The Power of Religion

I've been taking a religion class this semester. I took it just for fun, but it has turned out to be a real eye opening experience. Those of you who personally know me also know that nothing gets me going more than the judgment that takes place in the name of religion. This does not go to say that I dislike religion, as my taking this class proves contrary. What is does say is that I cannot understand how and why so much hatred takes place in the name of something that was meant to bring peace, understanding, and love to the world. (Well ... I guess if if that's what you believe as I know a lot of people think religion was created by man to control man, it could be argued.)

Love thy neighbor. How often have we heard this? And yet, it seems that in many cases we only "love thy neighbor" if they happen to be the same religion as we are. This concept is almost universal:

Ancient Egypt, "He sought for others the good he desired for himself. Let him pass."

Ancient Greek, "What thou avoidest suffering thyself seek not to impose on others."

Buddhism, “One who, while himself seeking happiness, oppresses with violence other beings who also desire happiness, will not attain happiness hereafter."

Baha'i, “And if thine eyes be turned towards justice, choose thou for thy neighbour that which thou choosest for thyself.”

The list goes on and on, but how often do you see people truly practice this "golden rule?" Sure, a lot of people claim they do, but those are the same people that if given the opportunity, will be calling those of other religions terrorists, fanatics, cheap, cult-like, infidels, you name it.

I get that when it comes to Muslims, there are a lot of political issues behind those comments. Does it make it right? Not at all. I know and love many Muslims and will continue to stand up and say that they are nothing like they are perceived to be because of what a very small percentage of them have done.

I get that Mormons seem different to those of other religions, that people can't understand why a lot of their practices are sacred, or in the words of those who don't understand, secret.

I get that some people have a hard time relating to Jews because of their religious history as well as political issues in the Middle East, but can anyone honestly say that they have never met one person from all three of these faiths or others that was not just like his/herself?

We all want the same things. We all have members who are good and members who are less than good. We all want to love, to be loved, to take care of our family, to be close to God. I also think that a lot of people forget that the same God created us all. Do we truly believe in our heart of hearts that God only loves those of a certain faith? I cannot and will not ever believe this, nor will I ever understand those who do.

There are key universal traits in all religions and most of them have to do with charity, forgiveness, and "loving thy neighbor." Why use the power of religion to spread hate and judgment when we can use it for far better things that will inevitably bring us to what we all want in the first place? To be closer to God.

I am going to close with this quote: "However many holy words you read, however many you speak, what good will they do you if you do not act on upon them?"
-Buddha

Happy Birthday Mr. Almusa!

Today is my precious hubby's birthday and I have a big surprise for him (pics to come soon), I can't wait! In the meantime, I wanted to give him a big shout out because he deserves it more than anyone I know.

Seif,

You have changed my life. You have taught me more about myself that anyone ever has. You encourage me to be the best I can, you support me in living my dreams, and you are everything to me. I honestly don't know where my life would be had Becky not introduced us on September 11, 2004. Since that day, my life has been brighter, my smile has been bigger, my dreams have become a reality, and I have more faith in myself than ever before. I hope this day is extra special for you. Most of all, I hope you know just how much you are loved.

Love always,

Amanda

Happy Birthday Sweetheart! Here's to you!

Here are the pics. I surprised him with a new digital camera and Medieval Times. We had a blast!

For Mom

My mom doesn't hear how much she is appreciated often enough. I imagine that most children do this unintentionally to their parents. We just assume that they know we love them, and although I'm sure that they do know, they still deserve to hear it more often than on the occasional holiday card.

I didn't realize how little my mom heard that she was appreciated until I copied and pasted a post from Facebook about mothers in to my status. She cried her eyes out. I feel it's especially important to tell people how much they mean to you. I guess I learned this the hard way, being surrounded by so much death since I was young. I know that life is short and that you don't always have that second chance to tell someone how they have made your life better, and just how much you love them. So, this is for my mom who is far more appreciated than she could ever imagine.

