Dragons

Last Saturday, Sept. 22, we went to the Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus. It was our second consecutive year going with Leo, Annette, Dante, Daphne, and Drake (and our second time ever). We arrived early to be there for the preshow, and we had pretty good seats for the rest of the show.

Some parts were similar to last year and some parts were completely different. This year the theme was Dragons and there was a definite Chinese flair to the show. They asked if you had what it takes to be a dragon...Strength, Courage, Wisdom and Heart. Then proceeded to show performers that have each of these qualities.

Here is the introduction to the show:

My favorite parts of the show were the trapeze artists and the lion and tiger tamer.

There were parts of the show with the lion and tigers that I honestly thought the trainer was going to get hurt. He is much braver than I. I think it might be neat to work with the elephants, and to be close to the sweet new baby elephant just born in August, but I wouldn't want to work with lions or tigers.

I asked the girls what they liked best. Michelle really liked these girls in these bubble balls. It looked like they were dancing and doing acrobatics inside a huge bubble. But then the bubble would break apart and they would do the splits across the two sides of the ball or would do a flip from one side to the other. It was pretty amazing.

Ella and Michelle really liked the Dragon Riders. They started with just one rider going into this ball and riding around and around. Then they had 3, then 5, then 6, then 7. The ball wasn't that big and it really looked like they would crash into each other when they first started going but quickly they would be zooming around and around, and even upside down. I am not describing it well and the pictures don't do it justice.

Gabby likes the animals. This year there was a whole part where cats and dogs performed as well as ponies, donkeys, an alpaca and goats.

And of course, there were dragons. Dragons that showed Strength, Courage, Wisdom and Heart. Does the spirit of the dragons live within you?

Of course, the best part of all for Alfredo and I is watching our childrens' faces light up and hearing them talk about the show for days afterward.

Violence

I love this quote:
"The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral,
begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy.
Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it.
Through violence you may murder the liar,
but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth.
Through violence you may murder the hater,
but you do not murder hate.
In fact, violence merely increases hate.
So it goes.
Returning violence for violence multiplies violence,
adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars.
Darkness cannot drive out darkness:
only light can do that.
Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that."

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The last part of it has been ringing through my head for a few days ("Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that."). There are several reasons why.

First, I have been listening to a book on CD with my kids. It was Council of Mirrors by Michael Buckley. It is the ninth book in the Sisters Grimm series. SPOILER ALERT: I won't give the whole plot away, but if you are planning to read this series, then don't read what I'm about to write. I will give away the ending. Basically there is a family, the descendants of the Grimm brothers (the fairy tale guys). And the Mirror (you know, Mirror, Mirror on the Wall) is trying to kill Sabrina and Daphne Grimm, because it has been prophesied that only they can defeat Mirror. Well, they've tried several plans and nothing has worked. Then suddenly they are face to face with Mirror, Mirror is about to kill their family and Sabrina suddenly realizes that Mirror is doing all of these things because he is completely lonely and has never felt loved. Suddenly, she sees that anger, hatred, revenge and so on will never help her defeat Mirror...he is stronger and has more of all of these negative emotions than she does. So suddenly, she begins pouring out love to him. She gives him the love her parents have given to her. She gives him the silly words that her sister Daphne makes up. She gives him the wet kisses that their dog gives them. She gives him the protection that Mr. Canus and her uncle have provided her. She gives him all the love she has inside her, all the joy, all the happiness, all the confidence and respect and peace she has ever felt...it pours out of her, and he is overcome by it. She tells him that she is his friend and forgives him for the wrongs he has committed. I tell you that I was crying in my car as I listened to this. I've enjoyed this series (my girls have LOVED it), but I was getting a bit frustrated by it in the past two books. But I found the ending so powerful, and so much better than I would have predicted.

