r that hath made and preserved us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: 'In God is our trust!'..."

These are but excerpts from three songs. Our nation's history is shadowed by the Almighty's hand. Think of the bickering colonies with untrained militias who were able to somehow defeat England's well-trained army. Remember how a government, of a type that had never been seen before, somehow emerged from a convention, and then was ratified by the still-divided states? There are countless examples of God's hand in our nation's history.

Some people seem to think that we can honor our Founders, those who lost their lives for our freedom, but still think of their religious ideas as being nonsense or old-fashioned. My friends, I believe that this is a mistake.

Do you think that if we forget God that He will still protect us? Do you think that if we worship the false gods of materialism, of political correctness, of selfishness, that He will still guide us and lead us? That does not fit with His ways that we read about in the Bible--in neither the Old nor the New Testament. No, I have come to the conclusion that if our country rejects God and His ways, that we also reject His protection and guidance.

Friends, there is still time. God blesses the people who consent to be His. If we follow Him, we can return to favor. Let us turn to God and do things His way, rather than allowing secularism to reign. We can again pray to God for the good of our country. We can be more open to our friends, families, and associates about our religious beliefs. We can be more responsible and follow God's commandments.

There is still time.

Apostle Talks Religious Freedom to Boston Youth

2010-06-18T14:56:00.000-06:00

Apostle Talks Religious Freedom to Boston Youth (LDS.org Newsroom)

Newsroom Blog: Are Mormons Christian?

2010-04-19T23:44:00.000-06:00

Newsroom Blog: Are Mormons Christian?

Red Skelton's Pledge of Allegiance

2010-04-18T19:46:00.001-06:00

This is a clip of Red Skelton's show from 1969. (Red Skelton is a comedian, but this clip is quite serious.) He shares what his teacher told him and his class about the Pledge of Allegiance when he was a small boy--back when there were 48 states and before the words "under God" were added to the Pledge. Please watch this video.

Religion & Political Participation

2009-11-20T21:20:00.000-07:00

http://newsroom.lds.org/blog/2009/11/religion-political-participation.html

A Good Man, a Wonderful Brother

2009-10-19T20:27:00.003-06:00

This is a hard place to be saying this, but my big brother, Jordan (a.k.a. Zevran Man), passed away last Wednesday. In honor of his life, I will continue to have him listed as a contributor to my blog, at least for a while.

-Mariah

Apostle Says Religious Freedom Is Being Threatened

2009-10-13T16:19:00.003-06:00

Also see this article, or the text of the speech.

Hymn of the Day

2009-10-09T07:21:00.003-06:00

I Believe in Christ
Bruce R. McConkie

I believe in Christ; he is my King!
With all my heart to Him I'll sing;
I'll raise my voice in praise and joy,
In grand amens my tongue employ.
I believe in Christ; he is God's Son.
On earth to dwell his soul did come.
He healed the sick, the dead he raised.
Good works were his; his name be praised.

Click here for the music; in the column to the left, select "words and music."

Elder Bruce C. Hafen Speaks on Same-Sex Attraction

2009-09-20T17:00:00.001-06:00

Elder Bruce C. Hafen Speaks on Same-Sex Attraction

A History Lesson

2009-09-07T09:07:00.003-06:00

Back in the day, the Church of England was the established religion in England. Many were persecuted for their beliefs. That is why the Puritans left England for the New World.

When the Constitution of the United States of America was written, the Bill of Rights was added, as ten amendments. One of these addresses freedom of religion. Not the absence of religion, but the absence of an established religion, like the Church of England. The purpose of this amendment was to protect the American people from persecution for their beliefs.

Now, in California, people are persecuted for conservative beliefs. Labeled as intolerant. This has even spread to Salt Lake City, around the precious Salt Lake Temple, which I love, a temple that took forty years to build because of persecution.

Since people are again being persecuted because they don't adhere to the doctrine of extreme political correctness, where's the "New World" for us to retreat to? Where is the land where we can live in peace, with our beliefs?

There is not another "New World" that is available to us. This amazing country was established to protect our rights, just as much as to protect the rights of any other group of people. It is up to us to preserve that freedom, that safety. Our Founding Fathers could expect no less of us.

Let us be a people of virtue, for how else can we preserve a country that was founded upon the ideals of virtue?

I like Utah schools.

2009-09-06T18:05:00.005-06:00

Thank you, Spencer, for your post: http://drpaleophd.blogspot.com/2009/09/yet-another-reason-to-homeschool.html

Here are my thoughts:

There are much more effective ways to eliminate bullying than by using the books that are now required, as shown in the video. Bullying is a management issue more than it is an indoctrination issue. It depends more on the way the teacher runs the classroom, the way the teacher teaches, than it does on what the students are taught. Management makes a difference. Having a warm, caring classroom makes a difference. Forcing beliefs on children that are contrary to family religious and moral beliefs cause contention in the home, confusion, and because of that, contention in the schools. Now, how in the world is that supposed to help?!!!

In my classes preparing me to be an elementary school teacher, one of the ideas we have talked about recently is that of ethics--it is, actually, unethical to deny any child an equal opportunity to learn. It is also unethical to force information on any child. Particularly information that is controversial and that is not backed up sufficiently by good, reliable studies.

Don't get me wrong--I do not hate homosexuals. If you ask my family, my roommates, my friends, they'd be able to verify that I don't hate anyone. It's just not who I am. I know people who life "alternate lifestyles," and much as I disagree with the way they live, I recognize that it is their choice. They must abide by the consequences of their choices, just as I must abide by the consequences of mine. That's just the way life is. They have the agency to choose, as do I. But I am responsible for the moral and religious upbringing of my own children. Not a teacher. Not an organization. We are treading on very shaky ground when we are trying to force beliefs on others. Forcing people generally is not a good idea.

The young man in the video was harassed because he's homosexual. When I was in middle school and high school in California, I was harassed because of my conservative beliefs. In fact, I was sexually harassed, and I was vulnerable because of my innocence, because of my lifestyle, because the young man who was harassing me was not sufficiently curbed by school officials. I was put in danger for the sake of "free speech."

School officials were not aware that this harassment was taking place--that is not what I accuse them of. They didn't realize what they were allowing him to do. But because of the lifestyle he was allowed to live, and to reflect in his behavior even while he was at school, I was hurt very deeply. This wasn't the only time that I was hurt because there had to be "free speech" and "tolerance" of various lifestyles, even on school property. And I know that I'm not the only one.

Now, don't worry, Spencer. He never tried to touch me. Don't worry.

Now, I know that there are good people on both sides of this dispute, and there are those who have not behaved so admirably, on both sides of the dispute. I am here to say that what we need is more understanding and openness, less judgment. More love and caring, less hatred.

I hold my beliefs as highly as does anyone else. Part of that is the need to love and accept people even when we must hate and reject their beliefs. And I testify that it is possible to achieve both.

Marriage and Divorce video

2009-07-10T12:23:00.002-06:00

Marriage and Divorce:

This is a very nice video about marriage and divorce. It talks about the importance of marriage and how divorce is not the correct solution for most marital issues.

Sorry that I was unable to imbed the video in the post.

-Mariah :)

Prayer Call: Jordan in the Hospital

2009-07-02T16:39:00.001-06:00

My brother's cancer has spread some more. He's in the hospital right now. Any prayers on his behalf would be... would be wonderful!

-Mariah

Truth

2009-06-13T17:06:00.002-06:00

I went on a walk today, shortly after a thunderstorm. The fresh world around me, with tiny drops of water falling onto me as I pushed branches by, helped me find peace after a very hard week. As I walked, I pondered about truth.

When I take sides on issues, I do so very seriously. I don't like to join sides just because I agree with them more than I do with the opposing side (such as political parties), and when I do need to make such decisions, it tends to be based on moral reasons. I don't like taking sides (it took me a long time to decide which political party to register as) on such issues because... neither side is completely right, and both have a lot of truth.

During my walk, though, it struck me very hard that... truth is not one line of thought, one philosophy on life. Truth is the good from every source. There is truth everywhere, but there are few places in this imperfect world, full of imperfect people, that contains all truth.

But I have found that as I grow ever closer to God, the truth from all sources everywhere merges together. Where there once seemed to be discrepancies between different truths, I have been able to see them both from God's perspective, and to see that they really do belong together, that they truly support and uphold each other. And as I grow even closer to Him, this process will be able to continue, until all truth and light is clear, and I am able to see how all these little, apparently conflicting truths really are truer together than they could ever be apart.

Announcement:

2009-06-12T19:56:00.004-06:00

Due to disrespectful comments, I have been obliged to disallow anonymous comments. Thanks!

(p.s. Some proof is much stronger and more sure than words. That is the sort of proof that I have, and it is all I need. I'm sorry if you expect more from me, because you will be disappointed. Although I have more "solid" proof, at this time I choose not to share that.)

Obama's German Ancestry

2009-06-07T21:40:00.002-06:00

Did you know that Obama has German ancestors? His family history is really rather interesting. Read about it here:

Utah ancestry researchers help find documents of Obama's German roots

Message from Andy Pugno on Court decision

2009-05-27T09:59:00.002-06:00

On the California Supreme Court's decision to uphold Prop 8:

Message from Andy Pugno on Court decision

Logical Perplexities in Pro-Same-Sex-Marriage Arguments

2009-05-26T18:07:00.008-06:00

I've had some interesting thoughts today, combining new perspectives from my teacher training program in school with memories from Prop 8.

And I've discovered that some of the concerns I've heard raised by supporters of No on 8 really aren't very logically sound. Here are a couple of them:

Myth: Homosexual relationships are just as natural and as beneficial as are heterosexual relationships.

Truth: As for homosexual relationships being natural--every time I see a picture of a homosexual couple, it hits me how very unnatural it looks. That is my gut reaction. And I have learned to trust my gut reactions.

A former roommate, who will soon graduate in psychology, told us that homosexual tendencies used to be on the official list of psychological disorders--an actual malfunctioning of the brain. But it was taken off that list--because it's evidently not "tolerant" to label it as a disorder.

So... does that mean that if my big brother, with adrenal cancer, was to decide he was sick of cancer treatments and not living a normal life, if he wanted to be considered perfectly healthy, would it be "intolerant" to continue labeling cancer as a disease? So what's the difference if the illness is mental instead of physical? I don't quite understand.

Also, in my recently-completed health class (I think I've mentioned this one before), one day I was in charge of finding children's books to help give children a good foundation in understanding of sex. You know, books that will give developmentally-appropriate information to the kids, information that will help them know what is and what is not true as they are flooded by messages from the media. I was looking in the library at these books, and one of them fairly took my breath away. It decided to explain what love is... and proceeded to explain that love could be between a man and a woman, which would be heterosexual, or it could be between two men, or between two women, in which case it would be homosexual. And it also slurred the distinction between romantic love and... family love, you know, like love between brothers. Those poor kids who read this book! This book may be "politically correct," but it is trying to teach children that homosexual relationships are natural and right.

And I haven't even touched on the morality of it. Which basically boils down to, God says that marriage is between a man and a woman, not between two men or between two women. So homosexual "marriages" are wrong. And not, by any true definition of the word, technically even marriages.

As for homosexual relationships being just as beneficial as heterosexual relationships, a tolerance of homosexual relationships, in the history of our earth, has followed the decline, the fall of civilizations.

Men and women are different. So mothers and fathers are also different. They have different roles in a marriage, and neither is more important. They are, in a fully functional family, interdependent with each other. And neither is irreplaceable. Research has overwhelmingly shown that this is the case. It is not fair to deprive children of the benefits of a fully functional family.

Myth: It is harder for people with homosexual tendencies to live a virtuous life, so they should not be required to live by the same rules of virtue as everyone else.

Truth: As I said, homosexual tendencies are actually a mental disorder. As a result, it may be more difficult for them to experience the emotions that may lead to a heterosexual marriage. Maybe it's harder. But that doesn't mean that they are exempt from the rules that everyone else has to follow.

I've worked with children who struggle with reading and writing. It is a lot harder for them to read and write than it is for their peers. Does this mean that they are exempt from the educational requirements that their peers follow? Of course not! It simply means that they must work harder, along with extra help from their teacher. It means that there is an outpouring of love towards them. It means that the students who are doing well can help those who are struggling. It does not mean that we give up on these struggling students, even if they want us to.

So it is with those who unfortunately have homosexual tendencies. They have a mental disorder. Life is hard for them as regards their sexuality. Life is hard for little English-language-learner, Diana, as she struggles to keep up with her class. Life is hard for my brother with cancer. But this simply means that we, as moral people, must support and help each other, help people to heal and to grow.

