30 Days of Emily: Le Jour Deux

Day 2 - A picture of you and the person you have been closest with the longest.

           

My sisters, of course! Sheena has been with me my whole life. And I've been with Tasha and Beth for all of their lives.  My sisters and I do everything together. They are my BFFs fo'reals.

'Nuff said.

LHP

Scott's 30 Day Thingy

So my blog won’t be nearly as cool as my wife’s since she’s the artsy one and adds pics and what not.

Ø  I LOVE reading, especially anything Fantasy, but I’ve also begun liking Church books and business related books, and I like certain Classics.

Ø  I love numbers, that’s why I’m a finance guy.

Ø  I like to help others a lot, especially financially if I can, that’s why I love my job, plus I don’t think we educate our children or ourselves enough on credit, and that’s what I spend the majority of my day doing and I love it!

Ø  I’m obsessed with budgeting; I HAVE to go over my finances at least every other night even when I know nothing’s changed.

Ø  I like making goals…just can’t ever seem to achieve them.

Ø  I love collecting, period. I have stamp collections, coin collections, key chain collections, medieval paraphernalia collections, weapon collections, book collections, rock collection, wolves and eagle statues and pictures.

Ø  My all-time favorite animals are wolves and eagles. Both are majestic in their respective spheres.

Ø  I want either an Alaskan Husky or a Siberian Husky. Why? Duh! They look the most like wolves…I just have to sneak one into the family eventually when Emily isn’t looking and keep him outside.

Ø  I LOVE to travel! I’ve currently been to 33 states, and including Canada and Mexico 13 countries or Islands outside of the US. I really want to visit Italy, Greece, Egypt, Australia, Portugal, and various other countries.

Ø  My ultimate dream job would be to be a financial counselor, NOT an advisor, I couldn’t stand checking the stock market every day and determining what’s a good deal or not. I want to help people budget to get out of debt and set themselves up financially to meet with an advisor one day so they can retire in the lifestyle they want so the nation won’t be so dependent on Social Security when they retire!

Ø  My favorite number is 13! Why because nobody else likes it dang it, I have to be unique and somebody’s got to love that number! It’s also the day my birthday is on, and I also like the number 29, I don’t really have a good explanation for liking that number except that if I didn’t like 13 that would be my other number.

Ø  I have started and would like to finish writing a book. Yes it is fantasy, get over it.

Ø  I love my wife Emily, she is my best friend!

Ø  I can type about 40 WPM which isn’t all that fast, except it is considering I hunt and peck to type with two fingers. My goal is to eventually type for reals, but as my wife constantly reminds me I cheated my way through my typing class in elementary school and this is what I have to show for it.

Ø  I speak German, although I’m losing it a little I still want to eventually learn to speak Spanish, and ultimately I would love to speak or even be able to just read Hebrew, Greek, Russian, Chinese and Arabic.

30 Days of Emily: Le Jour Un

That's it.

Natalie and Cara have inspired me.

I wanna be cool and do the 30 days thing!

So cool I'll be.

Day 1 - A picture of yourself with fifteen facts.

v  My favorite color depends on the day. I’m usually wearing it.

v  I love teaching 5^th grade. I can’t wait until I have my own classroom.

v  Zelda will forever be the animated love of my life (and when I say Zelda that really means Link).

v  When I’m driving to/from school, the road becomes my audience. I become an internationally renowned singer.

v  I eat my Oreos like cereal. I coat them with peanut butter and drop them in a glass of milk. Once they’re all soggy, I eat them with a spoon. I love drinking the milk at the end with Oreo bits in it…it tastes like cookies ‘n cream ice cream.

v  Asian foods with any sort of peanut sauce involved=happiness on a plate.

v  I am a movie fanatic. Scott and I currently own 332 dvds, with at least 40 on our wanted list.

v  I want my own private library of children’s books.

v  I can't buy the first thing in the stack at the store. I've tried...but I have to go back and grab the one furthest in the back. Or after I try a shirt on, even if I like it, I have to put it back and get a new one that's the same size. I can't help it.

v  I LOVE swinging and going to parks. Fortunately, I’m still little enough that I can play on the equipment.

v  I could play solitaire for hours. I just put on my mix of favorite tunes and go...

v  I love my husband (always forever, near and far, closer together—and together, we love Donna Lewis).



v  My finger nails always have to be painted.

v  You know I really like you if I’ve made a mix cd for you. And named it something special.

v  I name all of my inanimate objects after Shakespearean characters (usually from Hamlet). My iPods have been Claudius, Ophelia, and now Laertes. My car is named Fortinbras. Scott’s car is Oberon. My laptop is named…Lappy. Her real name is Gertrude, but I call her Lappy for short.

