Gifts

"What shall we give to the babe in the manger,
What shall we offer the child in the stall?
Incense and spices and gold we've a-plenty-
Are these the gifts for the king of us all?

What shall we give to the boy in the temple,
What shall we offer the man by the sea?
Palms at his feet and hosannas uprising;
Are these for him who will carry the tree?

What shall we give to the lamb who was offered,
Rising the third day and shedding his love?
Tears for his mercy we'll weep at the manger,
Bathing the infant come down from above."

(Catalonian carol, What Shall We Give?)

“Rings and jewels are not gifts, but apologies for gifts. The only gift is a portion of thyself. Thou must bleed for me. Therefore the poet brings his poem; the shepherd, his lamb; the farmer, corn; the miner, a stone; the painter, his picture; the girl, a handkerchief of her own sewing.”

(Ralph Waldo Emerson, Gifts 1843)

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." 

(John 3:16)

#SharetheGift

Breathtaking Views: Space

You can't deny this. It simply takes your breath away. Wow.

When I Look At You

When I look at you, I see you.

At least, I try to. There is simply too much of you for me to see in one look, I must say. You are simply too great.

You are "great" as in deeper than the Trench of Mariana and more vast than the African Savannah and more magnificent than the highest climes of the Himalayas and more mind-blowingly awesome than the wonders of space we get to see through those Hubble telescope pictures. Are you getting this? :)

Your potential stretches beyond the ends of the universe. (Hint: the universe doesn't actually have ends. ;) The universe is endless, and so are you.)

Haha, don't you see??

Do you see what I see?! Do you see how great you are?

I think I see.

When I look at you, I see that I am in the presence of a divine being of eternal worth. I see that you are a child of an almighty and omnipotent God. You may become a god someday. You may create and reign over worlds someday. I am blessed to know you and see you. I hope you see the same someday.

Love,

Liv

To Love Is To Be Vulnerable

Here are some wise words from old C.S. Lewis and some excellent insights from dear Brene Brown. I desperately needed to hear this.

"To love at all is to be vulnerable. 

Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. 

If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. 

Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. 

Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. 

But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. 

It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. 

To LOVE is to be vulnerable."

Ethereal Music: Dragons...

How To Train Your Dragon is probably one of my all-time favorite movie soundtracks. Yep...

I have listened to it at least 25 times in its entirety, and I have every melody, rhythm, and cue memorized from start to finish. It is interesting to think that such stirring music can be found in a film score, yet I think that some of the greatest composers of the 21st century went to the film industry. We might just be taking them for granted. Anyhow, my heart simply swells with excitement and yearns for adventure every time I listen to this music. :)

Here are my favorite tracks:

00:00:00 This is Berk
00:19:26 Forbidden Friendship
00:30:18 Test Drive
00:35:33 Romantic Flight
01:03:00 Coming Back Around

40 Days

I read Matthew 3-4 recently and came across something striking. I was not aware of the significance of the event described until I read these chapters just now. I don't know if there are many other people who have ever thought about this phenomenon. My dad is one of them who has. We spent a long while talking about this event, and he explained many of his ideas to me. I created some theories of my own while studying, as well.

In these chapters, Jesus Christ started his preaching. As most know, it began with his being baptized in the River Jordan by John the Baptist. However, many do not realize that the Savior was directed into the wilderness directly afterward to be "tempted of the devil." It was necessary that his 40 day fast occurred before he began his earthly ministry.

Why did the Savior fast 40 days? What is the significance of the number 40?

It takes 40 weeks in a mother's womb for a baby to fully develop. It is a number symbolic of birth.

In the Great Flood in the days of Noah, the rain fell upon the earth for 40 days and nights. It is a number of cleansing and baptism.

The Israelites were cursed by the Lord to wander in the wilderness for 40 years. It was only after this time period has passed that the Lord saw that the evil generation had finally passed away. It is said that new generation can be raised in 40 years.

Moses spent consecutive periods of 40 days and 40 nights on Mount Sinai being instructed of the Lord. Thus, this number may be significant in measuring periods of gaining of knowledge and the fortification of the spirit.

After every temptation he received from the devil, Christ defended himself with the word of God in chapter 4. He was fully equipped and prepared to combat Satan's direct attacks against him regardless of the fact that he was "an hungered." He left straightway to begin preaching to His people.

Evidence of God

"From time to time, ponder the beauties of creation: trees, flowers, animals, mountains, the waves of the ocean, a newborn child. Take time to gaze into the heavens, where the courses of the stars and planets are evidence of  'God moving in his majesty and power.'" 
 -True to the Faith

You bet I will. 

