A Life to Give

It is instructive that the second Latter-day Saint connection with the Titanic did not have a happy mortal ending.
Irene Corbett was 30 years old.
She was a young wife and mother from Provo, Utah.
She had significant talents as an artist and musician; she was also a teacher and a nurse.
At the urging of medical professionals in Provo, she attended a six-month course of study on midwife skills in London.
It was her great desire to make a difference in the world.
She was careful, thoughtful, prayerful, and valiant.
One of the reasons she chose the Titanic to return to the United States was because she thought the missionaries would be traveling with her and that this would provide additional safety.
Irene was one of the few women who did not survive this terrible tragedy.
Most of the women and children were placed in lifeboats and were ultimately rescued.
There were not enough lifeboats for everyone.
But it is believed that she did not get in the lifeboats because, with her special training, she was attending to the needs of the numerous passengers who were injured from the iceberg collision.

-Quentin L. Cook -The Songs They Could Not Sing -October 2011 General Conference

Until you next read these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

A Word

I don't know if I woke up on the wrong side of the bed today.

But it was one of those days where I was feeling very anti-people.
Like. I really would have rather not gone to work and have to deal with people. 
Having to converse. Pretend to be happy. Pretend to care about what others had to say.

Yah. Wasn't feeling it.

Kinda been feeling that way all week with work and customers.

I just really wanted to be by myself and not have to interact at all.

Not the best frame of mind while heading into work.
That's for sure. lol.

And I was on a mission.
To avoid talking to people as much as possible. 
Because I didn't want to deal with them today.

But then....
My coworker randomly stopped and complimented me.

And it was crazy how my mood went from grumpy grumpy.
To happy positive.
It seriously was a split second change.

My whole mood changed.
The out look got brighter.

And while I still had to deal with customers that agh...I didn't want to deal with.
My overall mood had improved muchly.

A simple compliment had spun me out of my mental downward spiral.
And brought me soaring back up into being positive and happy and able to better handle the day. ^^;;

Until you next see these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

Chapter 4

It seems like it's always Chapter 4. 

*shakes head*

So for the past little bit, I've been writing fanfiction.
WHICH AS BEEN SO MUCH FUN!!!

lol.
And it's crazy because most of my fanfics I write end up being like 5 chapters long.
Which woot for being consistent!!
lol. I guess I kinda know my plotting size now. ^^;; 

But it's always interesting.
Because with Fanfics you can post them online and get feedback about your story pretty quickly.
Which has totally become addicting btw. I love getting feedback. It brightens my day every single time. ^^ 

And some chapters obviously get more feedback/likes/comments than others.
Because you know...not every chapter can be the climax of the story lol. 

But I guess my pattern is to create the most tension in Chapter 3. Which almost always gains a boatload of comments/likes etc.

And the pressure of wondering if people will like the next chapter also grows exponentially.

lol Which makes it difficult. When I post Chapter 4. 
Because...often there's not as much feedback, or the response on the chapter is much slower to come.

Which.
Cue paranoia. lol. 
*shakes head* 

I experienced that today.
I posted Ch. 4.
And waited anxiously for a response.

And got like two....

Which was crazy.
Because with how popular the story was.
I figured there would be a much higher and quicker response rate.

Maybe they were asleep.
Maybe they were busy.

But then, I figured out why I was getting very little feedback on the chapter. 
*exhales*
>.< It's because I didn't properly tag people in the story. 
(Tagging people = Website notifies them that I posted a new chapter) 
So I fixed the tags.

And what do you know...
I got notifications!! :D lol.

^^;;
I'm happy I figured out that issue.
Because that would have been so depressing to have poor Ch. 4 of this fic have barely any notes. :S

Until you next read these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

April 2017 General Conference -Saturday Afternoon

Dieter F. Uchtdorf -The Sustaining of Church Officers

Kevin R. Jergensen -Church Auditing Department Report, 2016

Brook P. Hales -Statistical Report, 2016

• Total Membership -15,882,417
• Full-Time Missionaries -70,946
• Church-Service Missionaries -33,695

Robert D. Hales -Becoming a Disciple of Our Lord Jesus Christ

• Many people hear the word disciple and think it means only "follower." But genuine discipleship is a state of being. 
• Disciples live so that the characteristics of Christ are woven into the fiber of their beings, as into a spiritual tapestry. 
• Weaving the spiritual tapestry of personal discipleship requires more than a single thread.
• The attributes of the Savior, as we perceive them, are not a script to be followed or list to be checked off. They are interwoven characteristics, added one to another, which develop in us in interactive ways. In other words, we cannot obtain one Christlike characteristic without also obtaining and influencing others. As one characteristic becomes strong, so do many more.
• We measure our faith by what it leads us to do.
• Faith is a catalyst. Without works, without virtuous living, our faith is without power to activate discipleship. Indeed, faith is dead. 
• Virtue is also power.
• It is faith, hope, and charity that qualify us for the work of God. 

