Day Marks

Memorial Service for Mary Ellen Ryder 6 September 2008 * Boise State University Student Union Building Friday, September 5, was a late summer day, with searing sunshine, cool breezes, and pure blue skies. It was a good day for the drive north on I-15 and I-84 from Salt Lake to Boise. There was no hint of the recent tragedy, no sign of the disaster, except for small stretches of scorched land near the freeway in a few places. At a rest stop near Boise, a “Biker Mama” said that she used to live in the Columbia Village where the fire occurred. She said that news reports stated that the fire spread very quickly, that homes just exploded one after another as flames devoured dry brush nearby. After I got settled in a hotel near the Boise State University campus, I took a drive north on Highway 55, winding my vehicle and my thoughts up the beautiful Payette River canyon in the evening light. I wanted to have a sense of Mary Ellen’s landscapes in Idaho, to see some of the places she had

"I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him." Noah Webster inscription from the sculpture behind the Frost Library at Amherst College in Amherst, Massachusetts. (born October 16, 1758; called back April 28, 1843).

The one whose weakness seems so obvious has strengths that will astonish you.

"There's nothing wilder than a life of humble virtue, for it is through selflessness and service that God wrings from our bodies and spirits the most we ever could give, the most we ever could offer, and the most we ever could do."

"Of our greatest acts we are ignorant – " (Emily Dickinson Letter 330, June 1869)

Feeling a little dispirited one day, I took a hike in the Rocky Mountains of southern Alberta . I was not very hopeful about my progress towards perfection, and my weaknesses lay heavy in my heart. It was late spring in the valley. The flowers were out, the trees full of leaves, and warm breezes were blowing. The higher I climbed, the less green I saw. Snow lay in patches on the trail. After a few hours of climbing, I saw very few signs of spring. All around it was still cold, still winter. I sat down on a rock to rest and began to ponder and pray. I noticed a little bush in front of me; it had tiny green buds on it—just the promise of spring. As I stared at it, the little plant seemed to whisper these words, “In the highest mountains, spring comes late.” I wondered what these words meant until I had studied the green buds long enough to realize that our lives can be much like that little bush. We’ll never be content with the valley and the spring that comes early at the foot of th

. . . Twilight bounds softly forth on the grass. And the eyes of those two Indian ponies Darken with kindness . . . Suddenly I realize That if I stepped out of my body I would break Into blossom. (James Wright)

. . . I look down now. It is all changed. Whatever it was I lost, whatever I wept for Was a wild, gentle thing, the small dark eyes Loving me in secret. It is here. At a touch of my hand, The air fills with delicate creatures From the other world. (James Wright)

In a pine tree, A few yards away from my window sill, A brilliant blue jay is springing up and down, up and down, On a branch. I laugh, as I see him abandon himself To entire delight, for he knows as well as I do That the branch will not break. (James Wright)

" . . . We are not exhausted. We are not angry, or lonely, Or sick at heart. We are in love lightly, lightly. We know we are shining, Though we cannot see one another . . . We breathe light." (James Wright)

President Gordon B. Hinckley’s Wishes for Students: Intellectual Discipline Social Ease Unassailable Spiritual Strength

The main elements of a stylistic analysis: 1. Divide the passage into sub-texts or sub-scenes by character entrances and exits. 2. Read the sub-scene passage aloud. 3. Underline, highlight, or parse the main clauses. 4. Discuss significant rhetorical figures in the passage. 5. Analyze phonetic, orthographic, morphological, syntactic, semantic, and lexical features of the text. 6. Identify cultural, sociolinguistic, historical, dialectal, and pragmatic contexts for the texts. 7. Evaluate the tone, message, and effect of the passage as a whole.

