Stars of Awesome

Darkness can be a scary thing. But when it's dark enough outside, you can see the stars.

They give character to our skies, letting us know that we are not alone. But they are also useful in practical matters. For example, they have provided navigation for thousands.

The stars are beautiful and unique! They have long been the subject of intense study. I love learning about the different types and ages of stars and how you can tell the differences between a star, a planet, and a galaxy.

I also love discovering the constellations. My favorite is Orion the Hunter, pictured above. He protects the winter sky.

And he is easily recognizable! Just look for the three stars that make up Orion's Belt.

Even in death, the stars are inspiring to look upon. Scientists recently observed this supernova.

Where would we be without stars?

Symbols on Sunday

Trees and Roots


The trees grow up and reach for the sky, while at the same time, their roots grow deep into the solid foundation of the earth. I often find that when I reach for higher understanding, I also understand the basics better.

Do you reach higher and grow deeper at the same time, too?

Silly Socks Saturday

Lemon-Lime flavored feet!

Book Review: The Happy Prince

Talk about a sentimental metaphor! Yeesh! However, literary criticism aside, I believe that metaphors and even sentimentality have an important place in our culture.

Oscar Wilde's The Happy Prince is a collection of short stories, many in the form of a parable. My favorite is, of course, the namesake story: The Happy Prince. It tells of the relationship between a golden statue and a little swallow that has procrastinated his winter migration. Together, they weep for the sorrows of the city and do what they can to make life better for the poor, the lonely, and the sick. In the end, they both give their lives in service to people who will never recognize their benefactors.

Service is a rare value in literature these days. But it doesn't have to be that way. I'm forever on the lookout for such a character trait in the books that I devour!

Lamppost

Today's lamppost is brought to you by Atlanta, Georgia, and...fire! Yay for flaming lampposts everywhere!

Poem: Our Little Ghost

by Louisa May Alcott

Oft in the silence of the night,
When the lonely moon rides high,
When wintry winds are whistling,
And we hear the owl's shrill cry,
In the quiet, dusky chamber,
By the flickering firelight,
Rising up between two sleepers,
Comes a spirit all in white.

A winsome little ghost it is,
Rosy-cheeked, and bright of eye;
With yellow curls all breaking loose
From the small cap pushed awry.
Up it climbs among the pillows,
For the "big dark" brings no dread,
And a baby's boundless fancy
Makes a kingdom of a bed.

A fearless little ghost it is;
Safe the night seems as the day;
The moon is but a gentle face,
And the sighing winds are gay.
The solitude is full of friends,
And the hour brings no regrets;
For, in this happy little soul,
Shines a sun that never sets.

A merry little ghost it is,
Dancing gayly by itself,
On the flowery counterpane,
Like a tricksy household elf;
Nodding to the fitful shadows,
As they flicker on the wall;
Talking to familiar pictures,
Mimicking the owl's shrill call.

A thoughtful little ghost if is;
And, when lonely gambols tire,
With chubby hands on chubby knees,
It sits winking at the fire.
Fancies innocent and lovely
Shine before those baby-eyes,
Endless fields of dandelions,
Brooks, and birds, and butterflies.

A loving little ghost it is:
When crept into its nest,
Its hand on father's shoulder laid,
Its head on mother's breast,
It watches each familiar face,
With a tranquil, trusting eye;
And, like a sleepy little bird,
Sings its own soft lullaby.

Then those who feigned to sleep before,
Lest baby play till dawn,
Wake and watch their folded flower
Little rose without a thorn.
And, in the silence of the night,
The hearts that love it most
Pray tenderly above its sleep,
"God bless our little ghost!"

Music: Chopin's Raindrops

For me, this piece highlights the comforting cycles of nature. Listen and relax!

Moon of Awesome

I love the moon.

She has watched over us for eons, providing the light of the sun when we can't have the sun itself, reassuring us that day will come.

She also provides an impressive standard. We measure our months by her phases.

With beauty, she presides over the harvest every autumn and keeps our seawaters moving.


And she has proved that mankind can reach for the sky and achieve great things!

Yay for our moon!

Symbols on Sunday

Rivers

Used for transportation, agriculture, sustenance, preserving ecosystems, determining boundaries, and cleansing.

Symbol of strength, nourishment, division, and repentance through baptism. For example, in The Fellowship of the Ring, the fellowship must cross a river to reach the safety of the elven land. When Frodo wades through, he remarks that he hasn't felt that clean in a long time. All the dirt and evil of Moria is washed away, and now he can finally get some rest.

