Radiant Tales: Chapter Nineteen

(Disclaimer: I kinda wanted to title this post "The magic powers of almonds and chocolate chips" because guess what? That was basically my diet this week. Truth be known, almonds keep me awake when I want to fall asleep. And who can argue with chocolate? It was just there for the yummy aspect.)

Monday: Had last ever UVYSO concert. :(

Tuesday: Um . . . didn't go to school until it was out for the day :P Failed first ever AP Calc Free Response test. Drat.

Wednesday: Ventured once again to BYU Library. Sat with a best friend all knowledgable Chloe and went on way too many treasure hunts to find stupid Wuthering Heights critiques.
Got home at Twelve Forty Five. New dislike of primary song, "Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy and wealthy and wise." Hate it.

Thursday: Passed my first ever AP Calc multiple choice test. :) happiness.
Had a very spiritual evening with best friends Christina, Katelyn and Melissa (who I accompanied for the Hymn "Our Saviour's love.")

Pulled my first EVER all nighter.

Friday: Took a nap from two a.m. to three twenty four a.m. and finished research paper at seven a.m. Whoot WHOOOOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! High fives all around.
Stood for upwards of an hour at the hospital. Felt ready to faint.
Heard Miss Apeszteguia speak on her own little parable of the flowers. Very Cute.
Wrote lamest ever AP french essay. Fell asleep five times. (and I thought I wrote weird stuff in English. It definitely gets worse in French.)
Took nap from four till seven, ate a Chick-fil-A dinner, attempted math homework. Fell asleep.

Saturday: General Conference. LOVED it.
Took blood pressure readings from my family :) oh man it was fun to make spencer's arm go numb. :) and he couldn't do a thing about it. HAHA.

Sunday? Well, let's just say it's a well earned and extremely thankeful for-ed (?) day.

Quotes of the week:

"You are the Fr to my non-existent ench." Christa

"God helps me. That is what I think, and then I am calm." Carl Bloch.

"For behold, God is my savlation. I will trust and not be afraid. For the Lord, JEHOVAH is my strength and my song. He also is become my salvation. Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation." Isaiah 12:2-3.

"It says 'Fear not' 365 times in the scriptures. What an awesome daily reminder." Laura.


"I love you." Friends, family, Heavenly Father.

Love, Sunshine

Question.

Why is it that when you are so close.

SO STIINKING CLOSE
to your goal . . .

You feel like giving up?

(that was a general 'you.' English just isn't cool enough to let people know that. In french I would say 'on' but that's beside the point.)

Senioritis is killing me.

Remedy anyone?

Utter Serendipity

Serendipity : (noun)

1. an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident.

2. good fortune; luck.

 

While this is a stupendous word, and a lot of the world probably believes in it,

 

I don't believe it . . . exactly. . .

I believe in spiritual serendipity.

 

:)

 

the words I am looking for are

 

tender mercy: (noun)

1. A person, place, thing, or idea, not extremely noticable until, upon pondering over the day, you realize you couldn't have made it through the day without that one, small surprise.

2. "The Lord’s tender mercies are the very personal and individualized blessings, strength, protection, assurances, guidance, loving-kindnesses, consolation, support, and spiritual gifts which we receive from and because of and through the Lord Jesus Christ. Truly, the Lord suits “his mercies according to the conditions of the children of men” (D&C 46:15). David A. Bednar

 

Today, I almost didn't make it.

 

Today, I almost cried because of a lot of little insignificant things.

 

Today, I learned something.

 

If something matters to you, then it matters to Him; even if it is a math test, He cares. 

Even if it is a boy, He cares. Even if it is a French homework, a job, college, a dorm, a lost wallet, or a really tired girl, He cares.

 

"God helps me. That is what I think, and then I am calm." ~carl bloch.

"For behold, God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid, for the Lord, JEHOVAH, is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation." Isaiah 12:2

 

Yesterday may have been plain awful, but the sun will come out tomorrow.

 

~sunny

Broken.

Broken clouds give rain

Broken soil grows grain
Broken bread feeds man for one more day
Broken storms yield light
The break of day heals night
Broken pride turns blindness into sight

 Broken souls that need His mending

Broken hearts for offering
Could it be that God loves broken things?

Broken chains set free

Broken swords bring peace
Broken walls make friends of you and me
To break the ranks of sin
To break the news of Him
To put on Christ till His name feels broken in

Broken souls that need His mending

Broken hearts for offering
I believe that God loves broken things

And yet our broken faith, our broken promises
Sent love to the cross
And still, that broken flesh, that broken heart of His
Offers us such grace and mercy
Covers us with love undeserving

 This broken soul that cries for mending

This broken heart for offering

I'm convinced that God loves broken me

Praise His name, my God loves broken things.

So broken cloud give rain

And broken soil grow grain

And broken bread feed men for one more day. . .

~Kenneth Cope

I keep telling myself it will all work out. At two am that seems like a pretty hopeless promise :) Immediately I thought of this song, and I know it's going to be ok. Brother Steed said something today that really struck me.
"The prayers that mean the most aren't the ones that begin, 'Heavenly Father, I thank the for . . .' The ones that mean the most begin, 'Heavenly Father, I'm having a really hard day. And I can't go any farther.'"
This may be your prayer too. And I know that no matter how bleak it sometimes looks, feels, and seems, the Saviour will always come and wrap his loving arms around you. Because, often times, that is the only comfort that can calm your fears and wipe away your tears.

Love, Sunshine

That awkward moment when . . .

1. You are suturing (stitching) an abraison in a pig's foot and you lose the needle.
2. Someone you like tells you that he is is glad you are happy and you say "thank you!" just a little too enthusiastically.
3. Brother Steed wants to shake your hand but you've just washed it and it's still wet. (He will probably think you sneezed on it first.)
4. The text you send to a . . . person doesn't get answered and you slap yourself in the face for accidentally building an invisible brick wall between the two of you.
5. You speak French to your friend and don't understand why she isn't responding to you.
6. ATemple worker gives you a hug, and then is sorry because, apparantly, she's not allowed to hug you.
7. Upon looking in the mirror you realise you've been walking around with a giant stain on your shirt all day, and no one even told you.
8. You see a math teacher at the Temple.
9. You start to whistle and people look at you like you are swearing.
10. You are pretty sure you can hear angels singing.
11. You feel the spirit in math class.
12. You wish someone Merry Christmas and they don't understand it was a joke.
13. The teenager boys in the car next to you won't stop staring at you.
14. You forget it's February.
15. You start sniffing at the same time as the person next to you.
16. You bend down a little too fast and your jeans rip. Oh yes, be sad for me.
17. A spider crawls across the floor, and you squish it and keep walking.
18. It's dead silent in your French class but you really really really need to sneeze. Problem.