One to Convert

I have spent most of my life in areas of the world where members of our Church are a small minority.
During that time I have learned that often when people learned of the restored gospel, they are impressed by it--many even want to join the Church.
But they are reluctant to disappoint their ancestors; they feel they should be true to the faith of their fathers.

I remember when I was a young man, one Sunday I noticed a new family in our meetinghouse--a young mother with two daughters.
It wasn't long before the three were baptized and became members of the Church.

I know the story of their conversion intimately because the oldest daughter's name was Harriet, and later she would become my wife.

Harriet's mother, Carmen, had recently lost her husband, and during a period of introspection, she became interested in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
After studying the doctrines, Carmen and her daughters knew the Church was true and made plans for baptism.

When Carmen told her mother about this decision, however, her mother was devastated.
"How can you be so unfaithful to the faith of your fathers?" she asked.

Carmen's mother was not the only one who objected.
Carmen's strong-willed sister, Lisa, was every bit as troubled by the news.
Perhaps troubled is too soft a word.
She was very angry.

Lisa said that she would find those young missionaries and tell them just how wrong they were.
She marched to the chapel and found the missionaries, and, you guessed it, Lisa was baptized too.

Many years later, Carmen's mother also received a testimony that the gospel of Jesus Christ had been restored to the earth.
One day she said to her daughters and grandchildren, "I want to be in the same heaven as you."
While in her mid-70s, she too entered the waters of baptism and became a member of the Church.

Dieter F. Uchtdorf -Faith of Our Father -April 2008 General Conference

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

Too Much Screen

My eyes hurt.
Not from yesterday's doctor's visit.
No not because of that.

No they hurt because I've just spent the last 6 hours reading.
Quick, Hurried, fast reading.

Because for some reason, Institute classes actually require you to do homework now.
And I hadn't done the readings for my class....at all.
But since I graduated institute (again)
I felt the responsibility to actually do this homework, so I could absolutely positively graduate as I would have this class complete.

Ugh.
Never again.
If I take more institute classes with reading homework.
I'm not putting it off til the last minute.
because ow.
I mean, I stare at a computer screen for hours at a time.
But with so much focus, intent, trying to read as fast as I can to prove that I did do the readings.

Yah.
Going to be better next time around.
But hey!
It's done.

Time to finally relax. :)

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

Coming At Ya

My eyes have always been rather sensitive.

To objects coming towards them.

I mean, it took me like 3 hours to put contacts into my eyes the first time!

Because I really, really, really don't like having anything come near my eyes.

It's hard to keep them open.

Hard to not pull away.

Which makes the pressure test at the Eye Doctor's particularly difficult.

You know, when the doc has you sit your chin in this contraption as he brings forth a device that could literally poke you in the eye if you blink or jerk at the wrong moment?

Yah. That test.

The one to test the pressure of the cornea or whatever.

I can't do it.

Honestly. I can't.

It literally makes me feel like I'm in 'fight or flight' mode.

The gizmo just has to be pulled out and my heart starts racing.

And I can't hold still long enough to do so.

And because of this....I've manage to avoid having to do the pressure test for like the last....3 times?

It's been a while.

But today....

Today I thought maybe it would be different.

Because I was only working on four hours of sleep. (silly brain wouldn't turn off and I had no time for a nap) so I was a bit....less 'present' emotionally than I usually am.

Which I thought with my dulled sleep deprived senses....if I had to do this pressure test.

Maybe I could.

Though I really was hoping he'd just 'forget' that part and let me survive in peace another year.

It didn't happen.

Out came the pressure thingy.

But this time, I gamely tried to do it.

Instincts are too strong though.

Way too strong.

The right eye...

which was already irritated as the contact lens I'd put in that morning had somehow been torn but I hadn't realized it until I was at work so I couldn't change it out....had not one, but two tears which spent all day irritating my eye.

So the right eye. Totally a no go for it.

We tried.

And tried.

And I couldn't sit still.

Couldn't let that thing come near me.

So the doctor said why not try the left?

Which.

Since I'm basically 'left' everything. Handed, footed, eyed....

Perhaps the left side, used to doing more could gamely try it.

So we tried.

and tried.

The doc even held my eyelids open so I wouldn't blink at the wrong moment.

We tried

and tried

and everytime he was able to get a tiny itsy bit closer before I had to pull away.

