To Kill A Mockingbird - and becoming like a little child

 

To Kill a Mockingbird is a journey through justice, empathy, innocence and compassion. Innocence is central in the mockingbird. Atticus teaches that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird because they are harmless and only make music for us to enjoy. We have a duty to protect the innocent from the world's evil. In this book, Tom Robinson and Boo Radley are themselves mockingbirds, harmed by prejudice and cruelty. The children seem to understand much more than the adults ever will. 

Matthew 18:3-4 ...Verily I say unto you, except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. 

Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

2026 Journey....Moby-Dick

 I received a beautiful page a day calendar this year from my son's boyfriend. It's a page of day of great books. I've decided to do some writing each day about great books and scriptural connections.  I've always been fascinated by the intertextual connection between scriptures and great literature. Scripture has often been a primary source for settings, plots, characters, imagery and language. 

....so, here we go! 

Ahab's hunt for the white whale becomes a struggle against God's will...mirroring biblical tales of rebellion and search for meaning. 

Ahab, the main character, has a wooden leg because his original leg was bitten off by a whale. He spends his life seeking revenge for this. However, maybe he was always in pursuit of what was lost....like we have a yearning to always return to God. 

In the end, he is dragged to the bottom of the ocean to his death. Eeesh! I wonder if Ahab ever realized that he can't actually be the one in charge. There is something much bigger than him. Many of us go searching and searching for amazing wonders to fulfill us - when in fact, we need to turn inward to find fulfillment. 

Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 

Jeremiah 29:13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

That Christmas Feeling

December was a very busy month for me. The Relief Society was in charge of the ward Christmas party. We had a good committee and lots of help, but it still weighed heavily on my mind and took up a lot of time. I was pleased with how it all went and grateful for so many people's help. 

After that, there was the Relief Society party to plan and execute.  I didn't seem to have room in my brain to focus on this until the ward party was finished. Again, we had a committee of people to help; together we quickly made a plan and pulled it off. I think it was a good night for everyone who came. 

Hampers were the other big job (well, besides the stubbornly persistent need to go to work every day and to get ready for our own Christmas). I've always felt like I'm not very good at hampers. I don't like shopping and I'm an under-buyer, so the idea of buying things people might not buy because of financial constraints is hard for me to work around mentally. I'm not one to splurge a lot, even for other people. I did get some help though, and somehow, we got them organized on time. 

All through the month I felt kind of bad because I really didn't think I was feeling the real spirit of Christmas. Instead, I was working through a massive to-do list that never seemed to end. However, it all came together on Christmas Eve. We gave one of the hampers to a single mom in our ward. Her five‑year‑old boy had received one present. We brought him two more, which he loved, and it was super fun to watch him enjoy those. He seemed satisfied with his one gift  prior to the ones we brought, but there had been no presents for his mom. He was so happy to see her receive TWO presents. We told him that Santa had asked us to deliver them. Those were the only presents they received. His mom texted me later that this was the best Christmas she had had in years and that she was so grateful. I was quite humbled, and tears came easily as I thought about the abundance so many enjoy without realizing how simple other people's Christmases are.

I was grateful to finally have felt the real meaning of Christmas and to learn again how serving others is what it is all about. 

Right Place At The Right Time

I have a friend who is slowly returning to the church. I have met with her a few times. We have talked about what she thinks she needs to do to strengthen her testimony. She has been less active long enough that she feels like she needs to start from the beginning again and thought that maybe she should meet with the missionaries. The next time I met with her, she told me the missionaries had texted her some scriptures and spiritual thoughts. I hadn't asked them to do that.

Later, I asked the sisters later why they had decided to text her and they were so happy to hear that they were totally inspired to send her those messages. It was just what she needed. Those sisters are prayerfully working on finding new people to teach and their decision to contact her was no coincidence. 

Just like the women in Matthew 25 who did not have enough oil in their lamps....they left to go fill up when maybe they should have filled up in the morning so they could stay. It's a good lesson. I think the Lord guides us in our study and what we focus on so that we can be prepared to serve the people around us when the right time comes up.

Mastering Your Powers of Observation

Georgia O'Keefe: Nobody sees a flower, really. It is so small. We haven't time and to see, takes time. When we pause to see what's around us, I mean really see it, it not only broadens our awareness, it enriches our lives.

-delighted by the details

-slow down and digest the details 

How perceptive are you?
Do you mindfully observe your surroundings?
Do you rush through on to your next...whatever?

Could you start to carry a metaphorical sketchpad?

Learn to stop and SEE the roses, in addition to smelling them.

What Are You Carrying?

 I woke up the other night with an analogy on my mind that stole my sleep. It spoke to me plainly, as though I was having a conversation with someone directly.

I was carrying a big rock. It was heavy and hard to handle. People kept asking me to do things that meant I couldn't put the rock down. I'd smile and do the best I could - but physically, it was almost doing me in. I kept telling myself I was crazy to keep carrying this rock, but the truth was, I had no choice. 

I carried it through teaching adults and children. I carried it in meetings where we talked about the rock. I carried it while I was bowling. I carried it while having to talk to crowds about all the great things going on. I would ask if I could put it down every time - but people would smile and shake their heads and tell me I'd figure it out. They'd try to ignore the rock mostly, but now and then would ask how it's going carrying that rock. I asked if I could have some tools to help me with this rock. I asked if I could have some time to figure out how to put it down. All the time, the answer was, "Sorry. You have to figure out how to do more than one thing at a time."

Tonight I finally put down the rock. I'm going to have to figure out how to break this rock into pieces so that my sciatic nerve doesn't rebel against me for a month ever again.

Abortion

 This is a big topic in politics these days with the Republic party banning abortion in many states.  I'm opposed to the government making these kinds of decisions for individuals.

While I'm not a supporter of abortion, I believe abortion should be legal. Without it being legal, we couldn't even follow the church handbook, which states that it can be considered as an option after consultation with the right people. 

A discussion with someone who totally disagrees with me got me thinking. 

If a person has an abortion, what happens to that spirit. Is that it? Is that there one chance at an earthly experience? That doesn't seem like the plan of a loving God. 

I think that God's plan is merciful and logical. I don't see how one person's choice could wipe out another's opportunity for an earthly sojourn.