Jet Mariano

Tag: Eternal Perspective

  • Marked in Time Sep 10, 2025 — Finding Joy in the Journey

    San Diego California Temple — made on an early iPhone. Daylight reminds me it’s less about the lens and more about the eye and the feeling. This house is family to me—my firstborn was sealed here on 12/12/12 at 12:00 PM.

    Excerpt
    President Thomas S. Monson teaches that joy is not in the distant future but in the daily moments we cherish with gratitude and love.

    Intro
    Life changes—sometimes suddenly, often gradually. President Thomas S. Monson reminds us that we cannot pile up tomorrows and expect joy to wait. Joy is in the journey now—in gratitude, in kindness, in cherishing those around us before it is too late.

    Straight line (what he’s saying)
    • Change is constant; the key is learning what matters most.
    • Childhood, family time, and simple daily joys vanish if we postpone them.
    • Don’t wait for tomorrows that never come; love must be shown today.
    • Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved.
    • Gratitude transforms lack into abundance; ingratitude blinds us to God’s gifts.
    • Challenges will come, but we choose whether to cherish or neglect the people we love.
    • Christ’s example—serving, forgiving, and loving to the end—shows us how to live joyfully.

    Final reflection
    Time never stands still. My regrets are not about things I did, but things I left undone—words unsaid, kindness unshown. President Monson’s reminder echoes: joy is not about someday; it is about today.

    Pocket I’m keeping
    • Hug my family more, speak my love more.
    • Write the note, send the message, make the call—today.
    • Guard against letting stress eclipse people.
    • Give thanks deliberately, even for the small, ordinary blessings.
    • Joy = gratitude in motion.

    What I hear now
    Joy is a daily decision, not a future destination. If I train my heart to see God’s gifts in every moment, life itself becomes the journey worth rejoicing in.

    Link to the talk
    “Finding Joy in the Journey – President Thomas S. Monson

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    For usage terms, please see the Legal Disclaimer.

  • Marked in Time — “Think Celestial!” (President Russell M. Nelson)

    Super Blood Moon over the Los Angeles California Temple — not visible in America last night, so I pulled this in-camera Nikon double exposure from my archives (Oct 2014). Thinking celestial means taking the long view: steps, stars, and a witness in the heavens.

    Excerpt
    President Nelson invites us to “think celestial”—to take the long, eternal view where today’s choices shape forever.

    Intro
    President Russell M. Nelson taught that God’s plan is “fabulous,” that our choices matter eternally, and that the Savior’s Atonement makes that plan possible. His invitation: adopt the practice of “thinking celestial.”

    Straight line (what he’s saying)
    • “The baseless notion that we should ‘eat, drink, and be merry …’ is one of the most absurd lies in the universe.”
    • “I invite you to adopt the practice of ‘thinking celestial’! … ‘to be spiritually-minded is life eternal.’”
    • “Mortality is a master class” in choosing what matters most. “Your choices today will determine … where you will live throughout all eternity, the kind of body … [and] those with whom you will live forever.”
    • “Only men and women who are sealed … in the temple, and who keep their covenants, will be together throughout the eternities.”
    • If we choose telestial laws now, we choose a telestial glory then.
    • “How and where and with whom do you want to live forever? You get to choose.”
    • “Take the long view—an eternal view. Put Jesus Christ first … your eternal life is dependent upon your faith in Him and in His Atonement.”
    • “When you are confronted with a dilemma, think celestial! … When the pressures of life crowd in upon you, think celestial!”

    Final reflection
    Thinking celestial reframes today: my calendar becomes covenant practice, my setbacks become schooling, and my worship becomes preparation for where—and with whom—I want to live forever.

    Pocket I’m keeping
    • Begin with the end in mind (celestial family).
    • Choose temple time and covenant keeping first.
    • Guard agency—avoid anything that becomes a “god.”
    • Pray beyond a shopping list; seek revelation.
    • Take the long view when hurt, hurried, or tempted.

    What I hear now
    Tonight I’m posting an archival blood-moon shot and taking the eternal view. The moon changes phase; covenants point to permanence. Think celestial.

    Link to the talk
    “Think Celestial!” — President Russell M. Nelson.

    © 2012–2025 Jet Mariano. All rights reserved.
    For usage terms, please see the Legal Disclaimer.

  • Marked In Time: “The Tugs and Pulls of the Word” – Neal A. Maxwell

    When the sky sings, even the moon waits its turn. Saratoga Springs Temple at dusk.

    Excerpt
    Many aren’t in transgression—they’re in diversion. The world tugs; disciples choose differently. My notes and how I’ll apply them this week.