All landscapes lie under a veiling sky. Each one embraces ten views, each view a hundred sights, each sight a thousand shapes, each separate shape a million discriminations made from inward darkness by instrument, and every single one some apprehension of infinitude. (Arthur H. King)

Our schools ought to recognize and promote the highest and the best in art, to espouse a standard which – as represented by great writers like Shakespeare, Homer, and Dante – mediates between the extremes of the naively optimistic and the faithlessly pessimistic visions of life. (Whitsitt)

The most powerful human incentive, in families or organizations, is the opportunity to grow in an atmosphere that is free of accusing attitudes and evasion. (C. Terry Warner)

There can be no friendship without confidence, and no confidence without integrity. (Samuel Johnson)

Once, there were no specialized branches of inquiry, no separate mathematics, physics, psychology, etc. Everyone who desired knowledge thought carefully about all of experience, including its theological dimensions. This knowledge of experience was wisdom, and the search for wisdom was called philosophy. (C. Terry Warner)

Seeing sights feeds the mind ideas. (Earl Wilson)

This life is but an interlude between two eternities. (Thorpe B. Isaacsen)

Goin’ Home, Goin’ Home, I'm a Goin’ Home; Quiet-like, some still day, I'm jes' Goin’ Home. It's not far, jes' close by, Through an open door; Work all done, care laid by, Gwine to fear no more. Mother's there 'spectin' me, Father's waitin' too; Lots o' folk gather'd there, All the friends I knew, All the friends I knew. Home, I'm Goin’ Home! Nothin lost, all's gain, No more fret nor pain, No more stumblin' on the way, No more longin' for the day, Gwine (or Going) to roam no more! Mornin' star lights the way, Res'less dream all done; Shadows gone, break o' day, Real life jes' begun. Dere's no break, ain't no end, Jes' a livin' on; Wide awake, with a smile Goin' on and on. Goin’ Home, Goin’ Home, I'm jes' Goin’ Home. It's not far, jes' close by Through an open door. I'm a Goin’ Home. I'm jes' Goin’ Home. [copyright 1922 by Oliver Ditson Company]

Blue moon of Kentucky keep on shining. Shine on the one that's gone and proved untrue. Blue moon of Kentucky keep on shining. Shine on the one that's gone and left me blue. It was on a moonlight night, Stars were shining bright, Whispers from on high, Your love has said goodbye. Blue moon of Kentucky keep on shining. Shine on the one that's gone and proved untrue. Blue moon of Kentucky keep on shining. Shine on the one that's gone and left me blue.

She blooms for me, near a little village, In a cabin, on the hill. We made our vows we'd love each other, And I hope we always will. Often in my dreams I see my darlin'. In a gingham dress, she looks so sweet. Oh, how I long for old Kentucky And my darlin' once more to meet. Well now, I know you often wonder, So I'll tell you the reason why She is my rose of old Kentucky, And I know she'll never lie. CHORUS. She's my rose of old Kentucky. I watch her bloom as the years go by. And to me there'll never be another. I'll love her still the day I die.

"You will be going uphill from now on and you will have to make your own way. So Sotuknang told you: The farther you go, the harder it gets." "He began to learn, in brief, that he too had two aspects. He was a member of an earthly family and tribal clan, and he was a citizen of a great universe, to which he owed a growing allegiance as his understanding developed." "You must go on alone and find your own place of Emergence. Just keep your doors open, and your spirits will guide you." "You must always remember and observe these three phases of your Creation. The time of the three lights, the dark purple, the yellow and the red reveal in turn the mystery, the breath of life, and warmth of love. These comprise the Creator's plan of life for you as sung over you in the Song of Creation." "There is only one thing I ask of you. To respect the Creator at all times. Wisdom, harmony, and respect for the love of the Creator

My life goes on in endless song, Above earth's lamentation. I hear the real though far-off hymn That hails a new creation. Through all the tumult and the strife, I hear its music ringing. It sounds an echo in my soul. How can I keep from singing? What though the tempest loudly roars, I hear the truth, it liveth. And though the darkness round me close, Songs in the night it giveth. No storm can shake my innermost calm While to that Rock I'm clinging. Since Love is lord of heaven and earth, How can I keep from singing? When tyrants tremble in their fear And hear their death knell ringing, When friends rejoice both far and near, How can I keep from singing? In prison cell or dungeon vile Our thoughts to them are winging. When friends by shame are undefiled, How can I keep from singing?

