Lucky Lucky Lucky

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to spend two weeks nannying three cute kiddos under the age of 6.

I definitely was not as classy as this nanny. I wish I could be.

It was hard work, but also really fun. Kids are just fun.

For example, take this exchange I had with one of them:
5 y/o *pointing at a bag of cough drops*: "Can I have one of those? Please? Pleeeaaasse??"
Me: "Those are for when you're sick. Don't you think we should save them for when you feel sick?"
5: "Um, well," *coughs loudly* "I AM sick. Can I have one now?"

It was fun.

But one thing I noticed was how excited the kids were for everything. I mean everything - apple juice, books, trips to the park, trips to the backyard, gluing things, baking things, lunchtime, storytime, music, bubbles, popcorn, legos, pictures of ponies, baths, coloring pages, driving past semi-trucks - everything was a novelty and everything made them as excited as if I had said "Okay kids, we're going to have a party tonight!"

I mean that quite literally, too. I once told them we would have a party and they were no more excited than when I had told them earlier in the day that they could have macaroni and cheese for lunch.

But one thing, in particular, I've been thinking about. Whenever anything went right, the kids would say, "Wow! We're such lucky kids!"

Once I found a pink cup in the dishwasher for one of them. Immediately, one said to the other, "Wow!! You're a lucky kid!"

Another time I told them two stories before bed, and they were excited that they were so lucky to hear so many stories.

Then there were times where I said it was time to pick up their toys, and they just said, "We're so lucky! We have you to help us!" (Naturally, this meant "you, babysitter, are going to do most of the work," but I appreciated the sentiment.)

I like the idea that everything can be lucky. It's like Pollyanna's Glad Game. If we just see things as being lucky, or glad, even when we have to do hard things (like pick up toys), I think life will be nicer. I think I'd be happier. I would definitely smile more.

So take the advice of 3 little kids, and see how lucky you are!

Have a Smiley Day!

George Friedrich Handel

“King of kings and Lord of lords!

And He shall reign forever and ever!

Forever and ever!

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!”

--Hallelujah Chorus from Messiah

George Friedrich Handel was born in Halle, Germany, in February of 1685. He loved music. His father, however, wanted his son to study law, so he didn't allow Handel to practice any musical instrument. Handel was a bit rebellious. Now, if you think of yourself as a rebellious kid, this next bit will speak to you. Pay attention. You could be like Handel.

When he was little - under the age of eight - Handel somehow managed to find a small clavichord and sneak it into his attic to play quietly during the night.

How did he do this? Have you seen the size of clavichords? They're slightly smaller than an upright piano. I've never seen one in real life, but I imagine they're heavy. How did he sneak a clavichord into the attic before he was eight years old? Perhaps more importantly, how did he get the clavichord? Was it a gift? Did he buy it with his father's credit card? How was he not discovered?

It's a mystery. Which I find extremely upsetting.

At any rate, it was because of this nightly practice that, at age eight, he walked up to the organ at church and began to play out of the blue. It was shocking, particularly to his family, that he could play well, considering his age and the fact that his father was so opposed to music.

I think they found the clavichord at this point.

Years later, Handel went into law school according to the wishes of his father. But of course, he preferred music, so he decided to follow his dream. He moved to Hamburg, Germany, where he studied music and composed his first opera.

In 1706, he traveled to Italy, where he really began his musical career. He met famous composers, discovered his style of music, and began composing for the church and theater.

After Italy, he traveled to many different cities and composed and learned and became better and better until 1711, when he settled in London, England. There, he began composing for the Queen's Theater. In 1727, he completed the process of naturalization and became an English citizen.

London in the 1710s

He actually did really well as a composer. People liked his stuff (and no wonder; so do I). In 1717. he was even commissioned by King George I himself! George-the-king asked George-Handel to compose music to be played on the water, in boats. So Handel did.

He called it The Water Music. Imagine that. But actually, The Water Music, made up of three orchestral suites, is really fun both to listen to and to play in an orchestra. So I don't really mind that Handel didn't use much imagination in its title. He had to use his brainpower on music, not titles.

So he kept on building popularity with his oratorios and concertos and orchestral suites, but especially opera. He did a lot of opera.

And then opera started to become unpopular.

