Things I Do

Do you ever have things pointed out to you where it kinda takes you aback? Like...you've never thought of that before? Or if you have...it's just been a passing thought that you didn't really think about long?

Yah.
I had that today.
A couple of times.

Where it was brought up that people don't usually get mad at me. That I don't have a face/personality that makes it easy for people to get angry at me. But also because I can be understanding of other people's sides, I can see their side and sometimes agree with it or help them see a different side. 
*shakes head* 

Which, I hadn't really thought about. 
Like...it took me aback. 
Have I had people get angry at me? Do people get angry at me? 

I'm not sure....I mean...probably? 
But I'm not sure. 

Are there people who when they see me, get angry? Are there people who think of me and think of me in an angry fashion? 
I really don't know.

As I try really hard to keep good relations with everyone I meet. 
I have enough stress in my life that I don't need to add more to it by having bad relations with people.

So hopefully...I don't have anyone who's angry at me... but honestly...I don't know for sure. :S

On the opposite note.
I had it also pointed out to me that I'm really good at sensing when people need things.
Which isn't that new to me. I tend to be instinctual, empathetic, observant etc. I tend to know how people are feeling and such. And I'm the sort of personality that wants to help out where I can. Ease others burdens, try and make their day brighter.
And my newest roommate and her boyfriend have noticed that. And appreciate it. That I can instinctually jump in and help out without them having to say anything. They're actually really impressed that I'm able to just...kinda become what people need in that moment. 

lol which I guess it's just surprising to have it pointed out? Because it's just something I do.
I see a problem, I try to help out. I try to think of a solution. And other times...it's not conscious. Sometimes I just strike up conversations and things go from there. Where I just let people vent and talk out their issues. It's just.....me? I guess lol. 
Where I try to help out where I can.

But yah.
It's just interesting to have things pointed out to me, because...I don't always know how to react to it. 

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

187th Semiannual General Conference -Women's Session

General Women's Session

Sharon L. Eubank 

• The friendships that we build with those of other faiths will be a significant force. 
• 1. Be Righteous. 2. Be Articulate 3. Be Different 4. Be Distinct 5. Do 1-4 In Happy Ways
• Being Righteous doesn't mean being perfect and never making mistakes. 
• Jesus was radical in his time because he equalized the world. 
• True Christians should strive to be the most loving in the world. 
• Use your voice and your power to articulate what you know and what you feel.
• Innovation and creation are spiritual gifts. 
• Being different in positive ways can be an influence to many others around us.
• We need to practice living the gospel before the emergency so we can help others when they're being swept away.
• When we build and lift others, it blesses our lives in ways our trials can't take away.
• You don't build out of pessimism and cynicism you look with optimism and work with faith and things happen.
• There is an energy that comes from happiness and optimism that can light up others and brighten their day.
• Put yourself in a place where you can feel the generous love that God has for you. Don't put yourself beyond the reach of that love.
• Will your happiness, despite your trials, draw others to you that need to rely on your happiness and your friendship?
• This is your day. This is your time.

Neill F. Marriott

• Our challenges can pull us off the path of happiness if trials pulls us to distraction instead of to our knees.
• Some things matter, some things don't, a few things last, but most things won't.
• What is mattering to you? What is lasting to you? 
• It is now, with our mortal limitations, that Heavenly Father asks us to Love when Loving is most difficult.
• Our sins and pride create a gap that make it difficult to feel love for others. 
• Sacrifice of our personal agendas is required to make room for the eternal plan of God.
• We are divinely designed to give love and be loved. And the deepest love comes when we are one with God.
• The Savior's love is a conduit for a constant flow of charity to others.
• Can we act to become Prepares of the Breach in our interactions with others?
• Make the connection now. To learn what really matters. To love and be loved.

