Everything went full circle today...
In the morning during intercession, the flow went to Jesus calling everyone to follow him - both the righteous and the unrighteous, most notably Levi/Matthew. (We're all unrighteous - c'mon....)
During the CS Sermon, Elder KC reminded us we're all called to be priests and our daily lives are our altars.
In the evening, over dinner, a brother mentioned how he use to "Dream God's dream." And it was a motto for him and his buds many years ago. But sadly, that motto has fallen to the wayside and remains nothing but a fond memory.
Shampa Rice once said, "I cook, I clean, I cook, I clean... and when I'm doing the dishes, I'm dream dreams that God is putting in me."
How are you dreaming God's dream today?
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Intimacy - Season of Disclosure
Inspired by "Spiritual Intimacy" by Alice Smith...
Springtime. The beginnings of intmacy. Nothing quite captivates the Season of Disclosure quite as well as the surprise birthday party that C prepared for B. Time spent in preparation is one thing. But the minute thought going into every fine detail is the other. From the figurine on top of the cake, to the dinner plate matching the dinner tablecloth vs. appetizer plate matching the appetizer tablecloth, to C's insistance of not letting anyone help her with anything. That is definitely the epitome of the early stage or honeymoon stage of Intimacy.
In most romantic relationships - this is the sweetest time of the courtship. The other party is flawless during this stage. The couple almost refuses to move beyond this stage because the world as they know it is standing still. Nothing that you or your significant other can do will cause you to get into a fight. But of course, that first fight is inevitable. And it's making up from that first fight that will lead you into the next season... Summer time... the Season of Passion.
I am most honored to have been a witness of that display of affection. Happy Birthday B!!
Springtime. The beginnings of intmacy. Nothing quite captivates the Season of Disclosure quite as well as the surprise birthday party that C prepared for B. Time spent in preparation is one thing. But the minute thought going into every fine detail is the other. From the figurine on top of the cake, to the dinner plate matching the dinner tablecloth vs. appetizer plate matching the appetizer tablecloth, to C's insistance of not letting anyone help her with anything. That is definitely the epitome of the early stage or honeymoon stage of Intimacy.
In most romantic relationships - this is the sweetest time of the courtship. The other party is flawless during this stage. The couple almost refuses to move beyond this stage because the world as they know it is standing still. Nothing that you or your significant other can do will cause you to get into a fight. But of course, that first fight is inevitable. And it's making up from that first fight that will lead you into the next season... Summer time... the Season of Passion.
I am most honored to have been a witness of that display of affection. Happy Birthday B!!
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Who says married people don't blog?!?!
A very topical issue this past weekend. Do married people blog?!? Before I give you my answer... I'll present some facts. Figure 1 is plotting the number of entries I've made per year since 2002.
From 2002 - 2004 I used Livejournal. Subsequently, I switched to Blogger (this existing blog). I got married in September of 2005, hence the two shades of gray. Based on raw, emperical data, it is conclusive that MARRIED PEOPLE DO INDEED BLOG - in fact, in my case, the frequency of blogging increased!!
2008 is an anomaly. I'm still trying to find an explanation...
The original graph was interesting (for me at least). But I got curious and did another plot. I tracked the frequency of my blogging by month througout the past 6 years.
From 2002 - 2004 I used Livejournal. Subsequently, I switched to Blogger (this existing blog). I got married in September of 2005, hence the two shades of gray. Based on raw, emperical data, it is conclusive that MARRIED PEOPLE DO INDEED BLOG - in fact, in my case, the frequency of blogging increased!!
2008 is an anomaly. I'm still trying to find an explanation...
The original graph was interesting (for me at least). But I got curious and did another plot. I tracked the frequency of my blogging by month througout the past 6 years.
Notice the trend of each year!! It's practically the same curve minus the shift in the +/- Y direction. Patterns worth noting:
a) January of every year is almost always the peak of the curve. This is probably due to annual year-end-reviews, new year resolutions, Superbowl, etc...
b) October is also a constant spike. I attribute this to baseball playoffs, the start of the NFL season and probably most importantly, Election Time!!
b) July is usually the low points of all the curves. One would think it's probably because there are better things to do during the summer than blog??
