Love Your Dang Neighbor.

Why can't we just get along? For some reasons we humans find conflict everywhere we turn. We create conflict. We think someone is after us if they state a differing opinion than us. We sometimes think our spouse or co-workers don't like us, or that they think we aren't doing good enough in some area. That may be true sometimes, but chances are we think the similar things about others. It's a continual cycle.

I'm just as guilty of it as the next guy...or girl!

I get more offended when I am tired. I get more offended when I hold a belief passionately and someone says it doesn't matter, or even worse that I'm stupid because of it. I'm prone to react rather than act. I'm pretty sure most of humanity is somewhat similar.

We're fighting about silly things for the most part.

There are some things that I stand for that I do not consider trivial nor debatable even...in other words, there's not point in telling me there's a better way because, honestly, I'll probably just shore up my perspectives more. What are those things? These are them: Marriage between a Man and a Woman, Right to Life, and Right to Worship according to the "dictates of [my] own conscience.

So those are things I believe to be essential to happiness and the opportunity to find happiness.
That being said. I have had to learn about the Right of Agency...or the ability to choose for oneself.
We are pretty lucky (blessed!) to live in a country where we can choose things that are good for us and we can even choose things that are terrible for us and it's not illegal. Well...not always illegal...

This brings great freedom...as well as potential problems.

The one thing that we cannot escape regardless of the law, is the impact our decisions will have on our lives, our children's lives, and the natural consequences that cannot be severed even with legislation. Thankfully consequences can be positive...if that's what we are going for.

All this awesome freedom brings a sad truth: We will probably disagree with our friends, spouses, and neighbors at some point on the best course for our country, states, communities, and families. That's okay! ...if we don't go crazy!

I think (for the most part) that even though most of us can find something to disagree on, there is much more that we have in common. That's the stuff we need to be looking at in our relationships. The other stuff can be constantly evolving. Even when we have a position that we are not going to stray from, we can still choose to be more compassionate to those we disagree with.

Christ's words are balanced and full of wisdom. He is loving and kind, and yet firm in pointing us back to God. He told us to "agree with thine adversary quickly" (Matthew 5:25). He extends the idea further in 3 Nephi 12 with His visit to the Nephites:

21 Ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, and it is also written before you, that thou shalt not kill, and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment of God;

22 But I say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother shall be in danger of his judgment. And whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council; and whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

23 Therefore, if ye shall come unto me, or shall desire to come unto me, and rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee—

24 Go thy way unto thy brother, and first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come unto me with full purpose of heart, and I will receive you.

The Lord is serious about us getting along with each other. Especially when the issues are trivial. Trivial might be the wrong word, but I think most of what we get "fired up" over is not eternal or lasting.

Can't we just get along? I know and LOVE people who disagree with me on my list of things that I don't even consider debatable. Marriage? My belief (based in my understanding of God and His plan) is certainly not popular. Abortion is a heinous evil (again based on my understanding of the purpose of this existence on Earth). But it's my belief in the Right to Worship that reminds me that each person has the right to "worship (or believe) according to the dictates of THEIR own conscience."
Because of that, I desire to be loving and kind to every person I encounter. I do not always succeed.
Being human brings limits to the table. As eluded to earlier, we get tired, stressed, and overdone. We don't respond perfectly to disappointment. We get frustrated with loved ones because we see life through different lenses of experience.

I really do believe that the Lord wants me to be obedient to His commandments. Being an obedient member of the Church is important to me. Doing all the "things" leads to happiness. But the BIGGEST "thing", the biggest COMMANDMENT of them all is this one in Matthew 22: 37-40

37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

38 This is the first and great commandment.

39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Do we see it? Love God first. For sure. That's why I can't bend on some of my deeply held beliefs.

But did we see the Love our Neighbor? It's there. It's HUGE. We're going to be spending time in Heaven with people we may have judged too harshly. We should be careful of how we interact with them here and now.

Here's the part we might miss:
"On these two commandments hang ALL the law and the prophets". (!) Emphasis emphatically added!

The WHOLE point of the Gospel of Jesus Christ - The WHOLE point of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...all the laws, worthiness, Ministering, programs, meetings, annoying our neighbors and children (right?), is THIS (from the Lord Himself):

Moses 1:39 For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.

And it all hangs on loving God. It all hangs on loving our neighbors.

So here's my question. Before we have that fight or argument.

Is it worth it? 

Are we disagreeing because we love God or because we just want to be right? Are we disagreeing or frustrated because of a true conviction? ...or do we just want to be right?

Being right is great...

But then there's Moroni 7:46

46 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail—

As far as I have been able to tell, it doesn't matter how "righteous" we are if we don't love our neighbor and our God.