Joy D. Jones

• Don't ever think you are nothing. You don't have to prove yourself to anyone. Have confidence in yourself.
• Why you? Why not me?
• You are unique, one of a kind, made of the eternal intelligence which gives you claim upon eternal life. Let there no be question in your mind on your value as an individual. 
• If we are sin we are less worthy but we are NEVER worthless.
• No matter what, we always have worth in the eyes of our Heavenly Father.
• Thinking small of ourselves does not serve us well, it just holds us back.
• No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.
• Comparison is the thief of joy.
• If we choose to focus on the negative instead of clinging to the Savior, it becomes more difficult to feel the impressions of the Holy Ghost.
• Lets not be confused about who we are.

Dieter F. Uchtdorf 

• Don't allow the comments and opinions of others to bother you too much if they aren't positive.
• Don't let others opinions stop you from doing what you love.
• Do you see yourself as a victim, someone to be acted upon? Or are you one to take control and responsibility of your own life?
• Why should you surrender your happiness to someone who cares very little about you or your happiness?
• If you find yourself worrying about what other people say about you, please Remember who you are. You are of Child Of God.
• You have the spiritual DNA of God.
• We're each going to think that we're the one in the right. But until you can see each side's point of view, no one is going to find a solution.
• Once you degrade a group of people, you're more likely to justify actions against them.
• Just because someone disagrees with us doesn't mean that there is something wrong with them. 
• When we raise our voices for a cause, do so with love and understanding in our hearts.
• Fight to maintain your faith and hope despite the cynicism around you.
• Never forget! You are a Child of God.
• In the end. You have the power to choose both your destination and many of your experiences along the way. It's not so much your abilities but the choices that make the difference in your life. You cannot allow circumstances to make you sad or mad. You can instead choose to be glad. 
• Fill your hearts with gratitude. 
• Choose to lift up your voice and make your life a symphony of praise. 

Until you next read these words;

I'll be watching the leaves.

Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

Vent Off

There are times when people just need to vent. 
To talk out their fears, their frustrations, their excitement, their joy. 

The problem?
There isn't always someone there to listen to them.
Or if they are there...they aren't listening. 

And it's probably become second nature for those who get carried away with talking...to feel...bad about 'wasting' people's time. 

Because life...life is crazy. It's busy. People have schedules. Have things to do. Have their own concerns to focus on.

So when someone actually takes the time to sit, to listen, to let the person talk it out.

It probably feels really weird.

So.
Yesterday.

I had two of these experiences. 
Where two friends of mine, at different times in the day, in different places....
Needed to vent.

One was about excitement, joy, relief. Because a major stressor in their lives turned out to be less of a of a worry than previously thought. And the relief that the stressor had ended up well, had been quick, relatively painless...when they were worried that the thing was going to be super painful.
It was palatable the relief they felt. The excitement that this major problem was in reality a minor problem and it was all looking up for the better. 
And it was just one of those emotions...where you just kinda gotta go tell someone. 

lol. And I happened to be nearby -at work- when my friend needed to find an outlet to let out the emotions they were feeling.

Though usually, it's not always the easiest to talk to me at work...because I usually am in the middle of helping customers. And unfortunately while I enjoy talking to friends, when I'm at work, work has to take priority, which means I need to choose helping customers over talking with friends. 

But strangely enough.
When my friend came in yesterday....the store was dead.
Like there were no customers whatsoever who needed my help in my department.
Which does happen, though usually it's only a lull of maybe 10-15 minutes....
However, yesterday, during this time when my friend needed to vent...
No one came into my department for almost an hour.

It was nearly an hour at work, where I was able to just talk and listen to my friend and let them work through their varying emotions so that they could be more focused and such.

And it's kinda crazy how that worked out lol.

And my friend was constantly like "I'm sorry for venting." 
To which I was like. "Don't be? Sometimes you have to vent." 

