The Ocean

I am walking, rather floating, as the cool, silky surface below nibbles at my feet.

I feel fearless, like I can fly, without rules, without barriers; I can do anything here.

I gaze out into the black, yet magnificent sky. Its menial lights shine down upon the mass beneath; a monster, a roaring monster, yet kind and gentle. Her eyes glow with a dark, brilliant blue. She graciously reaches out to me, touching my feet, giving me strength beyond my own.

We are alone in this place, she and I. We possess a love that will never die.

For hours, I look upon and admire her. I see eternity in her eyes.

Though when the night gets old, and we must part, she can be assured I shall always return.

Thomas Stanley, Jr.

Power in Writing

What is writing? That's a simple enough answer. Writing is taking a utensil and scratching on paper.....right? Well....writing is much more than that. Before you answer, ponder a little longer and deeper. Think about what you are really doing when you take that utensil and scratch words onto a piece of paper. When you write, you are literally taking your ideas, your thoughts, and your imagination, and putting them in a place where they will never be lost nor forgotten. With a simple writing utensil and a piece of paper, you can bring your imagination to life and allow others to share in those same adventures. You can write a simple note that will put a smile on someone's face. With carefully chosen words, you can write a letter that will touch somebody's heart and change lives. How many times do you hear a story of a soldier who when his family received his letter, it had tear stains in the very spot that says, "I love you and I miss you so." You can write down every frustration on your mind just to get those words out of there. Are you seeing the power in written words? Do you understand now that writing is so much more than scratching on paper? Next time you write, remember what you are really doing. When you can truly understand the power in writing, you will no longer complain about the cramps in your hand. You will want to keep writing....and never stop.

By Thomas Stanley, Jr.

Do Not Complain, Do Your Part & Live a Simple Life

In my college algebra class the other day, I sat waiting for the professor to begin the lesson. Ten minutes into class, the lesson had not started. Twenty minutes into class, still nothing. This continued on for a good hour and a half. The reason the teacher had not begun the lesson was because a majority of the students were asking questions about the previous lesson and the homework that went along with it. After observing the questions that were asked, I began to realize that students were trying to get the work and answers to the homework problems without any effort on their part. Having observed this, it was no surprise to me that these students could not understand even after the teacher went through each problem on the board.

These students were wasting time that should have been focused on a new lesson. They slowed others from progressing and made this difficult college algebra class a lot more difficult and frustrating than it needed to be. These students would also complain during class that they did not understand the homework, when it was obvious they didn't put forth the effort to understand it.

Why do I speak of this experience? I described this experience to show that people tend to make life a lot more difficult than it needs to be. When we do not understand something, whether intentionally or not, we often compromise the simple lives of others. We take our problems to them before we have attempted to solve them ourselves. Then, when we do not receive the answer the way we would like, we sit there and complain, causing grief to fall upon those whose lives were once simple, but now complex because someone else's problems have been to added to their life. We do not need to cause others pain and grief because of problems we refuse to solve. We do not need to cause ourselves pain and grief for the same reason. Life is simple. It should stay that way.

When a trial is placed before you, understand that you must not complain. You must first do your part and seek guidance from your Heavenly Father through prayer. Trust that He will help you understand. But know that He cannot help you find your answer unless you put forth effort enough to show Him you really want that which you are seeking. Think of Heavenly Father as the teacher, and you as the student. If you are seeking an answer to a problem, and have made no effort to solve it first, the teacher cannot help you find the answer you are seeking. How can he lead you when you will not attempt to understand beforehand? But, if the teacher can see that you have attempted to reach the answer, he will know you have started down the path of understanding, and he can then help you with the rest.

Do your part and do not complain. Life is meant to be simple. Do not make it complicated for yourself and for others. When faced with a problem, attempt to solve it. Then, if you still cannot find the answer, seek help from others. You will find that they will be more willing to listen and understand if they can see that you have at least put forth an effort.

Thomas Stanley, Jr.