We Love You, President Hinckley

For those who are unaware, our beloved Prophet Gordon B. Hinckley passed away Sunday night. He was also the head of the board of Trustees for BYU. I am grateful that he is able to be with his wife that he missed so much, but sad that I won't get to hear him speak in conference. His talks were always the highlight.

In an earlier post, I addressed the question of whether it is better to do good or be good. President Hinckley's answer is to do both.

"You are good. But it is not enough just to be good. You must be good for something. You must contribute good to the world. The world must be a better place for your presence. And the good that is in you must be spread to others."

-Gordon B. Hinckley, BYU Devotional, 1996 (before my time, of course)

On another note, I was walking on campus today when I saw several "wet paint" signs on a wall that had been recently painted. Why is it people always put the signs right on top of the wet paint? Don't the signs mess up the paint? It confuses me.

You're tied together with a smile, but you're coming undone

Something I've learned recently is that you don't have to have all the answers. Sometimes, I think people forget that.

In my very first MFHD class at BYU, in my family processes class, my professor said that someone didn't want to have a family if there were so many ways you could screw it all up. Dr. Day said, "You can mess it up, but it's better to go through life with a partner than to make mistakes doing it alone." (not a direct quote)

I don't think it means you're in trouble either way, but I do think he was saying that so much potential joy is worth some of the risks. Sometimes it isn't, but I think sometimes it is.

I think I need more culture in my life. Anyone want to see a play with me?

Princess Parking Only (All others will be toad)

Happy New Year, everyone!

I've heard some discrepencies as far as what matters. Some say it is what you do that matters, others say it is what you are that matters. Since I have no clue which one is better, I suppose I should work on both.

I think I understand people a lot less than I thought I did. I thought that people didn't notice things about me, but they did all along and just didn't say anything. Knowing that people do care makes me want to be a better person.

After several months, I have officially declared myself a Marriage, Family, and Human Development major. Hurray! I've been taking classes all along, but it was stil a shock to discover that I only have 6 classes for my major left after this semester. I love being at BYU, and to think of leaving after next year seems way too soon. But then, maybe all steps in our lives are managable. I used to imagine that college courses were really hard, but I'm not confused all the time. Classes are definitely dificult, but they are also manageable. Frequently, I love it. Perhaps having a career in a field I love could turn out the same way.

I used to think that the perfect love in movies was so difficult to find. I mean, how often does a couple that is so perfect find each other, and actually be compatible? And yet it happens. I've taken a number of marriage classes for my major, and I can say that not only was Sarah the most prepared person I've ever seen get married, but Sarah and Kevin are also so perfect for each other. Maybe it can happen after all.

BYU has a free movie theatre on campus that shows foreign films, so I was finally able to see an edited version of Amelie. That movie is amazing. It not only makes you want to fall in love but also convinces you that even if you're strange, there's someone strange (but cute) out there that's perfect for you.

I'd like to make some goals for the new year:

-I'm completely cutting off soda, for now
-eat healthier
-start doing my strength training exercises again
-go to class
-do my reading assignments
-verbalize my emotions instead of bottling them up
-see all the foreign films I can that look good at the international cinema
-start conditioning my hair
-cook real food more
-forgive others more and take offense less

With so many goals, surely something will get done.

Today's happy moments of the day:
-emails from missionaries
-friendly conversations with roommates
-amazing chocolate cake