We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet

This is a short video about the life of President Hinckley. I really enjoyed it and hope you do too. Feel free to pass it on to others.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=MvB3z2U8DEo

Also take the time to look at the three video responses below the video. The written responses also give you an idea of how this man was loved.

The depression monster

I hope this post is OK, Mom. If not, feel free to remove it. Having worked with/counseled many people who suffer from depression, as well as having episodes here and there myself, I've found it difficult to explain what depression is like. Everyone gets "depressed" or "down" sometimes, but don't always seem to get what it's like to have "depression". It takes over you sometimes. I explain it as a disease, which it is, that you have to manage, like any other chronic illness. If you have diabetes, you should be faithful in managing your diet and exercise and take necessary medications to control the effects of the disease and your overall health. The same is true of depression...you have to manage it, sometimes with medication, and all the time with other tools and techniques to keep it at bay. For me, it's exercise, eating right, and making sure to not isolate myself from friends and family. But, sometimes it still hits when I'm doing all the "right" things. The great thing is, the depression monster can be conquered, or at least kept under control if we do our best. One of the greatest things I learned in school is....if something's not working (i.e. you get more depressed when you do it), do less of it. And conversely, if you notice you're less depressed when you do certain things, do more of it. Sounds simple, and it is, if you're able to have some awareness about those things.

I loved this post from a friend of a friend who has a gift with words. She described depression in a way that I would never have been able to. She gave me permission to use her words here (it's just a portion of the post):

i have been in that place where it hurt to stay awake. where even the
days seemed dark. and i could sleep right through them if somebody would let me.
the depression monster is a powerful one. it could swallow a person whole
without a second thought. i've stared at myself in the mirror before and not
recognized the person looking back at me. i've driven through rainstorms and
felt like never hitting the brakes. i've been in a room full of smiling/laughing
people and felt like no one knew who i was or that i was even there. felt like i
couldn't breathe. i'm not sure what exactly sent me madly spinning. a
combination of alot of things. probably my severely tender heart. one day back
then, i couldn't stop crying. the depression monster is real to the people that
are living with him. he's powerful. he can talk you into unimaginable
things. -by Lindsay

Gordon B. Hinckley

I know that it isn't possible for me to express myself the way I want to on the topic of Gordon B. Hinckley but I have to try. As a convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I have pondered many aspects of the church. For some reason, one of the easiest concepts to grasp was that the Lord that I have worshipped throughout the first 20 years of my life would have a prophet on earth today as in the times from the Bible. I never doubted that. Even before I heard a talk from one of the prophets (my first was Spencer W. Kimball) I knew that I wouldn't doubt this.

President Hinckley was a kind, gentle soul who wasn't afraid to tell you what you needed to do to find your way back to our Father in Heaven. He could be tough when needed and he used humor to praise or chastise, whatever needed to be done. He was a hard worker and a dedicated servant of the Lord. I know that we as members like to think of him as pretty close to perfect but he would let you know that he made mistakes too - he was human and wasn't afraid to admit it. His love for his wife was inspiring, his love for us as members is something I am positive about. His concern for each and every one of us was well known.

This is the part that many non-members will not understand - while I feel sorrow for my loss (and the world's loss) - I KNOW the joy that he feels right now is something that my little brain can not totally grasp. He is with his wife, parents and others who have passed away and there is a celebration going on right now that is out of this world. I know he was greeted with open and loving arms. His work is over on this existence. Well done, President Hinckley, well done.

I got Tagged

My son-in-law doesn't like me - he tagged me to come up with 6 things about me and he KNOWS how much I dislike this kind of thing. His punishment is that I made the comment on my blog - SO THERE, TURKEY.

The rules of the game should be posted at the beginning of the post. Each player lists 6 facts/habits about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

1. I am a photographer. I don't have any family around to take the pictures that I want to take so I take hundreds of pictures of nature, odd things and weird angles just to have something to point the camera at. (Yes, I know I ended with a preposition.) Most of the pictures are deleted from my camera card cause there's no reason to keep them.

2. I scrapbook. This could be a result of #1 so that I have something to do with the photos I want to keep.

3. I enjoy hiking, camping and so forth. It isn't all that fun to do alone so I don't do it often.

4. I am the procrastination queen. To prove that statement: Hopefully this week I will go to Sam's and order my 2007 Christmas Cards. I hope to have them sent out before my birthday at the end of April. We'll see.

5. I am a boring individual. Proof of that is that I can't even come up with 6 things about me.

6. My favorite charity is the Ronald McDonald House. I volunteer in the office of the house in Durham as receptionist. My church class is collecting pop tabs to donate to RMH. That program raised over $20,000 last year for the house here in Durham. It costs somewhere around $85 a night for one room to be occupied each night. The families are asked to donate $10 per night if they can afford it but most can't so this program comes in handy.

Now - please bear in mind that I don't know 6 people who blog so this is the best I can do. I'm hoping the Jen on Ken's list is not my Jennifer cause she is my #1. (If Ken already tagged her then she only has to do it once.) #2 Tim (Yell at Ken, not me) #3 Lisa (see Tim's note) #4 Angie (figured I'd better get you before Jennifer did) #5 Willow (Hey, she has a blog!) and #6 the Ferrell family (no one reads it anyway!)

Geek, anyone?

I was going to expound on the term "Geek" and how the term used to be a derogatory term and is now kinda accepted as an ok thing. A matter of pride even. I decided to go to Wikipedia to get the definition of geek and found out a few things.

1- All my expounding has already been done and if you go to Wikipedia and look up Geek you will find EXACTLY what I was going to say. This way I don't have to type it.

2- Since the term is associated with an expertise or at least an obsession with certain things, then I am also a BLOG GEEK, SCRAPBOOK GEEK, AND A SCI-FI GEEK.

3- Due to the last line in #1, I think I think I also qualify for PROCRASTINATION GEEK and LAZY GEEK.

How cool is that?

Today as I ignored the illness I do not have, I was in bed a lot and just moving slow and looked out the window to - SNOW! Didn't know it was expected or that it was happening. It just appeared. Pretty cool.

Quote for this day

Life is short,
Break the rules,
Forgive quickly,
Kiss slowly,
Love Truly,
Laugh uncontrollably,
And never regret anything that made you Smile.

Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we're here we should Dance....