Just the Other Day

Just the other day I watched a movie called "Mr. Magorium's Wonder Imporium."

And it starts JUST. LIKE. THIS.

  
"This is one of my favorite stories of all time, even though it begins in a 

basement. I'm gonna tell it the way it was written by this guy- Bellini-
Who lives underneath the amazing, the remarkable...Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium.
And, yes...he sleeps with a dolly. Bellini's job is to build all the books for all

the kids who come to the Emporium. But it is also to chronicle the life of 

Mr. Magorium himself. Mr. Magorium once made toys for Napoleon,beat Abraham Lincoln
at hopscotch and holds the current record for time spent upside down. There were 

those who called Magorium a genius. My mom called him an eccentric.

 And this one guy from Detroit inexplicably called him "Steve. " But Magorium's 

story was reaching its final chapters. That's okay-all stories even the ones 

we love,must eventually come to an end...

  ...and when they do, it's only an opportunity for another story to begin.
So the beginning of the end begins with a chapter called,"Molly Mahoney's First. "
Molly Mahoney was the manager of the Emporium,Mr. Magorium's apprentice,
and my only friend. In the mornings, Mahoney would play her piano,
attempting to finish her very first concerto, but she never could find
the right notes. When she was younger, everyone thought
she was a musical genius,a brilliant pianist, and she believed them.
But now, as she became a grown-up, 

She wasn't so sure.

  
I don't know why grown-ups don't believe what they did when they were kids.
I mean, aren't they supposed to be smarter? What Mahoney needed was the
opportunity to prove to herself that she was something more than she believed."

I love this movie for a few reasons:

1) It teaches us NEVER to lose the faith in things that seem ridiculous.

2) It shows us the importance of belief

3) It teaches us a little about ourselves 

The idea of Mr. Margorium's story leading Molly's is so realistic. You may live in a basement

(whether literally or figuratively) but you are still destined to do GREAT things! I mean, 

remember that guy named uhhhh...OH! Harry Potter?! He lived in a CLOSET underneath

a flight of STAIRS and he saved pretty much the ENTIRE WORLD both 

MAGICAL and MUGGLE!! He killed his enemy, fought dementors, 

and did it all with a wooden wand, two best friends, and an uncle and aunt who didn't believe

in him at all and held him back but he FOUGHT BACK!!  

In the movie the toys in the store were alive. The paper planes flew, the dolls talked, and the

magical ordering book popped up whatever you wanted after you said it. However, it only 

worked and stayed alive if you believed. Mr. Magorium brought in an accountant (or a counting 

mutant) who didn't believe. He thought the store was "really really cool" but everyone knew

it was MAGIC! Our faith in God, the gospel, and everything in between must NEVER be only

"really really cool" because then we lose the "magic" of it all. 

Near the end of the movie Mr. Magorium is speaking of death, and how is going to die soon. 

He says: "When King Lear dies in Act V, do you know what Shakespeare has written?
 He's written "He dies." That's all, nothing more. No fanfare, no 
metaphor, no brilliant final words. The culmination of the most 
influential work of dramatic literature is "He dies." It takes 
Shakespeare, a genius, to come up with "He dies." And yet every time I 
read those two words, I find myself overwhelmed with dysphoria. And I 
know it's only natural to be sad, but not because of the words "He 
dies." But because of the life we saw prior to the words. 
 I've lived all five of my acts, Mahoney, and I am not asking you to be 
happy that I must go. I'm only asking that you turn the page, continue 
reading... and let the next story begin. And if anyone asks what became 
of me, you relate my life in all its wonder, and end it with a simple and modest "He died."

....your life is an occasion. Rise to it."

I may not be a Harry Potter destined to save the whole world, I may not be a Cinderella destined

to rule over an entire kingdom, and I may not even be a Molly Mahoney destined to manage an

entire magical toy store.

But, I am a Harry Potter, a Cinderella and a Molly Mahoney destined to believe in the Lord and 

preach His gospel, and rise above any words that people may throw at me. 

"We breath. We pulse. We regenerate. Our hearts beat. Our minds create. Our souls ingest. 37 seconds, well used, is a lifetime."        

