"Burning Face"

If I had the ears of a dog,

they would be pressed flat against my head right now.

If I had a tail,

it would be tucked firmly between my legs.

I. Am. Ashamed.

My final for JAPAN 300 was today.

After reviewing my test, my Bishop asked me {in Japanese},

"Do you understand any of this?"

and I said, "Yes, I do."

and he said, "No, I don't think you do.

How do you say 'tree branch' in Japanese?"

and I said,
"Ude."

and he said, "Ude means 'arm'. Try again."

and after many attempts,

each one making my face grow redder and redder,

he finally stopped me and said,

"You need to study and learn Japanese."

*PLOP*

Here's a giant slice of humble pie. Eat it up.

After that embarrassment,

I practically ran up the stairs

to catch the last 10 minutes of Gospel Doctrine

and hide my face behind my scriptures.

The teacher, though,

bandaged my heart a little bit.

He spoke of King Solomon,

and how

such a wise and talented man

tripped at the finish line,

his talents becoming his downfall.

I may pride myself

in always receiving A's on my Japanese exams,

but if I lean on that pride,

I'll fall flat on my face.

{As I witnessed today... Those were the worst marks I've ever received.}

We are meant to be humble creatures.

I stayed after my meetings

to try and cheer up my heart with piano.

And while playing,

I discovered something about myself:

My fingers fumble a lot when I practice,

but the song is only ruined

if I stop playing.

I have a chance to redeem everything

if I stick with the song to the end,

and leave my mistakes in the past.

The song is only ruined

if I stop playing.

{images via here & here & here}