from the modern-day Isaiah:

"can we, even in the depths of disease, tell Him anything at all about suffering?

in ways we cannot comprehend, our sicknesses and informities were borne by Him even before they were borne by us. the very weight of our combined sins caused Him to descend below all. we never have been, nor will we be, in depths such as He has known. thus His atonement made perfect His e m p a t h y and His mercy and His capacity to succor us, for which we can be everlastingly grateful as He tutors us in our trials. there was no ram in the thicket at Calvary to spare Him, this Friend of Abraham and Isaac."

-neal a maxwell, As I Am, 116-17

el PORQUÉ y luego el QUÉ. {in other words: the WHY before the WHAT.}

[i started this awhile ago and have been sitting on it until now.]
...
I fell asleep by the fire last night. haha. who does that? i was writing some liebers letters and then, next thing i knew, someone had put a small blanket over me and the fire was doing the rest of the work. and then it was morning. what a peaceful rest! (insert fire emoticon.)
i've been avoiding blogging. i'm mad at blogs. i'm upset. i'm dodging them. i hate them.
that's not entirely true. recently i voiced my blogging disgruntitude (made that word up) with a dear arizonan friend. she laughingly told me to jump on the bandwagon and just delete it all--blog, facebook,...everything. to heck with social media! i'm sure you're like me; if we haven't already done it, we've considered unsubscribing a number of times (sheerly because of how low it's all stooped as of late). but i refuse.  i feel like i have too many special ties with people in removed places that would be severed and too much good that can be done with these INCREDIBLE tools we've been given. and i'm not ready to sacrifice that. so, after i'd paused to reconsider deleting my fb and such for the billionth time, i re-remembered what i already knew, and told my friend that i wouldn't be doing so after all. so here i am.
i've had this question on my mind. i want to ask you, fellow "blogger" person thing: why are you on here? think about it.
once upon a time my mission president taught god's pattern for teaching his children. he then told us that we'd sure as heck better teach our investigators the same way if we wanted to be successful:the whythenthe what the why = the doctrine/reason that should drive our behaviorthe what= our behavior/result of the "why" 
example: why do we keep the law of chastity? a) because God has commanded itb) because our body is a gift from God as well as a temple, and c) because when we obey God's laws we are blessed--in this particular instance we are able to qualify for the spirit. 
so that's the why. what's the what?the "what" part of the law of chastity is what it specifically entails--abstinence before marriage, fidelity after, clean thoughts, no pornography, no voluntary abortions, and no gay/lesbian relationships. 
as human beings, we mess it up and teach it backwards. if we teach the what before the why, it seems people are much less willing to keep the commandment or they don't fully understand/have a testimony of why they're doing what they're doing. when, however, the doctrine is taught first (the why), the actions (the what) come accordingly and reflect that understanding of the doctrine. 
aka the doctrine comes before the covenant. D-->C. d&c. :)
i know it seems like this is all one big long controversial ranting tangent, but just wait. hear me out. i feel like we all go about our merry happy business doing the "what" of social media but we're forgetting the "why" behind it all. why the flip do we have it?! why the freak are we lucky enough to have been born in this day and age with all the technological advancements?!
i'll tell you why.
it's because the Lord has prepared this as his means to preach his gospel and gather israel. 
are we using it accordingly?
quite frankly, i don't care what you're eating or what you're wearing or where you bought it. does it get me closer towards eternal life? rotundo no. is it uplifting me? probably not, especially since we're all most likely comparing ourselves to one another and that never did anyone any good ever in the history of time. 
so what good are we contributing to the world through our social media? are we using the tools god's prepared for centuries the way he'd like us to? are we keeping the "why" in mind? i know i can be better! 
you know what, maybe this all seems so dumb to you. maybe you think i'm crazy. and freak. maybe i am. but. i do feel like there is some substance to this thought process of mine, and i do feel like there's application here. there is a DOCTRINAL reason why we have the blessing of technology, and i think--because it's sooo powerful and far reaching and specific to our day--that satan wants us to underuse/misuse it. 
i invite you to come up with your own "why" as i return to my original question--why are you on here?  what are you contributing to the world through social media?
i refuse to delete my facebook or my blog (and i'm not judging those who felt it was the best decision for them. please. you can't argue personal revelation. i don't judge you!). the reason being that i feel the world is dark. life is hard. there are so many things pulling us down and distracting us. we need light. we need reminders of the truth and of the things that really matter. we live in a time of incredible development and advancement. we are privileged. and i feel particularly blessed not just to be alive in this era, but mostly to have what i have: the knowledge of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. it's everything to me. and i want to shout it from the ROOFTOPS! (or better yet, how about i save my voice and reach more people in multiple time zones by just posting it online?)
so hi. my name is tawny. i'm a student, a dancer AND a human, an adventurer, a lover of ice cream, latin everything, the wind, and i'm a Mormon. 
that's why i'm on here.
i hope that something i feel inclined to share will bless and benefit someone out there somewhere at some point in time. i also hope that, with the "why" in mind, i'll be able to use my social media appropriately. 
and i hope you'll do the same.

thanks to: whit. for: always looking out for me and mine.

This one's for you:

"I hope that you recognize and believe in the promises that there is a green pasture for each and every one of us. And do not be deceived into thinking that even though there are different and seemingly unfair paths in life, that in the end we all get the same pasture. Your pature will compensate for our path and my pasture will compensate for my path. Whether in this life or in the next, and it is always in both, when the Lord opens up the windows of heaven, there will be a pouring forth of blessings that directly heal and repay for every individual pain and sacrifice you are experiencing...

Whatever blessings you have gone without will be made up to you in divine and glorious fashion. 

I give you every assurance, they will be made up to you to the point where you will not be confident that God treated you fairly but embarrassed that he treated you 

so

very

generously." 

-Pat Holland "The Quiet Heart"

(photo courtesy of yours truly up south fork canyon.)

let's play a little catch up, shall we?

{I drafted this post, hm, back in....October? November? Well, it's still pretty good. Thank you to the unknown sidewalk chalking artist. you were my third witness (x30).}

this is what was sidewalk chalked onto the ground a little while ago on campus:

"To love at all is to be vulnerable. Live anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one... Lock it up safe in the casket of your selfishness. but in that casket, safe, dark...it will change. It will not be broken, it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To live is to be vulnerable."

I'm glad it just keeps coming back to that.