.magic is connections.

oh, this weekend was oh so lovely.

throughout all the loveliness,

i couldn’t help but be reminded of what a dear friend told me

many moons ago.

she said,

“magic is connections.”

that being said, onto the loveliness.

do you know who’s a saint? valentine.

this good man’s holiday is one i look forward to every year.

and this years blessed day of love was especially exceptional.

valentines night,

i went to the “sacred gifts” art exhibit 
at the moa (museum of art).

the moment you walk in,

you behold this beauty in all its grandeur and glory.

"agony in the garden" - frans schwartz 

now, i’ve always appreciated art don’t get me wrong.

it takes serious skill to do what the artistic greats do.

but i can count on one hand the number of times

i’ve been actually moved by art.

i stared at this painting for at least a good solid fifteen minutes.

i couldn’t stop staring at Christ’s face.

it pulled at my heartstrings to see such an expression of total despair.

i stared at the angel for awhile too.

(someone told me that maybe it was michael -

second witness, anyone?)

but whoever it was,

i thought about what an honor it would have

been to be by the Savior’s side during those moments.

i’m sure all the hosts of heaven were looking down

wishing they could do something to help,

and that angel received the privilege

of comforting the Comforter.

it is so hard to think about

the Savior of the World hurting beyond comprehension,

when He’s always been the one to lift others.

but He chose to.

He had to.

and continued to be selfless despite the agony.

i’m sure He was a little more than bummed

that His chief apostles were unable to stay awake

and watch with Him for just an hour,

or the heartache caused by Judas’s betrayal.

but despite either of those,

He still took the time to heal the guard’s severed ear.

or when He was hanging on the cross,

He was asking John to care for His sweet mother Mary.

or was comforting another thief on the cross,

with words of the paradise they had to look forward to.

i think elder bednar says it best:

“One of the best indicators of righteous character is the capacity to recognize and appropriately respond to other people who are experiencing the very challenge or adversity that is most immediately and forcefully pressing upon us. Character is revealed, for example, in the power to discern the suffering of other people when we ourselves are suffering; in the ability to detect the hunger of others when we are hungry; and in the power to reach out and extend compassion for the spiritual agony of others when we are in the midst of our own spiritual distress. Therefore, character is demonstrated by looking, turning, and reaching outward when the instinctive response of the “natural man” (Mosiah 3:19) in each of us is to turn inward and to be selfish and self-absorbed. And the Savior of the world is the source, the standard, and the ultimate criterion of moral character and the perfect example of charity and consistency.”

frans schwartz,

thank you for the magic connection of your art.

the day after valentines was equally lovely.

i had the amazing opportunity of meeting

one of the world’s great renaissance women,

melissa dalton bradford.

it was magical talking to her.

it was magical hearing her talk.

my eyes, ears, and mind were open

to all the temporal and spiritual blessings

of learning languages.

but more importantly,

communicating heart to heart.

and how learning languages expands that

heart to heart connection.

i don’t know what cultural opportunities

my future may hold,

but i’ll definitely be taking a language class

within the next year.

and come fall 2015,

hopefully i’ll have a chance to put that to good use.

and mixed in with all that aforementioned loveliness,

were some of the best movies.

the kind that make you want to cry and laugh 

all at once because your heart is going to burst.

those are the best in my opinion.

the boy in the striped pajamas

the book thief

and

life is beautiful.

i don’t why i have a WWII/holocaust obsession,

but i think it’s one of the most interesting times of history

that reveal human resilience.

that show what’s left to someone

when there’s absolutely nothing left.

and how they continue to leave the world better off,

than how it left them.

magic is connections.