If you notice any other trends... leave a note!
This is just one sample out of a huge population. And I've been known to skew the curve on many occasions.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
MSB vs. LSB
1000 or 0001. Which one is the MSB or LSB? You can read it one way or you can read it the other way and it can mean a successful mission or a fantastic failure.
But there are words, that no matter how you read it, backwards and forward, left to right or right to left... it withstands all misinterpretation, survives all scrutiny and withholds nothing but the tears behind those words... Those words... "we broke up..."
But there are words, that no matter how you read it, backwards and forward, left to right or right to left... it withstands all misinterpretation, survives all scrutiny and withholds nothing but the tears behind those words... Those words... "we broke up..."
Saturday, March 07, 2009
Slumdog Millionaire
A lot of people saw Slumdog Millionaire as a romance. Where Romeo defies all odds to try and find his Juliet. For me... the more flavorful storyline was the brotherly relationship - phileos - between Jamal and Salim.
Jamal and Latika falling in love is not at all credible. Nor is it "romantic." But what Jamal and Salim shared was real, bringing humanity onto silver screen. Locking in the bathroom, selling of the autograph picture, rescuing from imminent blindness...
Who was the true protagonist in the movie? Who was the one that took charge of all situations? Who was the one that made the ultimate sacrifice for the greater good? Who was the one that was martyred?
That dancing sequence at the end at the train station... that's how Titanic should've ended.
Jamal and Latika falling in love is not at all credible. Nor is it "romantic." But what Jamal and Salim shared was real, bringing humanity onto silver screen. Locking in the bathroom, selling of the autograph picture, rescuing from imminent blindness...
Who was the true protagonist in the movie? Who was the one that took charge of all situations? Who was the one that made the ultimate sacrifice for the greater good? Who was the one that was martyred?
That dancing sequence at the end at the train station... that's how Titanic should've ended.
Sunday, March 01, 2009
Finding comfort...
...the pain is very unbearable when one comes to you to share they need your comfort after having their heart and soul bruised and beaten. And there's nothing you can do...
Even then, it is well...with my soul.
Even then, it is well...with my soul.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Thursday, January 29, 2009
No Fear!!
Bumped into an old co-worker today - someone I haven't seen in years. He was my lead when I first got hired into this job. Back then, we always talk about seeking adventures for an adrenaline rush. To find something that excites me... brings fear into me.
That was then...
Today when I bumped into him, first thing he asked was, "How are you?" Second thing he asked was, "Find anything that brings fear into you yet?"
I said, "Yeah... I'm expecting my first child in June."
With a smirk on his face he said, "That'll do it..."
That was then...
Today when I bumped into him, first thing he asked was, "How are you?" Second thing he asked was, "Find anything that brings fear into you yet?"
I said, "Yeah... I'm expecting my first child in June."
With a smirk on his face he said, "That'll do it..."
Monday, January 26, 2009
A true story...
In a supermarket, Kurtis the stock boy, was busily working when a new voice came over the loud speaker asking for a carry out at register 4. Kurtis was almost finished, and wanted to get some fresh air, and decided to answer the call. As he approached the check-out stand a distant smile caught his eye, the new check-out girl was beautiful. She was an older woman (maybe 26, and he was only 22) and he fell in love.
Later that day, after his shift was over, he waited by thepunch clock to find out her name. She came into the break room, smiled softly at him, took her card and punched out, then left. He looked at her card, BRENDA. He walked out only to see her start walking up the road. Next day, he waited outside as she leftthe supermarket, and offered her a ride home. He looked harmless enough, and she accepted. When he dropped her off, he asked if maybe he could see her again, outside of work. She simply said it wasn't possible. He pressed and she explained she had two children and she couldn't afford a baby-sitter, so he offered to pay for the baby-sitter. Reluctantly she accepted his offer for a date for the following Saturday.
That Saturday night he arrived at her door only to have her tell him that she was unable to go with him. The baby-sitter had called and canceled. To which Kurtis simply said, "Well, let's take the kids with us." She tried to explain that taking the children was not an option, but again not taking no for an answer, he pressed. Finally Brenda, brought him inside to meet her children.