Mom,

I know that I was hard on you in my younger years, and for that I am very sorry. I know that you always did the best you could and that all those times you told me "no", were only because you had my best interest at heart. You taught me from a young age to have morals, to be polite, and to always say my "please" and thank you's." These things stuck with me throughout my adulthood and have fared me well in all of my travels. People still always comment on how "dainty" of an eater I am, but I will never turn down food and I will always compliment the cook.

I may have felt like the "boring" kid in school, but now I am grateful for the fact that I didn't have the desire to party too hard, to dress trashy, or to get in to too much trouble. I had to italicise that because we both know that I got in to some trouble. I wasn't perfect, but thankfully you never found out about it until later! Being "boring" turned me in to an ambitious woman and I have you to thank for that.

I know we have had our hard times, but I wouldn't change it for the world because we are so much closer because of those times. You see in me what I don't see in myself. You are my shoulder to cry on, you are the only one I confide in, you inspire me to keep going and better myself, and you make me feel so loved.

I hope you know how much I love and appreciate you. If you ever doubt that, all you have to do is come here and read this. Seif loves you too (he made sure that I added that), and says you are the best mother in law he could ever ask for. You are also a wonderful grandma, sister, daughter, and friend. I'm sure Aurora is going to grow up and love you every bit as much as I loved my grandma.

Thank you mom, for everything. It's funny how we don't see things until we are older, but even when I didn't understand what you were doing, I knew you cared. I am proud that you are back in school. I have faith in you and know that you will do great, and finally find a job that you enjoy. Most of all, I am proud to have you as my mom. You mean the world to me. You are my best friend.

All my love,

Amanda

For Mom

Kind hearted woman with the beautiful emerald eyes,
her spirit that of an angel,
a heart that never lies.

Walking alone through the desert of life,
a thirst for love so sincere,
a pillar of strength for the weak and the lost,
a light in the lives she holds dear.

A rare diamond glistening in the sand
guiding others to inner peace,
only to sacrifice her own desires,
her inspiration
a calling she refuses to cease.

She is my example, my light, my truth,
she taught me all that I am,
the warmth from the sun upon my face,
on a mountain of gratitude I stand.

A tiny flower upon the cactus,
antique beauty wherever it lies,
that is she,
my mother,
my friend,
my angel with the beautiful emerald eyes.

-Amanda Utley

Love, Oh Love

This post is dedicated not only to the beautiful people I have met on my travels, but also to all of the people who I love and have touched my life. Enjoy the slideshow at the end, it's a collection of some of my favorite pics.

Love, Oh Love
Lionel Richie

Show the world and all it's people
All the wonders love can bring
Give us strength and understanding
Give us all one song to sing
Let the music play
Play it loud and make it clear
It's time to stand up
To a new world that is now so near
From the bottom to the top
To the leaders of the land
We all have one heart
Everyone of us must lend a hand
And let there be joy in the world
And let there be no sorrow
(Let there be)
And let there be peace on earth
And let there be peace on earth
For all the world
We've got to see

That love, oh love
What a blessed thing (oh, yeah)
Say it loud
Make it clear today
All the walls are falling down
No more children off to war
If we search in our hearts
All the suffering will be no more
And let there be joy in the world
And let there be no sorrow
For all god's children
Let them see
That love, oh love
What a blessed thing (oh, yeah)
Say it loud
Make it clear today
And freedom, no more lies
We can save this world if we try
One world I know we can make it
Yes, it's only in your heart
Yes, it's only in your dreams
You can climb the highest mountains
You can make the whole world sing
Love, oh love
What a blessed thing (oh, yeah)
Say it loud
Make it clear today

Isn't it Amazing?

Life's intricacies truly amaze me. I find that more often than not, when something happens in life that we do not understand, it's easier for us to place blame or feel whatever it is that we are feeling in that moment, than it is to search for the reason we were lead down that road. Sometimes, it's apparent that we weren't meant to know the "why's" at that time, but when it is all over and we have moved on, the reason that event ocurred finally dawns on us. It's an aha moment, and it's amazing. Usually at this time, we find that because of one small incident, everything else in our lives fell in to place. We may have been blind in the moment, but there was a reason it happened and it was for the better.

