Recently, my wife and I have decided that we are going to make a big change in our lives. We currently live in Utah. Like any place, it has it's ups and it's downs. There are some very good things here but at the same time.... We will just say it's not really for us. :) I served an LDS mission in Portland, OR. and found that I absolutely LOVE it there! So in a recent discussion with my wife we decided that we were going to move there! We are extremely excited! The move won't happen until October so we have a while to wait, but I can't wait. :)

    With this recent decision there has been some personal revelations and reminders. One of which being that spontaneity is not, necessarily, a bad thing. We decided to do this in about a weeks time and have been preparing ever since. To some people this may seem like it is rash and not very smart, and to be honest, for those people it probably wouldn't be. However, given our situation and who we are it is actually a great plan.

    I am still going to school for IT and we found that there is a college out there that is more focused on the degree I want. We do not have any children just yet and Neither of us really have a true career yet either, therefor, I doubt we will have a better opportunity to make such a decision. Overall, this is a good thing for us.

    Now, going back to the idea of spontaneity, I remember just a few years ago, before I was married, I was told a simple phrase by someone that was in a similar situation that really effected me. I was working at a call center and more then anything, at the time, I wanted to go and teach English abroad. I have always had a desire to leave the country, but money and just logic itself always seemed to be in my way. I was talking about this dream with a friend of mine there and explaining how I wanted to go. She had been on volunteer trips before and was about my same age. After I had told her how I wanted to go, she simply asked, "Why don't you?"

    I replied with the obvious reply. Something to the effect of "Well, I can't. I have work and I need more money, etc." What she told me, although very simple, effected me greatly and made me realize a simple truth.

    She said, "Well, it's only money. You can always get more."

    I took a step back and thought about it. I had never heard anyone be so nonchalant about money. Did it really not matter as much as I thought? She said it was such surety that it caught me off guard. It was from this simple phrase that I change my way of thinking.

    "It's just money" It's true. What is money really? A peice of paper that we center our entire lives around. And why? Because society tells us to; because we "Have to"; because we know nothing better to do. To all you Christians out there, do you think money is really going to matter when the second coming comes? Is Jesus going to care home much money you have made or have? NO! And to the non-Christians, can you imagine how amazingly fun and wonderful life would be if we didn't have money! Think about it.

    In no way am I saying we need to boycott money. That simply won't work. All we can do is change our way of thinking. Is the money we earn really as important as we make it out to be, or are we just trapped in a frame of mind that we have never even considered breaking? Don't let yourself get trapped by the illusion of money. All it does is cage you. Don't let your dreams or ambitions be halted by obstacles that aren't truly there.

What does it mean to dream? When I say "Dream" do you think of the inconsistent and sometimes strange images and thoughts you see when you are asleep in your bed? Or do your thoughts turn to the aspirations and fantasies of your heart and what you wish to accomplish? Today I speak of the latter.

We all have dreams and aspirations; of thoughts and desires for a better future of happiness. This is something we all share, but the true wonder of it all is that each and every individual has a completely separate dream than you. Every person you share a passing glance at is on there way to fulfilling their dream. And yes, I mean fulfilling.

There are those of us who have sought out and tried their hardest to obtain their dream only to be met with disaster and heartache. I dare say that every one of us have experienced this to some degree, and we must understand that that is part of the journey. But I do not write this to focus on the bad times.


I wish to reference a film that I find uplifting, passionate, and beautiful. It is an anime called Whisper of the Heart by Hayao Miyazaki. This is an absolutely beautiful story of a child's realization of life and searching out her dreams. there are several amazing lessons to be learned in this film including the message in the Quote "When the afternoon currents mix we can even touch the stars without fear." What a beautiful sentiment. We must remember that our dreams are what fuel us. It is our wishing for a better future that prepares us for the rough patches that are destined to come. We all have a purpose and we must realize that this purpose may not be to be something rich and powerful. It may just be to live a full life with the one you love.

In Whisper of the Heart the young girl Shizuku finds herself slacking off in her studies and always wants to read her stories of fantasy and write her own. She is constantly being ridiculed by her sister and feels the pressure for her to do as she is suppose to. Upon meeting with Seiji, a boy she starts to fall in love with, she realizes that he is already on his way to achieving his dreams and she feels very inadequate; using the phrase "I am just not good enough" often. (which I have caught myself saying as well.) It is obvious that he loves her back, but she is not convinced and is determined to follow her dream and write a story while he is away.

She ends up finishing her story and even shrugs off her schooling even more because she realizes that not everyone has to follow the same guidelines. Unfortunately for her she finds out that her story is no master piece and still needs a lot of work. It isn't until her 'Fall' that she realizes she needs more schooling in order for her to be better at what she wants to do.

Upon Seiji's return she finds out that he is completely ready and willing to help her or even carry her through her struggles if he has to. In one scene Seiji is riding up a steep hill on a bike with Shizuku on the back. When she asks him if she should get off he says "No, I decided I was going to ride up this steep hill carrying you with me."

At which point she reply's "Who said you could decide that? I don't want to be a burden for you. If I'm going with you, I'm going to help you." Then she jumps off the bike and helps push him up.

What a delightful analogy! This is exactly how we should view our relationship with those around us, and especially our spouses! It doesn't matter if it is the man or the woman riding the bike or pushing it up the hill, all that matters is that you are pushing and trying together!

Let us all remember that we are not meant or should face our trials alone. And in the process of achieving our dreams we will face many hard and powerful trials. So with the help of the one you love you can literally achieve anything.