a full month...

August was busy... and so much better for me personally than July, for that I am grateful... It was a strengthening month... and a joyful one... And today is a special day for my daughter in law... How blessed I feel to have her as a part of my life... let alone in my son's life...

I have generally thought of August as hot and boring... I may just have to rethink those ideas...

a trip to the temple...

Today I attended the temple with most of the members of my immediate family...

It is really such a blessing to attend the temple with your family... I remember my momma saying something like that... I felt my parents presence also at times today... the veil seemed very thin to me... and I found my heart deeply touched by the sweet peace that the temple brings into my life.

I just wanted to share that it was a glorious day... I thank my Father which is in Heaven for days like this... it was a tiny glimpse into eternity... "Family" is FOREVER, and MINE can be too!

to strip or not to strip...

Okay, get real... you KNEW I didn't mean THAT... he he...

Thinking about my guard dog reminded me that I wanted to learn a different type of grooming. Clipping a schnauzer is the fast way to keep their coats in check, but I have been doing some online research, and I am going to try a grooming technique used by professional groomers on schnauzers... it is called hand stripping/coat rolling... It is a slower grooming technique, but I think it will work with our "loyal friend's" coat... Hopefully I can get him looking like this in a few weeks... (without so much emotional trauma to both of us... he hates the sound of the clippers near his face and ears.)

gifts...

If any of us are imperfect, it is our duty to pray for the gift that will make us perfect. … No man ought to say, ‘Oh, I cannot help this; it is my nature.’ He is not justified in it, for the reason that God has promised to give strength to correct these things, and to give gifts that will eradicate them. If a man lacks wisdom, it is his duty to ask God for wisdom. The same with everything else. That is the design of God concerning His Church. He wants His Saints to be perfected in the truth. For this purpose He gives these gifts, and bestows them upon those who seek after them, in order that they may be a perfect people upon the face of the earth.” ~ (President George Q. Cannon of the First Presidency Millennial Star, Apr. 1894, p. 260.)

guard dog extraordinaire...

Our scruffy little schnauzer thinks he is a guard dog... He thinks he is THE guard dog... you know, the BEST guard dog on the planet...? Really... he thinks he must be... I mean how can YOU doubt it...??? Cats that are trespassing in HIS back yard run faster than a shot in the dark, when he is let out... birds too scatter beyond quickly... so his "king of the heap" mentality just would never believe that he is NOT the very picture of a ferocious guard dog... So it'll be our little secret...

I love my silly little dog... he is sometimes the warm eyes that I actually "converse" with the most... and before you start thinking me nuts... I don't fall into the category of thinking he answers me... thought he does have ways of letting me know certain things.... he keeps me feeling safe at night and we understand each other.... After all, he has trained me very well as to his personal preferences for food, treats, AND when he needs to be let out... which has become ridiculously often... especially when I am NOT in the mood for his "guard dog" approach to life...

He is almost 2 years old now... we got him as a 10 week old puppy, so he and I know each other well... He behaves pretty good most of the time... except when he think he has to become "the guard dog"... then he stops thinking and his little brain goes in the "instinct mode"...

So it has come as quite a surprise that my guard dog is terrified of thunder storms... and I mean TERRIFIED!!!! He hides in my closet... and not even his guard dog instinct can draw him outside until the storm is past... to me that is very funny...

a new look...

I made some layout changes... changed my blog title (not the web address) and played around with a few other elements... I'm not exactly sure I am settled on this template for the long hall, but it fits for now...

an invitation...

I am changing my profile "about me" section... (I also want a new look, so will be choosing some new artwork soon too... but I will start with just some new words about myself for today...) Still... I decided didn't want to loose my invitation to any possible readers to hear more about the gospel... so I am going to save that part which I wrote in days past...

[previously written]: I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have a deep love for, and strong testimony of, the gospel of Jesus Christ and enjoy sharing beliefs and values. I welcome your questions about the church and would be happy to introduce anyone to some missionaries that can bring this wonderful message of Jesus Christ into your home.

more food for thought...

"The sharing of joy, whether physical, emotional, psychic, or intellectual, forms a bridge between the sharers which can be the basis for understanding much of what is not shared between them, and lessens the threat of their difference."

~ Audre Lourde

this is the first year...

...since Son1 was 5... (18 years...) that we didn't have someone in our home attending "regular" school classes at a grade, middle or high school... it is the first time in very a long time that we didn't have a seminary student as well...