I mean, I wasn't busy, there were no customers, so I felt no pressure to end the conversation early or anything. So why not let my friend vent and sympathize with them? *shrugs*

Then later yesterday evening, when one of my roomies came home,
They too ended up venting a bit.
About an ongoing struggle with a previous roomie that they had before moving in here. 
And it was just really a need to let off steam. To say the things that they couldn't say to the person, to get their frustrations and irritations and issues out into the air so that they could finally move past the emotion and get on with life.

And again, after half an hour or so of this venting, they too were apologetic. "Sorry for venting." 
Again, to which I was like *shrugs* You're good.

I can recognize when someone needs to vent. When they need a listening ear.
I'm easy going enough that I can usually put plans on hold, or adjust them as necessary to allow for these moments. 
It's just one of those abilities...gifts? That I have. To be a good listener, a sympathetic ear, someone who can let a person vent and help them to feel better about themselves. 

Plus, I can totally understand how venting can help make a problem clearer to the person, help them see solutions that they couldn't see before when they stayed silent. Sometimes voicing aloud the issue helps to relieve the stress because at least now someone else knows the stress you're under, even if they can't do more than listen to you about this stress...at least they know it's happening. 

So hopefully...yesterday I was able to do so. Be the ventingboard that my two friends needed at that moment. 

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

Never!

Over the years I have heard and read testimonies too numerous to count, shared with me by individuals who testify of the reality of the Resurrection and who have received, in their hours of greatest need, the peace and comfort promised by the Savior.

I will mention just part of one such account.
Two weeks ago I received the touching letter from a father of seven who wrote about his family and, in particular, his son Jason, who had become ill when 11 years of age.
Over the next few years, Jason's illness recurred several times.
This father told of Jason's positive attitude and sunny disposition, despite his health challenges.
Jason received the Aaronic Priesthood at age 12 and "always willing magnified his responsibilities with excellence, whether he felt well or not."
He received his Eagle Scout Award when he was 14 years old.

Last summer, not long after Jason's 15th birthday, he was once again admitted to the hospital.
On one of his visits to see Jason, his father found him with his eyes closed.
Not knowing whether Jason was asleep or awake, he began talking softly to him.
"Jason," he said, "I know you have been through a lot in your short life and that your current condition is difficult.
Even though you have a giant battle ahead, I don't ever want you to lose your faith in Jesus Christ."
He said he was startled as Jason immediately opened his eyes and said, "Never!" in a clear, resolute voice.
Jason then closed his eyes and said no more.

His father wrote: "In this simple declaration, Jason expressed one of the most powerful, pure testimonies of Jesus Christ that I have ever heard.
... As his declaration of 'Never!' became imprinted on my soul that day, my heart filled with joy that my Heavenly Father had blessed me to be the father of such a tremendous and noble boy.
... [It] was the last time I heard him declare his testimony of Christ."

Although his family was expecting this to be just another routine hospitalization, Jason passed away less than two weeks later.
An older brother and sister were serving missions at the time.
Another brother, Kyle, had just received his mission call.
In fact, the call had come earlier than expected, and on August 5, just a week before Jason's passing, the family gathered in his hospital room so that Kyle's mission call could be opened there and shared with the entire family.

In his letter to me, this father included a photograph of Jason in his hospital bed, with his big brother Kyle standing beside the bed, holding his mission call.
This caption was written beneath the photograph: "Called to serve their missions together--on both sides of the veil."

Jason's brother and sister already serving missions sent beautiful, comforting letters home to be shared at Jason's funeral.
His sister, serving in the Argentina Buenos Aires West Mission, as part of her letter, wrote: "I know that Jesus Christ lives, and because He lives, all of us, including our beloved Jason, will live again too.
... We can take comfort in the sure knowledge we have that we have been sealed together as an eternal family.
... If we do our very best to obey and do better in this life, we will see [him again]."
She continued: "[A] scripture that I have long loved now takes on a new significance and importance at this time.
... [From] Revelation chapter 21, verse 4: 'And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.'"

My beloved brothers and sisters, in our hour of deepest sorrow, we can receive profound peace from the words of the angel that first Easter morning: "He is not here: for he is risen."

