Ecstasy, to be beside oneself with joy, is to have left the blunting boundaries of self-interest. Care of the soul is the craft of life and requires skill, attention, and expression. To have a genius for life is to possess the ability to generate warmth and well-being in others. Generosity invites us into contemplation—a rare commodity in modern life. We see life more vividly and more deeply. However, the emptiness that many people complain dominates their lives comes in part from a failure to let the World in, to perceive it and engage it fully. Naturally, if everything we do slides past us without enriching us, we will feel unfilled. Shrouded in a darkness that moves upon us like a curtain closing upon a play or a storm descending upon a landscape. In contrast, charity has the ability to inspire others around us and facilitates an interest in in the community and in projects greater than our individual concerns. Largess literally enlarges our lives. Recovering or first discovering one’s genius for life requires a convergence of opportunity and willingness, an important service to the soul. Soul cannot thrive in a fast-pace life because being affected, taking things in and consuming them, requires time. Living soulfully, therefore, might require something as simple as pausing. Some people are incapable of being halted by the powerful emotions of life because they are too deeply anguished to pay attention to the creative genius. #RandolphHarris 1 of 9

Is it not emotion, the sincerity of one’s feelings for nature, that draws us in? A common symptom of modern life is that there is no tie for thought, or even for letting impression of a day sink in. Yet it is only when the World enters the heart that it can be made into soul. It is a lot like getting on a merry-go-round, you cannot stop. It is like endless movement. The vessel in which soul making takes pace is an inner container scooped out by reflection and wonder. The expressive energies released in this creative outburst seems a product of the mind, the other of the heart. It imposes a sense of logic where none necessarily exists. The immediate genius of generosity is that it draws us out of ourselves. Leaving the confines of loss, we are carries away by the interest in the welfare of our family, community, and career. Generosity pulls us out of despondency and away from the buried secrets—our emotions, which have for too long lain hidden within us. Emotions are precisely the missing key that has thrown things out of balance, and the restoration to their right place is one of the higher orders of the mind of a human being that cannot happen fast enough. In circumstances when there is little we can do to improve our own lives, having a beneficial effect on someone else’s life is especially encouraging to the spirit. #RandolphHarris 2 of 9

Joy accompanies and motivates effective responding; that what produces self-esteem and a sense of competence, and protects against depression, is not only the absolute quality of experience, but the perception that one’s own actions controlled the experience. This is a shared intimacy—that moment of contact in which the nature of our relationship is permanently changed—a time that most fascinates us. There is no doubt that some people could spare themselves the expense and trouble of psychotherapy simply by giving themselves a few minutes each day for quite reflection. That simple act would provide what is missing in their lives: the longing for the infinite that is essential nourishment to the soul. Here is the instant when we leave the isolation of ourselves and enter into social relations with God. “The Lord prospers those who put trust in him,” reports 1 Nephi 12.1. Sometimes people think about the people who count on them when they are in an intercession with God. They imagine special treats they will pick up for them at the store or come up with ideas that will help them flourish. For many of us, our capacity to endure arises directly from our stake in other people’s survival. #RandolphHarris 3 of 9

Knowing that our actions make a difference in the lives of others protects us from depression and assures many that their life continues to serve a purpose. Taking time with life, we get to know a more powerful, revealing source of light that invokes a feeling of being more genuinely connected to the atmosphere and others. And accepting help from others and allowing them to feel that their contributions are significant is its own generosity. In doing so, we affirm the ongoing valued of good will and the fact that thoughtfulness is never wasted. One of the symptoms of modern soullessness, an alienation from the nature and things as well as from our fellow human beings, might be overcome if we took time with whatever we are dealing with. It is in the nature of kindness that both the helper and the helped exchange encouragement. When there is a sense of companionship and genuine caring, people become increasingly energetic and alive. Of course, we could focus on our loss and the darkness and it will seem more somber and threatening. Or we can choose to open ourselves us to the risk and rewards of a fresh attachment. Nonetheless, no matter how deep our sorrow may be, it does not give us a license to waste the rest of our lives. Engaging life requires an active decision: letting ourselves languish requires little effort.  #RandolphHarris 4 of 9

