Jet Mariano

Tag: Reflection

  • Soul-Stretching Days: Learning to Let God Shape Me

    Night setup: Nikon 14–24mm f/2.8G on tripod • Manual/Bulb • 30-second exposure • f/2.8 • ISO 2400

    Excerpt
    It struck on a day I never expected—like the day I lost my father, on my birthday. The same jolt ⚡️ twice. Bitter and sweet at once.

    Intro
    Some experiences arrive unannounced and unforgettable. The day held joy—time with loved ones, a wonderful dinner, thoughtful gifts 🎁 (I treasure shirts and cologne and keep them for years). Yet the soul-stretching overshadowed the sweetness, and the ache still lingers.

    Notes from Elder Neal A. Maxwell
    • “It takes time to prepare for eternity.”
    • God customizes our curriculum—He gives what we need, not always what we like.
    • Discipleship is daily; steady choosing matters more than dramatic moments.
    • Meekness is strength under control.
    • Cheerfully submit: trust His timing and tutoring.
    • Be grounded and settled in Christ to endure well, not just long.

    Perspective
    The lingering pain doesn’t mean I failed; it means the lesson matters. Like completed IT projects etched in memory, some days don’t fade—they shape.

    Practice (today, not someday)
    • Pause to breathe and pray before I speak.
    • Trade rumination for one small act of service.
    • Write three lines of gratitude (including a gift I’ll lovingly keep).
    • Use meek words with firm boundaries.

    Final Reflection
    Bitter because it hurt. Sweet because love showed up. Both can be true while God stretches my capacity for trust and kindness.

    Pocket I’m keeping
    “Customized by a loving Father.” Not random storms—tailored tutoring.

    What I hear now
    Be still. Do the next right thing. Let Me do the shaping.

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

  • MIT8 — “Roses, Stone, and Sky”

    Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland framed by morning roses and a still moat. Low-angle composition, layered foreground-to-background for color, structure, and reflection.

    Intro

    The castle is storybook stone, but the roses are living color. Faith is like that—rooted, seasonal, and bright against whatever feels immovable.

    Excerpt

    I framed this low in the rose bed to stack three layers: blooms, castle, and reflection. The flowers pull you in, the bridge and turrets anchor the middle, and the sky opens the scene. The castle gets most of the attention, but the roses do the inviting.

    Notes from the Devotional

    “Make Jesus the light of your life. And then by his light, see everything else.” — Elder Neal A. Maxwell
    When the Light is first, everything else makes sense.

    Perspective

    “Sometimes it is better to be left out than to be taken in… It is better for you to be alienated from the gang than to be alienated from God.” — Elder Maxwell
    Beauty is not popularity; it’s alignment. Choose the view that keeps you closest to the Light.

    Practice (today, not someday)

    “Obeying is one of the best ways of exploring.” — Elder Maxwell
    Honor park rules and guests. Work within limits: arrive early, stay off the beds, wait for gaps in foot traffic, and compose from the edge.

    Final Reflection

    “Trust the Lord for he sees your possibilities even when you do not.” — Elder Maxwell
    The bloom you notice is rarely the only one ready to open. In time, a whole garden appears.

    Pocket I’m Keeping

    “Be very careful about what you let come inside your storehouse of memories. Those memories will be there for a very long time.” — Elder Maxwell
    I want a storehouse full of color and peace—moments of quiet light with people I love.

    Behind the Shot

    • location: Sleeping Beauty Castle, Disneyland
    • approach: arrive early; look for still water in the moat for a clean reflection; use flowers as a foreground frame
    • composition: very low angle, flowers as leading foreground, bridge arches and turrets for structure, negative space in the sky
    • settings (starting point): 16–24 mm, f/8–f/11, base ISO, shutter as needed; confirm nearest bloom focus; keep verticals natural
    • etiquette: stay out of the beds; don’t block paths; be quick and kind with guests and cast

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

  • Marked in Time — “Consecrate Thy Performance” (Neal A. Maxwell)

    “Heart, soul, and mind.” When we offer all, He consecrates our performanc. Saratoga Springs Temple · waxing gibbous moon

    Excerpt
    Consecration isn’t giving things as much as yielding self. When heart, soul, and mind align with God, He consecrates our efforts for lasting good.

