So I should have started this on the first of February and now I am ten days behind. So I will make up for ten days now and will promise (to do my best) to make a new post each day for the rest of the month.
Below are ten quotes (one for each day of February so far) from tv shows, movies, books, or plays that I have found significant and pertaining gospel truths. Following my first quote is my reason for using these quotes and how I came up with this idea.
February 9th:
"When the right time comes
and you're in the right place,
it helps if you're doing the right thing."
A great thought, no? I'm fairly certain I've heard Elder Oaks make a similar statement. In fact I know that he has...I have it written on the cover of one of my journals. (and if my journal was not boxed up with the rest of my life and I would quote it here for you)
It's been there for years.
Interestingly enough, this quote was from a tv show on the CW called Hellcats. (we can talk later about the fact that I watch Hellcats) Yep, folks, the fictional head coach of a fictional collegiate cheer leading squad actually has something worthwhile to say. That is NOT to say that watching Hellcats is a valuable way to spend my time, but what struck me last night was that I often find great life lessons on tv. I wondered why. And today this is what I came up with...
truth is truth where ever it is found and it will find a way to make it's way into the world by any means it can. This does not at all lessen the importance of the scriptures, or attending church, the temple or General Conference. In fact, we NEED those things along with the Holy Ghost to not only learn the truth, but understand it for ourselves as well.
But God, he is thinking globally...no...universally...infinitely universally...or something incomprehensible like that. He loves us. Each and every one of us. I know that is true. And He wants, more than anything, to see all of us return to him...and because of that, it is not difficult for me to believe that he will employee all means to get the truth to us. Now this is doctrine by (not)Sam...so take it for what you will. Perhaps I'm completely wrong and there is nothing redeeming about Hellcats. And perhaps, for me there isn't anything redeeming about it. I mean, we're judged based on the light and knowledge that we have and I have considerable light and knowledge when it comes to the gospel. In that case, I think that my Father in Heaven probably expects me to gain truth and increase my understanding of truth through other means, not through tv shows on the CW. But then again, he knows me. So perhaps those gems of life lessons pop up from time to time so that I can remember what is good, better and best and back back to striving for the best.
With all of that being said, here are a handful of some of my most favorite lines from tv shows, movies, plays or books that I've found excellent gospel lessons in.
February 8th:
I think we can't go around measuring our goodness by what we don't do, by what we deny ourselves, what we resist and who we exclude. I think we've got to measure our goodness by what we embrace, what we create and who we include.
-Pere Henri from Chocolat
This one is probably familiar since it was the subject of my last post. So to hear my musings about it, click here.
February 7th:
"Tragedy blows through your life like a tornado, uprooting everything. Creating chaos. You wait for the dust to settle and then you choose. You can live in the wreckage and pretend it's still the mansion you remember. Or you can crawl from the rubble and slowly rebuild."
Veronica Mars from Veronica Mars
I watched the episode containing this line a month or so after my dad told my mom he wanted a divorce. I thought immediately of my mom and how this is exactly what she is doing. And then I thought of things in my life that I might consider tragic and how rebuilding is NOT always what I am doing. As much as I don't want to admit, I find myself, more often than not, living in the shambles of what was once a mansion. A condemned building is not a safe place to be. No good comes from trying to ignore gaping holes in on the second floor or on the stairs. Not having a roof does not provide a whole lot of protection from the elements. So not only do I get pelted by rain and sleet, but the weather adds more wear and tear to an already falling apart house. So I'm working on taking a cue from my mother (that is almost always a brilliant idea because she is a brilliant lady) and getting to work on some new plans for a new mansion.
