Someone Much Wiser Than I Once Said....

"I am sure it is a great mistake always to know enough to go in when it rains. One may keep snug and dry by such knowledge, but one misses a world of loveliness."

-Adeline Knapp

I love rain. I am not sure if this a direct result of growing up in the pacific northwest, or if I am just a nostalgic soul. It is a beautiful piece of weather. The rain brings water to our crops that sustain us. It brings water to the rivers that entertain us, and humble us at the same time. The rain brings out those feelings of sorrow that we keep hidden inside us, but really need to let out. It helps us have cozy days and nights full of books, old movies, good friends, and warm beverages. 

The rain cleanses this Earth we some times take for granted, and simultaneously helps us clean our souls of the muck and the mud that may build up there. In the bathing of the land we see it come alive. 

The rain shows us that sometimes even mother nature must destroy to make way for the clean, the new, the beautiful. 

I went on a walk in the rain this past Sunday. It was needed. It was cleansing and healing and made everything smell better. There is just something about walking around and thinking about the things that generally avoid thinking about that the rain just seems to help with. 

I am curious if there have ever been any scientific studies about the connection between rain the human mind and thought processes. 

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"God didn't promise days without pain, laughter without sorrow, sun without rain, but He did promise strength for the day, comfort for the tears, and light for the way."

-Unknown

"Let the rain kiss you. Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops. Let the rain sing you a lullaby."

- Langston Hughes

"What lips my lips have kissed, and where, and why,

I have forgotten, and what arms have lain

under my head til morning; but the rain

Is full of ghosts to-night, that tap and sigh

Upon the glass and listen for a reply..."

-Edna St. Vincent Millay

Turns out there ARE Good Samaritans in the world

I have not ever given it much thought as to whether or not I ever expected a complete stranger to help me out in the world. A couple of weeks ago I was surprised though when it actually happened. 

I stated in a previous post, rather rant, that I had managed to lose my drivers license while traveling to a friend's wedding. I got through that weekend with out one. I happen to not really need one in my everyday life otherwise, now that I have no car of my own, so I procrastinated getting a replacement. 

I am glad that I did.

I randomly received this letter in the mail containing with it my long lost license. 

It was very unexpected, and very appreciated. 

So, THANK YOU Andy, from Colleyville, TX.

I am hoping to find an opportunity to pay it forward.

"The Athena Project" Book Review

"The Athena Project" by Brad Thor was awesome. 

I am a huge fan of 'thriller' books, and Thor does not disappoint. 

The basic outline of the book is that it is about an elite team of women in the US Military's Delta Force program. These are strong, powerful, intelligent women who do the jobs that men can't. They can take care of themselves and the rest of the world. Admittedly, I was a little biased by the premise. In a world with such a skewed view on woman hood I tend to latch onto anything that shows us women who can be both beautiful and extremely intelligence. 

What next made this book awesome was the science. The page before the first chapter starts includes this sentence: "The science in this novel is based on reality." I did not think much about this when I first read it. When I was done with the book though, I happened to drop it and it landed face down on that page. So, I read it again. My first thought? THAT IS AWESOME!!!

Why is that so awesome, you ask?

The plot line for this first book (which I am so very hopeful that it will turn into a series) was about this Athena team going after a group of very dangerous men that got a hold of some very cool experimental technology from WWII. You do not have to be a scholar to know that the Nazi's were interested in a ton of sketchy stuff, none of which was main stream. 

We are talking stuff you see in Star Trek. 

I recommend this book to everyone. 

People who actually like books about spies and tough chicks and real science with a little government conspiracy mixed in will enjoy it the most though.

Someone Much Wiser Than I Once Said...

"Our lives are made up of thousands of everyday choices. Over the years these little choices will be bundled together and show clearly what we value."

-Boyd K. Packer

The first time that I saw this quote, it was typed on a plain white piece of office paper sitting on a chair that I wanted to sit on at church. I assumed the woman who sat there from the previous group had left it there. I was sitting too far away from the garbage so I shoved it in my bag without even reading it. 

Two months later I hit a time in my life when the decision that I made was really not the most popular. 

I personally believe that things happen for a reason. I believe that people or things are put into our paths that will help us progress in life.  They help us build perspectives and make choices. 

I come across this again, many months down the road, and as a student of stories I see how small choices I made long before that monumental one prepared me to be here now, after the choice. I also see that ever popular alternate ending and how slight changes in those choices would have smoothed my path. 

Thousands of choices ... bundled together ... That should be entertaining.