In my mind when I hear these sorts of misunderstandings, I often wish in some way I could reach through the speakers and grab their microphone with a big, “Actually…”

Regarding the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

And they took up of the broken meat that was left, seven baskets full.

Hard things don’t get easier, we only get stronger.

Jesus is our lead climber. His anchors are perfectly placed, and the marks of his hands are as the white chalk on red sandstone giving us a clear path to follow.

We often create the means of our own destruction.

And [gratitude] shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.

It is surprising what ideas you can find in unexpected places. I always thought Morla was terrifying. And what is moral relativism?

“Fear makes come true that which one is afraid of” - Victor Frankl

We don’t always recognize the magnitude of our actions in the moment or even within years of the moment. It is only after collective years of action that looking back can offer the satisfaction of accomplishment.

Can we not be so quick to forget, when forgetting is in our nature? Can we remember the need to be prepared for supply shortages, travel restrictions, healthcare, and education challenges? Most importantly we should ask about the pandemic, “What have you learned?”

I used to think that gravity was a force of attraction that was somehow generated by the mass of objects. That an object by just having more mass than another had some power to exert a force on it.

But gravity is not a force.

Make yourself more than the challenge makes you.

It is windy and it rained today.

How can you tell the story of success? Of course, there is no one way to tell the story of all success, success itself is an arbitrary measure, and there are so many factors that contribute to achieving it that it is not possible to account for them all. But that is one of the things I enjoyed about this book, the different perspective.

When we are young, learning is happening constantly. A child’s brain capacity is so dynamic that their ability to learn new skills happens at an incredible rate, much faster than an adult. I wonder how much of this learning capacity is lost as we age by the simple nature of biology, or because as we reach maturity we simply stop learning.

I heard the legend, learned the history well enough - or so I thought. But it seems I had no real comprehension of the magnitude of exceptionalism that was embodied in the man Lincoln. I make no claim of having more so now, except that I am moved with greater earnestness having just finished an amazing book, and completed a phase of study that has triggered a great amount of reflection.

The events of the past week in DC have made me feel further away from my country than I ever have before. During my time in Venezuela I was accustomed to seeing and hearing of protests, riots, assaults, murders, political unrest and even a failed coup. We have always had our share of the minor of those atrocities in the United States, but the great expanse of our country can make it feel like the events happening in Chicago, Minneapolis, and DC might as well be happening in the Balkans.

In retrospect, what can we express in gratitude for the events of the last year - for so many things. Contrary to the rhetoric that is often expressed, whether in sincerity or in sensationalism, there is still much positivity to be had in reflecting upon the vagaries of 2020. We each have a variety of stories and experiences to tell, each has their own unique value. In comparison mine is no more remarkable, except that it is mine.

If there is a desire that I have in life, that stands above the rest, it would be to complete mortality having led my own children into a life of self-sufficiency and prosperity in faith. I write of one who has achieved this, and in this achievement, he may now rest with great satisfaction.