Sunday, November 21, 2010

I am a Relief Society teacher (women's organization) in my ward. I am really grateful for this calling. I am teaching today about the doctrine of baptism. This is not a doctrine which I have thought about in much depth recently. I don't even think before today I really had a spiritual witness of the covenants that I made the day that I was baptized. I am so grateful for the Spirit. That it teaches line upon line and precept upon precept. I am grateful to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ. I know that He stands at it's head. I am grateful for the Priesthood which my father holds. With the authority, which traces directly back to Jesus Christ, that it gives him he was able to baptize me in the name of Jesus Christ. I didn't fully understand the covenants that I was making that day. I'm not sure that I still fully understand them. But I was struck today as I prepared for this lesson by the beauty of the pure doctrine of Christ. I love the Book of Mormon scripture Mosiah 5:8-9:

"And under this head ye are made free, and there is no other head whereby ye can be made free. There is no other name given whereby salvation cometh; therefore, I would that ye should take upon you the name of Christ, all you that have entered into the covenant with God that ye should be obedient unto the end of your lives. And it shall come to pass that whosoever doeth this shall be found at the right hand of God, for he shall know the name by which he is called; for he shall be called by the name of Christ."

When I read this I feel like the people of Alma who clapped their hands for joy at the thought of taking upon them the name of Christ. It also reminds me of a scripture a little later on in the book of Mosiah. Mosiah 26:18 reads, "Yea, blessed is this people who are willing to bear my name; for in my name shall they be called; and they are mine." How blessed I am to know have taken on the name of Jesus Christ. I hope that I can be true the the name by which I am called. I am so grateful that the gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored in it's fullness. I know that it is true. Like most things which are true, it is simple and beautiful. How grateful I am for it.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

You've got a friend in me :)

I can't think of anything much worse than losing a friend. Well, that's not really true. I guess there are lots of things worse than losing a friend. Like genocide and people starving to death. So, I guess what I mean is, I don't think that I've dealt with many things that are harder than having a close friend decide that they don't want to be a part of your life anymore. I know that makes it sound like I haven't gone through much. I probably haven't and I'm okay with that :).

I've just been thinking about friendship a lot lately. About times that I've let people down and times that I've been let down. The more that I think about it the more I realize that people aren't perfect. We let each other down. We say and think things that we shouldn't. And yet, if we limited our friendships only to those people who were perfect friends we wouldn't have any at all. My new goal is to be a more tolerant friend. Someone who is more charitable. And I can only hope for charity in return. Because I am one of the most flawed people I know. I am constantly making mistakes. And if I make so many mistakes how can I expect others not to?

On a lighter note, I hate baking. It's true. With cooking I can just throw caution to the wind. Throw in a little of this and a little of that and it is always delicious. Tried that with baking today... Not so successful. Anyone want some gross pumpkin chocolate chip cookies?

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Science is Sexy

"Science moves with the spirit of an adventure characterized both by youthful arrogance and by the belief that truth, once found, would be simple as well as pretty." --James D. Watson

A friend posted this video, produced by Harvard grad students, on her facebook wall. It's a movie that I've seen at least ten times. And each time I see it I am amazed and awed by the complexity and beauty of life. Our bodies are incredible. I love science so much. I don't fully understand the whole process but I'll give you a little narrative.

The movie details the process of diapedesis, or the traversal of a white blood cell across the blood vessel wall into the tissue in response to infection. White blood cells roll across the blood vessel. When an infection or cellular injury happens cytokines are secreted which are sensed by the rolling cell. The cytokines cause changes within the cell. These changes result in gene transcription into mRNA, translation into protein, and shipment to the cell membrane where they are inserted. The inserted receptors cause the cell to slow down and slip through the junction between cells in the blood vessel allowing the white blood cell to get out and fight the bad guys. Science is beautiful!

Video embed code

Monday, November 8, 2010

What you call love...

Another thing I think a lot about... relationships :). But don't worry, this is a completely philosophical post. Guster's new album has a song entitled "What you call love." The lyrics are poignant to me:

What you call love, is just urgency
What you call love is a place to turn in an emergency
Would you give up when its not what you want it to be?
But thats not love, what you call love

I like the song a lot. Over the past year I have thought a lot about relationships, particularly of the romantic variety. And I've decided, with some help from others, that we put too much stock in the Hollywood 'Californication' of marriage. (Look at me and my song references :). I'm not sure that I really believe in 'falling in love'. What does that mean anyway? Isn't it pretty much just hot, steamy lust? really is there anything passive about love? Love is a verb not a noun. You don't just fall into it. And what does a relationship based on lust give way to? Well, if the two people involved are committed to marriage, ultimately the relationship will likely progress to a long-term, enduring, warm, deep friendship. The intense, passionate feelings don't last. Intense passion is not the mark of love. And thus one who falls out of intense passion is not falling out of love but rather was probably never in love to begin with. Passion is selfish. It isn't about love at all. People don't fall out of love. Real love is not conditional. People who marry without realizing that love and passion are not the same thing have a hard lesson to learn. One that may very well end in divorce with each partner unsure of how or when they just weren't 'in love' anymore because really, they were never in love at all.

So what about people who don't fall in love? Is it possible for two people who share a warm friendship to come to the same place that people who are 'in love' do? Absolutely. I really do believe that two righteous individuals who share similar values can be and are just as happy as people who 'fall in love'.

My roommate asked me yesterday what three characteristics I want in my marriage. I replied that I want a marriage just like my parents'. The three attributes that I listed were: affectionate, mutually respectful, and fun. I think appropriate affection is important. I want a hand to hold. I want a kiss now and again in front of the kids. My grandpa used to say that the most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother. I believe that is true from my experiences in my family. Secondly, I want a relationship built on respect for each other. I want us to be able to believe and talk about opinions that are different from each other in a respectful manner. I want us to be able to help the other reach their fullest potential and achieve their dreams. Thirdly, I want to laugh. All the time.

Anyway, this post is really disjointed. And I really should probably get back to this take home test I'm avoiding :). Some day this whole relationship thing is going to work out. Until then I'm going to actively force thoughts about this kind of stuff out of my mind and focus on grad school. I've got lots to do. :)

Thursday, November 4, 2010

What is a friend?

Over the past few weeks I've been thinking a lot about what it means to be a true friend. I have had several really good friends. I think that a true friend possesses the following attributes:

1. A true friend is true at all times. They do not gossip or share confidential information that you have disclosed to them. They love you and so they defend you if someone is speaking badly of you. If they make a mistake and disclose something that they shouldn't it is always well-intentioned, ie, they are trying to do something they think will help you.
2. They want to spend time with you. You enjoy spending time together. You laugh a lot but also have real, meaningful conversation when you're together. They return phone calls, text messages, emails, and IMs when they receive them. They also initiate these things. Communication is vital for friendship. It is the way that friends convey that they care about each other.
3. They make you want to be a better person. They build you and make you better for being in their presence. They believe that you are a better person than you think you are and thus, help you see your potential.
4. This is an attribute that I struggle with but is nonetheless an attribute of a true friend: You have an open relationship. When one of you is offended or frustrated with a situation you are able to discuss it with the other in a healthy manner. You can be direct with your friend and know that they will return the same courtesy to you.

Well, I'm in lab and I need to go finish my assay. But I've been blessed with some really amazing friends. And I love you guys. Thanks for being who you are. I hope that I, in turn, can be the kind of friend that you have been to me.

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