What's Your Name? Don't Forget It.

We have been thinking a lot about baby names the past few days.  If I am totally honest, it kind of stresses me out!  There is SO MUCH in a name!  Maybe I shouldn't be so serious about it, but I can't really let it go.  (I think this may be the fact that I haven't met the little guy/girl yet... hopefully when it finally gets out here that we will just know!)

But as I have thought so much about it, I am reminded of Helaman speaking to his sons:

Helaman 5:6

Behold, my sons, I desire that ye should remember to keep the commandments of God; and I would that ye should declare unto the people these words. Behold, I have given unto you the names of our first parents who came out of the land of Jerusalem; and this I have done that when you remember your names ye may remember them; and when ye remember them ye may remember their works; and when ye remember their works ye may know how that it is said, and also written, that they were good.

And perhaps the part I am stressed out about the most when it comes to this baby stuff, is that no matter what we finally choose as a given name, he/she gets HOFMAN by default.  And that is something that the kid will always have to remember me by!  He/she will remember MY WORKS.

A name is such a huge part of our identity.  And I think that is what we are all ultimately trying to define down here in the state of probation - WHO AM I?

What a blessing to have the knowledge that we are sons and daughters of God. What a massive leg up on the rest of the world!  On top of that, what a blessing to be a Bearrie!  I hope in a way when we all evaluate ourselves and our identities, that we include "I'm a Bearrie".  It sounds super corny, but I hope that everyone on here knows that there is always a support system for them.  There are always homies that have your back!  I know I include it in my identity and I am so grateful for you all.

Keep up the good work, brothers!  And remember your name!

Watch Yoself

I liked this scripture this morning:

D&C 50:46

"Watch, therefore, that you may be ready."

It made me think of how we need to always be on our toes.  We need to pay attention to the current status of our lives.  Are we constantly watching ourselves?  Do we evaluate how we are doing often enough?  If we aren't, we may not be ready when the time comes.

And that time, doesn't necessarily mean "The Second Coming" or "The End of the World".  I think there are much more pressing deadlines that we are preparing for. 

Will we be ready to receive the prompting to know who we need to marry?

Will we be ready to follow the spirit when deciding when to have children?

Will we have the strength to parent a child with special needs?

Will we know how to react when a spouse makes poor choices?

Will we be ready to raise children in an ever crazy world?

Will we be ready when our parents die?

Will we be ready when we lose a job?

Will we be ready to do the honest thing when it is so easy not to?

With a frequent evaluation, and adjustment when needs be, I know we can be ready for anything. Keep checking in on yourself, and on your fellow Bearries.

Eyes On The Prize

Yesterday, Madison and I went down to the local park to slack.

I hadn't been on a line for a LONG time.  Mainly because of winter, but also because I was a little sketched out with my knee. (And I am just a lazy piece of crap, and don't get out often enough without the Bearries around to push me)

As I was on the line yesterday, I couldn't help but see some cool life parallels.  It really wasn't anything NEW, but just something that I figure is good to have down in writing. 

I went to walk for the first time, took three steps, and then wiped out (pretty hard).  Three steps on a 120 ft line isn't very far haha! I turned and looked at Madison and said, "Oh man, I've got a long way to go!"

I got back on and went through all of the basics.  Breathe.  Core control.  Party hands. Stand up straight.  Eyes on the prize.

It was the last one that really stuck in my mind.  Eyes on the prize.  I hadn't been looking at the anchor point on the other side my first attempt.  I was busy focusing on the immediate problem.  And because I was focused on the minor ripple at the beginning of my walk, I failed.

The second attempt I was glued to the other side and few minutes later, I had sent it.

I think that life can be a lot like that.  We have these intense struggles at different points on our "line of life", and sometimes we get super lost in them!  So lost, we forget the big picture - the final goal.

And really, this principle can be applied on any level - whether the goal is graduating from college (don't overly stress about that chemistry class that is kicking your butt - in the long term, it's not that big of a deal), attaining eternal salvation (don't focus on the mistake you can't seem to stop making - focus on your heart, your desire, and the Atonement that will get you there), or finding that dream job (don't let the first company that didn't hire you determine your perceived value - move on to their competitor!)

I truly believe that keeping our eye on the prize will be one of the main factors in helping us attain our goals. 

#lessonsoftheline

D&C 4:5 

"And faith, hope, charity and love, with an eye single to the glory of God, qualify him for the work."

Ken's Comeback 2017

Hello Ladies!

It has been a while!  I have been lacking in my personal scripture study, so I made a goal to get on here more.  That way I get my studies in, and if anyone actually ever reads these, maybe the Bearries can benefit too.  And it wont be anything crazy... just some short thoughts here and there from my scripture reading.

As you see from the picture, I brought back an old friend.  Ken Caminiti.  (Side note, I read the Wikipeadia article on him - 15 seasons in the majors, National League MVP, and then he died in 2004 from a cocaine overdose... SO, moral of the story - be like Ken and play some hard ball... but not 100 percent like Ken - don't do drugs.)

Anyways, Ken landed me in Jonah this morning.  Specifically on the second verse of the first chapter:

2 Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.

And as I read it, I just thought of how the Lord can ask some hard things of us in life.  And we have two choices:

suck it up and do the hard thing

OR 

run away from the prompting like a pansy

So, hopefully we are able to make the choice to do the hard thing, and have faith that it will work out! And not only WORK OUT, but that we will be blessed beyond what we would if we didn't. 

Good luck, boys!  And get ready for more from Ken Caminiti in the near future!