Swimming With New Fins

So I converted one of my tropical neighborhood friendly fish tanks into a cichlid tank a couple months ago. Cichlids are generally larger and more aggressive than other tropical fish. They do fine living together as long as they have enough of their own space. However, one of my "Green Terror" cichlids was getting picked on so much by the others that it nearly killed him. When I realized that his fins were almost completely nipped away and that he was acting quite lethargic and sickly, I separated him assuming that he was already a goner. He looked completely sad and was hardly able to swim without going in circles or straight up or down. After about a week in "quarentine", a small tank of his own, I noticed that he wasn't sick, just deprived of his fins!
I decided to put Virtus (he's earned a name for himself!) into my tropical fish tank with my angel fish, pladdys, tetras, danios and rainbow shark. I was hesitant to do so because he is a cichlid, naturally very territorial and the tank was already quite crowded. Nevertheless, my little green terror is growing his fins back healthily and is one of the most neighborhood friendly fish I have ever had. I love his strength for survival. He first came from a place of his own kind that persecuted and teased him relentlessly, to the point of near death! Now he is in a tank full of foreigners and regaining his strength, his wellness and making a home for himself. Still as his naturally passive and kind self, he is completely accepted by the others. The rainbow shark gets awnry sometimes and chases him away from "the forbidden" Amazonian plant, but that's just what the shark does, (he's quite possessive of his home).

Sometimes life throws "curve balls", foundations are torn from under us, reality becomes cold and ruthless, injustice seems to thrive more than mercy and gaping wholes of despair open up beneath our feet. Virtus is my hero right now of perseverance and strength to survive, to find healing and to learn how to swim with new growing fins. I think God has given me a few opportunities throughout my life to grow new fins. How grateful I am for the wisdom and lessons that he's taught me along the way.

Scripture and hymn of the Day

Jacob 2:18-19

18 But ^abefore ye seek for ^briches, seek ye for the ^ckingdom of God.

19 And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to ^ado good—to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted.

Hymn 219

Because I Have Been Given Much I Too Must Give

Heavenly Father is REAL. He knows us. He cares for us, He guides us, He comforts us, He protects us. He Knows Us.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is a gospel of ACTION and of GRACE. In DOING and ACTING, we gain more riches and blessings than we ever initially imagine. The most magnificent blessing is salvation through Christ and His great atoning act of love and sacrifice. We access this gift of grace through doing all that we can. We will always fall short, and He will always pick up our slack and do the rest. I know that's true and real. The Savior is the "Jesus of the Gaps".

Mirrors

A counselor in my bishopric yesterday suggested that we take advantage of the mirrors in our meeting hall every Sacrament meeting by taking a moment to look at our reflections and ask ourselves a few questions; Am I being the type of person that I wanted to be last week? Am I being a hopeful person? Am I extracting the juice of life and enjoying every moment of living?

A dear friend and mentor of mine shared an interesting observation and self analysis/ self motivating technique. Out of all of God's creations, we are the only animals that have the ability to look at ourselves from a third person point of view. When he takes a step back and experiences looking at himself from the outside, he not only gains perspective and an analysis of where he is at and what he is doing but he is also able to give himself encouraging and constructive feedback. Ok, so it doesn't sound as profound written down, but it's quite empowering when I succeed in doing it. Try it!

Cyprian Adagi Ogambi

I came across this Kenyan artist today while on the Internet. His name is Cyprian Adagi Ogambi born in 1962 in the Nyanza Province, Siaya District. The colors and texture jumped out at me and speaks all sorts of messages of motivation and beauty. I love his artwork and wanted to share it.

Using My Head

Orange One Manyatta

Two With Wood

Maasi Herder

It's A Wonderful Life

Life is all about symbolism and metaphors. God did say that he created everything spiritually before it was created physically. I feel like so much has been speaking to my spirit lately, my brain is doing all that it can just trying to keep up and make sense of it all. I'm going to attempt to share a few feelings that have begun formulating in my mind.

