Book Tagged by Compulsive Writer

Compulsive tagged everyone who wanted to play today to participate in the book tag.

The rules:
1. Pick up the nearest book (at least 123 pages).
2. Turn to page 123.
3. Find the 5th sentence.
4. Post the 5th sentence on your blog.
5. Tag 5 people.

Here's my line:

"Later researchers concluded that the Dutch word was an import from French, and the entire structure collapsed."

- From "Word Origins ...and how we know them."









The fun thing about this for me is that the quote would have been radically different if I'd been home vs. at work when I ran with this one. Or, more specifically, it would have been different depending on which room of my house I was in. I tend to be a rather voracious reader, and books are scattered all over the house. But the more important question I'm sure you're asking is who reads books like this anyway - I'm a freak, I'll admit it...


Also, please note that I had to use the second closest book, because the first closest book, "Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar: Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes" had only 2 sentences on page 123. I was tempted to use the second sentence anyway because it was sweet, reading "There is another existentialist puzzle buried in this cartoon - namely, 'Who the hell do those ducks think they are?'", but I wasn't sure I should cheat like that.







Feel free to take the challenge yourself if you'd like, that's how the fun expands. And thanks CW for the indirect tag.

- jake

If you're happy and you know it...

On Friday last, La Reine and I were blessed to be able to participate in the sealing of a sweet young woman whom we've known for many, many years (at one time long ago she was the childhood betrothed of our TK, but as we apparently don't have arranged marriages any more, that clearly didn't work out, but I digress).

Elder Joe J. Christensen, emeritus member of the First Quorum of the Seventy was the sealer, and he gave marvelous counsel to all of us there that day. Of course, I took the opportunity to thank him and called him by the wrong name - ouch.

Given my reflection on Elder Christensen, and his wonderfully happy and graceful advice, together with his quick and happy forgiveness of my social ineptness, I quote here from an address he gave which I've always loved. Feel free to take his challenge. I did again, and now I'm smiling.

- jake

"Take a sheet of blank paper and write on it at random those things for which you are most grateful. Write whatever your most important blessings are in whatever order they come to your mind.

After writing the list, on another sheet of paper put those blessings in order of priority. What is your most important blessing? The second most? And so on.

On my list, I had to go down a long way before I came to any blessing that could be bought for money. Our most important blessings are without price. Blessings such as faith, testimony, and family are the kinds of blessings in defense of which, if necessary, we would be willing to give our mortal life.

Of course, chief among all the gifts for which we should be thankful is our Heavenly Father’s gift to us of His Son. As we read in scripture, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). The Doctrine and Covenants teaches us that “Jesus Christ your Redeemer … so loved the world that he gave his own life, that as many as would believe might become the sons of God” (D&C 34:1, 3).

Father gave. Jesus gave. And we must give. There is no other blessing for which we should be more grateful than that of being recipients of the blessings that come through the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

Add all of these blessings to your list. Then, on those days when you may not feel like smiling, take out your list and read it and recognize how blessed you are. You will find it easy to smile and to be of good cheer. You will also find it easier to be grateful."