Jeffrey R. Holland -Songs Sun and Unsung

• If or a time you are unable to echo the joyous melodies you hear coming from others, I ask you to hold tenaciously to the line in this hymn that reassures, "Jesus listening can hear the songs [you] cannot sing." 
• Among the realities we face as children of God living in a fallen world is that some days are difficult, days when our faith and our fortitude are tested.
• Challenges may come from a lack in us, a lack in others, or just a lack in life, but whatever the reasons, we find they can rob us of songs we so much want to sing and darken the promise of "springtime in [the] soul." 
• In those moments when the melody of joy falters below our power of expression, we may have to stand silent for a time and simply listen to others, drawing strength from the splendor of the music around us. 
• Surely it follows that in singing the anthems of eternity, we should stand as close as humanly possible to the Savior and Redeemer of the world--who has absolutely perfect pitch. We then take courage from His ability to hear our silence and take hope from His melodious messianic intercession in our behalf. 
• On those days when we feel a little out of tune, a little less than what we think we see or hear in others, I would ask us, especially the youth of the Church, to remember it is by divine design that not all the voices in God's choir are the same.
• Diversity is not cacophony, and choirs do require discipline.
• Heavenly Father delights to have us sing in our own voice, not someone else's. Believe in yourself, and believe in Him. Don't demean your worth or denigrate your contribution. Above all, don't abandon your role in the chorus. 
• You are unique; you are irreplaceable. The loss of even one voice diminishes every other singer in this great mortal choir of ours, including the loss of those who feel they are on the margins of society or the margins of the Church.
• We live in a mortal world with many songs we cannot or do not yet sing. But I plead with each one of us to stay permanently and faithfully in the choir, where we will be able to savor forever that most precious anthem of all--"the song of redeeming love." 
• "Come as you are," a loving Father says to each of us, but He adds, "Don't plan to stay as you are." We smile and remember that God is determined to make of us more than we thought we could be. 

Gary B. Sabin -Stand Up Inside and Be All In

• We don't hold back to see what the minimum is we can get by with.
• When we are fully committed and "all in," heaven shakes for our good. When we are lukewarm or only partially committed, we lose out on some of heaven's choicest blessings. 
• When we are complacent with our covenants, we are complicit with the consequences.
• In reality, it is much easier to be "all in" than partially in. 
• No matter where we are or where we have been, we are not beyond the reach of the Savior.
• In order to be "all in," we need to "stand up inside," "come what may." 
• We stand up inside when we wait patiently upon the Lord to remove or give us strength to endure our thorns in the flesh.
• If we are not able to be "all in" the way we are presently walking, then maybe we need to run; maybe we need to recalculate our route. We might even need to make a U-turn.
• It is hard to measure the impact for good each individual can have by standing up inside.
• Don't fear, just live right.

Valeri V. Cordon -The Language of the Gospel

• Don't wait until it's too late!
• To combat the worldly traditions of our day, we need to use the scriptures and the voice of our modern prophets to teach our children about their divine identity, their purpose in life, and the divine mission of Jesus Christ.
• Just as a mother is compassionate with her little children, our Heavenly Father is patient with our imperfections and mistakes. He treasures and understands our feeblest utterances, mumbled in sincerity, as if they were fine poetry.
• No achievement in this life, important as it may be, will be relevant if we lose the language of the gospel in our families.