Seriously, my hands were probably white knuckled on the chair.

As finally.

I felt the slightest touch to my eye.

Freeze.

Hold for eternity (like a second)

And walla!

Success!!

I'd managed to do it!

The left eye wins!

I did the stupid pressure test.

Woot!

And thankfully since both my eyes were looking good and what is seen in one eye tends to be pretty close to the right eye.

We didn't have to try and get that stubborn right eye to do the pressure test either.

But hey.

Celebrate the small moments right?

I managed to do the pressure test!

Woot!

Until you next see these words;

I'll be watching the leaves.

Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

October 2009 General Conference -Saturday Morning

Thomas S. Monson -Welcome to Conference

• I love the words of President Joseph F. Smith as he spoke of temple service and of the spirit world beyond mortality. Said he, "Through our efforts in their behalf their chains of bondage will fall from them, and the darkness surrounding them will clear away, that light may shine upon them and they shall hear in the spirit world of the work that has been done for them by their [people] here, and will rejoice with you in your performance of these duties."

Richard G. Scott  -To Acquire Spiritual Guidance

• Spirituality yields two fruits. The first is inspiration to know what to do. The second is power, or the capacity to do it.
• I believe that you can leave the most precious, personal direction of the Spirit unheard because you do not respond to, record, and apply the first promptings that come to you.
• Impressions of the Spirit can come in response to urgent prayer or unsolicited when needed. Sometimes the Lord reveals the truth to you when you are not actively seeking it, such as when you are in danger and do not know it. However, the Lord will not force you to learn. You must exercise your agency to authorize the Spirit to teach you. As you make this a practice in your life, you will be more perceptive to the feelings that come with spiritual guidance. Then, when the guidance comes, sometimes when you least expect it, you will recognize it more easily.
• I share a warning. Satan is extremely good at blocking spiritual communication by inducing individuals, through temptation, to violate the laws upon which spiritual communication is founded. With some, he is able to convince them that they are not able to receive such guidance from the Lord.
• Well did inspired Nephi declare, "And [the devil] will ... pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, ... and thus [he] cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell."
• Find a quiet place; pray urgently for help and support. Be patient and obedient. Don't give up.
• An individual with foundation standards and an enduring commitment to obey them is not easily led astray. Someone who is increasingly repulsed by grievous sin and who exercises self-restraint outside human influence has character. repentance will be more efficacious for such an individual. A feeling of remorse after a mistake is a fertile soil wherein repentance can flower.

Vicki F. Matsumori -Helping Others Recognize the Whisperings of the Spirit

• When you feel pure intelligence flowing into you, it may give you sudden strokes of ideas.
• There are places where it is easier to feel the Spirit.
• The challenge for each of us is in providing an environment where the Spirit can be felt daily.

L. Whitney Clayton -That Your Burdens May Be Light

• Life presses all kinds of burdens on each of us, some light but others relentless and heavy. People struggle every day under burdens that tax their souls. Many of us struggle under such burdens. They can be emotionally or physically ponderous. They can be worrisome, oppressive, and exhausting. And they can continue for years.
• Some burdens are the natural product of the conditions of the world in which we live.
• Other burdens are imposed on  us by the misconduct of others.
• Our own mistakes and shortcomings produce many of our problems and can place heavy burdens on our own shoulders.
• Burdens become blessings, though often such blessings are well disguised and may require time, effort, and faith to accept and understand.

Russell T. Osguthorpe -Teaching Helps Save Lives

• "When [we receive] the truth [we] will be saved by it. [We] will not be saved merely because someone taught it to [is], but because [we] received and acted upon it."
• The goal of gospel teaching ... is not to 'pour information' into the minds of class members. ... The aim is to inspire the individual to think about, feel about, and then do something about living gospel principles."
• When a call comes, you accept it, no matter how inadequate you might feel.
• Teaching helps save lives.

David A. Bednar -More Diligent and Concerned at Home

• We can begin to become more diligent and concerned at home by telling the people we love that we love them.
• Such expressions do not need to be flowery or lengthy. We simply should sincerely and frequently express love.
• As disciples of the Savior, we are not merely striving to know more; rather, we need to consistently do more of what we know is right and become better.
• "Often we assume that [the people around us] must know how much we love them. But we should never assume; we should let them know. ... We will never regret the kind words spoken or the affection shown. Rather, our regrets will come if such things are omitted from our relationships with those who mean the most to us."
• We also can become more diligent and concerned at home by bearing testimony to those whom we love about the things we know to be true by the witness of the Holy Ghost.
• In my office is a beautiful painting of a wheat field. The painting is a vast collection of individual brushstrokes--none of which in isolation is very interesting or impressive. In fact, if you stand close to the canvas, all you can see is a mass of seemingly unrelated and unattractive streaks of yellow and gold and brown paint. However, as you gradually move away from the canvas, all of the individual brushstrokes combine together and produce a magnificent landscape of a wheat field. Many ordinary, individual brushstrokes work together to create a captivating and beautiful picture.
• Each family prayer, each episode of family scripture study, and each family home evening is a brushstroke on the canvas of our souls. No one event may appear to be very impressive or memorable. But just as the yellow and gold and brown strokes of paint complement each other and produce an impressive masterpiece, so our consistency in doing seemingly small things can lead to significant spiritual results.
• A public statement of love when the private actions of love are absent at home is hypocrisy--and weakens the foundations of a great work. Publicly declaring testimony when faithfulness and obedience are missing within our own homes is hypocrisy--and undermines the foundation of a great work.

Dieter F. Uchtdorf -The Love of God

• Love is the healing balm that repairs rifts in personal and family relationships. It is the bond that unites families, communities, and nations. Love is the power that initiates friendship, tolerance, civility, and respect. It is the source that overcomes divisiveness and hate. Love is the fire that warms our lives with unparalleled joy and divine hope. Love should be our walk and our talk.
• God the Eternal Father did not give the first great commandment because He needs us to love Him. His power and glory are not diminished should we disregard, deny, or even defile His name. His influence and dominion extend through time and space independent of our acceptance, approval, or admiration.
• No, God does not need us to love Him. But oh, how we need to love God!
• For what we love determines what we seek.
• What we seek determines what we think and do.
• What we think and do determines who we are--and who we will become.
• Love is the defining characteristic of a disciple of Christ.
• Since the beginning of time, love has been the source of both the highest bliss and the heaviest burdens. At the heart and misery from the days of Adam until today, you will find the love of wrong things. And at the heart of joy, you will find the love of good things.
• He loves us because He is filled with an infinite measure of holy, pure, and indescribable love. We are important to God not because of our resume but because we are His children. He loves every one of us, even those who are flawed, rejected, awkward, sorrowful, or broken. God's love is so great that He loves even the proud, the selfish, the arrogant, and the wicked.
• My dear brothers and sisters, don't get discouraged if you stumble at times. Don't feel downcast or despair if you don't feel worthy to be a disciple of Christ at all times. The first step to walking in righteousness is simply to try. We must try to believe. Try to learn of God: read the scriptures; study the words of His latter-day prophets; choose to listen to the Father, and do the things He asks of us. Try and keep on trying until that which seems difficult becomes possible--and that which seems only possible becomes habit and a real part of you.
• Listen for the voice of the Father in the bounties and beauties of nature, in the gentle whisperings of the Spirit.
• In your daily interactions with others, in the words of a hymn, in the laughter of a child, listen for His voice.
• Love is the measure of our faith, the inspiration for our obedience, and the true altitude of our discipleship.

Until you next read these words;

I'll be watching the leaves.

Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

Slight Pressure

Isn't it crazy how small actions can lead to big consequences?

Or...at least consequences?

Honestly.

So, earlier today, I'd been using a rock wand.

-Basically how it sounds. A long piece of rock that's been smoothed down and rounded on each edge

To help massage away a headache I'd been dealing with.

As the cool stone can help relieve pressure and relax muscles and such.

In any case.

At one point I got up and out of bed.

Leaving the wand there.

Which at the point I left, it had ended up getting covered by blankets, and I didn't realize where it was.

I came back in,

And climbed into bed.

And my knee encountered something hard.

I heard a crack....

And to my surprise...

pulled out my wand. :(

Broken in half.

()_() WHAT?!?!

How is that even possible?!

:(

It's a rock! Rocks don't break in half, especially when they're on a soft bed and I felt like I barely knelt on it!

:(

My guess...is that somehow too much energy had been stored in the rock.

To it's breaking point.