    Intro
    Elder Neal A. Maxwell teaches that ultimate consecration is our will swallowed up in the Father’s. Step by step, His grace is sufficient, and our performances are consecrated “for the lasting welfare of [our] souls.”

    Straight line (what he’s saying)
    • Consecration = yielding will to the Father—one stepping-stone at a time.
    • We often “keep back part” (skills, status, habits); partial surrender still diverts.
    • Worth is fixed; assignments change—He must increase, we decrease.
    • Good things can crowd out the first commandment; beware lesser gods.
    • Acknowledge His hand; avoid the “my power, my hand” trap.
    • Discipleship polishes us (rough stone rolling): contact, friction, meekness.
    • Surrendering the mind is victory; God teaches higher ways.
    • Jesus is the pattern—never lost focus; Gethsemane above all other miracles.

    Final reflection
    My hardest “part” isn’t money—it’s control. God wants a consecrated person more than a perfect portfolio. Yielded work beats impressive work.

    Pocket I’m keeping
    • Ask daily: “Lord, is it this?”—take the next small stone.
    • Worship before work; name His hand first.
    • Hold assignments lightly; hold Jesus tightly.
    • Trade applause for alignment.
    • Measure by love, patience, meekness.

    What I hear now
    I’ll hand Him today’s schedule, camera, and keyboard—and let Him aim them. Consecration is hourly trust; even detours can be consecrated.

    Link to the talk
    “Consecrate Thy Performance” — Neal A. Maxwell.

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

  • Marked in Time — “If Thou Endure Well” (Neal A. Maxwell)

    Saratoga Springs Utah Temple with a rising waxing gibbous moon.

    Excerpt
    None of us is immune from trial. Elder Neal A. Maxwell teaches that if we endure well, today’s struggles are shaped into tomorrow’s blessings. Here’s my mark-in-time takeaway and how I’m applying it.

    Intro
    I listened again to Elder Neal A. Maxwell’s devotional “If Thou Endure Well.” The sentence that stayed with me: None of us can or will be immune from the trials of life. However, if we learn to endure our struggles well, they will be turned into blessings in eternity. That’s both bracing and kind—God doesn’t waste pain when we place it in His hands.

    Straight line (what he’s saying)
    • Mortality guarantees opposition; surprise is optional.
    • Enduring well ≠ grim hanging-on; it’s faithful submission, patience, and continuing to choose light.
    • Timing is part of God’s tutoring—deliverance sometimes tarries so discipleship can deepen.
    • Gratitude and meekness change how trials shape us. They don’t shorten the storm, but they change the sailor.
    • The Lord consecrates affliction to our gain when we refuse cynicism and keep covenant routines (scripture, prayer, sacrament, service).

    Final reflection
    Enduring well is a decision repeated—quietly—over and over. It’s choosing not to narrate my trial as abandonment, but as apprenticeship. It’s trusting that God is doing more with my life than I can see from the shoreline.

    Pocket I’m keeping
    • Expect opposition; practice patience on purpose.
    • Pair prayers with small, durable acts (keep the next covenant, serve the next person, take the next right step).
    • Measure “progress” by faithfulness, not by ease.

    What I hear now
    Tonight’s images—reflections, a quiet bench, a waxing gibbous over the spire—feel like a lesson in waiting. I can’t rush the moon to its mark, but I can keep framing, steady my hands, and choose light again. If I endure well, God will finish the alignment.

    Link to the talk
    Full devotional: “If Thou Endure Well” — Neal A. Maxwell (BYU Speeches).

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

  • Today or Tomorrow, Now or Then, Endure to the End

    I become what I will — not by gift, not by chance,
    but like this still house on the prairie, rooted by water, framed by sky —
    I endure. I reflect. Today or tomorrow, now or then.

    Intro Paragraph (Why this poem?)

    There are things I rarely speak, not because they don’t matter — but because they do. Some stories are too sacred to explain plainly. I’ve carried burdens for decades — for family, for faith, and sometimes for people who never knew. This poem is not a confession. It’s a quiet map of where I’ve been and what it cost me to endure. If you’ve ever sacrificed in silence, this is for you.

    Today or Tomorrow, Now or Then, Endure to the End

    by Jet Mariano

    I become what I will—
    not by gift,
    not by chance.

    They said it was for the dream.
    But I never dreamed of this.

