Monday, May 18, 2015

Wipe Away All Tears

I read this verse today and it made my heart feel light:

"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away."

Revelation 21:4

Can you imagine a state of being without death, sorrow, and pain? For some reason, I can. Maybe because there are places I have been and moments in my life where I have been relatively free from these things. So in times where I am feeling the death, sorrow, crying, and pain, it is helpful for me to know that if I can do everything I can to live the way our Father has asked us to live, it will be Him and His Son who will now or one day wipe away the tears from my eyes.

-elin
Whose 3-year old just swallowed a dime. True story.

Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Spiders and Gossamer Threads and Reaching




A NOISELESS, patient spider, 
I mark’d, where, on a little promontory, it stood, isolated; 
Mark’d how, to explore the vacant, vast surrounding, 
It launch’d forth filament, filament, filament, out of itself; 
Ever unreeling them—ever tirelessly speeding them.         5
  
And you, O my Soul, where you stand, 
Surrounded, surrounded, in measureless oceans of space, 
Ceaselessly musing, venturing, throwing,—seeking the spheres, to connect them; 
Till the bridge you will need, be form’d—till the ductile anchor hold; 
Till the gossamer thread you fling, catch somewhere, O my Soul.

Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass


The first time I read Whitman I wasn't a big fan...but as with many things that I initially disliked, he has grown, grown, grown on me. (This happened with avocados recently and I am so happy that avocados taste delicious to me now. Hello to the world of delicious guacamole!)

I read this poem today and it felt right. I grew up in a family that had been members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for a long time. And in my home and at church, I was taught the scriptures and gospel of Jesus Christ. And at school and with friends and going out into the rest of the world, I was taught and shown a lot of other stuff. The longer I live, the more gossamer threads I fling out, trying to grasp what is right and wrong, what is truth, and what the hey-diddle-day I am supposed to be doing with my time and my life.

I find that I love the quest. Love the reaching. Love the longing for light. I believe that is what we are meant to feel. And in my own experience, everything keeps pointing back to these:

Ephesians 4:11-15
Helaman 5:12

-Elin
Who actually is less scared of spiders than I used to be. A little.