Somewhere to be From

Recall those boisterous moments,
the many that come before quill inks parchment
just after an artist has stepped
out of the motions of life.
His mind's eye newly woken
is blurredly rolling
in search of inspiration.
The stream of everyday
looks mashed in waves crashing passed
the gentle
but somewhat hasty current of memory.
And so he waits
curving lines upon letters
to sift the stars among the sand.
Cleaning crusty excess from what might be a gem,
an aurora of mental possibility
finally filed down to a more narrow channel
still not perfect but definitely more manageable,
clear crystal reveals a blank landscape
his quiet place inside
which, lacking all else,
is a place to begin.

Just a Beggar

I was just reading in Mosiah where King Benjamin reminds his people that we are commanded to impart freely of our substance one to another. If someone asks us for something we give it to them; we don't question whether they deserve it or who's fault it is that they are in such a predicament. From the perspective of Christ's atonement and our Father's mercy we stand no more deserving than the next guy. The only questions I should probably ask myself is "Will this help?" or "What could I do that would help more?."**

While reflecting on this inspired counsel, I wonder could I live in such a way that I am willing to give freely, faithful in the promise that the needs of myself and my family will be provided for? As a full-tithe paying member of the church I have such a promise, and when the Lord has provided for my needs I am very much accountable for the needs of others. As to deciding how and whom to give to, my dad once told me about a man who approached him for money while he was sitting in his car. My dad, thinking of the probability that he would waste or misuse the money on drinks or drugs or any number of things, declined. Then the man asked again, if somewhat irreverently, "In the name of Jesus give me some money." With that, my dad handed him the cash he asked for. He later related to me that regardless if the money was used for evil or wasted purposes, there was no way that my father could be frowned upon for fulfilling a request made in the Lord's name. In the same spirit, I think it is a better policy to give freely until constrained by the spirit than to withhold our means until explicitly told to give.


**slightly irrelevant aside: When I see a guy holding an "Anything Helps" sign on the corner, I've always wanted to stop and give him one of my sets of juggling balls. It only takes 3 hours to learn how to juggle and it changes "that bum always begging for money outside of Food Maxx" into "That dude you always see juggling on the corner, gee he's getting pretty good, I always tell my kid to drop a dollar in his hat when we walk by." My brother and I have often collected donations even by accident while we were just practicing while waiting for our ride to show up. If we had no job and time to sit by a sign, that is precisely what we would and have in a sense done.

President Packer

Okay, I know that I've been at it for two hours now and I promised myself I would stop, but I was reading the archives again and instantly stumbled into one of my favorite quotes of all time by President Boyd k. Packer: "My message is to our young people. We have great concern for young people who grow up without values on which to base their conduct. I have long believed that the study of the doctrines of the gospel will improve behavior quicker than talking about behavior will improve behavior." That's it! That is the reason why I have not become a sociologist or a philosopher or, when taking those classes, had much concern for all of the moral dilemmas and paradoxes thrust at me in volumes. It's not that I don't have respect for what Kant and Hume and all of them were trying to do, but really, when you get right down to it we have all the answers we need in the gospel and if we ever come to something where we don't have the answer, the answer is pray about it and ask the prophet if what you're thinking is right. Then Pray about it again. Then Act on it, and Pray about it Again. Repeat, etc. I love President Packer for being so to the point. And me, for being not so to the point.

Silent Remedy

During times of stress, I find enjoyment in seeking out those quiet little moments in the day that often we overlook or take for granted. Sometimes driving home at night after a long day at work I'll turn off the radio and the cd player, and drive home in the dark in quiet contemplation. Or, I'll wait until I reach my house then turn off the engine lights and just sit there in complete silence for a couple minutes. It's like sitting in a soundproof box; there is nothing like soaking up the silence and darkness before confronting the noise of the home that I love so very much. In a world of television, movies, washing machines, ticking clocks, and buzzing electric lights, sometimes a moment of silence is more precious than all the time in the world.

Brief Reflection

I have to say that all this writing for no other reason than self growth and satisfaction has become enormously fun. Albeit thus far I've pretty much done nothing but reflect on gospel lessons, just about writing the equivalence of a sacrament meeting talk- but I guess there are worse ways to spend one's time. Now that I'm getting back into the habit of actually waking up in the morning, and this cold has almost worn off, maybe I can start writing more poetry and reflections of the everyday. Material considered more traditionally recreational might get my head odd the pillow and a bit more up in the clouds.