Neil L. Andersen -Overcoming the World

• Overcoming the world is not one defining moment in a lifetime, but a lifetime of moments that define eternity.
• The world is more interested in indulging the natural man than in subduing him. 
• Overcoming the world is not a global invasion but a private, personal battle, requiring hand-to-hand combat with our own internal foes. 
• Overcoming the world is trusting in the one voice that warns, comforts, enlightens, and brings peace "not as the world giveth." 
• As our spiritual antennas are pointed heavenward, the Lord guides us to those we can help.
• The world is easily irritated, disinterested, and demanding, loving the cheers of the crowd, while overcoming the world brings humility, empathy, patience, and compassion for those different than yourself.
• Overcoming the world is remembering, even when we are discouraged, the times we have felt the love and light of the Savior.

M. Russell Ballard -Return and Receive

• Knowing where you are going and how you expect to get there can bring meaning, purpose, and accomplishment to life.
• A goal is a destination or an end, while a plan is the route by which you get there.
• Goal setting is essentially beginning with the end in mind. And planning is devising a way to get to that end. A key to happiness lies in understanding what destinations truly matter--and then spending our time, effort, and attention on the things that constitute a sure way to arrive there.
• Short-term goals are only effective if they lead to clearly understood longer-term goals. 
• The simpler and more straightforward the goal is, the more power it will have. When we can reduce a goal to one clear image or one or two powerful and symbolic words, that goal can hen become part of us and guide virtually everything we think and do. 
• Despite our mistakes, shortcomings, detours, and sins, Jesus Christ's Atonement allows us to repent, prepared to return and receive the matchless blessings God has promised--to live forever with the Father and the Son in the highest degree of the celestial kingdom. 

Until you next see these words;

I'll be watching the leaves.

Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

Simple Pleasures

There are happy moments in small simple pleasures.
And one of those small simple pleasures for me is snuggling up in a newly bought super soft blanket.

It was a blanket I bought just a couple of days ago from work. 
Basically one of my only purchases on Black Friday. lol
-And yes, my work, the petstore, does sell blankets. Usually during the Christmas season.
Still a little unclear on whether or not they're meant for the dogs or the people.
But the true fact of the matter is that these blankets are always super soft.
And super warm.
And are totally worth buying because ahhhh. They are so comfortable to be wrapped up in. ^^

Seriously.
I've bought one or two blankets every year from work because they are so worth it.
The soft fluffy warmness.

Such a small joy, a tiny happy moment.

You can never have enough blankets.
lol
Especially when they make me so happy. ^^ 

Until you next read these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

Helping Others

I'm probably one of those people.
Who puts themselves last.

When it comes to satisfying my own needs. 
Not all the time.
But really.
Being empathetic as I am, and loyal, and stubborn.
When I sense a need.
I will try and do what I can to meet that need.
Even when it comes at my own expense. 

The major case and point in this would be my stubborn refusal to call in sick to work lol.
I could have been up all night, not sleeping due to a major headache.
Still be suffering from said major headache to the point where I feel shaky standing up.
And I will still go to work.
And well...work. 
When honestly...I probably should have just called in. 
*shakes head*

I had that thought more than once earlier today.
When I ended up getting a headache just before my shift.
(Which...why in the world did I get one in the first place?! I still don't know) 
And said headache went nuclear.
Where meds weren't helping it at all.

But did I try to go home early?
Ha.
No.
I just would time my breaks so that when the pain got a bit worse, I would ask to take my break and go rest for 15 minutes or so with a heatpack over my eyes to try and relax them.

Which...usually works.
Only this time around,
I had coworkers in the breakrooms with me.
And they were in need of advice and help and conversation.
And so instead of ignoring them...I chatted with them.
Sacrificing my need of some peace and quiet to help them out.

Same thing happened when I finally made it home tonight lol.
There was a need, and despite me just wanting to collapse in bed and close my eyes and forget the world,
I went instead and met the need. Helped. 

*shakes head*
Really....
Why do I do this to me?

I'm just so stubborn.
Difficult to work with apparently.
Or because I've been dealing with headaches a lot...
I figure it's 'not that bad' because I've handled them before. 
*exhales* 

I'm weird.
Definitely weird. 

Until you next see these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

Surviving Black Friday

So it came.
After like two weeks of preparation.
Black Friday finally came.

*shakes head*

And it definitely a bit of an experience lol. 

Mostly because it started off so slow.
It reminded me mostly of like my first year being at Starsmet.

Because when we opened the doors at 7am to let in the Black Friday shoppers. 
Instead of there being like 20-50 people waiting to come in.
We had like...6. 

