We sang this song in my ward choir this past month and I have absolutely fallen in love with the music. I listen to this when I am feeling at my worst. It makes me feel warm and safe and loved. Pay close attention to the lyrics, they are absolutely stunning.
It comes from Isaiah 54: 10.
10 For the amountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the bcovenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee.
If you came to class today (I hope you did!), you will remember we talked all about gender and media.
Later this evening, my daughter, Hannah, wanted to show me something she had been watching. It was called "And the Tiara goes to..." At first I REALLY didn't want to watch. It sounded like the anti-Sarah and something I would hate. But she kept pressing me and telling me I would love it, so I gave in.
The program is an American Doll episode. Which I really do love in theory (I grew up with the stories). This particular episode centers around a beauty pageant. One of the girls (Julie) decides to just "be herself" in the talent portion and so instead of singing, dancing, etc., Julie decides to dribble a basketball. So cool! And then Hannah wanted to show me one more part. All the girls were being asked what they wanted to be when they grew up. Answers included being a veterinarian, fashion designer, ballet studio owner, flight attendant, movie star, etc. All great things. Julie's answer brought tears to my eyes.
"President of the United States"
"Well...not right away. I'd have to go college and then maybe become a mayor. And I know it might be really hard because there's never been a female president, but imagine what it would be like if one day....girls were born and they never even remembered a time when there hadn't been a woman president. Those girls would just know it was possible and never know that it wasn't. I think that would be really exciting? Don't you?"
Here is the full episode and that great scene starts at 9:20. Well worth a few minutes of your time.
I asked Hannah later that evening if she thought she would like to be president someday. She grinned and said, "Absolutely!"
I am so thankful for this girl of mine. Boy, she can sure give us a run for our money sometimes (see my SFL351 lecture on emotion regulation!), but she is an absolute joy for the most part. She is really figuring things out and is mature beyond her years. She is kind, smart, empathetic, generous, and a true defender. When other kids are getting picked on - she is the kid to stop it. She knows who she is and she has a beautiful spirit. Hannah got baptized in January (see a few pictures below). It was a beautiful, perfect day. Right after she got the Holy Ghost she asked to bear her testimony. She talked about her faith in Jesus Christ and her knowledge that families will be together forever. She broke down in tears and left the stand sobbing, overcome with the Spirit. Sometimes, it is an absolute privilege being a parent. Love you Hannah. And if anyone could be the first female president - it would be you (well....or Hillary Clinton!) :)
Sorry I have been a little M.I.A. these days - February has been busy! I am the MFHD graduate coordinator and Feb is our busiest month. It is Saturday right now and I finally have a little time to breathe, so I thought I would do a quick blog post.
I got this Christmas present for my husband, Paul, this year. The glare is a little bad, but you get the idea. We like to watch TV shows together and these are some of our favorite couples from some of our favorite programs including The West Wing, Gilmore Girls, Friday Night Lights, The Office, Grey's Anatomy, and of course a whole lot of Disney.
I think my favorite media couple of all time is Eric and Tammy Taylor from Friday Night Lights. They have a realistic marriage, with trials and problems, but they are also extremely supportive and caring to each other. I remember once Paul and I were in the middle of an argument. We had kind of stomped off to our separate rooms and Paul came back and said something about an episode we had just watched where Eric and Tammy have an argument, but they were able to work it out in a really beautiful way. This inspired him and he came to fix things pretty quickly.
I really do think that media can be inspiring. There is almost no research on media and romantic relationships, but I suspect there is some sort of effect. I just need to do the study now....... Who are your favorite media couples and why???
Tonight I got some bad news. The kind of news that leads to sobbing on the bathroom floor and a borderline panic attack. To numb some of the pain, I decided to turn to media.
As you know, The West Wing is my all time favorite show. There is one episode called "Two Cathedrals" (season finale of season 2). In my opinion, it is the finest 43 minutes and 57 seconds of television. Ever.
A scene kept running through my head. President Bartlet is considering running for re-election and unexpectedly experiences a tragedy in his life. After a funeral he has this conversation with God. Be warned - there is a little language.
