A Brigham Young University Student Journal
As I believe I mentioned in one of my previous posts, I am a new and very avid consumer of self-help books. I love having those “aha moments,” and when you read (or listen to) a self-help book, you get them all of the time. …
Kids can surprise us every day. After teaching in an elementary school classroom for almost a month, I learned unexpected things about the students and their dreams for the future. We had just learned in social studies about the dreams of African Americans in moving …
I’ve been thinking a lot about the epidemic in our society of pornography addiction. I have seen its effects on the relationships of people that I love that struggle with it and it’s devastating to witness. Whether in a dating or a marriage relationship, the ability to maintain a healthy relationship is difficult enough without this addiction added to the mix, but the addition of it is an added measure of immense struggle.
It’s an addiction like any other–it hurts you (physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually), it hurts your family, it hurts your friends; it hurts everything. It misconstrues a person’s understanding of love and intimacy; it encourages violence; it messes with your brain . . .
Yet, it still rages on. We as a society must combat it with all the force and study that we have in the past with other drugs that seek to destroy our society. It is not something to be pushed aside or forgotten about because doing nothing will only allow its influence to grow stronger and wider. I challenge you and me to be the ones who combat this addiction of lust with the love that it seeks to destroy.
Become informed and help others do the same.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ Overcoming Pornography program
Facts about pornography addiction
Inspiring messages about overcoming pornography addiction
—Jazmin Cybulski, Stance
Early on last Fall semester, my roommate asked me a question: “Does your family save cottage cheese containers?” “Uh, what do you mean?” I asked. “You know, did your mom ever save cottage cheese or sour cream containers to use as Tupperware?” “Yeah.” “Oh. My …
As technology in education has gone from chalkboard to whiteboard to smartboard, children still typically learn best through examples and practice, not just lectures. Lucky for us in today’s technology age, many resources are available to help children, parents, and teachers with academics. Resources for …
International Women’s Day has been around since the early 1900’s, but it’s only been called to my attention in the past few weeks. Maybe I’ve just been living under a rock, or maybe the feminist outcry has been taken a little more seriously this year. I’m all for celebrating women, and Provo is too.
Today, March 8, Provo is having a day-long celebration of women. There will be a bike ride, an art discussion, and a show at Velour this evening.
According to their website:
This event started as a city initiative to enhance the visibility of the women of Provo, promote leadership opportunities for women in our community, and provide opportunities for women to help one another. Our hope is that it will grow into a Provo tradition and become a part of our culture for years to come.
If you can’t make it to the earlier events, I would definitely try to make it to the later ones. I’m so proud of Provo and its decision to make this holiday such a part of their community.
#ProvoWomensDay all the way.
—Jazmin Cybulski, Stance
As I began my book group in the 5th grade class I’m teaching in this semester, I could tell that two girls were frustrated with one another. Here’s what ensued: dirty looks, obviously offended gestures, teasing, and complaints that the other was kicking her under the …
I love technology, but like many good things, it can be abused and overused. More applicable to me, it can be very, very time-wasting. Yet I keep reaching for my phone and turning on the T.V. any moment I can. It’s a habit that I …
As I haven’t talked about the marriage part of these “Dating and Marriage” posts, I thought I’d contribute a little bit to that topic this week.
Being in an environment where weddings have become a part of my weekend ritual, I’ve come to form a little bit of an opinion about what it means to experience weddings that rock and weddings that just kind of roll on and on and on…. My personal solution to the issue is just making your wedding is an event centered around music and dancing, but that’s not everyone’s cup of tea. (Also, not everyone loves dancing–I know, it’s painful to hear.) Here are a few activities that I’ve enjoyed at weddings in the pas:
1. The classic questions card
I think we’re all aware of the classic questions cards for your guests. I’ve seen everything from “What should we name our first kid?” to “What are your favorite things to do for date night?” These cards are an easy and fun way to get your guests feeling like they’re a part of your night. It’s also a fun way for the couple to keep celebrating their special day as they read their guests’ answers later. The couple can even make that fun last by just looking at some of the answers every day until they run out.
2. Insta it
Along with the chalkboard, Instagram hashtags seem to be becoming a regular part of weddings these days. I really love this idea. Brides seem to always say that they’re so caught up in their day, sometimes they had to remind themselves to just be there and enjoy it. This is a great way to get everyone’s perspective of your wedding and enjoy the night with each of your guests, even if you can’t be physically there with them the whole time.
3. Keep the kids entertained
Some people opt out of having kids at their wedding at all. Personally, I think they bring the party. But if your feelings are somewhere in-between, providing a kids corner or something for them to do at the table (like, a coloring kit), is a great way to keep them entertained for at least a portion of the night. If they’re more into the active thing, I’ve seen couples opt for having disposable cameras at their receptions and having a picture scavenger hunt for the kids to follow (e.g. “Take a picture of a flower”; “Take a picture of something blue”). Technically, the cameras were for everyone at the reception, but once the kids got a hold of them, it was all over.
These have just been a few of my favorite reception activities. Let us know if you’ve had experience with any of these or any others (good or bad)!
—Jazmin Cybulski, Stance
I grew up just a few houses down from our town cemetery. Both my great-grandparents are buried there, plus a few other relatives. My grandfather is in the American Legion. For the past eight or so years, he has organized the Memorial Day program in …