Loving your God by showing love to your neighbor is best. Again, that doesn't mean we have to agree, or even put up with terrible things. We need to stand for our beliefs, stop evil, and share the Gospel. We can still try to be obedient to the commandments.

But maybe, we can withhold our judgment of each other long enough to realize that God is their Father too. He made them. He loves them. He loves us. He's working with ALL of His children. Sometimes in ways we can't see or understand.

Even those who don't want to be worked with or are completely oblivious are getting His attention. He's not leaving out one soul. We can try to follow that example. We'll probably do it imperfectly.
It's tough. That's why God is the one who can show us how it is done.

I'm so grateful for that.

To Kanab!

I have been working in Kanab at KES for 12 years. I have been driving to Kanab for 12 years. Twelve really great years that I was able to grown and learn and enjoy friendships in Orderville and the Valley. Twelve years that I also made friends in Kanab and was able to feel a part of both wonderful communities.
The past few years Jenna has been the owner of the Red Rock Dance Company. We have made countless trips to Kanab from Orderville to my work and hers. It was okay for a little while, but after the birth of our last baby, it was just too much.
We had been praying for quite a while for the opportunity to arrive to move to Kanab. Years really. We weren't in a rush to leave the Valley and its wonderful people, but the drive was taking its toll after so many years. The timing never felt right until this year.
And then it did. And it all worked out. It was a bit crazy, but it worked.
Trust in the Lord and his timing. I have received that advice many times in my life. It is real. If we will wait on Him, the best course will unfold. He will stretch us.
My life has been one where I have had to learn to wait. What do I wait for? Peace. Confirmation. The Spirit to help me move forward. Sometimes I feel like it's the lazy way to do things, but then I remember that every time I have tried to move things forward in "my own way", it never works out very well.
That's not the same for everybody in this world. For some people pushing and striving hard...moving Heaven and Earth to achieve their goals, it works for them. That's awesome. I haven't ever felt that it works for me...and that's okay. I know the pattern for my life, and I am learning that to keep peace in my soul...I have to wait for peace to confirm my forward moving changes and decisions.
We still used our agency. We prayed to move. We prepared. We delayed several times because it didn't feel quite right. We were sad to leave, but when the time was right...it was right.
It was funny. Three families were involved in our move. The Stubbs - whose home we bought, the Esplins - who bought ours, and of course us. Thanks to an amazing loan officer, Terri Stoddard, in Sandy, Utah, we all experienced success. Thanks to the other two amazing families we got to work with and get to know as friends, as well as sellers and buyers, our moving experience was really positive.
I'm grateful for good people. I am grateful for reassurances when trying to do the right thing. I consider myself pretty dumb when it comes to life. My wife probably does better at many things than I do. Many other people around me do much better, but I am grateful that I am not alone with my decisions, and that the Lord will be and wants to be involved. I honestly felt his Spirit many times during this process, reassuring me that we were making the right decision. What does this decision hold for us?
Good things. Probably new challenges. Growth. That's what life is about: Becoming something.
I don't know exactly what will happen, but we have been guided to this Ward and this town. We are surrounded by wonderful people here. We have been welcomed. We're also grateful that Orderville isn't too terribly far. Because we get a little homesick for our hometown of 13 years every once in a while.
Here's to the future!

Lucky School Year Number 13

This last school year was my thirteenth year on the job. Was it unlucky? Not a bit. It was probably one of my favorite years I have had teaching. It's hard to rank each year because of the good and hard things that come with each one, but I can definitely say this year was one of my favorites.
So...why?
Well. It wasn't because they aced everything we gave them. It wasn't because they were perfectly behaved (though they were really, really great compared to other years). It wasn't because they were all the model students from model families (what is that anyway?). I think there were a couple of factors that influenced this year.
First of all, this class had reputation for being a little tougher academically than most. That always comes into play, we can work with that. Maybe my SAGE scores aren't going to be "top of the State" material. That's not why I'm in education be honest. I LIKE it when I perform well. At the end of lower years, I am definitely analyzing my instructional choices and trying to course correct. BUT, if we had a struggling instructional year for whatever reason(s) of combined factors, in the end that's okay IF we had other successes. I believe we did.
Second there were some tough home issues. I would daresay that these homes that had some of the toughest times with their families had probably some of the toughest and most awesome parents you could ask for! You could blame a billion statistical factors, but the fact is that I have come to love many of these parents almost as much as their kids. They have heart. Their kids have heart.
We could sit there and say, "Well. If such and such would just happen, or if so and so would just do this, then we could fix all these problems." That's not how life works. We are here to learn to love people and learn from situations that are not ideal. THAT IS REAL LIFE.
So. I took these kids at the first of the year, and I decided that I was going to love them. I was going to tell them how AWESOME and AMAZING they were.