-Thomas S. Monson -He Is Risen! -April 2010 General Conference

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

Thought About You

It's kinda crazy how often I happen to think about a particular individual, and then that same day....I run into that person.
It's almost like I have this "alert" sense when someone I know is approaching or something lol. Where I feel the energies around me and randomly think about so and so, only for them to appear!

Or perhaps it's the opposite. Where because I'm thinking of them, the person senses that I'm thinking of them and thinks of me and therefore decides to drop by?

Whatever the case.

Yesterday, while I was working on the morning tasks at work.
I happened to think of an old coworker of mine.
That used to work in the store when I first started there.
Kinda like "Oh, I haven't talked to so and so in forever, I really need to go see them soon." 
And I made a mental note -since that coworker now lives a couple of hours away- to try and make contact and maybe go see them next month...because for whatever reason I've been in a rather anti-social mood this month lol. 

But then, while I was on my lunch break, just chilling out in the break room.
I heard a knock on the door.
Which is weird...like that door doesn't have a lock why would anyone be knocking on it?
And it opens up...and who is it?
My old coworker!! 
()_() GASP!!

lol. They'd randomly decided to drop by the store today -mostly with a work related question as they needed a certain piece of information from their time working here. 
And had decided to see if I was working.
Which I was!

It was totally crazy though.
How I'd just been thinking of them not even an hour earlier.
And here they were!

^^ It was a fun surprise, and it was great to catch up a little bit before I had to go clock back in. :) 

Hopefully we can hang out for longer soon. ^^

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

Where I'm From

So a while back, my parents went through the group/company called 23andMe to get their DNA tested to see where they're from genetically. Like which countries and such. 
But also to test and see if there were any genetic diseases and such that they could be carriers for and such. 

In any case.
I found it pretty cool to see where exactly my mom and dad were from. What percentages of which countries they had and such.

Which made me curious to see how much...of each side of my parents did I now carry in my DNA?
I mean, me and my siblings have some differences to us. Height, Eye Color, Hair Color etc. 
So I was like...how much of each country did we end up getting from our parents?

My parents were curious too and ended up getting all us kids a DNA test!
So we could see for sure how it all broke down. :D 

And finally after forever and a day of waiting.
The results came in. 

And my DNA states that I'm 100% European lol. 
Which is slightly disappointing as there was like .1% Native American and .1% African listed in my parents DNA. 
But I guess the amount is negligible enough that if us kids have any of that DNA within us...it's so small that it doesn't show up in the testing. lol.

So 100% European for all of us. ^^;;

Which breaks down for me into: 

British & Irish -59.2%
Scandinavian -7.1%
French & German -5.8%
Broadly Northwestern European -27.7% 
Broadly European -.2% 

-The Broadly meaning: It's from Europe but we don't have enough data to say exactly which countries -- if I understand it correctly.

But yah!
It's crazy because I have waaaaay more Bitish & Irish in me than my siblings.
But on the flip slide. They have waaaaay more French & German in their genes. In the 30-45% range.
While I'm only in 6% Range. lol. *shakes head* (now I know why they're both taller than me. lol)
I also have more Scandinavian oddly enough. The sibs are under 3% in their results. 
Crazily enough, my sister was the only one to show results from the Southern European portion of Europe. 

But! Overall.
It's just cool.
So cool.
That us kids could have such a variety of results...even though we come from the same set of parents.
It's kinda why I love the concept of genetics.
Because the results can vary so drastically between siblings. 

And!
It's fun because 23&Me provides pictures of your Chromosomes. 
(just cartoons not actual chromosomal pictures) 
That are colored to show which chromosomes have which ancestry in them. 
So I can look at them and be like "Oh hey, Chromosome 7 is mostly French & German, while Chromosomes 10 & 11 have Scandinavian in them."

Really it's cool. ^^ 
I've loved going through my results, comparing them to my siblings and just seeing which chromosomes are the most similar to each other and which ones are the most different. 

Genetics are fun.
Family history is fun.

It's just all so very cool!!! ^^ 

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

April 2016 General Conference -Sunday Afternoon

Robert D. Hales -The Holy Ghost

• All of us benefit from this holy light. It is "in all and through all things," and it allows us to distinguish right from wrong. 
• The Holy Ghost provides personal revelation to help us make major life decisions.
• The Holy Ghost is not given to control us.
• Each of us may feel the influence of the Holy Ghost differently. His promptings will be felt in different degrees of intensity according to our individual needs and circumstances.
• As we receive the inspiration of the Holy Ghost for ourselves, it is wise to remember that we cannot receive revelation for others.

Gerrit W. Gong -Always Remember Him

• Time, agency, and memory help us learn, grow, and increase in faith.
• The Lord remembers His promises.
• It is not the work of God that is frustrated, but the work of men.
• Life must be understood backward. But ... it must be lived forward.
• Have you ever thought of yourself as your own living book of remembrance--reflecting what and how you choose to remember?
• He knows all the things we don't want anyone else to know about us--and loves us still.
• Sometimes life tests our trust in Christ's mercy, justice, and judgment in His liberating invitation to allow His Atonement to heal us as we forgive others and ourselves.
• Life is not as cruel as it can sometimes seem.
• With God, there is no point of no return.

Patrick Kearon -Refuge from the Storm

• The Savior knows how it feels to be a refugee--He was one.
• We must be careful that news of the refugees' plight does not somehow become commonplace when the initial shock wears off and yet the wars continue and the families keep coming.
• We have found refuge. Let us come out from our safe places and share with them, from our abundance.
• For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love. 
• Being a refugee may be a defining moment in the lives of those who are refugees, but being a refugee does not define them. 
• This moment does not define them, but our response will help define us.

Dallin H. Oaks -Opposition in All Things

• We progress by making choices.
• All of us experience various kinds of opposition that test us.
• Some are very great. some are minor. Some are continuous, and some are mere episodes. None of us is exempt. 
• Opposition permits us to grow toward what our Heavenly Father would have us become.

Kent F. Richards -The Power of Godliness

• Temple work is ... of as much benefit to the young and the active, as it is to the aged.
• Come to the temple. Come often.

Paul V. Johnson -And There Shall Be No more Death

• Jesus has already cured my [problem], and  yours. ... I will be better.

Jeffrey R. Holland -Tomorrow the Lord Will Do Wonders among You

• It is inevitable that after heavenly moments in our lives, we, of necessity, return to earth, so to speak, where sometimes less-than-ideal circumstances again face us.
• We all have to come down from peak experiences to deal with the regular vicissitudes of life.
• The great thing about the gospel is we get credit for trying, even if we don't always succeed.
• We take some solace in the fact that if God were to reward only the perfectly faithful, He wouldn't have much of a distribution list. 
• The Lord blesses those who want to improve, who accept the need for commandments and try to keep them, who cherish Christlike virtues and strive to the best of their ability to acquire them. If you stumble in that pursuit, so does everyone; the Savior is there to help you keep going. 
• He will help you get back up. He will help you repent, repair, fix whatever you have to fix, nd keep going. Soon enough you will have the success you seek.
• We are going to be blessed for our desire to do good, even as we actually strive to be so. 
• Love is the foundation stone of eternity, and it should be the foundation stone of our daily life.
• No matter how serious the trial, how deep the distress, how great the affliction, [God] will never desert us. He never has, and He never will. He cannot do it. It is not His character [to do so.] 
• We may pass through the fiery furnace; we may pass through deep waters; but we shall not be consumed nor overwhelmed. We shall emerge from all these trials and difficulties the better and purer for them.
• So keep loving. Keep trying. Keep trusting. Keep believing. Keep growing. Heaven is cheering you on today, tomorrow, and forever.

Until you next see these words;

I'll be watching the leaves.

Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi