Basically.

There isn't anything I can add to this: A Response To Pro-Choice Arguments

Missionaries Are Called by God

You've probably already seen this, but it definitely felt a lot different for me when I watched it after receiving my call. 

I also got a lot out of this talk (A Spiritual Adventure).

    The other day, this kid asked me what I was most excited about for my mission. I thought about it, and realized my answer: "You know how you see pictures of missionaries with a whole family dressed in the white baptismal jumpsuits? I want a picture like that."
     I'm going to be honest with you, I didn't have the burning of the bosom that I thought I would have when I opened my call. Actually, I was more freaking out because I had guessed the place I was going seconds before I knew it would be Peru. I did feel peaceful, and excited, and I'm so grateful for this opportunity. But it wasn't until later, when I refocused and remembered why I was going, that I felt the Spirit and knew that Peru will become somewhat of a sacred place for me. There have been a lot of mission calls going out recently, and today I had yet another experience with someone being (or at least appearing to be) somewhat unimpressed with their mission call. Granted, I guess I don't really know what it's like to be going somewhere that might not seem exciting at first (I hope that's okay for me to say without sounding like I'm bragging), but it makes me sad, and I just hope that they find what they're looking for soon.
     I also have to admit that yesterday, I found myself thinking of other places I'd like to go on my mission rather than Peru. Oh, the humanity! It wasn't until today that I remembered the thought that came to me on my drive back to school from opening my mission call. I just felt God saying something like, "Shae, you're going to love those people in Peru." And I knew that I really will. And you will love those New Jerseyians so so much. This is not a vacation. It's not a trip I'm taking as a tourist. It's a mission for Jesus Christ. It's going to be hard and disappointing more often than not. But for every person that I help know their Savior better, I know I will come to know Him better myself. I don't think I even realize right now how happy I am that Jesus Christ has allowed me to be a part of that process.

Peace and Blessings

Just thought I'd share a little insight I gained while reading my scriptures. It's the kind of thing a normal person would just jot down in a journal, but let's be honest...I'm the worst at journaling. But I do write things on here a lot, and maybe it'll be around for when I really need it again if it can be found here.

Helaman 11:17 (background: People were wicked. The Lord sent famine to humble them until they repented. They subsequently humbled and repented.)

"And it came to pass that in the seventy and sixth year the Lord did turn away his anger from the people, and caused that rain should fall upon the earth, insomuch that it did bring forth fruit in the season of her fruit. And it came to pass that is did bring forth her grain in the season of her grain."

Before reading this verse, I would have thought, "Cool, the Lord sent the rain and the plants grew and the people had food and everything is happy!"

But then I thought about it, and I thought about my moderate background with farming and gardening, and realized that there is a lot to be read between the lines.

In this global economy, we have everything available all of the time and so I think most people forget most of the time that here in this state, fresh peas grow in the spring, and peppers and tomatoes in the summer and apples in the fall. Those are the seasons for those plants, and unless you grow them in a greenhouse or ship them in from other places (which people do and which is cool because I like eating things when I want them as much as the next person) they will not grow for you any other time during the year, at least not well. As much as you might want a mid-april peach or strawberries in the dead of winter, that is just not going to happen for you (again, barring greenhouses and the store. I'm talking a fatta the land kind of life here, people, and not our current reality).

You are also not going to get these things by magic. Maybe you can find some wild raspberries or asparagus and that's fun but it won't be enough to live off of and it won't be nearly as high of quality as the plants that you nurture and water and tend to every single day. And that sucks, sometimes. But there is almost nothing better than being able to walk barefoot through the cool grass of the dying summer when the air is still hot but you can feel that change is coming, and smell the sun-warmed grapes which is the greatest smell that I can think of and pick them and eat them and know that they are there because of the work you did.

And I think that's what happened with these people.

The Lord fulfilled his promise. The Lord will always fulfill his promises. The people repented and he ended the drought. He sent the rain. But I don't think he magicked in a bunch of fruit and vegetables and grain ready to be made into whatever it is that these people ate. Those things had to come in their season, and I would bet you anything that they probably had to work cussing hard for them. But I'm sure that made it that much more worth it in the end.

And so it is with life, and blessings. Yes, there are all kinds of blessings and all kinds of reasons for receiving them, including just being a human being. But I think the most rewarding ones are probably the ones we've worked for and waited for, with hope, and even though it may have been hard and frustrating, because we knew that it wasn't the season for that blessing to come just yet.

Work on this, self.

http://www.hulu.com/watch/337397

If you've never seen this movie and have any interest in beautiful and slightly creepy watercolored celtic animated films, this is a favorite of mine.

Since you are busier than I, if you'd rather not devote the time but still want to see a bit of the animation, here is a nice clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbFMFjUjiPs

http://www.upworthy.com/bullies-called-him-pork-chop-he-took-that-pain-with-him-and-then-cooked-it-into?g=2

we live in a pretty great country

After reading about Shout Your Love From A Cabbage Patch Day in Japan, i realized that even though America has its problems, I still wouldn't want to live anywhere else. 

My sister sent me these, she found them in her closet. The horse one is probably from the summer before second grade, because in my memory that was the beginning of the "Pokey the Pony" era. The second one I'm not sure about, but I'd like to think it was really young because of my poor grammar. I have no memory of sending her either, but I do remember I'd send her letters and emails a lot all through my growing-up years.