February 6th:
"Too often, the thing you want most is the one thing you can't have." ~Meredith Grey from Grey's Anatomy
Ah...good old Grey's Anatomy. Many a hidden gems in that show. I like it some of the time. I haven't watched it as regularly lately, but I've gleaned quite a few gems from Grey's. I remember hearing this one...couldn't tell you what season or episode it was from...but I laughed to myself...actually chuckled out loud. I had recently spoken to Aly on the phone and was feeling so, so torn about which path to choose. Do I date girls and turn my back on the truth of the gospel? Or do I give up on having a relationship and follow the path that leads to eternal salvation? This line wasn't any great or mind blowing revelation...but somehow I did find comfort in the fact that the world (in this case being represented by Grey's Anatomy) understood sacrifice. Surprising in a world that is very much rooted in immediate satisfaction. I also thought about wants and desire. I realized that though I might want a emotionally, physically and spiritually intimate relationship with a girl...it would not bring me true, pure and lasting happiness. Imperfect as I am, my desires are influenced by my natural man. A lot, or a little. It really depends on where I am in relation to my Father and the Holy Ghost and the Savior. What I NEED to do is get my wants to be the wants that my Father has for me...so that what I most want IS some that I CAN have.
February 5th:
"He is afraid for you. So he hovers. Other people might lock you in a cell overnight to be urinated on by a meth head, but it all comes from the same place."
~Derrick Shepherd from Grey's Anatomy
I know, I know...another one...stop reading now if it bothers you because there are going to be more. Recently a friend of mine, a couple of them actually, said some very harsh, but true, things to me. I didn't get upset. They were right. And beyond being right, they said the things they said because they care about me. I'm immensely grateful that I have friends who do not "spare the rod and spoil the child". My friend Kim (yes, her real name) loved the line "drink life straight, no chaser." They're lyrics from a Bush song. I never forgotten those lyrics and I've tried my best, though not always with success, to be honest and straight forward with my friends. But I've also tried very hard to make sure that if what I say could be hurtful, they know that it comes from a place of love. I mean, really, do you want your husband driving one hundred miles per hour through the streets of Seattle? If he hits a telephone pole he is toast. (a Grey's reference). We do not want that for our husbands, wives, children, friends...any of our loved ones. So we do what we have to do...and not only that, but we do what we can...and sometimes there are limits. But I think we always have to try. Were it not for my friends and family who tell it to me straight...I may be blogging about a recent cruise my girlfriend and I took. Instead...I'm blogging (mostly for my sake) about ALL the things in life that I find support, motivation and comfort from.
February 4th:
"Isn't it better to be alone and feel like a success, than to be in a relationship and feel like a failure all the time?"
~Meredith Grey from Grey's Anatomy
I think the line speaks for itself. My mom actually said this to me almost verbatim a few years prior to Grey's Anatomy being on tv. And since my mom said it, I KNOW it must be true! :)
February 3rd:
"--I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what.
You rarely win, but sometimes you do."
~Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird
I tear up every time I read this section of the book and especially when Atticus says this to Jem. I wake up some mornings wonder what the point of resisting such an intense desire (the desire to have a companion, coupled with my attraction to girls). I honestly have days, a lot of days, where despite what I might say, I don't really know that I'll be able to choose the gospel for the rest of my mortal life. I feel so weak and defeated...all while still lying in the comfort of my bed. But I remember Harper Lee's words (in the soothing tones of Gregory Peck's voice) and I decide that being in the battle and never giving up is what matters. I'm fighting for right.
February 2nd:
"I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be." ~Douglas Adams
While I am definitely still on the road and not near my final destination, I do like to stop and take a look around every once in while. Often times as I am looking back over the course I've taken, I think, "Yeah...that is so not how I thought it would be." Yet I'm not disappointed and I don't think I would be anywhere else other than right where I am. Because despite the path and despite the speed, for the most part, I've always been heading towards my Father in Heaven and all that he has in store for me. And as we know, that is what matters.
And last (for this post) but certainly not least...
one final thought from Grey's Anatomy
February 1st:
"Did you say it? 'I love you. I don't ever want to live without you. You changed my life.' Did you say it? Make a plan. Set a goal. Work toward it. But every now and then look around, drink it in cause this it it. It might all be gone tomorrow."
~Meredith Grey from Grey's Anatomy
Valentine's day is four days away. It doesn't just have to be about a romantic significant other. Let it be about everyone that you love. Make sure that they know you love them. That they did change your life and that you don't ever want to live without them. I hope more than anything that my friends and family know that.
No comments:
Post a Comment