Family Pictures Near the Beach

Thursday Night Activity

When I was in the 7th grade my teacher returned a book report back to me on my desk with a poor grade. As I looked closer at one of her comments I felt even worse. As in most book reports, I had to draw a "stupid" picture (as I would have referred to it back then because I hated drawing). I gave the work a solid effort. Anyway, her comment was "Please try harder. A second grader can draw better than this." Ever since then, and even before, my desire to draw has been stranded. I occasionally will draw with the kids but never continue.

On Thursday night, up by myself and holding down the fort while my wife is at OCMCO (Orange County Mormon Choral) I had a desire to create or build something. I don't really create or build but I really felt like it. I decided I would draw something. I went on Youtube and put in "How to draw a car".

I was then educated for the first time (or least I think it is...I could have forgotten) to the horizontal line 3D triangle. It guided me on how to draw in perspective view. It helped. The picture you see is my attempt. I drew more but these are the only ones I did in my little notebook. The one on the lower half had its front change mid way through because it just worked that way. It was kind of an accident and I just went with it. So...I am drawing. I picked up the pencil today and spent 20 minutes or so drawing with Callie. Not sure how long I will keep this up but it was nice to resurrect something I should have enjoyed as a kid...unmolested from the critiques and criticisms of others.

Shotgun Morning

I am an Eagle Scout. You would think as an Eagle scout that I would be able to survive in the wilderness for months with a shotgun, a roll of string, and the clothes on my back. This unfortunately is not the case. I am likely one of the least prepared Eagle Scouts that you will meet. This is because I did scouts out of obligation and not out of my own desire. I had some good times and some bad. Overall, of course, now that it is in the past I am glad I did it. That doesn't change the fact that I am ill prepared to take care of myself or my family in dire wilderness circumstances.

The whole point behind this entry is to confess that I have never used a shot gun or even gone fishing. The shooting part I took care of this morning. I woke up nice and early, sneaked into the closed state park in Santiago Canyon, drove up to the upper half of the mountain, parked and shot. I say "I" but it was really Ryan who got me to do all those things. Ryan Nicholls a good friend and a person a lot different from myself.

To summarize my shooting experience:

• My shoulder and middle finger hurt
• I hit some targets and, I believe, I hit the orange saucer Ryan flung one time
• I like watching the shells pop out of the gun when I unload
• I enjoyed it. Did not love it but enjoyed it. I did it and that is what is most important. I tried it.

Movember

This is the second time I have sported a mustache. The first was in June and was not well received by most. This time I have not received as much ridicule because there is a greater purpose than my want for facial hair variety. This year I decided to participate in the charity cause that started in Australia 12 years ago. It is, I believe, the largest Men's Health charity event in the world. Much like pink for breast cancer, the mustache is to create conversation and fundraising for men's health issues, such as prostate cancer, depression, etc.

To donate whatever funds, no matter how limited, to Movember please visit the link below.

http://mobro.co/Justinstorm and click "Donate to me" under my picture.

If you would like to find out more about the programs funded by Movember you can visit:

http://us.movember.com/about

I also want you to know this is a more flattering picture of me with a stache. Maybe it is the suit but I did not look this good yesterday. I guess the attire makes it look a little more classy than the hat and casual clothes of yesterday.

I am reading in "The Greatest Thing in the World" book from my great grandfather again and thought I would share some additional insights.

I love this comparison of Paul's explanation of love with the workings of a prism:

"As you have seen a man of science take a beam of light and pass it through a crystal prism, as you have seen it come out on the other side of the prism broken up into its component colors - red, and blue, and yellow, and violet, and orange, and all the colors of the rainbow - so Paul passes this thing, Love, through the magnificent prism of his inspired intellect, and it comes out on the other side broken up into its elements."

The broken up elements being Love suffereth long, and is kind, etc. Pretty cool huh. I will share my favorite bits of soul and mind provoking elements:

"Love is patience...is passive; not in a hurry; calm; ready to do its work when the summons comes...understands, and therefore waits"

"Where Love is, God is. He that dwelleth in Love dwelleth in God. God is Love. Therefore love."