6th Grade Graduation

Guess what? They were awesome and they were amazing. Most of them worked hard. Some didn't, that's life, but even with those students, I learned to love them for who they are and what they did contribute. Some students have a tough time with 'classic' education, but they excel and even entertain in many other ways. Many of students came out of their shells. Some of them dropped their jaws when I showed them statistical PROOF that they were better writers than classes before, or told when them that they were excellent students and I was so happy to teach them.
I was so happy to teach them. 
I miss them. I always miss my students. I might miss these kids a little more than usual. It might be because I chose to love them a little more than usual.
I have a picture of the Savior tucked away on the wall by my desk. It's not really for anybody else but me, but it is a reminder of why I am in the classroom, what I need to accomplish, and how I need to behave while I am there. I am not always perfect in my classroom. Just ask my students (or their parents sometimes!). But I have made the decision that I am going to love my students. Am I going to get frustrated? Am I going to get angry? Am I going to have situations that make me wonder what the heck I am doing in the classroom. Of course I am. Teaching isn't standing in front of my classroom giving a perfectly prepared lecture and activity to perfectly behaved students.
Teaching is messy but it is a wonderful mess. I have felt that my little classroom sometimes is a smaller version of the real world. Life is messy, but it can also be a wonderful mess.
So what's the gospel point (I always have one...)? I think it is to be able to find joy in the journey for sure. It is also to love each other. It's these verses:
1 John 4:7-11
7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.

I have been given beautiful opportunities to practice this principle in my job. I get to practice them with my family and community members also. All these experiences we get to have with other people, regardless of the setting or context, are opportunities to show and express love. God has given us entire life full of opportunities to reach out and love others. Every situation and person we meet can be an opportunity for us to learn to love. Doing so unconditionally is probably one of the hardest lessons to learn in this life. It is hard to love those who hurt us. It is hard to love those who don't seem to care for us. It is hard to love those who disagree with us religiously, politically, or otherwise. 

But I believe that in order to really experience life's greatest happiness we need to learn to love and care for and support those around us. 

Those around me happen to be pretty easy to love: My family, my coworkers, my ward, and my 6th graders. It's easy to love these people. My next challenge is to look across aisle at those who may disagree with me religiously, politically, or otherwise. I feel that there are people in my life that don't like that I try to live according to my beliefs. I don't always know how to respond to that. I do know that "charity never faileth" (Moroni 7:45) so as long as I try to keep charity in my heart, maybe things won't be so bad even if I don't know exactly the right answers to situations. Kill them with kindness. Right? 

So. I started off talking about my school year. I learn so much from my students and my interactions with people at Kanab Elementary. I work in a positive place. I am blessed to have such a beautiful way to spend my work life. There are challenges in education, but you can't beat the people you work with. I'm excited for the coming year, but as I stated before, I miss the students I had this year and the funny conversations. 

-Oh there were conversations! Life lessons we call them. It's probably better to just ask the kids about those.- 

A couple of experiences to finish this out. This is how I know last year was a good year. 

I went to Wendy's late last night with my son. He was hungry. One of my student's mothers works there. She's an awesome lady. She works hard. She BUSTS it for her family. She told me she'd had the day from "hell". Well - She had. One of her coworkers died. I didn't know this until I got home and had talked to Jenna. 

Herr Corry as a U.S. History Teacher

The short conversation went to her daughter. I asked how she was doing. She said her daughter was doing great. She said that I made an impact. That her daughter missed me. I told her I love her daughter. I MEANT it. I always mean that. She said she was close to tears thinking about it. You know I drove away feeling happy about my small contribution to their family. 

That is what this life is all about. To make a positive impact on someone. I know many people make those impacts daily whether they teach or work in any other profession. There are doctors, nurses, police men and women, and so many other people that see their jobs as an opportunity to truly serve. 

I was able to witness this first hand this weekend with Dad. He finally retired after 43 years in the classroom. I decided it would be fun to show him the Facebook comments people had made when they heard about his retirement. He laughed so hard at the stories old students were telling. His joy, at that moment, appeared to be full because he felt the love of those he had served, taught, and entertained for 43 years. 

We spend a lot of time worrying about things and decisions. That all fades when we think about people and the love we experience because of them in our lives. 

So for me, this school year was lucky number 13. I bet, if I want, next year can be lucky number 14, and the year after lucky number 15 and so on. I think we can all make that choice to have positive experiences in the middle of otherwise tough things. 

Have a great summer!