Storms...and He that Calms Them

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Remember when I said that I had a soundtrack to my life?

I do.

I remember when I compiled the varied songs that there were far too many to simply have a one, or even a two-disk compilation. There are just too many songs which have become interwoven into the threads of my experiences. Their words, as well as the emotions they invoke, would also need to be included in that simple “soundtrack” to my life.

I needed more.

I went for a walk tonight, enjoying the crisp, evening air and the empty streets a Sunday night always seems to provide. It was nice to be outside and away from the things in a week which, at times, has been hectic and draining for me. As I was walking on a road overlooking the city, I stopped to gaze at the lights spread out below me…

In this vast panorama which lay before me, I could imagine a veritable trove of people, all with their individual lives and problems, struggles and challenges, joys and accomplishments. As I stood looking out over the city, it seemed so calm, so quiet. Into my mind came the words from a song I’d first heard many years before, as I drank in the calmness all around me, I felt at peace.

The calmer of the storm does look down and He sees us all, and is mindful of everything we experience in our lives. All of our pains, trials, and everything which bombard us each day; I need to remember to take the time to raise my eyes and not concentrate on the waves crashing around me.

My favorite stanza from the song is the following:

“There on the storm I am learning to let go.
The white wave’s high, it’s crashing o’er the deck
And I don’t know where I go.
Where are You Lord? Is my ship going down?
The mast is gone so throw the anchor…
Should I jump and try to swim to land?”

Thank you, Calmer of the Storm.

Calmer of the Storm
Down Here

When everything is wrong
The day has passed and nothing’s done
And the whole world seems against me
When I’m rolling in my bed, there’s a storm in my head
I’m afraid of sinking in despair.

Teach me, Lord to have faith
In what You’re bringing me will
Change my life and bring You glory

There on the storm I am learning to let go
Of the will that I so long to control
There may I be in Your arms eternally
I thank you, Lord, You are the calmer of the storm.

You rebuke the wind and the waves
Once again I find I’m amazed by the power of Your will
‘Cause I’m a child of little faith
I feel the wind and forget Your grace
And You say, “Peace, be still.”

Teach me, Lord to have faith
In what You’re bringing me will
Change my life and bring You glory

There on the storm I am learning to let go
Of the will that I so long to control
There may I be in Your arms eternally
I thank you, Lord, You are the calmer of the storm.

Oh when the torment blows
The middle of the sea.
May I never trust, never trust in me.
‘Cause there in Your arms I find
No tragedy.

There on the storm I am learning to let go
The white wave’s high, it’s crashing o’er the deck
And I don’t know where I go
Where are You Lord, is my ship going down?
The mast is gone so throw the anchor
Should I jump and try to swim to land?

There on the storm, teach me God to understand
Of Your will that I just cannot control.
There may I see all Your love protecting me
I thank you Lord, You are the calmer of the storm.

Actions vs. Words

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“Actions really speak louder than words. But still the best case, to my opinion, is when your words match your actions.”

Natalina

Ukraine

Why I Hate Christmas

Pin It ...being over.

About six or seven weeks ago I found myself taking down the Christmas decorations which festooned my home and made it feel bright and cheery. As I took them down, I suddenly felt a longing for Christmas yet again.

I feel it again today.

I love Angela Landsbury’s rendition of, “We Need a Little Christmas” from the musical, Mame. There are times when I feel that I can really relate to Mame, especially as she and her nephew, Patrick, decide that they really need a little something to keep them going...they need a little Christmas. I firmly believe that we all, at times, need a little Christmas too.

The main reasons I hate Christmas being over are:

7. The “newness” feeling of the snow is missing.

6. The white lights and decorations are down.

5. My sister's AMAZING cooking and meals.

4. The feeling of anticipation is gone.

3. No more Christmas music of the Savior on the radio.

2. No candy cane cookies.

1. I miss my brother.

I am a sixth grader...

Pin It Did you ever have one of those times when you felt really stupid?

I went up to Sundance to meet with Suzanne, the woman who does purchasing for the store up there, with some of my photography. However, I didn’t have the slightest clue what I needed in order to do this. So, stupid me went up with one—yes one—framed photo and a whole lot of nothing else.

Well, as I stood in Suzanne’s small office and she began to talk, I was suddenly thinking about my sixth grade Math class. More specifically, I was thinking about those students who sit there with these blank looks on their faces which tell me that they have absolutely no idea what it is I am talking about.

This was me. I had no clue what this woman meant as she went on about wholesale vs. retail and a bunch of Greek about consignment and going rate. She then went on to talk about portfolios and artist stories…In a word, I was completely lost. It probably hadn’t helped matters that I had a screaming migraine which was threatening to blow my head apart right on the spot.

As Suzanne took some of her time to explain what I should have had ready for our appointment, I suddenly found myself on ‘overload’ and my brain cells were starting to shut down. She was speaking this foreign language and I couldn’t make heads or tails of it. At one point, I glanced at a chart on the wall behind her, and Suzanne, the office, and the reason I was there just drifted away. Her mouth was still moving…there was even sound. However, this sound was a million miles away as I remembered my poster for my Young Men’s awards which hung on my bedroom wall in Summit Valley. Wow, I hadn’t thought about that chart in years…I wondered just where it was now. Had I packed it away someplace? Those button-like stickers were so cool…

“Whoa there Zimmerman!” a voice seemed to chime in my head. “Why aren’t you paying attention to what this woman is telling you?”

