NEWPORT BEACH HARBOR

photo taken from Jetty View Park over looking Balboa Bay at Newport Beach on June 19, 2012

"They were once a delightsome people, and they had Christ for their shepherd;

yea, they were led even by God the Father. But now, behold, they are led about by Satan, even as chaff is driven before the wind, or as a vessel is tossed about upon the waves,

 without sail or anchor, or without anything wherewith to steer her;

Mormon 5: 17-18

I will write more shortly.

STANDING FOR LIBERTY

photo taken of a Statue of Liberty replica on June 16, 2012 on Balboa Island in California.

"Abide ye in the liberty wherewith ye are made free; entangle not yourselves in sin,

but let your hands be clean, until the Lord comes.
Doctrine and Covenants 88:86.

The above photo is a small replica of the statue of Liberty. The original stands on Liberty Island in New York Harbor and was a gift to the United States from the people of France. The statue is a robed female figure representing Libertas, the Roman goddess of freedom, who bears a torch and a “tabula ansata” (a tablet evoking the law) upon which is inscribed the date of the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776. A broken chain lies at her feet. The statue has become an icon of freedom and of the United States.

Today was a significant day. I voted in the primary elections to select the best candidate for the highest office in the country. There is no need to worry about voting for the lesser of two evils in this election, because there is a man on the ballot who truly knows what it means to keep the oath of office by upholding, defending and preserving the Constitution of the United States of America. This might be the last chance we might see such a man on the ballot one who supports a limited, constitutional government, low taxes, free markets, honest money, and a pro-America foreign policy. One who feels that our American troops should only go to war when necessary, have proper tools, and clear objectives. One who favors balanced budgets and not letting corporations control the President.

The man I voted for described himself at one of the Presidential debates as.. CONSISTENT.
The man I voted for has never been accused of being a flip-flopper.
The man I voted for is the closest man we have to one of our Founding Fathers.
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Joseph Smith said, "... we shall have the satisfaction of knowing that we have acted conscientiously, and have used our best judgment. And if we have to throw away our votes, we had better do so upon a worthy rather than an unworthy individual who might make use of the weapon we put in his hand to destroy us." (Joseph Smith, Jr., Times and Seasons, IV:441)

HAPPY SMILES

photo taken on June 15, 2012 of Eden's first trip to Disneyland.

"And it came to pass that Jesus blessed them as they did pray unto him;

and his countenance did smile upon them,

and the light of his countenance did shine upon them."

3 Nephi 19:25

Smiling is an expression denoting pleasure, joy and happiness. Smiling is something that is understood by everyone despite culture, race, or religion; it is internationally known. Newborns often exhibit smiles within the first three days of their lives, especially while sleeping. However these early smiles are spontaneous and are not a response to outside stimulation. These early smiles are referred to as "reflex smiles." Between 6 and 8 weeks, most babies begin to exhibit "social smiles", meaning the baby will smile at his/her caregivers or in response to stimuli. 

Our daughter Eden just turned 8 months old. Smiling comes naturally to her. We just returned from our family vacation to California. We took her to Disneyland for the first time. Many call it the "Happiest Place on Earth". Most tend to rely on entertainment to make us happy. However, true happiness comes from within.

SANCTUARY

Today is June 18, 2012. Three Days before the Summer Solstice. The day of most light.

These photos were taken a few weeks ago up Provo Canyon. Last time I went up there I had company as I sat along the bank of the river:  a hawk, a golden warbler and a robin. While not the best of pictures, I post them as a reminder.  

Birds find sanctuary high in the trees usually in peaceful and serene places. A sanctuary is defined in the 1828 dictionary as a place consecrated to the worship of God, a place where divine service is performed. It is a place of protection.

Here is some interesting things I learned about the robin:

Robins have a powerful significance in ancient myth and lore. One tale has its origins in European mythology, in which the bird of Spring is linked with the New Year and symbolises divine sacrifice and the rebirth of the spirit.

