I listened this morning to this talk by Elder Marlin K. Jensen. It is filled with great lessons for us at Esperanza.
Elder Marlin K. Jensen speaks during a CES Devotional on May
6, 2012, in Sacramento, Calif—“Stand in the Sacred Grove”
"A careful
observer of nature ... can learn some significant lessons from the ecosystem
that exists there,” he said. Four
lessons:
Lesson No.1: Trees always grow toward the light.
"They [the trees in the Sacred Grove] have grown
outward — to escape the overshadowing foliage above them — and then upward to
absorb the greatest possible sunlight," he said. "Their crooked
trunks and branches stand in stark contrast to neighboring trees that grow
almost perfectly straight." Trees, like almost all living organisms, need
light to survive and to thrive.
Therefore, we need to seek out those things that bring "light" to our lives.
Lesson No. 2:
Trees require opposition to fulfill the measure of their creation.
Elder Jensen spoke of an experiment conducted a few years
ago in a designated area of the Sacred Grove. To provide the healthiest young
trees a prime place to grow, gardeners cleaned out the area and took away
opposition that could prevent the trees from growing. Their hope was that the
trees would flourish and develop, as they grew without competition for water,
sunlight and soil nutrients.
"As a result, none of the trees in the test plot
compared in size or vitality to the trees left to grow more naturally and that
had to compete and overcome opposition in order to survive and to thrive,"
he said.
Equally important is the principle that opposition must
exist for spiritual growth to occur or for 'holiness' to be brought to pass.
Lesson No. 3:
Trees are best grown in forests, not in isolation.
"If you think about it, in nature it's very unusual to
see a tree standing alone," he said. "They almost always congregate
in groves, and over time, groves may become forests."
It [the Sacred Grove] is a complicated ecosystem that
includes numerous species of flora and fauna that rely on one another for food
and shelter in the cycle of life.
We, too, need a similar inter connectedness and sociality
for us," he said.
"Healthy trees need an ecosystem; healthy people need
each other. People, like trees, are best grown in communities, not in
isolation."
Lesson No. 4:
Trees draw strength from the nutrients created by previous generations of
trees.
Just as a grove of trees flourishes when benefitting from
the nutrients of fallen trees, leaves and limbs, so can our lives benefit from
the rich legacy left by those who have gone before us. It is critical for the ‘rising generation’ to
be mindful of and draw strength from past generations. To live fully in the present—and plan for the
future—we need the foundation of the past.
"History in its most basic form is a record of people
and their lives and from those lives come stories and lessons that can
reinforce what we believe, what we stand for, and what we should do in the face
of adversity," he said. "
"Good stories — if true — make good history,"
Elder Jensen said. "Remember, people, like trees, draw strength from the
nutrients created by previous generations."
Chris Bunker
Inspire kids to love books with Leonid Gore’s The Wonderful Book. The animals in the forest come across a lost book and wonder what it could be. A hat? A house? Finally, a boy comes along and reads the story aloud to the animals, and all agree that it is wonderful! This imaginative and original tale has lovely watercolor illustrations that will delight both children and adults.
Hello World! by Manja Stojic is another wonderful picture book that emphasizes the joys of language and diversity. This book teaches readers how to say “hello” in 43 different languages! Each page features a painting of a child from a different part of the world and a greeting in a different language. Each greeting is spelled phonetically, so that you can pronounce it correctly. This book promotes a love of language and encourages young readers to appreciate cultures around the world!
Health 
Differences were seen in the
brainstem (coloured orange in this picture) 
