Are we ready?

I have seen this video a couple times and it touches me every time, granted in different ways each time. There is soo much goodness and truth in Elder Nelson's message.



I appreciated most a few of the following:

"I was ready to meet my Maker."

Am I? I am not, I have more to do and accomplish. I have more to master in this life and more to dedicate to my maker. I long for the day when I am "ready," not necessarily wanting to go to my maker, but ready to meet Him.

"If you got a faith, you can handle difficulties. Knowing that with an eternal perspective that all will be well."

Perspective is a wonderful gift. It will keep one from judging, or one from having the ability to approach a situation calmly and perhaps putting oneself in another's shoes.

"Don't demand things that are unreasonable. Demand of yourself improvement."

We all have our strengths. Perhaps I am stronger and more committed in one area of my life than another. However, I am weaker in others. Lets not demand too much of another when we have not walked in their shoes and experienced what they have they experienced. Give them (and yourself) time and support, it may be needed.

21 degrees

The temps keep seeming to drop in the AM. However, Whit and I keep cycling to work.. my bet is we cycle to work more often this winter than any other up to this point. My goal is 4 times a week avg throughout the winter. Today was cold (mainly the face and breathing but not too bad). I did basically double the clothes I had on. This is what I had:

- warm socks
- neoprene booties
- leg warmers
- thermal tights
- boxers
- cycling shorts
- underarmor top
- jersey
- windbreaker vest
- cycling jacket
- winter gloves
- full head cover
- beanie

That's about all I have to put on in my arsenal, lets hope it doesn't need to be added to.

25 degrees

Coldest morning yet to ride in on but it was good to be back on the bike after being sick. Haven't been sick in years.. and the streak quickly changed :). Have a great day and enjoy your warm commute around town or to work!

I am a Mormon..

So much goodness in this video. Dedication, cycling, family, history! I think this job would be amazing... Library of Congress. Sometimes I think I could live on the East Coast.

One of my favorite parts was when he said he was a softy at heart. I used to deny this but I am as well...

"Gaze five minutes into Heaven.."

As of late, I have been studying on personal revelation. I have received it but want to get the incite of others so that I might do this more efficiently and on a more regular basis. I read the talk by Elder Bruce R. McConkie - "How to get Personal Revelation." What I gathered from this talk is that it is not a difficult process. However, it is simple. Our spiritual depth and understanding is gained step by step. I don't believe we can instantly arrive at a spiritual depth and understanding, just as we can't instantly have the spirit with us if we had previously not been doing those things required to have it. The things of the Spirit are gained I believe with consistency and focus.

[http://lds.org/new-era/1980/06/how-to-get-personal-revelation?lang=eng&query=personal+revelation]

Elder McConkie wrote, “But my suggestion is that we need to devote an increasingly large portion of our time in the actual pursuit of knowledge in the spiritual realm. When we deal with spiritual realities, we are not talking about gaining something by reason alone, we are not talking about conveying in some way knowledge to the mind or the spirit that is within us through the senses alone, but we are talking about revelation. We are talking about learning how to come to a knowledge of the things of God by attuning the spirit that we have to the eternal Spirit of God.”

He also said, “Religion is a matter of getting the Holy Ghost into the life on an individual basis." We need to first put ourselves in the right state of mind to receive direction and be touched by the Spirit. We do this by searching the scriptures, keeping the commandments and then asking in faith.

I hope to "gaze" a few minutes into the heavens every morning so that I can go into the world prepared and inspired of the Spirit. As I have focused on doing this as of late, I have noticed the difference.

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I hope everyone has a fantastic day :).

The Morning Mist

It was a brisk morning this morning. Today I added (thankfully) the following to my cycling layers:

- beanie
- full-fingered gloves
- thin shoe covers

I wish I had a pic to post. The morning mist is beautiful over the Yakima river and the valley as I come down from Bombing Range. It also get VERY cold as I dropped down the hill at about 40.

I assume future layers will need to be added as well.. very soon.

Changing the world

I saw this and thought it was an incredible but very simple idea. The fact that it is self-sustaining and growing means that there are good people out there making it work and contributing (and not simply taking).

You pay what you can and "work" for your meal if you can't afford it. Great idea!