Author: Amber Blair

The Brightest Witch

As you may or may not know, yesterday was Hermione Jean Granger Weasley’s (#RonandHermione4life) 36th birthday.

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My first reaction is, “Holy cow, I can’t believe she’s that old!” And my second reaction is, “Man, I wish there were more heroines like Hermione.”

Seriously, the girl is incredible. She’s as loyal as the chickens that wake me up every morning at 5:06. She’s resistant to peer pressure, and not afraid to do what’s right. She’s a true blue BFF in calm and stormy weather, even when it means sacrificing EVERYTHING she holds dear. (i.e. her parents’ awareness of her existence, acceptance from the boy she’s loved since she was 14, school work, etc.)
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I would go so far as to say that Hermione is one of the greatest fictional heroines of all time. In fact, fiction aside, I would place her amongst the ranks of Joan of Ark, Madam Curie, and Corrie ten Boom. (Random, I know. Just a few outstanding women.) Hermione is everything I want to be: loyal, selfless, kind, wise, resourceful, organized, prepared…
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So, HB to one of my all-time faves! I honestly aspire to be more like Hermione.

Real Life

All my life, I’ve been hearing about “The Real World”, that ominous, ambiguous, paramount future, whose preparation was the goal of all my public education.

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I’ve shifted from hanging out with 20-somethings who are definitely still not in The Real World, to 8 year-olds who are being prepared for 4th grade, where they will be prepared for 5th grade, where they will be prepared for 6th grade, where they will be prepared for Middle School, where they will be prepared for High School, where they will be prepared for College, where they will be prepared for… The Real World?

Wait, what? I’ve realized that in taking steps to prepare for The Real World, we spend at least a quarter of a century in Preparation Mode; that is, outside The Real World. So where are we, anyway?

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I submit that The Real World begins at birth. We’re on this earth to have valuable life experiences, and to say that what takes place before getting your Doctorate isn’t real is to undermine God’s plan. Maybe I’m not working 40 hours a week. Maybe my students don’t have as many responsibilities now as they will someday. Maybe the High School senior still lives at home. (Heaven forbid!) But I don’t think any of those qualities remove reality from the world.

A voluntary raise of hands from my third graders told me that roughly 70% of my class has had or currently has a parent or parents in prison. To my knowledge, at least 25% of my students don’t live with both parents. If that’s not real life, I don’t know what is.

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The world kids live in is cold and hard and REAL, and I think we’re doing them a disservice by always harping on about The Real World and how different and great and scary and the same and new and messed up it is. They don’t need to hear that. They’re living in it.

LIFE is The Real World. Every experience we have is significant, no matter how old we are, or what state of life we find ourselves.

August Book: A Swiftly Tilting Planet

I finished my August book on the last day of August. #thasright That means I’ve read a book every month since coming home from my mission, just as I promised I would. #goalsandplans #blessed

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I read the third book in the Time quintet by Madeleine L’Engle. It’s called A Swiftly Tilting Planet, and I would say it wasn’t quite as compelling as the previous books in the series (thus the rush to finish on the last day of the month) but still thought-provoking and enjoyable to read.

Here’s the Goodreads write-up: In this companion volume to “A Wrinkle In Time” (Newbery Award winner) and “A Wind In The Door” fifteen-year-old Charles Wallace and the unicorn Gaudior undertake a perilous journey through time in a desperate attempt to stop the destruction of the world by the mad dictator Madog Branzillo. They are not alone in their quest. Charles Wallace’s sister, Meg–grown and expecting her first child, but still able to enter her brother’s thoughts and emotions by “kything”–goes with him in spirit.But in overcoming the challenges, Charles Wallace must face the ultimate test of his faith and will, as he is sent within four people from another time, there to search for a way to avert the tragedy threatening them all.

Have a happy week!

#thirdgradequotes Writers Journal Edition

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“One time, I got so lost, so I told Spiderman for help. No help from him, so I told the Air Force. They found my mom, so we went to the mall.”

“In 20 years, I am going to be 28 and I’m going to get a job. I’m going to be old. I bet you it will be harder in my life.” #believeithoney

“It seems fun to be a teacher, because you can talk to other teachers if you have yard duty.”

“My weekend was crazy. My sisters were driving me crazy. The only thing that was good was that we got to go to a wedding.”

“It was a good day. I like to come to school. School is the best thing ever. I want to be a teacher when I grow up.” #presh

“I have never been embarrassed, except that one time.”

“My special skill is that I can peel 20 oranges in less than 15 minutes.”

“I said, ‘What’s that place called? The chicken guy, no no, umm CFC.’ So one said, ‘KFC!’ and I was like, ‘Pff I could have that right.'” #sure

Do What You Love

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I had a major realization today: somehow, in the last month or so, I acquired a ton of confidence.

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That’s kind of weird, because I’m pretty sure I asked the Lord for confidence about ten thousand times on my mission, and I’m pretty sure if you read my journals from my Sophomore and Junior years of college, you would never label me as confident. I was a Music major, struggling to compete with all the other Asians #realstereotypes and let’s just say it was rough on me. We’ve all been there.

