My Creed by Arnie Wayman

I would acknowledge God’s ultimate power to fulfill all the desires of my heart.

I would live after the manor of happiness in calm reassuring peace.

I would mourn with those who mourn.

I would sooth away the tears.

I would strive for perfect unity in my family relationships.

I would desire to bless the youth.

I would love and let myself be loved.

I would obtain charity -- given from God, to all who ask, seek, and knock.

I would touch the wounded soul and have it be made whole.

I would glory in the Lord Jesus Christ; giving all glory to the Father.

I would use my hands to heal the hurts of the world.

I would pray always to find charity in all goodly theologies.

I would enter the hearts of my brothers and sisters as they enter mine.

I would study scripture to share the love of God with his children.

I would understand all those I serve enabling me to address true need.

I would embrace humanity.

I would rejoice with those who rejoice.

I would invite all who desire peace to walk after the manor of happiness.

I would be a son, of God, my Heavenly Father.

Sister

Lord Byron’s poem struck me as pretty silly the first time I read through it. I thought, “What love sick sap wrote this? It was not until I saw my sister as a bride that I fully understood what was intended by his words. On that day you could see the eternal nature of her soul in her radiant countenance.

I created jewelry for my sister using mother of pearl, with red marble and gold for accent. She strives to follow Christ’s example. Pure white mother of pearl exemplified this desire of her heart. It also includes an allusion to her motherhood. Red marble teardrops reminded me that all the good in life comes through the power of the atonement. Gold places in my mind’s eye a visual of seeds that will one day grow into a queenly crown. The spirit of this poem will always remind me of the eternal beauty and nature of the family: Epitomized in my mind when seeing my sister, a profoundly happy eternal bride. I tried to create jewelry that would convey the same spirit.

She walks in beauty, like the night

Of cloudless climes and starry skies;

And all that's best of dark and bright

Meet in her aspect and her eyes:

Thus mellowed to that tender light

Which heaven to gaudy day denies.

One shade the more, one ray the less,

Had half impaired the nameless grace

Which waves in every golden tress,

Or softly lightens o'er her face;

Where thoughts serenely sweet express

How pure, how dear their dwelling place.

And on that cheek, and o'er that brow,

So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,

The smiles that win, the tints that glow,

But tell of days in goodness spent,

A mind at peace with all below,

A heart whose love is innocent!

Culture

I find myself in an interesting situation. I have been out of work for ten months. My favorite pass time is to lie in bed thanking my Father in Heaven for all the blessings I have in my life. I start with my blankets and progress outward… Expressing gratitude for a spoon, dirty dishes, ants that eat my oranges, friends. I can’t describe the peace that fills my soul for which I am most truly grateful. The love of God is so real to me, it is my bread. I fill my time with daily activities that allow me to listen to prophets new and old, the back ground music in the culture of God.

I hear the words of the prophets in my car, when I work out, doing my dishes, cooking my meals. I am completely submerged in the word of God trying to swim to the bottom of His eternal ocean. I have to find out what is at the bottom. Spontaneous deeds of kindness abound in the ocean of God’s word creating so many good friendships. I love the temple, attending the temple lets me know God will change the world for me, by changing me. God is so much better at fixing lives than I am. Somehow I know that as I continue to do the work of the Lord Jesus Christ all my true needs and wants will be given to me. I think that is how faith works.

I will have a good job soon. I will be married soon. I will be in school soon. I will have children soon. Because: these are now the true desires of my heart as they have only been what I knew I should be pursuing. I actively work toward these things but always, always, I will be submersed in the culture of my God. God’s culture is eternal culture, the way, the truth, and the life, freedom to do and be, hope for a better world. The culture of love; death, fear, contention have no power. He said it is enough, it is finished. He has taught me how to love. I may now enter into the rest of the lord for the remainder of my life and beyond. Will I accept His invitation? Yes.

Death and Rebirth

I watched a movie the day after Dorothy died. Actors playing the part of dead people did not look dead. The true nature and feeling of death experienced the day before left little room for the make believe of Hollywood. Death is such a reality check, so final. I mean as long as it is not in the divine plan of the eternal God to bring you back to life. You are done with this part of eternity. Pass or fail it is over.

Dorothy Eddy, Mother, Grandmother, Great Grandmother, and within months of becoming a Great, Great Grandmother has left her mortal clay behind. The vet of World War Two and caregiver is gone.

My desire to create jewelry seems to have died with her. Dorothy’s last chapter in the book of her life is somewhere in the middle of my story, I hope. I am not ready to leave this mortal dream. I have come to know the person for which I have been looking. I want time with that person. I want the next chapter in my life to be how I bond with my wife. I have room in my life for what she will teach me. My relationship with her will now fill the time within the days to come that I have been spending making Jewelry with Dorothy.

My whole thought, my entire mind bending to ponder how to provide for a wife and family. Now that is a new chapter. Death and rebirth, I am going to make the most beautiful crown that humanity has the capacity to contemplate. I am going to be a husband and father. Without these relationships I will always feel incomplete: Comforted, yes, but completely whole, no. Only in this labor can men build an eternal crown of glory, for in this we endeavor to fulfill the true work and purpose of God.

Mother

My mother’s child like love comes to mind whenever I ponder what she has accomplished in this life. It is hard for me to comprehend the closeness she has with her twin sister. For both love each other with the same peculiar love. Which is best described in this story related by Elder Uchtdorf.

An old Jewish legend tells of two brothers, Abram and Zimri, who owned a field and worked it together. They agreed to divide both the labor and the harvest equally. One night as the harvest came to a close, Zimri could not sleep, for it didn’t seem right that Abram, who had a wife and seven sons to feed, should receive only half of the harvest, while he, with only himself to support, had so much.