1. Make a list of those things your readers most likely already know about your topic. 2. Now list those things that your readers probably don't know, but which they will need to know in order to understand your essay. 3. Briefly explain how you decided what your audience's prior knowledge or lack of knowledge was about your topic. Try to explain how you knew what your audience did or did not know. 4. Now take a few moments to really consider your answers to points 1, 2, and 3 above. Now that you have focused on these concerns, how will you adapt your essay to accommodate your readers?

ED'U-CATE, v. t. [L. educo, educate; e and duco, to lead; It. educare; Sp. educar.] To bring up, as a child; to instruct; to inform and enlighten the understanding; to instill into the mind principles of arts, science, morals, religion and behavior. To educate children well is one of the most important duties of parents and guardians. ED'U-CA-TED, pp. Brought up; instructed; furnished with knowledge or principles; trained; disciplined. ED'U-CA-TING, ppr. Instructing; enlightening the understanding, and forming the manners. ED-U-CA'TION, n. [L. educatio.] The bringing up, as of a child; instruction; formation of manners. Education comprehends all that series of instruction and discipline which is intended to enlighten the understanding, correct the temper, and form the manners and habits of youth, and fit them for usefulness in their future stations. To give children a good education in manners, arts and science, is important; to give them a religions education is indi

Be prayerful. Trust the hand of the Lord to guide you in your career path. Follow your dreams as you work diligently day by day. Part-time jobs and volunteer work can be as important as coursework for future career opportunities. Try to prepare at least one marketable skill as part of, or in addition to, your academic major. If you came from a broken family, you may feel that you are stupid or lazy: do not believe those lies. Or, you may be a stress-driven over-achiever if your family has fallen apart: do not push away your joys. If you have a healthy family, help build the confidence of those around you with smiles, fellowship, and faith. Cynthia L. Hallen

. . . thus half abash't Adam repli'd. Neither her out-side formd so fair, nor aught In procreation common to all kindes (Though higher of the genial Bed by far, And with mysterious reverence I deem) So much delights me, as those graceful acts, 600 Those thousand decencies that daily flow From all her words and actions, mixt with Love And sweet compliance, which declare unfeign'd Union of Mind, or in us both one Soule; Harmonie to behold in wedded pair More grateful then harmonious sound to the eare. Yet these subject not; I to thee disclose What inward thence I feel, not therefore foild, Who meet with various objects, from the sense Variously representing; yet still free 610 Approve the best, and follow what I approve. To love thou blam'st me not, for love thou saist Leads up to Heav'n, is both the way and guide; Bear with me then, if lawful what I ask; Love not the heav'nly Spirits, and how thir Love Express they, by look

We stand on the summit of the ages, awed by a great and solemn sense of history. This is the last and final dispensation toward which all the past has pointed. I bear testimony and witness of the reality and truth of these things. (Gordon B. Hinckley, “At the Summit of the Ages,” p. 74; in Maxwell’s Promise of Discipleship , p. 33)

(LDS hymn # 270; lyrics by Mary Brown) It may not be on the mountain height Or over the stormy sea. It may not be on the battle’s front The Lord will have need of me. But if by a still small voice he calls To paths that I do not know, I’ll answer, dear Lord, with my hand in thine, I’ll go where you want me to go.

