"We're All Connected"

"...As ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called His people... willing to bear one another's burdens, that they may be light... willing to mourn with those that mourn, yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort..." -Mosiah 18:8-9

Many friends in Japan have responded, 
saying they're safe. I am so grateful.

The earthquake and tsunami hit farther east than where they live,

and my friends in the Tokyo area are alive and accounted for.

If I was still in Japan, I'd be safe too, living in Kakogawa.

However, those same friends have other friends in

Sendai and Tokyo, who they're worried about,

who they haven't been able to contact,

who are missing.

Your string could start with me.

My string continues on to my Hyogo, Osaka, Ishikawa, and Tokyo friends.

Their strings continue on to their loved ones in the destroyed areas.

We are all connected in this.

早く大丈夫になるように

{images belong to their respective owners.}

"The Dark Road, Illuminated"

"We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars." -Oscar Wilde

Every December, Kobe city glows.

It began 15 years ago

to give hope to the individuals who

lost loved ones in the Great Hanshin earthquake,

a 7.2-scaled tremor that tore the town apart.

Each and every light

is painted by hand.

Lucky for foreigners,

it falls around Christmastime,

helping us get into the spirit of the season.

Though, I know that's not the point. (^_-)☆

☆*ﾟ ゜ﾟ*☆*ﾟ ゜ﾟ*☆

Endless hope.

━─━─━─━─━

The next night,
the missionaries came bowling
with the youth in our ward.

Needless to say,
we had a hoot.

{"Dance of the Reed Pipes" via Kirov Orchestra & Valery Gergiev}

{"God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" via Rascal Flatts}

"A Small View of Chile"

"I'd swim the ocean for you. Lol jk, there are sharks in there." -Anon.

Last night,

I had just finished reading the chapters

in the scriptures

which described the natural disasters

the natives endured before Christ's coming . . .

when my bed began to tremble violently.

In reflection,

the water belongs to the fish,

the air to the bird . . .

so when the ground that belongs to you

refuses to let you walk freely upon it,

your world,

quite literally,

flips topsy-turvy,

and you realize how very fragile,

how very small you are.

Earthquakes. Gosh.

If I'm being completely honest,

it was the single most terrifying

AND the most thrilling thing

I have yet experienced,

all five seconds of it.

{PS: Nothing broke.}

{Photo via Papertissue}