Amen Crackers

Have you ever heard of "Amen Crackers"? I hadn't either until my granddaughter, Amanda, came for a visit. Amanda is not quite two but ever since her parents taught her to pray she always prays for each individual thing on her plate.

One evening at suppertime Amanda was in the high chair and I went over to the kitchen counter to fill her plate. Her Mother had put three small crackers on her high chair tray to give her something to eat while I fixed her plate. I watched as she bowed her head and touched the first cracker with her index finger and said, "Amen cracker". She touched the next cracker and said, "Amen cracker", and then she went to the last cracker, touching it, and again saying, "Amen cracker". She thought the tiny crackers were her supper so she was saying her prayers.

Amanda has figured out that prayers have an "Amen" in them but sometimes she gets the "Amen" at the beginning instead of at the end of her prayers.

I got to thinking about the word, "Amen" and I found that in Hebrew the word "Amen" means to confirm and it is spoken to state, "so be it." When we end our prayers with "Amen" we are reaffirming our dedication to God. Sometimes church members or congregations say, "Amen," to show confirmation or agreement when something powerful is spoken from the Word of God.

Amanda's prayer might seem very simple but maybe she wasn't so far off in what she was doing because she would have been confirming her dedication to God first of all instead of at the end. At any rate, we can gain wisdom from "the mouths of babes." I learned several things from Amanda and her "Amen Crackers."

- I learned that prayer should be a priority.
- I learned that whatever is on my "plate" I should be thankful for it.
- I learned I should keep it simple and be specific.
- I learned to have faith and trust God even when all I have is three crackers.
- I learned it is best to tend to my own crackers that have been provided for me and allow God to fill my plate.
- I learned to be patient. Even if I'm sitting in a high chair, I can't see what is going on in God's kitchen from where I sit.
- I learned to thank God for the small things, and not complain, even if all I have is crackers.
- I learned it doesn't matter if you get the prayer backwards, God hears our hearts.

Have you thanked God for the crackers in your life?

Pamela Perry Blaine

Pamela lives in Missouri and writes "Pam's Corner" for her local newspaper. Many stories have been published in magazines, newspapers, and books. She is church pianist and has a CD of songs she has written. Her goal is to write to encourage and to preserve family history for her children. Feel free to visit her website at: www.blaines.us/pamyplace.htm or email Pamela at: pamyblaine@blaines.us

9 Unarguable Truths

I was reading Alex Mandossian's blog and came across something that I wanted to share with you. A friend e-mailed him "9 Unarguable Truths" for him to read. These truths were listed as follows:

1) There are at least 2 people in this world that you would die for.

2) At least 15 people in this world love you in some way.

3) The only reason anyone would ever hate you is because they want to be just like you.

4) A smile from you can bring happiness to anyone, even if they don’t like you.

5) Every night, SOMEONE thinks about you before they go to sleep.

6) You mean the world to at least 3 other people.

7) Someone that you don’t even know exists, trusts you.

8) When you make the biggest mistake ever, something good comes from it.

9) When you think the world has turned its back on you, take another look because what you see may surprise you.

There they are. Now the question is: Do you believe them? Personally, I do. And I think everyone who reads this post ought to take the time to print out these truths and tape them to their bathroom mirror to remind them that no matter how bad their life may seem at times, these nine truths still hold.

Common Sense is Dead

My parents told me about Mr. Common Sense early in my life and told me I would do well to call on him when making decisions. It seems he was always around in my early years but less and less as time passed by. Today I read his obituary. Please join me in a moment of silence in remembrance, for Common Sense had served us all so well for so many generations.

Common Sense Obituary

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as knowing when to come in out of the rain, why the early bird gets the worm, life isn't always fair, and maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you earn) and reliable parenting strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a six-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job they themselves failed to do in disciplining their spoiled and self-important children. It declined even further when schools were required to get written parental consent to administer Aspirin, sun lotion or a Band-Aid to students, but were restricted from informing parents when their child became pregnant and skipped class to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband; churches became businesses, schools were forbidden to fail students who couldn't read and criminals received better treatment than their victims. Common Sense took a severe beating when home owners were forbidden from using force against an attacker in their own home but the burglar was legally allowed to sue a home owner if he was injured on their property during the commission of the crime.

