Information Vacuum

Galileo invented the telescope and was heretical...how are we going to solve the immigration problem...organizationally speaking, what is working in my kitchen and what's not...Sydney's brain needs a challenge, what should I do...men need to be in the wilderness in order to connect with their souls...archimedes died working out a math problem...I love to get swept away with Gabriel and Rachel (archangel fans will recognize the reference)...we really need to consider Pakistan more of a problem than Iran...fathers play a much bigger role in the development of their children than I ever realized...slavery was terrible...having a schedule is more difficult in the summer...coconut oil has amazing health benefits...wheat needs to be soaked before it can be used properly...I think I could make a cute picnic blanket...

I'm usually a constant reader, but lately my appetite has been voracious. The problem is I am reading, reading, reading, but not having a lot of time to process and ponder. All the above are swimming around in my head trying to find where they fit and wondering if they fit with each other. In the meantime, I can't seem to just pick one and focus because I can't seem to get enough of anything! For this reason I haven't blogged lately because everytime I sit down to write, it comes out like the above. This is my brain in suction mode.

The Path to Whirled Peas

Have you seen cuter girls? Last Sunday one of Bret's co-workers came to dinner. He brought his 4 year-old daughter, Daniela, who hardly spoke a word of English. Naturally, all the girls were curious about her and tried out their limited Spanish. Mostly, they just looked at each other and shared warm smiles. After dinner I explained to Daniela where to find some toys and encouraged Sydney to invite her to play. Then I left the scene to see what would take place. Approximately 10 minutes later little girls' giggles could be heard and Daniela came running excitedly upstairs to tell her Dad what kinds of toys she had discovered! The girls had found their way. A few minutes later they were sitting on the couch "shopping" with their food -- smiling and laughing. I don't know how much literal communication was going on, but it didn't even matter. Communication of the heart had taken place.

Children have so much natural wisdom when it comes to relationships. They love openly and generously without fear of rejection or differences. When do we forget these lessons? Should we send children to the UN instead of adults? What kind of results would we see? God sends us children to remind us of what could be. I know it's naive to break our complex and complicated world into such simple terms, but is it really? It was such a beautiful thing to watch these two little girls find ways to connect and to see their joy. As Daniela was leaving (by then she didn't want to go) Sydney yelled, "Bye Daniela! I'm going to invite you to my birthday party!" Daniela smiled back and, in that afternoon, we had achieved world peace.

Why I'll Vote for Romney Despite Chadder's Restaurant

We Mormons are such funny people. We like to use "peculiar" but sometimes we're just plain funny. There exists an incredible herd mentality among us. We like to think of it as "one heart and one mind" but in most instances, in our state of imperfection, it's nothing more than herd mentality. Take the excitement over a new restaurant in town called Chadder's. It's basically In-n-Out Burger with a different name. That's right, it's a burger joint. Now, I really like In-n-Out Burger and will probably go to Chadder's -- someday. Apparently every other Utahn feels like they just have to go to Chadder's RIGHT NOW and are willing to wait in a 20-car line at the drive-thru just to have a burger. It's a compulsion and I can't blame them. It takes everything I have not to get in my car, drive 40 minutes and wait another 60 minutes-- at least-- to get that juicy burger. Moo.
It's for the above reason I'm somewhat frustrated to be living in Utah during the upcoming Presidential election. I would love nothing more than to wear Romney t-shirts and go door-to-door campaigning for this guy. He has my vote and it's NOT just because he is Mormon! I have a brain and have been doing my research and I believe, out of the candidates so far, he is the one for the job. He has the experience, the drive and the qualities I want in a President. Being in Utah and saying I'm voting for Romney is like saying, "See you at Chadder's!" I get a knowing nod of the head and I swear I hear mooing in the background. Oh well, in Romney's case I'm willing to be one of the herd.