Try as he might, Handel couldn't compete against unpopularity. He did his best, and wrote so much music it's really quite amazing, but he began to lose money. Soon, he was in debt and his compositions were becoming increasingly unpopular.

In the late 1730s, Handel suffered a stroke, paralyzing his right arm and causing brain damage. Most people gave up hope of him ever composing again, but he would not allow this to happen to him. He pushed through and later said, "I have come back from Hades."

In 1741, Handel was asked to write the music to an oratorio written with scriptures praising Jesus Christ and His life. Over the course of 23 days, working all day and night without rest, Handel wrote 260 pages of music. The quick writing and lack of mistakes in his drafts suggest inspiration from God in the composition. On the original manuscript, he wrote, “Soli Deo gloria” - “Glory to God alone.” He said after its completion, “God has visited me.”

He titled it, Messiah.

The oratorio’s premiere was a wild success. The proceeds of the performance went on to free 142 men from debtor’s prison. It was performed annually to financially benefit a Foundling Hospital until Handel’s death in April 1759. Even today, Messiah is one of the most popular pieces of music ever written.

Handel's story really inspires me. Something about his music and his life seems so important. Everything seems to lead up to Messiah, and its divine inspiration seems particularly poignant. I can't say everything I want to - I don't seem to have the right words. But maybe listen to Messiah and study more about Handel. Maybe you'll understand what I mean.

Have a Smiley Day! 

Sources -
http://gfhandel.org/handel/biography.html
Handel, Who Knew What He Liked, by M. T. Anderson and Kevin Hawkes
https://www.thetabernaclechoir.org/messiah/george-frideric-handel-a-brief-history.html
Handel's Messiah, 2014 - directed by Lee Groberg
Handel and the Gift of Messiah, By Elder Spencer J. Condie - https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2010/12/handel-and-the-gift-of-messiah?lang=eng
https://www.bsomusic.org/stories/5-things-you-might-not-know-about-handels-messiah/

www.rightpronunciation.com/languages/latin/soli-deo-gloria-8330.asp?id1=23&page=5.

Toussaint L'Ouverture

Less than ten years after the American Revolution ended, another revolution took place. It was not the French Revolution, which had ended two years prior. It took place in Haiti. The hero of this revolution was named was François-Dominique Toussaint L’Ouverture; a former African slave in the French colony of Saint-Domingue.

Toussaint L’Ouverture led the most successful slave rebellion ever, but he was hesitant, at first, to join the fight. He was a free black man in a colony where he could earn money and become socially influential.6 By involving himself in the revolution, he could - and likely would - lose his station and wealth which he had worked to accrue over almost fifty years of life.4 What finally drew him in, however, was the knowledge that the fight was against injustice. It was not a petty battle for political power or property. The slaves were fighting for their rights, their lives, and their liberty. 

The idea that to fight for liberty is only acceptable when the cause is just is not an uncommon one. As Thomas Jefferson wrote in the Declaration of Independence, “...when a long train of abuses and usurpations...evinces a design to reduce them [the people] under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.”3 In scripture, Doctrine and Covenants 134:11 concurs with this: “We believe that men should appeal to the civil law for redress of all wrongs and grievances, where personal abuse is inflicted or the right of property or character infringed, where such laws exist as will protect the same; but we believe that all men are justified in defending themselves, their friends, and property, and the government, from the unlawful assaults and encroachments of all persons in times of exigency, where immediate appeal cannot be made to the laws, and relief afforded.”1 From these defining documents, it can be understood that to move forth the cause of liberty is to fight against tyranny and injustice, but that it is only when there are no other options that a people should take up physical weapons to do so - otherwise, the most civil means should be employed.

L’Ouverture understood this, and he understood that the French would never willingly grant freedom to its slaves with a simple petition. France had put in place “revisions to the French Code Noir (Black Code) [which] legalized the harsh treatment of slaves as property...”4 In the eyes of the new French government, to change that code for no other reason than a few insignificant slaves in a colony in the Americas would be a waste of time and money. Thus, the abuses continued, and they would never end without revolution. It was then that L’Ouverture realized he must join the fight.