Common Sense finally died after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was actually hot and, when spilled in her lap while she was trying to drink and drive at the same time, was burned and promptly awarded a huge financial settlement in court.

Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason. He is survived by three stepbrothers; I Know my Rights, Someone Else is to Blame, and I'm a Victim.

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone.

When will Hollywood Get Smart?

My wife and I went and saw one of the funniest movies that I have ever seen last weekend.



Yes, we went and saw Steve Carrell's latest - Get Smart. It was downright hilarious! Carrell was his usual great. Anne Hathaway was a knockout. Even Dwayne Johnson (more commonly known as "The Rock") had some hilarious moments. I am generally a conservative laugher. What that means is that I tend to laugh more on the inside than I do on the outside. I don't know why I do it or when I learned it, but it is a habit that was formed years ago that I don't quite know how to change. However, there are times when things strike me just right and I let loose large, gleeful belly laughs that rival the unbridled laughter that my wife is typical for. Get Smart was the right combination of wit and humor to bring it all out!



The unfortunate side of movies such as these is that Hollywood has a tendency to throw in those small, unnecessary scenes that ruin the whole film. One of those is when Carrell's character is struggling to raise the body of a heavyset unconscious man from off a table so as to use his eyes to deactivate the locks on a door that only respond to authorized retina scans. Two guards passing by happened to glance in the room and, from Carrell's position behind the man, it appeared as though they were engaging in homosexual behavior. Now, to the general population, this may be hilarious comedy. But I find it offensive and disgusting and it only detracted from the movie which was otherwise fantastic. If they had left that out and the part where one character blatently gives another character "the finger", I would have been one of the first in line to purchase it on DVD.

So, if any Hollywood big-wigs, actors, screen writers, producers, or anyone of any relation or influence to these people happen to stumble across my blog, please know that good old-fashioned family values are not dead in America and we are starving for great entertainment that we can welcome into our homes without fear of what our children may be exposed to. Please, GET SMART!

Tough Choices for an Actor

My wife and I are avid movie watchers and we love the productions in recent years by LDS directors and producers or about LDS people that include The Singles Ward, Saints & Soldiers, Pride & Prejudice, The Best Two Years, The Other Side of Heaven, The Work & The Glory series, etc. One actor that has really caught our attention and admiration is Kirby Heyborne. After his supporting role as Dallen Martin in The Singles Ward, he played major roles in The R.M., Saints & Soldiers, The Book of Mormon Movie, The Best Two Years, Sons of Provo, Pirates of the Great Salt Lake, Take a Chance, and more. He seemed to become the face of LDS film.

Unfortunately, the film industry is not like your typical 40 hour a week job and you have to work hard and pray harder as you audition for new roles in upcoming films, hoping that you can stay active as an actor in order to continue to support your family while doing what you love to do. No roles means no money for food, clothing, shelter and the other necessities of life for your family. That is the difficult decision Kirby faced when he was given the opportunity to play a small role in a Miller Lite beer commercial. The job would pay enough for his family to live for the next six months while he worked to get his next role, but I am sure you recognize how difficult this decision must have been for him. I wonder if he imagined just how much criticism and condemnation he would receive when he decided to go ahead and do the commercial.

I want to share with you the following article from MormonTimes.com written by LDS writer Orson Scott Card, author of the popular sci-fi story Ender's Game, and his take on Kirby's situation:

Heyborne in the age of purity
By Orson Scott Card

Published: Thursday, Jun. 19, 2008

I am so thrilled to be alive during this new Golden Age of righteousness and purity in the Mormon Church.

I wrote an essay a few weeks ago about how we all had to find our own place to draw the line between what the world asks of us and what we believe is consistent with being a good Latter-day Saint.

After all, the world has all the money and bestows it according to its own corrupt rules. Yet we must support ourselves and our families, and try to get in a position to make the world a better place.

So I figured we had to make some accommodation with the world, while trying to maintain righteousness and spirituality in our lives.

But now I see that I was wrong.