O.o 
Where were the people waiting at the doors to come grab like 20 cases of Cat litter?
Where were the people anxiously waiting to come grab the cage and animal at half off?
Where were the dog food people?

Delayed apparently lol. 

I halfway wonder if online orders affected how many people were waiting at the doors.
Because I know a good 20 or so people had online orders in place.
And they were probably waiting to get their confirmation email before coming in.
So when the confirmation didn't show up....they didn't show up. 
(Because yay technology glitched and we couldn't access the servers to get everyone's online orders ready. :S ) 

It definitely threw me off a bit.
To have people only trickling in.

But that changed about 15 minutes after we opened the doors.
And I finally had my first PetCare customers.
Which resulted in me spending basically the next hour at the fish wall just catching fish lol. 

Because all the animals in the store were half off,
Many customers went all out.
Getting a ton of fish at once.
Because they're half off. Which meant a bit of time spent. When you have to catch ten or fifteen fish when usually you're only catching like 2 or 3. *shakes head*

It's also confusing when people get those big numbers, basically with the intention to 'take the lot' like....you could have left some for others too......

In any case.
My first hour was spent at the fish wall.
The second hour was halfway between the fish wall as that's when all the customers of the past week or so that had said they wanted me specifically to help them out with grabbing fishtank set up stuff came in.

And after that....
It's kinda interesting.
Like it stayed busy.
But, thankfully not hecticly busy. 

And the customers seemed to come in cycles.
Like...suddenly everyone wanted a hamster.
Or everyone wanted fish.
Or everyone wanted birds.

It was consistent enough that i was often helping multiple customers at the same time for the same section of the store, or else I would leave to check in on other areas of my department only to get called straight back to the section I'd just left. lol.

Still.
It was a good Black Friday. I think.
At least for my department because it was busy. But not crazy stressful busy.

So yah.
Yay for being at a job where the customers don't completely bonkers over sales. lol. 

Until you next read these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

On the Cliff Face

Without safety ropes, harnesses, or climbing gear of any kind, two brothers--Jimmy, age 14, and John, age 19 (though those aren't their real names)--attempted to scale a sheer canyon wall in Snow Canyon State Park in my native southern Utah.
Near the top of their laborious climb, they discovered that a protruding ledge denied them their final few feet of ascent.
They could not get over it, but neither could they now retreat from it.
They were stranded.
After careful maneuvering, John found enough footing to boost his younger brother to safety on top of the ledge.
But there was no way to lift himself.
The more he strained to find finger or foot leverage, the more his muscles began to cramp.
Panic started to sweep over him, and he began to fear for his life.

Unable to hold on much longer, John decided his only option was to try and jump vertically in an effort to grab the top of the overhanging ledge.
If successful, he might, by his considerable arm strength, pull himself to safety.

In his own words, he said:

"Prior to my jump I told Jimmy to go search for a tree branch strong enough to extend down to me, although I knew there was nothing of the kind on this rocky summit.
It was only a desperate ruse.
If my jump failed, the least I could do was make certain my little brother did not see me falling to my death.

"Giving him enough time to be out of sight, I said my last prayer--that I wanted my family to know I loved them and that Jimmy could make it home safely on his own--then I leapt.
There was enough adrenaline in my spring that the jump extended my arms above the ledge almost to my elbows.
But as I slapped my hands down on the surface, I felt nothing but loose sand on flat stone.
I can still remember the gritty sensation of hanging there with nothing to hold on to--no lip, no ridge, nothing to grab or grasp.
I felt my fingers begin to recede slowly over the sandy surface.
I knew my life was over.

"But then suddenly, like a lightning strike in a summer storm, two hands shot out from somewhere above the edge of the cliff, grabbing my wrists with a strength and determination that belied their size.
My faithful little brother had not gone looking for any fictitious tree branch.
Guessing exactly what I was planning to do, he had never moved an inch.
He had simply waited--silently, almost breathlessly--knowing full well I would be foolish enough to try to make that jump.
When I did, he grabbed me, held me, and refused to let me fall.
Those strong brotherly arms saved my life that day as I dangled helplessly above what would surely have been certain death."

-Jeffrey R. Holland -Where Justice, Love, and Mercy Meet -April 2015 General Conference

Until you next see these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

Ninja Mode Activated

It's not like I'm doing it on purpose.

