What a wonderful discussion last night! Thank-you for coming prepared with questions and quotes to make it so meaningful. I hope you learned as much as I did. It was fun watching Ashley be a shepherd to all of the blindfolded, baa-ing sheep as she tried to clap and whistle you into your sheep pen. I enjoyed hearing how you related it to the power of one person with vision, and the importance of uncertainty and it's value to faith. I hope you'll remember that weakness and uncertainty are good things as they help us desire to tune in to God's voice. I thought it was interesting how you all decided to find each other when you were blindfolded and then try to listen to Ashley's signals together. It showed how we can help one another and also hinder one another - depending on our ability to listen and how well we have learned to see and hear.
Remember, next week - March 5th is a Saturday morning activity. We will meet from 9am-12. Some of you wanted to stay after and work on your creative projects for the family presentation so please feel free to do that too!
Here are the inspirements for next week: I put the Gifts of Imperfection readings on Google Drive so you or your parents can know where to cross off swear words in your own books.
1. Read: The Things that Get in the Way (GOI 31-53)
2. Watch: The Power of Not Knowing
3. Read: Guideposts 6 and 7
4. Act: Today (Saturday) Write a goal from Guidepost 5 on the comments below and work on it this week
5. Discuss: Write a discussion question and a quote from your readings on the comments below
*Work on anything you were assigned in your collaborative project group and on your memorization
And here is a video I put together with some highlights from last night ;-)
Haha! That video was hilarious! Thanks for putting it together. We are so sophisticated and classy :)
ReplyDeleteGoal: Take five minutes after my nighttime prayer to just listen to the promptings of the Holy Ghost and become in tune with my own thoughts.
Wow, that is quite the video there... :) Thanks for the fun night everyone!
ReplyDeleteMy goal is to meditate/ponder for 5-10 minutes before I write in my journal every night, then I will record my experiences and thoughts in my journal.
I had fun putting it together. I love that you are not afraid to be fun and goofy around each other. You guys are so great.
ReplyDeleteMy goal is to notice when I feel "off" or out of tune and then try to be still, breathe and prayerfully feel what I need to think/do to get back in tune.
My goal is to take 5 minutes every day after my scripture study to ponder and listen to the Spirit and then ACT on promptings I feel.
ReplyDeleteLol, we're so goofy.
ReplyDeleteMy goal is to, when I get into an argument, contemplate the idea that I'm wrong, and be more open to other opinions, and then write about it.
My goal is to; whenever I feel stressed out or anxious to take a few minutes and just unwind from the stress and anxiety.
ReplyDeleteI love that video!!!
ReplyDeleteMy goal is kind of the same as Cassia's, to think that maybe I am wrong in and argument and accept that. But to also take 5-10 minutes to unwind and calm down so that it doesn't get out of hand.
Whoops - this goal is late... ;p My goal is (I guess starting now...) to think before I say things. So if I'm about to say something unkind or untrue I'll stop myself. And when I do mess up and say something wrong - be okay with it, repent, and start over again happily! :)
ReplyDeleteMy goal is to focus on the joyful things each day and not only on the happy things I might be looking forward to that week and write them in my gratitude journal each night.
ReplyDeleteCarson Y.
My goal is to not get upset when someone has a different opinion :D
ReplyDeleteMy goal is when I am stressed to not take it out on others but to contain and control it.
ReplyDeleteQuestion: How do you "give yourself a break" and "play" when you feel like you have so much to do? In that case, wouldn't it be a bad thing to avoid all that you have to do and relax?
ReplyDeleteQuote: (it doesn't have a ton to do with my question) "The only unique contribution that we will ever make in this world will be born of our creativity."
Quote: "Now I understand why my dear friend Laura Williams always says, "Comparison is the thief of happiness."
ReplyDeleteQuestion: How can we better avoid comparing our self's with others?
Since I can't come to class, I figured I'd just hare some of my thoughts here:
ReplyDeleteThings that get in the way:
Page 38, “Shame is that warm feeling that washes over us, making us feel small, flawed, and never good enough.” Something I thought was interesting to that quote was that she used the word warm to describe shame. Usually one uses the term “warm” to describe a good feeling such as love or satisfaction. I think sometimes Satan tries to make us feel warm inside when we feel ashamed to create a false illusion of learning truth.
Page 39, “Sometimes it’s just as hard to own our strengths as our struggles.” After reading this, I was thinking about what strengths I don’t always own up to and why. As I thought about it, I realized that the most common reason I don’t own up to a strength comes back to what other people will think. That surprised me because I don’t often think of myself as someone who cares about other people’s opinions. To overcome that, I will slowly but surely use my strengths more often.
Something I’ve learned from doing a lot of family history is that once you know someone’s story, it’s hard not to love them. I’ve had many ancestors who have done shameful things but I love them anyway. Some were abusive, dishonest, sacrilegious, blameful, and uncompassionate. While I don’t approve of all the things they did, I love them regardless. This gives me comfort when I am ashamed to remember that my family will still love me.
Page 44?, “I think your default is my courage.” I plan to ponder the following questions the next few days:
1. What is my default when I feel hurt?
2. What would be a brave act for me personally when I feel hurt?
I set another goal this week to tell someone about something that made me feel ashamed. I’ve learned from this reading that there are two main reasons why telling someone is good. 1) It’s therapeutic and helps clear your head. 2) The person you tell the story to can help you gain more understanding
I will also be pondering the week on what physical signs my body gives me when I’m feeling shame so I can develop shame resilience. As of right now, I know that two of them are shaky hands and only being able to think about what I did.
Guidepost #7:
Now that I’m older, what does “playing” look like for me? When I think of playing when I was younger, I am reminded of making mud pies, going to the playground, climbing trees, ect…but now I’m not entirely sure how to play or even what playing means. Of course, I still hang out with friends and I still play with my train set (yes, I asked for it for Christmas last year). Maybe playing is simply anything you do that isn’t focused on the future?
I love your thoughts Sydney. You've given me lots to ponder on. I wish you were coming to class, but we'll definitely benefit from what you've shared here as we talk tomorrow and hopefully we can share some of it back with you! The "warm" feeling thing is a very interesting insight - the 2 different kinds of warm feelings are SO different when we experience them, but to someone who has not experienced them - it would be difficult to explain beyond the "senses" (warm) - so much of the gospel is that way - you must experience it to understand.
DeleteYour family history experience is very motivating for owning our stories.
My default when I get hurt is to hurt back. I think of all the different things I could say to blame and hurt. Not good. But recognizing it helps me realize what I am experiencing and take a more courageous action, like talk to someone about how I'm hurt. And pray so I can forgive and let it go.
I loved that you examined the physical symptoms! That is very wise. How wise we would be if we could recognize those for what they are! I also replay my mistakes in my head and I roll my eyes at myself, if it's really bad my heart beats fast and I may punch a pillow :-[ I will remember what you said next time I get those symptoms!
I love your questions and thoughts about them - I will be thinking about them some more tonight. I love questions that get me thinking. Thanks!