Pledge of Allegiance Background

2009-05-16T13:19:00.002-06:00

Top Court Backs TV Dirty Word Ban

2009-05-14T16:53:00.002-06:00

This was an interesting article I ran into today. Yay for protecting the family! :)

Top Court Backs TV Dirty Word Ban

Another kinda fun article I read today, which commends Napoleon Dynamite... just for fun.

Dynamite, Dutcher, Hitchcock and the failure of LDS movies

An Apostle's Easter Thoughts on Christ

2009-04-14T19:29:00.001-06:00

This is a wonderfully uplifting video--that I rewatched several times. It is beautiful and reassuring.

(Spencer, you may like this video, to see more of what my church feels about Easter, but to warn you, there is an actor who portrays the Savior during parts of the video. If this would bother you, you may still want to listen to the video, rather than watch it.)

Family: Our Nation's Greatest Resource

2009-04-12T13:19:00.002-06:00

As I was preparing to teach about our responsibility to protect the family (Visiting Teaching message, March 2009), I realized that--we hear all the time all these things we should be doing to protect all our natural resources, even while our families are being torn down.

But it is really the family that is our nation's greatest resource. Good, strong families produce good, strong citizens. Families where children are taught no morals, where they are taught greed and laziness, produce that same sort of citizens. Yet the emphasis is on oil, saving the rain forest, and all this. Not that this is bad--we should take care of our world--but the emphasis, the priorities are all messed up.

If we take care of our families, if we uphold and protect the family, so many of our other problems will take care of themselves. If we allow the family to be destroyed, we will destroy our nation.

I'm posting a link to my lesson plan, if anyone is interested:

Family: Our Nation's Greatest Resource

You Are the New Day and My Song in the Night

2009-03-22T13:32:00.002-06:00

In choir, we're learning some wonderful songs, songs that have brought me much joy as we've sung, discussed, and pondered them. These are two of my very, very favorites.

You Are the New Day
John David and Peter Knight

You are the new day,
You are the new day.

I will love you more than me and more than yesterday
If you can but prove to me you are the new day.

Send the sun in time for dawn, let the birds all hail the morning
Love of life will urge me say, You are the new day.

When I lay me down at night knowing we must pay
Thoughts occur that this night might stay yesterday.

Thoughts that we as humans small could slow worlds and end it all
Lie around me where they fall before the new day.

One more day when time is running out for everyone
Like a breath I knew would come I reach for the new day.

Hope is my philosophy just needs days in which to be
Love of life means hope for me, borne on the new day.
You are the new day.

I love this song. Pondering its message has brought me such hope and joy, especially now that my brother is dealing with cancer. I just think of all the miracles that have happened, and how each new day brings new hope to my family. And it is through Christ that that happens--He is my hope, my light, my joy, my life, my all,--my New Day, my Song in the Night.

My Song in the Night
Southern folk hymn

O Jesus my Savior, my song in the night,
Come to us with thy tender love my soul's delight,
Unto Thee, O Lord in affliction I call,
My comfort by day, and my song in the night.

O why should I wander a stranger from Thee,
Or cry in the desert thy face to see?
My comfort and joy, my soul's delight,
O Jesus, my Savior, my song in the night.

O Jesus, my Savior, my song in the night,
Come to us with thy tender love, my soul's delight,
My Comfort and Joy, my soul's delight,
O Jesus, my Savior, my song in the night.

My Comfort and Joy, my soul's delight,
O Jesus, my Savior, my song in the night.

I love this song, its peace and joy. Christ is my song in the night; I turn to Him when I am in the darkest nights of life, and He brings me comfort and joy.

Schools vs. Politics

2009-03-15T15:59:00.003-06:00

Sometimes I read about current political theories, and all I have to say is, "You're not educators, are you?"

Sometimes they just don't understand people as well as they think they do. They don't understand how people learn, how to teach, that people have very fundamental differences that are good, that we should value and use rather than try to destroy. Sometimes they just understand people who are like them.

The end.

Mormon Messages: Why Mormons Build Temples

2009-03-13T15:51:00.002-06:00

This is a beautiful video I wanted to share.

Media Literacy and Politics in Education

2009-03-12T10:07:00.002-06:00

In my health class, we are learning how to teach children to be healthy--emotionally as well as physically. One of the topics we discussed in rather great detail was media literacy.

You see, so much of what people think today is based on the media. And the media is well aware of its power, and it largely uses that--to make money. Maybe they like to look like a kind company that is looking out for you, maybe they make gifts or provide entertainment. But the only reasons why they do this is to make money. They know what works, and they take advantage of people to get what they want.

So you watch a TV show and groan at the advertisements dispersed throughout? Well, did you know that the TV show you were watching is merely a hook to get you to watch the ads? And did you know that TV shows themselves are ads?

Not only do shows and movies promote certain products, but they also promote certain values--so that they can make money.

In recent years, for example, children have had control over large amounts of the family income. So what does the media do? They portray adults as being idiotic, children are the smart and reasonable members of the family, rebellion is condoned, pressuring adults to buy what they want is taught.

Another example has to do with adults. Do you know what portion of the population has the most money to spend? Single adults who are working. So in order to increase this section of the population, the show Friends was aired. Its stars? A bunch of single, working adults who are friends, and there is not a hint of a marriage for a long time. And do you know what? During the time period since Friends was first aired, marriages have decreased, and this portion of the population has increased significantly.

It has also been well-documented that viewing violence in the media leads to violent actions. If we think of this, it isn't at all unreasonable--the media tells people what is cool, attractive, right, etc. And then people follow that, because they want to be cool or attractive or to feel like they're moral people.

The same is true with so many other areas in the media--the media has a particular agenda and getting people to dress or act a certain way will help them reach that. And because of the way these things are constantly being portrayed, people fall for it, and end up trapped in a lifestyle they wouldn't have chosen otherwise.

Moving on to the politics of education:

There are recent trends in education that have been influenced by politics (silly politicians!), rather than by a desire to do what is right for the kids. And teachers have so often been trapped by the political issues that they are unable to be as good of teachers as they want to be.

A while back, there was concern about teaching morals in the schools. After all, we are a diverse nation; whose morals are we going to teach? So for a long time, teachers were not allowed to teach morals... instead, they would teach more relative morality. Like asking kids what they would do in a certain moral dilemma, and accepting all answers, no matter how atrocious. Guess what? We ended up with a generation of kids who didn't have very high morals, so--what do you know?--they weren't happy and didn't feel good about themselves.

Now educators were faced with a bunch of kids with low self-esteem. So what did they do? They tried to inject self-esteem into them. But do you know what? It's impossible to inject self-esteem into someone. So we ended up with a bunch of kids who still have low moral values, are unhappy, and are very self-centered. Selfishness, inability to put themselves in others' shoes, etc. That is our generation--what one author called "Generation Me."

Can you see how modern education's problems go back to politics, and not to the schools themselves? The media is not always curbed as much as it should be because of "freedom of expression," and we are still suffering from too much political interference in the schools from back when we weren't allowed to teach moral values in the schools.

So the ills in the school system is really just a representation of the ills of society, of our nation. Might as well get rid of the nation to stop school shootings, as to get rid of schools. It would do us just as little good.

What we really need are better-trained teachers and administrators, less governmental interference in the way we teach (and if we must have governmental interference, as there must be some, it should be in the best interest of the children, rather than a 1st amendment rights thing), and a more media-literate society.

Are you listening, Obama? (I'm kind of worried about what he wants to do with education--I want to know how he plans to run things, and he's just telling us what he wants to fix. Silly politics!)

The End.

(If you want more information, I have more...)

I Love to See the Temple (with a section addressed to Spencer)

2009-03-10T08:21:00.004-06:00

I read this today in the LDS Newsroom:

The Publicity Dilemma

It seems that a TV series is going to be portraying sacred LDS temple ordinances on their show. I'm not quite sure what to think about this. It certainly isn't right to show misrepresentations of religious practices or people, particularly to show that which is most sacred to someone.

At the same time, particularly after reading this article, I have decided that it is pointless to overreact, as that will give the producers of this TV show (that I had never heard of until today) the attention they want. I'm not going to advertise for them by attacking them.

Now let me explain a little bit why this is so disturbing to me. This is going to be addressed particularly to you, Spencer, as you are my only follower who isn't LDS (my other followers being my big brother, one of my roommates, and a friend from the dorms).

I know you've visited Temple Square in Salt Lake, and you have other Mormon friends, so this isn't all new to you, but I want to tell you... from me.

Just on Saturday I had the opportunity to go to the Salt Lake temple, which is really neat because, as we have a temple here in Provo, we don't usually get to go there. I can't adequately express the joy and warmth and security I experienced while in the temple--there just aren't the right words. But I can tell you that I felt very close to my Savior, and that I felt His loving arms around me. As I often feel very anxious if I don't get enough touch, this was very comforting and calming to me. Inside the temple, I feel such peace that is hard to find anywhere else.

Our temples are full of symbolism, which is something that any worldly portrayal of them will ever catch. We don't just go through certain motions because it looks cool, or is mysterious; it is all to teach. We learn each time we go to the temple, because there is symbolism in everything we do.

In our modern temples, we use so many of the same symbols there were in ancient temples--in the tabernacle Moses' people carried in the wilderness, in Solomon's temple. Similar actions were preserved even in pagan temples--temples where the people would go because, through apostasy, they lost the presence of God. But in the pagan temples, although actions were preserved, symbolism, meaning, and truth were lost--because truth comes of God, is of God, is God, and without the presence of God in their temples, their sacred rites became profane, base, secular, no longer holy.

When our sacred ordinances are portrayed outside of the temple, by people who do not have the Spirit of Truth with them, all the symbolism, the truth, the beauty and simplicity of our temples is lost, just as it was in those ancient pagan temples. What is retained? The actions we go through, the setting. These may seem arbitrary, strange, pointless, and confusing when taken out of context, when God is not teaching through those symbols, through His spirit.

Can you see why it upsets Mormons when our most precious beliefs and practices are misrepresented to the world? Can you understand why even showing the same actions and settings on TV, instead of inside the temple, can be so harmful to those who create this show? I hope so... I wanted you to understand why this was important enough to me that I posted it. This is all the information I feel comfortable posting here, but if you have questions, you know how to reach me.

Take care in all that you do, and may God watch over you today!

-Mariah :)

Some Thoughts on Family

2009-03-05T10:05:00.004-07:00

For my Health class (learning to promote physical and emotional health in our future classrooms), we will be studying human development next week, and I was assigned to bring in two children's books on the subject.

I found those in the library yesterday, and as I read them and thought about the different messages that abound about marriage, families, children, babies, I found great peace in knowing that in families, we can find oneness and belonging--belonging to each other in a very real way.

A way that so much love and peace and joy can be shared. A place to live that is safe, people who understand you like no one else, the ability to work together. Aren't these such wonderful blessings? Yet how often are the enemies of family promoted in our country, thus depriving innocent children of the blessings of a loving home?

As responsible citizens, we must lovingly help people realize that it is only through the family that our country can remain strong. Strong, loving families are a more precious commodity than oil or our forests or anything else, wonderful as these other things are. Shouldn't we then strive to protect the family, to do all we can to help people build successful families, to serve its best interest?

The End.

Thoughts...

2009-02-22T12:59:00.006-07:00

Today I've been rereading journal entries. And I was amazed by two things: how strong I was then (summer 2007 and on) and how much I have grown since then.

Thoughts that I rediscovered:

Best Day Ever!--Reminding me of a friend from my first semester of BYU who was going through a hard time of life, yet he would always say that each day was the best day ever because we were one day closer to being back with God.
Sacrifice--this can include giving up our fears and doubts. (July 29, 2007)
Following our guiding stars in life--answers to prayers, the scriptures, etc., seeing this as Don Quixote does: "This is my quest, to follow that star, no matter how hopeless, no matter how far." Just having the commitment to do that, despite all the sorrow we might have to face on the way. (July 13, 2007)

So just some thoughts, some things I've learned as I've gone through life.

And I'd like to add one thing to that list:

That God is always with us, that He loves us, that I have been able to literally feel His presence.

May God be with you all!

Love, Mariah :)

Keyword: Theory

2009-02-13T11:07:00.003-07:00

For one of our classes, we had to choose a magazine or TV show that a lot of kids would have access to and analyze it. I chose the one magazine I could find that would be somewhat popular with kids, that I could stand: National Geographic. And this issue focuses on Darwin. (Just a note: as part of my analysis, I discovered that, although this particular magazine has a lot fewer ads than many magazines, roughly 1/4 of the issue consisted of advertisements. In case you were wondering.)