Losing your self is the way to finding your self. And finding out who you are is the way to follow the Lord. But if you are not willing to forgive, why try to follow the Savior? (July 5 2008)

(Rebecca M. Taylor and Vaughn J. Featherstone, “Friend to Friend,” The Friend (Liahona), Aug. 1995, 12). When I was young, my father was often away from home because of a serious alcohol problem. My mother had to work full-time to support us, and I began to do many of the household chores for her. Mother taught me how to scrub floors and how to wash clothes in an old washer. . . . When I was about 11 years old, many of Mother’s relatives came from out of town to have dinner with us one Saturday night. Such visits were rare, so she spent the whole day getting the dinner ready. She prepared a pot roast and all the vegetables to go with it, mashed potatoes and gravy, salads, hot rolls, and dessert. She cooked all day, and soon the dirty dishes started stacking up. After dinner, everyone brought the leftover food to the kitchen, then went into the living room and began to visit. I remember going back to the kitchen, thinking, Mother works all week long, and now she’ll have to do the

The highway of the upright is to depart from evil: he that keepeth his way preserveth his soul.

6 Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert. 7 And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes. 8 And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.

. . . Was it here, Here, that paradise was revealed For one brief moment On a night in midsummer? ( Hammarskjöld, p. 216)

Yes to God; yes to Fate; yes to yourself. This reality can wound the soul, but has the power to heal her . . . (Hammarskjöld, p.155)

I don’t know Who – or what – put the question, I don’t know when it was put. I don’t even remember answering. But at some moment I did answer Yes to Someone – or Something – and from that hour I was certain that existence is meaningful and that, therefore, my life, in self-surrender, had a goal. From that moment I have known what it means “not to look back,” and “to take no thought for the morrow.” Led by Ariadne’s thread of my answer through the labyrinth of Life, I came to a time and place where I realized that the way leads to a triumph which is a catastrophe, and to a catastrophe which is a triumph, that the price for committing one’s life would be reproach, and that the only elevation possible to man lies in the depths of humiliation. After that, the word “courage” lost its meaning, since nothing could be taken from me. As I continued along the Way, I learned, step by step, that behind every saying in the Gospels stands one man and

To say Yes is never more difficult than when circumstances prevent you from rushing to the defense of someone whose purity of heart makes him defenseless before an attack. (Hammarskjöld, p. 99)

You dare your Yes – and experience a meaning. You repeat your Yes – and all things acquire a meaning. When everything has a meaning, how can you live anything but a Yes. (Hammarskjöld, p. 120)

To be free, to be able to stand up and leave everything behind – without looking back. To say Yes – (Hammarskjöld, p. 86)

To say Yes to life is at one and the same time to say Yes to oneself. Yes – even to that element in one which is most unwilling to let itself be transformed from a temptation into a strength. (Hammarskjöld, p.86)

Now. When I have overcome my fears – of others, of myself, of the underlying darkness: at the frontier of the unheard-of. Here ends the known. But, from a source beyond it, something fills my being with its possibilities. Here desire is purified and made lucid: each action is a preparation for, each choice an assent to the unknown. Prevented by duties of life on the surface from looking down into the depths, yet all the while being slowly trained and molded by them to take the plunge into the deep whence rises the fragrance of a forest star, bearing the promise of a new affection. At the frontier – (Hammarskjöld, p. 69)

“ – Night is drawing nigh – ” For all that has been – Thanks! To all that shall be – Yes! (Hammarskjöld, p. 83)

Tired And lonely, So tired The heart aches. Meltwater trickles Down the rocks, The fingers are numb, The knees tremble. It is now, Now, that you must not give in. On the path of the others Are resting places, Places in the sun Where they can meet. But this Is your path, And it is now, Now that you must not fail. Weep If you can, Weep, But do not complain. The way chose you – And you must be thankful. ( Hammarskjöld, p. 209)

Every deed and every relationship is surrounded by an atmosphere of silence. Friendship needs no words – it is solitude delivered from the anguish of loneliness. (Hammarskjöld, p. 8, 1925-1930, #10)

From . . . my father’s side I inherited a belief that no life was more satisfactory than one of selfless service to your country – or humanity . . . From . . . my mother’s side I inherited a belief that . . . all men were equals as children of God, and should be met and treated by us as our masters. Faith is a state of the mind and the soul . . . The language of religion is a set of formulas which register a basic spiritual experience . . . (Hammarskjöld, p. viii)