18th-century Saint-Domingue was the most prosperous colony in the world. The island’s main exports, sugar and coffee, were in massive demand.2 That wealth, however, came as a result of slave labor. These slaves constituted almost 90% of the population.2 They were treated like animals. The maltreatment and exploitation of the slaves combined with the rumors of revolution in the American colonies and in France, and it was only a matter of time before a revolt broke out. On August 22, 1791, slaves across Saint-Domingue rose up as one against tyranny.4 They set fire to plantations and brutally killed whites in a wave of massive brutality against their opressors.

When Toussaint L’Ouverture heard of the revolts, he knew it was time he became involved.4 He had been born into slavery, but his master was kind, and so he was allowed an education. Later, he was given his freedom. He married Suzanne Simon and had two sons.4 He quickly became one of the 23,800 colored citizens in Saint-Domingue who were both free and wealthy.2 Yet he would risk both wealth and station accrued over his lifetime for the rebellion.

When he finally determined to join the fight, he quickly rose through the ranks to become the leader of the slave revolt.5 Under his guidance, the Haitian rebels fought for liberty, and, combined with some of L’Ouverture’s political maneuvers, finally achieved their freedom through diplomatic means with France.6 Though this was not the end of L’Ouverture’s battles, it was a major victory. Later, he helped the French army fight the Spanish on the island of Saint-Domingue. After that, he became the governor of the colony, controlling its diplomacy and commerce, and even wrote its constitution.4

Soon, however, Napoleon Bonaparte came into power in France. He sent his brother-in-law, Charles Leclerc, to Saint-Domingue to reinstate slavery in the colony. When L’Ouverture tried to fight, he was captured. Leclerc sent him to France, where he was imprisoned.7 There, the conditions were terrible. He was never released; he died there, sick and starving.5 He would never know that only a year later, Saint-Domingue - soon to be renamed Haiti - was to become a free state.

The sad ending to his story undermines the power he held throughout his life. It cripples the facts of his life. It must be understood that without Toussaint L’Ouverture, the slave revolt would have fallen apart early on. It was his genius, his work in moving forth the cause of liberty, that allowed the foundation for Haiti’s freedom.

Endnotes

1Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The Doctrine and Covenants Section 134. Kirtland, OH: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 1835.

2CrashCourse. “Haitian Revolutions: Crash Course World History #30.” YouTube, 16 Aug. 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5A_o-nU5s2U. 

3Declaration of Independence, US, 1776

4McNally, Deborah. “L'Ouverture, Toussaint (1742-1803).” The Black Past: Remembered and Reclaimed, blackpast.org/gah/loverture-toussaint-1742-1803. 

5“The Slave Who Defeated Napoleon.” Toussaint L'Ouverture - HistoryWiz, www.historywiz.com/toussaint.htm. 

6“Toussaint Louverture.” Slavery and Remembrance, slaveryandremembrance.org/people/person/?id=PP052.

7“ Who Was Toussaint-Louverture?” United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO, www.unesco.org/new/en/social-and-human-sciences/themes/slave-route/resistances-and-abolitions/toussaint-louverture/.

Fred Rogers

In February of 1968, Mister Fred Rogers welcomed children to “a beautiful day in the neighborhood”7 for the very first time. As he took off his jacket and donned a sweater, he warmly asked, “Won’t you be my neighbor?”7 Mister Rogers was excited about life and every one of his neighbors, yet he calmly expressed that excitement with expert control. In every action, he was playful and intentional. At the end of the episode, he assured children that he cared for them by saying, “I’m going to be thinking about you until I come back tomorrow.”7 Over the next 35 years and over 895 episodes, Mister Rogers would go on to teach and inspire children to reach their fullest potential in a personal, comforting way.

How did he do it? How was he able to teach children to find joy in everything, manage emotions well, and most of all be kind, despite only being known to them on a television screen? How did he inspire others to be great?

