Lessons from OZ

I found this paper I did for my Young Ambassador culture class today.  We had to sum up our experience in Australia.  Reading it today brought back a lot of great memories of wonderful people.  It also reminded me of how important it is to behave as the Savior would have us behave toward everyone we meet.  I just thought I'd share it.  It's a little long, but I still believe every word of it.


    Ever since I can remember, I've had a fascination with Australia.  I watched every Travel Channel exclusive on Australia that I could find, would go crazy over the wallabies at the zoo, and so forth.  Going there far surpassed my wildest dreams.  This assignment, itself, isn't hard, but the idea of trying to condense my experience in Australia into compact ideas and words is.  I hope that I will be able to share my feelings appropriately.   
    After our culture class, I thought I had a pretty good idea of what I’d encounter on tour.  The realization that I had no idea what to expect from Australia and our tour hit me the minute we arrived.  So what did I learn on tour in Australia? 
    I learned about charity from our first host family.  The father built their house himself, and he and his wife ran a business.  Two of their three children were active in the Church, but their oldest son had decided he wasn't interested in it.  The love they had for this boy was incredible.  I think he knew how much his family loved him, and was very respectful and kind, even though he didn't look like one who would be.  The whole family was hilarious and the kids were fascinated that we'd never had Vegemite or Milo and we didn't know the Aussie celebrities, but especially that we'd never had Tim Tam slams!  My first experience was a great one.  They were a great example of charity to us and each other.
    I found that charity was a huge theme of the people I met on tour.  Not limited to members of the Church, the Speaker of the Queensland Parliament was incredibly kind.  What an incredible opportunity we had!  I was amazed that Pam's relatives would be so kind to provide all of those meat pies for lunch that day, first of all.  Then, to have the Speaker schedule us in for ten minutes and stay with us for a half hour was priceless.  I was so grateful for what he said to us about music, and I knew that the positive atmosphere in the room meant that we were helping to set a good example for these political leaders.  I also met a sister in the Parliament House who said that they loved Americans and that we were welcome any time.  It was humbling to not only be representing the Church, but America as well.  I feel that we did it very well. 
    The family that Dani and I stayed with in Sydney was from Taiwan.  They were some of the most innately good people that I have met.  They were so kind to us, and fed us extremely well!  They brought us flowers after our performance because they thought it would make us happy!  It reminded me just how international the Church is. 
    I learned to rely on the Lord.  It was hard for me to believe how much I loved the firesides.  Each one was incredible in its own way.  The Spirit in each was almost tangible.  I got so many comments on how people were touched and felt the Spirit really strongly.  I know that it was nothing we did of ourselves, but it was amazing to be a part of.  There were many days when I didn't know how I could get any energy or give any more.  But when we are in the service of others, the Lord fills us with whatever we need, and it happened every day that I needed it.  The same was needed for the shows as well.  I knew I could rely on the Lord for anything.  There was a performance that I was having such bad allergies that I could not sing.  But I had faith enough to open my mouth, and trust that He would fill it.  It was one of my best shows.       
    I learned humility.  Being able to perform at the workshops was a humbling experience.  These kids were looking at us like experts.  I know that I looked at YA’s that way when I was young.  It made me want to solidify my craft and be the best I could so that I could feel confident in what I was portraying to the kids.
    Performing our show was so interesting with all of the different crowds and venues.  There were so many grateful people in our audiences.  They were amazed at both the quality of the show and the fact that we'd come perform for them.  One day, Nikki told me that her host mom was looking for me, so I got off the bus to see her.  With tears in her eyes, and assuring me that she never cries, she told me that she was just "a simple country girl" and had never heard anything like Phantom.  She was just amazed and grateful!  It was a great moment for me.              
    It was the little things that were incredible, too.  The time when we got to sing for the missionaries at their Zone Conference was so filling, and just what I needed.  It seems that whenever we do the Lord's work, He, in turn, gives us just what we need to be sustained.  There were countless times that this happened.  It was almost daily.
    I learned that we need to be the best we can be, always.  We never know who is watching.  I played Mary in Savior of the World for three years at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City.  I was definitely watched at that time as a representative of the Church.  We never knew who was around us, wherever we were, and had to be the best examples that we could be.  Well, one night, after the fireside, I had a woman and her daughter come up to me and asked if I was Mary!  I couldn't have been more shocked.  There I was, half way around the world, with blonde instead of dark hair, no less, and someone recognized me.  It reminded me that people are always watching us as members of the Church.  As performers, we sometimes may not be the best examples, as performers tend to be a little crazy, loud and sometimes just plain obnoxious.  We need to be extra careful to be the kind of representatives that BYU and the Church would want us to be.  I was grateful that, in that moment, I wasn't goofing off or being rowdy. 
    I learned that I was there for a reason.  Daily, I was given affirmations that I was meant to be there in Australia at that particular time, with that particular group of Young Ambassadors.  I knew that the Lord was mindful of me and my needs. 
    I learned that we were there to strengthen the members, not just the friends of other faiths that we made.  The King family were our last billits in Melbourne.  Becca Schwartz and I received an email from David, the father a little while after we left.  In it, he said, "...being a typically far too laid back Australian I held no great expectations for the weekend other than an opportunity to assist your visit. And yet by your departure on the Monday morning we were completely enthralled and uplifted from our time shared together. Both in the way you touched the children and the manner in which your personalities lit up our home.  You are both a credit to your families and to BYU, and we are all the better for now calling you our friends."
    The opportunities we were given were unbelievable.  I was able to go to a country that I've always loved and meet people that changed me.  And by some miracle, I got to change them, too, however insignificant my part may have been.  I was placed in situations that were outside my comfort zone but still was able to do my job.  What did I learn in Australia?  I learned about myself, that I can do anything with the Lord's help.  I learned that the power of the Priesthood is absolutely real, through the healing power of blessings.  I learned that I can relate to and become friends with all kinds of people from all walks of life.  It's easy to love everyone when I was in the practice of it, when I didn't even think about it.  I learned to let my guard down and let people in.  The Australian people were very open to us, who we were and why we were there, and I felt their innate goodness.  I learned how powerful the Spirit is and how essential it is that we have it with us always, because I never knew when I would come in contact with someone who would need to be filled.  
    I was definitely changed in Australia.  I know it sounds cheesy, but it couldn't be more true.  I learned incredible amounts about myself, life, and the others around me.  I will always remember the people I met there and the experiences I had.  Australia will stay with me and be in everything I do forever!

