followers of my faith [Mormon Monday 97]

This is a quote from my patriarchal blessing that I want to remember, so I wrote it down. I hope I remember it.

It's Perfect

followers of my faith [Mormon Monday 96]

At extended devotional we learned about poverty. As part of it, we watched portions of Elder Holland's address, "Are We Not All Beggars?" that I'd actually seen at work within the past week.

Here's some paragraphs from the talk that I like.

Down through history, poverty has been one of humankind’s greatest and most widespread challenges. Its obvious toll is usually physical, but the spiritual and emotional damage it can bring may be even more debilitating. In any case, the great Redeemer has issued no more persistent call than for us to join Him in lifting this burden from the people.
...
Brothers and sisters, such a sermon demands that I openly acknowledge the unearned, undeserved, unending blessings in my life, both temporal and spiritual. Like you, I have had to worry about finances on occasion, but I have never been poor, nor do I even know how the poor feel. Furthermore, I do not know all the reasons why the circumstances of birth, health, education, and economic opportunities vary so widely here in mortality, but when I see the want among so many, I do know that “there but for the grace of God go I.” I also know that although I may not be my brother’s keeper, I am my brother’s brother, and “because I have been given much, I too must give.”

Something to think about.

and the words, they're everything [wwis 14]

Hello friends! Been a while. I recognize that this is not my most popular segment here on the blog (I even realized a few months ago I'd accidentally used the same set of tweets twice and no one said anything) but I like it. I like feeling funny every once in a while.

NaNoWriMo is going on now.

I mean, that takes SOME talent.

This is probably why I could reach my biceps with my tongue. Working out!

I am at my least feasible when I am a light sweater. Please don't hold that against me (though you are welcome to find a sweater to hold against me, now that it's about to be cold).

Would you wear a light sweater to pick cherries? 

There's...not really any other reason to be grateful for the souls of men in the eternal worlds.

I want to fall into line with pop culture and say "2016 was not swoonworthy." But what I think I meant when I made this tweet (April 2015) was that I hadn't been on a date in a year.

I'm grateful for the souls of men and women in the eternal worlds that are too cute.

a change is gonna come, said the signal to the noise

It's been a rough day. Last night at around 9 I did the math, figured out the outcome, shook my head, checked Facebook to see what the reactions were, and went to bed (and then kept checking Utah election results for a while, just to see). It wasn't what I wanted, but I knew everything would be okay. Slept just fine, even.

Today I got to work and started reading more reactions. Some were hopeful, some were even happy, but a lot were really, really scared. (Mainly people the president-elect has targeted: blacks, Latinx, Muslims. LGBT I think?) I started absorbing their fear and began crying.

Yep, at work. It's fine. I went to the file room to catch up on some filing and hopefully calm down.

Caught up on some filing but then started thinking about how people (men) are going to think sexual assault is okay because the president-elect made it seem that way. I am afraid of that. That did not calm me down. Kinda the opposite, actually.

I eventually recovered but I have this awesome feature I like to call the "amazing human faucet" -- sometimes when I start crying, I don't stop. It just keeps going for a few hours. At my desk I could hear the various celebrations of coworkers who were legitimately happy about the outcome of the election and I just felt for those who are unhappy, whose perspective the people at work don't see or don't care about.*

Anyway, if people look like they've been crying, don't ask if they're okay. It might make them start crying again even as they say "Yep everything is fine"

And I do believe that everything will be fine. I, and all others disappointed by this outcome, are allowed to grieve. Allow us this space so that we can come together full-heartedly to believe in America, and to work righteous endeavors.

*Hey, just so you know, it's okay to disagree that certain policies are good/bad for America. But don't dismiss people's fears about how something will affect their life. Their feelings are valid (because they're their feelings! They're real things), and so are yours. If we work from that understanding, we can actually get somewhere.