The Grand Canyon is truly a wonder. It does not disappoint, no matter how often it is seen in pictures. The grandeur and majesty is fabulous. We had visitors last week and took them to see it for their first time. They were all awed by it, even the two year old.
As we visited the various viewpoints, we heard a polyglot of languages. Anyone who comes to northern Arizona must visit the Canyon. The variety was fun to hear.
I first visited when my family did a camping trip during spring break when I was ten. My sisters were seven and three. We saw the Grand Canyon, Zion, and Bryce in a camper. On the way home, we stopped at the sand dunes which became our camping venue for the next decade.
I remember the awe I felt when I first saw this huge hole, with its stratified walls. The place feels ancient and enormous. That hasn't changed. As you can see from the picture, we took binoculars in order to better see detail far down in the canyon. It did not disappoint. This was only my third trip.
While we were there, we saw a deer in the bushes right below the rim. We saw a rescue crew putting away their climbing gear as the ambulance prepared to leave. Apparently, someone had ignored common sense and got into trouble over the edge. They were rescued successfully.
We had a wonderful time. Even the littlest one thought it was fun. To make it easier for everyone, we took a picnic lunch and snacks, but we did buy ice cream for a treat at Bright Angel.
We are so lucky to have the ability to go see a natural wonder like this only two hours from our home. We were also lucky to have family come visit and give us the excuse to go sight seeing. Nature offers so much for us to appreciate. We even got to see a storm rolling in, although all it did was offer cloud cover. The rain came after we left.
Last week we had a meeting at church for the women to socialize. We are always so busy on Sunday's that there isn't much time for chatting. We made the refreshments fruit-themed. Three of us were the hosts. One brought delicious chocolate dipped strawberries (I may have had quite a few of those). One brought a fruit torte. Just delicious. I brought fruit pizza or watermelon pizza.
I have good friends. They arranged the table to look nice. Because she had extra chocolate, we also had dipped pretzels. And because I had extra fruit, we had fruit for those who didn't want sweets.
The watermelon or fruit pizza is something I am starting to see in various food places. (Sorry the lighting isn't very good)
It was fairly easy to make and a hit. It can be made with or without whipped cream. This time, it was with. For this evening, the recipe was:
1. Slice the watermelon into rounds. Then slice those into wedges-with the rind still attached.
2. Top each slice with whipped cream if using it.
3. Chop strawberries and bananas into bite-sized pieces.
4. Spread chopped strawberries, bananas, and blueberries on top of the whipped cream.
5. Top with more whipped cream and serve.
You can use any combination of fruits to top the watermelon. The whipped cream helps keep the fruit topping from rolling off. There were a few errant berries in spite of the cream.
We all had fun and people enjoyed our fruit-themed refreshments. What more can you ask for?
I'm posting a little late this week. This is due to the recent death of Robin Williams. His demons finally overcame him and we lost him.
Depression is a serious illness. It is not simply sadness. It is far more. And you can be depressed and feel things that you know do not reflect reality. You cannot just "get over it" and decide not to be depressed any more than you can get over a broken leg. You might learn to manage it or cope, but it will always be a possibility.
I had a Bishop at church who didn't really believe that before he became a Bishop. What he saw taught him that it is a true illness and not a weakness. We had a long conversation about it once when I was going through an episode of depression myself.
I have suffered with depression almost my entire life. I had a very nice childhood and was still frequently suicidal, even before I knew what that meant. Lucky for me, I never acted on those feelings. As I matured, I sought help at various times to deal with specific triggers that could cause a downward spiral. I was lucky in the different therapists I saw that they were able to help me learn to change my reactions and manage my responses to those things that were hardest for me to deal with.
Eventually, I found a med that would help me get back to normal within 10 days. I could then more appropriately deal with whatever was increasing the stress and magnifying my underlying depression. I am lucky that I do not need to remain on the med but can get it again should I need it.
Since the underlying depression is always present to some degree, I have had to find ways to lessen its impact and severity. I could remain on the drug, but I do not like the side effects. After much research, I found a combination of things that I need to do to mange. I try to exercise almost daily for at least 30 minutes. I change up my routines, but I notice if I slack off for more than about 3 days. Of course, this helps in other areas too as I get older, so that is an added bonus. I have found that taking Fish Oil capsules twice a day helps. When I took only one, the depression was closer to the surface. Since switching to two, it has lessened the severity of the underlying feeling. I also read uplifting things both upon first awakening and just before turning out the light at night. I will read scriptures as well as other targeted positive messages. These reminders help me look for the positive in all around me. I actively practice gratitude, especially for the small things. Prayer is a part of that process.
So, for me, a combination of therapy and specific actions to change my brain chemistry and thinking patterns has enabled me to live very happily in spite of my depression. I am lucky to have found something that works for me. People who criticize those that succumb to their demons as cowards simply do not understand the disease and also lack compassion. Mental illness is as real as a broken bone and much harder to treat. If you know someone who suffers from depression, being a supportive friend is the best gift you can give. You never know when it may make a huge difference.
I see many articles, including research, about how serving others can help you feel better. I think there are many aspects to service that help accomplish that. There is a scripture in the Book of Mormon that expresses one aspect very well: ...when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God. (Mosiah 2:17). To me, this means that when I take an opportunity to serve others, I am also serving God.
It is a frequent teaching that God often uses us to accomplish his goals and to bless the lives of others. This is a two-way street. It means that we are serving God when we serve others, but also, we are serving God when we allow others to serve us.
Service is sort of an all-encompassing activity. It can be the little things you do in your family on a daily basis. It can be large, like joining the military or serving a mission for a church. It can be a life dedicated to service like a nun or minister. It can be a life dedicated to others such as a doctor, many parents, many teachers, and some in public service. It can be very visible or hidden behind the scenes.
Since there are so many opportunities for service, it can be overwhelming to decide what to do and where to serve. When you are unsure, start at home. Service among family members will tend to create a happier environment. Love is an active verb, and one way to express love is to serve those we love. When we do so, we tend to deepen that love.
Another place to look for service opportunities is where we spend time: at school, at work, at church, in community activities. When I was in an opera group, most of our service to others in the group consisted of bringing snacks. In another place, my service consisted of managing their weekly sing-along program. I served as a Girl Scout leader for longer than I was a Girl Scout myself when I was a child. I have served in a wide variety of capacities in my church.
Service helps us to put our own problems, challenges, and trials into perspective. At times, we will recognize how truly blessed our lives are. At others, we can see how much difference we make in the lives of others and that brings joy to our hearts. We had an excellent lesson in church yesterday about turning outward, rather than inward, during trials. Taking the opportunity to find a way to help and serve others when we are challenged helps us rise to meet those challenges.
One does not need to be in the mood to serve in order to be effective. One only needs to act. I have spent hours in service projects repeating that part of the scripture from Mosiah I quoted above over and over again for the duration of the project. I accomplished what needed to be done. At the same time, I managed to focus on another's needs and that helped me to feel better too. While service may not be a cure for clinical depression, it can certainly help us to feel better able to face our daily struggles. And a nice side benefit is that we usually truly come to love those we serve. And often, we grow through that service to become more of what we truly want to be.