I just...I guess have a quiet energy about me? A soft presence, so that people don't always  realize I'm there.

Which has made for some rather entertaining encounters whenever I'm on break at work.

I mean, 
I can startle people by suddenly being there when they weren't expecting it because they hadn't seen/heard/sensed my approach. So I kinda just 'appear out of nowhere to them.'

But it's been entertaining the past couple of weeks.
Because our breakroom had a recent makeover.
Where the managers bought more 'lounge' type chairs in an effort to make the breakroom more 'welcoming' 

And so, in lu of my favorite swivel chair, I've taken to curling up in one of those plastic lounge chairs on my breaks. 
And I just so happen, out of the four chairs in there, tend to pick the one closest to the wall that the door is on.
So when my coworkers open the door, the door temporarily blocks me from view. 

It probably doesn't help my case that I tend to sit in a blue chair...when I'm wearing a blue work shirt, and the wall is whitish and my pants are whitish/tan....lol. 
So I probably blend in as well a bit too. 

So my coworkers walk into the breakroom thinking there's no one there, only to turn around and see me sitting there quietly on my phone.

lol. 
Yah...it's kinda amusing just to see how people react.
Especially because I'm not actively trying to do anything. 
I'm just sitting there, recalibrating a bit so I can go out and face people again on the floor. 

I wonder how many more times it's going to happen lol. 

Until you next read these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

Pizza Pizza

I was Saved by Pizza today.

You see.
I had left work a couple of hours earlier.
After convincing the manager on duty to let a different coworker who is trained in my department, but isn't scheduled to work today in my department...take over for me so I could go home.

Why? Because my replacement coworker hadn't shown up yet.
And I didn't want to wait around any longer than I already had.
I was already supposed to have clocked out 10 minutes earlier. 

So taking advantage of the situation, knowing I had the coverage.
I asked and got the coverage.

And left.

Only for the manager to call me a couple of hours later.
Asking if I would be able to come in to help cover some lunches and such.

Why?
Because the coworker who was supposed to replace me...
Never showed up.
Because apparently their availability changed and they were no longer able to make the shift they were scheduled for today.

...which I wonder if another manager knew about this and then forgot to tell the rest of us. *shakes head*

But that left the store with just three people in the store.
A cashier, a person in my department, and the manager.

....Not good for an evening shift.
Though thankfully it's a Tuesday night, so they aren't as crazy as other nights.

And I would have been willing to come in.
-As I tend to want to help my work out when they're in trouble....even though I was confused as to why they were calling me as I already am at my max scheduled hours so if I were to come in...I'd be going into overboard.

However.
I couldn't come in right away.
Why?
Because I had just ordered a pizza. ^^;;; lol. 
And I was the only one home at the moment.
And wasn't expecting my roomies to show up until after the pizza arrived.
So I couldn't just leave because then who would grab my pizza?? 

I did say that I could come in in like an hour....
But that was too late for the manager's liking.

So. 
I ended up not going back into work tonight.
Thanks to me deciding to order pizza. ^^;; 

*fingers crossed* that my coworkers were able to survive. 

Until you next see these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

April 2017 General Conference -Saturday Morning

Henry B. Eyring -Gathering the Family of God

• We hope all of you will feel one with us--that you will feel the spiritual power that comes whenever a body of believers gathers in the name of Christ.
• Each of us was given a portion of God's light, called the "Light of Christ," to help distinguish between good and evil, right and wrong.
• Families are also the best way to preserve and pass on moral virtues and true principles that are most likely to lead us back to God's presence. 
• The best technology can never be a substitute for revelation from heaven.
• We do not know what marvels God will inspire people to create to help in His work of gathering His family. But whatever marvelous inventions may come, their use will require the Spirit working in people like you and me.

M. Joseph Brough -His Daily Guiding Hand

• Heavenly Father knows what you and I need better than anyone else. As a result, He has developed a personal care package suited to each one of us.
• Tolerating improper behavior without loving correction is false compassion.
• Repentance is not a punishment; it is a privilege. 
• Heavenly Father really does care and listen to and answer every child's prayer. 

Weatherford T. Clayton -Our Father's Glorious Plan

• Even in our moments of deepest grief, in the moments when time stands still and life seems so unfair, we can find comfort in our Savior because He suffered as well.

