It's so close to Christmas now, and Christmas vacation! Getting exciting! New Year's Day is right upon its heels, where so many people mark the new year with determinations to repent and improve their lives in various ways, a tradition that I embrace all year long, but especially then.
Today's quote is from a talk given by Elder Marvin J. Ashton, entitled, "What is Your Destination?", always a good thing to consider when setting goals. This Elder Ashton illustrated with a particular goal that has meaning for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints - the moment when we make ourselves worthy to enter the temple for the first time:
The Quote (with context)
"To qualify one’s self to go to the temple is a lofty ambition,
a worthy achievement.
We need to remind ourselves of its eternal purposes.
However, we have not arrived when we share the blessings of the temple.
Oftentimes there are real dangers in our lives
when we allow lofty ideals and goals, such as temple marriage,
to become an end instead of a means.
All of our priorities must be properly placed
within the framework of eternity
if we are to avoid the stagnations of arriving.
I think it was Louis J. Halle who said,
“To snatch the passing moment
and examine it for signs of eternity
is the noblest of occupations.”
Who was Louis J. Halle?
Never heard of him before, but I found Louis J. Halle pretty quickly, as well as his quote.
It comes from a lovely little book he wrote called Spring in Washington (one of about 22 books) where he takes it upon himself to notice nature around him, as he went to work every morning for the State Department in Washington, DC.
Having partaken of the natural beauties of Washington DC myself when I worked there myself, I can completely understand his enthusiasm. It's a beautiful area of the country, and I'm definitely going to town on this book, and potentially some of his others, at a later time.
Here's the original quote. After he referred to Thoreau as a muse of his in paying attention to the natural world, he said this with such simple earnestness in his words:
"To snatch the passing moment
and examine it for signs of eternity
is the noblest of occupations.
It is Olympian.
Therefore I undertook to be monitor of the Washington seasons,
when the government was not looking.
Though it was only for my own good,
that is how the poorest of us may benefit the world."
I absolutely love how service-oriented this thought is, and how it reflected his ambition - stopped in one way (the fact that he was a broke low-level civil servant at the time), but he re-imagined himself with a great and noble job to do. Something that lifted his energies and engaged his talents.
That's exactly what I love about writing - it's such a simple activity, with such a low bar for entry. Absolutely anyone with a thought in their head can pick it up and leave a legacy for those who come after us, while at the same time entertaining and educating ourselves.
This is a key to eternity right here - being always able to find interest in what's in front of us, and never allowing ourselves to think we've done it all, seen it all, and we're bored with life so we stop learning. There's always something we can do to grow - there can always be some way into newness of life.
Jesus Christ and His gospel creates a pathway for that that truly never ends, but only grows and expands with each season of life. Just as I get comfortable in winter, I know that a glorious spring and summer are just around the next bend.
A very wise observation from the husband of my eighth cousin three times removed - I look forward to reminiscing with him one day in the next life about spring in Washington, DC.