In order to answer this question, it is essential to understand what greatness is. In an April 1982 talk in General Conference for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Howard W. Hunter described it by saying, “To do one’s best in the face of the commonplace struggles of life, and possibly in the face of failures, and to continue to endure and persevere with the ongoing difficulties of life - when those struggles and tasks contribute to the progress and happiness of others and the eternal salvation of one’s self - this is true greatness.”3 So greatness requires daily endurance through seemingly trivial trials, or, in Mister Rogers’ words, “Let’s make the most of this beautiful day!”6 It also says that truly great people share their greatness, inspiring others to be great. Or, as Mister Rogers put it, “...deep down we know that what matters in this life is much more than winning for ourselves. What really matters is helping others win, too, even if it means slowing down and changing our course now and then.”5

When Mister Rogers was introduced to television, he found it off-putting. He saw the slapstick, poorly written comedy as immature and inappropriate, and he realized that he had found a new purpose: he wanted to bring a production to children’s television filled with true principles and wisdom.2

After working for NBC for a few years, he moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and helped create WQED. It was a television station dedicated to education and entirely supported by the community - the first of its kind. There, he worked as a puppeteer on a program called The Children’s Corner.2

In 1963, Mister Rogers moved to Canada, where he got the idea for Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. He moved back to America and began filming the show in 1966, two years before it was initially released.2 It has since become one of the most beloved television shows in America, and Mister Rogers has even become a cultural symbol.

The episodes began with Mister Rogers walking through the door, changing out of his coat and shoes into a sweater and sneakers, and singing the neighborhood song. It was a beloved ritual that helped children understand that he was a friend. The episodes had a slow, calming pace, and yet were able to clearly convey energy and amusement. Each episode featured a ride on a miniature trolley into the Neighborhood of Make-Believe, where children met puppets with lively personalities and voices. And at the end of the day, Mister Rogers would kindly say goodbye until the next day.6

One of the most intentionally included details of the show was teaching children to manage their emotions correctly. When speaking to a Senate Committee, Mister Rogers said, “I feel that if we in public television can only make it clear that feelings are mentionable and manageable, we will have done a great service for mental health.”2 He wrote a song called “What do you do with the mad that you feel?” which teaches children to stop and think about their feelings and actions when they are angry.6

As a person, Mister Rogers was authentic and honest in the truest sense. The mistakes in the show were not edited out, and everything he said was clear and straightforward. Everything he said and did in the show was intentional, and the authenticity is shown in every episode.1

Mister Rogers knew how to speak to a child.4 He understood the struggles they had, and he knew how to respond to them in an honest, caring way. Because of his true love for the children he spoke to, they listened to him. As one four-year-old told him in a letter, “I love you very much...Mr. Rogers, I like you so much it just feels like hearts are coming out of my head.”1 He helped them through the hard things - even the small hard things - and inspired them to manage their emotions, always be kind to others, and remember that they were special. He inspired greatness in others, and continues to do so past his death to this very day, all while reiterating: “I like you just the way you are.”5

Endnotes

1“A Television Visit.” Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, www.misterrogers.org/articles/a-television-visit/.

2“About Fred Rogers.” Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, www.misterrogers.org/about-fred-rogers/.

3Hunter, Howard W. “True Greatness - Howard W. Hunter.” The Official Website of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, www.lds.org/general-conference/1982/04/true-greatness?lang=eng.

4“Our Television Neighbor.” Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, The Fred Rogers Company, www.misterrogers.org/our-television-neighbor/.

5Petersen, Sarah, and Abby Stevens. “20 Life Lessons from Mister Rogers | Deseret News.” DeseretNews.com, Deseret News, 13 Oct. 2013, www.deseretnews.com/top/1924/0/20-life-lessons-from-Mister-Rogers.html.

6“Mister Rogers Neighborhood. Performance by Fred Rogers.

7“Mister Rogers Neighborhood The First Program.” Performance by Fred Rogers, season 1, episode 1.

Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton

In late 1913, an issue of the Times reportedly ran the following advertisement: “Men wanted for hazardous journey. Small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in case of success.”1 Apparently, the named reward appealed strongly to men despite the intimidating description of danger, and applicants poured in. By 1914, a crew was chosen, and Ernest Shackleton began his aptly named “Incredible Voyage.” The objective: to cross the continent of Antarctica.

The expedition failed dramatically. However, over a century later, it is still seen as one of the greatest stories of human survival and determination ever. Why? Because of Shackleton’s exceptional leadership, optimism, and most of all, courage.

Without the underlying base of courage, Shackleton would never have attempted the Antarctic Expedition in the first place. Defining courage, Mark Twain wrote, “Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear--not absence of fear.”4 This lends evidence to the Merriam-Webster dictionary definition of courage: “mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty.”7 From these definitions comes a more complete definition: courage is noble endurance through trials despite fear and obstacles. It is fitting, then, that Shackleton named his ship Endurance.