First of all, it irritates me when those who believe in--well, in anything--accept unquestioningly any and all evidence that supports their point of view, whether or not it is good evidence. I mean, if you accept a weak argument as part of your argument, even if you have good evidence as well, even if you're right, that weak argument will weaken you considerably.

Now that I'm done venting about that, I can talk about what bugged me about the articles on Darwin.

It's just fine if these people accept the theory of evolution, but it's not okay for them to make people think that it is more than a theory.

About science and the scientific method: Science is about trying to find stories to explain what we see happening in our world. It is to find possible explanations. But, according to the scientific theory, science isn't about finding proof. We can find evidence. We can come up with ideas to explain the world around us, and if we find enough evidence, we can say that we have a theory, that is, a possible explanation that seems to work.

But with science we cannot prove.

So it annoyed me when these articles on Darwin not only claimed that evolution has been proven, but it also cited only the evidence that supports the theory of evolution, and not the evidence that opposes it. For there is much evidence on both sides. But not enough to even come close to proving anything. After all, how can we prove what happened millions and billions of years ago? We can't, because we didn't see it happen.

Science gives us relative truth, much information that is good and true and information that is not so reliable. And scientific "truth" is always changing as new evidence is found.

But religious truth, the word of God does not change. It is absolute. It is true yesterday, today, and forever. It is safe. And it is a kind of truth that does not require proof. It simply requires faith.

Alligators and Monkeys

2009-02-05T11:54:00.002-07:00

Today in PE, I was teaching my 2nd graders the alligator crawl and the monkey walk.

Those were pretty cute monkeys,... but the alligators were much cuter.

Imagine a class of kids around 8 years old, all scooting around the ground, really close to the floor, and their feet dragging behind them. And imagine them all together in one spot, lying right next to each other and squirming around each other.

That was a "this is why I'm teaching" moment.

Life is good. Really good. :)

Child, you are my very mine!

2009-02-02T18:43:00.002-07:00

Today we learned that my big brother has cancer.

I am hurting a lot for him. That's my primary emotion right now: pain for Jordan. Not wondering why this is happening. Not worried for him. Just pain.

And as I was praying, a story came to mind, from my favorite book, Sylvie and Bruno.

Sylvie and Bruno are little fairy children. At this point in the story, they have just been introduced to a young lady at a party, and Bruno's unconventional logic are making the young lady rather uncomfortable. (I hope you don't get confused by Bruno's baby talk... there's not much in this quote, though.)

"'And do you belong to this little girl?' the young lady continued....

"'No I doosn't belong to her!' said Bruno. 'Sylvie belongs to me!' And he clasped his arms round her as he added 'She are my very mine!'"

Well, today, those words came to me, from my Heavenly Father, "Child, you are my very mine!"

And I was enveloped with security, with love. Jordan's still hurting, so I'll still hurt for him, but I have God's love to make it right.

First February 2009 Post

2009-02-02T12:30:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted yet this February, so here goes:

Happy Mariah's great-grandmother's birthday!

(She's 98. I hope she likes the crayon drawing I sent her.)

The End.

Obama and Education

2009-01-24T12:25:00.003-07:00

I've been reading about how Obama wants to improve/upgrade American schools... and I'm wondering if any of you know how he's planning on doing it.

I'm rather nervous, because this is going to affect me personally, more personally than many of his other plans for the economy.

It seems to me that schools are often one of the first things to lose money, and it's good that Obama's wanting to avoid that. But I'm just worried that he's going to spend the money on the schools in the wrong way. I mean, is he going to be building nicer schools, or will he be training better teachers?

So any information that any of you happen to have would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

-Mariah :)

Obama's inauguration (and stuff.)

2009-01-20T17:46:00.004-07:00

We watched Obama's inauguration address today in my PE class, after we were done discussing how things will work when we teach PE on Thursday in the elementary schools. One of the interesting times to be a room full of women who are studying to be teachers, most of us rather conservative.

I have come to several conclusions. First, Obama is a good speaker. Second, he has the basic American values that we all share. Third, as is all too common in inauguration addresses, he didn't give many hints about how he's going to apply these basic principles. And that makes me nervous, because there are good ways and not so good ways to reach these ideals, these not-very-definite goals. Fourth, I like watching things like that with a bunch of elementary education majors. Fifth, one thing I like about Obama is that he quoted a song, and, more than that, a song I know and am very fond of. (And I quote: "Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, start all over again." Obama said, "Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.") I just really like how someone actually quoted a song I know. :) What can I say? I have trouble sticking strictly to politics.

So I'm very curious to find out what will be happening in our nation in the near future, and I am more than a little apprehensive about the treatment of family-related matters. And I'm also curious to know what Obama means to do about education, when he says that our schools are failing too many students. As a teacher, that really matters to me. And as a teacher being trained at BYU, I am learning about the problems in "traditional" education that are probably sparking Obama's concern. Hmm... maybe instead of revising the way governments deal with schools he should focus on teacher training. That would be a very good idea.

As I said, I'm not very good at sticking to politics (let's see. I've gone into music, family, education, the interesting dynamics at BYU and particularly in a class of elementary education majors...)

I'm done.

-Mariah :)

Tidbits from the apartment of four BYU students

2009-01-17T16:11:00.004-07:00

The past few days we've been helping our new roommate, Leah, move in. She has several plants, and now that they're scattered throughout the frontroom, our apartment looks ever so much more like home!

(Not to mention the fireplace we've had since Thanksgiving break. Wex made the fire. I made the place.)

(Hmm... We've been listening to Celtic music all day in our apartment... maybe that's where the green color scheme came from...)

News Flash:

2009-01-15T12:07:00.004-07:00

It looks like I may be teaching a friend piano lessons--the first time I've taught an adult. I'm pretty excited.

And we're having a friend move into our apartment today! There are six beds in the apartment (three bedrooms) and last semester there were five of us (Wex had her own room). But two of the girls moved out, so then there were only three of us and an empty bedroom (and Addie was considering moving into the other bedroom, even though I told her that she wasn't allowed to leave me). Now Leah is moving in with us (she's over here all the time anyway), and I'm excited. I like her. :)

I'm done.

-Mariah :)

PE, here I come!

2009-01-15T11:54:00.002-07:00

I look like a PE teacher. It's a strange feeling.

One of the classes I am currently taking is training me to teach PE to elementary school children. We have been divided up into partners (except my group, which is a group of three) and we're assigned schools and classes. We will be teaching our classes for the first time next Thursday, and we are now going crazy getting things started. Each partnership is assigned a class, but because I am in the group of three, we are assigned two classes, and two of us will teach each one, and we switch off.

So in preparation for my first PE teaching experience, today I bought a whistle and sweat pants that I would feel comfortable wearing as I teach. To help myself adjust and feel comfortable, I am wearing my BYU sweat pants, my BYU T-shirt, and my whistle, and I've been walking around the apartment like that.

Dressing the part, I've discovered, makes a huge difference. For the first time I actually feel like I'll be able to do this.

And I've decided that I am very glad no one has come to the door... :)

"I could have danced all night..."

2009-01-14T18:43:00.004-07:00

I love my major.

Today for my dance class, we were able to go into an elementary school and observe our teacher teach dance to a class of first-graders and a class of sixth-graders. And half of us danced with the first-grade class, and the half of the class I was in danced with the sixth-graders. It was wonderful!

We got to see discovery, excitement, learning, but learning in a fun and new way. We got to work directly with the children and--I must admit that I acted an awful lot like they did... :P

(Although the first time that our teacher told the class to freeze, several of us college students did so with our hands on our knees and our eyes on her, instead of freezing in whatever shape we were at the moment. That's because we've been well trained to teach elementary-level PE, where that is the proper response when the teacher tells us to freeze... so we kind of laughed at ourselves and didn't let that catch us again...)

It was exciting to see the children enjoy themselves, not letting a fear of what others might think of them get in the way of that.

I came away from that experience wondering if the first through third grades are really my favorites after all, because I did rather enjoy working with the sixth graders! (And then it was strange for our ride to drop us off back at BYU and to be surrounded by adults again, and to no longer be a head taller than anyone else.)

There are reasons I want to teach... to help children to love learning, to mother them, to be their friend. And with each new experience like this one, I grow to love teaching ever more, and I become more confident in my own abilities to teach well and to make a difference. And that the children will like me.

But I guess that I'm enough like them that it's not surprising that they usually do. :)

Mariah is happy. What more can I say?

Prayer Call

2009-01-11T20:25:00.000-07:00

I hope you don't mind this, Jordan...

My big brother, Jordan (aka Zevran Man) has been having serious health issues. He won't be able to go to school this semester; he gets to have surgery and all sorts of not-very-fun stuff like that instead. Our family would appreciate any prayers in his behalf.

Thank you!

-Mariah :)

Ode to Joy!

2009-01-09T21:16:00.002-07:00

Today I received two letters from a missionary friend! Two!

One of them was from Thanksgiving (she lost it), and the other for Christmas. I didn't mind receiving them at the same time... I do miss her!

Mariah is happy. :)

Life is good.

2009-01-05T17:55:00.004-07:00

This is my new friend. She loved to sit on my shoulder. She lives with a girl from church, along with another lizard. This girl is babysitting them while her brother's on a mission.

What can I say? Life is good!

-Mariah :)

p.s. She was whispering secrets in my ear...

Home, Sweet Home!

2009-01-03T12:47:00.002-07:00

Some more scattered thoughts...

* * * * *

I love being home with my roommates. Two of us arrived home last night and the other one arrived this morning...

Sadly, the two other roommates moved out. So instead of having five girls in this apartment that will fit six, we only have three. I've never lived with so few people in my life.

* * * * *

Is it silly that the first thing I did when I got home, after dropping my bags in my bedroom, was to water Sylvie, my plant, and to stroke and kiss her? She is a miniature rosebush, with pure white roses, and she has three roses right now! They're only about as big as a golden dollar, but they are so gorgeous! I missed her.

Funny how I ended up with her. I was having a hard semester, high levels of anxiety, lots of loneliness--and I needed something to take care of so desperately that I bought Sylvie. It makes all the difference in the world for me to have something to take care of. I guess that I'll never understand why a lot of people avoid the responsibilities that come along with having a family. For me, it is a joy to have people to love, to serve, to mother.

I'm done.

-Mariah :)

The First Post of 2009:

2009-01-01T12:20:00.008-07:00

This is monumental, folks!

For my sixteenth birthday, one of my friends gave me a gift card for Blockbuster. Now just store that in the back of your mind. It will be important in a couple of minutes.

Flash forward a few years: Santa gave us WALL-E for Christmas this year, and we were watching it the other night... and Dad wanted to know what musical it was that WALL-E liked to watch. We discovered it was Hello, Dolly! So for New Year's Eve, we had decided to watch a musical... and Dad thought we could go see if we could find Hello, Dolly! at Blockbuster, and use my giftcard to rent it. Well, we didn't find it... so, as I wanted to get rid of the silly gift card, I decided I might as well just buy a movie and get it over with. So the only two movies I was interested in were The Pirates who Don't Do Anything (which my family got for Christmas) and Bedknobs and Broomsticks, one of my favorite Disney movies. I went with B and B.

So here we are, in a month and a few days it will be my twentieth birthday, four years since I was given the gift card, and I'm finally rid of its company! It will no longer be using up space in my planner or wallet. It has gone the way of all the earth and it now resides in the garbage can. Yay! I'm still amazed that I've actually used it... as I said, this is monumental.

I'm done.

-Mariah :)

All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth!

2008-12-27T22:44:00.003-07:00

What did you all get for Christmas?

I got sick.

And I haven't much energy; I am feeling much better than I was on Christmas day, but I'm not my usual energetic self.

So this will be a short post. I'm going to bed. Good night!

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas...

2008-12-24T15:45:00.003-07:00

It looks like my Christmas is going to be green. Again. And I am rather put out about it. After having heavy snow storms in Utah before I flew home for Christmas, it feels strange for everything to be green instead of white. The worst part is it doesn't feel like Christmas Eve, but it felt like Christmas before I came home. Oh, bother. I guess that that's just what comes of growing up in Utah, where Christmas is generally either brown or white. At least it's green and not brown here. Good time of year to go hiking in the hills near our house.

That's all.

Now What?

