Loving your fellow man

The last week was really hard on me, one of the most difficult weeks of my life. I guess life is just a struggle sometimes. Luckily, I was able to pause and reflect upon how little my struggles amount to compared to others.
My bishop out here recently wrote a new book with a holocaust survivor, entitled "The Gazebo" which is the account of Alexander Lebenstein who was willing to share his story with Bishop Levin. He came and gave a fireside Sunday night and told us his story. The message I heard was one about the futility of vacuous nature of hatred.
I've been thinking lately about what the worst word in the english language is. I realized on Sunday night that the worst words that can be spoken by the human tongue are those that are accompanied and arise out of hate. Slurs. So often hate we feel is mindless, reasonless. So often we neglect reason and fall into line with others around us. It makes me sad.
Other news - Saturday I was an auctioneer for a service auction. I highly enjoy being an auctioneer. I think I'll try it again sometime! And yesterday we had a comedy/variety show for family home evening. I read a book by Mo Willems. I love Mo Willems.

To My Friends and Family, 2008 Edition

Every year since I have returned home from my mission, I have written about the year that passed when the new year arrived. I'm a little late this year, I hope you will forgive me. 2008 was busy and brought a lot of change in my life. Last January I had just graduated from BYU and got the results of my LSAT back. This January I'm in law school at the University of Richmond, living 2000 miles away from almost everybody I knew before I moved out here.
As with previous years I have experienced love and loss. It's sad to say that I can barely remember where I was a year ago. I had a fun summer, filled with concerts and friends. But I didn't date much because I was moving out here. I got to finish out my calling as co-chair of the activities committee and plan some fun stuff. But, honestly, I don't think I made the most out of my last few months in Pleasant Grove. In August it was time to leave my grandparents and some of my closest friends. That was hard. I still miss so many of my close friends from college and the Mt. Mahogany ward, but it was time to move on.
One of the great opportunities I had as I moved out to Richmond was driving across the country with my mother. She told me once that sometimes she thinks I just tolerate her. That just made me realize how little I do to show her how much I appreciate and love her. Spending that week with my mom was one of the best moments of my year. I hope she knows how much she means to me, my mother is one of the most amazing people in the world. I don't think I tell her that enough.
I guess this isn't going to go in chronological order, because talking about my Mum makes me think of my Dad. In the past several months I've had pause to reflect on how much he really means to me as I've realized how fragile life is. Dad was rushed to the hospital twice as teh year wore down... Tomorrow is Dad's birthday, and I wish I had the means to give him a gigantic gift and to let him know how much I love him. Unfortunately, I can mostly just tell him I love him. But as I think about it, to be able to hear somebody who really means it say those words, well, that's one of the most meaningful things in the world, isn't it? The more I live life the more I realize how much the simple things mean. How much goes into being able to truly say that you love another person.
The day I arrived in Richmond I got a phone call from my dear friend Erin, one of our friends from our ward in Pleasant Grove had died in a car accident. I would be remiss if I didn't pause for a moment to remember Kaleo and the influence he had on my life. Funny how loss affects us. Watching as my close friends deal with the loss of their loved ones, remembering my close friends and family who have passed, and recognizing how quickly those who mean the most to me can go, has made me appreciate ever more the value of the life I have and the importance of making the most of the time I have.
Since moving here I think the thing I have to say the least about is school. It's good, I like it. I need to work harder at it. Other than that I don't think there's much to say. I've made so many great friends here. I've grown in the gospel and been able to see many others grow. I guess I don't have much else to say, 2008 was a great year.