I've learned my lesson from what happened to Kirby Heyborne.

I had a chance to direct him in a play a few years ago and found him to be extraordinarily talented, disciplined, reliable and generous, both as an actor and as a man.

I was glad to think of him representing the church and gospel on movie sets throughout Hollywood.

But then he faced the temptation to work in a beer commercial. Enough pay for his family to live for half a year. A chance to be seen by Hollywood bigwigs. Not actually drinking beer or even pretending to drink beer. Fully clothed.

Me, I would have thought only a crazy man would turn that down. Apparently, he thought so, too.

But from the storm of condemnation Kirby has had dumped on him, I realize now that the church is far more pure than I had supposed. Good Mormons don't make such compromises!

We are in a golden age of righteousness!

That is why Mormons are resigning from any advertising agency that handles alcohol advertising, or creates ads that use seductive models or that entice people to spend beyond their means.

Mormons who work at TV and radio stations and for networks that accept advertising that in any way violates church standards are also quitting their jobs.

The Marriotts are ceasing to serve alcoholic beverages in their hotels; their own wine label is being shut down, and the current stock is being destroyed.

Mormons who own or work for convenience stores and restaurants and airports and broadcasters and, in short, any business that requires any employee to work on the Sabbath are now going to resign.

Not only that, but Mormons who teach at universities where atheism and anti-religious beliefs are taught by anyone are resigning their positions rather than lend their support, by implication, to such anti-Christian activities.

Mormons in government office, elective or appointive or merely hired, will all resign in protest whenever their branch of government passes a law or enforces a policy that is contrary to the teachings of the gospel.

In California, every Mormon in state government is writing a letter of resignation right now, rather than be part of a government that has, by judicial fiat, corrupted the meaning of marriage.

And no Mormon will remain in office in any state that runs a lottery or has legalized gambling.

Mormon lawyers will cease to represent any client whose actions might not have been righteous at all times.

Mormon businessmen will refuse to buy from suppliers or sell to customers or work in partnership with anyone who does not conduct their business according to the principles outlined in the Doctrine and Covenants -- which includes management according to Section 121 and accounting by the Law of Consecration.

Mormon writers will now refuse to depict or mention any act of violence or other sin of any kind. We will show only good people doing good, in a world of perfect goodness, where nothing thwarts or distracts people in their pursuit of righteousness.

Furthermore, the Bible, Book of Mormon and Pearl of Great Price are being revised to eliminate all reference to sin, making the scriptures so brief that now we can expect Primary children to memorize them in their entirety.

And, above all, because of Kirby Heyborne's tragically bad example, all Mormon actors will refuse to play any role where someone does something bad.

No Mormon will play Goneril or Regan or Edmund in King Lear, or Macbeth, or Othello, or Iago; the current temple films are being withdrawn, so that the character of Satan can be eliminated, lest some actor be required to portray him.

The temple ceremony will also be vastly shortened, since Adam and Eve now remain in the Garden forever.

In all this new purity in the church, there is no redemption for Kirby Heyborne. Despite his years of being the only thing worth watching in Mormon comedies, he not only helped sell Miller Lite to beer drinkers, but also, in his brilliant performance in "Saints and Soldiers," he played a character who smoked incessantly.

Yes, a lighted cigarette was in his mouth. There was no excuse for this. Plus, his character did and said things that weren't nice.

Never mind that in the story as a whole, the cigarette was a pivotal symbol used for profound moral teaching. Kirby, how could you?

You should have played only Glinda the Good Witch -- oh, wait, that would be cross-dressing.

OK, you should have waited for the chance to play Peter in a film about the life of Christ, and -- oh, wait, he denies Christ three times, and young Mormons might follow your example.

No, Kirby, you are forever condemned. Meanwhile, the rest of us, who are all living lives of perfect purity, are looking for manna from heaven so we can feed our children, since we will certainly not get any money from the world.

I don't mean to be sarcastic here, but ... Oh, wait. Yes I do.

Actors portray characters who do things that the actors themselves would not do. They take part in films in which there are scenes that don't meet church standards. The audience is supposed to understand that the actor did not actually do those things. That's why actors are not prosecuted for murder after playing Macbeth.