2008-12-22T11:52:00.002-07:00

¿Qué debo hacer, Padre?
Estoy triste, como si fuera
un angelito, escondido,
Perdido, muy lejos de su
casa en el Cielo.

Now what, Father?
I'm as sad as a little angel,
Hidden, lost, far from
her home up in the heavens.

Falta algo,
Una parte mía,
Inherente a lo que soy.

There is something missing,
A part of me,
Part of who I am.

Padre, ¿qué pasó aquí?
¿De dónde es la tristeza?
¿Por qué retengo la fe,
y no puedo dudarte?

Father, What could happen?
Where is this great sadness from?
How do I mainain the faith,
that I cannot doubt thee?

Note: I didn't translate the words directly.
Rather, I used the same general ideas and
expressed them in each language
in the way that seemed to fit the best.

There's no place like home! There's no place like home!

2008-12-19T15:13:00.004-07:00

Don't get me wrong; I like to be at Grandma and Grandpa's house. But after getting to bed late last night and then staying awake even longer, getting up at five so my cousin could take me to my grandparents' house, unsuccessfully attempting to fall asleep on their couch, playing games with them when I hate competition and when I really wanted to play the piano, turning down a puppy worth $300 that was offered to me for free, and struggling to concentrate on anything with my splitting headache, right now I just wanna go home. And right now I'm tired enough that I don't even care whether this particular "home" happens to be my apartment in Provo or my parents' house in California.

It's been a long day. And I'm grateful for family to be with me and to help me. Since I don't have a car, I've been bounced around from relative to relative a bit to get me to the airport, and I'm grateful for their help. Especially for my cousin leaving for work even earlier than he needed to just to pick me up and drop me off at Grandma and Grandpa's. And I'm grateful for my grandparents. They're wonderful, loving people--who sometimes try a little too hard to give me things to keep me busy. And I'm especially looking forward to going home and seeing my parents and siblings, and my big brother. :) Christmas is a time of love, of sharing, and I'm grateful for all that my family has shared with me.

Those puppies were sure cute, though, and if I could have, I would have loved to have one. Oh well. Just don't tell Wex, or she'll have a cow that I turned down a pet. She's been pet-hungry for weeks!

Nightmare

2008-12-16T08:38:00.002-07:00

I wonder if nightmares are as contagious as yawns.

I rather doubt it, though, because mine apparently comes from the discussion about a movie my roommates were watching, aided and abetted by the sound that leaked through two closed doors and into my bedroom while I was trying to go to sleep.

Silly scary movies!

Fortunately, my roommate very kindly talked to me while she was getting ready for a final and she helped me calm down. Good ol' Addie! (Not to mention singing Christmas songs with me, to the radio, in the car last night... we were both harmonizing on the spot, and occasionally stealing each other's harmony...)

I'm grateful for my apartment family, for my second home. I've never had a very good apartment situation until this semester, and I am very grateful for roommates I am able to share my life with.

I'm done.

Now to make some hot chocolate! (Utah finally relented to winter--it's been snowing off and on since Saturday, and the two or three times it snowed before then, it didn't really work. But this time the snow stayed on the ground!)

THE END.

Sforzando conquers!

2008-12-13T13:13:00.003-07:00

Yes, I am bringing choir up again, my defense being that music is such an integral part of my life that surely it can be an integral part of my blog as well?

Sforzando is a choir that sings for service--we've sung at a rest home and at a home for disabled children this semester, and we're going to sing again tomorrow. We only have one concert during the semester because of that, and it was last night, and it went very well.

It was a little intimidating, though, because we were sharing the concert with another choir--full of vocal performance majors! And Sforzando is made up of just anybody who wants to join, so we are lacking in the training that the other choir has received. And to add further tension, one of the directors of the big BYU choirs--the BYU Singers--was there. We were nervous--but we performed well, and my friends and relatives in the audience said that our choir did just as well as the other.

Oh, it was wonderful! To be able to praise the Lord, and "sing for joy to our Messiah and Saviour," to quote one of our songs. Grandma Kris and Grandpa Dale, my third cousin, Tyrie, and his girlfriend, a friend from one of my lectures, Jillayne, and my visiting teacher, Lisa, were all there. Grandpa said I looked rather striped, because he was looking at me through the harp the other choir used. :)

And to top it all off, my friend Mariah gave me and Lisa a ride home! Lisa is a good friend of Mariah's, and we were all excited to find that all three of us are connected. Mariah and I have been having way too much fun sharing our name. We even have the same middle initial! Mariah's going to be leaving on a mission to Paris, France, soon, so she won't be part of Sforzando next semester, and I'm going to miss her. I pray that she be able to learn and grow as she helps those around her to do the same.

I love music so very much! We were able to sing such wonderful songs, to sing of our Savior, to provide encouragement and joy to those around us. Even though I won't be able to keep the sheet music, I will keep these sweet melodies in my heart.

Life is good. :)

Memories...

2008-12-12T13:31:00.004-07:00

There have been a couple of reasons why I have been thinking about a Jehovah's Witness friend this week. One is because of an email conversation with a friend. Part of it is because in my New Testament class, we have been studying the Book of Revelation and our teacher, Brother Hauglid (who grew up Catholic before he converted to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, by the way) used Jehovah's Witness pictures from Revelation in his slides. (And we had fun with those, because our doctrine doesn't match up very well with theirs.)

So I was thinking back to middle school, to a friend who grew up in a Jehovah's Witness home. Bobby and I were running buddies in PE and we had US History together. We have had many interesting religious discussions, especially during PE. People even started spreading rumors that we were dating. Yeah. Right. I mean, when was the last time you've seen a Mormon dating a Jehovah's Witness? Especially when the Mormon's not even 16 yet? (We are counseled not to date before then.) All in all, it proved to be an interesting friendship.

And sometimes a very frustrating one, as well. I remember some of our discussions when I would refer to scriptural stories and he would know very few of them. I know that Jehovah's Witnesses have their own version of the Bible, but Bobby didn't seem to even know his own scriptures very well.

Still, what it was that really hurt was when he started making the wrong kind of friends when we were in high school. The last time I saw him a couple years ago, there is no way that I would have been able to even bring up religion with him. And it was really sad to see the problems he was getting himself into. I don't believe in Jehovah's Witness doctrine, but even so I feel like Bobby was so much better off when he was active in his faith than when he gave up on religion. At least then I could trust him and he was not too absorbed in himself and in "having fun." Poor Bobbies.*

It was sad to see my friends hurting themselves when we were in high school. And them not being able to see my pain, my pain that came from the darkness I was living in, darkness I had not helped to create. I hope that my light made a difference in their lives.

*A nickname that originated in PE, between him and Joyces. And not the only nickname to originate in PE. Another year, Sky became Turtle and I became Stork. I know where "Turtle" came from--Sky often would draw as much of himself as possible inside his shirt when he was cold--but he doesn't know where "Stork" came from... Good times. :)

Some Scattered Thoughts...

2008-12-08T15:57:00.009-07:00

I have a little time before I'll be going to an organ recital, and I felt like I am supposed to write on my blog, but I don't know what I need to write about. (Which brings to mind Exodus 4:12, after Moses tells the Lord that he is slow of speech--"Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say." See also verses 10 and 11.) I will therefore write whatever feels right, whatever fits what I need to say, as I write with my open Bible by my side. Sorry if it's a bit scattered.

* * * * *

This is the last week of school before finals, and I am way over my head in projects and papers; I haven't even started thinking about finals yet because I have so much to finish before then. So I've been wondering, since I'm farther behind, and less capable of catching up, than many of those around me, why am I the one who is calmest?

There are so many questions I have, so many things I don't understand, but I have found that even though I am not currently capable of carrying my full load, I have been blessed with understanding, and my faith has been rewarded. Maybe I won't get quite as many A's as usual, but I don't mind, because I know I have done my best, whether or not it appears that I have. I have met with many frustrations, but I have also been able to focus outside of myself, on God and on those around me.

* * * * *

I ran into a scripture today (one which I have run into before, because it was marked), which helps to describe what my life is like right now.

1 Peter 1:7 "That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:"

Some thoughts on this scripture (which reminds me of Abraham being commanded to sacrifice Isaac, his son, in trial of his (Abraham's) faith).

First, a trial of our faith is more precious than gold.

Life hurts. It's supposed to. If it didn't, God would know what we are capable of, but we would not have the opportunity to discover our true potential for ourselves. And by our potential, I mean our potential with God's help, because with God we can accomplish anything, but without Him, we can accomplish nothing.

If through the pains of life our faith is tried and we succeed in retaining our faith regardless of all difficulties, just think of the growth that we must have gained! Just think of what we have learned of ourselves, of our potential! The trial of our faith is indeed valuable, much more than "gold that perisheth."

I also find it interesting that the value of the trial of our faith is compared to "gold that perisheth," gold, which despite its soft nature, is incredibly resilient--it doesn't rust, it doesn't react with other chemicals easily, it can last for much longer than many other metals. But gold "perisheth;" although it is so strong, it cannot last nearly as long as can our growth, our progress, our knowledge.

But, wait! Referring to the trial of our faith, "though it be tried with fire..." Hm... that doesn't sound too pleasant, does it? Yet it is only by being "tried with fire," only when we have given of our utmost, only when we have given our lives, our selves to Christ can the trial of our faith be this valuable. Only then can we achieve our true potential, to be valuable servants of the Most High God.

If that is so, it is no wonder that we are instructed to "[give] thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Ephesians 5:20, italics added for emphasis)!

* * * * *

And now I really have to go... I don't want to be late for Zhenya's recital. I hope that something I have said here will help someone, maybe answer a question or provide reassurance of God's love, or to provide food for thought or another perspective. And God be with you all!

Love, Mariah :)

Do Dreams Foretell the Future?

2008-12-07T20:54:00.002-07:00

This post made me think a bit...

Thanks for sharing, Spencer!

And they call the wind Mariah....

2008-12-05T19:31:00.006-07:00

And in this case, I happen to be talking about a different Mariah. She helps direct Sforzando, the choir I participate in on campus. And I went to her piano recital tonight. It was wonderful to see how that music was very much a part of her, and through listening to it and watching her play, it became a part of me, too.

Music can touch lives. It can convey emotion so very strongly, and it can influence us either for the good or for evil. I myself am extremely sensitive, and I have the tendency of becoming one with the music I connect with. Through music, we can spread the light of the Gospel of Christ, the love of God, His teachings, the truth. It is indeed a powerful thing.

Music is a part of who I am, a part of what my family is. It has helped to draw us ever closer together, and to draw us to others outside of our family as well. And one thing that I am looking forward to with great anticipation this year is Christmas caroling. What joy I always feel to be able to share that special part of me with those around me, to see my joy help to light up their faces! Music truly is a gift from God, a way to become more like our Savior. This Christmas season, as we rush about madly, I challenge each of you to take time for music, particularly for service, and to see what great joy it can bring to each of your lives.

With love, the love I feel towards all mankind,

Mariah

Puzzle

2008-12-04T16:20:00.004-07:00

Have you ever had one of those weeks where you just can't wait for it to end, but at the same time wish it was twice as long so you would have time to do everything you need to get done?

Well, now that the semester's almost over, I am indubitably, absolutely, positively, and irreproachably having one of those weeks.

So the question remains: If I have so much to do, why did I walk out of the library yesterday with three books, one of which I read in its entirety yesterday? And why am I halfway through the book I borrowed from my roommate last night?

I admit it; I am a bookworm.

With that said, I really should get to work on that Spanish Linguistics paper again (I need to write at least three more pages, preferably more, by next Wednesday), or on my readings for my New Testament class (we're talking about Revelation right now... good stuff) or something. If I can somehow manage to concentrate on something. Because I am very easily distracted. Silly last little bit of school!

And off I go to study a bit, and then have some food (yum, yum!), and then maybe head back up to campus to practice the organ. Whee....

(And I admit that I do actually know the answers to all questions posed in this post... they just didn't want to be a part of this post. They complained so loudly that I finally gave in and let them have their own way. So the reader will have to see if werf (that means "he or she," or another form such as "his or her") can figure this puzzle out by werfself.)

By the way, did you know that in Spanish the Smurfs are called "los pitufos"? And R2D2's Spanish name is "Arturito." So maybe my Spanish vocabulary isn't too impressive in size, but I do know a few useful words...

To Dr. Paleo Ph.D.

2008-12-02T13:35:00.004-07:00

So I wanted to look at your latest post on your blog, but permission was denied; evidently I don't have an invitation to read your blog, and I'm really sad--especially since on Dashboard I can see everything that you write, but I can't follow the links.