Then, last Tuesday, was of course, September 11. Eleven years ago the attacks occurred on the World Trade Centers and the Pentagon. A day none of us will ever forget. And last Tuesday, Islamists broke into a US embassy in Libya. Four Americans were killed. Of course this is tragic. But it is all too easy to generalize these and other attacks as the work of Islamic fundamentalists and then to assume that all Muslims are bad. An idea that I find very troubling. There is much that is good and beautiful in Islam. Many Muslims are good, honest people. Just as many Christians are good, honest people. But so much evil can and has been done by people who claim to be following Islam or who claim to be Christian. Sadly, plenty of Christians have killed in the name of Christianity in the past.... and still do in some parts of the world. In their pure forms, neither religion teaches hatred or murder ...but many practicers of each religion have twisted the messages and have used the Bible or the Koran to support their own messages of hatred. I'm sure that it is one of the reasons that so many people dislike religion. Many Muslims are good, honest people... just as many Christians are not Christlike at all. I hope that I, and those I love, can always be counted among those who try to be like Christ and show love to people of all backgrounds. I believe we should stand up for what we believe in, but also show respect to those who believe differently. It is tragic what happened in Libya. It is tragic what happens all over this world when people let anger and hatred rule over them. No wonder we are taught to forgive until 70 times 7, because there will be no peace or joy in this world if we can't learn to love and forgive.

And finally, I just finished reading The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian. It is a novel set during World War I. It deals with the genocide of approximately one and a half million Armenians in Turkey. Bohjalian's ancestors survived this genocide which is what lead him to write the book, although it is fictionalized. The book is graphic in parts...which is to be expected because the Turks beat, starved, raped, beheaded and marched women and children through the hot desert to place them in camps. It is so reminiscent of the holocaust. There was hope and love and futility and tragedy all mixed together in this novel. And it made me sad. How many people will be murdered because of the color of their skin or their race or their religion or the language they speak? Will we, as humans, ever learn the lessons that Dr. King tried to teach? That Christ taught? But at the same time, books about the holocaust and this genocide and other tragedies also bring a measure of hope and peace. After all, there are those that survived and made good lives for themselves despite the odds and despite the terrible degradations. And there are those that fought back, those that rescued and protected Armenians, that nursed them back to health, and so on. Despite the horror and cruelty that can be found, there is also, always, good. So I choose to try to focus my thoughts on the good that can be found in humans. I try, not always successfully, to fill my life with love and to show love to others. I fall down, I fall short, but I will keep trying to make sure that my life and actions are filled with love and light, not hate and darkness.

Our last Hoo-rah!

In the last few days before heading back to school/work (at the end of August...I have so much less time to blog when I'm back to work that this post has been sitting on a back burner for weeks now!), I squeezed in a few more fun times with my girls. One night, Michelle and I went to Seven Peaks alone. It was a reward for her hard work preparing for her fiddle concert. I was afraid the water would be cold, and/or that it would be really crowded. But the water temp was great, and it wasn't that crowded at all. We were able to go on all the slides at least twice (not counting the two biggest/scariest ones...we skipped those). We talked and laughed and had a great time together.

Seven Peaks Provo: I took the girls down to Seven Peaks in Provo right after Gabby had her doctor's appointment (with 4 shots, plus the nasal spray for the flu). The wave pool was a little different...it stayed shallow for most of the wave pool, and seemed warmer (but maybe it was just because it was later in the day). There were a LOT of slides, so Michelle went on quite a few of them, by herself. She's a good sport. They played in the kiddie area for a bit, but one of the kiddie areas was closed. We went in the lazy river. We got snow cones and enjoyed them. It was a lot of fun. Next summer, we will have to get Alfredo to go there with us at least once.

BYU Art Museum: BYU has a wonderful art exhibit right now called Beauty and Belief. (It is only at BYU until Sept. 29...so if you haven't gone, you should!) It is a beautiful collection of Islamic art that helps clear up misconceptions about the Islamic religion and art. I wanted my children to see the art and learn a little more about Islam. I also wanted to see the art. I wish I could actually go back once again, by myself, so I could read more of the signs that went with the displays. I read some, but Gabby is still a little young for art museums and wanted to go quickly. I loved looking at the beautiful copies of the Quran. Often, the Quran(Koran) is written in calligraphy and the copies on display were beautiful. I enjoyed reading that the Islamic religion has many different names for God, that in a sense reflect his dual natures...such as All Powerful and Humble. There were also many quotes from the Koran that really were beautiful and filled with truth. I think there is much to appreciate about the Muslim faith, at least in its pure form.

There was also a room specifically for children. It had books to read, simple art projects to try, and a few pieces of artwork. There was a tree where you could write a wish on a paper and add it to the tree to send good wishes to others.

It really was a beautiful display, and I'm glad we went.