If you really pay attention, you will notice just how often you think of that old friend and they coincidentally call you the next day. How often it is that when you are going through something and you aren't talking about it, a friend or family member will call you out of the blue just to see how you are doing. Just how far a simple smile can carry a wave of hope to many people by the reciprocity effect. It's amazing. How can we deny that we are all energetically connected by some force stronger than we will ever know? There are far too many coincidences and such an abundance of beauty in this world for it to have just magically happened. It's brilliant, it's amazing, and I sound high. LOL I'm not.

I Think I Left My Heart in New York City

Seriously. Ever since I came back from that brilliant city, I can't stop thinking about it! I LOVED New York. I always wanted to go there, but people were never too encouraging; telling me how dirty it was, how rude the people were, etc. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about because you have probably heard all of these things yourself. Needless to say, I went there fully expecting this and didn't at all experience it.


Sure, New York isn't the cleanest city, okay....it's dirty, but the atmosphere, the glamour, the lights, the hustle and bustle, all make it so beautiful. There is no place like it. I had the time of my life, and wouldn't you know it, no one was rude to me! I loved the New Yorkers just as much as I loved the city.

I've included a few pics of some of my favorite places. If you ever get a chance to go here, I highly recommend it. I myself, will be going back very soon. I'm convinced I should have been born a New Yorker. Enjoy these lyrics, now one of my favorite songs by Jay-Z Empire State of Mind.

"New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of
There's nothin' you can't do
Now you're in New York
These streets will make you feel brand new
Big lights will inspire you
Let's hear it for New York, New York,
New York

One hand in the air for the big city
Street lights, big dreams, all lookin' pretty
No place in the world that could compare
Put your lighters in the air
Everybody say "yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah"

Happy Holidays

Hello friends! I know, I know..I am not very good at keeping up with this thing. I used to love it, but when I started school, it just got to be too much. When I have a spare moment, I try to get on here as like many others, this blog kind of serves as a journal to me.

So, it's almost Christmas! Why does it have to go by so fast? I LOVE this time of year. I love the lights, the music, giving, Christmas trees, the cold, festivities, and most of all, I love the spirit. It is just so happy. Sure, buying gifts gets to be stressful for most people, but that is why we should focus more on the meaning of the holiday rather than what is commercial. Seldom do I reminisce about my gifts over the years, rather I reminisce about the memories that I hold dear to my heart.

My sister in law has been visiting and we have had a lot of fun. It's nice having her here and showing her what the holidays are like in the good ol' US of A. Although I love Cali, nothing beats the beauty of Christmas in Utah. Temple Square is amazingly beautiful and I truly miss that. I visited the San Diego Temple around Christmas last year and it too, was very beautiful, but not nearly as beautiful as Salt Lake. Like I said, nothing beats it.

Christmas this year will definitely be different for me as I am spending it traveling abroad. I pretty much already celebrated it with my family over Thanksgiving. We exchanged gifts and I am taking my niece hers tomorrow. I'm really excited to see her open her presents, she is one spoiled little child, but how can we resist? She is just so stinkin cute!

Seif and his sister put up our tree for me while I was at school. I really wasn't planning on putting it up, but I was really happy when they did. It makes the house more cozy and reminds me of home as all of the ornaments on the tree were my grandma's. I miss her terribly every time the holidays roll around. She always made Christmas so special for us kids. She truly was an amazing woman and I will forever be grateful that I was so blessed to have her in my life.

Following Christmas is my birthday. I turn the big 30 on New Years Eve and am really looking forward to exiting my 20's. A lot of people fear turning 30, I guess I did too at one time (I had a little mini breakdown at 25), but my 20's truly were hard, confusing years for me. The good thing is that I can say that I learned who I truly am, what I want, and where I am going. Maybe it took me longer than others, but hey, I accomplished it and that's a good thing. So ..... if I fail to write again before I leave the country, I wish you all a Merry Christmas (Happy Holidays if you are not Christian) and a wonderful New Year. May 2010 bring blessings, joy, and peace to your lives. XoXoXo -Amanda