Silly Socks Saturday

Where's Waldo?

Book Review: Tuck Everlasting

The Tucks cannot die. To protect this secret, they do not allow themselves to get involved with other people. They cannot have friends, lovers, or even enemies. But Winnie finds them. Winnie gets involved. She admires their eternal youth, the fact that they do not fear death or illness. But she senses that they are trapped. Their choices are limited because of their secret. When faced with the ultimate temptation of joining them in immortality, Winnie says "no."

Mankind has been plagued with weakness against temptation since the beginning. We have insatiable desires for power, fame, and pleasure. We often want to please ourselves immediately, without regard for laws or principles. As individuals, we are faced with temptations every day. Will we be able to say "no" like Winnie?

Lamppost

Poem: The Oak

by Alfred Lord Tennyson

Live thy Life,
Young and old,
Like yon oak,
Bright in spring,
Living gold;

Summer-rich
Then; and then
Autumn-changed
Soberer-hued
Gold again.

All his leaves
Fall'n at length,
Look, he stands,
Trunk and bough
Naked strength.

Music: Alice's Theme

Today's music selection comes from the newest adaptation of Lewis Carroll's Alice books, Alice in Wonderland. Alice is confused about who she is and what her "muchness" or potential is. The characters in Wonderland are trying to remind her of her true identity, which is far greater than she can imagine. Enjoy!

Planet of Awesome

We live on an awesome planet.

It has just the right combination of elements, the perfect orbit, and the ideal solar system to sustain life. It is no surprise that we have yet to find another planet (or moon) that can claim the same.

Besides, Earth is just beautiful!

Where would we be without it? (That's not a rhetorical question. I really would like to know the answer! Wouldn't you?)

Symbols on Sunday

Acorns. Deceptively small and simple. Squirrels love them. Yet, these small nuts are in a crucial stage of a life cycle. They hold within them the genetic information that will eventually become a tall, broad oak.



You cannot make an acorn turn into anything else. You can stop the acorn from growing, but it will always be meant to become an oak tree. This is what I love about acorns.

Likewise, humans have a mighty potential. We have many weaknesses: we fight, we hate, we make mistakes. But there is only one thing we are meant to become: like God. We are His children, His heirs, and nothing can ever change that. By our own choosing, we can stop ourselves from growing. We can choose not to plant or nourish the acorn. But the potential is always there.

Silly Socks Saturday

I mean, who doesn't wear princesses on their feet?

Book Review: Princess Academy

There is something inherently noble in each of us, and that nobility enables us to do hard things. I read Princess Academy for the first time when I was a senior in high school. Senior year was so hard! I had to keep up with all of my many classes (Calculus and Physics among them!), apply to colleges, find a summer job, run the high school Key Club, edit and print the high school newspaper, etc, etc, etc. In short, I was busy and I was stressed. More than once, I wanted to give up. But I kept thinking about this book. Miri, who has been placed in a hard schooling situation against her will, wants to give up, too. But she doesn't. She decides that she will do it and do it well.

I wanted to do it and do it well. So I didn't give up that year. I got accepted to college and left for the great academic adventure, but school never got any easier. Every fall, after the long and luxurious summer vacation, I returned to Princess Academy. I had to remind myself that I can do hard things. I had to regenerate faith in myself. Because I am a daughter of God, and I was born to overcome.

Check it out!

Lamppost

I call this one "In a Colorado Sunset." The picture was taken by Ryan Medlyn, whom I used to babysit. Let's not talk about how old I am.

Poem: Sea-Fever

by John Masefield

I must down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,
And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking,
And a grey mist on the sea's face and a grey dawn breaking.

I must down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.

I must down to the seas again to the vagrant gypsy life.
To the gull's way and the whale's way where the wind's like a whetted knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick's over.

Music: Vivaldi's Spring

Celebrate spring! I know it isn't here yet, but we can start looking forward to it.

Glass of Awesome

Glass is such a simple thing, but it can be made quite beautiful.

Symbols on Sunday

It allows us to live. It provides heat, light, and even vitamins. It is integral to photosynthesis, to the seasons, to our system of time. It creates beautiful skies as it rises and sets. It allows us to rest when our minds and bodies are tired. It is our star, the sun.

