Plain Catie

  Another year, another theme come and gone. As I wrote about in April, my theme this year was Hope. So here at the end of 2022 are three more things I’ve learned about hope: Hope has a stronger backbone than I thought.  When I started this year, I thought of hope as a lightweight, something fanciful, built on a cloud of optimism and just as sturdy. I chose it as a theme because I needed light, any light I could find. But I’ve come to see hope as more robust, as something that allows you to move forward rather than sink into despair or apathy. Hope can give you legs to stand on, a tenacity to continue even when you don’t know the outcome. I love this description of hope that I found (via LDS Christian scholar Melissa Inouye) in a speech by Chieko Okazaki , a former leader in my church: “I think of hope as a modest but very tough everyday virtue, an ordinary but resilient virtue that is both gentle and beautiful. It is an unassuming but powerful force for good that will greatly...

PSALM 23 1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. 5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. Psalm 23 - A psalm of the sheep [1] God is my shepherd, he’ll always take care of me [2] He brings me to places that are green and alive, full of water and peace. [3] He makes me whole. When I follow him, I walk in goodness and love. [4] Sometimes we walk through darkness, but because I’m with you, I’ll be less afraid; I know you have power a...

PSALM 95 1 O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. 2 Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. 3 For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. 4 In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also. 5 The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land. 6 O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker. 7 For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice, 8 Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness: 9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work. 10 Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways: 11 Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my re...