    Intro
    Elder Neal A. Maxwell warns that diversion wastes “the days of [our] probation.” God’s plan isn’t pleasure—it’s happiness. The difference is discipleship.

    Straight line (what he’s saying)
    • The lures are old; the amplification is new—tech, media, hype.
    • Diversion builds “personalized prisons”: “of whom a man is overcome…”
    • Mortal honors are transient—“they have their reward.”
    • Remedies: Holy Ghost, family, worship/prayer/scripture, wise friends, Joseph-in-Egypt reflex (flee).
    • “Far country” is measured by fidelity, not miles—return is possible; resilience is covenant DNA.
    • God prizes who we become more than rank—our real résumé is ourselves.
    • See things as they really are/will be; give glory to God.

    Final reflection
    My risk isn’t rebellion; it’s drift—scrolls, refreshes, small hungers for applause. Diversion is bondage with nicer branding.

    Pocket I’m keeping
    • Access the Spirit first (scripture, prayer, sacrament), then apps.
    • Family first—real talk over parallel scrolling.
    • Choose friends/inputs that aim at Zion.
    • Flee fast; repent resiliently.
    • Measure worth by being (meek, patient, submissive), not spotlight.

    What I hear now
    Say “stand aside” to the world. Post the image, close the tab, sit with gratitude. The moon keeps rising; I don’t need every notification to matter. Souls > stars > stats.

    Link to the talk
    “The Tugs and Pulls of the World” — Neal A. Maxwell.

    © 2012–2025 Jet Mariano. All rights reserved.
    For usage terms, please see the Legal Disclaimer.

  • Line Upon Line

    The Taylorsville Utah Temple at dusk, framed by golden wheat and roses. A reminder that spiritual harvests come “line upon line, precept upon precept” — in His time, His way, His will.

    There are weeks that pass quietly, and there are weeks that rearrange your spirit. In the span of just seven days, I’ve walked into the Taylorsville Temple three times. Each visit has been different, but together they’ve built something remarkable — a deepened layer of understanding, given to me line upon line, precept on precept.

    I think of my journey from 1981 up to today as “college-level” preparation in spiritual learning. Now, here in Utah, the Lord has been giving me what feels more like a “doctorate-level” education: His time, His way, His will.

    It’s like watching the stars appear at night.
    First one little light shines over there
    in the western sky, and then another,
    and then another — until finally, look for yourself…

    A whole wonderful endless universe
    began with one little star.

    Line upon line, precept on precept.
    That is how He lifts us, that is how He teaches His children.
    Line upon line, precept on precept.
    Like a summer shower giving us each hour His wisdom.
    If we are patient we shall see
    How the pieces fit together in harmony.
    We’ll know who we are in this big universe
    And then we’ll live with Him forever.

    But until it happens…

    Line upon line, precept on precept.
    That is how He lifts us, that is how He teaches His children.
    Line upon line, precept on precept.
    Like a summer shower giving us each hour His wisdom.

    (From Saturday’s Warrior, 1973 — Words by Doug Stewart, Music by Lex de Azevedo)

    Final Reflection

    Tonight in the Celestial Room, I prayed not to impose my will but to listen. What I felt wasn’t a grand vision but a gentle whisper — a reminder that revelation unfolds step by step, not all at once.

    Life keeps unfolding in ways I don’t always anticipate. Some lines remain unanswered, others open unexpectedly, but together they form a pattern that teaches me to trust the timing.

    Line upon line, I see how the Lord has been shaping my path. What once felt scattered now begins to come together in harmony — not all finished, but moving toward His perfect design.

    © 2012–2025 Jet Mariano. All rights reserved.
    For usage terms, please see the Legal Disclaimer.

  • The Echoes of Eternity

    Where heaven kissed the earth at sunrise, the echoes of eternity began

    Photographed at the Laie Hawaii Temple
    By Jet Mariano

    The Echoes of Eternity

    Sometimes I wonder, when we walk in light,
    Did we once stroll through stars before the night?
    Before this life, beyond the skies above,
    Were we already bound by truth and love?

    Each sacred step feels strangely known—
    As if I’ve never truly walked alone.
    Though time may veil what souls recall,
    There’s something here that echoes all.

    Not dreams that fade or worldly mirth,
    But love that whispers of eternal worth.
    A promise felt with every gentle sign—
    That someday, always, you’ll be mine.

    © 2012–2025 Jet Mariano. All rights reserved.
    For usage terms, please see the Legal Disclaimer.

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