Kein Musik ist ja nicht auf Erden, Die unsrer verglichen kann werden. Elftausend Jungfrauen Zu tanzen sich trauen! Sankt Ursula selbst dazu lacht! Kein Musik ist ja nicht auf Erden, Die unsrer verglichen kann werden. Cäcilie mit ihren Verwandten, Sind treffliche Hofmusikanten. Die englischen Stimmen Ermuntern die Sinnen, Daß alles fur Freuden erwacht. (“Das himmlische Leben” aus Des Knaben Wunderhorn ) [There is not yet any Music on Earth That can be compared with ours. Eleven thousand Maidens Dance to prepare themselves for Marriage. There is not yet an Music on Earth That can be compared with ours. Cecilia with her Company Are excellent Oratorio Singers. The Angelic Voices Arouse the Senses, And everyone awakes for Joy. CLH]

2 cups softened butter 1 cup sugar 1 whole egg 1 egg yolk 1 teaspoon almond extract 3-4 cups flour Cream the butter. Add sugar and cream well. Add egg and extract. Add flour to make a stiff dough. Pinch off a small ball and place in pastry tin, spreading as thin as possible. Place tins on cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit until golden brown (15 minutes). Cool before removing. You may add fruit filling and garnishes. Makes 5-6 dozen.

You are the new day. You are the new day. I will love you more than me and more than yesterday If you can but prove to me: you are the new day. Send the sun in time for dawn; Let the birds all hail the morning. Love of life will urge me say You are the new day. (Lyrics by John David; check out www.kingsingers.com)

“Marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God . . . the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife. Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children . . . the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets . . . We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society.” (Family Proclamation, September 23, 1995, in Salt Lake City, Utah.)

“The Road is rough,” I said. “Dear Lord, there are stones that hurt me so.” And He said, “Dear child, I understand. I walked it long ago.” “But there is a cool green path,” I said. “Let me walk there for a time.” “No, child,” He gently answered me. “The green road does not climb.” “My burden,” I said, “is far too great. How can I bear it so?” “My child,” said He, “I remember its weight. I carried my cross, you know.” “I wish there were some friends with me who would make my way their own.” “Oh yes,” He said, “Gethsemane was hard to face all alone.” And so I climbed the stony path, content at last to know That where the Savior had not gone, I would not need to go. And strangely then I found new friends; the burden grew less sore, As I remembered long ago, He went that way before. (Anonymous)

“If you want to have something you have never had before, you have to do something you have never done before.” (Richard Jones)

The marriage vow unites not just a woman and a man with each other; it unites each of them with the community in a vow of sexual responsibility toward all others. The whole community is married, realizes its essential unity, in each of its marriages . . . What marriage offers -- and what fidelity is meant to protect -- is the possibility of moments when what we have chosen and what we desire are the same. Such a convergence obviously cannot be continuous. No relationship can continue very long at its highest pitch. But fidelity prepares us for the return of these moments, which gives us the highest joy we can know: that of union, communion, atonement (in the root sense of at-one-ment). [Wendell Berry, The Unsettling of America , 1977, p. 122]

“Guard closely a sense of the wonder of life, of the joy of giving, of love for another. For in a heart devoid of these, God cannot dwell.” (ENSIGN July 1977)

“What is more amiable and pleasant than those pure, innocent, endearing affections which God has placed in the hearts of the male and female, who are united in lawful matrimony, with a love and affection, pure as the love of God, because it springs from Him, and is His gift: with bodies chaste and virtuous, and an offspring, lovely, healthy, pure, innocent, and uncontaminated: confiding in each other, they live together in the fear of God, enjoying nature's gifts uncorrupted, and undefiled as the driven snow, or the crystal stream.” ( Teachings of Presidents of the Church , John Taylor, p. 194)