Wonderland

I went to the movie Alice in Wonderland yesterday.

I am not a fan of Tim Burton movies, so I thought I wouldn't like it, and so I didn't go to it for a really long time.

But suprisingly. I enjoyed it thoroughly. I thought it was a great movie about over coming hardships in life and believing in the impossible. In fact believing in "six impossible things before breakfast."

I had thoughts of heaven, and wonderful lands, and conquering giants and believing in yourself and really could apply it to life.

Just real quick I wanted to ask the question that I got from that movie.

Can you imagine it?

Just thinking

I was just thinking about what to blog about today, and I came to a realization.

I am just thinking about blogging probably everyday and can't really come up with stuff all the time.

That got me thinking about why not, and I was just thinking why I couldn't have an all awesome thinking process.

That got me thinking about the thinking process, and I was amazed just to think about how we as humans are capable of thinking.

That got me thinking about how life is a miracle and about how much I am grateful for God.

And thats how, Just real quick, I was just thinking about God's love.

Waking Up

Waking Up. That can be the best time of the day for me, when I realize life is good that today is going to be grand, or oft times it is the time when I realize I am exhausted and I don't want to get up at all, today is going be bad a horrible day.

Either way, for either day, I am right.

It is a good day when you wake up happy. If while waking up I am unhappy the day usually is long and drawn out. My tiredness creates a cloud that seems to follow me throughout the day, raining little thoughts of, "remember how tired you are, how you didn't wake up good, and how life is horrible." Even when it isn't.

What a difference waking up right makes.

Just Real Quick I want to say that I love the feeling I get when I wake up and the first thought comes to mind is: "I am so glad I'm alive. I remember God blessed me so much yesterday and today is going to be a great day. Because I know God will do it again. He loves me for I am His son."

Lets wake up and make a difference, share our blessings, and be happy.

Worldwide Blessings

This weekend I went to the St. George temple for the wedding of one of my really good high school friends. The ceremony did not last as long as I had thought, and I found myself with extra time.

I believe that Heavenly Father wants to bless all of His children, even those who passed away without participating in the ordinances of Salvation (such and Baptism.) In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint is found the authority of the Priesthood, which is the authority to act in God's name to perform such ordinances, and seal families together for time and all eternity.

Ordinances need to be performed here on Earth. For those who died without those blessings we can go to the Temple and perform these ordinances as proxies for (in the place of) those deceased. They can choose to accept or reject the ordinances we perform.

I thought that I would be proxy for some individuals, and perform some of these ordinances of Salvation during the extra time I had. I was proxy for five individuals. The first name was from Mexico, the second from Peru, the third from France, the fourth was born in Hungary, the fifth was from Germany. Five individuals from across the world.

I appreciated this experience, because it taught me that God bestows His blessings worldwide. There I was in St. George Utah, performing ordinances of salvation on behalf of five deceased brothers from across the world.

I learned that God's love encompasses all Earth and Heaven.

Shining

Just Real Quick I give a tribute to another great quote I learned from Akeela and the Bee:

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous,
talented and fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other
people won't feel insecure around you.

We were born to make manifest the glory of
God that is within us.

It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine,
we unconsciously give other people
permission to do the same.

As we are liberated from our own fear,
Our presence automatically liberates others.

—Marianne Williamson

"Everyone is as Special as Me"

This is a Just Real Quick quote by C.S. Lewis:

I would prefer to combat the “I’m special” feeling not by the thought “I am no more special than anyone else,” but by the feeling “Everyone is as special as me” (Letters, p. 20).

I hope that becomes true of all of us, that we realize "Everyone is as special as me." I am one of the many choice children of God. As we come to realize that our outlook on life changes and we begin to see the bigger picture. We see that we as inviduals can work together and do miraculous things. As C.S. Lewis goes on to state that all of us are "part of the body of Christ." We special individuals can focus our potential and stregthen others. Working together with the knowledge of who we are encourages us and richly blesses our lives.

"Everyone is as special as me."

I am quite special.

Windows or Bush?

I enjoy looking at homes and deciding what type of things I want my home to have or what sort of thing I don't want to have in my home. Often times I take pictures of the homes I think are interesting.

Here are two such pictures, and these two pictures both taught me an important lesson.



I like comparing these two photos.
Just Real Quick I want you to compare them to yourself.

Which home would you like? Windows or bush?


My choice: The nice big house with the fancy windows.

For me it is not because it is big and magnificent and not because it seems like a rich home. Although those are nice, I would want it because of its doors and windows. It is such a welcoming home, beautiful, and peaceful looking. It would be great to live in a windows home. I would hope to have a home that nothing needs to be hidden or kept out. I want to live a life that can survive a home with loads and loads of windows. (After all nothing is hidden from Heavenly Father anyway.)

I don't want to grow a bush that prevents anyone from coming by and saying hello.

I've learned that God's home has windows. We see into His home through other people, through nature, through prayer, through quiet moments as we think, ponder or read scripture. Sometimes I see into His home most clearly through the simple feelings of peace, comfort and love that the Holy Ghost gives me.

