Theatre Review & a Poem

The Mikado presented by Taylorsville High School
October 15, 2011

Just over a week ago my family saw The Mikado at Taylorsville High School.  It was EXCELLENT!  I laughed my socks off, or I would have had I been wearing any, and had a great time.  Since this is a completely nonsense, unterly outrageous, and completely satrical play I don't really think it needs a lot of reviewing.  Therefore I will just mention a couple of the things that I thought about as I watched this play.

The set design was awesome - unfortunately it seemed to crowd the stage at times, and everyone seem smashed into half of the stage and movement was restricted. As always Taylorsville has some awesome voices and the music was pulled off wonderfully.  I didn't feel like I needed to go and download it from iTunes right after, like I have after seeing some others, but I do feel like this play is really only best if watched, especially if you are in a silly mood.  Finally the comedic aspects were pulled off flawlessly.  Just by the names that were used in this play Gilbert and Sullivan created awesomeness - Yum-Yum, Pooh-Ba, ect.  Then with the brilliance of the T-ville actors it came together into a fabulous night of laughs.

So I am not much of a poet, however when I feel inspiration for something I have a hard time letting it go.  As such I hope you enjoy my poem entitled Humility -

Humility

Humility is a sinner on their knees,

a child begging please,

a terminal disease,

a heart ill at ease,

and a trait all must seize.

Humility feels a heart broken and a spirit contrite,

is filled with Christ’s light,

strengthened by heaven’s might,

and chooses the right.

Humility is my one desire,

my refiners fire,

and without which my life is dire.

Humility loves one another

like the example of our brother.

Humility is the only road to life Eternal.

                        -Sarah Beth                            

  

D&C 122:8

First as a note - lds.org is amazing!!!  I love being able to just type in a phrase, only knowing that somewhere in the scriptures it is there, and then BAM it pops up right there.  No hours of searching the topical guide or index, no having to say somewhere in the scriptures it says ... but with a few keystrokes you have reference that is specific. LOVE IT!

To give a little background on this post, Lori and I attended a YSA Summit this summer where Richard and Linda Eyre spoke as the keynote speakers.  I was very inspired by all they had to say, and still find myself reflecting on their words.  One of the suggestions they made to the young adults at this conference was to focus on the Savior during the Sacrament.

***As a side note I tried to teach this idea to 6&7 year olds and I realized how hard it really was to do when I tried to have my kids focus on the Savior for only 30 seconds!!!

At the Summit Brother Eyre told how as a mission president he created a way to help his missionaries focus on the Savior during the sacrament.  For each month he choose a topic that related to the Saviors' life/mission and for each week he illustrated these topics specifically with examples from the scriptures and his own thoughts.  He told how many of the missionaries testimonies of Christ grew as they focused for just 5 minutes a week on the Savior.  He entitled this project What Manner of Man and it is available for anyone to read weekly during the Sacrament.  I have recently put these weekly discussions into a binder so I can easily pull it out to read during the Sacrament.  And each time I read I have found that I gain a little new perspective or insight on the Savior and all that he has done for mankind and ME personally.

So as I read during Sacrament yesterday I came across a phrase that hit me in a different way...

D&C 122:8 says - "The Son of Man hath descended below them all.  Art thou greater than he?" (Also see Ephesians 4:9-10 for all you people who like to have things from the Bible too.)

I was really interested by that phrase "descended below them all."  As a woman, and basically as a human-being, I am practically always comparing myself to others. (I know I shouldn't, but I think we all do it, at least every once in a while.)  I often believe that others are so much better than me, or might I use the phrase to fit into the metaphor  a bit more closely, that others are much "higher" than me.  I find that I feel low in my accomplishments, talents, and abilities.  Yet in order to "descend below them all" Christ had to be "higher" than even the best people who have been on this Earth.

As such, Christ is not only there for each of us to look up to, to be our example, to teach us how to be better, to give us a pathway to become like our Father in Heaven, but he has also gone to the lowest parts of our sins & pains and from there He can lift each of us as we ask for forgiveness, pray for relief and comfort, and have days where we feel we have no worth.  If only I could always remember this maybe in my times of triumph I would praise God and in my times of sorrow I would look to him for guidance.  Yet like we all have to do I have to keep working at this idea in hopes that one day I will always counsel with the Lord in all my doings. (Alma 37:37.)

Well thanks to all of you who have read this novel of a post! If you have felt nothing from my words I want you to know that you have a Savior, He is there for you, and whether you accept him or not He loves you, and so do I!