That is why actors playing characters in commercials are not considered to be endorsing the product being sold.

Mormon actors do exercise their own judgment and refuse to take part in productions that require them to violate their personal standards. A naked actor is as naked as the character. But that's a private decision, even if theirs is a public art.

Likewise, to the Mormon lady who wrote to me that she was sure I must not have been a Mormon when I wrote "Ender's Game," because of the "graphic violence" in the book: I was a Mormon then, and am a Mormon now, and would hand that book to the Savior if the occasion arose, because I'm proud of the complex moral reasoning in that story. I believe that those who read it with understanding are changed for the better by the experience.

Will anyone be changed for the better by Kirby Heyborne's appearance in a beer ad?

I doubt it. But because his career as an actor has been prolonged by another half year, he may be available to play a life-changing role when it comes along. Meanwhile, he has done no harm to anyone.

I just have one question. Now that I've resolved to write only pure books, how long will my family go hungry before the manna starts showing up in the morning?

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Orson Scott Card is a writer of nonfiction and fiction, from LDS works to popular fiction. "In the Village" appears Thursdays in the Deseret News.

http://www.mormontimes.com/ME_blogs.php?id=1346

I also recommend reading Kirby Heyborne: Mormon, actor, not yet a millionaire at MormonTimes.com where he discusses how carefully he and his wife made their decision to do the commercial.

TRYING TO BE "UGLY"

I came across this story on the internet. I don't care if it is true or not as it shares a very important message for all of us....

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TRYING TO BE "UGLY"

Everyone in the apartment complex I lived in knew who Ugly was. Ugly was the resident tomcat. Ugly loved three things in this world: fighting, eating garbage, and, shall we say, love.

The combination of these things combined with a life spent outside had their effect on Ugly. To start with, he had only one eye and where the other should have been was a gaping hole. He was also missing his ear on the same side, his left foot appeared to have been badly broken at one time, and had healed at an unnatural angle, making him look like he was always turning the corner. His tail has long age been lost, leaving only the smallest stub, which he would constantly jerk and twitch.

Ugly would have been a dark grey tabby, striped-type, except for the sores covering his head, neck, even his shoulders with thick, yellowing scabs. Every time someone saw Ugly there was the same reaction. "That's one UGLY cat!!"

All the children were warned not to touch him, the adults threw rocks at him, hosed him down, squirted him when he tried to come in their homes, or shut his paws in the door when he would not leave. Ugly always had the same reaction. If you turned the hose on him, he would stand there, getting soaked until you gave up and quit. If you threw things at him, he would curl his lanky body around feet.

Whenever he spied children, he would come running, meowing frantically and bump his head against their hands, begging for their love. If you ever picked him, up he would immediately begin suckling on your shirt, earrings, whatever he could find.

One day Ugly shared his love with the neighbor's huskies. They did not respond kindly, and Ugly was badly mauled. From my apartment I could hear his screams, and I tried to rush to his aid. By the time I got to where he was laying, it was apparent Ugly's sad life was almost at an end.

Ugly lay in a wet circle, his back legs and lower back twisted grossly out of shape, a gaping tear in the white strip of fur that ran down his front. As I picked him up and tried to carry him home, I could hear him wheezing and gasping, and could feel him struggling. It must be hurting him terribly, I thought.

Then I felt a familiar tugging, sucking sensation on my ear. Ugly, in so much pain, suffering and obviously dying, was trying to suckle my ear. I pulled him closer to me, and he bumped the palm of my hand with his head, then he turned his one golden eye towards me, and I could hear the distinct sound of purring. Even in the greatest pain, that ugly battled-scarred cat was asking only for a little affection, perhaps some compassion.

At that moment I thought Ugly was the most beautiful, loving creature I had ever seen. Never once did he try to bite or scratch me, or even try to get away from me, or struggle in any way. Ugly just looked up at me completely trusting in me to relieve his pain.