Sisters, and memories, are great.

A New Leaf

That's what I need. A new leaf. So I can turn it over.
For some reason, this year, Valentine's Day has been a weird and random landmark in my mind about a lot of things. By which I mean that I have been thinking things like "Oh, after Valentine's Day I'll stop buying things I don't need" or "I'll stop going to overpriced food places" or "I'll really start studying for my classes" or "I'll start doing something about the food baby that is not leaving the way food babies traditionally have in my life (which relates back my second thought, I think)"

And guess what? Valentine's Day has come and gone.

I've always kind of had high expectations for the day, which is silly because beyond sixth grade I've really had nothing much to look forward to, except a lot of treats (which I now have to, for the most part. provide for myself, which makes it twice as lame. And my parents usually get me a card or something. I don't know. I guess this year I just had some things I was hoping for that were too specific to bank on, and now that the day is over I'm just left sitting in my cat bed made from two chairs pushed front-to-front in a too-tight dress with my pint-of-late-night-snack-eaten-in-a-half-hour-food-baby sticking up at me and the knowledge that ok, fun time is over and I've got to change things or I'm going to be really unhappy in a few days, weeks, months, who knows. And that kind of sucks. But it's life, and you've got to face the hard stuff sooner or later.
So, as much as I like sleep, I'm just going to watch a movie at this terrible movie-starting hour and drag out this half of my life for as long as possible. Maybe The Matrix. I've got nothing to do tomorrow anyway. Except everything.

Just Something To Watch Out For If You Do End Up South America Bound

Random Nothingness, Really.

"Now what you know about a cold winter in the middle of Chicago
Sitting 20 inches of precipitation on the pavement
I've been waiting for the warm weather
This sweater's getting heavy on me
Getting sweaty while I'm getting ever ready
Like a wrestler, mentally in shape
I train about five times a day for like nine hours straight
Tied tight around my waist, run a mile under three
It's a breeze, I can do it all angles, 90 degrees
Gotta keep the knees up, young buck never ease up."

Just some lyrics from "Roll Call," that song I posted earlier. They've just been stuck in my head, and one thing I like about clever lyricists such as The Cool Kids is that you can interpret the same lyrics in different ways at different times. That's kind of the main reason I like the scriptures as well. Except The Cool Kids are slightly less meaningful to me :)

Anyway, I found out that this movie was on Youtube which got me really excited because I love it and no one will ever watch it with me, so now I can have it wherever I go, really. Also, I am in no way expecting you to watch it, it's weird and very French. But just to give you a little taste, and if you are ever really bored and want some off-beat humor, watch this from 8:44 to 9:25. I don't know why I find that scene so funny. (if you do watch it you also might want to put the closed captioning on. Unless you speak French.)

Somehow...

...I need to find a way to get this to pop up onto my computer screen every twenty minutes or so.

It's Hard To Ignore Facts Like This

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2013/jan/18/mark-shields/pbs-commentator-mark-shields-says-more-killed-guns/

Belle And Sebastian Have Done It Again

Although their cheery melodies often hide dark and sad lyrics, I always end up loving the lyrics when I read them. This was a good one I listened to today.

"If She Wants Me"

I wrote a letter on a nothing day.
I asked somebody, “Could you send my letter away?”
“You are too young to put all of your hopes in just one envelope.”

I said goodbye to someone that I love.
It’s not just me, I tell you it’s the both of us.
And it was hard,
Like coming off the pills that you take to stay happy.

Someone above has seen me do alright.
Someone above is looking with a tender eye.
Upon your face, you may think you’re alone but you may think again.

If I could do just one near perfect thing I’d be happy.
They’d write it on my grave, or when they scattered my ashes.
On second thoughts, I’d rather hang around and be there with my best friend,
If she wants me.

And far away somebody read the letter.
He condescends to read the words I wrote about him.
And if he smiles, it’s no more than a genius deserves
For all your curious nerve and your passion.

I’m going deaf, you’re growing melancholy.
Things fall apart, I don’t know why we bother at all.
But life is good and it’s always worth living at least for a while.

If I could do just one near perfect thing I’d be happy.
They’d write it on my grave, or when they scattered my ashes.
On second thoughts, I’d rather hang around and be there with my best friend,
If she wants me.

If you think to yourself, “What should I do now?”
Than take the baton, and girl, you better run with it.
'Cause there is no point in standing in the past cause it’s over and done with.

I took a book and went into the forest.
I climbed the hill, I wanted to look down on you.
But all I saw was twenty miles of wilderness so I went home.

If I could do just one near perfect thing I’d be happy.
They’d write it on my grave, or when they scattered my ashes.
On second thoughts, I’d rather hang around and be there with my best friend,
If she wants me.

If I could do just one near perfect thing I’d be happy.
They’d write it on my grave, or when they scattered my ashes.
On second thoughts, I’d rather hang around and be there with my best friend,
If she wants me.
If she wants me, yeah.
If she wants me, yeah.
If she wants me, yeah.

This might seem conceited of me

And it probably is. But, I wanted to share this article, because if you have time to read it, you just might recognize one of the people in it...