Having a Perfect Brightness of Hope

So this week has been rather rough. But I'll get to that in a minute. The highlights of my week were going to the temple with a couple of my friends. One was my friend Crystal; the other is a new friend named Mia. It was fun to go with those two crazy girls. The other was having a "short" lunch with my sister Megan. By short, I mean it only lasted an hour. For those of my readers who are unaware, my family tends to be very talkative. I imagine some of you will understand a bit better now, why I tend to be rather talkative.

This week, I also got to break out my winter gear which was disappointing. This week I'm slowly closing in on the end of The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan. It is a continuation of the Percy Jackson series.

My roommate Risto pictured in my last post is letting me read it. I also bought the next book in the series called The Son of Neptune. I may like this series a lot considering that when I met one of the new sisters in my home evening group that I thought she looked like Annabeth.

Okay, so my week started and I was slowly coming to a decision. The decision I came to, around Monday evening, was that I was finished with the dating scene for the semester. I won't provide details just know that this was not quickly made decision; I'll just say that my dating history is best summed up by the French phrase "C'est toute une histoire." The next day I was going to do my scripture study and I asked the Lord that if He had anything in particular that He wanted me to read that he would direct me to it. I was prompted to read "Continue in Patience" by President Ucthdorf. As I read I felt the Spirit elbowing me and letting me know that this talk was meant for me to APPLY right now, so I changed my attitude and continued to read. Eventually I got to the part when he talks about how patience requires that we work towards our worthwhile goals and don't get discouraged because results don't instantly appear. I then read this line that was a sharp divine call (for me) to repentance "patience is not passive resignation". I knew right then, that I needed to repent. That afternoon, the devotional was on the Atonement and the temple which reinforced the Lord's message to me. That afternoon I went home and repented.

Well the rest of the week was characterized by lots of homework stress and no progress on the dating front. At first I was annoyed when the Lord reminded me that there must be opposition in all things; this includes dating. On related note, I will say that one of my roommates got engaged this weekend and right now, I am happy to be single because I know I couldn't handle all of the stress of an engagement on top of everything else I have to deal with.

I feel a bit uncomfortable writing this... mainly because I don't talk like talking my love life outside of a small group of people. They know who they are.

So I hope that you will try to listen to the Holy Ghost, especially when it tells you to repent. But more importantly, I hope you don't lose hope in the Lord's promises. I know that they are real, no matter how distance they may seem to you. God loves you. He knows the details of your life and understands your feelings perfectly. Never lose hope; the Atonement can heal you and help you regain the hope that you need. Remember the blessings and many answered prayers that you've had, if those are not great reasons to hope; I don't know what is!

I pray that you all have a good week!

The Shadow Proves the Sunshine

These last couple of days have been rather uneventful for me. I have changed apartments and gotten my texts books for the upcoming semester which is now routine; I should mention that I've been taking classes with only eight weeks of interruption.

Today I helped my sister locate a store that saved her a bunch of money on books; it's like Geico but for text books. I went to work which was slow but nice because I got to speak a bit of French. J'aime le français même si je ne parle plus très bien.

On my way home from work, it attempted to drizzle as the sun was setting in the West.

I did not take this photo but it gives you an idea of what I saw.

The feel and look of town in that condition was breathtaking. It reminded me of a poem that I wrote called "Busy With the Music"; it is centered around the fact that we are often surrounded by music but we sometimes miss the beauty of what our Heavenly Father has created. I hold a personal belief that God is the greatest artist and every other great artist is just doing their best to copy His work in the best way they know how. I know that God has created the most beautiful things in life; I feel that the Plan of Salvation, mountains, moving water, weather, birds, and women are just a few of my favorites of His works.

While I was walking home from work, the chorus of "The Shadow Proves the Sunshine" by Switchfoot (one of my favorite bands) popped into my head while enjoying this beautiful scene. You can listen to it here. That song always reminds me that there has to be opposition in all things so that I can enjoy the beautiful moments more fully; like I was able to today.

I hope that you, my reader, find time to slow down and enjoy some of the beautiful things, animals, or people in your life. I know that they exist, no matter how dark or dim your life may seem presently. The Lord loves you and has created beautiful things as little love notes or "texts" to let know that He loves you, so look for them!