Ugly died in my arms before I could get inside, but I sat and held him for a long time afterwards, thinking about how one scarred, deformed little stray could so alter my opinion about what it means to have true pureness of spirit, to love so totally and truly. Ugly taught me more about giving and compassion than a thousand books, lectures, or talk show specials ever could, and for that I will always be thankful. He had been scarred on the outside, but I was scarred on the inside, and it was time for me to move on and learn to love truly and deeply. To give my total to those I cared for.

Many people want to be richer, more successful, well liked, beautiful, but for me, I will always try to be Ugly.

WASL Fails to Make the Grade

There has been a lot of debate here in the state of Washington over whether the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) test should be the focus of the curriculum for our children. There have been arguments over the scoring of the tests and whether this focus is actually helping our children improve or hindering them. One news bit on the radio stated that dropping the WASL focus will enable the teachers to teach the children in a way that will help them improve their math scores, which is the section that consistently has the lowest scores.

I object to the WASL personally for two reasons. The first is the fact that I have a 10-year old son who is incredibly intelligent. From the age of two he has had a fascination with learning. He took an interest in the human anatomy so we bought him an anatomy book for children that explained about different parts of the human body, what their function was and so on. He was giving adults information that most college students outside of the medical program couldn't tell you about the human body before he was in kindergarten. His focus has grown to include paleontology, archeology, history, geography, mathematics, astronomy, physics, and on and on and on. His teachers refer to him as a sponge because he just soaks up every topic that he encounters.

Because of his thirst for knowledge, he is a little bit more of an advanced student than most of the other kids. He finishes his assignments rather quickly and, in order to keep him from distracting the other kids that are still trying to puzzle it out, he is allowed to read quietly. One teacher remarked that they have a difficult time getting most kids to read at that age, but she has a more difficult time getting Jared to stop reading to pay attention to the instructions for the next assignment.

I have always loved his thirst for knowledge and learning. I see a bit of myself in him that way. He has always loved school because he loves learning. This is where I have difficulty with the WASL focus for education. Kids are now under tremendous pressure at a young age to meet an educational standard early on. My son's desire to go to school is diminishing because they have taken his love, learning, and replaced it with stressful memorization and recall. He has a terrific memory, but when he is under a lot of pressure he struggles to recall the information and he does not score as well. And when his scores drop, what do you think that is doing to his self-esteem at that age?

Think about how it affects the quality of teaching our kids are receiving as well. Teachers job security depends on how well they prepare the kids to take this test. That puts stress on them which they in turn put on the children so that they can keep their jobs. I don't fault the teachers for this. I blame the program that they are forced to work with. They no longer have the time to look for ways to make the subjects entertaining and interesting to feed the children's desires for exploration and examination. And entertainment is probably just as important as the education. I bet that, no matter what age you are, you have forgotten the majority of the information you learned in high school in the subjects of history, chemistry, geometry, any subject outside of your college major and later career, but I bet you can remember quite clearly some of the movies you watched, your favorite books and/or your favorite songs. Kids need the entertainment factor to give them the long-term retention of information that the education administrators desire for the students.

The second problem I have with the WASL program is actually an issue I have with the educational system as a whole. The WASL program is just a more intensive version of this problem and that is that it does nothing to prepare you for real life. Education today is primarily based on memorizing facts and figures and recalling the information accurately during the test. But what happens when kids get out into the world and discover that the answer to the question is neither A, B, C or D? They don't have the problem-solving and decision-making skills necessary to find the answer and they struggle because none of their memorized facts and figures fit the situation.

Life is meant to be experienced hands-on and education should be the same way. I remember my high school math teachers telling me that the reason we needed to learn the math concepts was because we would use them later in life. I hated that answer because they were just avoiding the issue that the subject was BORING and DIFFICULT and made no sense to those of us who didn't have a college degree. And I know many people who have never used algebra, geometry and certainly not calculus since they graduated.

I applaud those teachers who use interesting and challenging projects to get their point across like the ones whose students have to design and build bridges to understand physics and engineering. Those kids will always remember that BECAUSE THEY ACTUALLY DID SOMETHING WITH IT!

So those of you who are concerned about the quality of education our children are getting, I hope you will push for those programs that fill our kids with a love for learning, that gives them the opportunity to explore, that entertains them, and that gives them hands-on experience in solving life's challenges.