Every time...

I get sick nearly every time I go on vacation.  I can count on one hand the number of times I haven't gotten sick.  Alex was feeling sniffly last week and I pounded him with everything we had so he wouldn't get sick during his midterms.  It worked.

Well, Sunday night I went to bed happy as a clam, and Monday morning I woke up with a scratchy throat...and it just felt like there was something in my eye all day that I couldn't get out.  6:30 pm rolls around and I'm telling my mom about my eye- when it hits me.  Pink eye.  I know what it feels like and this is definitely it.  By the end of the night I can barely open my eye.  Next morning, it's sealed shut from gunk.  Angie drove me to the instacare in Walnut Creek.  The doc said it was just an infection- not full blown pink eye, but gave me antibiotics.  Eye started getting better, throat got worse.

Yesterday, my eye was even better, throat was even worse.  Couldn't sleep well because my house was so darn hot and I couldn't breathe.  Today, even worse!  Dayquil and Sudafed helped slightly, but I'm still icky.

The worst part is that tomorrow we leave for Disneyland.  I really, really hope I get better soon.  I will already look really great because I can't put eye makeup on my infected eye, and I don't want to be the party pooper and miss out on our really fun vacation!!  Oh well.  I will survive.

But if I'm sick for Hawaii in December...so help me...

Tale of woe...and incredible beauty

Last Saturday was Romeo and Juliet.  Once again, SF Ballet did not disappoint!  There were 4 casts and we saw these lovelies perform R&J- Maria Kochetkova & Joan Boada.

Maria was a little floating sprite on the stage.  She was flawless. 

My favorite was this "balcony scene" dance.  It was beautiful and romantic and I can't say enough about the entire thing.  I'm so excited that Alex takes me on such amazing dates.  (He's so good to me!)

                           Maria Kochetkova & Joan Boada in Tomasson's Romeo & Juliet; Photo © Erik Tomasson

I can hardly wait for Don Quixote!  

Here's your quote for the day.

"For ages, happiness has been represented as a huge precious stone, impossible to find, which people seek for hopelessly.  It is not so; happiness is a mosaic, composed of a thousand little stones, which separately and of themselves have little value, but which, united with art, form a graceful design."

Mme. De Girardin

Amelia

"Adventure is worthwhile."
-Amelia Earhart

keep going

"A big shot is a little shot that kept shooting."
-anon

Believe

Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it.
Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many.
Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books.
Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders.
Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations.
But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.
-Buddha

Interesting.  I will agree with this one.  We should make our own decisions about what we believe.  And once we do, we should stick to them.  We need our own testimonies.  We are told to find out for ourselves.  And once we have one, we need to nurture it and care for it to help it grow.

Also, we also shouldn't assume that people haven't made their own decisions. 