Sad day!

:(

-Mariah

Snippets of Thanksgiving

2008-11-29T15:01:00.008-07:00

So I technically should be working on that research paper for my Spanish Linguistics class... but I've been home alone way too much this week, and it's hard for me to concentrate on things like that when I'm lonely. (I don't need the class, anyway; I've taken maybe two or three more Spanish classes than I need to fulfill that GE.)

So in consideration of that, and in light of all the time I've spent with family this week (including phone calls home and to my big brother, 'way across the country), I think I'd like to write a bit about the importance of family to me--just a few scattered thoughts. Maybe this will help me calm down and concentrate a bit better, anyway.

* * * * *

My cousin Emily has three sons, and she just barely had a baby girl, Marleigh, not quite seven weeks ago. While we were all gathering at Aunt Jill's house for Thanksgiving dinner, I got to hold little Marleigh... and she fell asleep, after I rocked her and hummed to her for a few minutes. Such a sweet little thing, so innocent, with wide, wondering eyes. Emily says I have the magic touch, for being able to put the baby asleep so quickly.

In our family, there's always a kids' table and adults' table(s). This year, the adults knew full well where I would be happiest, so they put me with the kids... so I'm the only adult who hasn't graduated the kids' table yet. ;)

Later, I was outside with some of the kids, and we were playing house... I was the mom, Dad was evidently at work, and I had three little girls, one little boy, and a pet dinosaur.... When we went inside for pie, little Heidi asked me, "Mom, can I take this outside to eat?" So I told her to ask her real mom... Emily thought it was really cute that Heidi called me "Mom."

I have had lots of anxiety issues lately... and we've been able to trace most of that back to loneliness. Which means that this isn't something that's just going to go away, and it will probably be a struggle for me until I have a family of my own, until I'm married. But as that doesn't seem to be eminent right now, I've been trying to spend time with my extended family. This week I've been able to do so three days in a row... and, although my roommates and friends have been gone much of the time, I haven't been as lonely as I normally would be. And I've felt healing taking place. So maybe I'll be able to survive this semester, after all.

Back to my paper. :(

Cousin Time!

2008-11-28T17:57:00.007-07:00

Again, I've been spending time with some of my little cousins. (I have some of their writing on my other blog; the title of this post is linked to them.)

Heidi (age 4) and I had fun building a fort, dressing up, writing a story, reading, going to the duck pond, etc. on Wednesday. It was great.

Hannah (age 8) had fun playing with a girl cousin... she has three brothers and no sisters. We played with her doll and watched a video of our family reunion from last summer and wrote. I had fun doing her hair--with Lorna Doone kindly providing me with the idea. :)

Hannah will soon be baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), and I have been asked to play the piano for that. I am looking forward to that opportunity. I have been to many baptisms before, and they are special occasions, where important covenants are made and where we promise to live as Christ would have us live, and to take His name upon us. It is special to see innocent eight-year-olds make that decision for themselves, to take on that great responsibility, and it is also an amazing experience to see those who are converted later in life take the very same steps that little Hannah will soon take.

She Got Me - I've Been Tagged (written by Zevran Man)

2008-11-28T17:51:00.007-07:00

Quit tagging me! I'm trying to sleep!

15 things I'm not afraid to admit:

1. I'm trying to sleep.
2. I give away too much personal information on the web (my eyes aren't really blue-one is bright red and the other is orange with green stripes).
3. I'm single as heck because I sit in my dorm and do homework.
4. My computer tells me what to do (I have a to-do list on my desktop), but I don't always obey.
5. I'm a fanatical idealist, I have devoted my life to Christ, and I serve God by doing by best to help the people around me and trying to find the best ways to make the world a better place. I'm not too good at it, though. And I'm extremely self-righteous (and self-conscious). At least I'm not so fanatical that I blow things up or shoot people.
6. If that didn't scare anybody off, as I mentioned before, I'm single and give away too much personal information on the web and am extremely self-conscious [punching self brutally for not being perfect and living up to own ideals, falling into fit of manic depression].
7. I have no depression problems. I am also an optimist. ["Happy, happy, happy," mutters to self, "Every day, in every way, I'm getting better and better. I love myself. Others love me too. I am huggable. I'm really not that fat. It's just my face. I am not afraid of cell phones. I was not abducted by little green men with pointed caps on Christmas eve as a child." Deep breathing exercises.]
9. I can't remember the number after 7.
10. Hmmmm.... It bugs me when my History teacher makes stupid, flippant, or inappropriate jokes and thinks the reason we don't laugh is because we don't get them. And then thinks that means she's smarter than us. At least she knows more trivia and facts than I do. That's definately true. How relevent they are to our education, the subject matter of the course, the persuit of happiness, major world issues or our ultimate salvation and exaltation is an entierly different matter. Says she teaches by digression. At least she claims she's good at argument and the "Socratic Method." BLESS HER HEART.
11. I never say bad things about others. I love everybody.
12. I listen to a lot more classical music than most people, I think. Thrift stores are actually a very good place to find classical music CDs.
13. I'm practically blind without my glasses.
14. My timer just went off. I have to go get my laundry. I just realized I forgot to put my towel in.

To Matelia:

2008-11-26T09:38:00.007-07:00

Welcome, Matelia!

I hope you enjoy this blog--maybe you'll even learn some things about me that you didn't know in the dorms. ;) At any rate, you'll see a different side of me than the P-Party-crashing pirate... no sword fights on my blog with Peter Pan... sorry.

-Mariah :)

p.s. You were lucky... the dagger wasn't nearly so long and floppy--and bulky and kind of heavy--as the sword! Okay; I admit that the BYU Bookstore bags and duct tape that were in your dagger were floppy too, just like mine. ;)

...

Do you remember the expression on Pennepacker's face when she ran into us in the hall while we were sneaking to the commons room?!!! Hehe...

A Song of Love

2008-11-25T21:11:00.012-07:00

I'm going to deviate from my own writing and turn, yet again, to Lewis Carroll. In Sylvie and Bruno Concluded, there is a gorgeous song that the two fairy children sing about love. I have set it to music, but as it is a vocal duet (for two people with my range), I do not have a very recording of it (I really need to find someone to sing it with me... and not at my desk, bending over the little microphones of my computer)... but here are the words:

Say, what is the spell, when her fledgelings are cheeping,
**That lures the bird home to her nest?
Or wakes the tired mother, whose infant is weeping,
**To cuddle and croon it to rest?
What's the magic that charms the glad babe in her arms,
**Till it cooes with the voice of the dove?

'Tis a secret, and so let us whisper it low--
**And the name of the secret is Love!

*****For I think it is Love,
*****For I feel it is Love,
For I'm sure it is nothing but Love!

Say, whence is the voice that, when anger is burning,
**Bids the whirl of the tempest to cease?
That stirs the vexed soul with an aching--a yearning
**For the brotherly hand-grip of peace?
Whence the music that fills all our being--that thrills
**Around us, beneath, and above?

'Tis a secret: none knows how it comes, how it goes:
**But the name of the secret is Love!

*****For I think it is Love,
*****For I feel it is Love,
For I'm sure it is nothing but Love!

Say, whose is the skill that paints valley and hill,
**Like a picture so fair to the sight?
That flecks the green meadow with sunshine and shadow,
**Till the little lambs leap with delight?

'Tis a secret untold to hearts cruel and cold,
**Though 'tis sung, by the angels above,
In notes that ring clear for the ears that can hear--
**And the name of the secret is Love!

*****For I think it is Love,
*****For I feel it is Love,
For I'm sure it is nothing but Love!

And here's my poor-quality recording (I had to make it into a video so I could upload it...so just some random pictures, Mariah having way too much fun with Paint, a couple of snails, camera phone pics, etc. So the video is no higher quality than the recording.) May I also note that I have never written down the complete harmony, as that is something that I never do exactly the same twice, and as it has been a while since I've sung the harmony to this, in the recording I don't have a very good representation of what it's supposed to sound like... but here it is anyway:

Christian Courage

2008-11-25T19:57:00.003-07:00

One thing I've been learning about is the difference between turning the other cheek and letting people walk all over you. It's not that this is something I've ever really misunderstood, but the whole Prop 8 mess has given me a new perspective on this subject.

I was reading Elder Robert D. Hales' talk in the recent General Conference, entitled "Christian Courage: The Price of Discipleship." I've linked the title of this post to his talk, so I'm not going to summarize his words, but I will say that rereading it helped me bring a bunch of scattered thoughts together.

To begin with, it is true Christian courage to both defend our beliefs without lashing back at those who attack us. That is what it really means to turn the other cheek: to forgive those who hurt you, and not to be driven by revenge, (Sorry, Inigo Montoya) but to still stand up for what is right and good and true. That is, we need to speak up, but to do so lovingly, without bitterness, and meekly.

What? to meekly speak up? How can that help anything?

You see, meekness in our society is often viewed as being weak. I agree that it is weak to "meekly" allow others to walk all over you, without bothering to tell them that they are hurting you. But that is not the type of meekness our Savior possesses. He does not retaliate; He does not complain about persecution; He does further His Father's work.

I'm sorry; my mind's going in a thousand different directions at once, and I'm finding it to be remarkably difficult to put things into words. So I think I'll just let this one stop there, and if I get around to it, I may write more on the topic later. But for now, I am content.

God be with you all!

-Mariah :)

Change?

2008-11-24T09:46:00.003-07:00

I've heard several tirades about Obama from my roommate, who wanted Palin as president (my roommate's Alaskan, and she's a wee bit biased...). So this has been on my mind a lot more than it would have been otherwise... (no reason to fret about the inevitable, huh? Life's plenty complicated without that...)

So this morning while I was getting ready for school, I was thinking about why Obama was chosen over McCain, and I have come to the conclusion that Obama had the advantage of change. So for anyone who would be interested in my analysis, here goes.

Our country is facing a lot of challenges, a lot of things that need to be changed (like the economy). In our nation's history, in times of turmoil, people want change, and they want leaders who are willing to try new things. For example, the Great Depression began while Hoover was president. Hoover believed that the national government had no power over the economy, that it was the states' responsibility to handle the problem and that he had no right to interfere. So he did very little. The people weren't very happy with that; there was a major problem, and they wanted a leader who would help them. So they elected FDR, who promised change, who was not afraid to experiment, instead of a candidate who would continue doing pretty much what was already being done.

My theory is that people see McCain as someone who would do pretty much more of the same of what Bush has done, and the people want change. They want it now. So they chose Obama, who has different ideas of how the government should be run, who stands for innovation.

But there's more to it than this. FDR's innovations worked; they didn't make the Depression cease, but they provided much-needed relief. So he was elected again, and again, and again, because he had proven himself worthy of the people's trust.

But if his ideas hadn't worked, if he had changed America in ways contrary to the American dream, he wouldn't have been elected back.

The same will likely prove to be true of Obama. If his ideas work, he'll be elected again. However, I'm rather skeptical... and I'm not at all sure that some of his ideas fit in with what America stands for. If this proves to be the case, or if the change he promises does not come about as quickly as the people want it to, or in ways contrary to how the people want it to, Americans may be disillusioned about him, and he won't be elected again. And cynicism, which is a disease of our generation, may increase. I hope not. And hopefully a good, upright president will come along soon and restore America's faith in its leaders.

Cousins :)

2008-11-22T20:18:00.008-07:00

Last Saturday I went to a concert with an 8-year-old cousin, Chelsey. (For all you BYU people, we saw the BYU Singers and Concert Choir). We had too much fun counting the stairs up the hill (147 of them) and into the HFAC where the concert was, and we took a detour to the organ lab, where I played Pachelbel's Cannon in D for her--but she was the one wearing the headphones on the organ, so it was kind of hard. In Chelsey's favorite song, the women of the Concert Choir were singing while the men were whistling... they were the birds.

My 6-year-old cousin, Madelyn, Chelsey's sister, and I made a mess and cinnamon rolls today. Both of us ended up with much more flour and powdered sugar on us than we began with, especially her...

(That plant on the table is Sylvie, by the way. Miniature white roses.)

She took a picture of me, but missed the white flour on my black skirt...

Powdered sugar... we decided that we were snowgirls because we were covered by so much white. :P

And here is the wreath we made for my front door.

And another mess that I made all by myself... with my overabundance of art and craft supplies... and lots of BYU Bookstore bags...

And Madelyn next to the final product...

We had fun moving the door around so that we could hear the bells.

