Gold List

Life as a sports camp counselor equals the occasional hospital run. Hospital duty. Today I took twelve year old Lee to the hospital because he had jammed his finger played some bball. He was a pretty cute kid and had lots of questions. Like how does insurance work and what is life insurance. He also had some opinions about spoiled kids and told me about a classmate back home who never does his homework. He was great.

But here is why he goes on the Gold List. Later that day, he gave me a high five as I was riding my bike past a group of him and his friends. Small. Simple. Made a huge difference in my day. Gold List for sure.

The millennium

The Gold List

So every so often there are these people who make a huge difference in my life and have no idea. Of course there any many people making a difference in my life every day, but there are some people who seriously don't even know me or realize that they impacted my life. From now on, these people are going on The Gold List. Starting Now.

• The girl who passed me pushing my bike up the hill behind the SFH. She gave me the most genuine smile and told me I was almost there. Pushing my bike up that hill wasn't that hard, but other things in life are, and I am so grateful for the little bit of life that she gave me.
• Maura in my SCED 353 class. Anytime that I come up to sit at her table she makes eye contact with me, smiles, and pushes out the chair for me. She does this for everyone, and it makes you feel loved and part of the group. She doesn't realize how much I needed that some days.
• Last year this boy named Mark, a freshman, struck up a conversation with me as I was walking to class. Even after he found out I was a junior, he was still very genuine and fun to talk to. He even walked me all the way to class and got the door for me before leaving to go to work. He had no ulterior motives except to be nice to me and make my day. He did.

I am sure there are more, and I plan to keep adding to the list. It reminds me to smile more at strangers and talk to people I don't know. You never know how much they might need it. And if you still haven't read this talk, What If Love Were Our Only Motive?, do it. It doesn't matter who you are, or what you believe about life, you will at least enjoy this talk if it doesn't change your life.

Prezi

Because I know you are all dying to cite your MLA paper correctly.

Check out my Prezi.

Harry Potter

So maybe I will just always love Harry Potter because it is a part of my childhood, and I felt as though the whole world stopped every time a new book came out. Yes, I was one of those kids who thought maybe, just maybe I would receive a letter on my eleventh birthday. I knew spells by heart and tried out homemade butter bear recipes. Not that I was that different than many other kids my age. Even now, the most obscure Harry Potter references are appreciated by many of my peers. But the real reason I love Harry Potter is because I think it is good literature - and I am a tough critic.

Amidst the many sub-themes, the standout idea in Harry Potter is the power of love. In the series, it is so powerful that it saved lives, makes the impossible possible, and destroys all evil. Now if good literature is a reflection of reality, I would say that is pretty much right now. Love is the most powerful thing I have ever experienced. And I believe that love is only made possible through the atonement of Jesus Christ. God's love for us is so perfect that He sent His son to die for us so that we might be able to live with Him again. Through the atonement, we can come to love God and each other in a pure selfless way. I am amazed at how much my life has changed for the better as I have tried to turn it over to God and love as He loves. Here are some talks about love that I really like:

The Love of God by Dieter F. Uchtdorf
What if Love were our only Motive? by Russell T. Osguthorpe