Dale G. Renlund -Our Good Shepherd

• Like the true shepherd He is, He seeks us and finds us to offer relief and hope.
• While God is empathetic, we should not mistakenly believe that He is accepting and open-minded about sin. He is not. The Savior came to earth to save us from our sin and, importantly, will not save us in our sins. 
• Our role is also to help and bless, lift and edify, and replace fear and despair with hope and joy.
• A repenting sinner draws closer to God than does the self-righteous person who condemns that sinner.
• We must guard against bigotry that raises its ugly voice toward those who hold different opinions. Bigotry manifests itself, in part, in unwillingness to grant equal freedom of expression. Everyone, including people of religion, has the right to express his or her opinions in the public square. But no one has a license to be hateful toward others as those opinions are expressed. 
• For us to ask for respect, we must be respectful.

Ulisses Soares -Confide in God Unwaveringly

• Press forward with steadfast faith in Christ.
• Christ stands ready to help--to help each of us--with every burden.
• A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
• God blesses us according to our faith.
• If we are not rooted by steadfast trust in God and the desire to serve Him, then painful experiences of mortality can lead us to feel as though we are burdened by a heavy yoke; and we can lose the motivation to live the gospel fully. Without faith, we will end up losing the capacity to appreciate those designs of our God regarding the things that will happen later in our life. 
• If we are steadfast and do not waver in our faith, the Lord will increase our capacity to raise ourselves above the challenges of life.

Mark A. Bragg -Brighter and Brighter until the Perfect Day

• Even in the most difficult and darkest of times, there is light and goodness all around us. 
• That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light growth brighter and brighter until the perfect day.
• Seeking the light is in our spiritual DNA.
• From single-cell organisms to complex human systems, everything alive has an inherent inclination toward the positive and away from the negative.
• Please take comfort that there is light available to us.
• We cannot allow criticism to dull our sensitivity to the light that is available to us. Recognizing the light and seeking after it will qualify us for even more light.
• Now more than ever, our families must be sources of great light to everyone around us. Families increase in light as they increase in love and kindness. 
• In a darkening world, the light of the gospel will shine brighter and brighter until the perfect day.
• The Spirit of Christ is always there. ... The light of Christ is as universal as sunlight itself. Wherever there is human life, there is the Spirit of Christ.
• May we see the Light of Christ in others constantly and help them see it in themselves.

Russell M. Nelson -Drawing the Power of Jesus Christ into Our Lives

• Our Heavenly Father never intended that we would deal with the maze of personal problems and social issues on our own.
• Faith in Jesus Christ propels us to do things we otherwise would not do.
• Faith that motivates us to action gives us more access to His power.
• When you reach up for the Lord's power in your life with the same intensity that a drowning person has when grasping and gasping for air, power from Jesus Christ will be yours. 
• When you spiritually stretch beyond anything you have ever done before, then his power will flow into you.

Until you next read these words;

I'll be watching the leaves.

Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

Breathe

Giving talks in church is always an interesting thing.
Because you're given a topic...and then you speak on that topic.
Seems simple enough. Share stories, share insights, share thoughts, share quotes.

And it's interesting that each time I give talks....it kinda comes out in a different way.
I don't speak in church often. 
But I do know that I often try to go the metaphor route. Tell a story and then connect the story to the subject in hand and try to have people see the world in a different light. Take the subject in a different way.

Today however, it wasn't quite like that.

You see. My topic today was on Hope.
Which is both an easy and hard subject to deal with. Because there's so much to hope. So many ways you can approach that subject.

Yet.
My mind went a different route than it usually does.
Like. I had potential stories that I could tell...but it just didn't feel right. 
Hope. 
What was hope?
It's encouragement. It's a belief. It's the will to keep going when all seems lost.

And I felt....
More like I should give encouragement.
Give less of a talk. But more of encouragement. 
Focus less on me and my stories and my view points.
But instead, encourage those I would be speaking to. Give them positivity. Give them hope.

My mind went this way because recently, on a different social media platform, I've been doing just that. There have been people popping up on my feed that have been...well...struggling in the midst of darkness really. They're looking for hope, for encouragement.
And I've just....been doing that. Giving them words of hope and encouragement and just trying to give them a point of light. A beacon to look up to. To help them feel better about themselves. To give them hope for tomorrow. That things will get better.

It was with that frame of mind that I wrote the following talk and gave it in church today. 

