To Serve, To Love, To Teach

Hello, I'm back! Well sort of :)

Although I started this blog for my photography business, life has taken a few interesting turns, so my photography will be put on hold for a little while. Despite giving up my camera and discontinuing my "word-of-mouth" advertising, I felt the need to type up at least one more blog post before I disappear for 18 months. Why? Well...because I'd like to talk about what is so important that it could keep me from photography.

As most (if not all) of you know, I have chosen to serve an 18 month mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. This means that I will be packing 2 suitcases containing a few skirts, blouses, and scriptures, leaving behind the majority of my worldly possessions, as well as my friends and family, and flying to a land that I have never been to, in order to teach and serve a group of people I have never met. Sounds a bit intimidating doesn't it? At least it does to me. To be perfectly honest, I'm scared out of my mind. But at the same time, I couldn't be more excited. I'm excited to meet new people, to be a part of a different culture, and to face the adventures that await me.

Most importantly though, I am excited to teach what I know to those who do not yet possess the same knowledge. In the New Testament  in the book of St. Matthew, it says that Jesus taught, "Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven" (Matt. 5:14-16). In other words, if you have a light, or a knowledge, get out there and share it. It's cruel to leave people in the dark. Besides, when you have something truly wonderful (like a warm blanket) it's in your nature to want to share it with the people you love (wouldn't want your friends and family freezing to death now would we ;] ).That is why I have made the decision to serve a mission. I want to show others the light that I have found through Christ, so that they may stop stumbling through the darkness of this world.

I can hardly wait to reach out to people who are not aware that they are children of God; to tell them of their divine inheritance and eternal destiny. I want to share the joy that I feel knowing that death is not the end, and that love truly can withstand the test of time. Life has a purpose. And everyone has the right to know what it is.


That is why I am serving a mission.

To serve.
To love.
To teach.

That is why I am giving up photography.

But don't you worry. I'll be back soon enough ;)

Thanks-Skipping

I have a close friend who absolutely loathes the fact that everyone seems to skip right over the top of Thanksgiving. To be perfectly honest, it has always bothered me very little. Until I realized WHAT we as a society are skipping over.

When you think of Thanksgiving, what exactly do you think of? The first thing that comes to my mind is Thursday. A bit odd I'm sure, but it's true. This thought is followed closely by the colors of autumn leaves and images of a great feast. For many people football and Black Friday deals quickly drown out all thoughts of food and family. But how many people think about being thankful? Or take time to remember the original Thanksgiving feast between the Pilgrims and the Indians? Certainly not the department stores that have Christmas decorations and music up and playing November 1st.

There's certainly no crime in Christmas, football, or screaming deals. The problem is selfishness. Ever Googled "Black Friday deaths and injuries?" There is no shortage of stories. People are trampled, crushed, pepper sprayed, and on some occasions, even shot- just because someone else simply couldn't miss out on a good deal. All of this the day after Thanksgiving. Devastating.

This week I've been trying extra hard to focus on the things I'm thankful for, and less time focusing on other things. So here's a list of a few of the things I am most thankful for:

1- My Family. They have their weird little quirks, but what family doesn't? I love them more than anything in my life and don't know what I would do without all the love and support they offer me in everything I do.

2- My friends. I've heard it said that friends are the family you choose. The same can be said for these guys as for my blood relatives. They are great examples to me, and always take the time to lift me up when I'm feeling low.

3- The roof over my head. Having a home is something that I often take for granted. There are so many people in the world who don't have a warm place to sleep at night or a safe place to go when the weather gets rough. I may not live in a luxurious mansion, with hot tubs, heated sidewalks, and walk-in closets, but I have soft pillow to rest my heavy head on at night, and shelter from the harsh elements of mother nature, and that's good enough for me.

From the gift of my sight, to the warmth of my home, my "Gratitude List" could go on for days. I just don't always remember. So in all of the holiday excitement, the rush of sports and shopping, as well as the fantastic feasts, let's not forget what this time of year is really all about - giving thanks, rather than skipping it.

A Mother's Wisdom

I recently found myself at one of those crossroads we often stubble upon in life. For once, I actually knew which way to go without a second thought. Little did I know of the many challenges this road would bring. You see, I belong to a Christian church that recently made adjustments to the missionary ages, which now allows me to serve an 18 month mission sooner rather than later. While I've never been more excited, I'm a month and a half into my preparation, and I've already been bombarded with more challenges than I could have possibly imagined.

