Tracie's World

This week I've been thinking a lot about the great Latter-day Saint hymn, Hope Of Israel. I'd heard it again one night while I was listening to a talk on YouTube, and it's stuck with me most of the week. It's a very dramatic hymn, a sort of "rallying of the troops" in a gospel context. The last phrase of the chorus tells us to "Vanquish every foe today", and that got me to thinking about what could be foes in today's day and age that I need to overcome. I thought I don't have a lot of people that I would consider as foes, but I definitely have weaknesses and temptations that I should be trying to overcome every day. Foes like impatience, anger, resentment, or anything really that could keep me from being a better disciple of Christ. So as I go about my day, I could perhaps vanquish those foes by not allowing myself to get impatient and irritated, etc. You get the idea. Anyhoo - it's been an interesting thought for me this week, one th...

Last evening, a few of us got together to celebrate our pal Angel's birthday. She chose to do dinner at a favorite local pub called Gracie's. The food is good, there's (usually) plenty of seating, and not the typical bar atmosphere. Usually.  However, it never occurred to us that this time around Gracie's would be hosting a pre-St. Patty's Day bash, with a live band, and plenty of rowdy revelers. We had to practically yell to hear each other over the crowd. Nevertheless, we enjoyed our meals - I definitely recommend the shrimp tacos, and I had even brought along a birthday dessert of chocolate mousse torte. Suddenly, to our surprise and out of nowhere, a very pleasant young gal stopped, and sat down at our table. She'd met some friends and had a couple of drinks, but had somehow lost her group, and after wandering upstairs and down, was exhausted, and looking for a safe place to sit and catch her breath. She was all decked out in her holiday wear, and was as p...

Whew! The last quarter of 2018 was a whirlwind! But I hung on, and am back for more in 2019. So to catch you up, here's a quick update: I completed the capstone project for my master's degree. It was a major challenge, and I admit I was at times fearful that I wouldn't be able to do it. But do it I did, and I was thrilled to come out of it with a solid grade. I was given some new opportunities at work. I was handed the company's most critical technology project, and tasked with getting it back on track, and delivered on time. While we did miss our deadline by a couple of weeks, the business signed off on the project and it is ready to go live. BA World Chicago. Our team went on a quick trip to a conference in Chicago, where we got some great information from some prominent business analysts. We also had some Giordano's pizza, got to visit the 96th floor of the Hancock Building, and attended the musical "Hamilton". Nephew #2 received hi...

There's been a new show on PBS recently called "Equus: The Story of the Horse". In it, the host takes us through the history of the Horse in many different cultures and locations. One of which was a visit to a "Horse Whisperer" fellow, who specializes in breaking and training horses. He describes his method as less about breaking the horse's spirit, and more about making a connection with the horse's mind. It's a much gentler method, that helps the horse get to the point that it chooses to do the thing it is being asked to do, because of its connection with the trainer. This got me to thinking about the concept of "having a broken heart and a contrite spirit". I guess previously, I'd thought of this concept mostly as the breaking of a spirit. Say if you're watching an old movie western, and the cowboys jump on the back of the horse, and ride it until gives in and just stops bucking. But this comment had me thinking about it differ...

If you've been watching Netflix much lately, you've probably seen the new series "Tidying Up", with Marie Kondo. She's an expert in cleaning, tidying, and storing stuff, and her method is quite inspiring. I enjoyed the show so much that I ordered her book "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up", and spent several days trying to get my house more in order. Not that I'm a hoarder - I have a basically tidy home. But the Kon-mari method teaches you to look at your belongings and ask yourself if each particular belonging brings you joy. If it doesn't, it's time for it to move on. I went through all my clothes first, followed by my books and DVD's, followed by the office, followed by the kitchen and laundry room. Whatever didn't bring me joy or a happy memory went into the pile. And when all was said and done, I ended up taking an entire car full of stuff to the local Deseret Industries, to hopefully be re-purposed for someone else to find ...

In the LDS church, members are asked to serve in various ways. Church leaders come to us and ask us to take on a formal service assignment. No matter what is is we're asked to do, whether the task is large or small, we consider it a very sacred responsibility. Our "callings" generally last for a year or two, and then we're "released" and "called" to fill another assignment. Several months ago I was released from my calling as a Relief Society Teacher, and have been without another calling since then. It's the longest I've ever gone without a formal calling, and I have to say, I have struggled a bit not having one. I believe in serving in the church, and I felt a bit off. I prayed for an opportunity to serve somehow, and did my best to help out where I could. But I still just haven't felt quite right. Well, the opportunity finally came today and I was asked to serve as the ward choir director. Of course I accepted. Now lest you think t...