A Never Ending Ladder

About a year ago I took an art history class at BYU. It was not my favorite subject, but I am starting to appreciate how it changed my view of art. A lot of modern art still leaves me scratching my head in confusion, but let me tell you about a very fascinating work of art I saw this weekend at the mall. It's called This Land is Your Land and was created by Iván Navarro. Here's what you see from the side:

It is in fact a water tower, well three water towers, but wait let's take a look inside one:

Sorry, that's the best I could do with my iphone camera. I think you get the idea though. The other two towers read "ME/WE" and "BED." The work is intended to be a commentary on immigration and the ideal of the American Dream.

As I looked intently up at the repeating image of the ladder, my neck became stiff and I squinted my eyes to see the top. I realized that there was a series of two mirrors (with the bottom one being a one-way mirror like the ones in observation rooms) that projected the image infinitely upward. Climbing such a ladder would be daunting to say the least.

Sometimes when I look up and think of God and His perfection, I wonder how I could ever make it back to Him and become like Him. I am so weak and often find it hard to trust in Him. In this way, the gospel path can sometimes seem like a never ending ladder. But the key is not to expect to be at the top today; the key is to start climbing one rung at a time, conquering the segment of the ladder that we can see right now! Where ever you are on that ladder, I assure you that you've come farther than you realize, and that right now you only need to take the next few steps upward. Hopefully that idea comforts you as much as it does me.

Crossing Over

So I'm a first year medical student; can you guess what I was for Halloween? Yep, something nerdy. Now it's time to test your nerdity.

Yep, you guessed it! Chromosome 17. There are normally 23 pairs of chromosomes in a human cell (46 total). For our genetics test on Halloween, 45 of my classmates and I dressed up as chromosomes. It was awesome!

In the picture my friend and I are demonstrating the phenomena called crossing over. When a cell decides to divide, the chromosomes condense and line up. They are then pulled apart to provide the same amount of genetic information to both of the cells. Before the chromosomes are pulled apart, matching regions between the chromosomes can intersect, or cross over, causing them to exchange genetic material (DNA). 

If you think about it, we humans often experience these "crossing over" events in our lives. We meet someone, exchange a few words, and complete some task together. The impact of these interactions may be large or small, but neither person leaves the same as they came. While those around us don't definitively determine who we become, they certainly leave their mark. My question today is, what kind of impact are you and I having on those around us? When I cross paths with another person, I want to leave a mark of goodness, positivity, and hope.