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Anyway, on my mission, I really worked on the whole positive self-talk and talking back to negative thinking thing. For most of my mission it was a battle. The critical voices in my head just wouldn’t shut up.

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Yesterday I went to the temple, and I became aware of new voices in my head. They were kind, loving, and positive. They were the way I try to talk to others, but somehow never really get around to using for myself. They made me happy!

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Is it because I suddenly started getting asked out all the time? Heck no. I haven’t been on a date in months. Is it because I lost a ton of weight and started getting compliments? Haha nope. I don’t even have time to work out anymore. I think it’s because I absolutely love what I’m doing.

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I loved my mission with all my heart. I loved being Hermana Blair, an official representative of Jesus Christ and full-time servant of the Lord. But now I love being Miss Blair, a civilian representative of Jesus Christ and third-grade teacher. These kids need me, and I LOVE MY JOB.

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I think that’s the secret. I’m doing what I love. I loved sharing the Gospel, but that was a different season of my life, and the Lord had other lessons for me to learn. His timing is perfect.

Comp Inventory

Everyone knows that a secret to relationship success is effective and regular communication.

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Missionaries learn to have good communication in companionships, and they practice by having a weekly companionship inventory. It’s their opportunity to share goals, ask for help with the goals, talk about each other’s strengths, and then address anything that could be keeping the companionship from working in unity or being obedient, and resolve conflicts. Brilliant, inspired invention.

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In my current companion-less state, it’s been nearly a year (#hijole) since my last comp inventory, and I have to admit that I miss it! So I was pondering on that, and I realized that my companion right now is Heavenly Father. So… I decided to have a comp inventory with Him. It was awesome. So much so that I want to share the process and invite you to try it!

Here’s how to conduct a comp inventory with the Lord:
1. Share with Him your goals, and ask for His help to accomplish them.
2. Discuss the strength of your relationship.
3. Discuss any challenges that may be keeping you from being obedient.
4. Share what you think your strengths are.
5. Ask for suggestions on how you can improve.
6. Set goals that will improve your relationship.

Will you do it? I know that if you do, your loving Heavenly Father will bless you with personal revelation and help you come closer to Him.

#thirdgradequotes

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Okay. Sometimes kids just say the darndest things! Since beginning my student teaching, I’ve found myself struggling not to laugh on multiple occasions, and sometimes inadvertently bursting out in laughter. Here are a few prime quotes.

“A tongue twister is a lot of rhymes that make your tongue go numb when you say them.”

“Green Eggs and Ham is by Dr. Suess. Obviously.” (in his writing journal)

“Miss Blair, are you wearing white shorts under your skirt?” #windydays

“I have a talent of doing a handstand for ten minutes.”
“Ten minutes???”
“I meant ten seconds.” #commonmixup

“I like that song because it makes me think of Jesus!” #presh

“I believe in cash.”

“I believe one day I will be the richest man in America.”
“Oh yeah? How will you do that?”
“I’m going to mine really hard all the time.”
“What will you mine?”
“Gold, of course.”

TBC

July books: A Wrinkle in Time and A Wind in the Door

So, I kind of already spilled the beans about my July books in my last post about Fiction.
WHICH, to be clear: I have not become an introvert. As much as I love and respect my dear introverted friends, I have never scored less than 85% extroverted on any personality test, and I definitely don’t get energy from being by myself. #PersonalHell. Just clarifying.

As I mentioned, my July books changed my life! They were the first two books in Madeline L’Engle’s Time quintet: A Wrinkle in Time and A Wind in the Door. Most people read these books in about 5th grade, but for some reason I never got around to it when I was that age.

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You may have noticed the shout-out to Madeline L’Engle in “Interstellar” (You know the part with the bookshelf, when they show a few books up close? One of them is A Wrinkle in Time.) and I think that’s because Christopher Nolan must have been influenced by her books when creating the story for his movie. I have to say Hans Zimmer added a lot to the story, but it’s just fine without him.

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These two books are adventures of three children named Meg, Calvin, and Charles Wallace. They have to conquer evil, use their strengths, show love, and essentially hasten the Work. I said these books changed my life, and I think it’s mainly because they’re such a fantastic illustration of the importance of serving and sharing our Message.

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I once heard a person say that his religious philosophy was “find a spiritual path that works for you, and keep it to yourself.” I thought about that a lot on my mission, especially when people said things like “God is the same everywhere.” or “We’re all His church, we just worship differently.” Those arguments are enticing, but I have learned that our message is so vital that we MUST share it.

A Wrinkle in Time and A Wind in the Door illustrate that very idea. Elder Oaks said in a talked called “The Purpose of Missionary Work” that, “We invite all to come unto Christ by repentance and baptism and confirmation in order to open the doors of the celestial kingdom to the sons and daughters of God. No one else can do this.” Bam. Read these books to learn more about hastening the work of salvation.

