Twenty-five Bright Hopes

 

“‘For they that are wise and have received the truth, and have taken the Holy Spirit for their guide, and have not been deceived—verily I say unto you, they shall not be hewn down and cast into the fire, but shall abide the day.’ – Doctrine and Covenants 45:56-57. Jesus Christ makes it possible for us to ‘abide the day.’ Abiding the day does not mean adding to an ever-increasing to-do list. Think of a magnifying glass. Its sole purpose is not simply to make things appear bigger. It can also gather and focus light to make it more powerful. We need to simplify, focus our efforts, and be gatherers of the Light of Jesus Christ. We need more holy and revelatory experiences.” – Amy A. Wright

Mickey Mouse Throw Pillows

 

A few weeks ago, Heather reminded me that her birthday was coming up. I told her we could have the whole family to dinner, and asked her what she’d like. I figured I was pretty safe. She’d either pick cheeseburgers (which her dad could grill), or cheese pizza (which could be done take-and-bake). She chose Café Rio’s nachos. I looked into catering, but it was very pricey. Treating all sixteen of us at the restaurant would be even worse. So, I decided to do it all at home: I found copycat recipes online for sweet pork barbacoa, cilantro-lime rice, and Café Rio salad dressing. Just so I wouldn’t be cooking all day, I opted for store-bought beans, pico, guac, vanilla ice cream, and a cherry/chocolate tuxedo cake. If any of the recipes I found turn out well, I’ll probably post them here sometime next week. If they don’t turn out well, we’ll probably be eating them all next week.

Twenty Bright Hopes

 

In July 2017, a female arctic fox was trapped, fitted with a tracking collar, and released. Researchers at the Norwegian Polar Institute hoped her wanderings would give insight into the life of this small, sturdy creature. At first, her movements were less than remarkable. The following March, she left the Svalbard archipelago and journeyed far out onto the polar sea ice. Twenty-one days later, she arrived in Greenland. By July, she’d made her way to Ellesmere Island in Canada. The fox traveled an average of nearly 30 miles per day, over sea ice and glaciers. The scientists tracking her believe she survived primarily on “marine food resources,” including water fowl. In Canada, she may have switched to a diet of lemmings. The tracking collar stopped transmitting about four years ago, so there’s no telling where she ended up. But, as arctic foxes don’t tend to live more than four years in the wild, it may be a moot point.

Six-Inch Sawtooth Star

 

“When, in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes, I all alone beweep my outcast state, and trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries, and look upon myself and curse my fate, wishing me like to one more rich in hope, featured like him, like him with friends possessed, desiring this man’s art and that man’s scope, with what I most enjoy contented least; yet in these thoughts myself almost despising, haply I think on thee, and then my state, (Like to the lark at break of day arising from sullen earth) sings hymns at heaven’s gate; for thy sweet love remembered such wealth brings that then I scorn to change my state with kings.” – William Shakespeare

Sixteen Bright Hopes

 

“I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes. Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You're doing things you've never done before, and more importantly, you're doing SOMETHING. So that's my wish for you, and all of us, and my wish for myself. MAKE NEW MISTAKES. Make glorious, amazing mistakes. Make mistakes nobody's ever made before. Don't freeze, don't stop, don't worry that it isn't good enough, or it isn't perfect, whatever it is: art, or love, or work or family or life. Whatever it is you're scared of doing, do it. Make your mistakes, next year and forever.” – Neil Gaiman

Ten-Inch Sawtooth Star

 

"This is the true joy in life, being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one. Being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances, complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy. I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it what I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work, the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no brief candle to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations." George Bernar Shaw

Nine Bright Hopes

 

“You may struggle to see God as a loving Father. You may look heavenward and see not the face of love and mercy but a thicket of rules through which you must wend your way. Perhaps you believe God rules in His heavens, speaks through His prophets, and loves your sister, but you secretly wonder whether He loves you. Perhaps you have felt the iron rod in your hand but not yet felt your Savior’s love to which it leads. I thought my life was about following rules and measuring up to abstract standards. I knew God loved you perfectly but didn’t feel it myself. I’m afraid I thought more about getting into heaven than being with my Heavenly Father. If you, like me, can sometimes only lip-synch but not ‘sing the song of redeeming love,’ what can we do? The answer, as President Russell M. Nelson reminds us, is always Jesus. And that is very good news.” – Elder Robert M. Daines