There was a girl in school who seemed to love to go against everything "BYU normal."  She played devil's advocate for everything.  She spoke out all the time, making comments that would irk me to no end.  She was married, but would always talk about how she wouldn't take her husband's name because society expected her to.  She was so bugged that people in her wards would automatically call them "Brother and Sister So-and-so," and just assume she had taken her husband's name.  That's just how 'those people' are...right?   

This may seem silly, but I was really hurt by her words over a year and a half.  Though I was never brave enough to express my feelings to her, I really, really wanted to stand up to her and say that I did not take Alex's name because society made me.  I actually thought about it for a long time.  I didn't like the name DeBirk particularly.  I really liked Melinda Lockwood.  I am the last of the Lockwood line.  I'm a proud Lockwood!  How would I ever be a DeBirk? 

Alex never pressured me.  He never assumed I would change my name.  He did, however, sweetly tell me his feelings about his name, and what my taking his name would mean to him.  I softened.  I thought about it some more.  I made my own decision.  I became a DeBirk.  It didn't change the core of who I was, but it did bind me together with Alex.  In the end, I was happy to add his name to my own, his life to my life.

This is probably a silly example, but it did mean a lot to me.  I'm not a sheep.  I make my own decisions.  I decided to keep the honor code that I signed at BYU.  I agreed to do something, to live certain ways and wear certain things.  I agreed to do it, and I did.  Keeping my word doesn't mean that I don't have a brain of my own.  I think keeping your word is a pretty good thing.  (And if you don't want to live it, you don't have to go to BYU.)

Tangents again, sorry.  Being cooped up in California will do that do you, I guess. 

Troubles

Don't let your troubles get you down- unless it's down on your knees.

storms

"The storm also beats on the house that is built on the rock."
-Anonymous

How true this is.  We all need to remember this.

Smile

"A smile is a light in the window of the soul indicating that the heart is at home."
-Anonymous

Happy March

Wow!  I can't believe it is March already.  Our glorious February weather is dead and gone right now.  It is pouring rain and freezing cold outside, and I'm a weather wimp now.

A few things.  Two or three years ago, my lovely sister put together 365 quotes or positive thoughts and gave me a box.  She didn't have time to cut them up and put them into the box, but I knew I had time.  Well, I finally did cut them up yesterday.  I figured that I needed a little positivity at least once a day, and I know that some of my friends could use that as well, so I've decided to post the quote here.  I may or may not feel inclined to comment on it,  but I hope that if you have some "good fruit" to share, you will! 

Today's thought is:


"It is not the critic who counts, nor the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.  The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows great enthusiasms, great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat." -Theodore Roosevelt

Wow.  I hadn't read that until I was typing it.  I think I needed this today.  I am definitely the person that won't do something if there is a chance of failure.  I'm terrified of failure.  

I have to say something about the Randy Bott situation.  I read the articles about what he said in class.  I hesitate, because I wasn't there, don't know the context of his words, or if that was really what he said.  I think people are very quick to judge, and very, very sensitive about everything.  Social networking is very detrimental, in my opinion.  We shouldn't care what people are doing or thinking every moment of every day.  I certainly don't.  We become so obsessed with other people, or what other people say about us, or to us on our walls, that we become self-centered in the most basic way.  Our lives revolve around us.  That sounds silly, but our leaders are constantly telling us to serve others, to get outside of ourselves.  I grew up with Brother Bott in my stake presidency.  He is one of the best, most decent human beings I've ever met.  He cares so much about the youth and is an excellent teacher.  He walks the walk and talks the talk.  I stand by him.  My heart aches for him right now.  The truth is that we don't know why blacks couldn't hold the priesthood.  Period.  That's OK.  We REALLY don't have to know everything.  Brother Bott was expressing his opinion to his class, as all teachers do.  This has been blown way out of proportion.  Whatever happened to making our own decisions?  Someone should be able to express their opinion without being told by the country that they are evil or a bad person.  (Free speech, folks!)  I would hope that we would more readily show charity and thoughtfulness, discussing civilly what we believe, making our own informed decisions, and not spread all of this bad fruit around.  

I've been thinking a lot about this lately.  I apologize for being so long winded.  

I'm going to focus on the good today.  It is raining, but that means the world will be cleaner and more healthy when it stops.  I can deal.  I have an amazing husband who supports me, laughs with me, and respects me.  I have the cutest dog who snuggles her heart out.  I have a great family and wonderful friends.  I know that good wins over evil.  We can do hard things.  We can fail and still be ok.  We can fail and still be good.  We can win and still be humble.  Let's walk a little more like the Savior would have us walk today, and see where He leads us.