Ernest Shackleton was born in February of 1874 in Ireland. When he was sixteen, he joined the British navy, preparing him for the exploration expeditions he would join and later lead. When he was 22, Shackleton dreamt that he was traveling through snow and ice.9 He later said, “I seemed to vow to myself that some day I would go to the region of ice and snow and go on and on till I came to one of the poles of the earth, the end of the axis upon which this great round ball turns.”10 By the time he was 39, Shackleton had gone on two expeditions to Antarctica. Both times he came closer to the South Pole than anyone had ever been before.3

In 1914, Shackleton and a group of 27 men left to cross the Antarctic continent. Their ship was originally called Polaris, but Shackleton renamed it Endurance after his family motto: “By endurance we conquer.”2 They sailed into Antarctic waters, ready to face the challenges ahead. 

In 1915, however, after battling through 700 miles of ice, the Endurance became caught. The crew chopped the ice, trying to get their ship to push through, but the effort was futile. The ice pushed the Endurance to the point of breakage. The men were ordered out of the ship into the frigid air as the ice split the wood of the ship, breaking it to pieces. “A new challenge rested upon his [Shackleton’s] shoulders: their mission now was to survive.”2

For six months, they lived in the frigid cold. Then the ice began to break. Shackleton ordered his men into the lifeboats and they sailed through treacherous waters in order to find land. When they eventually found “Elephant Island,” they felt unparallelled elation; it had been over a year since any of them had seen land.6

The joy was short-lived. Soon, a blizzard set in. The men overturned the lifeboats to use as shelters. They would live in these shelters for three months.5

Shackleton knew that if any of them were to live, they must be saved, and since nobody sailed nearby, they must save themselves. He and five of his men climbed into a tiny lifeboat, determined to complete the task at hand, and began the journey through the mighty ocean.5

Miraculously, they made it to South Georgia, but a daunting task faced them: they must climb the mountains over the entire island before they would find civilization. Shackleton made an executive decision and, leaving three of the men on the beach, he trekked over the island with two men at his side. After over 36 hours of exhausting work, they made it to a whaling station. Finally, they could return for the rest of the crew on Elephant Island.2

Every member of Shackleton’s crew returned alive.

If courage is defined as “noble endurance through trials despite fear and obstacles,” Ernest Shackleton is a perfect example of courage. Despite all his trials - freezing cold temperatures, grueling physical labor, mental exhaustion, etc. - Shackleton pushed through with noble countenance. He was a man of courage.

“For scientific discovery give me Scott; for speed and efficiency of travel give me Amundsen; but when disaster strikes and all hope is gone, get down on your knees and pray for Shackleton.” -- Sir Raymond Priestly8

Endnotes

1“Advert.” Antarctic Firsts, 13 Nov. 2016, www.antarctic-circle.org/advert.htm.

2Grill, William. Shackleton's Journey. Flying Eye Books, 2014.

3“History - Ernest Shackleton.” BBC, BBC, www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/shackleton_ernest.shtml. 

4“Mark Twain Quotations - Courage.” Mark Twain, James W. Paige and the Paige Typesetter, www.twainquotes.com/Courage.html.

5McCurdy, Michael. Trapped by the Ice!: Shackleton’s Amazing Antarctic Adventure. Walker and Co., 2002.

6McKay, Kate. “Leadership Lessons From Ernest Shackleton.” The Art of Manliness, 28 May 2018, www.artofmanliness.com/articles/leadership-lessons-from-ernest-shackleton/.

7“Courage.” Merriam-Webster.

8Priestly, Raymond. “For scientific discovery give me Scott; for speed and efficiency of travel give me Amundsen; but when disaster strikes and all hope is gone, get down on your knees and pray for Shackleton.”

9Shackleton, Ernest. “I had a dream when I was 22 that someday I would go to the region of ice and snow and go on and on till I came to one of the poles of the earth.”

10Shackleton, Ernest. “I seemed to vow to myself that some day I would go to the region of ice and snow and go on and on till I came to one of the poles of the earth, the end of the axis upon which this great round ball turns.”