For my birthday, Kim gave me a hand-made book and encouraged me to have the faith and courage to write my book(s).
Writing is something I've wanted to do for a long time. I have hundreds of stories in my head but I've been too scared/lazy/stupid/doubtful/ignorant/slow/hesitant to ever finish them.
Well, here's my goal: in three weeks I will finish my first book.
Yup, in the next 22 days I will write my novel in the pages of the book that Kim gave me.
That's my goal and I'm going to do it. You won't hear from me until February 22. Wish me luck!
I published this video of Joseph Smith's last dream on June 22, 2011 and today it topped 50,000 views! Thank you SO much for your help and support in getting this video out there. For me, it is one of the most moving accounts of the prophet Joseph Smith's life and it should be shared with the world.
I was driving out to the ANASAZI trail last week and someone posed the question: "What's the dream life you've always imagined living?"
Someone in the suburban said that their dream life would be to manage an organic farm while someone else said that traveling the world was their dream life. The question went from person to person and right before it got to me----we arrived at the trail and had to leave.
But the question has given me cause to think, because if it had come to me I was prepared to say, "I'm already living my dream life."
It's true. I'm living my dream life. But not because I've reached any sort of destination.
I feel like a lot of people measure their life by more by the destination rather than by the journey. My friend Nathan once told me that "life is about the process, not the product."
The process of my life lately has been so wonderful I feel like I'm living my dream life: I'm engaged to the girl of my dreams, I've got an incredibly supportive and loving family, an amazing job (ANASAZI), I work with amazing people on a regular basis, my future plans are becoming more and more clear, and I'm on the threshold of finishing a book.
But see, most of these things are a process and not an end result. My joy in a supportive and loving family, for example, is found in the day to day things. Being engaged (the anticipation, writing to each other, pictures, planning and setting goals) is a process.
So I'm loving the journey and living my dream life.
While I was working on the ANASAZI trail this week this story came up and I thought I that would share it with you.
Some say that within every man and woman there is a white wolf and a black wolf.
The white wolf is gentle and loves mankind. It seeks to help others and lives in harmony with the wilderness. It does not take offense and only fights when it is right to do so and in the right way. Its walking upon the earth is peaceful.
The black wolf is fierce and full of enmity towards mankind. It seeks to tear others down and destroy all in its path. It is full of hatred and fights with everyone. Its walking upon the earth is war-like.
These two wolves live inside of each of us and both try to dominate our spirits.
Wherever I go, that's something that I love to do: listen to life.
In Nauvoo
On long walks in Nauvoo I was fascinated by the life of Joseph Smith, his last dream, and the faith and determination of the early pioneers. I would gaze at the Mississippi river for hours and revel in the shades of a red sunset and the sounds of a steamboat.
While living in Nakhodka, I was completely enraptured by the culture and feel of that small Russian harbor town. Whenever the leaves change color, and the autumn breeze picks up, my soul drifts back to the streets of Nakhodka and I can almost sense the smells, the sights and the sounds of that town. Years later, my attachment to Russia would beckon me to read some of the greatest literature ever written: Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy and Chekov.
Later in life, I gathered many other things through listening: a profound appreciation for the Iliad, the Odyssey, and equally epic Civil War stories, while living in Virginia. A deep, almost mystical, and soul-stretching love and respect for Native American culture, history and legends while working at the ANASAZI Foundation. Overwhelming admiration for the Russian people and the stories of their victory during World War II.
Interviewing and learning from sculptors, artists, musicians, philosophers, CEOs, teachers, politicians and other remarkable individuals without titles to their names.
And the stories that I have gathered. The people whom I admire! The incredible story of Joshua Chamberlain and his victory at Gettysburg. The epic endurance and eventual triumph of the Soviets during the siege of Leningrad---through music. Benazir Bhutto, the first female Prime Minister of Pakistan. Leo Tolstoy, the man who inspired Ghandi through his writings and many, many more!
Add to that stories from the lives of my friends; people who have overcome overwhelming odds and are now giants among men.
And the literature I have read. Oh, how the world is filled with beautiful and inspiring words! The Great Divorce by C. S. Lewis, Crime and Punishment by Dostoyevsky, Joseph Smith's Last Dream by W. W. Phelps, The Seven Paths of the ANASAZI Way, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, The Shack by William P. Young, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Leo Tolstoy, Mark Twain, Neal A. Maxwell, David McCullough, William Shakespeare, Plato and so many others!
Life is filled with so many wonderful things...if only we listen for them.
That, perhaps, is a long-winded way of telling you that I'm adjusting the theme of my blog---and my writing, for that matter. I'm going to listen more to life and share what I hear with you. I want to take stories, ideas, and accounts from all around the world and share them with you in a meaningful way. I want whatever I write to be inspiring and influential.