Medieval Europe lore often depicted the robin attending the Christ child, an emblem of the Passion to come. The tiny robin flew to Jesus' Crown of Thorns, striving bravely to pluck the thorns away with his beak. Unfortunately, the bird only tore his own breast on the thorns. Since then it was thought that robins wore red feathers on their chests as a badge of honour.


Robins are good parents like many birds are. One facet of this power animal their ability to nurture themselves into true adulthood. This is signified by the robin's red breast - it symbolizes the activation of creative energy, inciting growth. This is also linked with the Robin's traditional connection to spring - the season of renewal. When we let go of our past - a lot of which stems from childhood experiences - we are refreshed and renewed, thus unburdened and free to nurture and serve ourselves as well as others.
If there is an abundant food supply, robins will live the year-round in an area. This can show us that when our heart and soul feels gloomy and cold, we are able to thrive if we possess sufficient inner strength, courage and trust. Therefore, the robin is an especially good ally to have through the winter months.

One part of growth is learning how to deal with conflict in a mature manner. Male robins immersed in territorial disputes sing to each other.  Their song is a happy one, reminding you to let go of your personal drama and learn to laugh with life.

DAY OF WONDERS IN THE SKY

photo taken on June 5, 2012

 

 

A Recap of yesterday's wonders in the sky:

• Simultaneous sunrise and moonset
• The Transit of Venus
• Magnicent Burning Red Sunset

 The day was a living parable of sorts for me.

  

The first top two photos were taken in the morning of June 5, 2012... just after the break of dawn around 6:00 AM. The end of the fourth watch. The left photo is of the sun rising between two mountains. I took these photos near Elk Ridge. The right photo is tof the moon setting. As the greater light ascended, the lesser light descended simultaneously. Then, starting at 4:30 PM the symbolic planet of Venus began its transit across the sun. This will not occur again for over a hundred years. This is the 2nd eclipse of the sun this year. A winterlike cold front moved into Salt Lake that afternoon causing the entire city to be covered with clouds. The sun was not visible at all. Since this event was important to me, I needed to leave work, and left the valley and drove southeast over Traverse Ridge up to Eagle Point where I found the sun shining. I took many pictures as I witness the planet Venus aligning with the Sun.

 

Later that evening, right around the peak time of the eclipse, the sun came out at my home. I quickly took more pictures. The center photo was taken outside my house on my driveway. I then took my family and drove up towards the mountains on Wasatch Bouvelard to watch the sunset. The photo on the bottom is a taken with solar filter on. It was a beautiful red sky.

MORE SIGNS IN THE HEAVENS

photos taken tonight on 06.03.2012 of the Full Moon rising over the Wasatch Mountains.

Tomorrow evening there will be another very important occurrence happening in the sky. The planet Venus will "transit” or eclipse the disk of the sun for almost seven hours from roughly 4:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. The entire event will be about 6 hours and 40 minutes. The planet will be closest to center of sun at 7:30 p.m. It is a very rare occurrence and won't happen again for over a century. From the naked eye, it will appear as a little black spot going across the sun, but it's really rare. There have been only seven transits of Venus since the invention of the telescope in 1610, according to NASA. It will be visible all across the United States. It can be considered another “solar eclipse” of the sun. It will be the second solar eclipse this year, and third total solar eclipse will occur on November 13, 2012. One more thing that I came across that I thought was interesting. The path of Venus over the past 8 years will make a perfect five pointed star (pentagram). between the transit (that happened in 2004) and the second transit which is tomorrow (8 years later).
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In addition, in case some of you missed it, there was a full moon last night. I took these shots as the moon was rising over the mountain ridge near Lone Peak. Early this morning, there was a lunar eclipse that occurred but unfortunately not visible for those of us who live in Salt Lake.. Whenever there is a solar eclipse (which occurred on June 20), usually a lunar eclipse follows about 2 weeks later because of the alignment of the sun, moon, and earth.