One of the seemingly smaller difficulties that has presented itself, has done perhaps too good of a job reminding me of a lesson I learned as a child. Growing up, my mother was very fond of hanging meaningful quotes ALL over the house; from the refirgerator to the front door words of wisdom hung as gentle reminders of the lessons she would teach. One of the quotes (the one from the front door) has been resounding in my mind as I have been preparing. "Don't give up what you want most, for what you want at the moment."

As you may remember from my last blog post, I am a music fanatic, and one of the instruments I have picked up through the years is guitar. I own a beautiful Fender Squier I have lovingly dubbed "Autumn." She is my baby. This guitar has extra special meaning to me, for she was a high school graduation/birthday gift from my mother.

Okay, so what does a guitar have to do with a religious mission, and a mother who put quotes up all over her home? I promise it all ties together.

For my Mother, who loves pink and sunrises.

Missions are not inexpensive things. And although my family is willing to support me, I feel a deep need to be as financially independent as I can. My typical job is a nice place to start, and having a photography business on the side certainly doesn't hurt, but it only scratches the surface. Since it has come to my attention that while serving a mission, I will have little need for the majority of my belongings, I have begun sifting through them creating piles, and filling boxes. I have things to sell, things to give away, and things to store until my return home. My guitar is the one item in my possession that I have not been able to categorize. Should I sell it? Or should I let her sit for 18 months unused, and useless sitting in some dusty corner?

"Don't give up what you want most for what you want at the moment." How much do I want to keep this specific guitar? Quite a bit. But how much do I want to go on a mission, serve people, and lose myself in the Lord? Even more. Sure this guitar means a lot to me, it reminds me of my mother. But my mother had a saying, "People are more important that things." Though this guitar is important to me, so are the people I will soon be serving. And I don't need a guitar to remind me of my mothers love, because she gave me something so much greater and long lasting - her wisdom.

Musical Mood Swing

In case you don't know me, let me tell you something about myself. I am one of those people that is always singing. And when I say always, I mean ALWAYS. Even if I'm not actually singing, I hum, whistle, and play lyrics and melodies over and over in my mind. A friend of mine once commented to me that I'm like a walking jukebox. She was probably a bit disappointed to find that I don't actually have an "off" switch. Though occasionally I wish that I did, music is such a big part of my life I don't mind too much.

Music is a powerful thing. It conveys messages such as love, anger, grief, and excitement. It can change the mood of a room, movie, or person with just a few simple chords. If you really think about it, there are few things in the world that hold as much influential power over the hearts and minds of the human race as music does. It took me a while to realize just how much music does to me. For a long time I was under the impression that my mood controlled my music. If I was angry, I would listen to my angry songs, if I was in a party mood, I'd pull out my exciting, jump up and down, happy songs, etc, etc. Until the other week. I was driving home from work. It had been a wonderful day, full of laughter and productivity. I'd helped a lot of people, gotten all of my tasks for the day completed, and I still had plenty of time to myself once I got home. I was floating. It was simply a wonderful day. When suddenly, harsh notes and angry words started pouring through the sound system and seeping out the open windows of my little car. A discomforting feeling washed over me. So I reached for my MP3 player to change the song, something to better fit my current mood. But as my thumb rested on the "Next" symbol, another car pulled up beside mine. They had the same type of music blasting through their windows. I felt a surge of competition pulse through me. My thumb moved from the "Next" symbol to the "Volume Up" button as my cheerful feelings from the moment before melted away. Driving the rest of the way home I found myself to be irritable and frustrated with every other driver on the road. As I pulled into my driveway I wondered what had been the cause of my sudden mood swing. I felt pretty ridiculous once I figured it out.

Music is truly remarkable. It floods our world, its in every culture, on every continent, in every raindrop, in the beat of every heart. Perhaps the reason I love music so much is that it says things that words alone could never convey. The music I listen to defines who I am. But what if I don't want to be angry? I think it's time to take out the trash, sift out the music that defines someone else. So next time I'm on the road I won't have to worry about that angry song ruining my happy mood, and I'll be one step closer to the person I want to become.

Animal Crackers & Gold Fish

I live with several small children in my home, who often refer to me as their older sister. I watch them play with each other and the friends they have over, and observe how they practically pounce on any visitor, no matter the age, who comes in the front door. "Do you want to play with us?" they chime. When they get in a fight or one of them gets hurt, tears fall, apologies are exchanged, and in mere moments laughter and happiness resumes.