I want to end this with a quote from A Wind in The Door:
“If someone knows who he is, really knows, then he doesn’t need to hate.” #lesson1 #GodIsOurLovingHeavenlyFather #charity

I miss constantly telling people that that God is their loving Heavenly Father and they are His children, but I loved reading about it in these books. I know it’s true.

In Defense of Fiction

[Group of friends are gathered in a living room.]
Girl 1: Guys, I have to go.
Girl 2: WHAT??? It’s only like 9:30!
Boy 1: Why would you leave us??
Girl 1: I uhh have something I need to do.
[Awkward silence. Girl 1 gets up and leaves.]

Have you been in that situation before? I have. Until very recently, I was always Girl 2 and Boy 1.

However, I started reading Madeline L’Engle’s Time series (starting with A Wrinkle In Time #spoileralert), and my life is completely changed.

For the first time in my life, I’m the first to leave the party. For the first time in my life, I don’t want to make weekend plans. For the first time in my life, I feel slight pangs of guilt when I’m not with whatever book I’m reading. For the first time in my life, I actually want alone time. Because alone time with a book is NOT alone time.

I feel like I’m getting a peek into my Introvert friends’ social experience, and I must say it’s interesting.

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One big lesson I’m learning is the huge, compelling power of fiction. Excluding my mission, the majority of my post-High School reading has been Education/ Psychology/ Philosophy books. I love those kinds of books, and I’ve learned a lot, but I don’t feel like my life was changed by many of them. A Wrinkle In Time changed my life.

I had a conversation about fiction vs. non-fiction with my brilliant cousin Anny a few weeks ago. I told her I (at the time) preferred non-fiction, because I felt it had more Truth. She immediately offered a countering opinion, that fiction in fact is more True than non-fiction, and I’ve come to agree with her. So much non-fiction is fabricated, falsified, and biased. Fiction has the liberty to say whatever it wants, which more often than not rings True.

Friends, I have a new fiction addiction. Tomorrow I will meet all 18 of my new students and their parents and/ or guardians (#politicalcorrectness), and part of my remaining task will be to get them all addicted with me. Just imagine an AA for book addicts. That’s my new mission.

Well, I’ve gotta wrap up. My book’s calling my name.

June Books: The Chronicles of Narnia

Hi! Sorry it’s been so long. After I took my last final, the hard drive cable of my computer breathed its last breath, and the Flashing Gray Globe-Icon of Death replaced my desktop photo of the LA temple. 🙁 The rest is history. I took my computer to the Apple store, and 6 weeks and $120 later it’s as good as new. Now we’re back in business.

A lot has happened since my last post, and I would’ve loved to share my thoughts on the issues at hand, but I think the main thing I want to catch up on right now is my book of the month, because I read no less than 5 books last month!! #applause.

We drove to the cabin (Idaho) in early June, and road-tripped to Washington for my cousin Haley’s farewell and to visit Anny, so I had ample reading time.

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As you can see from the title and images, I had the pleasure and good fortune of re-reading (for like the 5th time) C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia. #CSLewisIsTheMan. If you haven’t read all seven of these books, I strongly recommend that you make it a priority as soon as you possibly can.

I once heard a person say, “Did you know that the Chronicles of Narnia have spiritual parallels?” I wanted to respond, “Did you know that Jacob 5 isn’t actually about a farmer?”, but I’m proud to report that I resisted. The spiritual parallels are just so obvious and prevalent to me, that I can’t imagine reading these books without noticing their huge significance to the plot.

Here’s a quick summary of a few doctrines explored:
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe: The Atonement, Forgiveness, Justice, Mercy
The Magician’s Nephew: The Creation, Other Worlds, Good and Evil, Satan, the Fall
The Horse and His Boy: Foreordination, God’s Plan, God’s hand in our lives
Prince Caspian: Priesthood, Revelation, the Holy Ghost
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader: Kolab (yup), Sacrifice
The Silver Chair: Our divine nature, God’s nature, Faith
The Last Battle: the 2nd coming, False Christs, the Last Days, Judgment, Life after Death
And many more… Wait, C.S. Lewis wasn’t Mormon?

Here’s one quote I love that I wanted to end with:
“It isn’t Narnia, you know,” sobbed Lucy. “It’s you. We shan’t meet you there. And how can we live, never meeting you?”
“But you shall meet me, dear one,” said Aslan.
“Are -are you there too, Sir?” said Edmund.
“I am,” said Aslan. “But there I have another name. You must learn to know me by that name. This was the very reason why you were brought to Narnia, that by knowing me here for a little, you may know me better there.”
― C.S. Lewis, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

I can honestly say that I know Him better from reading these books. My relationship with the Savior has grown stronger over the past few weeks because of my experience with these books. I learned more about Him and His plan, and I invite you all to do the same, along with the Book of Mormon. I know that God lives and loves us, and I know that His Son Jesus Christ is the only way for us to return to live with Him. I know the Atonement is real and forgiveness is possible for all who open their hearts.