Next week I'm going to nab Chelsey and Madelyn's 4-year-old sister, Heidi, to spend time with her as well, but I haven't decided what we're going to do. Another day next week I hope to be able to spend time with a cousin from the other side of my family, Hannah, who is 8-ish... I'm not sure when her birthday is...

Oh no!!!

2008-11-21T08:38:00.010-07:00

Lions and tigers and...Dr. Paleo Ph.D.! Oh my!!! He's tagged me!

So I'm supposed to write 15 things that I'm not afraid to admit about myself. Well, let's see...

1. He estudiado español por unos seis años, pero nunca he vivido en una país cuya lengua es el español. Por eso, no puedo practicar mucho... y solamente puedo hablar el español cuando me siento cómoda porque soy muy tímida. (Translation: I've studied Spanish for about six years, but as I've never lived in a Spanish-speaking country, I don't get to practice much... and I can only speak when I feel comfortable because I am very shy.)

2. Back to English....um... I am probably just about the cuddliest person in the world.

3. I'm almost 20, but I've only been on two dates in my life--one at age 18 with a fellow who is practically my big brother, and the second at age 19 with a fellow who has become like a big brother since then. I tend to do well with friendships, though.

4. I often act more like a 9-year-old than a 19-year-old. (And I often act even younger than that... I'm not always good at holding still for extended periods of time, I love shiny things, I'll talk to the snail I put on my hand...)

5. I am extremely sensitive and I get nightmares easily, so I have to be really careful of what I watch and read. (I love Lorna Doone, as Dr. Paleo Ph.D. knows, but I can't watch the whole thing because it's too intense... the one time that I watched the whole thing through, it affected my dreams for a week! I bought the movie anyway...)

6. I love everyone and everything.

7. I'm a hopeless optimist... and have childlike faith in God the Father and in my Savior.

8. My favorite color is white--because the purity and innocence and everything else that that color symbolizes seem to describe me.

9. I live in my own little world.

10. I love to climb trees, and to run (especially downhill, or into the wind), and to hike.

11. I can't have a pet in my apartment without special permission, but I do have a "pet" rosebush named Sylvie. And I have two other plants at home.

12. The adjective most commonly used to describe me is "cute," and the second most common one is "sweet." Other commonly-used descriptions include "gentle," "tender," and "nurturing." But the most amusing one--which I got a couple months ago--was "morbid." Doesn't seem to fit too well, does it? ;)

13. I have an overabundance of three types of possessions: craft things (crayons, paper, more paper, origami paper, construction paper, colored pencils, beads, scissors, etc.), books (the majority of them children's books, and many of them religious books), and stuffed animals (as I said, I'm about the cuddliest person in the world).

14. 13 is my favorite number.

15. Um... I hate competition. And I have discovered that I am unable to follow a football game (even just an informal one on the beach).

So now that I'm done with that:

And it came to pass that in the kazillionth year of the reign of the Republicans over the people of Utah, that Mariah (Ipwergis-Pudding) tagged her brother, Zevran Man. And there was much rejoicing in the land. (Just for the benefit of my fellow Mormons and anyone who's read The Book of Mormon...)

(You know, Zevran Man, you've been a writer on my blog for a couple months... and you still haven't written anything! And if you need someone to tag, look at my blogroll... it has Aunt Pamela's and Aunt Merri's blogs... you could tag them if you wanted to...)

Warmth

2008-11-20T11:41:00.003-07:00

Last night I was reading The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus by L. Frank Baum and one passage jumped out at me. It is talking about the young Claus making friends with the children. Baum says, "So the children romped and played games with Claus, and the boys rode upon his shoulders, and the girls nestled in his strong arms, and the babies clung fondly to his knees." Well, as I am probably just about the cuddliest person in the world, the image of a little girl nestling down in his strong arms spoke to me very deeply. I don't think I can explain this in prose. Let us try verse.

Warmth
Warmth of my father's arms around me,
Warmth of a friend's hug,
The security of having a big brother,
The joy of having a little one on my lap.

Feeling protected, safe from harm,
"You'll be okay, Little One."
Rocking a baby to sleep,
Someone to care for, to love;
Safety I can feel, but nothing to see.

This is why family is important,
Because of the love,
Security, safety, tenderness, trust, truth,
Warmth.

Warmth of strong arms around me.

Warmth.

Confused

2008-11-19T22:00:00.000-07:00

Sitting all alone, with just my bear,
My back hurting, my muscles tense;
Trying to talk, wanting to explain,
Not knowing the words, feeling lost.

Thinking, all alone, without even a bear,
My heart aching, my spirit tense;
Trying to connect, wanting to smile,
Not being understood, feeling lonely.

Looking up, no longer alone, not needing a bear,
My soul filled, my smile restored;
Seeing a new light, feeling warmth and safety,
No longer confused, understanding.

Strong arms slipped around me,
Arms I cannot see,
Words of comfort spoken,
Spirit no longer broken;
Who has come into this room?
Who has given me the words?
He calls me "Child," I have come home;
I feel like I could fly with the birds.
He is my Father.

!!!

2008-11-18T20:05:00.002-07:00

I just found out that a good friend of mine became engaged to be married last night. It is amazing to see how happy she is, how full and complete her life as become. She is always a very cheerful person, but she was simply bubbling over with joy when I talked to her today. Seeing her joy makes me want to be able to feel that myself, and the sort of relationship that she has been able to form is the sort that I want to be able to form with someone myself (hopefully in the not-to-distant future). I don't know how to describe how happy this has made her, and how happy I am for her happiness.

:)

Call for Unity

2008-11-15T11:59:00.004-07:00

Ever since Prop 8 was adopted in this past election, it has been disappointing and... scary to see people's reactions. Mom says that one neighbor on our street won't even wave to her any more. There have been protests around sacred places of worship, vandalism, hate.

We have chosen what we have chosen. The election is over. But our nation is divided, even among families, between friends.

In a speech given in 1858 while he was running for the senate, Abraham Lincoln touched on this profound truth, in relation to the slavery question. He says:

"Mr. President and Gentlemen of the Convention.

"If we could first know where we are, and whither we are tending, we could then better judge what to do, and how to do it.

"We are now far into the fifth year, since a policy was initiated, with the avowed object, and confident promise, of putting an end to slavery agitation.

"Under the operation of that policy, that agitation has not only, not ceased, but has constantly augmented.

"In my opinion, it will not cease, until a crisis shall have been reached, and passed.

"'A house divided against itself cannot stand.'

"I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free.

"I do not expect the Union to be dissolved--I do not expect the house to fall--but I do expect it will cease to be divided.

"It will become all one thing or all the other.

"Either the opponents of slavery, will arrest the further spread of it, and place it where the public mind shall rest in the belief that it is in the course of ultimate extinction; or its advocates will push it forward, till it shall become alike lawful in all the States, old as well as new--North as well as South" (http://showcase.netins.net/web/creative/lincoln/speeches/house.htm).

I cannot see anything else happen in our nation now--either all states will tolerate homosexual marriage or none will, and this transformation will not be complete until a crisis is reached, a much bigger crisis than this past election. Until that time, tension will remain and both sides will fight desperately for their cause. We cannot stand as a divided nation.

The 9/11 terrorist attacks were not all that long ago. Do you remember how united our nation was? How is it that that has disappeared so quickly?

We cannot stand as a divided nation. Even if we cannot now reach an agreement on homosexual marriage, we can be more united than we now are. There is no need to hate, no need to threaten violence.

The topic of unity is not a new one. It has been urged by religious leaders many times before. In the midst of all the turmoil, it is very gratifying to see different religions support each other, particularly as the Mormon church is being targeted at this time.

In the October General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons), President Henry B. Eyring spoke on this topic. I am including the URL to his talk for any who are interested:

http://www.lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-947-21,00.html

Remember how many times we've heard, "United we stand; Divided we fall"? We're seeing that happen. We are now more vulnerable than ever--because we cannot find it within ourselves to be united.

Front Doors

2008-11-14T15:27:00.007-07:00

As my brother and I were home for the summer,
we were given the opportunity to think more abo
ut front doors than we usually would as we helped
with the Yes on Prop 8 campaign. There were so
me doors we knocked on that had large windows r
ight next to them so that we could see right inside.
At one of these houses, very honest houses whose
nature you could easily see, two little children ran
right up to the window to see who was there. Oth
er doors were framed by large potted plants or ha
d stone steps leading up to them. Very pretty, yes
, but some of their decorations seemed to be a little
superfluous. A few were behind locked gates, want
ing their lives to be completely separate from the r
est of the world. But my favorite one reminded me
of a dragon, with its vivid red hue, bushes leading u
p to it like the battlements of a castle and a swirly d
esign like flames. That door made me feel strong a
nd brave, like a warrior in a fight for truth. Out of a
ll the doors we knocked on, relatively few of them w
ere ever opened. Now, as I look back on the experi
ence, I think less of elements that I like and dislike i
n front doors and more about the various doors that
are being opened in California, around the country, a
nd around the world. The door of tolerating sin has b
een creeping open a little at a time and that door is n
ot easily closed. It, in turn, leads to the door of hatre
d and of persecution of the righteous. Ever since the
election, it has been flung open ever wider. The door
of confusion is much more than slightly ajar. It fright
ens me to see that these are the doors that people ar
e choosing to open. Some, however, are wiser than t
hese and choose to open the doors of respect, of love,
of the spirit of unity. The wider these doors are open
, the better our world will run. Let us choose to open
these doors, to be honest, humble, concerned about t
hose around us, that our country may once again be

one.

Airpaints

2008-11-13T16:56:00.001-07:00

I am starting a new blog, called Airpaints. It will be where I will post my writing, as well as other people's writing that I enjoy. If you click on the title of this post, it will take you right to it. Enjoy!

Together

2008-11-13T16:14:00.006-07:00

Together is one of my very favorite words. It brings back memories of Diana, a little friend of mine. She is a Hispanic girl who, at the time I was helping in her third grade classroom, was behind her peers, as her parents spoke very little English. We read lots of books together--and a favorite, entitled Together, was where Diana learned how to write her new favorite word. The following are selections from my own poem based on that book.

Together
We read books
...Together.
We hang paper chains on hooks
...Together.
We climb trees
...Together.
We try not to freeze
...Together.
We pick flowers
...Together.
We talk for hours
...Together.
We draw with crayons
...Together.
We pile up cans
...Together.
We sing
...Together.
We swing
...Together.
We are glad
...Together.
We try not to be bad
...Together.
We jump in puddles
...Together.
We get out of muddles
...Together.
We run around the block
...Together.
We listen to the clock
...Together.
We hold hands
...Together.
We are friends
...Together.

Romans 1

2008-11-12T18:40:00.003-07:00

May I suggest that you take this opportunity to read Romans 1? It speaks against homosexual practices, as well as fornication and murder and other sins. I was reading this today for my New Testament class, and I made a few connections that I've never made before. It's a really neat chapter, and really straightforward. Paul certainly doesn't beat around the bush!

I Adore Thee

2008-11-12T15:23:00.006-07:00

Now, for the first time ever on her blog, Mariah resorts to Girls' Camp songs! This is a gorgeous round that I love because it very simply and sweetly points out the importance of loving and trusting God and following His words, of losing our lives in Him that we may find them in Him. And, of course, this song has to be accompanied by pictures from Girls' Camp--the few I have on my computer, that is! (And yes, all the voices are, indeed, me.)

I Adore Thee

Father, I adore thee

And I lay my life before thee;

How I love thee, how I love thee.

Savior, I adore thee

And I lay my life before thee;

How I love thee, how I love thee.

Spirit, I adore thee

And I lay my life before thee;

How I love thee, how I love thee.

Prayer call...

2008-11-11T16:45:00.002-07:00

Hey, all.

I've been having anxiety issues, and I'm struggling to keep up with school and to function properly. Would you please pray for me?

-Mariah (so that you know my real name, and don't have to pray for "Ipwergis-Pudding")

Scripture of the Day:

2008-11-11T08:30:00.003-07:00

Matthew 12:30

He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.

Thus we see that neither can we support God's kingdom in word only and not in deed, nor can we oppose God and hope to succeed. There are many who try to ride the fence, not wanting to offend anyone, but this does not do them much good if they do not stand up for what they believe is right. By remaining silent, the opposition's voice is not countered and can thus overpower the good.

