this time of year

often finds me thinking of this little poem:

First Fig
by Edna St. Vincent Millay

My candle burns at both ends;
It will not last the night;
But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends—
It gives a lovely light!


And then I think of a few lines from Elder Maxwell, "Another insight that seems to recur again and again in confirmation is that the todays of life constitute the holy present. We can’t fix the past. We may be able to repent of it, but we can’t change past events. We can fashion the future, and we do that by using what someone has called the holy present, which indeed it is."

I'm so grateful for this time in my life. I'm grateful for today, for my students who will fill this classroom in less than an hour, for last night's sunset, for holding a new baby, for Saturday's hike through snow, for the temple, for playtime with a toddler, for Friday's solo bike ride, for moments of peace, for family, for times spent sitting round the table, for all the opportunities I'm afforded, for this exciting time in my life. I'm spoiled. So I'll forever continue to give thanks and share what I have with others because that's really all I can do.

Happy last day of November!

josh

Really?


Are there even any words that can be added to such a picture?

Nope.

Well, creepy is about the best I can figure.

Josh is grand. Josh is great. He turned 11 with this last birthday. I can't believe that he'll be a deacon next year! I love his new glasses. I love his crazy comments and I love having readathons with him. He's still a cuddle-bug sometimes, and I'm also a fan of that.

ps: sorry about all the crappy photos, but they're off my phone so they're not very stellar...

papi

Well, I never did anything fancy on here for my dad's or Josh's birthdays because I was in California that weekend. So I thought I'd write a little about my dad.

The above picture was taken just last week on a little jaunt up Squaw Peak road. I'm grateful my dad will always adventure with me. Of late, our adventuring has taken the form of bike riding. In the past it has included hiking and camping, among other things.

Dad's also the greatest cheerleader ever. He always supported me in soccer and swimming. Now he's quite the stalwart in coming to my triathlons and helping me out. So kind of him. Granted, I've only done five, but he was there for my first four. It's so nice to have someone cheering me on. (Don't worry about him not coming to my fifth one because I had the lovely Mr. Smith being ever so kind and supportive.)

Lastly, my dad's slightly crazy. Here's a picture of him taken Wednesday. This is after he fell off the tree and onto the tree. He bruised several ribs in the process. I can empathize with how much it hurts, but I'm still bad because I have to laugh at his pained face every time he coughs, sneezes, or laughs. Injured ribs are not pure bliss. Hopefully he'll heal up soon.

Huzzah for such an amazing father!

story corps got me again

For the second time this week, I've been brought to tears.

Here's the story.

Happy Friday!

Only one day till the weekend and three school days till Thanksgiving break. Hurrah!

eli's birthday

This baby, born a year ago tomorrow,
must be eating lotsa chips to be getting so big.
(Look at those cheeks!)

Happy Birthday Elijah!
Love, Aunty Lynny

sometimes

when I'm driving in the car and listening to the radio, I cry. Stories like this abruptly affect me and before I know it, I'm wiping away some tears. Sometimes I just don't understand; I don't understand this world. I don't understand why a little three year-old is not alive anymore.

So I cry. I pray. I pray that I might love all with whom I come in contact. I pray this is the right thing. I hope it will be enough. Because right now my heart's a wondering if it ever will be.

Loves.

what have i done for someone today?

I served with a really wonderful couple named Elder and Sister Ray. They were in my last district in Simferopol, Ukraine. They are some of the loveliest and dearest people I know. Well, they're back at it and serving again--this time in the Russia Samara mission. I had to share a paragraph from their most recent email. I hope they won't mind. This little story is just too beautiful that I couldn't help but share it:

"There is one last story we want to tell you. We had a couple get baptized last Sunday. Before they came to the baptism, however, they went out to a village and bought meat to give to poor people to show their gratitude for finding the Gospel and being baptized. This is a couple that has very little, but they still wanted to share. When the baptism was over, they drove around their neighborhood and handed out the meat to those who needed it. There are so many people better than we."

As President Monson asks us to ask ourselves, I echo, "What have I done for someone today?"

Happy new week!

that you are here

School's out for the day and for the week.

I just keep coming across things I want to share. I love this:

O Me! O Life!

by Walt Whitman

Oh me! Oh life! of the questions of these recurring,

Of the endless trains of the faithless, of cities fill’d with the foolish,

Of myself forever reproaching myself, (for who more foolish than I, and who more faithless?)