And so the slightest bit of pressure broke it in half. :(

The energy contained within, finally released.

....and a broken rock left behind....

That I now don't know what to do with.....

:( My poor rock.....

Until you next see these words;

I'll be watching the leaves.

Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

Teeth A Fixing

It's always slightly amusing to me.
That when I go to the dentist to get a cavity filled.
They end up asking at some point or another.
Once they're done filling it, polishing it whatever.
If all feels normal.

And I always think....
How can I tell if this feels normal?
Half my mouth is numb.
I can't feel half of what I'm doing.
So....is it normal? Who knows!!

In any case.
I went to the dentist to get a couple of backtoback cavities filled in teeth 28&29.
(yay for anatomy class. I know where those are.)

And like usual.
I get numbed.
And like usual.
Once the Dentist got to drilling to get the cavity out.
I would feel zings.
Because why?
Some of my tooth still had feeling that's why.

Thankfully it wasn't bad zings.
More of the irritating 'nails on chalk board' sort of zings.
Honestly though, I feel like my mouth must not be a normal mouth.
Because numbing the 'usual' spots doesn't always numb what its supposed to numb. *shakes head*
Who knows.

In any case.
Once the fillings were finished.
We got to the agonizing process of figuring out when my bite has become normal again.
Which involves a lot of polishing off of the excess filling.
Lots of biting on the paper thing to see what areas are still high.
Trying to explain to the dentist what you're feeling, and where you're feeling the 'oddness' of your bite.
And more polishing.

I've been a bit more careful to ensure that my bite always feels as great as possible before we leave.
As I once thought it was all fine and dandy.
And ended up being miserable for a couple of months because somewhere, the filling was too high and it was bugging my other teeth and making it hard to chew comfortably. -it took me a couple of months or so to accept that it wouldn't get 'worn down' over time.
Silly me. lol.

This particular filling.
I was even more particular about ensuring that they were fine.
Why?

Because of tooth 4.
The tooth that's basically right above the two fillings area.
As you see.
Tooth four is the 'problem tooth' of my teeth family.
It's always very particular and also particularly sensitive in things. Like cold and hot (on occasion) and how it feels when it's forced to be next to the bottom teeth.

So. I had to make doubly extra triple sure that tooth 4 was happy.
As I really don't want to have to return to the dentist to make it happy in a week or so because it decides it's not happy.

So I was doing a lot of 'The front edge feels to high." "Now the back is too high." "No, the outside edge still feels slightly high."
At least the Dentist understood what I meant.
lol
It was amusing for me to tell him something felt high.
And have him test with his paper strip thing.
And discover that I was right. It was high!
lol. He always sound so surprised that I can be sensitive to little spots like that.

But hey....
it's my mouth.
And you're asking me if it feels normal.
So of course I'm going to ensure that it feels normal.

Surprisingly, even with me being ocd about ensuring the bite was normal.
The appointment was a short one compared to other times I've been. Only 45 minutes. :) Usually I feel like I'm there for an hour and a half at least. lol.

And the best news.
My bite feels normal!
Like I said, not always easy to tell when half your face is numb.
But all teeth are happy.

Even if my jaw is still a bit sore from where I got shot with the numbing stuff.... ;)

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

Animal Attraction

We each love different types of animals.

For some it's cats,

Others it's dogs.

Birds.

Snakes.

Fish.

Everyone has their preference for their particular type of pet they want in their home.

lol.

I found it amusing.

That upon walking into my brother's apartment.

To see his collection of reptiles.

What I was immediately drawn to?

The lone rabbit in the apartment. lol.

Ah. It was so cute and I wanted to just take it home with me!

But....student housing doesn't allow pets. :( So no go in that route.

Still.

It was fun to hold and play with the soft little bunny for a while. ^^

I mean,

Meralto's collection of reptiles are awesome!

I loved seeing all his snakes and lizards that he has.

The unique patterns.

Unique names.

He has a bunch that I've never seen before. :)

Which is always super cool. ^^

I definitely think my heart is drawn to soft and fluffy instead though. lol.

Though, when I'm finally able to move into my own place,

I would probably go for a cat instead of a rabbit. :)

Oh, and my giant 125 gallon tank. Yes.

I would have them both. Cat and fish tank. yes. :)

Guess we'll see what the future brings. :)

Until you next see these words;

I'll be watching the leaves.

Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi