my little corner of the world



A few tidbits to start the week:



1. school



ANTHRO is kinda kickin' my butt.  I don't mind the reading so much.  The amount of essay writing is staggering.  Trying so hard to become a great writer.  Oh yeah, and still be a mom.

 

2. teacher appreciation door decor

Here is my outhouse.  Written with a Sharpie in 10 minutes instead of some fancy diecut letters, this is hard to see.  But it says "We {heart} our teacher, and that's not a load of CRAP".  And at the bottom "Enter with caution; the teacher is doin' her business" lol.  I thought I was clever.

3. shoes

Every year I buy a few flip flops or sandals.  I always shop based on price alone pretty much.  This year I went for comfort too, since I'm way more on-the-go.


Found these at DI for $2, and they are ultra comfy.  I'm pretty sure they're from Hawaii.  My Hawaiian friend Lohi and her family always wore them.  Now I know why.

And these nice black ones were a killer deal at 6pm.com.  Suede footbed, thick sole, leather straps.  Just $10 sent right to my doorstep.

I laughed at the care instructions: "Do not drip dry on the washing line.  Your shoes could lose their shape". 

4.  baseball

Jedi has games twice a week.  We have really enjoyed watching him and we're almost halfway thru the season.  He's a Yankee.  Not my first choice, but it's not too hard for me to cheer for blue.

5. soccer

This cutie just finished her season on Saturday.  She did a fantastic job, scoring in 5 out of 8 games, I believe.

What a tough little one she is.  She wore herself out every game, trying her very, very best.

6.  inspiration

Yesterday a man in our ward gave a talk about Jeffrey R Holland's conference address, Laborers in the Vineyard. 

In spite of working hard in this independent study class, I have been plagued with the memory of my wasted years in college and it is so troubling to me.  I know this talk wasn't directed at middle-age students like me, but those are the ears I heard it with.

I have marked in red those passages that have filled me with peace and gave me hope I didn't even really know I was seeking. 

He begins with the Savior’s parable of the householder who “went out early in the morning to hire labourers. Surprisingly, all received the same wage in spite of the different hours of labor. Immediately, those hired first were angry, saying, “These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day.” 
"My beloved brothers and sisters, what happened in this story at 9:00 or noon or 3:00 is swept up in the grandeur of the universally generous payment at the end of the day. The formula of faith is to hold on, work on, see it through, and let the distress of earlier hours—real or imagined—fall away in the abundance of the final reward. Don’t dwell on old issues or grievances—not toward yourself nor your neighbor..."

"We consume such precious emotional and spiritual capital clinging tenaciously to the memory of a discordant note we struck in a childhood piano recital, or something a spouse said or did 20 years ago..."

"I do not know who in this vast audience today may need to hear the message of forgiveness inherent in this parable, but however late you think you are, however many chances you think you have missed, however many mistakes you feel you have made or talents you think you don’t have, or however far from home and family and God you feel you have traveled, I testify that you have not traveled beyond the reach of divine love.

"Please listen to the prompting of the Holy Spirit telling you right now, this very moment, that you should accept the atoning gift of the Lord Jesus Christ".
(Thanks, Elder Holland and Brother Pugsley).

I am taking a long time to understand the fact that the Atonement isn't just for sins, large and small.  It also encompasses sorrows, hurts, past grievances, inequalities and injustices of all sorts.  Why can't I grasp the full meaning of that?  I'd live life with so much more perspective if I could just *get it*.  Oh well, I guess that's why I'm still alive.  I've got a LOT to learn.