The pussy willows escaping the lush green of their parent pad sending their brown pods skyward, exploding their ripened cotton fibers into the breezes along the
river assuring a bounteous revival.
Yes indeed it is a beautiful world!
Watching the Bing cherry tree’s blossoms bring forth little green nubs which all too slowly expand into crimson balls, flavor-fully exploding over fingers and dribbling down chins beneath grateful grins.
Yes indeed it is a beautiful world!
Playing never ending games of fetch with a pup of questionable heritage who seems ever willing to retrace steps to and fro bringing laughter to the lips of his too oft’ neglectful master.
Yes indeed it is a beautiful world!
Going fishing with little desire to remove trout from their current escaping coves where the sunlight dances off of their backs and fills vistas with marvelous shimmering rainbows.
Yes indeed it is a beautiful world!
Smelling the freshened earth as renewing rains brings luster to leaves, empties the skies of the particles of pollutants of ungrateful populations and gives glimpses of a long ago more virgin earth.
Yes indeed it is a beautiful world!
Walking reverently among trees which gave shade to forefather’s forefathers, who faith driven, wandered similar paths wondering about beginnings and endings, and with their posterity were left short of knowing where the path ultimately leads.
Yes indeed it is a beautiful world!
Standing on sky-penetrating mountain’s highest peaks with horizon-less splendor spreading below catching a quick glimpse of how small the crumbling creations of the created are when viewed form the magnificence of the Creator.
Yes indeed it is a beautiful world!
Marveling at movements of fingers as they dance and grasp their way through the day, feet that point ever forward with confident assurance, mobility which makes possible ever continuing newness to the journey.
Yes indeed it is a beautiful world!
Admiring artists, athletes, painters, singers, writers, dancers and all who through prodigy or dedicated effort have risen above the masses to stages which for most are dreams of youth long lost in wasted moments of wanting and waiting.
Yes indeed it is a beautiful world!
Feeling grateful and guilty while counting blessings of a life sheltered, clothed and fed while observing the suffering of brothers and sisters who have spent countless days homeless, naked and hungry making room for both those who can give and those who receive.
Yes indeed it is a beautiful world!
Reading, studying, pondering observations of those who bless generations with thoughts which bend and expand understandings, making the passages of mortality measurably more meaningful.
Yes indeed it is a beautiful world!
Gratefully receiving daily gifts of life’s sustaining brilliant orb and night-time sparkling canopy reminders of The Magnificent Maker.
Yes indeed it is a beautiful world!
Looking beyond the confines of life’s cabins, witnessing flowing grains budding into bounteous harvests soon to fill kitchens, then tables, then grateful mouths with delightful delicacies later to tell tales of best Thanksgivings ever.
Yes indeed it is a beautiful world.
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After reading your amazingly descriptive and peacefully beautiful thoughts this fine Sunday, I find myself extremely thankful to have such a fine friend as you !
ReplyDeleteMuch of what you write, mirrors my own type of thoughts, but yours are far superior to anything I could express ! I never should have mentioned my poetry to you. Indeed it makes me cringe to think I would even dare tread upon an area of truly humble, talented writers such as you and oh so many others.
Your thoughts touched my heart and danced peacefully across my mind.....thank you for sharing them with me, and I look forward to your next "installment".
Smiles and hugs for a happy week,
Erma Neff Ward
Pres. Riley: I was just about to accuse you of radical, bias data selection at least until you made a passing reference to the homeless and hungry.
ReplyDeleteYour highlights deserve the designation “beautiful.” But it is the same world that produces war, poverty, disease, a Hitler, a Manson, a Stalin, etc.
Bias data selection is stock and trade for lawyers, but all others should be as objective as possible. The problem of human and natural evil is just that – a problem. But it is one that needs to be confronted (see, e.g., Job) and not simply left out of the data.
Blain Andrus
Loved Your Beautiful World! ... Our "Grand" kids make the world beautiful...
ReplyDeleteMarty Garff
Dear President Riley,
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for adding me to your Sunday Thoughts mailing list. You have a wonderful way with words, and I would say ditto to all you expressed.
So I thought I would share a couple things I have been pondering. I had the opportunity to teach Relief Society yesterday and worked on that lesson for several weeks. I gave the sisters a “Think About Question” which was part of the lesson.
