Traditions

     In Fiddler on the Roof, there is a song about "Tradition" referring to questions about why the village does things the way they do. The most well-known tradition in our family is having popcorn and ice cream for Sunday night supper. I asked my father's mother long ago where the tradition started. Not surprisingly, as in most "traditions", she didn't know. So in  our family, the McKinney/Bowker/Fellows family, we have been having popcorn and ice cream for Sunday night supper for at least 6 generations. It was just a generation or two before that the family ancestors were in Ireland. Today, each group of the family has embraced some traditions of their own. One that our eldest son and daughter-in-law began more than a decade ago is building elaborate gingerbread sculptures each year. The point isn't to have a professionally perfect result, although they are always beautiful. It's a delightful experience that every member of the family can participate in. Russ and I have been privileged to help with three sculptures so far. The first one was in 2006, built in Vilnius, Lithuania. It was a Christmas train so we each got to decorate a car.

The next one we helped with was in Berlin, Germany, in 2009. I don't remember what the building was modeled after. This is our grandson, Jarom.

This year we participated in decorating the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, one of the original Seven Wonders of the World. The idea came from the young man in the above photo, currently a BYU student. He also worked out the dimensions for this gingerbread reproduction.

As Russ pointed out, family traditions are nice because they can set us apart from everybody around us. Sometimes that can be a negative thing but sometimes it's just nice. Most families aren't usually trying to be better than anyone else when holding to family traditions. I'm sure that there are times when a tradition becomes a device to generate feelings of superiority which encourages prejudice against other people. In our case, these we lovingly invite others to participate so the family tradition becomes a means of opening our hearts and lives to those around us. 

A further clarification

     If you haven't read the post I did yesterday, read that before reading this one. This is a continuation of "looking for the positives". We are not mortals who have an occasional spiritual experience. We are Spirits having a mortal experience. Because our "natural man" passions are often intense, the quiet whisperings of the Spirit are often obscured. But we know from the scriptures that, "the natural man is an enemy to God". That is because we are more prone to follow Satan's directions when acting as a natural man than God's. It's so easy to lose sight of what is really REAL. The things of this lovely Earth that our Father created for us are temporary. The monuments we build here will disintegrate. The lines we draw for labeling countries, the labels for politics, the symbols we develop for idealogies- they are all temporary. The hearts that pump blood through our veins, the lungs that draw breath, the muscles and bones with which we act- they are all temporary. What is real is located more centrally in our brain- the center of WHO we are.
     It's not really the drinking of alcohol or smoking of tobacco or marijuana that separates us from God. It's the chemical alterations forced on our brains that separates us from God. It isn't having sex outside of marriage or viewing porn that separates us from God. It's the chemical alterations that occur due to an imbalance of hormones that we allow or even stimulate that separate us from God. (When we have intimate relations with a spouse to whom we are married, we are showing love- hopefully- and strengthening an important relationship. Any other form of sexual expression is mainly for self-gratification. We only seek to provide pleasure to ourselves or even to someone else so they will like it and want to do it again.) It isn't pointing a gun at or wielding a knife to end the life of another being that separates us from God. It's the hatred or justification of prejudice that causes chemical changes in our brain that separates us from God. (That's why you can train to be a soldier or defend others in the face of an unrighteous attack but still be a man of God. The scriptures are full of such examples. David? He was fine as a great warrior. It was when he gave in to the natural man- the lust for Bathsheba- that he lost his place.)
     Have you ever known of a young child that has ridden a ride until they threw up or ate a treat until they were sick? They thought they were "having fun". We have that same issue, only it's much more serious and can have much more dire circumstances. We think the buzz from drugs or alcohol are "fun". But we expose ourselves to addictions and, even if only temporarily, we lose our ability to judge wisely as well as hear the still, small voice of God. We think giving in to sexual urges are "pleasant". But we risk everything from unwanted pregnancy or disease to conflicting emotions or betraying trust. Again, we are more intent on our gratification of the natural man than with our relationship with our Father in Heaven. The entertainment we expose ourselves to will have an impact on those areas of our brain that "feed" the natural man. We will increase in our desire, even intense enough to become an actual physical or psychological need, for more of the same type of input. Eventually we become immune to the thrill and need greater input to raise us to the same level of satisfaction. No matter how "satisfied" we think we are allowing ourselves to be, it will NEVER be enough. The natural man cravings are never satisfied, only overcome.
     We overcome the natural man by refusing to allow those cravings to alter our brains. We focus on those elements described by Paul in Philippians 4:8, "whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." I repeat for the millionth time- the choice is ours. But we need to always remember that with every thought and deed, we are making a choice to follow one or the other. We can't choose both.

Looking for the positives

     As I reach to focus on the reason for the upcoming world-wide celebration being, in truth, originally the birth of the Savior Jesus Christ, I have purposely avoided knowing too much about what events are occurring in the world and bitter feelings continuing. Even on Facebook, where I mostly see posts by people I know, there are some who cling to hostile feelings about the election we just had. There are sometimes requests to pray for tragedies people are enduring. I love to help anyone whenever I can, including simply praying when that's all I can do. Otherwise, focusing my attention on more and more gory details or reading angry insults or fatalistic prophesies of doom makes it impossible to be happy or even to want to get up each morning. So amid this awareness of so much negativity around me, hovering in the background, we went to the movies today. I know I ended up very upset a couple of years ago and did a post about the cruelty of humans toward other humans precipitated by going to see a movie "based on real events" during WWII. You'd think maybe I need to stop going to the movies! Well, this time the movie was "Rogue One" which is totally fictitious. However, the 10-15 minutes before the movie started was filled with flashes of scenes previewing upcoming films. The volume level was excessive. (Our seat actually vibrated as if we were having earthquakes.) But out of the 7 or 8 upcoming movies, there was not one that I would consider seeing. They were all about anger, war, hate, destruction, fear, and chaos. Even the warped animated movie about babies involved a "baby" who was trying to destroy the affection people feel toward puppies. So you take the one tiny shred of innocence left in the world, babies, and make a conniving, sadistic, manipulative ogre out of one! All I could think of was- THIS is what is being provided as entertainment?? THIS is what our entertainment industry has determined "people want" and are willing to pay for? There is a scripture about the last days, "And all things shall be in commotion; and surely, men's hearts shall fail them; for fear shall come upon all people." (D&C 88:91) The feelings being portrayed as well as those evoked in the spectators fit that prophecy to a tee! Gone are the days of "Lassie" or "Leave it To Beaver" where people care about each other, parents are respected, and love encompasses families and neighbors. Few people could tolerate the boring sappiness of such "entertainment" today. We have truly become jaded in so many ways. While people are in reality living through the hell of war, children are starving to death, and hate rages in the hearts of men, we are wanting more and more violence in order to satisfy our lust for entertainment.
     There may be some who would suggest that I "toughen up" and not be so bothered by all of it. I could choose to be more cynical, more jaded, more ready to accept or tolerate anger, hatred or destruction. But I just can't do that. I look at children and grieve that they are losing their innocence long before I did or most people I knew as a child. We have always had wars but, for the most part, they were tragic events people would have preferred to avoid. But, wait, I remember going to Manassas and hearing about the Civil War and how people tried to take picnic lunches to spend an afternoon being spectators of the battle. Are we just unavoidably beastly?
     Jesus said, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." The longer I'm in this world, the more anxious I am to leave it. I really enjoyed the peace and love I felt while serving as a missionary in the Nauvoo temple. I enjoy the love I feel most of the time in the homes of my family and friends. I find no thrill in contention. I have no desire for rebellion, not that I would bend to anything that is unjust or immoral. I have a greater and greater desire to listen to uplifting music and avoid loud, banging, angry music. I have a greater and greater desire to see movies with only slightly bad guys and they have a happy ending. I have a greater and greater desire to read words of the Lord, promises of peace and comfort. I know that prior to the return of the Savior, Satan is going to get more and more anxious to wield his influence before his opportunity is gone and he is bound and isolated from us. I am determined to be a light in the darkness of his influence. I pray that I, and others who have this same desire, will have the strength to follow a better example, choose a better way.

A career

     I realize we are becoming a generation of photos and small bits of information but this blogspot isn't big on that. I'm sorry for those who are more comfortable with pictures that say a thousand words and short, clever sayings but you'll have to go to Facebook or Twitter or whatever for that. On the other hand, I hope for those who "tune in", I can share with you some worthwhile things to think about and hope you will, in turn, share your thoughts with me when you feel so moved.
     Today I went, for the second time, to Mount Vernon. My first trip there was several years ago and in the summer. I was once again struck with what a really good man George Washington was. I know, I know, he had slaves so some people would stop right there and think ill of him. It's so important for us to be aware of the historic and geographic/cultural context of people's lives rather than judging others from our current perspective. I'm grateful that slavery is mostly dying out in the world. It still exists in some countries. I think it's important to realize that early America was not the first nor the last place where slavery was practiced. Being a slave owner is not an immediate identifier of  a person as evil. The practice of "owning" another human being is undoubtedly evil. But when it is an economic and/or cultural practice, no matter how barbaric, it should give us pause in judging someone who has been involved. George Washington did not like slavery and demanded in his will that all of the slaves he owned be set free. While he had them, he was one of the more kind masters.
     But that's not what I really want to talk about. When the Constitutional Convention met to figure out how to create a country, there were LOTS of issues to deal with. There were people here from different countries, backgrounds, occupations, political opinions, economic circumstances, and temperaments. The men who gathered to try to figure out how to unify everybody had a huge task to perform. They had to be willing to talk, listen, compromise, and explain their positions. Even though they were there to make sure those who had sent him there were fairly represented, they realized that without a willingness to seriously consider other points of view, there would never be a new nation- no unity at all. One of the points they had to deliberate concerned the structure of the federal government. They put in place a system of checks and balances so that none of the 3 main branches of the government would wield a threatening amount of power. Even with that, there were some who felt that the office of president held too much power. (Remember, these people had seen many unrighteous kings and despots and wanted to totally avoid that.) George Washington, at 57, was unanimously elected, not just once but twice to that position. He had refused to be king when it was offered to him. He had fought to win freedom from a king and wasn't interested in taking that same position. He had put a lot of his life and effort into creating the potential for a world-changing political system with a government for the people, by the people, and of the people. To get to my main point, he was not a career politician! There are so many voices these days about how we need to change the Constitution to avoid problems we are having. We don't need any NEW ideas. What we need to do is return to the OLD ideas where our government is made up of representatives of the people- not career politicians. I can't imagine any of the current politicians being voted in unanimously, even once much less twice. There needs to be men and women of good character and wisdom who seek peace and justice, not the chance to be re-elected. But, I guess the world is a lot more complicated today than it was in the late 1700's. Maybe the average farmer (that was what George Washington considered himself) simply would never have what it takes to be the President of the United States, or even a Senator or Congressman. I must say, I really don't care for the moral character of our current president-elect but..... he has not been a career politician. Could he introduce a new enough perspective to actually accomplish something good? Politicians certainly don't have a corner on the market for corruption. I can only pray that, unless it's time for Christ to come to rule and reign, Donald Trump will somehow be led, coerced, or motivated in some way to make some good choices that will have more to do with healing and strengthening this nation than furthering his political career. For now, I'll just keep doing whatever I can to promote and encourage truth and righteousness- in EVERYBODY and hope we're ready when Christ does come to rule and reign.

Who is Jesus?

     In the face of pressure for "political correctness" I want to express my testimony that the man called Jesus Christ is/was the Only Begotten Son of the Only God. It breaks my heart and must be troubling to Jesus and our Father that the world is continuing to deny the original purpose for the big celebration on Dec. 25. It isn't for the purpose of giving and acquiring gifts. It isn't for the purpose of decorating our homes and streets. It isn't for the making and eating of treats. It isn't for special foods or clothes or concerts or movies. During His mortal sojourn, Jesus asked, "Whom say ye that I am?" (Matt. 16:15) Each human being needs to answer that question for him/herself. It's not a social pressure thing. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks or says. Each of us must at some point make a decision  as to whether Jesus is the Christ. At the last day, we are guaranteed that every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is the Christ. What we decide between now and then will determine how we feel when we participate in that global confession. Will we shout "hallelujah!" because we have known it all along? Or will we hang our head and wish to hide in shame? Will we feel deep in our heart that we have tried our best to follow His example and share our light? Or will we have deep, agonizing regrets? God has given us the opportunity and responsibility to choose for ourselves who we want to follow, where we want to go, who we want to be. I pray that I can have the strength to stay on the strait and narrow path of discipleship, no matter what, until that last day. I pray that for my loved ones, too, but the decision is for them to make- not me.

Vanity Washing

     Okay, one more for today. As I mentioned, I have not posted in awhile but I have been pondering things. When we lived in Arizona, it was not unusual for people to wash their driveways or patios with a hose. It was simply so dusty there with so little rain, that the only effective way to clear dust and debris was with water. However, since it is a desert, it seemed a bit of a wasteful use of a precious resource- fresh water. There are warnings everywhere about water shortages. We watched a documentary about the use of satellite imaging to measure the depletion of ground water and it was sobering to say the least. Sink holes have suddenly appeared in several places in Florida as there is no longer anything to hold up the upper level of ground. So, as I pondered this, I have decided we tend to do what could be called "vanity washing". Because we don't want to be seen in the same outfit more than one day in a row, we throw it in the wash, even though it isn't really dirty. Because we woke up with scary hair, we take a shower so we can re-do our do. We like our vehicles, for which we spent so much money, to sparkle so we wash the dust off them and make sure we include a wax job. We grab a clean cup every time we get a drink even though we aren't sick and it's only our own germs. We could just re-use the cup, especially if we are only drinking water. We don't like dishpan hands so we let food on plates harden and remnants of liquid in glasses set so they have to be scrubbed clean or run through the dishwasher more than once. Rather than wash a large bowl independently, we fill up the dishwasher with it which means using more and hotter water for fewer dishes. If we're really serious about the concern for wasting a precious resource, we need to give up vanity.

Orchestras

     I have spent considerable time explaining our freedom to choose. It is one of God's greatest gifts to us, along with the atonement of His Son to balance our poor use of the freedom to choose. Nearly from birth, we tend to be a pretty independent creature. I watched a young girl, maybe about 3, during a concert recently. She had several older siblings and her parents nearby. She repeatedly got off and back on her chair, walked around, and a couple of times stomped her feet on her seat delighting in making a noise. She would frown at anyone who even appeared to be trying to control her. At one point she looked back at me with a blatant look of defiance, daring anyone to challenge her. (I didn't interfere because it was disruptive enough for her parents and siblings to try to tame her.)
     Listening to a choir and orchestra playing, it was an excellent metaphorical recommendation for obedience. What if an oboe player decided to play faster than the conductor was leading? What if a violinist or soprano felt like singing a section forte that should be pianissimo? What if anyone decided they wanted to play a totally different song? You get the idea. It is no reflection on the ability of the musician to be obedient to the directions of the conductor or follow the composers notes. As a matter of fact, the better the musician is personally, the better the performance as a whole.
     As we make our individual choices, we need to remain mindful of what part we play in the whole. We are citizens of the world and can either focus on making a beautiful, harmonic community- or in a rebellious, self-centered attempt to establish our personal identity, we merely create unpleasant chaos.