Wednesday, May 6, 2009

5-06-09

I have not been on a very good schedule so my studies have been sporadic. We went to Idaho falls for 3 days for groceries and to visit family, and my husbands schedule is changing again so I have not been home much(plus I got my fishing license for the year so we have been at the lake!)
I am going to my 3rd piano lesson today and I am ready because I have been able to practice about an hour each day. I am already on page 65 and have learned two hand positions, 4 chords, and am learning sharps now. I like the music that is in my life. I hope to continue progressing quickly so I can be composing music to put with the Lyrics that I am studying on how to write. I have pondered and pondered about what my message will be with my music. I feel like I want to bear my testimony to the youth and help them be stronger. I am not sure if I need to specify this, or go with that as my base. I feel like there is more for me to find out before I can specify it any further. I will keep on learning and growing in music until I know what my next step will be. I have a mentor that is helping me on this path. He is very inspirational in the things that he is doing with his life and for others. His website is www.ericproffitt.com . I recommend everyone see what he is doing and support him. His mission is to free the captive. I was listening to a speech given by Oliver DeMille about the Depth Phase. He said there are 5 or 6 main missions that everyone fits into, and that other missions are just co-missions that fit within these 5 or 6 main ones. The ones I remember are 1. freeing the captive, 2. giving knowledge to the ignorant, 3. sharing beauty through the arts, 4. bringing peace to the lonely, 5. feeding the hungry,6. healing the sick. I don't know if I remember them right, but I have been pondering which mission is mine because Dr. DeMille said everyone has one of these missions. My Dad tells me often that I bring him peace with my voice. I've wondered if I can bring peace, share knowledge, and and share beauty. Is that presumtuous to think that I can have more that one mission? Can one mission spread into other missions? I don't know. I have more to learn and to ponder.
I read O Pioneers! and did not like it very much. Parts of it were troubling, and it was not very deep thinking. I remembered that I had read it before, and now I remember why it was not a book that I thought everyone else should read. I find this strange though because the reason I read it was because my good friend Kellie wrote an essay on it that intrigued me. She makes everything sound like it needs to be read though. She is the reason I also read The Scarlet Pimpernel, and Alas Babylon both of which were excellent reads.
I am in the middle of rearranging our bookshelves and making them more leadership style. I am also going through our endless binders and getting rid of ones we don't absolutely have to have. I have given boxes of books away to the local charity so that the only ones on our shelves are the ones I love, or are hoping to fall in love with. Many of them are ones I have not read yet but I think they will be good so I am keeping them until I can find out.
I have been reading about fishing for trout. We have not had any luck yet so I am thinking that it is not the lack of luck we are having but a lack of knowledge. When I was a kid I remember doing fine with fishing but I think that was because my Dad knew what he was doing - not me. I quizzed my Father-in-Law out of what he knew so I have a beginning now. I found out that my leaders were made of too heavy a line, and that I was fishing the wrong spots in the stream. I bought some new fishing tackle and am making new leaders in the new way that I have learned.

2 comments:

  1. When Will Cather spoke about O Pioneers! she said that she purposely wrote things vague and seemingly surface. She wanted people to be able to form opinions about the issues she wrote about with as little influence from her as possible. She said that she wrote this book with the intention that only those who really did the hard thinking to learn the lessons, for the others it was just a good story. That is how I approached it and I guess I should have told you too. I agree with you that the book is not for everyone, it is not a book for youth, and that some of it is a little disturbing, but I thought that she treated them in a very classy way. I am sorry that you didn't like it. I will be more careful in my recommendations from now on. I am glad that you liked the Scarlet Pimpernel and Alas Babylon. Maybe we could find some time to discuss the book, if you would like.

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  2. I believe that all of the 'Missions' roll into one. You may lead with one, like our energies, but they work together.I believe that as you focus on the one, the receiver will be blessed with the benefits of the others. Your are right on with bringing peace as your mission. It is a gift of yours.

    As far as reaching to the youth, I don't think you could be more correct. This year a new Value was added to Personal progress, it is Virtue. It is an all encompassing sort of value that is so important for the youth to "return" to. Just a thought on a focus for your music. Here is a link for the Virtue Insert, http://www.lds.org/pa/yw/pdf/YW_2009_PersonalProgressVirtue_08255_eng_.pdf maybe to give some ideas. The whole goal for the MIA program in the church is to prepare the youth to be worthy for the temple. Let me know if you want some ideas of what they need to hear, working with them for only a few months my eyes have been opened to a lot of things they are in need of.

    I am so happy that you are doing piano lessons and learning about fishing! I am so proud of you for doing things for yourself, and ultimately they are things that your boys will learn and grow from and especially love!

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