Thy soul shall find itself alone
'Mid dark thoughts of the grey tomb-stone --
Not one, of all the crowd, to pry
Into thine hour of secrecy:
Be silent in that solitude
Which is not loneliness -- for then
The spirits of the dead who stood
In life before thee are again
In death around thee -- and their will
Shall then overshadow thee: be still.
For the night -- tho' clear -- shall frown --
And the stars shall look not down,
From their high thrones in the Heaven,
With light like Hope to mortals given --
But their red orbs, without beam,
To thy weariness shall seem
As a burning and a fever
Which would cling to thee for ever :
Now are thoughts thou shalt not banish --
Now are visions ne'er to vanish --
From thy spirit shall they pass
No more -- like dew-drop from the grass:
The breeze -- the breath of God -- is still --
And the mist upon the hill
Shadowy -- shadowy -- yet unbroken,
Is a symbol and a token --
How it hangs upon the trees,
A mystery of mysteries! --
"Condemn me not because of mine imperfection,... but rather give thanks unto God that he hath made manifest unto you our imperfections, that ye may learn to be more wise than we have been." Mormon 9:31
This is the first year we have had many trick or treaters come to our happy abode. It was fun going trick or treating with Oliver, Simon and Hugh.
"Condemn me not because of mine imperfection,... but rather give thanks unto God that he hath made manifest unto you our imperfections, that ye may learn to be more wise than we have been." Mormon 9:31
I got to see the Motts, and I must say, Lily did an AMAZING job with their costumes! Here are a few pictures of mine, four years in the making. A few notes: I would prefer a blue lightsaber, but the hilt I wanted only came with a green blade, so blue will have to wait. Also thanks to Father for making the exceptional gray tunic! A friend took these pictures for me:
And with another friend who wore my old robes and dressed as my padawan learner (with a real padawan braid, no less!):
"All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us"
Hope you all enjoyed an extraordinary Halloween! Dad, your Hook costume was a big hit! Thanks for loaning it to us...we'll return it post haste. We're taking advantage of the girls' not-so-strong opinions on what their costumes are while we still can. I can't picture Abigail willingly dressing up as Smee when she's 9.
And yet Peter Pan was conspicuously absent from this merry little band ...
I must say, Abligail was the CUTEST THING EVER with her little cap! As were Lily and Jane, of course; and once again, Dad's Hook costume was a scene-stealer. That thing really is a family heirloom, plus the best part is that it's so very pirate-like with not a hint of that now-cliche Pirates of the Caribbean vibe. Very classy.
"All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us"
That sounds like something those modern interpretation sequals would do! Oh, and the lightsaber wasn't photoshopped! It uses LED's to glow super-bright which digital cameras catch as the effect you see - it's perfect for pictures!
So ... Did anybody else dress up for Halloween? Pictures?
"All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us"
Oliver the Funny Clown, complete with "honky nose"
Captain Simon the Pirate and Polly the Parrot
Hugh the Fuzzy Monkey
Ian borrowed dad's most ominous looking cloak again, sadly he didn't wear the undertaker's velvet hat this year.
Hugh only wore the outfit so that he could go with the rest of the guys. As soon as they got back, he was tearing that monkey outfit off faster than Oliver could check out his score for the night.
Happy Halloween!! - This is an interesting true story about Martin Luther on October 31st, 1517.
Martin Luther And A Life Changing Moment
Written by Dr. John L. Lund
2012-10-31
After receiving his master’s degree at the age of twenty-two, he was bound for law school. This was to please his father. However on the 2nd of July 1505, Martin Luther had a life-changing experience. He was riding his horse towards the Law University when a bolt of lightning nearly took his life. In an instant Martin returned home and reported to his father that he was terrified of death and the final judgment. In proclaiming that he was not prepared to meet God, Martin cried out, “Help! Saint Anna, I will become a monk.”
Martin Luther entered a monastery and devoted himself totally to a quest to discover what it was that God wanted from him in order that he might return and abide with God in eternity. Martin Luther focused on a comprehensive study of the Bible. From dawn until dusk Martin immersed himself in a determined quest to understand the life and message of Jesus as found in the New Testament. Martin poured over every word of the Old Testament looking for insight and what it was that God wanted from Martin Luther. Eventually he received a Doctor of Theology degree and was called to teach at the University of Wittenberg. Appropriately his title was “Doctor in Bible.” Students flocked to his classes from all over Europe. Martin Luther was unmatched as a Bible scholar. He would spend the rest of his career at Wittenberg deeply immersed in teaching the scriptures.
In Martin Luther’s day the wooden doors of the Church served as a bulletin board. If someone wanted to debate an issue they would write down on paper the premises they wanted to present and attach them to the door of the main church in town. Others would take up the challenge and a public debate would follow. The gap between what Martin Luther had read in the Bible and some of the corrupt practices existing in the Roman Church led Martin Luther to another life changing experience.
After considerable prayer and fasting Martin Luther wrote his now famous “95 Theses” and posted them on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg. It was October 31, 1517. This was the eve of “all Saints Day” when Christians honored all saints known and unknown. Today “Hallowed Eve or All Hallows Eve” has become a secular celebration called Halloween. Devoted Catholics, however, still go to a special Hallowed Eve Mass.
The much respected Martin Luther’s “95 Theses” quickly spread across northern Europe and developed into the Protestant Reformation. It was Martin Luther’s life changing experience that led him to develop a passion for the Bible. This motivated him to translate the Bible into German or the common language of the people. Formerly it was only the priests and the very wealthy that were permitted or could read the Latin Bible. Martin Luther’s German translation paved the way for the King James Version of the Bible in English. In one way or another, a “bolt of lightning” has touched the lives of hundreds of millions of people. Was it a random act of nature or was it the hand of God that July 2, 1505, that changed the life of Martin Luther? For some Martin Luther is regarded as a heretic and for others he was a hero. It all be began with a life changing moment.
"Condemn me not because of mine imperfection,... but rather give thanks unto God that he hath made manifest unto you our imperfections, that ye may learn to be more wise than we have been." Mormon 9:31
We did! Jane was a "fancy kitty" and Abby decided that she hated the mouse costume we were going to have her wear, so as we were heading out the door, we threw together our "butterfly fairy" from dress-ups. It's good to be flexible, right? In honor of the upcoming movie, Steve and I wore our most excellent Lord of the Rings costumes. Hope you all had a great Halloween!
"Condemn me not because of mine imperfection,... but rather give thanks unto God that he hath made manifest unto you our imperfections, that ye may learn to be more wise than we have been." Mormon 9:31