Since I am a nerd, let me share a brief story from Star Trek, the original series. In the episode called "Breads and Circuses," Kirk, Spock, and Bones beam down to a planet that has developed parallel to Earth. Nearly everything about the two planets is the same, except that on this planet the Roman Empire never fell. When Kirk, Spock, and Bones arrive, they discover a group of runaway slaves who worship the sun. "I lived the life of a brutal gladiator until I heard the words of the sun," says one man. Spock is particularly confused, since Earth-Rome never had such sun-worshipers. When the team accomplishes their exciting, swash-buckling mission, they return to the Enterprise and share their findings. Uhura corrects Spock: "They weren't talking about the sun in the sky; they were talking about the Son of God." The crew ponders this for a moment, wondering if they should return to the planet to watch the wondrous life of Christ unfold all over again.

Obviously, there a lot of parallels between the sun and the Son, besides their English name. As the sun provides us with mortal life, Christ provides us with eternal life: He suffered and died so that we can be made clean enough to enter God's presence. As the sun sets each night to rise in the morning, Christ died and rose again so that we can have a resurrection and a hope. The sun is consistent and dependable; so, too, can we depend on Christ. He is the light and life of the world, and we have the gift of this lovely symbol of Him every day.

Silly Socks Saturday

The skirt/socks combination can attract unusual attention.

Book Review: The Outsiders

You can. You can be good. You can be good in a bad situation.

14-year-old Ponyboy lives in the 1960s Oklahoma gang scene, a world that is trying to destroy his innocence. When he gets involved in a murder rap, Pony faces a series of choices that could lead to his moral destruction. At a critical moment, Pony notices the golden brilliance of a sunset. It is fleeting but beautiful, like the early flower of spring or the innocence of a child. He realizes that many of his friends have never seen a sunset. They were too anxious to grow up. So Ponyboy decides to "stay gold." He tries to make peace with members of the rival gang. He even puts himself in danger to protect innocent children. And, in the end, he does what he can to keep his broken little family together.

To me, Outsiders testifies of the strength of human will, the power that we hold to choose what our lives will be like. Ponyboy cannot remove himself from every dangerous situation, but he can remove dangerous consequences by taking moral action. Once he chooses to stay gold, he sticks to it. His story gives me the hope that we can be child-like and free of guilt in a fallen world.

Check it out!

Lamppost

My apologies for the funny face. I just get so excited when I see a lamppost! This one was at my sister's wedding reception.

Poem: The Arrow and the Song

I shot an arrow into the air,
It fell to earth, I knew not where;
For, so swiftly it flew, the sight
Could not follow it in its flight.

I breathed a song into the air,
It fell to earth, I knew not where;
For who has sight so keen and strong,
That it can follow the flight of song?

Long, long afterward, in an oak
I found the arrow, still unbroke;
And the song, from beginning to end,
I found again in the heart of a friend.

- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow


Friends are great! They keep us from getting lonely, and they understand us at a level that no one else does. I am sure grateful for all the hearts that sing my song, strange as that song may be. Where have you found your song?

Music: The Man Who Isn't There

Today's song is from indie artist Oren Lavie. It's a quiet song, so listen closely to the lyrics. They probably mean something different to me every time I hear them. What do they mean to you?

Family of Awesome

Families are awesome. We're thrown into close quarters with them for years on end, and someone expects us to get along? Well, it's entirely possible.

My family has been a refuge, a party-and-a-half, a support, a foundation, and now they are my best friends. I hope that I can create the same bonds in my future family.

Symbols on Sunday

It's time for Sunday symbols! I am fascinated by symbols and anything that stands in for something else. It's so fun to try to figure out the symbol or to find symbols in obscure places (or in movies and books). Today's symbol is one of the more familiar ones. It fills a small section of Leonardo da Vinci's Sistine Chapel painting, and it is called "The Hand of God."




The hand is such a curious symbol. Here, it reminds me of Isaiah's repeated phrase (the same phrase that Nephi chooses to highlight in the Book of Mormon): His hand is stretched out still. Our Heavenly Father loves us so much. He is always reaching out to us. Are we reaching back? As da Vinci understood it, all we have to do is lift a finger to touch His hand and access His power. It is so simple and yet we think it is so hard. This week, find a way to "lift a finger" by putting forth that extra spiritual effort.

Silly Socks Saturday

Mismatched awesomeness, because sometimes the simplest things make me the happiest.