Of eyes that vainly crave the light, of the objects mean, of the struggle ever renew’d,

Of the poor results of all, of the plodding and sordid crowds I see around me,

Of the empty and useless years of the rest, with the rest me intertwined,

The question, O me! so sad, recurring—What good amid these, O me, O life?

Answer.

That you are here—that life exists and identity,

That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.

happy friday

It's Friday, huzzah!

My Friday's off to a good start. I read a couple talks and got to talk with my dearest love for a little bit.

One of the talks I read is "The Abundant Life" by Elder Wirthlin. It's one of my favorites and I love rereading it. Two passages in particular stood out to me today:

"We are sons and daughters of an immortal, loving, and all-powerful Father in Heaven. We are created as much from the dust of eternity as we are from the dust of the earth. Every one of us has potential we can scarcely imagine."

"The abundant life isn’t something we arrive at. Rather, it is a magnificent journey that began long, long ages ago and will never, never end."

I'm grateful for the calming power of words. I guess I'm one who feels the Spirit through words more than through other ways. Not always, of course. Some words, though, get me every time.

Yesterday I enjoyed a most splendid trail run with Lisa. It feels so good to push through the pain steep inclines induce. I feel I'm still riding a sort of high even though I finished running 12 hours ago. Isn't it lovely?

Well, I'm off to school. Only eight school days till Thanksgiving break. So grand.

the end of missing someone

"I like to see people reunited, maybe that’s a silly thing, but what can I say, I like to see people run into each other, I like the kissing and the crying, I like the impatience, the stories that the mouth can’t tell fast enough, the ears that aren’t big enough, the eyes that can’t take in all of the change, I like the hugging, the bringing together, the end of missing someone."

--Jonathan Safran Foer Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

happiness lately

• Saturday's ride up Hobble Creek's right fork with Pa and Jim
• sunny days
• chat time with lovelies
• sleep
• phone calls from Mr. Smith
• emails from Mr. Smith
• Mr. Smith (yep, I could gush forever, but I'll spare you most of the mush)
• family dinner
• old writings
• outdoor conversations with Joshy
• hymns
• piano
  
• scriptures
• eyes
• Ma's pumpkin cookies
• candles
• water-coloring
• the lovebug featured below

we thought we would be the line,

but it turned out there were already eight people waiting in line at 4 o'clock when we showed up. The doors didn't open till six, but it was well worth the wait. We stood at the very front, mere feet away from this graciously cute woman:




She was amazing and we had such a grand time. Thanks, Magsie, for being so wonderful. I love any birthday present that involves Regina Spektor and I also love if that birthday present involves going to a concert with my dear dear friend. I really should just call us sisters, eh, Marge? Quite a few people of late have asked us if we're sisters and we both look at each other and say, "Yes," or, "You could say so." Thanks cecmpa!

le jeudi

Just finished up a little lunchy lunch: a wheat bagel, three garden tomatoes, and a strawberry yogurt. Oh, can't forget the morsel of a yummy Milka bar Andrew gave to me before he left. Yum.

I love food.

And I love working out.

Surprise! I feel so repetitive. But exercising is a mode in which I truly feel myself and feel peace. So I suppose I'll forever be writing about it. My apologies if it's tedious to you.

I managed to steal away yesterday on my bike. I rode to school and froze slightly, but enjoyed my route home. I didn't go straight there but ventured up the canyon a little before hanging my bike up on the wall. Perfecto.

And this afternoon, I'm going to steal away on these legs and enjoy a nice run.

Making me smile: Regina and Josh.

Why?

I'm going to Regina Spektor tomorrow night with moya dorogaya Margarita. Ypa! I love concert going. Pictures to come for sure.

And Josh is just amusing. Setting: dinner last night plus Josh who's been sick and a little out of sorts. Dad asks him to pray. Josh begins, "We thank thee for this food. Please bless that no harm will come over it." Oh man. Pretty awesome, eh?

"a day is long and I'll be waiting for you..."

"...as in an empty station

when the trains are parked off somewhere else, asleep."

-Neruda

i love

ten day forecasts in November in which the prediction for the next four days is sunny weather.

I most definitely need to steal away on my bike on one of those sunny afternoons.