LHP



Ok, ok...I'll admit it. The whole Bhakti Yoga thing was a bit of a failure. I haven't decided if it was because it was just too close to what we normally do or if it was because there was too much to focus on...but it didn't go so hot the first week. Or the second. Or however long it's been since posted it. I am ashamed. : ( 

HOWEVER--I did try to focus on the hymn/music bit last week (all by myself--Scott's not much of a musician, if you catch my drift), and was very successful! I admit, music is a fairly easy thing for me, but still--it was nice to have a renewed focus, especially since I've kind of shunned the performing part of it after my semester of he...music. :S  So throughout the week I listened to at least one hymn a day on my way to or from school. And that was really nice--it helps me to keep a prayer in my heart--but then I went home. :D  Home in one word: love. Yes. Anyways, my sisters were definitely in a singing mood, and so sing it up we did! And that was just the icing on the cake with my Bhakti yoga hymn focus.

I felt more humble and peaceful and just...everything good. It might be because my parents, scott, and I went to the temple too. :)  But the music--oh, the music. It adds the Spirit in a way that only music can. Dad always had Mom play hymns/we would sing a hymn before he'd give us Father's Blessings at the beginning of the school year because he says the hymns bring the Spirit. Elder Russell M. Nelson said, "Worthy music is powerful. It has the power to make us humble, prayerful, and grateful" ("The Power and Protection of Worthy Music", Ensign, Dec. 2009, 13–17).

It was good for me to be reminded of the strength and power of hymns. I think I had forgotten.

To finish up, I'm posting a few of my favorite hymns. These hymns are my favorites for the beautiful music, of course, but also for the well-chosen lyrics.



p.s. Though I love these hymns, I won't claim that these are my favorite arrangements/performances...but they're still beautiful.

Becoming Bhaktas

bhakta (lit. “partaker”) or devotee--a practitioner of Bhakti-Yoga.



Engage your mind always in thinking of Me, become My devotee, offer obeisance to Me and worship Me. Being completely absorbed in Me, surely you will come to Me. (B-Gita 9.34)



Religion Number 1: Hinduism.

After reading selections from the Bhagavad-Gita and parts of Religions of the World: A Latter-day Saint View (by Spencer J. Palmer and Roger R. Keller), Scottie and I decided to focus on achieving salvation. In Hinduism, there are three ways for that to happen: salvation through works (karma), salvation through the Way of Knowledge (jyana), and salvation through devotion (bhakti). After further studying of those topics, the Way of Devotion won out. While reading about it, we decided it was something we could really connect and apply to our lives because we do worship our Heavenly Father through devotion to Him. So we googled "bhakti yoga" and found some really cool stuff.

"Mark how love develops. First arises faith. Then follows attraction and after that adoration. Adoration leads to suppression of mundane desires. The result is single-mindedness and satisfaction. Then grow attachment and supreme love towards God" (http://www.dlshq.org/teachings/bhaktiyoga.htm).

The Way of Devotion is literally that--achieving mosksha through love of God. Palmer says, "This is the way followed by the majority of Hindus today, for it is a path open to all persons regardless of caste or sex. Bhakti means devotion to one or more of the numberless gods in the belief that prayers to them will be answered and assistance gained in one's quest to find release from the wheel of rebirths." Cool.

Thanks to google, Scott discovered that there are nine principles of Bhakti Yoga. They sound oddly familiar...