Some times I envy how simple their lives are and I can't help but think, wouldn't it be wonderful if we could go back in time, and see through the eyes of our childhood? To see the dandelions as a royal garden, a pile of empty boxes as a great fortress, and every person we meet, our newest best friend. Children have an innocence that young adults often strive to destroy from with in themselves, and grown ups often forget they ever had. But what if we could go back? Back to when our hardest decision was picking out a crayon color, or deciding if we wanted animal crackers or gold fish for our daily snack. Back to when the world was at our feet, and we had all the love in the world to give.

Unfortunately, we'll never be able to go back. But that doesn't stop us from going forward with the same light in our eyes we used to carry so easily. We all have to grow older, look for jobs, pay the bills, and make choices that would have boggled our younger minds, but that doesn't stop us from finding the joy in the little things. It's so easy to get wrapped up in our crazy lives we often miss the little things that are most precious. It takes effort to remember to stop and smell the flowers. It can be very difficult befriending a rude co-worker. Sure you don't have to smell the flowers, watch a sunset, or make a new friend, but wouldn't it make life so much more enjoyable? I know that'd I'd rather go to work with a friend then with an enemy. The choice lies with in me. Will I view the world with the loving eyes of a child, or will I look at it through the bitter eyes of someone who already has too much to do? It truly is a choice as simple as animal crackers or gold fish.

Eat Your Veggies First

Why does it seem that just as life offers a moment of joy, we are suddenly bombarded with struggles? A failed exam, a flat tire, a sleepless night, or loneliness; simple things that add up to so much more. Especially if those little things are accompanied by the larger trials in life, such as a money crisis, illness, or loss of a loved one. Why must these things happen to us?

There's this song I know, called "Stones in a River." The name of the artist escapes me at the moment, but the lyrics are another thing entirely. "Like stones in a river we are tossed and turned when the current moves so strong. Like stones in a living water over time are shaped until the edges are gone." In other words, the struggles we face in life are what make us who we are.

I have yet to meet anyone who actually enjoys going through a trial, but how many of us actually ENJOYED eating nasty vegetables as a kid? Perhaps it's not the perfect analogy, but the concept is very much the same. I'd eat a cookie over a carrot any day of the week when I was little. Yet my parents insisted that I swallow my pride, and my spinach before I could have a single taste of something sweet. Now days I sometimes find myself on my knees asking the Lord, "Please, can't I just have the good stuff?" Of course, I still end up with a metaphorical plate of spinach. There are several things I could do with that spinach. I could complain about it, or throw a temper-tantrum and cry, "Why don't I ever get what I want?!" Or I could swallow my pride, and my spinach like a good little girl, and keep an eye out for my next treat.

Trials aren't amazing and wonderful. They aren't usually a piece of cake, and they're certainly not something I look forward to. If they were they wouldn't be called trials. But perhaps they're better for me than I realize. As Kelly Clarkson said, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, stand a little taller..." or as my parents said when I was a kid, "Eat your veggies first." I may not have known WHY I had to eat that nasty plate of spinach, but looking back now, its much easier to see how it helped me grow.

Always Have a Flashlight

Today was just like any ordinary day, in any ordinary life. I got up, got ready for the day, and went to a regular old job. When I came home, I ate food, read a bit of Victor Hugo's, "Les Mierables," and hopped online to check facebook. Like I said, pretty ordinary.

But I've been thinking lately, what defines ordinary? According to Dictionary.com, ordinary is defined as something of, "no special quality or interest." Now what I want to know is who's job is it to decide that something is of, "no special quality or interest?" Who decided that was even possible? If you ask me, nothing and no one is truly ordinary. 

Take a cliff for example. There are so, so many mountains, and cliffs, plateaus, and buttes in this world that few people give them much thought, "Oh look... another cliff....." (unless of course you've never seen a cliff before). But (assuming you have seen cliffs) take a moment, look at one cliff and think, "There's not a single cliff in the world that looks exactly like this one." It is slightly silly (let's be honest) but at the same time, rather awe inspiring. By that one thought, you have taken a seemingly ordinary object, and turned it into something extraordinary.

I suppose what it all boils down to is perspective. Anything can be dull if looked at in poor lighting. All you have to do is shine a light on it. In the right lighting something plain will transform into a thing of sheer beauty, right before your eyes. So keep your eyes open, and always have a flashlight :)