(There is a parallel scripture in the Book of Mormon for anyone interested: 2 Nephi 10:16 "Wherefore, he that fighteth against Zion, both Jew and Gentile, both bond and free, both male and female, shall perish; for they are they who are the whore of all the earth; for they who are not for me are against me, saith our God.")

Italics added in both of these scriptures.

Lewis Carroll on Love

2008-11-10T16:54:00.007-07:00

This is a poignant excerpt from Lewis Carroll's book, Sylvie and Bruno (basically an exploration of the various types of love and how they are intertwined). In this story, the narrator is friends with two fairy children, Sylvie and her little brother, Bruno. Sylvie and the narrator are going for a walk in this scene.

"Oh, what's that?" [said Sylvie]. And she clung to my hand, half-frightened, as we came in sight of a hare, lying on its side with legs stretched out, just in the entrance to the wood.

"It's a hare, my child. Perhaps it's asleep."

"No, it isn't asleep," Sylvie said, timidly going nearer to look at it: "its eyes are open. Is it--is it--" her voice dropped to an awestruck whisper, "is it dead, do you think?"

"Yes, it's quite dead," I said, after stooping to examine it. "Poor thing! I think it's been hunted to death. I know the harriers were out yesterday. But they haven't touched it. Perhaps they caught sight of another, and left it to die of fright and exhaustion."

"Hunted to death?" Sylvie repeated to herself, very slowly and sadly. "I thought hunting was a thing they played at--like a game. Bruno and I hunt snails: but we never hurt them when we catch them!"

"Sweet angel!" I thought. "How am I to get the idea of Sport into your innocent mind?" And as we stood, hand-in-hand, looking down at the dead hare, I tried to put the thing into such words as she could understand. "You know what fierce wild-beasts lions and tigers are?" Sylvie nodded.

"Well, in some countries men have to kill them to save their own lives, you know."

"Yes," said Sylvie: "if one tried to kill me, Bruno would kill it--if he could."

"Well, and so the men--the hunters--get to enjoy it, you know: the running, and the fighting, and the shouting, and the danger."

"Yes," said Sylvie. "Bruno likes danger."

"Well, but in this country, there aren't any lions and tigers, loose: so they hunt other creatures, you see." I hoped, but in vain, that this would satisfy her, and that she would ask no more questions.

"They hunt foxes," Sylvie said, thoughtfully. "And I think they kill them, too. Foxes are very fierce. I daresay men don't love them. Are hares fierce?"

"No," I said. "A hare is a sweet, gentle, timid animal--almost as gentle as a lamb."

"But, if men love hares, why--why--" her voice quivered, and her sweet eyes were brimming over with tears.

"I'm afraid they don't love them, dear child."

"All children love them," Sylvie said. "All ladies love them."

"I'm afraid even ladies go to hunt them, sometimes."

Sylvie shuddered. "Oh, no, not ladies!" she earnestly pleaded....

"This is too sad a sight for you, dear. Let's try and find some--"

But Sylvie was not satisfied yet. In a hushed, solemn tone, with bowed head and clasped hands, she put her final question. "Does GOD love hares?"

"Yes!" I said. "I'm sure he does! He loves every living thing.... Come, my child," I said, trying to lead her away. "Wish good-bye to the poor hare, and come and look for blackberries."

"Good-bye, poor hare!" Sylvie obediently repeated, looking over her shoulder at it as we turned away. And then, all in a moment, her self-command gave way. Pulling her hand out of mine, she ran back to where the dead hare was lying, and flung herself down at its side in such an agony of grief as I could hardly have believed possible in so young a child.

"Oh, my darling, my darling!" she moaned, over and over again. "And GOD meant your life to be so beautiful!"

Sometimes, but always keeping her face hidden on the ground, she would reach out one little hand, to stroke the poor dead thing, and then once more bury her face in her hands, and sob as if her heart would break.

I was afraid she would really make herself ill: still I thought it best to let her weep away the first sharp agony of grief: and, after a few minutes, the sobbing gradually ceased and Sylvie rose to her feet, and looked calmly at me, though tears were still streaming down her cheeks.

I did not dare to speak again, just yet; but simply held out my hands to her, that we might quit the melancholy spot.

"Yes, I'll come now," she said. Very reverently she kneeled down, and kissed the dead hare; then rose and gave me her hand, and we moved on in silence.

This simple little story reminds me of myself. I may be a big girl of nearly twenty years of age, but I still don't even kill flies, and I have been known to mourn a butterfly, or the egg of a mourning dove which would never hatch. I identify very strongly with little Sylvie and all children who, like me, love everyone and everything. I have felt God's love for me and for those around me, and I know that He truly does love "every living thing," as the narrator says. We live in a time of hate, and it would behoove us to remember the great power of love.

Fourth of July Ode

2008-11-08T10:13:00.005-07:00

I was in the library yesterday--and found myself looking through a book of poetry in the children's section, and I thought I'd share this one. Just some food for thought.

Fourth of July Ode
. I .
Our fathers fought for Liberty,
They struggled long and well,
History of their deeds can tell--
But did they leave us free?
. II .
Are we free from vanity,
Free from pride, and free from self,
Free from love of power and pelf,
From everything that's beggarly?
. III .
Are we free from stubborn will,
From low hate and malice small,
From opinion's tyrant thrall?
Are none of us our own slaves still?
. IV .
Are we free to speak our thought,
To be happy, and be poor,
Free to enter Heaven's door,
To live and labor as we ought?
. V .
Are we then made free at last
From the fears of what men say,
Free to reverence To-day,
Free from the slavery of the Past?
. VI .
Our fathers fought for liberty,
They struggled long and well,
History of their deeds can tell--
But ourselves must set us free.

James Russell Lowell

Good advice:

2008-11-07T09:34:00.003-07:00

I found this (very short) article this morning. It contains a statement issued by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons), but its counsel is for everyone involved in the same-sex marriage debate. Pretty much, we're advised to treat everyone with respect, regardless of their views, because this is a difficult, painful issue for everyone involved.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued a statement Thursday regarding the California protest:

"The church acknowledges that such an emotionally charged issue concerning the most personal and cherished aspects of life — family and marriage — stirs fervent and deep feelings.

"The church calls on those involved in the debate over same sex marriage to act in a spirit of mutual respect and civility towards each other. No one on either side of the question should be vilified, intimidated, harassed or subject to erroneous information."

"Church urges civility in wake of protests." Deseret News. 7 November 2008. http://deseretnews.com/article/0,5143,705261292,00.html

Poll

2008-11-06T15:31:00.005-07:00

I am conducting a poll to find out what people thought about/worried about when they were children. I'm kind of curious to find out how this might compare to what I thought about and analyzed when I was little. Because I've always been a very thoughtful little girl, always prone to pondering, and I'm wondering how common that is.

Any comments would be appreciated. Thanks!

-Ipwergis-Pudding

Whew!!!

2008-11-05T17:00:00.004-07:00

I am very grateful today. Maybe many of the results of this election are not quite desirable, but Prop 8 has passed. This issue will come up again, I'm sure, and we need to be prepared. I know that I, for one, will be better prepared for the next battle after the experiences I've had with Prop 8.

Christ was persecuted, too. The persecution I face is for Him. I am satisfied.

We live in exciting times, and I hope that I live up to God's expectations for me and for the work that I am to do.

All in all, I am optimistic about the future. Yes, there will be a lot of darkness, but in fighting this darkness comes light, strength, and truth. I pray that I will be prepared for that which lies ahead. I pray for wisdom beyond my years, that I may not have regrets later on in life. I pray that we all remember our blessings--of living in a wonderful world, with snow and rain, spring and fall, leaves red like flames and leaves green and tender; of the freedom our country grants us, of the opportunity we have to stand up for what we believe in; of the love God has for us, and the love that we, in following Him, can have for others; of the joy and peace and security that come from following our Lord and God.

Yes, I am optimistic about the future.

Political vs. Moral Issue

2008-11-04T13:45:00.002-07:00

The title of this post links to an article I found in the Deseret News. It is entitled, "It's not odd if churches back Prop. 8" and it is written by Lee Benson.

Pretty much, this issue is moral as well as political because churches are merely practicing and standing up for what they preach. This is something that we know will hurt us, and it is an issue we can help influence. We have a moral obligation to stand up to things that affect our country so strongly, things that can potentially harm our religious freedom and our freedom to raise our own families as we wish.

I'm done.

Scriptures of the Day:

2008-11-04T13:32:00.005-07:00

2 Kings 6:8-17

8 ¶ Then the king of Syria warred against Israel, and took counsel with his servants, saying, In such and such a place shall be my camp.

9 And the man of God sent unto the king of Israel, saying, Beware that thou pass not such a place; for thither the Syrians are come down.

10 And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned him of, and saved himself there, not once nor twice.

11 Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, and said unto them, Will ye not shew me which of us is for the king of Israel?

12 And one of his servants said, None, my lord, O king: but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber.

13 ¶ And he said, Go and spy where he is, that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothan.

14 Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about.

15 And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do?

16 And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.

17 And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.

Ephesians 6:11-18

11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on of the breastplate of righteousness;

15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.

Let us continue to hope and not fear. We are warriors of the Most High God.

Come, Let Us Anew

2008-11-03T17:49:00.002-07:00

Come, let us anew our journey pursue,
Roll round with the year,
And never stand still till the Master appear.
His adorable will let us gladly fulfill,
And our talents improve
By the patience of hope and the labor of love,
By the patience of hope and the labor of love.

Our life as a dream, our time as a stream
Glide swiftly away,
And the fugitive moment refuses to stay;
For the arrow is flown and the moments are gone.
The millennial year
Presses on to our view, and eternity's here,
Presses on to our view, and eternity's here.

Oh, that each in the day of His coming may say,
"I have fought my way thru;
I have finished the work thou didst give me to do."
Oh, that each from his Lord may receive the glad word:
"Well and faithfully done;
Enter into my joy and sit down on my throne;
Enter into my joy and sit down on my throne."

Text: Charles Wesley, 1707-1788
(Hymn # 217 in the LDS Hymnal)

"How Does Homosexual Marriage Hurt You?"

2008-11-03T16:05:00.006-07:00

This is a continuation of Prof. George's remarks, from a couple of posts back. (Along with my own commentary, as before.) Someone found a link to what is almost the same as what Professor George told us BYU students. If you click on the title to this post, it should take you to his article. Thank you to whoever found that for me! :)

Professor George discussed the two different views of a person that are involved in this issue.

First, the argument that gender is irrelevant. According to this argument, a person merely inhabits a body--the body is not part of the person, but is an instrument. Therefore, a bodily union is not a union of persons, but using their instruments to bring about pleasure. The only real connection here is emotional and personal, not physical, so sex is irrelevant.

If this is the case, Professor George brings up the point that in such a marriage, which is really an emotional union and not a bodily union, why are only two people allowed to be married? Why can't three or four or five people be married to each other? (Note: this would not be the same thing as polygamy, by the way; polygamy involves one person being married to more than one spouse--but the other spouses are not married to each other. On the other hand, if three people, irregardless of gender, were married, they would theoretically all be married to each other, because this is an emotional, not physical, union.)

Second, the case for the importance of gender. Professor George says that marriage is truly a union of two persons, literally becoming "one flesh" (see Matt. 19:6). This is not possible in a mere emotional union. Because it is a union of the flesh as well as an emotional attachment, marriage is a union of all elements of life. Sex, then, is not instrumentalized, but is an intrinsic (meaning by nature) good, in and of itself. The base of the physical relationship no longer is pleasure, but marriage itself. There comes a true unity. This is why homosexual "marriage" really is different from real marriage; the search for pleasure is the basis of the physical part of the relationship, and the two people involved cannot literally become one.

Children, Professor George maintains, are gifts from marital unity. Sex is not a mere instrument to have children, but through these sacred means, children are given to a husband and wife.

Now, to move onto the meat of this question: how homosexual marriage hurts children and families. Professor George says that it is resulting in a massive undermining of family and religious autonomy and freedom, and it removes freedom of speech.

I find it to be ironic that in this case freedom of speech is being taken away in the name of freedom of expression, as is religious freedom.

Anyway, in Massachusetts, Catholic charities have been driven out of adoptions because they would not relinquish their standards. I commend them and fervently hope that this does not become necessary in California. Churches and charities in California may loose their license and tax-exempt status if they do not comply with such tyranny.

Freedom of speech and of parents raising their families as they wish have been challenged as well in Massachusetts, as marriage is taught of as being between any two people, and parents are portrayed as being bigots if they disagree. I work with children, as I am going into elementary education, and I have learned about how impressionable they are. I have heard the argument that parents can still teach them as they wish in their homes, but it is very evident that this does not work if schools are undermining what the parents teach. This is very dangerous ground that we are treading here.

