The Song of the Heart

"I Love The Lord". The arrangement is by Ronald Staheli. The lyrics are a paraphrase of 2 Nephi 4.

I don't want to keep re-stating what I've learned in my religion class; but this video was so powerful, I had to share it. I would recommend reading 2 Nephi 4:12-35 before listening to this song, which will give you a background for the lyrics, and show you the power that comes from using a men's choir.

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Nephi was an incredible man, who I believe understood the Savior more than many. But I think my favorite stories about incredible men and women are the ones that remind me of their mortality. In other words, they're just regular people. This week, I went to a poetry reading by the former U.S. Poet Laureate Mark Strand. Allow me to geek out for just a moment...it was awesome! My roommates can attest to the fact that I was stoked to go see this reading, and they probably didn't know why. I didn't even know who Mark Strand was before I heard about this event, but when I read the words "Poet Laureate," on the page of the event, the poem, "The Lanyard" passed through my consciousness--a poem written by another former poet laureate, Billy Collins. Just take a moment to listen to him read it.  This poem changed my view of poetry, solidified my love of it, and introduced me to what the poet laureate was. I knew this would be a big deal.

When I went to the reading, Mark Strand was introduced, and up walked a man who has served as the nation's official poet. I was just about ready to idolize him without even reading any of his poetry (of course, I know idolatry is wrong, so I refrained). I enjoyed the reading, and loved his poems! But my favorite part of the reading was at the end where he invited us to ask him questions. Someone asked him what he believed was the role of poetry in today's world, and he explained his opinion. He said two things that seemed to be highlighted in the air, just for me: that poetry has a humanizing influence, and we can read things with pleasure and recognize ourselves in them. 

To me, poetry is like a masterpiece constructed out of words, transforming them and allowing you to not only hear the words, but actually feel them resonate inside of you. I often read the scriptures too much like a textbook, trying hard to focus on lists of commandments, dates, family trees, good civilizations, wicked civilizations, wars, rumors of wars...and eventually falling asleep. But every once in a while, I am able to read it like poetry. The Psalm of Nephi is one of those pockets of poetry inside a great history, that shows you the man beneath the prophet--a man who feels his own inadequacy, who's just lost his father, who has all the responsibility of a prophet thrust upon him, whose oldest brothers are jerks, but who trusts in the Lord with everything he has. 

Life is hard, but if it weren't, I'm not sure we would be capable of understanding one another. Frankly, I don't think there would be such a thing as integrity, happiness, or love if we didn't struggle. And I think that one of the most beautiful things is to be able to see people the way we see ourselves, and truly relate with them, even if they lived thousands of years ago.

Let Go and Hold On

"Hold To The Rod, The Iron Rod"
By James Christensen

I decided to begin this blog with one of my favorite things, ART, by my favorite artist, James Christensen. His story behind the art is a beautiful explanation of the poor little traveler above, but I will describe it in a nutshell (just in case you have not already found everything in common with this character and you've decided he's your new best friend. Just look at him!). Christensen wrote that this man finds himself so burdened by the things he's collected that he cannot reach up to the rod "for fear of losing something else." He said, "These may be material possessions, titles or responsibilities, but in the end they amount to the same thing: a fleeting and superficial sense of security. It is only by holding fast to our beliefs that we can navigate life with any confidence."

Well, the "iron rod" has been on my mind since studying Lehi's vision in my religion class last week, and the more I learn about it, the more I feel its relevance in my life, and the more I just want to walk into this painting and give that little poofy man a big hug! I want to tell him how silly he is for holding on to so many useless things and hoping that maybe someday he'll be able to reach the far too elevated rod. The purses, and keys, and papers are holding you back! Just let go and have faith that the rod will take you safely to where you need to go.

After a therapeutic talk with my poofy man, I hope you are noticing what I've noticed...I'll tell you in order to re-establish my credibility. I wasn't talking to the man in the painting at all, I was talking to myself. And when you talk to my poofy man, you'll be talking to yourself. It doesn't take long after pointing at others, you start to look inward. I don't think it's difficult to identify our own flaws, or even to know if we could be doing something better while we're wasting time with "material possessions, titles or responsibilities." Sometimes, I think of myself as two separate people: the thinker and the doer. We fight a lot, but we still work together. The thinker is the pure me who, though still inexperienced and naïve, knows right from wrong, and knows who I should be. The doer is a little more susceptible to carnality (Facebook, Pinterest, you know the type). But the thinker tries to keep the doer in line, and as painful as it is to the thinker, the doer is a reflection on her. The doer has been referred to by a different name, the natural man, and keeping it in line is a lofty challenge for everyone. But that's why we have the "iron rod." Although I'm still learning, I'm starting to truly realize the meaning of "holding fast to our beliefs," because that is our only source of true confidence.