Uprooting oneself can cause in individual to face lassitude. Many senior citizens like to downsize and move into apartments, lofts, or condominiums after the children leave home because they feel the house is too big and there is no one there to keep it warm anymore. One woman experienced much shade and darkness after moving to an apartment in downtown. “I wake up in the morning and start to get up. Then I ask myself: What for? Because I have nothing to do any more—no dog, no garden, nobody to take care of. And I do not eat. I cook something for the evening and when it is ready, I say ach! I do not want to eat it, and I put it in the refrigerator.” Lethargy is one of the greatest dangers we face as we age. Having become disenchanted with many aspects of life, we may pull back into a state of protective indifference in which we decrease our exposure to pain, but also bypass changes to be invigorated. There is only one kind of failure that really breaks the spirit. It is the failure which manifests itself in a loss of interest in really important things. Once it has its grip, it is hard to recognize the hope of salvation. Figures swirl around an individual as if life itself is being born out of the vortex. Still, our brains, mouth, and heart sill work, so use them. We can still make something out of the nothingness of life. Every day brings more blessings and greater self-expression. #RandolphHarris 5 of 9

We prosper in everything we do. There is no deferment, no delay, no obstruction nor obstacle, nothing to impede the progress of right action The manipulation of perspective systems is by no means the only way that space is created in art and life. Light is at least as important to the rendering of space. For instance, light creates shadow, and thus helps to define the contour of a figure or mass. Our experience of colour is itself a direct function of light. Living artfully might require taking the time to buy thing with soul for the home. Good linens, a special rug, or nice lamp can be a source of enrichment not only in our own life, but also in the lives of our children and grandchildren. The soul basks in this extended sense of time. However, we cannot discover the soul in a thing without first taking time to observe it and be with it for a while. This kind of observation has a quality of intimacy about it; it is not just studying a consumer guide for factual and technical analysis. Surface, textures, and feel count as much as efficiency. Certain things stimulate the imagination more than others, and that very blossoming of fantasy might be a sign of the soul. No matter how severely our other powers decline, the capacity to attract and sustain friendship is a constructive force that need not leave us. #RandolphHarris 6 of 9

Keep your mind open at all times to a divine influx of new inspiration, new power, and new life. An airline pilot once talked to me about the struggle he was having in deciding between two jobs that opened up for him. One was full of prestige and power, while the other was comfortable but quite ordinary. The first he felt he should consider because it was highly prized among his peers, but his thoughts about it were complex. The second job he imagined all day long. In his mind he had already begun to design his office and set his schedule. From the richness of his aerial perspective of his imagination, it was quite clear that effect of one have an unmistakable spiritual quality and extraordinary beauty. The ordinary arts we practice every day are of more importance to the soul than their simplicity might suggest. Prior to the erosion of individuality or having a companion, many people insist that becoming more and more independent is a sign of progress in life. They regard the need to lean on others as a hindrance or as an indication of declines. However, we all experience a lifelong yearning for integration, attachment, and inclusion. This need develops in tandem with our urge for autonomy, no matter how ardently we try to suppress or ignore it. If we know someone needs us, we never sit still. #RandolphHarris 7 of 9

Everything that we do, say, or thing is governed by divine intelligence and inspired by divine wisdom. We are guided into right action. We are surrounded with friendship, love, trust, innocence, and beauty. Enthusiastic joy, vitality, and inspiration are in everything we do. We are aware of our partnership with the Infinite. Every thought of not being wanted, of being afraid, of uncertainty and doubt is cast out of our minds. Our memories go back To God alone, in whom we live, move, and have our being. A complete sense of happiness, peace, and certainty floods us with light. We have confidence in ourselves because we have confidence in God. We are sure of ourselves because we are sure of God. The spirit within us knows the answers to any problems which confronts us. We know that the answer is here and now. It is within our own mind because God is right where we are. We not turn from the problem to the Spirit, accepting the answer. In calm confidence, in perfect trust, in abiding faith, and with complete peace we let go of the problem and receive the answer. We know exactly what to do in every situation. Every idea necessary to successful living is brought to our attention. The doorway to ever-increasing opportunities for self-expression is open before us. We are continuously meeting new and larger experiences. Every day brings some greater good. #RandolphHarris 8 of 9

There are pleasures in contemporary life—hairdos and wardrobes, daily rituals such as bathing, entertainments, life in our careers, and so on, in endless combination. We must identify with abundance. We surrender all fear and doubt. We let go of all uncertainty. We know there is no confusion, no lack of confidence. We know that what is ours will claim us, know us, and rush to us with God’s speed. The presence of God is within us. The mind of God is our minds. The freedom of God is our freedom. Today we bestow the essence of love upon everything. Everyone we shall meet shall be lovely to us. Our soul meets the soul of the Universe in everyone. This love is a healing power touching everything into wholeness. We are one with the system of life. There is nothing to be afraid of. There is nothing to be uncertain about. God is over all, in all, and through all. God is right where we are. We are at peace with the World in which we live. We are at home with the divine spirit in which we are immersed and are made from the same matrix as the master image working on the surface. #RandolphHarris 9 of 9