College Correspondent

“Hallelujah!” by Hunter Schenewark The title arises from the fact that earlier today I realized that I was wearing a home-made tie making pasta by hand. Pretty cool. I've also realized that there is a strong correlation between amount of flour used and happiness. Not simply because of the treats that go to me, but mainly for the fact that flour = service and kneading dough = therapy. So I gave myself a self-sufficiency "hallelujah!" I should add, besides no dates, there was also no golf played this week, and thus begs the question, "is the world ending?" What will I write about?  From Labor Day - with the windmills in the background. The easy answer is no. Of course not! Even though Utah does in fact appear to be burning. (even the mountains have been obscured by all the smoke, and ash has sprinkled down on us at BYU - this is the closest I've ever been to a wildfire that I know of.) Photo courtesy of Taylor Yardley and LDS Living: In Payson, about 15 miles south. The real answer I've come to, (after wondering how the prophets for millennia have truthfully been able to declare, "Repent! the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!") is that the world might not be ending, but ours is. Truth is, no matter how you do the math, mortality is a blink. And we best be preparing for the next life, because it's coming to claim us sooner than we might think. Ours is to act, and not to shrink. My classes have been great. This week in Shakespeare we read some of his sonnets and interestingly many of them dealt with the idea of eternity and Mr. Bill Shakespeare appears to have with various sonnets  preached the idea that kids yield some degree of immortality, and if that doesn't work, then written lines surely will. We also read "A Midsummer Night's Dream" which although fantastical, was fantastic. I loved it. I have already become a committed fan. I've chosen a couple family history projects: I am researching Horatio Gates and family, b. 1812 d. 1883. And for another one, I am researching Nancy Starbird Glass Wilson b. 1824 d. 1868 and her family. I was happy to see Horatio was a farmer and am truly eager to learn more. Other notable news: I cut my head open with a door. No serious damage. Just an embarrassing/funny story to remember, and a current lump that looks like an award-winning pimple instead of a manly cut. We mopped the floor voluntarily - without having a spill or accident compel us. Normally something happens before the floor actually gets dirty from just shoes. The last time we mopped was because I had inadvertently put in dish soap instead of dishwashing liquid. Didn't, and don't know the difference. The thing was a bubble machine and we just used all the overflowing suds to clean up the floor. Tuesday, out of the many club choices available and appealing, I decided to go to the Family History one, where Jennifer Ann Mackley, author of Wilford Woodruff's Witness: The Development of Temple Doctrine lectured on exactly that, the development of temple doctrine. Fast-forward to Saturday, and going to the temple was a little more significant reflecting on some aspects of what I'd learned. First time cooking exploits this week include making cinnamon rolls for the first time. They were amazing! Hit the spot, causing a small sugar overload as I downed 6 or 7 before I gave the rest away. Also Maple Bavarian Cream. I still need to eat that though. It said to chill, and it's been chilling since. Today at church I did nothing. No talks or lesson. No organ playing. No helping with the sacrament. I simply sat back and enjoyed the services and quite honestly, felt completely rejuvenated and refreshed. Earlier in the week my I was in some pain and though my bottom left wisdom tooth was agitating like a toddler in church, causing a disturbance, and thought if it doesn't stop, he'll have to come out. Well, big blessing, turned out I only had a cut on my gum (from what I know not). Work at Canopy continues. My bosses have been good at scheduling trainings and helping me improve. I've always been the person who would spend the whole day hacking at a tree without sharpening the saw and they've been good about scheduling time to help me improve. I finally saw Tanmarie and Nora. It's been a couple weeks, and I decided to be spontaneous and show up unannounced Sunday afternoon. Sounds like law school is good and ms. Nora is getting close to walking! On Sunday, Dad was busy and Mom wasn't home and after talking to Cooper for a while, Breyer came in and took over. That 15 minutes was perhaps the best part of the week for me. With her infectious laugh, innocence, and complete sincerity I was reminded once again why we are commanded to be like little children and felt brought down to real life. That's what's really important - and I left uplifted and with a refreshed perspective. Another candidate for moment of the week was on Wednesday when as a presidency we redid most of the ministering assignments. My testimony was strengthened that we are involved in the Lord's work and he knows each and every one of us personally, as we repeatedly had names come to our minds for both companionships and who they needed to visit. It wasn't our doing - we were simply the instruments. Saturday night I sat down with some homework and put on the Fiddler on the Roof. It's been years since I've seen it, and didn't remember much. I thought especially pertinent was the struggle Tevye had with tradition. Some changed, but others he would not, could not give up. Everything is liable to be questioned, and it is just as important for us to realize the traditions, some divinely instituted, that we can not give up or change. I am grateful for the traditions that we have in our family. I have learned of Christ and his gospel since being an infant and I'll forever be grateful for that. Elder Holland said: Your love for Jesus Christ and your discipleship in His cause must be the consuming preoccupation and passion of your mortality. You must strive every day to know the Savior in the most personal way that you can - to study His life, to learn His teachings, to follow His doctrine, to reverence His priesthood.