It really feels........... weird...

The college starts soon...

to my love...

COLOR MY WORLD (Chicago)

As time goes on I realize
Just what you mean to me
And now, now that you're near
Promise your love
That I've waited to share
And dreams of our moments together
Color my world with hope of loving you...
~
...FOREVER

Say "Thank You"...

...and cultivate genuine gratitude.

It seems a small thing, but one of the things that my parents did a lot of (and so in turn taught us their children to do by example, although this lesson is a lifetime quest...) was acknowledging the efforts of others around them. They always thanked each other verbally for kindnesses and they thanked us as children when we completed assignments for them, or the family... This was more than just politeness though... they were completely appreciative of every effort and service. Even when I was very young, I remember hearing my dad thank my oldest brother for completing a chore that was part of his daily list... it wasn't every day... but the thank-yous happened often enough that I know it was a regular event... And I remember daddy and momma squeezing the other's hand at the dinner table pretty often when one of them would thank the other for something that was a necessity. Dad always made a fuss over a simple meal... Mom always thanked dad profusely when he carried the dirty laundry into the garage where the washing machine was... Because of that I believe they spent a lot of time trying to "outdo" one another... Dad would surprise mom by sweeping the floor before she could "get to it"... she would pack an extra goody in his lunches... daddy was always very thin and keeping weight on him was a chore at times mom used to say... but I think it was one of those little things she just loved having an excuse to do...

These small acts remind me of the scriptural references that we are given which encourage us to have gratitude for everything, and to do the small things that are necessary to have the spirit with us. The small things we are asked to do within a gospel setting are thought of as too simple by some people to be important (FHE, family prayers, etc...) and yet they are the things that keep the spirit alive within our homes.

By the same token, small things such as a genuine thank-you can go a long way to keeping marital "fences" in good repair, and once I start expressing gratitude, the act is contagious... it becomes a "desire" very quickly in fact... a good "desire". I believe from experience in my own marriage that these small acts of gratitude especially verbal thank-yous are like seeds that grow within us AND others... filling our marriages and families with "grateful roots" that form a foundation to rest on during good times... and "ground stability" for the more difficult times, which always come.

The next time you are feeling that things are not going as well as you would like in your marriage or family relationships... look at how often you say thank you to those around you and especially your spouse, if you have one... I'll just bet you are low on your "gratitude meter"...

At least in my own life that is always true.

pain...

...have you ever wondered where pain comes from? To me the idea and actual feelings of pain are somewhat subjective at times. I have a pretty high threshold of pain most of the time... I have learned ways to keep moving and living besides it's pretty constant companionship... and yet every once in a while "pain" becomes a living-breathing enemy.

Today is one of those days...

personal progress...

Each year I read the Book of Mormon, (that's been a personal goal for me for quite a few years now...) I find that each year I take that personal challenge, I do it in a little different way. A few years ago I taught the Adult Gospel Doctrine Class in our ward for a 4 year rotation, (the closest thing to teaching seminary I will probably get due to my health issues.) During each year I learned so much about each course of study that we had, way more than the class... our lessons featuring the Book of Mormon were no different.

For the last year or so I am again teaching Gospel Doctrine lessons, and my class is the oldest youth class which included Son2 for most of a year. We have few active youth in my class. The kids that come participate well and come prepared to class. All have been brought up in the church, have really great parents and are generally strong in their personal faith... respect the priesthood... etc. I suspect they have questions, and challenges that they don't share readily, way more often than I am aware... but they are really good youth and I have thoroughly enjoyed teaching them.

This year our study has been the Book of Mormon... I have felt a desire to really help my class to touch their personal testimonies of the Book of Mormon. So with that in mind... I took a different personal challenge in my reading. I decided that I would not only "read" the chapters each week, I would "listen" to them, every week... I decided to do this because for me two different parts of my brain are affected when I see and hear the same passages... As I was preparing one particular lesson at the beginning of the year I felt singularly frustrated that I could NOT seem to pull together my thoughts... The lesson plan I had outlined seemed disjointed. I still felt unprepared as we met in class. During the opening prayer the YM that was saying it expressed the thought; "that the class will be able to get out of the lesson what Thou wouldst have us learn and understand. That our questions will be answered." At that point my feelings calmed and as I opened my eyes and looked at the lesson all the areas that those youth needed to discuss that day seemed to be bold on the paper, (except you probably understand that this “bolding” was only for my benefit...) We had a wonderful lesson and the spirit was strong. Afterwards that YM from class came up to me and told me that during the last week his friends at school have been dissing the Book of Mormon, in a very challenging way, (this was around the time Mitt Romney was running for president and political discussions surrounding that usually started these events...) Anyway, he said that in class we covered ALL the areas he was still struggling with, and he just wanted to thank me for being their teacher. He had been praying that that day he would get some insight to the answers for the questions he had, after trying all week to answer them himself through personal study, and seminary...

