J. K. Rowling Speaking At Harvard Graduation-Must See Video

I just witnessed an amazing video of J.K. Rowling(author of Harry Potter) speaking at Harvard's 2008 Commencement. Her talk is entitled, "The Fringe Benefits of Failure." I was so touched by it that I found myself wondering why I haven't seen it around. May I encourage all to take the 21 minutes it takes to watch it and bookmark it for future reference. There is so much to digest and I feel that her words from experience can benefit individuals and families everywhere. She is so humble in her presentation. Please, please, please...watch and learn. Here's the website: http://motivation123.com/blog/category/perseverance/ Just copy and paste in the website address spot, and let me know if you are inspired by it as much as I was.

Read, Read, Read!!!

At first I was just going to write this message to my family and then I read in the Ensign this morning that we should not be afraid to Blog our testimonies. So, with this is mind along with hoping everyone that reads this will remember that these are just my thoughts and feelings, I will proceed.

What is important to me today that I express is: I think reading is one of the most important skills and interests anyone could acquire. I keep telling my daughters (and now my sons in this blog)that as they rear their children, they must be sure to encourage them to seek out a spouse that loves to read and does so with the purpose to learn. I would encourage them to find a spouse that seeks learning by learning from others experiences that are shared in a good book. Does that make sense? If a person fills his free time with learning opportunities in a good book instead of using his free time simply for entertainment, he gains wisdom and understanding from those that have had experience--he is progressing and gaining knowledge that he or she will carry for the rest of their lives. I could not have reared my children nor made the progress I made as a homemaker if I had not been blessed to read books written by other women that shared their wisdom and experience.

A few weeks ago a young man in our ward gave this scenario. Picture your self trying to get to the Savior. He is on an upper floor and you are trying to go up on an escalator that is going down. If you ever stop climbing, you immediately lose ground. It takes effort and perseverance to get up to where Christ is. That is how our eternal progression is. The only things we can take with us beyond the grave is our knowledge and our relationships. If we aren't progressing we are retrogressing.

I am not saying I am perfect at what I am encouraging. I waste a lot of time on entertainment in front of the television or movie screen. Sometimes it's nice to relax and do nothing. I know, however, that one must be very cautious. We can get in the habit of allowing ourselves to be mesmerized (this is Satan's tool and it is a form of hypnotism). We can also become mesmerized in front of the computer screen and on video games. I am always amazed at how much time passes when I get into a computer game of solitaire. And I can never, never recapture that time that has passed. Often, I reflect on what I could have learned from reading a good book during the time I lost playing the insignificant game.

And while I am encouraging my children's children to find spouses that read, read, read, I would be amiss to not say, "Dear grandchildren, you must learn to read, too. And you must read to learn. You will then be prepared to be a spouse to someone whose grandmother encouraged them to find a spouse that reads a lot, too."

One more thing (and this is just my musing). We know that the Savior understands everything that we are going through. I have often wondered how he could if he never sinned. How could he understand the feelings of a thief, an adulterer, a time waster, someone that feels inadequate, someone that is friendless, someone that is an abuser? I have had the thought that he learned from others as they shared their experiences. He learned from reading, he learned from visions and dreams. Our Godhead have given visions and dreams to prophets that have shared what they have learned in written form. Always, always, we should take time each day to learn from the scriptures. I have written enough therefore you have read enough (but only on what I have to say on this subject today!). Now go and read, read, read!!!

The Cycle of Life

I've been wondering ever since last night when we witnessed first hand a part of nature that is amazing and yet sad, if animals can move on after loosing their little ones. When a mother dog or cat have their babies taken from them, do they mourn the loss? When an aged animal dies, do other animals that knew it, feel the loss, too.

Last night, a mother grizzly and her two cubs killed a baby elk. The mother elk chased back and forth for quite some time after the baby was taken down. Everyone was in awe with this natural thing of nature and it was pretty fun seeing the baby cubs. But I couldn't help wonder if the mother elk hurt badly inside by her heart.

This morning we ran into a man (Jim)we met a couple of days ago as we were looking for wolves. We told him about our grizzly experience and I told him how I wondered about the animals' feelings. He referred me to a book "The Emotional Feelings of Animals" by Marc Beckoff (I hope this is right). Jim said that evidence shows that animals do have feelings and they have their way of showing respect for the dead. I thought, perhaps, this is a subject that parents could explore and teach their children about. Just a suggestion. I know I want to gain perspective.

What Can I Learn From a Child?

This morning as I read from the Book of Mormon in Mosiah 3:18-19, about becoming as a little child, I had the thought, "blessed are they that have little children in their midst; and wise are they that take the time to be with them, play with them, try to understand them and learn from them." They are our teachers (if we will let them)—here to teach us how to become what Heavenly Father would have us be—submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things that Father sees fit to inflict upon us.

For a long time I have known—if you want to learn about someone, you spend time in their home. The same holds true to learn how to become like a little child, one must spend time with children doing the things that they do.

Many of us have this blessed gift right before us and we fail to see it. Cherish the gift and enjoy it!

Make Plans for Summertime Reading

I think the following idea (if followed through with) would be very beneficial for your child and the outcome would be a treasure to be talked about and remembered for years to come.

Get a sketch pad or binder with blank paper for each child. Have art supplies ready for all. Now, have your children read books of their choosing during the summer. Each time your child finishes reading a book, ask him to write down the book’s title and author. Then have him draw his favorite scene from the story. As each picture is completed, add it to the child's binder.

This binder will grow thicker as more and more books are read and illustrations are made. Can you imagine Grandma admiring the creative work? Can you imagine your child’s sense of accomplishment as he reviews all the books read and pictures drawn. Over a period of time, your budding artist may even see improvement in his art ability. I wish I would have had this motivation as a child. I loved to draw but could never think of new things to draw. Books could really give way to your child’s imagination with drawing.

On Growing a Child's Brain

“When they get to school, the teachers tell us today’s children can’t negotiate; they’re having trouble with social conversations. They’re having trouble because they’re accustomed to just pushing a button and the machine they’re on just reacting to them. The other thing that’s declining now is fantasy play, the ability to imagine, the ability to think up new scenarios, new stories, new ideas, and new concepts in your own head. Kids are having all these stories brought to them so vividly on the screen that they’re not playing imaginatively themselves; and this has got to be a great loss in terms of the future of creativity of the people in this country.” (Jane M. Healy, Ph.D. educational psychologist and author of Your Child’s Growing Mind)

Let’s not wait until our children are in school to decide television should be limited. Also, let’s not wait until our children are in school for them to begin learning different concepts that could and should be learned at home.

For example, you can start teaching your wee babe basic mathematics by counting everything that is familiar to him. Start with his body. Talk to him. Say, “This is your mouth. This is your ear. Oh, you have another ear! Here is your nose. These are your toes.” Count them, “One, two, three, for five toes!” Count actions such as blinking eyes, climbing stairs, “One, two, three stairs.” Count everything with your child: toys, blocks, bites of food eaten, books, steps, people, chairs, etc.

Always talk to your baby and tell him what he is experiencing—what he is tasting, what he is smelling, what he is feeling. If your are tickling his back, tell him that is what you are doing.

Why is it important to do these things? Picture a little seed for each of your child’s 100 billion brain cells. As the child is exposed to a variety of stimulating experiences, each cell is capable of sprouting up to 20,000 different branches to store the new information. So, in a way, the child literally grows his own brain. So, with this in mind, you are helping your child grow his brain if you try to give him every opportunity to develop it through his play (which is really a child’s work). See “Learning Fundamentals,” by Colin Rose and Gordon Dryden; pg. 10.