Nine Principles of Bhakti Yoga

The 'Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu' (the Hindu sacred texts written by the teacher, poet, and philosopher Rupa Gosvami) provides the following as the nine primary activities of bhakti, with the instruction that by following all or just one of these activities perfectly, the aspiring devotee can achieve pure love of God:

• Sravana. This is the Sanskrit term for listening to poems or stories about God's virtues and mighty deeds. Sravana bhakti cannot be practiced in isolation. The devotee must hear the stories from a wise teacher and seek the companionship of holy people.
• (scripture study)
• Kirtana. This refers to the singing or chanting of God's praises. Ram Dass has said of this form of bhakti, "When you are in love with God, the very sound of the Name brings great joy."
• (hymns)
• Smarana. This is remembrance of God at all times, or keeping God in the forefront of one's consciousness. In Christian terms, smarana is what the French monk Brother Lawrence (1605–1691) meant by "the practice of the presence of God."
• (keeping a prayer in your heart, remembering God at all times, in all things, in all places, etc.)
• Padasevana. This form of bhakti yoga expresses love toward God through service to others, especially the sick.
• (service)
• Archana. This refers to the worship of God through such external images as icons or religious pictures or through internal visualizations. The purpose of archana is to purify the heart through the love of God.
• (Even though we don't worship icons, we thought that keeping pictures of Christ, temples, "The Proclamation to the Family," etc. worked here)
• Vandana. This refers to prayer and prostration (lying face down on the ground with arms outstretched). This form of bhakti yoga is intended to curb self-absorption and self-centeredness.
• (prayer)
• Dasya. In dasya bhakti, the devotee regards him- or herself as God's slave or servant, carrying out God's commandments, meditating on the words of God, caring for the sick and the poor, and helping to clean or repair sacred buildings or places.
• (mourn with those that mourn, comfort those that stand in need of comfort, etc.)
• Sakha-bhava. This form of bhakti yoga is a cultivation of friendship-love toward God—to love God as a member of one's family or dearest friend, and delight in companionship with God.
• (cultivating a relationship with God and trusting Him)
• Atma-nivedana. This is the complete self-offering or self-surrender to God.
• (enduring to the end)

These nine principles of devotional service are described as helping the devotee remain constantly in touch with God. 

                (http://www.thesecretsofyoga.com/Bhakti/Bhakti-nineprinciples.html)

Is this going to help us become better disciples of Christ? Oh yeah. Although none of these things are really "new" practices, we're going to try the nine principles with renewed focus and faith to become true bhaktas.

p.s. Happy Six Months, everyone! We went out for Frostys last night in celebration.

p.s.s. Scottie's really getting into this "studying other cultures" thing. He's looking up Indian food right now. Unfortunately, I don't even think we can get some of the most basic ingredients for anything...they're all spices we've never heard of, and of course (I'm sure) the spices are what makes it Indian. He was like, "Oh, bummer...looks like we're going out!"

Ipso Facto: Something to Blog About

For my world religion class we get to do a personal project on any world religion we choose--or many, if we choose. It was very broad. I had no idea what I wanted to do. I had heard of a book called The Tao of Pooh (I heard it explains Taosim through the characters of Winnie the Pooh) from my geography class that I was interested in reading, so I said I would do that. However...it wasn't something that I was overly excited about. So I'd been milling things over in my head...different ideas...and had nothing. But then in class the other day when we were talking about Buddhism Brother Kinghorn said something really interesting about the Eightfold Middle Path. He noted that we can become better disciples of Christ through folllowing the Middle Path. And so I thought--hey. Why am I in this class? To find truth, wherever it is, to try to come closer to Christ and be a better person. SoooooooOOOOOoooooo I came up with this brilliant idea, kind of stolen from Julie and Julia. I'm going to blog about what I'm learning! Yay! Scottie and I are going to do some reading and researching about all/most/some (whatever we get to) the religions we talk about in class. Then we'll pick something that we have "holy envy" for in that religion and try to develop it in our lives (e.g. The Eightfold Middle Path) and then report back on how well we do/don't do after a week.

Anyways. So excited to do this! This is something that I think will be a lot of fun for us and won't stress me out too much, since my senior practicum is doing enough of that for me.



p.s. I'm still reading the Pooh book. I checked it out today from the library! I love the library. I also checked out The Te of Piglet by the same author. It's about Chinese virtue. At least, that's what I gathered from the inside jacket, and it was kinda cracking jokes about this, so I can't be sure.