Last night, a friend introduced me to "It's a Wonderful Life", yes, the black and white Christmas movie with Jimmy Stewert. I can see now how he can watch it over and over and never be tired of it. I feel like I only skimmed the surface of taking from it all that it has to offer :-). Let me just say before I dive into one of my "oceans of profound" analogies that it was an excellent movie. Anybody who hasn't seen it is missing out... Seriously, go borrow it from your neighbor and watch it with a nice big bowl of pipoca.

In this scene George Bailey is exstatically showing the policeman the rose pedals from his daughter's broken flower that he concealed in his pocket when she asked her to "paste them back on". He's alive! He has his life back and the seemingly smallest things mean all the world to him.

Thanks to Clarence, his guardian angel (or divine tutor), Mr. Bailey realized that nothing... thousands of lost dollars, bank foreclosure, the loss of his job, the prospect of going to jail and even injustice itself was not worth loosing his dear wife and children. That amidst everything, nothing else mattered.

The relationships that we forge with people in this life, I believe, have eternal consequences and are of infinite worth, just as the individuals themselves. They are totally incomparable to amounts of money or any earthly possessions or powers.

Also, a huge message to take in from this fabulous movie is the fact (the FACT) that we have permanent effects on the lives that we interact with. We are all in this together, we are all brothers and sisters, we all have the same Father in Heaven who loves us all and wants us all to succeed. One of the most amazing ways that he blesses us is through others, both when they help us and when we help them.

CREATE

If you haven't seen this short video inspired by President Dieter F Uchtdorf's April 2009 Relief Society General Conference talk on Creation, the link is below... enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhLlnq5yY7k

"Everyone can create.

"Remember that you are spirit daughters of the most creative being of the universe. Isn't it remarkable to think that your very spirits are fashioned by an endlessly creative and eternally compassionate God. Think about it, your spirit body is a masterpiece. created with a beauty, function and capacity beyond imagination.

You will make the world a better place.

The more you trust and rely upon the spirit, the greater your capacity to create."

-President Dieter F. Uchtdorf


How grateful I am to the teachers in my life; to my ultimate tutors, the God Head, and those that I am blessed to have contact with within my own circle of family and friends as well as church leaders, strangers and acquaintances. An overwhelming lesson that I've been learning and that has been chimed and exemplified so beautifully by my sister is the realization that each of us have the power, the capability, and even the responsibility to create the world that we want to be surrounded by.

You want to be happy? Create that. See something or someone that is happy and emulate that until you begin to experience happiness within you and the world around you and then you'll know what it feels like to maintain that creation.

Friendship with oneself is all-important, because without it one cannot be friends with anyone else in the world.
-Eleanor Roosevelt

"With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts." -Eleanor Roosevelt

For two years, I have had a quote by Eleanor Roosevelt sitting in front of my kitchen sink. It has seen me move through all kinds extraordinary pathways that have brought me immense growth, perspective, and experience. It has been a constant, nonjudgmental cheerleader for every dream and aspiration that I have chosen to pursue, short-lived or long term. In short, it has seen me walk into the face of my future endowing me with resolve and empowerment.

"The Future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."

I have come to love this quote and the woman who said it.

A word on guardian angels... they do exist, but what of them? How do they work? The 'how' is a pointless question, it would be like asking how does faith make mountains move or how does God intimately know and hear all of us? Some things we just don't have the capacity yet to completely understand. Nevertheless, it is interesting to contemplate such questions and it is preparatory to gaining more 'light and knowledge'.

Perhaps one way in which guardian angels work is with the spiritual impression(s) that they leave behind them when they leave this mortal life. Eleanor Roosevelt left a legacy of spiritual impressions behind her. Her words have brought me gentle nudging and boosts of confidence just as they have for hundreds of others. Wherever she is, I am sure her love for God, his plan and all of his children has only increased and that she is working amongst others in bringing about God's Plan of Happiness. She is, no doubt, part of an army of gaurdian angels.

Today I decided to read a little about Eleanor Roosevelt and what experiences molded such a wise and beautiful mind. We are all amazing and extraordinary people with so much to discover and give to the world. One way in which I hope to finally meet my potential square in the eye (rather than chasing after it like a balloon in the wind) is to study the lives and accomplishments of great individuals that have lived before. Eleanor Roosevelt is the heroin of the week!