judge not.

First of all, saddest comic ever.
Second of all, I haven't blogged in 11 days. I have been a waste of human cells the last little bit because of school. I'm ready for summer. Actually, no. Because then I'd be closer to another year of school. I'm seriously only half kidding.
Oh, and third of all, when I think of blogging, all I can think of is what an uncreative, repetitive person I am. I've been feeling like my posts have been topic-less lately. Instead they are just a mosh of repetitive thoughts. Is this just me?

 *sigh*

Kay. I'm good. I'm golden, in fact.

But the man in the above pictures is definitely not golden. (That was a pretty good connecting sentence, if I do say so myself.)

I'm definitely guilty of judging grumpy people. Grumpy people are talked about behind their backs. They're the horn honkers. The people who scowl at whoever bothers them in any way at the grocery store. And you know what? They drive me nuts sometimes! That's why it's so important to be happy and thoughtful. Because people will like you! Or at least they won't be bugged by you. :)

I really liked the above picture because it shows really well how people hide their feelings.

And it's a reminder to me that people live hard lives. And they try. And they fail. And they sometimes unintentionally take it out on the people around them.

 And then people talk crap about them.

That kinda makes me sick, actually.


I believe I've shared this video before, but it goes perfectly here.




"From the moment I laid eyes on him, I judged Charles."

 People are often times so different than we imagine.

You know what, this is starting to sound like my last post. Dang it. eeerrrgggh. Seems I am the queen of repetition.


I do have one more fun video, though.



Isn't that cool?


"There are more ways to be good than bad."

People are so cool.

And they live hard lives. So try not to judge.

And I'll try to blog more often. If I can think of something different to blog on. haha.

Have a great Friday!

sonder

I think sonder is a sort of urban dictionary type of word... not a Merriam Webster's kind of word, you know what I mean?

But still I love it. I love the idea of it.

Because, in a way, even the people who only think of others still live in their own world. What I mean by that is that you can't truly know the thoughts of another. No matter how much time you spend with them, you will still never know how complex their life is. What it's like to be them.


We, as humankind, live so strangely surrounded by others and yet alone at the same time.


I don't doubt that our God can keep up with the lives of everyone, but I have no idea how He does it.

And people can try to be one thing. Everyone tries to keep some things about themselves hidden when talking to everyday people. Still, I think the coolest moments are when you see little glimpses of who someone really is on the inside. Sometimes it comes by spending a lot of time with someone, sometimes you just happen to witness little inner doubts/thoughts flash in their eyes.

And when you try putting yourself in another's position, you see that everyone tries. Everyone has insecurities. Things they're good at and things they're bad at.

I really hope that acceptance can be something that I am good at.

And think a little before you get mad at or start disliking someone from something they did.

Because I think people are sometimes more justified in their actions than you'd realize.

Sometimes I do/say things that would totally not make sense to a random passerby, but whoever I'm with understands perfectly.
For example, last week I had to wander around Walmart and take pictures of different packages for a commercial art class I'm in. And I probably looked a little weird taking pictures of gross looking Valentine's candy, but I had reason to do it, you know?

Am I making sense at all?

I think... people are just people. They deserve love and most definitely respect, but they shouldn't scare you.

I just love reading the description of sonder. It's crazy to think about. That there are people in the world that don't even know I exist, yet I'm living a deep, complex, stressful, happy, crazy life with dozens of layers to it.

"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view . . . until you climb into his skin and walk around in it."
-Harper Lee (To Kill a Mockingbird)


People are so cool.
Creation is so cool.

You're His

Okay, this will most likely be pretty short, but I wanted to share with you this video...




"I now stand very aware of how it all came to be."


Okay. I'm obviously not a father. Nor will I ever be one.


But this is an incredible video with a powerful message and powerful music.


Trying to imagine the love and wonders of our Father is something that I really enjoy, but it at the same time overwhelms me.

I am so grateful for a Father who loves and who focuses everything He does on us.

He's close. He's oh, so close.

He's marvelous and good and fair.



And you're His.

be loving and patient.

I love watching happy people.

I love seeing their faces light up and the almost tangible joy they experience.


But - what if one person got that job/scholarship/recognition/whatever that you really really wanted.

Would you still feel happy for them?


I'm totally a people watcher, and I love the living, breathing, amazing mosaic that is humanity.

But there is something terribly wrong with mankind.

Let's face it. We are a jealous people. We don't always feel excited for others. We're not patient. We're not loving. We're not courteous.

And though I cannot speak for everyone, we are at least not compassionate, loving, patient, and courteous enough. 


We've got to start loving. 