I drug myself back to the present and listened as she went on and finally had to concede: “Look, Suzanne…I’m stupid, I have no idea about anything you just said.” I then went on to admit that I had a headache and she had said a lot of things I didn’t understand right off.

She blew out a breath and said, “Jason, you’re starting to give your headache to me.” She then gave me a homework assignment…to go and check out what other photographers had done, get pricings, and come back when I was good and ready…ready to commit to the world of business.

I just looked at her and said, “Are you even interested in the photography I have?” I asked.

Suzanne just looked at me and gave the fleeting hint of a smile. “I’m still talking to you, aren’t I?”

I left the office a bit dejected and REALLY confused. Well, luckily I had taken my sister, Shawna, up with me. As we left the office she began to explain to me what Suzanne had said, we then looked at an example up at the art gallery behind the store of an “author story and bio.” Well, it started to make a whole lot of sense and I realized that I had gone up completely unprepared, expecting Suzanne to do most of the legwork and not me.

So, what did I learn from this? Well, it is to do my “homework” beforehand and have things prepared out in advance. It is true that there is never a second chance at making a good first impression, however, we can be grateful for second chances and for those who make us do it right…sometimes by giving us a little helpful advice and then letting us do it on our own.

Well, I’ve still got homework…

Tortellini Soup

Pin It I got this really great recipe from a friend of mine recently. I actually got it two years ago and never actually made the soup. I guess I was just always hoping that it would get made by my friend, who would then usually send some my way (which was usually the case).

Well, I suddenly felt this craving for tortellini soup and decided that I’d better take a crack at making it myself. I will admit that a part of me never made this before because of fear…I was afraid that it would probably be horrible-tasting and also a colossal waste of my time when it didn’t turn out.

Well, last Sunday the call was much too great and I gave into my desire for tortellini soup. As the smells of sautéed mushrooms and basil wafted about the kitchen mingled with the odors of Italian sausage and onions, I knew I’d made an EXCELLENT decision.

The great thing about it is that I now have four great recipes of things which I could make should I ever want to impress somebody.

Perceptions of Beauty

Pin It I recently found a blog which had used a quote from my Christmas posting. I was moved that somebody felt that I was worth quoting. As I perused a few of the pages on her blog, I came across a video depicting what 'beauty' is as seen by today's society. Because I do photography, I knew about the process shown, but to actually see it in action was shocking. I must have watched this video six times.



When I was involved with the Safety Net Mentor Program I was a Big Brother to a boy who shared a song with me by the band, "Simple Plan." This song echoes the perceptions many of us have developed from society. All of these things are weighing heavily on my mind as of lately. What type of world have we become when we base what beauty is on things that are falsely manipulated and largely fictional?

Terrible dates

Pin It No, not dates like September 11 or even the fruit (which does not taste all that great). I am speaking of those pre-arranged-
meetings-between-two-members-of-the-opposite-sex which usually have one of two outcomes, either a great relationship, or a great story...

A friend of mine directed me to a blog where people had talked about their worst 'first date' stories. I was amazed that most of those who posted were female so I found it necessary to make a comment myself. I have copied this comment for your reading pleasure:

You don’t know me, but we share a common friend, cjane. I just couldn’t help but notice that there are so many postings about girls’ bad dates, but few from the guys’ perspective…I feel that I need to make it known that there are also some freakishly strange women out there…

One memorable ‘first date’ which wasn’t really a date was when a girl from my ward, I’ll call her “Becky,” invited herself to go out with me. She wasn’t ready when I went to pick her up, and then I paid for dinner as well. The next day she called to ask, “where our relationship was.” After a conversation about our evening and how she was the one who’d invited herself out, she proceeded to tell me all of the reasons why I was still single…

One girl asked me out on a first date using her little sister who was a student at my school at the time. “My sister thinks you’re cute and wants to know if you’ll go on a date with her.” (3rd grader asking here). Talk about AWKWARD! In addition, the event this older sister had planned was hanging out at her folks’ house for her cousin’s birthday party with her entire extended family there. Luckily, I’d called a friend before the “date” who promised to call me 30 minutes into the festivities as my “escape hatch” if I needed to abort date. When she called, 15 minutes late, I was saddened to leave because of my “work-related emergency.” I went home and thought about slashing my wrists…

However, one of the worst experiences I’ve had in the dating world is from the girl who turned out to be a stalker and told ALL of her friends (as well as members of my ward) how we were “going out” and had been ‘secretly dating’ for months. In addition, she told everyone that she had a shoebox full of love letters I’d written to her (none of which I’d written) where I’d made known my deep worship of her. She also tried to spy into my apartment on the 3rd floor of the building where I lived when I ended up moving. She found my new house because I saw her on the sidewalk when I was walking home and she followed me to see where I’d moved.

I could go on, but it’s too painful. Sad that all three of these dates happened in Provo.