President Bartlet is a highly religious man. But I think this scene portrays the raw pain that many of feel when we experience significant trials in our life. As I watched, I wondered. Is God just a "feckless thug"? Are we really in control of anything in this life or does He just play games with us? What's the point of trying our best - of giving our all - when it can be taken away so easily. I've related to this scene several times in my life, especially this year, and I cried as I watched it again today.
However, the episode does not end there. Bartlet has a profound conversation with someone who points out that "he's having quite the day". She reminds him that God does not *cause* accidents and that there are a lot of people who are "worse off than you". They talk numbers. How many children are born in poverty. How many people don't have health care. How many people are incarcerated, etc. President Bartlet realizes that there is still work to do. There is still hope.
There is a fierce storm. Bartlet enters the fray and makes the decision to run for re-election. He does not give up, even when the task appears insurmountable. It is my very favorite scene in any program I have ever viewed.
As I watched this tonight, I was filled with hope. My 2 year old, Liam, had crawled out of bed and was snuggled next to me, playing with my ear as he likes to do. I felt warm and I felt loved. Bad things happen. It's not right and it's not fair. It's easy to feel hopeless and to feel like giving up. It's easy to blame God even though he gives us nothing but His grace. He knows exactly how much life can suck sometimes and He will not leave us comfortless. He will send a 2 year old and an inspired episode the West Wing to lift you up. There is still hope. And there is still a lot of work to do here on this earth. Watch this. I'm ready.
I think this is probably my favorite kid's show. As in - I'll actually sit and fully watch (and enjoy) this one with my kids. I LOVE the ocean (I wanted to be a marine biologist up until I started college) and I learn something every time I watch it! This week we learned about the siphonophore. This is just one animal. A siphonophore is a colony of many creatures that probably can't live on it's own. It is also one of the only animals to produce a red light and is one of the longest creatures in the entire world. SO COOL. Not bad for preschool media!
This movie is probably in my top five favorite movies EVER!!!
So, you can imagine how excited I was to watch this at a girl's night with my only daughter, Hannah, age 8. Here we are all snuggled up.
I love so many things about this movie. It is such a powerful message for young girls - that you can DO anything and BE anything you want to be, regardless of gender! Hannah really seemed to pick up on this theme and has talked about this randomly throughout the past few days. I love the sports theme (even though I always stunk at baseball). I also love, love, LOVE Tom Hanks in this movie! He seriously cracks me up.
And I love the deep look at sibling rivalry between Dottie and Kit. It's pretty intense and I can relate on some level. There is a little sexual content which we fast forwarded, but not much. If you haven't seen this, go out and watch it immediately!!!
In honor of this beautiful movie, here are my top five favorite movie quotes from A League of Their Own. My siblings and I might quote some of these to each other regularly. 1. It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard... is what makes it great. 2. Oh piss on your hat. 3. You ever hear Dad introduce us to people? "This is our daughter Dottie, and this is our other daughter, Dottie's sister." Should've just had you and bought a dog! 4. You think there are men in this country who ain't seen your bosoms? And of course...
5. THERE'S NO CRYING IN BASEBALL!!!
Welcome to a new SFL358 year! It's been a while since I posted on this blog and I'm excited to be teaching this class again!
Just a quick one for today - we have been talking to our 2 1/2 year old, Liam about potty training. We've got the potty out a few times, but haven't been really serious about it. Yesterday, on the way home from church, Liam, said "Daniel Tiger goes the potty". I said, "You are right! Do you want to go to the potty like Daniel Tiger?" Liam said "YES! In MY potty!"
*Our gorgeous little man*
You see, there is a whole episode about going to the potty on one of Liam's favorite shows, "Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood". My 11 year old calls this particular episode, "the worst show in the entire universe" and always complains loudly when it gets turned on. But it's pretty cool that my 2 year old understood the concept of the episode and wanted to change his behavior after viewing this particular episode.
For those of you who are not parents, you might not understand just how big a deal this actually is. I have four children and pretty much have been changing diapers for a solid 11 years of my life!!! That is a LOT of diapers. Liam is likely our last kid, so this represents a pretty exciting change for us (and our wallet!)
So.....thank you Daniel Tiger! And watch this space for potty training news in the future.