"Humility - to put a seal upon your lips and forget what you have done...Love even hides from itself. Love waives even self-satisfaction."

There are nine elements in all.

Three moving thoughts for your day. Love is so big and so encompassing that to understand it is understand God. I don't know if we will ever really get there in this life. It surely has levels. The deeper we go into it the closer we will feel to our Heavenly Father.

We are all wanting to feel this Love. We are all thirsting for this Love. Whether it be through our friendships, spouse, family, music, movies, books, drugs, sex, food, etc. We are wanting to feel that deep feeling of something in our soul. I find that it is not automatic or easy to achieve. It takes work and it takes knowing yourself. Each of us is unique and, I believe, feel love through different things. Love is somewhat customizable to the individual. Although there are underlying principles that apply to all. The goal for all of us is to understand how to achieve this Love for ourselves. Once this is achieved, at least to a small degree, our second goal will be how to help others experience it.

Yes Love is simple but not really. Love is a lot more than what I think it is. Probably certain elements of Love are simple but to truly understand and feel it takes a lifetime of concentration and awareness.

That is my philosophical thought of the week. Let us all Live it, Feel it, and, of course, LOVE it.

The Greatest Thing In The World

A continuation from my last blog post...I am reading this book that was gifted to my great grandfather "Bishop J. Ray Smith from Heber J. Grant". He served as bishop for 15 straight years I am told.

So this book "The Greatest Thing In The World" is half pamplet and half book. Kind of like a long talk given. The picture above is a close representation of what the book looks like. Anyway, as I was reading this one phrase really hit me:

"Then Paul contrasts it (love) with sacrifice and martyrdom...remember that though you give your bodies to be burned, and have not Love, it profits nothing --- nothing!"

I have spoken with some of you about my personal shift in the way I am approaching my relationship towards God and religion. The above statement along with a few others I have found deeply impact me. My whole life I have approached religion primarily out of duty (I say primarily because their are other reasons...fear, love, to look good, get blessings, etc.). Love is my new goal. I want love. I need love. As this shift has slowly started to take place I have noticed a significant change in my relationships. My life is more real...more me. Others feel it and I think I feel it too.

Anyway, how cool it is that today I am benefiting from a book that was given to my great grandfather nearly 80 years ago. Truth is eternal. Truth knows no time and is pertinent to all.

Jeduthan Averett - My Great, Great, Great Grandfather

I was looking at some stuff that I took when my grandmother died. It really touched me to see these photos of my ancestry and my ggg grandparents. I thought I would share a little bit about the first ancestor to be baptized in the church of Christ in 1833 in the state of Alabama. He served in the Mormon battalion. I kind of wish I named my children after some of my ancestors. Oh well, maybe I can convince my kids someday to do so.

Averett, Jeduthan, a member of the Mormon Battalion, Company D, was born June 12, 1816, in Chesterfield County, North Carolina [South Carolina]. He was baptized about the year 1833 [1843] in Alabama by James Brown and emigrated to Nauvoo, Ill., after the death of the Prophet Joseph Smith, having presided over a branch of the Church in Alabama for several years [It was actually not so long as that.] Traveling westward in 1846, he enlisted in the Battalion on the Missouri River, suffered considerably with sickness on the journey, but was healed from being in an insensible condition when about four hundred miles on the way. He wintered in Pueblo, and arrived in the Salt Lake Valley in July, 1847. He afterwards went back to the States, resided five years in Kanesville, Iowa, and returned to the Valley in 1852. He worked for Pres. Brigham young for six years and then moved to Springville in December, 1857. Bro. Averett was always known as a quiet but busy man. He died in St. George, Utah, Jan. 12, 1885. [Actually, he died in Springville, Utah, 2 January 1902.]

Source: Jenson, Andrew. LDS Biographical Encyclopedia: A Compilation of Biographical Sketches of Prominent Men and Women in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City, UT, USA: Andrew Jenson History Co., 1901. Volume 4, p. 729.