Many social supports of marriage are collapsing. As I've worked in the schools, I have seen the effects of this. It causes even good, strong people to struggle in their marriages. As a result, some of our strongest must censor themselves because of failed marriages and such. If they did not, they would be considered hypocrites.

Professor George holds that religious support of marriages needs to be improved. We need to rebuild the marriage culture.

He points out that this whole mess is coming about because of the liberal community, those who support homosexual marriage. Those who would protect traditional marriage are portrayed as attacking homosexuals, when in reality we are merely defending ourselves, as they initially attacked us. This is not coming about because of democracy, but because of judicial usurpation and abuse of governmental power. We must not give up our fight because we fear the labels that will be applied to us and the hate that others will feel towards us. We must protect marriage as being a union between a man and a woman. If we don't, who will?

Taking a Stand in Protecting Marriage

2008-11-01T20:38:00.004-06:00

I made this video today--and I like it much better than the first one.

I initially recorded myself playing this song as a wedding gift to two good friends of mine. They are like a brother and sister to me. They are now in China for a year; he is studying and she is teaching English. For this video, I had to cut out maybe three minutes of the song.

"On the Moral Purposes of Law and Govenment"

2008-11-01T09:20:00.006-06:00

This Tuesday (October 28) I attended a forum given by Robert P. George, Professor of Jurisprudence at Princeton University. It was entitled "On the Moral Purposes of Law and Government." I will include many of his thoughts in this post, as well as some of my own commentary. A written transcript of his speech is not currently available, but to listen to it, either click on the title of this post, or if that doesn't work, here is the URL: http://speeches.byu.edu/download.php/George_Robert_102008.mp3

Professor George began by stating that law and government exists for the benefit of the people. This is especially true in our nation, which was formed by the people themselves. Professor George says the purpose of law and government is to support religion and family, which are for the benefit of the people. This is because there are too many people for the government to personally help each one. Our nation will not function if religion and family are allowed to break down, thus leaving the burden on the government itself.

Professor George stressed the need for substantial, but limited, government power. When the government gets too big, he says, it will actually harm the very groups it is meant to help: the church and the family. These are the groups that are primarily in charge of rearing children. If they are removed or weakened, as is being threatened if Prop 8 fails, our country will likewise fail.

Government exists for the people, he says, not for a theoretical "greater good." There are basic human rights that will be violated if government becomes too big and begins to harm its people.

Now an insert from me: It seems that if Prop 8 fails, a small minority will be directly benefited. However, think of all those who would be harmed by government's increased involvement in home and church, attempting to make people more "equal." Think of all those who will face hurt in other states as this spreads ever farther. Look at Massachusetts and at European countries that have already allowed homosexual marriage. If we watch them long enough, we will see the negative effects of such legislation.

Professor George stressed that government needs, but cannot produce, a virtuous people. It needs a people who will follow the law for moral reasons. If they follow laws merely out of fear, it has been shown historically that IT DOESN'T WORK. Our country will fall if our children are not raised well. If church and family face increased strain and break down further, in a generation or two we will no longer have a virtuous people, and we will fall.

The real victims in this issue, Professor George said, are the poor and vulnerable. They will suffer most from the breakdown of the family.

Professor George urged us all to understand the moral truth--and to speak it. And not to speak it with hatred, but lovingly, civilly, and firmly. There is so much at stake.

I will outline Professor George's discussion on why homosexual marriage hurts us in a later post.

"It makes a difference to this one."

2008-10-30T14:04:00.002-06:00

There is a story I have been told in many different forms that I have always loved. In the version I am most familiar with, a young man is walking on the beach and meets an old man who is stooping down and, one by one, picking up stranded starfish on the sand and throwing them into the ocean. As the young man watches his efforts, he asks why the old man bothers, since there are millions of starfish on this and other beaches that the old man cannot save.

The old man pauses, looks down at the tiny starfish in his hand, and as he throws it out to sea, he merely says, "It makes a difference to this one."

This story was brought to mind today as I have been working on Prop 8 stuff. I've thought about how oftentimes the arguments used focus not on logic, or on the needs of our society or of our people, but on accusations. I ran into one of those today, where I was told to "stop the lies" and vote no on 8, although the writer of those words gave no basis for his argument (which, by the way, always bothers me).

As I struggled to know how best to respond to this, I wondered if my feeble attempts will ever make a difference. After all, I only have three followers on my blog, including my brother and myself, and my video has only been viewed 15 times. I am struggling to get my voice out there, to be heard above the tumult that always accompanies such battles as this, and in doing so, I am putting myself very far outside of my comfort zone. If it wasn't for the need to support Prop 8, I would have never even set up my blog. And I've done all that I know how.

As it is, I sometimes wonder what good I am doing and why I felt so strongly that I needed to do this. But then I remembered the words, "It makes a difference to this one." I don't know if I'll even manage to change someone's vote or influence someone who is undecided, but if I somehow manage to give someone something new to think about, if I somehow manage to touch someone's life, to influence one life for good, I am content.

I pray that I am able to do that.

Proposition 8: Protect Our Families

2008-10-28T21:11:00.001-06:00

This is my Prop 8 video. I'm half asleep. I shouldn't be trying to make sense right now. But it contains recordings of me at ages 6, 7, and 8 (I think...)

Yes on Prop 8 - A few more voices in SF Bay

2008-10-28T18:27:00.002-06:00

A friend of mine helped make this video supporting Prop 8. As I'm in Utah right now, I don't get to see all the signs everywhere (although there is one in front of my apartment complex). It's really neat to see everyone get involved in this, in and out of the state.

PUMPKIN CARVING!!!

2008-10-27T21:10:00.020-06:00

Just for fun, I thought I'd let you all see the pumpkin my roommates and I carved tonight.

I am grateful for the best roommates I've ever had and for an opportunity to learn about others and to decide what I want my own family to be like someday.

I liked our pumpkin because of the simple beauty of the design--a design out of nature, and reflecting its peace and love. So I hope you all enjoy the pictures!

Tolerance? or Love?

2008-10-25T13:19:00.004-06:00

One of the most common criticisms of those of us who are against homosexuality is that we are not being tolerant. To this I say, I understand where you're coming from. I attended school in California long enough that I've heard countless arguments about that.

But one thing that intrigues me is that the "tolerant" liberals don't always tolerate the views of conservatives. (This isn't always the case--don't get mad at me--I can think of one teacher in particular who was very accepting of everyone's views, and her ideas were much, much more liberal than my own. Nor is this one-sided; there are those to be blamed on the conservative side as well.)

The fact of the matter is that the meaning of the term "tolerance" is changing. It used to mean accepting people as they are, regardless of what one feels about their beliefs. Now there is a push for people to accept others' alternate lifestyles as being good and right and just as legitimate as more traditional lifestyles.

To those who believe in this new definition of tolerance, I ask for tolerance from you, tolerance of my views, my beliefs. I'm not asking that you adopt my beliefs as your own, but that you accept them as being legitimate.

I hate politics. I really do. I hate the drama that is going into the whole Prop 8 mess. My brother (Zevran Man) and I knocked on doors late this summer before I went back to Provo (Utah) for school. I know what is going on, and I know that there are good, moral people on both sides of this conflict. I hate the hate that is going around.

Jesus says that the greatest commandment is to love "the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." The second is "Thou shalt love they neighbour as thyself" (Matt. 22: 37, 39). Instead of worrying so much about tolerance, I propose that we love one another, because it seems that this whole "tolerance" idea is creating a lot of unnecessary hate. Let's just learn to love. Please.

Letter to the Editor

2008-10-24T08:49:00.003-06:00

Soren L. Koldewyn, a professional counselor and a personal friend, has written a letter to the editor for the Morgan Hill Times on an article supporting homosexual marriages. Unfortunately, this has been abridged, which has taken out some of its meaning. I'll let him speak for himself.

The letter is the first on the page. If you click on the title of this post, it should bring you right to it. It is rather lengthy, but important. And it points out many major flaws in the common arguments for homosexual marriage. Enjoy!

http://www.morganhilltimes.com/opinion/246325-letters-arguments-against-same-sex-marriage

Marriage in the Scriptures

2008-10-24T08:23:00.004-06:00

Here are some scriptures on the sanctity of marriage. I use the King James version of the Bible.

Proverbs 31:10-12
Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.
The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.
She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.

Mark 10:6-9
But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female.
For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife;
And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh.
What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

1 Corinthians 11:11
Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord.

Out of all the reasons one might cite for the protection of marriage (Prop 8 again, here), this one seems to me to be the most significant: God Himself has decreed, from the very beginning, that man and woman were to be married. It is through marriage that strong children are raised, children who can be a bright future to the world.

And, if we do truly believe this, truly believe that marriage is ordained of God, and not of man, then we need to do all in our power to prevent it from being "put asunder" (Mark 10: 9). That is, if Prop 8 and similar legislation do not pass, marriage will no longer be considered a special, unique social relationship. If two men, or two women, who live together are suddenly the same as a man and a woman who are faithful to each other, our society is in trouble. That is when a society falls. When God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, homosexuality was prevalent in their society as well, and only the presence of a few who were righteous protected them, but they were removed.

God is our strength. Our country cannot stand without His support.

For any of you who want more scriptural passages, quotes, stories, poetry, etc. related to marriage, I have a large collection of these and would be glad to share. You can email me at onmarriageandfamily@gmail.com.

For any who object on the grounds that this is not scientific, I am aware of that, and I have studies I would like to cite in later posts. This one is based on religious teachings, so if you don't like it, that's OK; I will bring in the social sciences, historical precedence, the societal implications of marriage, etc. in later posts, and many of these will not use religious teachings as their basis because science cannot prove religion, so they do not belong in the same post.

Something a Little Lighter...

2008-10-17T21:27:00.005-06:00

I decided that it would be nice to write about something family-related but not Prop 8-related. So here goes:

I sing in a choir called Sforzando; we are a group of BYU students who gather once a week to practice some really cool songs, and then once a month we go and sing for service--last month at a home for disabled children, for example. This is one of our songs:

Zion's Walls (a revivalist song adapted by Aaron Copland)

Come fathers and mothers,
Come sisters and brothers,
Come join us in singing the praises of Zion.

O fathers don't you feel determined
To meet within the walls of Zion.

We'll shout and go round,
Shout and go round,
Shout and go round,
Shout and go round,
Shout, the walls of Zion.

It is a really pretty song (and at one point I get to hold a high F for 5 measures--five slow measures), and I think it's neat that family is so integral in it.

The family is really important, and it is in the family where it is, ideally, easiest to become like Christ, to be His people. And if we truly "feel determined/To meet within the walls of Zion," as families, we can accomplish that. We can have a sort of Zion in our homes.

So just a thought....

Same-Sex Marriage and Proposition 8--links

2008-10-17T08:53:00.001-06:00

http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/commentary/same-sex-marriage-and-proposition-8

This article contains several links to various sources on same-sex marriage and the LDS church stance on the issue.

The Importance of Strong Families

2008-10-16T21:32:00.005-06:00

Today we find our nation and our world furiously debating the need of traditional values versus acceptance of others' beliefs. With so many messages being furiously tossed to and fro, it is difficult to sort out all the information and to reach the truth. In light of this struggle, this blog will address common concerns about the issue, particularly in regards to Prop 8.

Marriage and family are very important to me, to my church, to our nation. As I am studying to become an elementary school teacher, I see the effects of insufficient parental support and of dysfunctional or less-than-ideal family situations. As I helped in a third grade classroom, I worked with two children who were struggling. One was a little boy who was in a foster home and was not receiving sufficient attention. The other was a Hispanic girl whose parents spoke little English in the home. Both little ones were struggling, the first because his parents would not give him the help he needed, and the second because her parents could not give her this help. The little boy lost all his interest in school and eventually was brought back to second grade. The little girl had supportive parents, so she was able to make a lot of progress.

And what was the difference? One child had a supportive family and the other lived in a dysfunctional home.

As the debate about Prop 8 rages, let us remember the children. They are the only large group of our population that has no political power. Children need good, strong, supportive families, and this arrangement is best provided by the traditional arrangement: a man married to a woman who selflessly support their children. Our children are our future. We must allow them the chance to develop into responsible adults, so that when the responsibilities of the world pass out of our hands and into theirs, they will be ready.

http://whatisprop8.com
http://www.preservingmarriage.org