If 37 well used is a lifetime. Imagine what you can do with YOUR lifetime.             

A Few Raindrops of Wisdom

So! Upon the arrival of my break-up with Eli (after a couple weeks let's be honest) I have realized that I have learned more than I ever could've just listening to someone else give relationship "tips". So, I guess it wouldn't hurt to share mine. (You can take them or leave them. Up to you. If I were you though, I would take them and save yourself the trouble.)

1. Don't limit yourself
If there is something that is important in a high school career it's not limiting yourself to one person. Trust me, I understand the whole "but if I go on a date with more than one person at a time everyone is going to view me as a slut". WRONG. Yes, there are the narrow-minded few but, growing up LDS, I have found that there is some real logic in going on multiple dates at one time. You get a feel for what you do and don't want in an eternal companion. (And, eternity is a long time to spend with one person, but when you find the right person, eternity isn't near long enough.) High school is LITERALLY a crash course career in dating.

2. Be who you want them to be
When I was little, and every year since I have a made a list of the things I want in an eternal companion. Some things like "Strong Testimony", "Unwavering Faith", "Kind", "Compassionate, understanding, smart, funny" and various other things have made the list every year. However, if you want a faithful, worthy, Christ like king, you too must a faithful, worthy and Christ like queen. In the words of Brother Farr: "If God was to place you with a man (or woman) who is worthier than you, that would be a curse to them." You don't want your "perfect" king to be stuck with a queen who doesn't hold the same standards, have the same strong testimony, or is lacking in any way in the gospel. Don't let yourself be a walking curse. 

3. Stand in Holy Places...at all times, in all things, and in all places
All I am going to say about this one is that if you have the Spirit with you, anywhere you go is a Holy Place because YOU are a walking holy place. 

4. Stare down tempation
Temptation of any kind ruins a relationship. A relationship should be built on trust, Christ and everything good. You shouldn't have to be walking around with baggage and worry of going too far, or messing up your eternal destiny as a child of God. And, sometimes the only answer is to end the relationship, and end the temptation. But, don't just call it quits before working on it. 
               From a girls standpoint: Yeah, we get blamed a lot for the temptation of guys and we tend to resort to the excuse of "Well, guys should be able to control themselves" but, let's be honest with ourselves ladies, just like you can't control what you see on the computer or the TV guys can't control what they see when you reveal it so explicitly in your clothing. Even though the low cut shirt or the short skirt with the flowers are SUPES CUTE you really want to do that to a guy? Subjecting him to forced violation of his and your spirit? Negative ghostrider. And, I know, I'm not really the one to talk about modesty but, take it from me. Cover. It. Up. And, if my telling you in one worded sentences doesn't work maybe this will: 
 Close your eyes for a moment...now think about this: when you wear short skirt, tight shirts, revealing articles of clothing you have not just that "cute guy in math class" staring at you, but, you also have grandpa's, older men, women's husbands, your bishop, and your own dad looking at the same thing. Your body. If you're gonna get a guy, do it with your personality not your body. Gross.
 *Note: If it so happens that you guys do break up (like me and Eli) think about this: Sure, it feels like a punishment to you that you're all of a sudden being punished for him not being able to control himself but you guys being together is a punishment to him. He shouldn't have to be forced to face that tempation day after day, left to his own faculties to deal with it alone. SOLUTION: BE FRIENDS! It's way better.

Well, this only a few of the raindrops of wisdom that I have to add to your lake of knowledge but it's enough for now. 

Like I said, you don't have to take the advice I gave you but, I guess if you don't it's your choice. Go ahead, find out that I'm right the hard way. 

AND WHATEVER YOU DO! DON'T DO SOMETHING PERMANENT JUST BECAUSE OF A TEMPORARY FEELING. YOU'LL REGRET IT LATER. 

OH ONE MORE THING! DON'T TAKE AWAY FROM HIS SPIRIT OR YOUR SPIRIT. THAT MAKES FOR AN EMPTY RELATIONSHIP OF ANY KIND.

And if there is anything that Eli has taught me in this relationship it's that everything goes both ways. He's taught me to love everyone, and apologize when I am wrong, and a lot more things that would be left unlearned without him. 

OVER AND OUT.