Why I Go to Church

Living without parents changes a lot of things. Suddenly, I am responsible for everything. I make my own food, do my own laundry, and manage my own schedule. While managing my own schedule can be a good thing, it can also be difficult sometimes. Deciding whether I should do homework, or watch a movie; take a walk or ride the bus; and the most important: go to church, or stay home. Before living on my own, this decision was simple: go to church with my family. I had friends to see and family to sit with. Now, I am on my own in an alien ward, without family or old friends. What once was an easy choice has suddenly become difficult.

So how do I make the decision on whether to go to church or stay home? The answer is to change my attitude. Rather than think of the homework I have, or how tired I am, or what food I want to eat, I should think of the blessings I receive when I go to church. I become rejuvenated through the spirit, receive revelation, and come closer to my Heavenly Father when I go to church. I am able to partake of the sacrament and learn new doctrine when I go to the meetings. When I think about going to church in this way, the pros heavily outweigh the cons. My decision becomes easier. I'm not saying that I won't have Sundays when I want to stay home, but I believe that this attitude will help keep me going to church every week.

An Autumn Rainstorm

I love fall! Everything about the season is wonderful. I love the multi-colored leaves, the chill in the air, and the rain. There is nothing better than opening the windows on a cool fall afternoon and listening to the rain pitter-pattering as I drink hot chocolaty goodness. I wish fall lasted the whole year long!

American Parents and their Food

As an American, I have grown up with food all around me. Think about it, Americans have it so easy! There is a food option for every situation. If we want food, we can go to a grocery store. If we are too lazy to make it ourselves, we go to a restaurant.  If we are impatient, we get fast food. If we are super hungry we go to a buffet. If we feel guilty about our weight, we eat "diet" food.  If we are super lazy we can even have our food delivered. I could go on and on.
Americans have reached a new level of ease when it comes to getting food, and so we have developed an obesity problem. Most people are aware of the issue of school food and obese children. However, the adults tend to avoid looking at themselves. While their children may be getting unhealthily larger, so are they, and it is often their own fault that both they and their children are become so unhealthy. The easiness of getting fast, greasy food, without even leaving the home, has led many parents to stop trying to find a healthy, more-time-consuming alternative to eat.
So how can this be solved? It's simple. Make parents aware of their own diet and it's effects on their  bodies, and they will be able to start helping both themselves and their children eat healthier.

Issues Paper

As you probably remember from class, I'm thinking of writing about the effect taking music classes out of school will have on children academically. I'm narrowing the topic to include only elementary school students, and only students who do not have private lessons outside of school. I will be measuring according to test scores, grades, and social interactions. To find my research, I will be typing words into the search engine like music, academic, elementary school, children, social interactions, etc. That's basically what I have so far.

Emily McPhie Paintings

The paintings from Garden Series of Emily McPhie by Claire Smith is effective at eliciting an emotional response from those that see it because of the use of symbolism. Both paintings have a girl named Emily Mcphie as the focal point, but each portrait shows her at a different age: one shows her as a toddler and the other as a child. Showing her at different ages symbolizes reality and life in the paintings because growth is a central part of life. This gives a feeling of relation and understanding to the audience. 

Both paintings show Emily McPhie as a puppet, being controlled by hands from above. This is symbolic of God effecting how a person acts or does. A child readily submits to God, and all people-no matter what age-are subject to God. While a person has agency, they can only act within the bounds that God has provided. This gives a religious feeling to the painting, bringing the existence of God to the forefront of the audience’s mind. 

Both the age of Emily McPhie and the portrayal of her as a puppet use symbolism to influence the audience emotionally, giving them a feeling of understanding and a religious connection to God.

How Soccer is like Life

The ball is hidden behind the wall of kicking feet and legs. The small players run back and forth, forming a circle around the ball. Parents on the sideline are screaming "Go get it! Kick it! What are you doing?! Get in the game!" The children go back and forth, back and forth, following the ball from one goal post to the other. Then it's half time. The children excitedly run to get their treats and socialize. The parents give tips and encourage more kicking. Then it's game time again. Back and forth. Back and forth. Then it happens; the ball lands inside one of the goals. The parents cheer or let loose a sigh. Then things go back to normal, and finally the game ends. The little champions on both teams excitedly high five each other and get their end-of-game treats. The parents remember the score, tell themselves their kids will learn to play better eventually, and drive everyone home.

This is just a quick glance at an average day at the local soccer field. With siblings that enjoy playing sports, it's become a familiar sight. One thing I've noticed over the years, is that most of the children begin the season with excitement and enthusiasm. Then, as some parents try to get their children to focus on scoring rather then having fun, the children begin to become tired and even bored. We should look to the children's example, and try to enjoy the small things like treats and friends rather than become totally engrossed in scoring more or getting ahead of another person. If we do this, life will be more enjoyable.

Attitude of Gratitude

Of all the talks given at General Conference, the one that has impacted me the most was Pres. Monson's talk on gratitude. The definition of gratitude is the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness. Christ showed gratitude to His Father, showed appreciation to others, and showed kindness to everyone, even those that treated Him terribly. Gratitude, then, could also be defined as  a Christ-like attribute. How fitting, therefore, for a prophet of the Lord to be the one giving this talk. Pres. Monson hit the nail on the head when he said that we all need to be kinder to others and judge them less.
Not only what he said, but how he said it gave his talk more power as well. His position as the Lord's prophet, his examples and stories, and his kind, loving attitude made Pres. Monson's talk a higher quality, one that more people will listen to.
I have been influenced by this talk, and I know that others around the world have been influenced by it as well.