So Zimri dressed and quietly went into the field, where he took a third of his harvest and put it in his brother’s pile. He then returned to his bed, satisfied that he had done the right thing.

Meanwhile, Abram could not sleep either. He thought of his poor brother, Zimri, who was all alone and had no sons to help him with the work. It did not seem right that Zimri, who worked so hard by himself, should get only half of the harvest. Surely this was not pleasing to God. And so Abram quietly went to the fields, where he took a third of his harvest and placed it in the pile of his beloved brother.

The next morning, the brothers went to the field and were both astonished that the piles still looked to be the same size. That night both brothers slipped out of their houses to repeat their efforts of the previous night. But this time they discovered each other, and when they did, they wept and embraced. Neither could speak, for their hearts were overcome with love and gratitude.

I realize now, that all the sadness in my mother’s life came when she loved people this way. Her sadness is the broken heart of a woman loving people who were not able to love her in the same manner. Returning this love has brought the greatest happiness I have yet to experience.

I used green fresh water pearls because she loves to grow all kinds of plants and it is a color in her eyes. I used gold fresh water pearls because it is the color of her heart.

Bead Weaving

A Tribute to the University of Utah Volley Ball Seniors

Keisha Fisher

Watching this libero dive after seemingly impossible digs reminds me of Pete Rose sliding into first base. I also found it a little profound that her name is so close to Carrie Fisher who stared as Princess Leia Organa in Star Wars. Every time I would see her float across the hard wood of the court I would get a flash back of Luke’s Landspeeder.

Skimming across the floor after a ball that is in the top of the stands or rolling under the net to bounce up with tears in her eyes says to me that this girl has got heart. She gave it her all time and time again. In one seemingly hopeless game I watched her ignite the entire crowd with her force of effort. Not many can do that with a little bump and pass. The way she plays the game inspires me.

I want to thank Keisha for all her blood, sweet, tears, and heart that she gave on the Crimson Court. She has left a legacy that those who follow her will aspire to obtain. With this as my inspiration I made a necklace with 1608 beads, one for every dig of her career. It is designed with # 11 delica seed beads making eleven gold lined dark red hearts on each side. It is the color of a really bad floor burn but it is not painful to the eyes in any way. Symbolic of every effort she gave for her school, the fans, and for the girls on her team. This is my humble attempt to sum it all up in a single piece of jewelry.

I also want this piece in a small way to tie in with the pieces the other seniors inspired. There are “2” fire polished beads to remind us who the setter was for most of Keisha's senior season.

Stephanie Neeley

Two events that I remember in this setter’s career. The first was two years back when Kathryn Haynie was on the bench side of Crimson Court in position for a kill. Stephanie was moving out the back corner on the camera side of the court away form the net angling toward the door. She marked the set, across the court, on the diagonal, falling backward, to the opposite front corner for Kathryn with perfection. Kat put the kill down as hard as I have every seen her swing. There is only one word that comes to my thoughts as I replay this event in my mind. That word is: Fierce.

In the last game against New Mexico in 2010 it seemed to me that the whole team had been mentally kicked in the teeth. It was as if they knew that no matter how hard they played they were not going to win. It was in this game that Keisha fired up the crowd. In the stands it is different so I may not be accurate in my assessment of how it felt to play in that game. I only know how I felt watching it. I say this just to set the mood for the second event.

The serve dig was bumbled. The second bump was made at least 5 feet out side the court and it put the ball about seven feet in the air arching slightly away form the net closer to the stands. At this point New Mexico disengages to them the play is over. When Stephanie shoots past the downed teammate bumps the ball. Which by the time she got to it seemed to be about two feet in the air. The ball flies back over her shoulder completely in the opposite direction of her full momentum. It clears the net to the total surprise of just about everyone on the New Mexico side. They manage a one hit return. Utah handles it with a clean pass to the center of their side of the court. By this time Stephanie has reversed her own direction, she comes flying back in under the pass and sets it for the kill. She totally reminded me of Reepicheep the mouse in the movie Prince Caspian. She came out of nowhere just doing what needed to be done. This was a sharp contrast to the somber hopeless mood I felt during that game. Watching her and Keisha refusing to go “quietly into the night” makes me think of another word. That word is: courage.

Fierce courage plus breast cancer awareness is the core inspiration I used to create this piece. I repeated the pattern of 2 and 29. The flower’s major petals are five hearts tied together by passing the string between them like a unified volley ball team passes the ball. Stephanie’s helps link the five other team members together assisting the dig through to the kill. Repeating “Xs” serve a duel purpose. First to indicate the exact execution required to be an excellent setter at this level of play. Second it is Barto’s roman numeral number.

Karolina Bartkowiak

Barto is the rope on the rudder holding the team on course when rough waters of shifting momentum threaten to sweep them a way. I wanted this necklace to have an Eastern European feel or look. I also wanted to tie it to her 1115 kills. Each twist in the pattern has 1115 beads. The gold, nickel, and copper beads represent the physical act of an individual kill.

Olive green represents the validating effect of each kill. Justifying the efforts of everyone on the team. A kill is the culmination of all the purpose and energy given by any who play for or support Utah Volley Ball.

Burnt Orange is to symbolize the vindicating effect of each kill. Utah’s right to compete and win expressed in a will not to be denied. Karolina’s kills say to the other team we are here and we came to play so bring your game or get off the court.

The best example of all this, that I saw, was in the first game of the Deseret Duel in 2009. Karolina tried to put one down the line passed Kayla Walker and missed just outside. The next set went back to Barto. This time as she swung she looked so fearsome. I think she stunned Kayla. Kayla could not react in time and the ball bounced right off her leg into the stands. Simply put, it was awesome.

The same beads that hold the clasp on this necklace hold Kiesha’s hearts.