Found Poem

For Women's Chorus, Sister Applonie gave us a writing assignment. One of the options was to write a found poem drawing from the songs we sang in our last concert. (In case you don't know what a found poem is, a found poem is a compilation of lines from different literature. In this case, I took lines from several of our concert songs and put them together into a poem.) This isn't a fantastic example but it'll do.

Beside the dying fire,
darkness settles on the roofs and walls.
Hide me, Oh my Savior, hide.
'Till the storm of life is past.
Rock my soul in the bosom of Abraham,
a shelter in the time of storm.
Let me to thy bosom fly
and slip the surly bonds of earth.
I'll take my heavenly flight,
on my way to those mansions fair.
Look, how the floor of heaven
is thick inlaid with patines of bright gold.
I'll join the happy angel band,
there to sing God's praise and his glory share.
Shout, "Jubilate Deo!"
I'll put out my hand

and touch the face of God.

Oh, receive my soul at last.

All Things Bright and Beautiful

"You know what I like about the stars? You look at them, all of them up there, and you just know that there's gotta be something more than...life." - The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

I remember the first time my Dad showed me the Astronomy Picture of the Day website. I was fascinated as we looked at picture after picture of far-away galaxies and star clusters. I never cease to be amazed at how majestic the universe is. Looking at the night sky makes me think about that one scripture in the Book of Mormon that says, "All things denote there is a God." It's really true.

We sang a song at our last Women's Chorus concert that I didn't really appreciate until today. Here are the lyrics:

All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all.
Each little flow'r that opens,
Each little bird that sings,
He made their glowing colors,
He made their tiny wings.
The purple-headed mountain,
The river running by,
The sunset and the morning,
That brightens up the sky.
He made all things well.
He made all things well.
All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all.

The audience members took a survey about our concert after it was over. When being asked what their favorite song was, the majority of them said that this was their favorite song and that their favorite part of it was when the music slowed down a little bit and we sang the words, "He made all things well." One survey said, "It was good to be reminded that I am also one of God's creations and that He made me well." I think sometimes we forget that we are God's creations. We get so hung up on all the pretty trees and snow-capped mountains that we forget that we are God's greatest creation. The most miraculous thing in the universe isn't the small pink flower outside our window. It isn't Mount Timpanogas. It isn't even the bright and shining star that you see every night in the sky. While they are all miracles in their own right, the real miracle in this universe is you.

Things That Make Me Happy

One of my old roommates blogged about some of the small things she has come across lately that have given her little moments of happiness. Sometimes it's hard for me to pick out those little moments of goodness (or tender mercies, you might say) when my life is so busy and jam-packed, so I decided it was time to put the stress aside and acknowledge them.

1. Partly cloudy days. In the middle of winter in Utah, it's so wonderful every once in a while to look out the window and see white puffy clouds with the sun shining through them.

2. Those rare moments when I can sit down, relax, and read a book of my choice.

3. The smell of freshly laundered clothes.

4. A (small) bag of Cadbury Eggs5. Letters in the mail.

6. Lyrics of the songs we sing in Women's Chorus.
"If I could I surely would stand on the rock where Moses stood." - Elijah Rock
"Look how the floor of heaven is thick inlaid with patines of bright gold." - How Sweet the Moonlight Sleeps
"Hide me, O my Savior, hide till the storm of life is passed." - Jesus, Lover of My Soul
"My God is a rock in a weary land, a shelter in the time of storm." - My God is a Rock
"What a joyful thought that my Lord I'll see, just over in the Gloryland. And with kindred saved there forever be just over in the Gloryland." - Just Over in the Gloryland
"I've trod the high untrespassed sanctity of space, put out my hand, and touched the face of God." - High Flight

7. The stupid debates we have in English Class about the short stories we're reading. They're dumb (in my opinion) but quite enjoyable.

8. Roommate Raisins/Get-togethers.
9. Pictures of my nieces and nephews (Here's my newest niece. Little Sydney is here!)
There are so many good things in life. Never get so busy that you forget to notice them.