Breathe.

You got this.

Not every day you face is going to be an easy day.

There will be days where getting out of bed is going to be a major accomplishment. Which congrats guys! You managed to do just that today.

There will be times when things go wrong. Where the day just grows gloomier, darker, colder.

But that doesn’t mean the day has to stay that way.

Just because it’s not going good now, doesn’t mean it’s not going to go good in the future.

Whether that better moment happens in the next five minutes, tomorrow, in a week, or even in five years. Have confidence. It will get better.

The night is always darkest before the dawn. The light will come.

It’s a matter of lifting your head. Squaring your shoulders, and having the confidence that it will be better.

Breathe.

Mistakes will be made. Things will go wrong.

But those things don’t have to define you. You can learn and grow. Pick yourself up and continue onward.

Because it’s only when you stop trying that true failure happens.

You may have to create nine hundred and ninety-nine failed projects before you finally get your lightbulb moment.

You may have to tell yourself seventy times seven times that tomorrow. TOMORROW you will do better. You will start that goal. You will make that change you’ve been wanting to make.

So long as you keep trying, if it’s only in thinking of trying, you’re succeeding. Don’t give up. You got this.

Just remember, things don’t always go according to plan. Celebrate the things that did.

Recognize that while you may have failed in following through in doing exactly what you had wanted to do, that doesn’t mean you failed in following through with helping someone else’s plan to succeed.

A mistake, a delay, a missed opportunity could bring you into the path of another needing your guidance, your experience, or else bring them into your life to teach you a moment of patience, show you a moment of charity, give a learning experience that can build a foundation strong enough for you to stand on later when the whirlwinds blow and the flood waters rise.

Breathe.

You got this.

Things will get better. The struggles of last week are in the past. The future is not yet set in stone.

Start with today, or if today doesn’t work. Start with tomorrow.

Have confidence. You’re doing better than you think you are.

You’re helping more than you think you are. You’re an influence to those around you. And while you may not feel like anyone special right in this moment, you are the light on a hill to someone.

Whether it’s a flickering flame, or a blazing bonfire. There are those around you who look up to you. Depend on you. And think that you’re amazing.

Already, you’ve inspired a lot of people to change, to become more than they already are.

Whether it was that freshman that you smiled to on your way to class,

that customer who you took an extra twenty minutes of your time to help,

that half second where you liked a facebook post made by a friend,

that roommate that you helped by doing the dishes,

or that stranger on the street that you complimented.

Your influence is seen and felt by many. More than you can ever realize.

Don’t give up.

You got this.

Breathe.

It will all work out in the end. It’s not going to be easy. Unfortunately life isn’t always going to be you frolloicking in the meadows picking wildflowers.

But that doesn’t mean that the weeds and the cloudy days are the only things you should focus on. You can see the blue sky, the silver lining, the one blooming rose in a bush full of thorns.

You still have your entire life. Remember that some things take time. Just because it’s not working out in your timing doesn’t mean it won’t all work out in the end. Because it will work out.

Often in ways that you never could have imagined or expected.

So remember to breathe. Hold your head up. Square your shoulders.

Because you got this.

It seems like such a simple thing.

But that’s what Hope is.

It’s that flickering flame in the middle of a storm.

It’s whispering to yourself that ‘tomorrow I’ll do better’ as you curl up under the covers.

It’s not giving up the fight when all seems to be lost.

Hope can be such an easy thing to give to another.

An encouraging word.

A smile.

A small act of kindness.

Often we worry.

Worry that it’s not enough.

That we’re being a bother.

That saying something won’t help.

But it can.

Because hope is often the strongest when the odds are the greatest.

It’s easy to feel confidence when things are going well. It’s easy to feel great when all is going according to plan.

Yet it’s in the trials of life that hope is found. It’s found in the sacrifices made, it’s found in the stubborn determination that you will not give up.

It’s found when you keep the faith, fight the good fight.

Have courage. Be Kind.

Stay Calm. Carry on.

Hope is the light on a hill. It’s that flame that cannot be hidden.

Hope is easy to spark. Because it almost never goes out.

It only needs a single moment, a single smile, a single word, to flare back up.

To burn brightly.

To spur you on.

The main thing is reach for it. To share it.

Because where hope is found, miracles can happen.

So Breathe.

You got this.

Until you next see these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi