Preparing for Shabbat

With all of the new coverage of the end of the world happening tomorrow, I started thinking about the Second Coming of the Savior. I posted a scripture on my facebook page that follows:

"Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh." -Matthew 25:13

We do not know when the Lord will come. We cannot know the day, or the hour. And why? Because the Lord has said that we will not. Good enough for me.

I think it would is wise to watch for His coming, and to observe the signs of His coming. It is also wise to be prepared for His coming, whether it is tomorrow or in twenty years. We need to be doing all that is in our power to prepare ourselves for His coming.

Today I was reading about the preparation for Shabbat, or Jewish Sabbath. There is a preparation time for the Sabbath, because there are many things that cannot be done then. I found so many parallels among the Jewish traditions that I thought it might be of value to share those here. Look for parallels in your own life to these ideas about the preparation time. (Taken from myjewishlearning.com)

-One prepares all week for the Sabbath
-The more observant you are of the details of Shabbat, the more you have to prepare before it arrives

-The true mark of a pious Jew is not that he or she is a shomer Shabbat (a Sabbath observer) but isshomer erev Shabbat (one who properly prepares on the eve of the Sabbath).

-One cannot shop on the Sabbath, so all of the shopping must be done on Friday
-Some Jewish men go to mikvah (a ritual bath) to cleanse themselves not only physically, but spiritually for the Sabbath.

-Many meditate and pray before the Sabbath begins.
-The entire family gathers to light candles and eat the final meal before the Sabbath begins.

May I make a few comments?

Those who are truly seeking the Kingdom of God will do so every day of the week to prepare, and they will not just be those who "go to church". We will bring with us our families, if we have helped them to prepare and they have done what is necessary to qualify for entrance into God's kingdom.

I have learned a lot from reading about the Jewish Shabbat, and the symbolism that it holds for the coming of Jesus Christ.

I know that as we prepare every day to greet the Savior, we are spending our preparation time wisely.

Writer's Block

Sadly, I've had writer's block. And the worst part about it is that I have an article due for a news agency at noon tomorrow. I've pretty much got the article written, but I have no desire to finish it. The saddest part is that I've been so excited about this article for the past week, and now, I don't even want to try to finish it. I'm hoping that if I let all of my thoughts out here on my blog, I might be able to come up with the drive to finish.

I suppose it isn't really writer's block that is inhibiting my desire. I've been helping move my family. Packing, sorting, garage sales, chasing after the kids, playing pretend with them....And I feel exhausted. I think that the greatest part about this article is that it's supposed to be about reducing stress. That has been a blessing this week, thinking about how I can reduce moving stress...or at least recognize it for what it is.

I asked a professor to help me out with the article by being interviewed and she flatly refused, saying that it would be better to talk to a specialist on campus about that topic because it wasn't her specialty.

Bah.

As if having a degree in health disqualifies you from talking about it. If you teach it in the classroom, then you are qualified enough to talk about it.

So, I won't have an interview for my article. Disappointing.

And I can't concentrate on writing this post even. My paragraphs continue to get smaller and smaller.

So, I went and looked at photos of the homes of people who are hoarders. That might make an interesting article/blog post someday.

Alright. I'm going. Time to hash out an article on stress.

Daddy

Dear Daddy-

I know that it's been two years since I last saw you. It seems like a long time. I know that we'll be together again soon...it might just take a few more years before it happens.

I miss riding in the car to work with you every morning, listening to Glenn Beck through the snowstorms, or the sunrise. Thanks for not hating me when I took those classes at 7am, which meant that you had to go to work at 6:30. Thanks for letting me use your printer to print off my papers that were due in less than an hour.....

I miss waiting for you to pick me up from work and listening to whoever the political talk show guys were that we listened to. I don't listen to them anymore because I'm not even sure what station was on.

I miss complaining about school to you and having you tell me how bad it was for you. I was kind of shocked when you told me that you got a C in one of your accounting classes. I think that you told me you failed a class once. It was silly, but it helped me get some perspective. I'll have you know that I haven't failed a class....yet....I hope you'll be proud.

I miss going to see the new, cool movies with you. I think that you would have like How to Train Your Dragon, Despicable Me and Tron. I miss you gagging at princess movies. I think you would have enjoyed Tangled.

I miss waking up early in the morning to find that you were already up and reading your scriptures. I know that you are a quiet, private kind of guy, but I'm glad that you read in the living room. Having your scriptures means so much more to me than it could have if I hadn't caught you reading.

I miss having somebody to squish my spiders. Though now I won't squish any crawling thing. I pretend that its because I don't want to kill them...but really, you were the only one who could squish spiders.

I miss having someone to eat the burned cookies and tell me that they are delicious, and then get in a fake argument with mom because she likes them uncooked. Sometimes I want to burn an entire batch of cookies just for you. You know that no one else would eat them if I did. Mom would pretend to be furious. Then I would make another double batch and undercook them. And the quadruple batch of cookies would be gone before the weekend was over.

I miss you eating your cereal out of a red, plastic cup.

I miss always having ice cream in the freezer. Not the strawberry stuff. Yuck. No one did like that kind. But I guess that's why you bought it. No one else would eat it.

I miss the smell of starch as mom ironed your shirts for work. The whole house would smell like it. I'm not sure that you knew that, because she hardly ironed while you were there.

I miss going to the temple with you. I'm glad that you took time out of your busy schedule to come do baptisms with us.

I miss you laughing.

I miss you crying.

I miss you snoring.

I miss you.

It won't be long now...I'll see you again soon.

Love from your daughter,

Anne.

P.S. Please ask Jesus when He is coming. I'm getting a little anxious.

What I've Learned...April 2010-April 2011

First of all, my apologies for not writing for 3 months...or so...I am a student, and blogging hasn't really been on my priority list. But, it will be now, because finals are coming and I need a new way to procrastinate!

Anyways....

I try to write a "What I've Learned" list every year. A good friend of mine suggested it to me when life was getting me down. She helped me to see that I had been progressing, and that the Lord had been teaching me all along the way. It helped me gain the perspective that I needed to help me through that difficult circumstance.

What I've Learned: April 2010-2011

I've learned....

• That I should constantly be looking beyond the mask that people put up to hide who they are or how they feel. "In the quiet heart is hidden, Sorrow that the eye can't see" (LDS Hymns #219, Because I have Been Given Much)
  
• To care so much for others that I feel sad about missing an opportunity to serve them.
  
• That when you do your very best, the Lord takes care of the rest.
  
• To love with all of my heart "Better to have loved and lost, then never to have loved at all"
• To be completely honest with everyone around me, my family, my roommates, my friends, my date, strangers, leaders etc.
  
• The Lord uses death as a tool for our spiritual growth
• To not be afraid (I'm not sure if I've finished learning this though...)
• An iPod touch is probably the best invention ever. Besides a Blentech blender. The only thing better than both of those in an iPhone
• I need more than 6 hours of sleep every night.
• Saying goodbye is hard.
• Compassion is an important attribute to have. Everyone has struggles and weaknesses and just because it seems like yours are easier doesn't make you better than them.
• Flame throwers make great substitute matches.
• When I'm having a bad day I buy pizza or ice cream. When I'm having a HORRIFIC day I buy both.
• Exercising every day makes you stronger. That's kind of a no brainer...but I have a testimony of it now.
• Tri-folded wedding announcements look amazing.
• One can survive with only 3 pairs of shoes.
• The Lord will help you heal, sometimes immediately, sometimes later, and sometimes not in this life. It doesn't matter which way it happens, just remember that it always will.
• Country music is therapeutic.
• Mopping the floor on your hands and knees is a productive way to procrastinate paper writing.
• Eating healthy makes you and your body happy.
• You can put everything on an iPod touch, papers for class, books, LDS Institute manuals, pictures, music.....
• There is literally an app for everything. Except a build-your-own-molecule app. Maybe I'll create it. Or suggest it to someone smarter than me.
• Whole grains taste better.
• Doing homework in the living room while your roommate is playing video games=being very, very distracted.

There's probably a lot more. But that's all that I can think of right now. :D