Word Wise

Sometimes I forget power of words.  Words eloquent spoken or carefully organized on a page can change lives.  How could I forget this?  I was reminded of this in a 1922 letter from Heber J. Grant.  The letter's ivory color, though browned by the passage of time, gives me a glimpse of this prophet’s heart and the ink impacts my soul just as it surely did the recipient's on New Year's Day when it was received.  The letter's penmanship is perfect.  For a man that struggled with writing legibly, this is impressive.  "The man without excuses" was coined to describe his tenacity.  President Grant was ridiculed about sloppy penmanship early in his life, but he wanted to become a bookmaker, so he simply practiced.  I have no trouble reading his letter.

 But speaking and writing aren't the only ways to communicate and use words.  Just ask Ashley Fiolek.  In motocross, a sport dominated by loud bikes, Ashley hears silence.  When she makes it to the podium (yes, when ... not if) she signs "thank you" to her respective sponsors.  Can you imagine shifting or finding neutral, when you can only feel the vibrations of the bike?

This life is not so much about what you are given, but what you do with what you are given.  Everytime I hear about an individual who has beat the odds, I smile.  Don’t let anyone ever tell you can do something.  Your words can comfort, uplift, and share, so chose them wisely.

The Big Apple

Greetings from my New York high rise on the Upper West Side.  Anthro curtains, pillow top mattress, vintage dresser, a dozen white roses.  I love this city.  It is home. 

Metro to Wall Street, Times Square, anywhere really.  72nd street is my favorite so far because it has Trader Joes and ballet.

Plenty of suits in the closet.  A few shirts at the cleaners.  I am officially a city girl.    

Soi 13

Soi 13. The cab driver makes a sharp right turn. I find myself standing in the slums of Bangkok. Everyone who walks by stares at my skin, but I'm not alone.

Here live the refugees. Here is where they wait - some of them for years. Persecuted for the ethnic background in their home country, they are here. Off the beaten path, hidden. They don't want to be separated because the most important thing they have is each other. Well, actually that is all they have. I am greeted by a warm smile and a countenance that shines with peace; the type of peace that I am constantly searching for in my modern flat. Yet I find it here in a one bedroom living space with 6 people, a small fridge, a balcony, and ...

"How long have you been waiting to be relocated," Jonathan questions. "About 4 1/2 years," says the 18-year-old daughter smiling. She smiles because everyday she hopes. "And what about your schooling?" Mom chimes in. She alludes to her desire to begin it in her Home country. "God will help us," she says. As she speaks her mother and sister crawl into the back part of the apartment and reappear with biscuits and an refreshing cold orange drink. If you needed a shirt, she would give you the one off her back.

Four and a half years without a home. Four and a half years knowing that any day someone could be sent to IDC (detention camp for immigrants). Yet, living in fear that police could come in the middle of the night and take women, children, or just a husband away is better than where they came from. War rages, countries are dividing, and blood boils all over the globe. These people who live in fear and in shambles have the inner peace that the rest of the developed world seeks so desperately.

As I step over the threshold of the door, I smile. Life is good. I can help. I can love. I can give. I want to love and give like these refugees. I want my countenance to shine. As I left Soi 13 that day I realized again that I was not alone. As King Benjamin says in the book of Mosiah, "aren't we all beggars?" Aren't we all refugees in one way or another?

Blue Note

Some girls fall in love with boys, I fall in love with horses.

http://www.havenfarmsllc.com/haven-farms-horse-sales.html

Petite Seersucker Skirt

Yes, please. With classic blue stripes.

Periwinkle blue driving loafers. Oxford t-strap heals.
Rose quartz beaded bracelet.
Vintage floral lace white summer dress. Imported.
Chic warm teal classic shift.

Lilly Pulitzer color. J Crew style. Anthropology art. Brooks Brothers classic.

Ballet

Soft and supple arms. Effortless. Expression. In motion. Fluid.

Lines. Structure. Position. Poise.

Control time. Slow it down.

Strength. Resilience. Overcome.

Natural beauty. Grace. Joy.
 

Through the Eyes of a Child

On my wall there are three pictures. These are not just any pictures. They are extra special because children imagined them. They are magical. And each time I look at them on my wall, I smile.

Each day when I wake up, they are the first things I see. My stick figure stares back at me and seems to say, "Amy, you can do it. Just keep at it." Someday, I will see myself as the child who drew that picture sees me.

And so we should all strive to see ourselves. Try imagining yourself through the lense of a child who looks up to you. You are wonderful. You are fantastic. You can accomplish all that you set your mind too because you are you. Your worth is inherent -- no one can change that.

What if ... & Why ...

Let the water roll off your back.

Laugh.

Cry.

Then laugh again.

REPEAT.

Serendipity

Good fortune? A bit of luck?

We are approaching St. Patrick's Day.

In a moment things can change.

I smile and think, "how did this happen?"

But it did and gosh I am grateful.

Just believe ...

Dig Your Heals

"Dig your heals in, you're good at that Amy."

My mom's right. If there is anything I am good at it's keeping at it. Things generally don't go as I plan them; this is one thing I can count on. Another is that I certainly will not give in. Whether I am on the back of some 16 hand warmblood horse or just trying to make it through another week of the Accounting Junior Core.

Very few things come easy for me in this program. In fact, right now I can't think of a single thing. I must like doing things that are difficult. I'm drawn to them. Maybe that's why I loved Cross Country so much because it almost killed me every race.

What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger.

Dear Mr. Charles,

After reading all those letters to you today, I wanted to write one too. I'm not about to let Sidney, Lexi, and Jordan have all the fun. I too hope you had a wonderful Valentines Day. May the memories of meter reading, South Provo, and hiking Y mountain help you remember that you have lived a great life so far.

Thank you for making me laugh with your stories. My feet no longer are like lead ... there is a spring in my step.

Love,

Amy

Sunshine

Just when things seem the darkest, the sun shines through.

A paradox, yes, but unmistakably true. After an emotional day yesterday, I made the trek to my car. As I opened the door, I couldn't help but smile.

2 evian bottles, 3 peanut butter power bars, swedish fish, interior completely detailed, outside washed and waxed.

Thank you. I think sometimes we forget the influence we can have on others. Something small can mean so much.

Thank you. For sharing some of your time with me.

Thank you. For being creative and fun. For bringing sunshine to my dreary day.

The more you look for the good in your life, the more you will find. It is there. Just behind the gray clouds we sometimes allow to cloud our vision. Dance in the rain. :)

Elder John David Hansen

I am so excited.

I just called Dad; they are in Reno now waiting for their plane to Salt Lake. "Elder Hansen!" I said to John on the phone. He is no longer just John; he is now Elder Hansen.

My feelings of anxiety and sadness have been replaced by peace and joy. I have already been blessed by this decision John has made.

Today, I am filled with gratitude.

During his farewell talk John talked about a story of a blind girl who had to jump from an attic window to a net below to escape the flames that were destroying her home. "You have to have faith to let go," John said.

I do. I am so happy for the decision John made to become Elder Hansen.

Viva Puebla!

John David Hansen

John's favorite music, John's favorite food, sharks, cars ...

Anything that reminds me of him. Only a week left. I have made it through the hardest times of my life with this boy. We are best friends. I know he has to leave but that doesn't make it any easier. I'm coming unglued.

I know people probably think I'm overreacting, but I don't think they quite understand. What is Jim (our favorite climbing tree) with out John? What are road trips, vacations, family outings without John. I cannot even tell you how many hours I have spent in the back seat of the car with john- our tapes, our books.

Who is going to jump off Mom's filling cabinet in the closet with me? Who is going to go on hiking adventures with me? Who is going to throw eggs over the back hill with me? Who is going to complain about chores with me?

I cannot bare to see that room empty. I'm not ready yet.

Inner Beauty

All About Your Heart

Mindy Gledhill, Kendra Lowe
© Blue Morph Music 2010 (BMI), Kendra Lowe (ASCAP)

I don’t mind your odd behavior
It’s the very thing I love
If you were an ice cream flavor
You would be my favorite one

My imagination sees you
Like a painting by Van Gogh
Starry nights and bright sunflowers
Follow you where you may go

Oh, I’ve loved you from the start
In every single way
And more each passing day
You are brighter than the stars
Believe me when I say
It’s not about your scars
It’s all about your heart

You’re a butterfly held captive
Small and safe in your cocoon
Go on you can take your time
Time is said to heal all wounds

Chorus

Like a lock without a key
Like a mystery without a clue
There is no me if I cannot have you

Chorus

Not all wounds are physical. Some are hidden deep within. Those are the ones that take the longest to heal. That is why there is time. So enjoy it. Let it pass. It's all about what is on the inside. We all have scars.

It's all about your heart.

Pause to help and lift another ...

Look. Watch. Listen. There are people who need you.

Think. Feel. Ask. Someone is lonely. Your smile could just be the thing that could lift someone's spirit.

We are all connected. We share what makes us human: emotions, vulnerabilities. So reach out and lift another and your day will be that much brighter.

Everything

I am currently enrolled in the Marriott School of Business and more specifically the BYU School of Accountancy. But I could just as easily be enrolled in the Reuben J. Clark Law School or frequent the Joseph F. Smith building for Humanities or the Benson building for Microbiology.

It's simple you see, I love everything. I love learning about moles in chemistry, African bushmen in anthropology, grammar in English (please don't judge my poor grammar in these posts ;), the Tigris river in geography, stalagmites in geology, the Electron Transport Chain in biology, vectors in physics, exponential equations in mathematics, different eras in history, the subjunctive in Spanish - the list goes on!

I love learning and once I learn something I love it even more because it becomes a part of me. Everything that I have learned has enriched my life. Just this past Saturday, I visited the BYU Museum of Art to view the Carl Bloch exhibit. On one particular painting, I noticed some deep red in the lower right hand corner of the canvas. In the foreground of the painting was the Savior suffering in Gethsemane and along side him was an angel supporting left arm. His body portrayed pain beyond anything I have experienced, but more than anything the brush of red helped me greater understand the intensity and gravity of his suffering. It was like a look into his soul. Brilliant.

You see, as a gain more and more knowledge on this earth, more things have meaning. Likewise, as I gain more spiritual knowledge, the result is the same. As we learn in the Bible things were created spiritually before they were created physically.