    Not the hauling at midnight,
    the cold linoleum behind the receiving dock

    but never my name.

    I didn’t come with love in hand—
    I came with a debt to pay.
    To rescue a soul,
    and carry a family
    across a sea of impossibilities.

    A job at USC
    became a cure for my father,
    a lifeline for my family,
    a bridge for my siblings
    to find homes I would never live in.

    And still, I smiled.

    Though phone jobs stripped my voice,
    while I studied with red eyes and calloused faith,
    and slept beside hopelessness

    They think I’m quiet now.
    They don’t know I’ve just spoken enough pain
    for a hundred lifetimes.

    I write it in playlists
    that no one plays but me.
    I express it in photographs I create—
    where silence can finally breathe.

    I date it in the margins of scripture
    where no one else will read.

    Let them think I’ve always been composed.
    Let them think the IT job made me.
    I know what made me:

    A God who watched me
    hauling furniture in Burbank
    and still whispered,
    “You are mine.”

    Today or tomorrow,
    now or then,
    endure to the end.

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

  • There’s No One Now but You

    When all else faded, only You remained

    (Inspired by the journey of loss, growth, and grace)

    I felt so strong, so sure, so free,
    Believed the path belonged to me.
    No need for hands to guide or stay—
    I didn’t know I’d break this way.

    I chased the stars, ignored the signs,
    Built my dreams on shallow lines.
    But life, with quiet storms in view,
    Took all I had—and tested too.

    It seized the hope I once embraced,
    And left me wandering, soul displaced.
    I thought the shape of life was mine,
    Each step designed by grand design.

    I didn’t need You—so I claimed,
    Dismissed the whispers of Your name.
    But all along, in silence deep,
    You held the vows I failed to keep.

    And now the curtain’s torn in two,
    I see the world in clearer hue.
    No crowd remains to lean into—
    There’s no one now…
    but You.

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

  • I Am Grateful to Be in the Land of the Free and Home of the Brave

    Captured from Coronado Island on the 4th of July — a night of light, a heart full of gratitude, and a quiet prayer for the generations who will carry our name forward. Photo by Jet Mariano.

    Intro:
    Every Fourth of July brings with it more than fireworks and flags—it brings reflection. For me and my family, this day is a reminder that freedom isn’t just an idea, it’s a reality we prayed for, waited for, and worked for. As an immigrant father and a lifelong believer in divine purpose, I wrote this for my children, as a quiet reminder of where we came from, what we’ve been given, and why I remain grateful for this land of promise.

    Main Post:
    We are immigrants, you and I. We waited 15 long years before our U.S. visa was approved. And when we finally arrived, I didn’t start in a fancy office—I started by hauling office furniture off 30-wheelers in Burbank from 4 PM to midnight, earning $4.25 an hour.

    Hard work was not an option—it was survival. But in this country, effort doesn’t go unnoticed. I went back to school, studied IT, and eventually earned a degree in Management in Telecommunications. No shortcuts, just faith, sweat, and purpose.

    In the words of Paul H. Dunn:

    “We are immigrants, you and I, because the Lord made immigrants of us and brought us here. We have done as well as could be expected, and are richly blessed despite our shortcomings because the Lord has thus far held us in His hands and worked His purposes, His ultimate purpose, through us. We’re wanderers, you and I.”

    This nation welcomed me. And in return, I gave it my best. I built a career, provided for my family, and used my knowledge to bless others. Not as a way to boast—but as a testimony of what’s possible when freedom is honored and faith is kept.

    President Thomas S. Monson once declared:

    “When we safeguard the heavenly virtue of freedom, when we honor it, when we protect it, we will walk with Washington, we will pray with patriots, and we shall have peace on earth, good will to men.”

    And as N. Eldon Tanner taught:

    “We are all a part of America’s future. Our job is to learn and benefit from the past and to go forward in righteousness, keeping the commandments of God.”

    My story is not unique—but it is deeply personal. I share it today not only as a celebration of America, but as an invitation to never take freedom for granted.
    To all those I love and care about: your future in this land is filled with promise—but always remember where we came from, and how far we’ve come.

    This is the land of the free.
    This is the home of the brave.
    And I am forever grateful to be part of it.

    © 2012–2025 Jet Mariano. All rights reserved.

    For usage terms, please see the Legal Disclaimer.

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