My testimony pounded in my chest, and seemed to fill my being as I listened to the spirit testify to me that; as I try to do my part to prepare for my lessons, that Heavenly Father will always meet me MORE than half-way!!! I feel humbled that He would trust me with these faithful youth that have His work to do, so soon... I am SO grateful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and all that it brings into my life.

dear Abby, I am NOT...! Part 1...

A while back an acquaintance of mine asked me for some advice about marriage... so... not that I know what I am doing a lot of the time, but... I thought maybe I would take a stab at sharing some of those thoughts... Nevertheless, I make NO promises that my advise will help anyone needing, or NOT needing advise!

That said... I want to get serious for a minute...

Hubby and I have been married for nearly 25 years... some say that is a long time... To me it seems a moment... because we have something I would identify as very special... and I recognize that few couples have that...

But then I had a great example... when my parents passed away almost a year and a half ago they had been married for more than 71 years. Up until her death my daddy still appreciated holding momma's hand, and until her health took her memory of such things... she thought daddy a "handsome devil"... And quite honestly for daddy, momma I believe was an angel of light... she was "the star that he hitched his wagon to", and he never looked back.

During this year-plus since they passed away I have reflected on the things that momma and daddy did in order to keep their marriage young... vital... and thriving. I have started to note these things in my personal journal. It's not enough for me to come close to what they had... I want it ALL, and I want the forever package. I want the whole enchilada~~~! I think that the best way to achieve those goals is to write them down!!!

I decided a while ago to also try to identify in my journal some of the tools my parents used to achieve a happy marriage for the 71.5-SHORT years they shared together in the face of MANY MANY trials, even the trial of having one partner confined to a bed unable to eat on his own and one partner confined to a mind of confusion, unable to think on her own... They were still completely devoted to each other and somehow their love crossed even those difficult physical barriers.

So for those of you interested... watch for a few of my reflections on marriage down the road in this blog...

prayer...

From the FHE manual:

We are all children of God. He loves us and knows our needs, and He wants us to communicate with Him through prayer. We should pray to Him and no one else. The Lord Jesus Christ commanded, "Ye must always pray unto the Father in my name" (3 Nephi 18:19). As we make a habit of approaching God in prayer, we will come to know Him and draw ever nearer to Him. Our desires will become more like His. We will be able to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that He is ready to give if we will but ask in faith.

My children through their short years when we were having gospel discussion as a family here and there have shared insight about how when they were in HS... that without seminary and silent personal prayer often they would have been completely lost walking around the halls between classes because there is so much of the adversary's influence in the populace of that particular world. That always saddened me deeply, and it was not the first time I had heard the concept... still it was hard to know my children were immersed in it.

Over time it has been brought to my mind that while each of my children have probably suffered living among untold levels of evil in their tender short lives already, they are not afraid... and they use the tools that Heavenly Father has given all of us to gain peace, strength, comfort, knowledge, success... and greater faith in the future...

I wish I was more like my kids...

just keep walking...

That which does not kill us makes us stronger. ~ Friedrich Nietzsche

Another word for "that" in this quote is... exercise... I keep reminding myself it will NOT kill me... [it just feels like it to my hips.]

it's AUGUST......

I mean, it's REALLY August... Where did the last YEAR go??? This time last year Son1 and Sweetee were just dating, Princess Bride was in school and planning her future a little different than she is living right now... Son2 was just starting his last year of HS... I was still working and hubby and I had way more than 6 months to wait until our 2nd honeymoon cruise (although technically we never had a first honeymoon...)

The first of August 2007 was a monumental time for our family... The whole last year has brought about so many changes in our nuclear family it is strange for me to contemplate in a way... good changes for the most part... but definitely VERY different than most of the family imagined...

The one thing that hasn't changed is that my health is irritating... I had hoped that not working would make a bigger difference in the way it responded to treatment... but all that has really changed on that front is that we now have lousy health insurance that covers almost NOTHING! (an even bigger irritant!)

But, don't mind me... it's only August...