Many within the church know about the eminent men that appeared to President Wilford Woodruff in the St. George temple. But what many do not know is that temple work was also done for 70 ‘eminent women’...
The painting shown in this video was created by artist Michael Bedard. In order to paint it, Michael spent years researching each of the individual men and women and carefully selected the models he used to represent them.
I first saw the painting in its initial stages in 2009. I was awestruck not only by the amount of work that Michael was putting into it, but also by the amount of people he was painting! I mean, I remember hearing in seminary that George Washington, Christopher Columbus and the signers of the Declaration appeared to Wilford Woodruff, but I didn’t know anything about the other ‘eminent men.’
“Do you know about the eminent women?” Michael asked.
I was speechless.
To be clear, Wilford Woodruff’s record never states that the eminent women appeared to him. It only states that temple work was done on their behalf. This leaves it open for us to decide whether or not these women actually appeared in the temple. Michael Bedard chose to paint the eminent women alongside the eminent men not only for artistic purposes but also because he believes that they were present that day.
Indeed, the fact that President Woodruff believed these women to be ‘eminent’ is rather interesting. Many of the women were not widely recognized until years (sometimes decades) after their death and that period of time did not readily recognize women that were ‘eminent.’ For Wilford Woodruff and his associates to simply take “a shot in the dark” and pull seventy famous female names out of a hat and hope to get it right would be a bit of a stretch.
Yes, revelation was certainly involved. I know because for the past three months, I have done my own research on thirty of the seventy eminent women and have prepared short biographical videos of each of them. I have learned, first hand, that these women were truly remarkable and certainly eminent.
Take for example, Mary Somerville, a Scottish scientist and mathematician during the nineteenth century. A woman whose education began because of her fascination with algebraic symbols.
Or Abigail Adams, whose life is a prime example of how small and simple things can bring about revolutionary change.
Witness the power of art in the lives of female performers like the dancer Eva Maria Veigel, operatic soprano Euphrosyne Parepa-Rosa, or the actress Sarah Siddons, a woman who once believed she was destined for failure but soon became the undisputed queen of Drury Lane.
See the strength of a single mother in Mary Ball Washington, the mother of George Washington.
Or the courage of Martha Washington, who supported her husband, General Washington, by traveling to be with him every winter during the Revolutionary War.
Learn about the female archeologist, Anna Brownell Jameson, who was essentially forgotten by her husband in New York, and left to make her way to Toronto, Canada by herself.
Learn about the political struggles of women like Margarita Juarez, the wife of Benito Juarez, the most famous president of Mexico. Charlotte Corday, the twenty four year old assassin of Jean-Paul Marat, the Jacobin leader in the French Revolution. Maria Theresa, the Holy Roman Empress. Hannah More, an English philanthropist and early champion of the abolition of slavery, or Marie Antionette, the Queen of France!
In summary of these eminent women, here is a favorite quote of mine from Charlotte Bronte:
Author’s note:
This ‘eminent women’ project has meant more to me than I can adequately describe. Kim, the narrator of these videos, has been my best friend for over ten years. She is a talented and beautiful actress---an eminent woman herself. A perfect choice for narration.
So in September, while she and I were living in the same state (a rare thing), she said ‘yes’ to doing the voice-overs.
Charlotte Bronte was a popular nineteenth century English novelist and poet, her most famous novel being Jane Eyre.
The heroines of Bronte’s fiction brought about a change in literature, presenting untraditional women, admired for their strength and abilities.
Charlotte’s own life is an example of this. In her novel, Jane Eyre, she wrote: “It is in vain to say human beings ought to be satisfied with tranquility: they must have action...Millions are condemned to a stiller doom than mine, and millions are in silent revolt against their lot...Women are supposed to be very calm generally: but women feel just as men feel; they need exercise for their faculties, and a field for their efforts as much as their brothers do; they suffer from too rigid a restraint, too absolute a stagnation, precisely as men would suffer; and it is narrow-minded in their more privileged fellow-creatures to say that they ought to confine themselves to making puddings and knitting stockings, to playing on the piano and embroidering bags. It is thoughtless to condemn them, or laugh at them, if they seek to do more or learn more than custom has pronounced necessary for their sex.”
Abigail Adams was the wife of John Adams, the second president of the United States, and the mother of John Quincy Adams, the sixth president.
Abigail Adams
Abigail was the first Second Lady of the United States and the second First Lady.
She is principally remembered, however, for the many letters she wrote to her husband during the events before and after the Revolutionary War.
John, viewing her as his equal in every way, frequently sought her advice on various political and social matters matters and their letters are filled with intellectual discussions on news, government, social relationships and politics.
Even though she went largely unnoticed during her time, Abigail Adams continues to be one of the most influential Americans of all time. Her life story is a prime example of how small and simple things can bring about revolutionary change.
