Between four years of seminary, many years of Sunday school, and preaching the gospel for two years, I have seen my fair share of church videos. There is one particular video called The Last Leaf. It is a story about a girl that is sick and about to die. She finds motivation to keep fighting as she looks out her window and sees a dying vine. She decides that she can make it as long as it still has leaves.
When I visited my family for Christmas, my dad told me of something that reminded me of this video. He told me that in our garden there was one rose that had survived the recent wind storms, and cold winter weather. When everything logical says it should have been long gone, it wasn't.
In many ways this flower is like my mom. When the winter winds, and the cold times have come, she keeps hanging on. Like this flower, she is a symbol of a great life, and one that continues to bless all those that see her. It's been a rough year, but one that I am very glad we have had. I look forward to many many more!
I have posted The Last Leaf below for anyone interested.
Deep down I believe it is a universal truth that everyone wants to be happy. In fact, the pursuit of happiness is listed as an unalienable-right in the Declaration of Independence. Not as universal is the way we attempt to pursue that happiness, and it is truly a pursuit.
Too many of us are not happy in having something, but having more of it than someone else. Instead of reaching to new heights, they are busy putting others down. They look forward to something in the future, when I can drive I'll be happy, when I can date I'll be happy, when I'm in college, when I graduate, when I'm married, when I can retire, the list goes on and on.
Happiness is not a destination, but a way of life. Somebody will always have more than you, and while you are busy putting others down, you will never be able to look up and enjoy the view at the top. The time to be happy is now.
Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today. -James Dean
So are you happy yet? Wouldn't it be nice if it were that easy? Like I said earlier, happiness is truly a pursuit. It takes work, and it takes a different way of thinking.
The happiest people don't have the best of everything, they just make the best of everything.
I first thing I have found is that the times I am happiest are not when I am comparing myself to others, but when I am serving them. When I am trying to make someone else's day, mine instantly becomes better. It is the times I am helping pull someone up, not putting them down, that are the most rewarding. The view from the top is a lot more fun when you have someone to share it with.
I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day. -E.B. White
The second thing is to have an attitude of gratitude. Instead of always wanting more, are we grateful for what we already have? We are SO blessed! If we really stop to think about it, we have so much. The following videos can portray my thoughts much better than I could ever write them.
As we strive to follow these two simple things, service and gratitude, we will be well on our way to pursuing happiness. The road will not always be easy, there will be roadblocks, traffic jams, crashes, and many other obstacles. But as we focus on what we can control, and make the best of it, we will find ourselves much further along the path than we ever imagined.
There are always two choices, two paths to take. One is easy, and that is its only reward.
I stepped onto the cold, muddy field. Puddles had begun to form, I could see my breath. People who could not normally care less turned their eyes toward the football field. I heard my name being called out, there was a frenzy that had rarely been seen before.
I had arrived, Mr. Quarterback, it had a nice ring to it. But I didn't have time to dwell, the time was now! Game clock started, it was the first play. I yelled orders to my team. Hike! It was like a roar, a battle-cry coming from my lips. My team began to run their routes, the other team was rushing. I scrambled, narrowly avoided their grasp, set my feet and let it fly.
The ball spiraled toward the end-zone in a way that would have made David of old, and his slingshot, proud. I heard a collective gasp, they had never seen such a pass, TOUCHDOWN!
The crowd wanted more, there was no way they were going to let me leave the field. All-time QB they pleaded. I graciously accepted. I began to lead the opposing team down the field. Slants, posts, even running it a time or two, another touchdown!
In the space of 15 minutes I had 8 touchdown passes, and 1 rushing touchdown. Then the bell rang and recess was over. We lined up and went inside, but the mud on our shoes, and each squishy step they made, reminded us of the magic we felt that day.
It has been a while since the last time I blogged. In that time I was able to do something I had always wanted to do, go skydiving.
How many people say they would love to do something like this, and then how many actually do it? When I was given the opportunity I had to take it. My brother sent me a message saying he knew some people that were going, and wondered if I was interested. I sat there for about five seconds, and then I said yes and never looked back. In those five seconds I discovered that it is a lot easier to say you want to do something, than to actually do it.
I was so excited, but it never quite felt real. I figured the second I stepped out on to the edge of the plane I would get freaked out, but even that didn't scare me. It was the thrill of a lifetime! The closest way I can describe it would be sticking your head out a car window driving 120 mph. Except it's your whole body, and instead of cars passing by you get to see the earth get closer and closer.
It was a free-fall for about a minute. Then we pulled the parachute and got to float around for a couple of minutes. I would do it again in a second. Just getting to fly around in the little plane and see the beautiful Utah landscape and mountains was beautiful.
We didn't get any good pictures of us actually in the air, but here is a picture of four of us pre-jump.
Since then I have also done a few other things I have always wanted to do. I bought my very own bowling ball, and look forward to getting it this week! In my excitement I bowled my first over 200 game on Friday. I got six strikes in a row to start, and ended up with a score of 215.
