journaling

One of my best friends Amanda gave me a charming little journal from martadesigns a few years ago for my birthday. I flipped through some of my old entries. I love how simple it is:

dear diary

today

sunday, 19 april 2009

i love the smell of

fresh laundry

i love the sound of

my dad's voice

i love the taste of

lemon cookies

i love the sight of

open fields

i love the feel of

chapstick on my lips

I'm not that great at writing in my real journal. Sometimes when my mind is thinking about many different things, I like to write down in my journal all my thoughts. Usually when I go back and read these entries, I'm embarrassed for myself and feel like I sound crazy and want to rip out those pages. If I were writing in my journal now, this is some of what I would write:

• I need to read books more often. I actually think I read more for fun while in school.
• It really wasn't a lucky break to not have to take any math in college. Wish I knew some statistics.
• Modern Family is surprisingly hilarious. Phil's my favorite.
• Brad has a great family. It's no wonder he's so great.
• My prayers are always heard. I can think of multiple things that have happened in the past few weeks that prove it. I am loved.
• Grapefruit do funny things when dropped out the car window while going 80. Try it.
• I really admire my sister and brothers.
• I would visit Chile every year if I could. Better, I'd own a house there.
• Parts of Arizona snow. A lot. And it's pretty.

[Prescott, Arizona]

valentines

When was the last time I made a valentine- third grade, perhaps? Well, this Valentine's Day was special:

 And then I got some of these, amongst other things:

the family: a proclamation to the world

This is Wordle. I copy and pasted the text from the family proclamation in both english...

 and español.

happy sunday

All good things require effort. 

That which is worth having will cost part of your physical being, your intellectual power, and your soul power. Let us ever keep in mind that life is largely what we make of it.

President David O. McKay

my deepest fear

Sometimes it's not good for me to look at blogs. I was sickies today and took off early from work, so I spent a lot of time blog stalking in bed. I love looking at blogs. I look at yours and I look at blogs of people I've never met but wish I could be friends with. I also look at blogs of people I used to be friends with and am afraid to speak to anymore. But sometimes it's just not good for me to look at them. Do you ever feel like you're the most un-talented, most un-interesting, most un-fascinating person you've ever met? That's how I feel when I look at your blogs and the blogs of people I wish were my friends and the blogs of people I've let slide away as friends. Today I was looking at some profiles of people on mormon.org. I love that people create profiles on that site. I love looking at them and watching their videos and then searching for their blogs to learn more about their incredible stories. And then that idea slips into my head again that I'll never be that caliber of a person and that I would have nothing to write my own profile about.


I'm trying not to do that.


And then I read this:


"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, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. 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

[Want something else lovely to read? Read this.]