She had an older daughter who was just as cute as a bug, Kurtis thought, then Brenda brought out her son, in a wheelchair. He was born a paraplegic with Down Syndrome. Kurtis asked Brenda, "I still don't understand why the kids can't come with us?" Brenda was amazed. Most men would run away from a woman with two kids, especially if one had disabilities - just like her first husband and father of her children had done. Kurtis was not ordinary - - - he had a different mindset..
That evening Kurtis and Brenda loaded up the kids, went to dinner and the movies. When her son needed anything Kurtis would take care of him. When he needed to use the restroom, he picked him up out of his wheelchair, took him and brought him back. The kids loved Kurtis. At the end of the evening, Brenda knew this was the man she was going to marry and spend the rest of her life with. A year later, they were married and Kurtis adopted both of her children. Since then they have added two more kids. So what happened to Kurtis the stock boy and Brenda the check-out girl? Well, Mr. & Mrs. Kurt Warner now live in Arizona. If you tune in on 1 February , you can watch him quarterback the Arizona Cardinals in the Super Bowl against the Pittsburg Steelers! Is this a surprise ending or could you have guessed that he was not an ordinary person? Some athletes are also great people. It should be noted that he also quarterbacked the Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI. He has also been the NFL's Most Valuable Player twice and the Super Bowl's MVP.
Later that day, after his shift was over, he waited by thepunch clock to find out her name. She came into the break room, smiled softly at him, took her card and punched out, then left. He looked at her card, BRENDA. He walked out only to see her start walking up the road. Next day, he waited outside as she leftthe supermarket, and offered her a ride home. He looked harmless enough, and she accepted. When he dropped her off, he asked if maybe he could see her again, outside of work. She simply said it wasn't possible. He pressed and she explained she had two children and she couldn't afford a baby-sitter, so he offered to pay for the baby-sitter. Reluctantly she accepted his offer for a date for the following Saturday.
That Saturday night he arrived at her door only to have her tell him that she was unable to go with him. The baby-sitter had called and canceled. To which Kurtis simply said, "Well, let's take the kids with us." She tried to explain that taking the children was not an option, but again not taking no for an answer, he pressed. Finally Brenda, brought him inside to meet her children.
She had an older daughter who was just as cute as a bug, Kurtis thought, then Brenda brought out her son, in a wheelchair. He was born a paraplegic with Down Syndrome. Kurtis asked Brenda, "I still don't understand why the kids can't come with us?" Brenda was amazed. Most men would run away from a woman with two kids, especially if one had disabilities - just like her first husband and father of her children had done. Kurtis was not ordinary - - - he had a different mindset..
That evening Kurtis and Brenda loaded up the kids, went to dinner and the movies. When her son needed anything Kurtis would take care of him. When he needed to use the restroom, he picked him up out of his wheelchair, took him and brought him back. The kids loved Kurtis. At the end of the evening, Brenda knew this was the man she was going to marry and spend the rest of her life with. A year later, they were married and Kurtis adopted both of her children. Since then they have added two more kids. So what happened to Kurtis the stock boy and Brenda the check-out girl? Well, Mr. & Mrs. Kurt Warner now live in Arizona. If you tune in on 1 February , you can watch him quarterback the Arizona Cardinals in the Super Bowl against the Pittsburg Steelers! Is this a surprise ending or could you have guessed that he was not an ordinary person? Some athletes are also great people. It should be noted that he also quarterbacked the Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI. He has also been the NFL's Most Valuable Player twice and the Super Bowl's MVP.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Thursday, January 08, 2009
The Power of Apology
I admit, after yesterday's meeting, I was bothered the entire night and into the next day. Kept on replaying the episode in my head and thinking, "Why am I so full of rage? full of anger?"
Immediately, today, I got to work and headed into my boss's office and apologized. "Hey... I apologize for losing my cool yesterday." And my boss came right back and said, "Yeah... I apologize too." The heavy yoke was immediately lifted.
It's amazing how a few simple words can bring down or build up a working relationship. Don't ever underestimate the power of an apology.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)