On Tuesday October 5th, I was driving Taylor to Seminary at 6:20 in the morning and he asked me a rather sobering question.
“Mom , what would you do if you found out you only had one week to live?” I told him I would have to think about that and get back to him. The next day I asked Taylor if Sister Waltz had said something in Seminary class that prompted his question. In is fun 16 year old manner he replied No. He thought of it the day before while he was doing his cross country run, of 9 miles . It was pouring down rain and he and his friends were witnessing lightning strike the ground, ahead of them. He had told his friend Josh, if I get struck with lightning, and die, you can have my skate board, and my phone and he was granting items to his friend on the other side of him. That was how the question originated. Interestingly enough Taylor’s great grandfather was struck by lightning and died a few days later, when my Mother was 19.
continued...
I have been pondering that question every day since. With the anniversary of Jim’s helicopter crash coming upon us next week, I have pondered a lot of things the past year. I attended the funeral for John Williams a couple of weeks ago in Reno. John was several years younger than I am, and he looked like a 90 year old man when he died of congestive heart failure. Bishop Ryan Earl conducted the service which was held in the Golconda building. I ran into many of our old friends, and of course I was re-living Jim’s service all over again. I am very grateful for the many tender mercies Heavenly Father has sent my way, to help me know he is in charge and to help me move on.
ReplyDeleteSo all the beauties you described have been much more noticeable to me this past year. I try to never miss an opportunity to enjoy life, the beauty of each day or the blessings of people to love and share it with.
So if I only had a week to live I would want to thank you and Kathy for the friendship you showed our family and our children. For your great service as our Stake President and more importantly your constant example. My last memory of you both was running into you in a Temple session in the San Diego Temple several years ago. I am grateful for the friendships Jim had with your boys. I know those friendships are as eternal as we are. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Love, Ann Bradshaw and family
Hi there Brother Riley, Thank you for your thoughts
ReplyDeleteJaycie Hennings
Bill,
ReplyDeleteLife is beautiful. Remember Tiny Tim who invited us to tip toe through the tulips with him?
Not a matter of personal integrity, mind you, but rather one's integrity before God! Naked integrity, unaccessible to rationalization!
I am concerned to the point of conviction of sin when I am tempted to prioritize my own state of happiness, my appreciation of the beauty (as you write today) and goodness God has granted me rather than looking at the whole naked truth that He daily reveals to me.
It seems to me that David had a proper balance, albeit one from the advantage of looking at things from the perspective of great comparative power and wealth. Even as he beheld that the heavens declare the glory of God he deploreded that the wicked man hunts down the weak. He observed that the creation had beauty, but that mankind, including himself, were guilty of vile sin which brought him great anguish. Even Jesus, dispite the beauty of the creation did not dwell over much on it, but instead on men's sins, and how they might find the only way to overcome the heavy burden that those sins imposed. Wealth lifts many burdens, but as it turns out leaves untouched the heaviest one of all.
Life was beautiful then. Life is beautiful now. But when we focus over much on the beauty, peace and joy for those to whom such happiness is available, and do it at the expense of focusing on the crushing burdens under which mankind toils, we are in danger of passing by the unbeautiful stranger, sorely bestead, on the side of our road to Jericho in favor of getting to our richly rewarding work in the beautiful, peaceful sacred temples in life.
Paul Maddox
This is so beautiful and really soothed my soul today. Also a blog came in from my granddaughter, a freshman at BYU where she listed over 300 things she is thankful for. Thanks for the Beautiful thoughts. You continue to inspire.
ReplyDeleteLove to you and Kathy
Pat Proffit
gostei muito! Obrigada!
ReplyDeleteDebbie Woffinden
Very masterful use of words to give glory to our
ReplyDeletecreator. And His works of Art.
Clark Smith
People like you make it a beautiful world!
ReplyDeleteKathryn Eisenbise
Much enjoyed your prose on the way to church today!
ReplyDeleteNolan Draney
Yes indeed it is a beautiful world
ReplyDeletelife is great,
for us a heaven on earth
which we will dare resist leaving
with every breath we gasp
grasping to tarry a little longer
Bill, thank you for your thoughts and observations
Michael Byrne