It was fun to walk around BYU campus with my children and point out some of the buildings. It has changed a lot since I graduated over 14 years ago. I've only been on campus a few times since then, and there were quite a few things that are different. I took the girls to the BYU Bookstore. We were there during Education Week, so it was quite crowded and busy. But I bought us each a BYU t-shirt. The girls' school is a uniform school. But they really emphasize college readiness and the importance of college attendance. So they decide last year that on Thursday, students could wear college t-shirts to school. So now they each have a BYU shirt they can wear. :)

King Peggy

Just read a good book. It was called King Peggy by Peggielene Bartels and Eleanor Herman. It is a memoir of a woman named Peggy. She was born in Ghana, but came to the US in her 20's. She worked as a secretary for the ambassador of Ghana. When the king of her Otuam tribe died, she was chosen as his successor. She had many challenges, but she worked hard to improve the lives of her people. She brought them clean water, better education and better health care. This book is her story, and it is inspiring.

Because Peggy continues to live in the United States, spending a month or two in Ghana each year, she often compares the US to Africa. She finds both good and bad comparisons. One that really stuck out to me was this: "Back in Washington, it seemed hard to live in the present. Peggy rushed from the accomplishments of the past headlong into her goals for the future, aided by ever-faster technology.... In recent years, Americans had invented many new buttons ostensibly to stay connected with people, yet these same buttons actually disconnected them from the people sitting right beside them, of from family members in the next room. Virtual, remote-control connection destroyed family connection, and she sensed that many Americans were, despite their hectic schedules, lonely."... (page 158) She writes about how Americans can sit around a table and all be texting or using a computer and not interacting. I think that many of our technologies can be a great blessing or a curse depending on how we use them. I find Facebook, for example, to be a great tool to keep in contact with friends that live in AZ or other parts of the world. But at the same time much of that "contact" is much more superficial than a phone call or a letter or a visit would be. While it does fill a social void at times, if I don't also have face to face interaction with some of my friends, I do get lonely and don't feel happy.

She goes on to say that Africans view America as a wonderful place because of this technology as well as our running water, heaters/air conditioners, etc. "But many of them couldn't loosen their grip on their remote controls enough to sit on a breezy porch with friends and family, talking about nothing in particular, or sitting in contented silence listening to the birds.... My people have no running water, she thought, and bad schools, and minimal health care, and electricity only part of the time....We are poor in gadgets, but rich in so many other ways. And America, despite all its riches, and despite all the buttons you can push there, is in some respects poor." (page 148-149)

When I read books like this, whether fiction or nonfiction, it reminds me yet again of the many blessings I have that I take for granted. We are rich in so many ways...and if we could recognize our wealth...and manage our time so that we still had time for people, we could be among the luckiest/richest people on Earth. It is so easy to get busy and to spend our time doing things that are good, that we don't do the things that are best. I want to really work to cultivate my friendships and relationships with those that mean the most and I want to try to live with more gratitude in my heart for all that I do have. I think the threshold ritual that I blogged about yesterday will help with that. I hope it will. I am among the luckiest people alive despite the challenges I have.

Threshold Ritual

Awhile ago, I read The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown. This summer I read The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. Both had some helpful advice/tips to increase joy and peace. I have been meaning to blog about The Happiness Project and haven't gotten to it...mainly because I read it right before my vacations to Canada and Colorado and had so much happy blogging to do about these trips.

Well, I was reading Brene Brown's blog the other day when she shared that Rubin has just published a new book, "Happier at Home". (Think I need to add that to my To Read list on Goodreads!) She shared one thing that she had read and applied that has brought joy to her life. It is called a threshold ritual. Rubin has a saying that she repeats each day as she is about to enter her home. Brown has a saying she repeats each morning as she pours her coffee and another as she enters her office.(To read about Brown's threshold rituals, go here.

I thought this was a lovely idea. With three wonderful children and a full time job, I often feel a little harried. I love my kids, my home, my husband and my job...but I am often rushing. So I decided this week that as I arrive at my classroom each morning and unlock the door, I will say a short prayer of gratitude for the blessing it is to be a teacher and have a job I love. It is truly a short prayer...but it has helped me to have a positive attitude and remember how thankful I am for what I do.

I would like to add some kind of threshold ritual for myself as I come home each day. Right outside our front door, we have wind chimes. Gabby loves to hit them, and they are very pretty sounding. I'm thinking that I will tap them (or let Gabby) and then repeat some phrase about parenting. Just trying to find the right phrase. I'd love a quote that is meaningful and will help me to remember what a blessing it is to have young children at home. Any suggestions?