Spooky Moon

 

I learned a new word last week: paronychia. It’s an inflammation of the skin surrounding a fingernail or toenail due to a bacterial or fungal infection. It can occur after excessive or aggressive manicuring. (Not me. My last real manicure was nearly 12 years ago.) It’s often caused by thumb-sucking, nail-biting, or pulling hangnails. (Also, not me.) It can also be caused by trauma, like when you sew through your own finger. (Okay, that might be me.) My finger started hurting about two weeks ago, but I ignored it. I assumed it was because I’d been practicing the piano more than I usually do. But then the fingertip began to swell. My finger started running its own personal fever. A thin, red line appeared near my wrist, indicating the infection was traveling. I visited the doctor, who drained the site and prescribed antibiotics. And just like that, I felt so much better. What did people do before antibiotics?

Sixteen Hit or Miss Blocks

 

In a New Orleans classroom in 1945, sixteen-year-old Gwendolyn was taught Black people were inferior. She knew it was a lie, and spent her whole life dismantling it. At seventeen, Gwendolyn joined the New Orleans Youth Council. She marched, organized, and was arrested. She kept going. In the 1980s, Hall was conducting research when she opened a ledger from the 18^th century. Inside, she found names of hundreds of enslaved Africans, along with important details: origins, skills, and family relationships. Gwendolyn spent years between archives in Louisiana, France, and Spain, pulling fragments together. She built the Louisiana Slave Database: a searchable record of over 107,000 enslaved individuals, documented by name, ethnicity, occupation, family connection, and place of origin. Gwendolyn Midlo Hall died in 2022 at age 93. She began by refusing to accept a lie told in a classroom. She ended having returned names, histories, and dignity to over a hundred thousand people.

Nine Kitty Cats

 

In 2009, Warren and Maureen Nyerges bought a home in Naples, Florida, using cash. The home was a foreclosure that sold for $165,000. But in 2010, the Bank of America tried to foreclose on the couple. They’d confused Warren and Maureen with the previous owner who’d defaulted on a loan. For months, the Nyerges’ begged the bank to fix their mistake. No one replied to their calls or letters. They were forced to hire a lawyer to get the foreclosure dismissed. The judge ordered the bank to repay over $2,500 in legal fees for the wrongful foreclosure. The bank simply ignored the court order for five more months. That’s when Warren and Maureen showed up at a Bank of America branch with a moving van, two sheriff’s deputies and a writ of execution allowing them to seize the bank’s assets: computers, printers, cash drawers, etc. Within an hour, the bank manager cut them a check for $5772.

Center of Attention

 

“The scriptural phrase ‘come unto me’ is the Savior’s introductory invitation to learn and act in His doctrine and begin a process of spiritual rebirth. The scriptural phrase ‘endure to the end’ is a repeated reminder of the mighty spiritual change in our hearts that should be ongoing throughout our lives; it also is His promise of what we may become if we truly are possessed of the pure love of Christ. The Lord revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith, ‘All thrones and dominions, principalities and powers, shall be revealed and set forth upon all who have endured valiantly for the gospel of Jesus Christ.’ I joyfully witness that each of us, with the Lord’s grace and mercy, can believe all things, hope all things, and endure valiantly all things.” – Elder David A. Bednar

Crazy House

 

A ticket for a single day at Disneyland – without park hopper tickets or Disney Genie Plus – is $184. On opening day in 1955, you could get into Disneyland for just a dollar; 50 cents if you were a child. Of course, tickets for the rides were extra then. But you could pretty much ride everything for under $10 seventy years ago. If a dollar in 1955 would be worth $12.14 today, I guess you could say the price of a Disney trip has more than kept pace with inflation. A day ticket to the Magic Kingdom in Florida is even more: $194. I guess that makes sense. Disneyland covers 85 acres, while the Magic Kingdom is 107. A day at Disneyland Paris is $133 in US dollars. Hong Kong Disneyland is $91, Shanghai Disneyland is $74, and Tokyo Disneyland is only $59. Suddenly it occurs to me – I’ve already visited the three most expensive Disney parks.

Three Strawberries

 

I don’t know who needs to hear this right now, but I do know that someone does. If it’s you, I hope you’ll read these words and come to believe them. If it isn’t, I hope you’ll share them with someone who does. “Your impact on other people is much bigger than you think. Someone still giggles when they think of that funny thing you said once. Someone still smiles when they think of that lovely compliment you gave them that one time. Someone silently admires you. The gentle advice you give has made a difference for people. The support and love you’ve offered has made someone’s day. Your input and your opinions have made someone think twice. You are not insignificant or forgotten. Your existence makes a positive difference, whether you see it or not.” – Author Unknown

Crystal Star

 

When I was in fifth grade, our school librarian read Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to us. We sat on the Persian rug in front of her as she filled our heads with Oompa Loompas, Gobstoppers and Fizzy Lifting Drinks. She told us about the movie that was soon to be released, and we were beyond excited. When the movie finally hit theaters, it was – of course – a disappointment. No movie can hold a candle to the one that runs inside your head while you’re reading the book. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory was released fifty-five years ago this month, which is probably why Murray Arts Council chose to stage the musical now. Tomorrow is opening night, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to perform with an audience. I wholeheartedly recommend seeing this show, or better yet, reading the book. Because as magical as this play is, the one in your head will still be better.