Tag: light

Music

The Willow is Weeping

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Hello friends! Hope this post finds you well!

This is my newly-finished song called “The Willow is Weeping.”

I read a poem by JRR Tolkien a few months ago that spoke to my heart (“All that is gold does not glitter”) and I decided to write music to it. Then, because Tolkien’s estate makes getting copyright permission nearly impossible, I decided to replace the original words with my own. It didn’t take me long to decide what this song would be about. The week I was trying to decide on a topic so I could begin the lyric-writing process, I had a conversation with a gentleman at a church party. He spoke of losing his father this past summer and the waves of grief he is currently experiencing. Before we left, he expressed hope that brighter days lay ahead- days where the weight of grief will ease. I went home determined to write this song about grief.

It didn’t take me long to develop the lyrics, pulling from my own experiences, as well as family members and friends who have lost loved ones. I wanted an analogy that helped me talk about grief, and the willow tree seemed like just the thing. I soon developed the verses to shift through the seasons, and loved phrases like “under the ground something’s yawning” and “the numb and the frozen are thawing.”

Enjoy!

(This is a link to youtube where you can see pictures of willow trees as the music plays.)

Music

“Not an Ordinary Passenger”

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Years ago, I had the awesome opportunity to go to EFY in Provo at BYU. One of the classes was taught by Brad Wilcox who now is a General Authority in our church (the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints). After his awesome class, I asked if I could take a picture with him and he (of course!) answered enthusiastically, “Yes!” I still have that picture, and feel especially excited when he speaks in General Conference.

Last fall, he gave a talk entitled “O Youth of the Noble Birthright.” It was a wonderful and inspiring talk, helping young Latter-day Saints understand their “Birthright” – their promised blessings and responsibilities from a loving Heavenly Father. I have 3 boys in those teen and pre-teen years and I thought it would be neat to put this message into a song to help them remember it.

Here is my expression of Brother Wilcox’s message in song. This is called, “Not an Ordinary Passenger.”

Quote

Compensatory Light

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This quote has been rattling around in my head all week. Need more light in your life? It’s available!!

Here is my major theme this morning: As evil increases in the world, there is a compensatory spiritual power for the righteous. As the world slides from its spiritual moorings, the Lord prepares the way for those who seek Him, offering them greater assurance, greater confirmation, and greater confidence in the spiritual direction they are traveling. The gift of the Holy Ghost becomes a brighter light in the emerging twilight.

To understand better, think of these comparisons: If the world were growing more physically dark, He could give us enhanced night vision. If loud noises were constantly in our ears, He could give us a filtering mechanism to block the unwanted sound. If the race we were running was extended, He could give us increased lung and muscle capacity. If the exam we were taking was more difficult, He could quicken our minds.

My brothers and sisters, as evil increases in the world, there is a compensatory power, an additional spiritual endowment, a revelatory gift for the righteous. This added blessing of spiritual power does not settle upon us just because we are part of this generation. It is willingly offered to us; it is eagerly put before us. But as with all spiritual gifts, it requires our desiring it, pursuing it, and living worthy of receiving it. “For what doth it profit a man if a gift is bestowed upon him, and he receive not the gift?”

-BYU speech by Elder Neil Anderson

Here is the whole talk if you’d like to review it.

A Compensatory Spiritual Power for the Righteous

Have you found this to be true as the commotion in the world increases? I have! It usually means stepping away from the news, going somewhere by myself, and praying. I have felt Heavenly Father’s desire to communicate with me to a greater degree than I did before 2020. I have had some sweet experiences listening and Hearing Him – not in an audible way, but in my mind and my heart. I have received messages that were personal and unmistakably from Heaven- under the stars.

He is so aware of us and loves us so much!

Have a wonderful day, friend!

Love,

Laura

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Give me a light…

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Photo by Cherry Laithang on Unsplash

This morning I read this quote that was too good to keep to myself.  This is the source if you’d like to look up the entire talk: https://speeches.byuh.edu/devotional/choose-a-growth-mindset

I love the poem written by Minnie Louise Haskins in 1908 and originally entitled “God Knows”.  It invites each of us to put our hand into the hand of God when we might be feeling fearful and the path ahead is not visible.  It reads like this:  And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year:  “Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.”  And he replied:  “Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God.  That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.”  That poem leads my thoughts to a Book of Mormon scripture with a similar feel. It asks, “Know ye not that ye are in the hands of God? Know ye not that he hath all power …. ” (Mormon 5:23)?  When you feel overmatched, please remember that God can open all doors and help us climb the highest peaks.

Isn’t that inspiring?!  Happy Thursday!

Love

Laura