We've got to start blessing lives, feeding sheep, doing good, and being loyal to God. (here)




A cute girl in my ward shared a really good story in Sacrament Meeting today. She read it on some blog, and I'm unfortunately unsure how to find it... but it went something like this:

There was a man who suffered some sort of head injury or had brain problems... some health trial like that... and he just wasn't himself anymore.
He was unable to take care of his land, and his wife did what she could, but eventually they decided that something needed to be done. They had to sell their things. (I think they had a farm...?)
They put everything out in the yard with a big sign indicating that it was all for sale.
Soon after, they got a phone call. Not from a buyer, but from a neighbor. It was a complaint. He told them that all of their stuff sitting there made the community look bad, and he demanded that it be removed.
The man trying to sell his things said something along the lines of,
There was once a day in this country where if a man saw his neighbor's every possession for sale, he'd call to see if something was wrong. 
He then proceeded to tell the man of his health trials and how they needed to make some changes in order to keep living.
The man apologized profusely and said that he would ask his friends if they wanted to buy anything.




I fear the ability to give someone the benefit of the doubt is fading.

Another thing the world is dangerously short on, is understanding and patience.

I'll tell you what - I learned to drive last year. I know that people get really impatient when driving, but I'll tell you, it really frustrated me sometimes when I was trying my best and still had people ticked off at me.
Especially when I was learning to drive the stick shift... I killed it a lot. A lot. And not always in the most desirable places.
Okay, obviously I'm the one at fault here, but I now always try to be extra patient with people when I'm driving because I know how it feels to be panicking in the middle of an intersection because I can't get the car to move and having people waving all these rude gestures at me... and I hated it.


So here's my philosophy.

Chill out. Be patient. Be loving. Be sympathetic.

And you will be such a blessing in the lives of others.

...the angels stood in reverence...

Sorry for going all AWOL this last week... I know you all missed me so much... :)

I just didn't have any superbly pressing things to share. It takes a bit of thinking sometimes, and I just haven't had the time to sit down and... think (wow. lamest statement ever).

Anyways, I wanted to share this song with you guys. Emma by the Nashville Tribute Band.

I looked all over to find somewhere to embed it from. This was the best I found. Click play, it will open up in a separate window, click play again, switch back, and you can read the lyrics! I always like reading the lyrics while listening to a song. Gives you something to do.
(The big, bolded line is my favorite if you couldn't tell.)

Oh! And exit out of the window when the song ends. Another random one will probably start up. Seems to keep happening to me. Sorry, best I could do. :)


  Emm

-------------------------------------------------------
Never had an ordinary day

Never lived your life in an ordinary way

For everything you loved you paid a price

But you couldn't let the world see you cry

Never had a moment of peace

Never felt the sunlight

When the worries set you free

Every time your life turned a page

It seemed like your heart might break

With the world on your shoulders

When the nights had grown colder

You seemed to weather every storm

With a queen's grace

When you lost your husband

When you buried your children

I'm sure the angels stood in reverence as you prayed

How much can one heart take 

How much can one heart take

Never had a day to call your own

When so many needed your warm heart as a home

Whispering a mother's lullaby

As you sat alone by the fire

With the world on your shoulders

When the nights had grown colder

You seemed to weather every storm

With a queen's grace

When you lost your husband

When you buried your children

I'm sure the angels stood in reverence as you prayed

How much can one heart take 

How much can one heart take

With the world on your shoulders

When the nights had grown colder

You seemed to weather every storm

With a queen's grace

When you lost your husband

When you buried your children

I'm sure the angels stood in reverence as you prayed

And I'm sure your heart breaks, when some people still say

Somewhere down the line you lost your faith

How much can one heart take -

How much can one heart take?

-------------------------------------------------------------

Oh and just if you didn't know - Katherine Nelson sings this song. 

Mind = Blown. You're welcome.* 

Now I'm going to repeat that line that's quite simply just my favorite. 

I'm sure the angels stood in reverence as you prayed.

I love the thought of a God who weeps. 
Angels who feel. Who love. 

Just think of that. A God who weeps. The most powerful being you could ever imagine. Weeping for the sorrow of mankind.
The love our Father feels for all of us - even you and me - is unimaginable. This we know, and we always say.
But - a God who weeps? 

It's an incredible thought.

( ^We know the guy who painted this! His mom is in our ward!)

I think this is a cool picture of Christ's birth and depicts just how aware and close the Angels in Heaven truly are. 

They are aware of you. People you love beyond the veil - whether you remember them or not - are so much closer than you think. You could've been best friends with some of these spirits in years long ago. Those angels are rooting for you. 

They are angels who stand in reverence of you and cry with you. 

You are never alone. Powerful beings with infinite passion are all around you. 

An incredible thought, indeed. 







*This, for like 5 minutes, read "your welcome".  I almost fell over when I caught my mistake. That's always been a pet peeve of mine. :)