Look and you will find

The human mind is a very interesting machine. Have you ever noticed how selective our attention is? How we can tune into certain things and tune others things out? For example, if I told you to find 6 things in the room that are blue you will find that blue objects jump out at you. Or say you just bought a new car – you tend to see the same model car everywhere. That is because we find what we are looking for.

If you look for beauty, you will find beauty. If you look for drama, you will find drama. If you look for happiness, you will find happiness. If you look for the good in others, you will find it. If you look for faults, you'll find those too. It's all a matter of the channel you are tuned into.

Sometimes when things are rough we focus on the negative and thus only find the negative in life – I've been stuck in this trap many times. But if we instead focus on the positive – even if it's just little positives – the rough times are still there but we're able to see the good that comes out of them.

My challenge to you and to me is to look for the positive – find the beauty in life and enjoy your journey, even if it's on a bumpy road.

Artwork for Little Emma

My neice turned 1 back in mid-February. So I made her a little artwork for the walls of the room she shares with her brother. Because I haven't actually packed it up and sent it I thought I'd share it here so her parents know what's coming ... and I'm super excited for it. So here it is:

The Power of Understanding

I just finished reading Inheritance the last book in Eragon's series and it got me contemplating the power of understanding.

I'm not talking about understanding on a superficial level but REALLY understanding. Understanding Yourself. Understanding Friends. Understanding Enemies. Understanding Actions.

True understanding of yourself encompasses understanding your strengths and your weaknesses and can be difficult to

swallow because it requires letting go of your pride, but once obtained you have increased power over yourself. You have the power to grow and develop in ways or areas you couldn't have before and change your true nature. And isn't that what this life is about - developing our natures to be more Christ-like? We can't do that unless we understand our "natural man" the person each of us is when no one is looking. Once understood though we have the power to change ourselves through our actions over the course of time.

Understanding actions also brings great power. Understanding how your actions effect you. How your actions effect others.

How your actions effect the world at large. How a single action, a single misspoken word, a single hasty judgment, a single hello, single smile can have a lasting effect on you and those around you for good or bad. Think of how different the world would be if everyone took the time to understand the effect of an action not only on them but on those around them before they took it. Understanding how the actions you have taken in your life have effected the world truly can make or break a person.

What I learned from reading Eragon, Eldest, Brisinger, and Inheritance is that true power comes through understanding and

true understanding has the power to change the world. Even if it's just your corner of it.