A Snapshot of My Life

Good morning!

My sister, Itsy, is an inspiration to me: here is her blog.  She recently did a post that was essentially a snapshot of her life and I loved the idea, so I am going to copy it with my own snapshot.

SEEING:  Brown, brown, everywhere I look, why is it that I feel so colorly forsook?

MAKING: A better me.  I have some time to devote to personal development now and I am trying not to waste it.

COOKING: No, just wishing I could cook…I miss that form of creation…

DRINKING: Water, lots and lots of water, (you’ve got to stay hydrated…), good thing it is my favorite beverage too!

READING: I am reading a lot of information about how to be a better Officer and about how the Department of Defense is organized because I am enrolled in Joint Professional Military Education Phase 1.  For my leisurely reading (which I still don’t have a lot of time for, interestingly enough) I am currently reading “Liars and Outliers” by Bruce Schneier which is a non-fiction book about the role of trust within our society and how security systems enable trust.

HEARING: Engines roaring, clocks ticking, water dripping, people murmuring (there seems to be a barrage of that lately), but also the sound of Freedom, the solitude of personal space, and the opportunities that abound all around me.

WANTING: To serve, to uplift, to inspire; not for my personal recognition but because I know that God loves everyone around me and I want to serve Him better

LOOKING: For ways to be better at my job and with my family, for opportunities to befriend and to strengthen

PLAYING: With growing a mustache…for my son because otherwise why would I want to look so ridiculous?

WASTING: I wonder how many people would say time if given this question?  That is the first thing that popped into my head: I feel like I am wasting time.  Also, it may be the conservationists around me since we purify our own water and generate our own electricity, but I am recently concerned about wasting water and energy.

UNDERSTANDING: That I am weak on my own and am nothing without the help of my dear Father in Heaven

WISHING: My boys would stop growing up so fast!

TOUCHING: I recently told my wife how much she means to me using the words from a song, and that was really touching to me

ENJOYING: The Sabbath day!  I love it!

WAITING: “You can get so confused that you’ll start in to race down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space, headed, I fear, toward a most useless place. The Waiting Place…”

PLANNING: A trip, with my love, which will be an adventure and I am SO looking forward to it!

LIKING: Personal time, technology that keeps me connected with family, and ice cream, of course there has to be ice cream

WONDERING: Where am I headed next?  What is the next thing I should be preparing for? How do I become better at taking care of the people I work with?  Am I using my time wisely?

LOVING: The case study on the effects of attitude that I am currently witnessing first-hand

HOPING: That my present efforts and use of my time help me to succeed in the next stage of my life and really are the best use of my time

HATING: Not being close to my family, also living so far away from each other

NEEDING: Right now all I need is to draw closer to my Savior, all of my other needs are well met and I am happy!

SMELLING: Mmmmm, I love the smell of burning trash in the morning, it is the best way to wake up (that was sarcasm by the way)

WEARING: A comfortable pair of flip-flops–why do my feet rejoice at a comfortable pair of flip-flops?

LEARNING: I love to learn!  Whether it is the current topics of my JPME lessons (until recently it was about the ADIA decision framework, now it is policy analysis…I never thought that I would actually enjoy a history lesson on the changes brought about by the Goldwater-Nichols act), how the IT Purchase Request process works, the parables of our Savior, the lessons from General Conference and the Scriptures, the intricacies of Network and Security technologies, or how to make better use of my gym time—I love to learn!

TEACHING: I recently taught a class on what is IPv6, but I was also teaching recently about the Law of the Fast and the importance of the Sabbath Day

NOTICING: Life is beautiful and full of opportunities, I am constantly noticing this!

TASTING: a stale taste in my mouth, not sure how to describe it, but it has been an hour since I brushed my teeth so hold on and let me get some gum….ah, much better, this one is “Sweet Mint”

THINKING: about true happiness which comes from counting your blessings and serving others rather than from material goods or selfish endeavors

BOOKMARKING: This morning I updated my “General Conference” bookmark since I read another talk from this last April…slowly but surely I will read them all…

OPENING: My understanding how much we are all on the same journey, full of struggle and strife, toward our Heavenly Home and how we have this shared experience on Earth but that each one’s challenges and perspective are unique

LAUGHING: As often as I can, laughter is good for life and for health

FEELING: Busy, but am I doing the right things?  Am I sacrificing what matters most at the expense of the little things in life?

STUDYING: the New Testament, The Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, the Conference Talks, and the Teachings of the Presidents of the Church:Ezra Taft Benson…my personal study is a little disjointed right now…

KNOWING: It will all be okay and that as long as I am doing my best to do what Heavenly Father asks that it will all work out in the end!

Well, that was an interesting experience…

Seek Ye Out Of the Best Books

My beautiful bride suggested that I write about education this week.  Education is definitely one of those things that add to the quality of life.  This is actually a soft spot for me because I love school.

Here is an example of what I mean.  When I was at BYU, I would plan out my schedule of courses several days in advance because I was just so excited to think about what classes I would be taking the next semester.  I would always include 2 or 3 alternatives, just in case the classes I wanted were taken.  I would then get up really early on the day of registration (the web site opened at 0600) and register for all my classes.  I know, I am a geek.

What I want to share is that we need to be excited about education.  I believe that Heavenly Father wants us to get a good education:

“And as all have not faith, seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith.” (D&C 88:118)

We are commanded in this verse to do our best to learn.  We need to study “out of the best books” which most certainly includes the scriptures but also includes many diverse topics of secular understanding.  We also need to learn by study and by faith–meaning that we need to exert our best efforts and also rely on the Spirit to guide us in our educational pursuits.

Joseph Smith taught, “Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection.  And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come.” (D&C 130:18-19).  In other words, the more we learn, the better off we are.

In this life of struggle, we need to learn as much as we can in order to provide for ourselves and our families.  It used to be that a high school diploma was enough to secure employment for a lifetime.  However, the world has changed and it is becoming increasingly more important to get at least a Bachelor’s degree.  This degree should not only give us good skills to provide for our physical needs (in other words, to help us become gainfully employed) but the value of such an education goes beyond the job market.  With such an exposure to a wide variety of ideas, there are a number of things we gain as we seek education:

• Better communication skills (writing and speaking)
• Improved ability to work well as part of a team
• A wider comprehension of the world around us (I am a big proponent of General Education requirements)
• A better grasp of what it means to be a contributing member of society
• Increased ability to learn

Plus many other benefits that go beyond a pay check.  In any case, education should be a lifetime objective.  Even after we finish our formal degree we should continue to seek education.  Read a new book every month or so.  Take a class from work or from the Community College from time to time.  Ask a mentor to teach you a new skill.  Do some research on the Internet.  Don’t ever lose that zeal for learning.

I want to give you a homework assignment.  Read Pres. Uchtdorf’s excellent talk about education from the Priesthood Session of the October 2009 General Conference and share with me your thoughts on education.  What do you think?