Prior to reading this book, I had not read an account of a family or individual who lived in East Germany while the wall was in place. I found this true story fascinating.  

"This is just something we have to go through. We will be fine. We are strong.  We have each other. Nothing will break us, neither this nor anything else.  This family has much to be proud of. We are far above all of this" (Quoting "Oma", the matriarch of the family, pgs. 166, 167).

"No one knows what the future holds, but I want the family to stay strong.  Keep up the Family Wall.  Lean on and protect one another no matter what may come.  No one can say what will happen or if things will change, but all I know is, justice will win.  Truth will prevail and justice will win.  We have survived East Germany with our dignity intact.  This life has not always been easy, but it has not made us bend.  It has actually made us stronger.  And we are strong because our souls are free" (Quoting Oma, pgs. 214, 215).

 

The Chinese bamboo tree is planted after the earth is prepared, and for the first four years, all of the growth is underground. The only thing visible above the ground is a little bulb and a small shoot coming out of it. Then, in the fifth year, the bamboo tree grows up to eighty feet.  Principle centered leaders understand the metaphor of the bamboo tree. They know what it means to pay the price to prepare the ground, to plant the seed, and to fertilize and cultivate and water and weed, even when they can't see immediate results, because they have faith that ultimately they will reap the fruits in the harvest. And what wonderful fruits they are!
(Stephen R. Covey, A. Roger Merrill, Rebecca R. Merrill, First Things First, pg. 265)

Not only is the scenery magnificent in this video, but the message is also marvelous.

Today our son did something adventurous, and something I have certainly never done. He ran across Utah Lake.  When questioned by a brother if it was safe, Logan answered that there were only a couple sketchy parts.  Oh my.  I don't if I could trust the ice to hold me.  

I am thinking about this quote from Nassim Nicolas Taleb in Antifragile: Things that Gain from Disorder:

"With randomness, uncertainty, chaos; you want to use them, not hide from them.  You want to be the fire and wish for the wind.  We just don't want to just survive uncertainty, to just about make it.  We want to survive uncertainty and have the last word."

The runners had the last word this morning.

 

Last week our son and son-in-law participated in a 55k mountain trail run. I was at the finish line when they came down the last mountain trail, and I cheered for them, as well as for every runner that finished.  I cannot imagine the physical and mental effort a race of that length requires. They have been training for months yet still they suffered. I was inspired by their determination. We talked after the race of the lessons learned and life applications.

Here is a section of our backyard fence that has had stain/sealant applied in the last week:

And here is a section of the fence that is sanded and ready for a coat of stain/sealant.

Big difference, right? This project has taken hours and I can't wait for it to be finished!

  

 Lessons I learned from the Pioneer Day Provo Temple to Temple 5k that can be applied to my life:

1.  There are lots of people who participate in this race. It was fun getting to know some of them.

2. Enjoy the scenery. I ran past the location of the old Provo temple (it has been completely razed), the MTC, the football stadium, the field house, the indoor practice facility, Brick Oven restaurant, shaded neighborhoods, finally arriving at the beautiful Provo City Center Temple. 

3. Set your own pace. I had people passing me throughout the entire race and I was sure I would be one of the last people to cross the finish line, but it didn't matter.  I was running at a pace that felt comfortable to me.

4. Look outward!  (Which I did not do.)  I was hot and focused and just trying to make it through the race.  I was not looking outward but was looking at the road in front of me.  A college-aged girl ran past me and said, "You'll make it.  You've got this." I appreciated her encouragement.  

5. The goal I set ahead of time helped.  I told myself that I could go as slow as I wanted, but that I was going to run the entire race. It helped to have set that goal before the race. I know some conditions present themselves which make the altering of a goal necessary, but in this case, the established goal carried me through the fatigue.

6. Don't give up! Keep running. You'll make it! I crossed the finish line with a beet-red face, but I did it!

Clayton Young is a professional runner who will be representing the United States in the Olympics this summer. I listened to him speak in a podcast this week and here are some of his wise words:

"Excellence is the result of boring and repetitive tasks over a long period of time. Excellences really is mundane because it focuses on the process instead of the outcome.  The excellent outcome is often the result of the mundane process, so the more you focus on the mundane process, the more excellent the outcome will be. When the mundane shifts form a checklist in your head to a checklist in your heart, that's when you really start to see a positive outcome."
 

This book was worth the read for these written gems and art:

What do women hold? 

The home and the family.

And the children and the food.

The friendships.

The work.

the work of the world.

And the work of being human.

The memories.

And the troubles

and the sorrows

and the triumphs.

And the love.

Men do as well, but not quite in the same way.

Sometimes, when I am feeling

particularly happy or content,

I think I can provide sustenance

for legions of human beings.

I can hold the entire world in my arms.

Other times, I can barely cross the 

room. And I drop my arms. Frozen.

then

I am brought back to my grandmother,

my mother, my aunts,

my sister, my daughter,

my granddaughters,

my cousins,

The women who are my friends.

We have spoken to each other

for thousands of hours.

It is hard work 

to hold everything

and it never ends.

You may be exhausted from holding things

and be disheartened.  And even weep if

you are very emotional. Which would be

anyone on any day. With good reason.

But then there is the next moment

and the next day and

 

hold on.

(Maira Kalman, Women Holding Things)

 

 

 

 

Today I sat through a wonderful Sunday School lesson taught by Sister Wilde. At the conclusion of the lesson, Sister Wilde left us with an encouraging thought.  Nephi was asked by the Lord to do something very difficult--to build a boat. He did it with the Lord's help! We have also faced difficult circumstances in our lives and we have tried to manage them with the help of the Lord. 

Sister Wilde then read this list, a list of possible things we have encountered and dealt with along our life's journey:

--Overcoming habits or addictions

--Changing your lifestyle

--Going through repentance after making serious errors

--Conquering your fears

--Mastering your talents

--Fulfilling a difficult calling

--Consecrating all that you have to God

--Forgiving the unforgivable

--Loving the unlovable

--Raising a righteous family in an unrighteous world

--Enduring crushing disappointment, such as financial setbacks, physical and emotional illness, wayward children, an unhappy marriage, no marriage, fertility problems, or an untimely death.

--Rising from an abusive, oppressive background

--Living chastely in an immoral world

--Being "as I am"

We stand with Nephi in our desire to keep the commandments, rely on the Lord for help, and "go and do" with courage and power.