I think there are no bush homes in heaven.

Cereal Thoughts

I eat cereal almost everyday. Seriously, I do.

Milk and cereal possibly are the best inventions in the world. Those two items probably have saved my life many times. Starving moments of a college kid usually are killed by a nice bowl of cereal and milk.

This morning I realized something about cereal that I would like to blog about. I realized that cereal is a thought provoking food.

Thats a weird thought you might be saying to yourself. How can cereal be a thought provoking food? This may not be the case for all of you but this is my Just Real Quick answer...

As I ate my Marshmellow Mateys I all the sudden started thinking. "Today is a good day. I love cereal. I slept so well last night. What do I have going today?" and all the plans I had going started coming together. I thought of my own "Mateys" and friends and realized that Heavenly Father had to be one of my best mates for all He has given me. I was thinking of how I missed being able to play the thought provoking fun games on the back of cereal boxes because mine was in a bag.

I think lots of people have thinking time when they eat cereal.

My thoughts turned to what I had read in The Book of Mormon and how God protected the Sons of Helaman as they "obeyed every word of command with exactness." I wanted to be like them and do the right thing exactly. I felt the spirit encourage me and inspire me all while eating a bowl of cereal.

Each morning these cereal thoughts help my day become better. I am happy knowing that we can feel God's inspiring hand, even through a bowl of kid's cereal.

Cold

This is a post about the cold. Kind of interesting subject that has nothing to do with the awesome weather that we are having at this time I've year, but just real quick I wanted to blog about the cold.

I think the cold is great. Personally I would rather live in a cold area than a hot one. Why? There are many reasons why. I think the biggest reason is that I can always wear more layers or go inside on a cold day and there is not a reciprocal solution when its hot outside.

As well, I absolutely love the snow.

Each snowflake is unique, just like all of us. Every snow storm is majestic to me. Whether it is a blizzard, or the snowfalls with huge snow flakes that come at Christmas time. Its all amazing, and there is good in the cold.

I think surviving the cold is what makes me like it as well. For example, "Did you see that blizzard?" "Yeah, I know, it was crazy, we were out in it for awhile, you don't see that everyday." or "This is nothing, I've been in minus 40 weather, I can survive anything."

The bridge between the death of fall and the life of spring is that cold time of year, winter.

One thing is sure though about cold. Is that it doesn't last forever (unless you are in Antarctica.)

Cold is transitional.

Filled Full

Have you ever filled up your gas tank to full?

What a dumb question that is, we all have.

Have you ever been extremely full that it is painful?

I have.

Well what is it about being filled full that we like so much? Maybe it is the fact that if our vehicles are filled full we don't have to fill them up again for longer amounts of time. Or maybe we don't know when we are going to get to eat such awesome food again, so we stuff our faces and don't stop until its too late.

Well let me, just real quick, switch those two words around.

Fulfilled.

That is not something uncomfortable, painful, or an experience that only happens occasionally. We can feel fulfilled in all we do. Whether it is work, school, family, friends, whatever.

What makes us feel fulfilled?... That is a good question, but I think we are all different and can answer that question on our own. I give it as my opinion though that almost all things we find fulfillment in are found in actions.

I do not feel fulfilled on a rainy day doing nothing. A day sitting around the house does not leave me feeling content.

Do I have a point with this? You might be wondering. These are just real quick thoughts for you. I do have one hope for you though. I hope that you will...

Be filled full with fulfillment.

Where am I?

I just moved.

Last night I woke up in the middle of the night and the first thought that came to mind was "Where am I?!" My heart was racing a little bit and I was ready to attack anything that would jump out at me. I did not know where I was and it frightened me.

I eventually calmed down and realized where I was. I was home, I was happy, I was in my new room, and I was at peace with it.

This experience got me thinking and just real quick I would like to share some of my thoughts with you.

Where am I? That is a profound question. Where am I?

Am I doing good? Do I have a plan for my life? Am I afraid for the future or am I at peace with the assurance that I know where I am? Or am I lost?

Peace and happiness come to us as we remember the answer. Where are we?

I hope we are all able to know where we are and what we stand for. I hope we have goals that help us stretch. If we do ever feel lost or afraid let us trust in the Lord, remember him, and once again have the assurance and peace that we are in the Lord's hands and He has a plan for us.

One day when we pass on and are no longer here on Earth. I hope we answer the question: "Where am I?" with this one word.

Home.

Change

What a glorious thing change is.

I am happy that that is truth. I love change. I love a day where it starts out snowy and by mid day the sun is shining bright. I love that we do not always remain children but rather we grow and develop into people, friends, mentors, and adults.

Life is meant to change.

Boy changes to man, Girl to woman, young to old, fat to skinny (and sometimes the reverse), Sin turns to repentance and forgiveness, Saddness to happiness, doubt changes to faith.

Today I decided to change and started a blog. Maybe we can all change as a result.