Nothing to fear but fear itself.

I've been reading a fabulous book by Particia T. Holland called A Quiet Heart. The book is all about keeping the right perspective--it's a great read! Anyway, I just wanted to record one of the insights I got from this book.

At one point in the book, Sister Holland talks about faith versus fear. She points out that fear is a learned behavior. She says, "In our earliest moments, we were awestruck, astonished, full of wonder. We were filled with love and had every confidence in God's continued goodness. What happened? At what age did we begin to feel anxious, fearful, doubtful?"

She then quotes Marianne Williamson who explains that it happens because "we [are eventually] taught to focus elsewhere. We are taught a very negative view of the world that contradicts who we really are. We are taught to think thoughts like competition, struggle, sickness, finite resources, guilt and pride. . . We are taught that things like earning grades, being good enough, having money and doing things the proper way are more important than love, trust, and confidence. We are taught that we're separate from other people, that we have to compete to get ahead, and that we're not quite good enough the way we are. We are taught to see the world the way that others have come to see it. . . Love is what we are born with. Fear is what we have learned here."

I love that last bit: "Love is what we are born with. Fear is what we have learned here." If only we could all go back, even a little bit, so that faith, love and confidence could prevail over all the messy stuff like fear and doubt!

Calculus blunder!

I was working a problem in calculus yesterday and I got stumped at the board! Okay, I wasn't really horribly stumped, but I had made an algebra mistake that caused me to end up totally in the wrong place at the end of the problem. The worst part of it was that the algebra mistake I made was a classic error that I had warned the class about just a few days before.

Anyway, I had to laugh at myself. I once heard someone say: "Laughing at our own mistakes can lengthen our life. Laughing at someone else's can shorten it."

My calculus blunder also made me realize that life can be like a calculus problem: a seemingly small error at one point can cause you to end up completely in the wrong place in the end. That's a terrifying thought. I guess that's why prayer is so important!

Now you know my ABC's.

I received a fun question and answer email the other day (one question for each letter of the alphabet), so I thought I'd start my blog with the ABCs of me.

A - Attached or single? Single.
B - Best friend? My sisters & Melanie, Brittany, Ann Marie and Danae. (I can't pick just one!)
C - Comfort food? Chocolate anything.
D - Day of choice? Sunday.
E - Essential item? Chapstick.
F - Favorite flower? Wildflowers.
G - Gummy bears or worms? Neither. (Although cinnamon bears covered in chocolate are pretty good.)
H - Hometown? Sandy, UT.
I - Indulgences? Going out to eat with friends. Taking the time to read a good novel.
J - January or July? July, hands down. Summer, season of play! :-)
K - Kids? Someday.
L - Life isn’t complete without…? Humor, Laughter. :-)
M - Most valuable possesion? Scriptures.
N - Number of brothers and sisters? 3 sisters. 2 brothers.
O - Oranges or apples? Oranges. Mmmmm.(Although I hate peeling them.) :-)
P - Phobias or fears? Spiders.
Q - Quote? "The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance, the wise grows it under his feet." -James Oppenheim
R - Reason to smile? Kids.
S - Sport of choice? Soccer, running.
T - Tastiest cuisine? Thai food.
U - Unknown fact about me? Hmmm. I don't know. I'm an open book. :-)
V - Vegetable? Peppers (especially red, orange, yellow).
W - Worst habit? Being late.
X - X-ray or ultrasound? Huh?
Y - Your latest adventure? Trip to Greece and Italy.
Z - Zodiac sign? Virgo.