I Want To Be Like Helen Keller

I want to see the world the way Helen Keller did. 

I had previously read her autobiography for my American Literature class in 10th grade, and although I was greatly touched by her story, I simply placed it back on the shelf and forgot about her. However, I happened to read her Optimism: An Essay while taking one of those dreaded standardized academic benchmark test. It was included in the Writing section! Who knew, right?!?

Anyways, I want to share a few of her words. They spoke to my soul.  

"The world is sown with good; but unless I turn my glad thoughts into practical living and till my own field, I cannot reap a kernel of the good."

"I proclaim the world good, and facts range themselves to prove my proclamation overwhelmingly true. To what is good I open the doors of my being, and jealously shut them against what is bad. 

"I long to accomplish a great and noble task; but it is my chief duty and joy to accomplish humble tasks as though they were great and noble. It is my service to think how I can best fulfill the demands that each day makes upon me, and to rejoice that others can do what I cannot." 

"I trust, and nothing that happens disturbs my trust. I recognize the beneficence of the power which we all worship as supreme—Order, Fate, the Great Spirit, Nature, God. I recognize this power in the sun that makes all things grow and keeps life afoot. I make a friend of this indefinable force, and straightway I feel glad, brave and ready for any lot Heaven may decree for me."

"I am never discouraged by absence of good. I never can be argued into hopelessness. Doubt and mistrust are the mere panic of timid imagination, which the steadfast heart will conquer, and the large mind transcend."

"The world is moved along, not only by the mighty shoves of its heroes, but also by the aggregate of the tiny pushes of each honest worker; and that thought alone suffices to guide me in this dark world and wide."

"I love the good that others do; for their activity is an assurance that whether I can help or not, the true and the good will stand sure."


I never want to be argued into hopelessness. I want to reap the kernels of goodness grown from MY own soil. I want to open the doors of MY being to that which is good and of God. I want to conquer evil with MY valiant heart. I want MY faith to be unshakeable. I want to be one of those honest workers who ensures that "the good will stand sure." I want to be ready for the works that God has decreed for me and entrusted to me. I want to make a friend of God. 

Thank you for your example, Ms. Keller.

Mud and Piano

(This poem was hastily written on my iPhone in complete and utter frustration while I sat at the piano. I was preparing for the AZ Young Artists' Piano Competition at the time.) 

Why is Time so difficult to endure

When I attempt to practice?

I yearn to reach the final shore; 

Get the grade, make the team,

Make the money, get the prize.

I want to reach that shore and be safe

Yet I cannot when I practice. 

The finish lines are infinite; Excellence is a lifelong pursuit. 

My brain is aching

From the constant pressure of my doubts and wonderings

Where must I go?

Why am I striving for this?

What must I do 

To get this measure perfect

And this run even

And this melody flawless

Who must I become?

What is my purpose?

When will the end come

Where I perfect the measure

And nail the run each time 

And beautify the melody 

I sit there in front of the piano staring 

At the black and white and black and white

Notes and keys, familiar to me.  

I stand on the shore. 

It is time to begin my practice, 

Yet Time is a shallow sea of mud;

I cannot see the other side, 

Yet I am compelled to walk through it. 

I want to reach the opposite shore of Time's mud bog

I want to conquer it;

Get the grade, make the team,

Make the money, get the prize.

I slide in and begin to walk. 

Knee deep in thick sludge

I move with heaving and groaning 

And each step nearly yanks my legs out of their sockets,

Mud sucking and squelching. 

I am covered in the slime already

I squint in an attempt to view the other side of the brown 

And black and white 

Sea of mud that is Time to practice

I continue pulling and trudging in agony 

I continue drilling measures and reviewing specific passages 

I am now too tired to go on, 

My muscles and mind aching. 

I twist around to see the shore I have come from;

I expect to have traveled miles and hours.

Only 20 feet lay between myself and that first shore -

Only an hour of practicing has transpired -

I am done. That was seemingly all for naught. 

Where is the prize of my labors? 

Why have I exhausted myself so early in my efforts? 

I trudge on. 

I'm Sick of My Perfectionism

I'm sick of perfectionism. The temptation to require personal flawlessness in my life may always pose a challenge to me. Right now, however, I'm fighting it. Aspects of my perfectionism have seemingly infiltrated every aspect of my life, big and small, and this has not excluded this silly little blog. :P I'm aiming to conquer them one at a time.

So, I have about 40 drafts saved for this blog (in comparison to the 15 or so that I've actually posted), and I have not published any of them for fear of imperfection.

I'm going to put them on here this month. :) That is all.