The Gray Report

Today I took some more pictures, and then uploaded and edited a few of them (along with some others). I posted just a small sample below, but more of my pictures can be found here at my Flickr account. As always I have a goal - that I may keep strong or not. I would like to keep up my Flickr account and expand it with more photos in the years to come. The web offers such remarkable methods of sharing things. Kassie didn't really like this picture. She gave me some reasons but I am still not sure why. I really like it because in the back you can see the small chunks of our 1st apartment together. We are both smiling and my smile actually looks sort of normal. And - - it is just a good picture. You know? This is one of the many pictures I took with Abi and Brian yesterday at the park near Wasatch. Logan was pretty happy for a while, and even gave a few good reactions to my odd noises. I realized why photographers are so strange and awkward - it is the only way to get a reaction out ...

In church on Sunday we read many scriptures in the Book of James. As the teacher continued talking about different points, a neat chain that began forming in my mind distracted me and I began to pursue it during class. For this paper, I completed the chain (or just took it a little further) and using Elder Bednar's insights on searching, studying, and making connections I have gained some new thoughts on patience. Below I have listed the scriptures in their entirety. James 1:3-4 3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh b patience . 4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be a perfect and entire, wanting nothing. D&C 67:13 13 Ye are not able to abide the presence of God now, neither the ministering of angels; wherefore, continue in patience until ye are perfected . Romans 2:7 7 To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honor and immortality , eternal life Hebrews 1...

It has been a while since I have posted to my blog. This thought is small, but meaningful to me so I figured I would share. Joy is something that is not always a part of my everyday life. Obviously things come and go that make my routine a challenging experience. But in reality, nothing is too bad or too hard for me to not to find a way to be happy about it. I have the choice to be happy any time, though this fact doesn't discount the necessary times one needs to experience sorrow and the other range of feelings to connect to others and understand the world around them. Sister Sanchez, my mission president's wife said something along these lines when she addressed my departing group of Elders as we prepared to go home. It was something like, "Challenges can be humorous now or in a few years, either way it is going to be funny. It is just up to us on when we decide to laugh about it." This reminds me of Elder Worthlin's talk about "Come what may and love it...