of birthdays, families, and fun...

Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one. ~Jane Howard

First of all... my definition of family is pretty large and broad... I know people that I consider "like" family that are not in the narrowest of definitions, family... those extensions of our family were not at the Son2's birthday celebration yesterday... but all the children born into our family and their spouses were together, in our clan's home, for this wonderful happy event...

It was a surprise... one that Son2 evidently didn't catch on to, even though there were many times over the last month of planning we were afraid he did... It was hard to keep the secret without flat out lying to him... I used a lot of phrases like... "I am not sure if..." and "whoever makes it..." since he knew I was making a big birthday meal for his big day and at one point he told me I didn't need to cook a big elaborate dinner just for 3 of us... he he he... Little did he know...

Our efforts were SOOOOO worth the joy and happiness that he shared with having all his siblings here... not to mention the family fun... Saturday evening Princess Bride, Sir Knight got in, in time to go with Son 2 to a movie with a couple of his long time friends... Dinner on Sunday included games after, with his siblings and in-laws and a LOT of laughing and teasing... How fun that ALWAYS is... We even had all the family dogs here together and they had a lot of fun too...

The meal was fabulously delicious... compliments again from some wonderful copy-cat recipes I found online... and amazingly similar to one of our favorite eating spots "Chipotle Mexican Grill"... We had it all, the rice, beans, grilled meat, veggies, lettuce, along with the many salsas, topping it all with guacamole and sour cream... choice of tortillas and how you wanted to add/stack your chosen ingredients... chips and more salsa if desired... Man was the food great... and we did almost all the cooking and prep work in the days before, so the meal was pretty easy to pull together and just lay out in a buffet style setting...

Desert was a birthday "brownie" served with ice cream and a birthday song to my baby boy who is not even close to being a baby any more... but will always be MY little boy... (in the same way I was always something of the little girl my mom knew when we were together...) A child's relationship with parents/siblings... family... is so individual and dynamic... always changing... it is such a marvel to me... and my love for my children grows and grows with each year even as it changes within the dynamics of life and experience... Their choices are of course not always the ones I would choose... but they are working out for themselves their own lives and doing a pretty great job of it, in my estimation, most of the time... They prove me wrong sometimes and I am reminded that experience is not often wasted...

Son2 is leaving in a couple months for boot camp... I have mentioned before that this was a surprising decision for us to hear... it is one we are becoming more accustomed to, and we are certainly proud of his desire to serve his country... As a Marine we will be limited to the amount of time we get to see him over the next few years... (all those HE calls family... which like me, is also pretty extensive...) Limited for what family events he gets to come home for... That is generally true when children leave home, no matter what the circumstance... be it college, a mission, work, or in Son2's case, military life... We will miss him... As his parents we hope he will always know and trust that truth... As much as we know that he needs to be on his own and much as we respect that each of our children need their own lives away from us, this time has come amazingly fast... suddenly almost it will be just the 2 of us again... and there is a part of me that knows life will be just a bit empty once all the chicks have flown...

Though I am finding new adventures to fill my time with as well... [and hubby and I are best friends so it is not a hard sell to spend time together...] my husband and children... my immediate family... will always be the central focus and most important part of who I show my greatest love, support and loyalty to... It is easy to also share my heart and love with others... to share all kinds of experiences with extended family and those that become like family, through deep faith, friendship and challenges... But that core... that "part" of me that is heart-string-tied together through the a lifetime of joys and sometimes bitter tears or fear and grief... who are connected to each other by the bonds of love, blood and marriage, is not ever going to be less important to me than they are right now... As individuals we are none of us even close to perfect, we know that... but as a family unit we are so much greater and stronger as a whole... so good together as a group... That family love grows stronger each time we make an effort to build on it's base... what an amazing gift that is...

Last evening as we laughed, talked and teased each other, I thought about those concepts to myself... regarding happiness, and eternal love... I thought again that, of course families go on forever... they simply HAVE to... and my heart and soul are absolutely sure of that truth the older I get, the more faith I have in that principle... I feel so blessed to have the whole family I do... and blessed to have the hubby and children I do, especially... and also blessed to have a vision of the future and what it can be... perhaps, hopefully... forever...

it's May Day...

When I was a girl we celebrated May Day... I remember May Poles and flower baskets at school and planting seed packets in the flower beds in front of the house with mom...

I remember my older kids celebrating May Day at school when we lived in Utah... but once we moved to Arizona I can't remember any celebrations... I wonder if that is because the desert is so different when it comes to seasons... When they were little we planted a few wild flowers each year... Those days of childhood joys are over with my kiddos, they are all grown up and have moved on to their own lives... but it is nice on this beautiful spring Friday to remember May Days of the past...

And to remember that it's May Day... I thought it would be fun to send a some flowers out to loved ones everywhere!

a few thoughts on food in today's economy...

Lately I have been doing plenty of reading, and when I read online it is often on my kindle... less eye strain and I actually prefer mobile layouts without all the garbage ads I have to put up with while online, on my computer. Even Facebook is better too look at on my kindle, without all the "stuff"...

One article I read this morning from a Seattle newspaper focused on companies like Starbucks that have seen a huge drop in sales over the last year... they appear to be closing stores this year faster than they used to open them. I never really understood the "wooohooo" about them anyway, not being a coffee drinker and not willing to pay what they charge for a mediocre cup of hot chocolate... But anyway, that wasn't my point... they are not the only specialty business that is having major "rethink it" moments... There are a ton of companies built up over the last 10 years that were designed to be narrowly specialized to a specific market, and they are finding it very hard to survive right now.

Another thing I was reading is that restaurants all over are being forced to change the way they operate, especially the big chains... This is a good thing, if you ask me... Not that we eat out a lot, but the places we did like just kept getting more and more outrageous in their pricing and consumer practices... That trend is changing... I don't mind paying .50 for an extra plate when hubby and I share a meal... (we do that often... in fact most of the time...) But it REALLY bugs me to be charged a "non-drink surcharge" too, when we order water w/lemon at a restaurant where we are sharing a meal...

I have started to frequent more and more "copy-cat" recipe websites and making meals at home when we want something special, on a date night... and I am evidently NOT alone in my approach... Restaurant revenues are down the MOST in the last year, over any other market, at least that is what I am beginning to believe, from the articles I have read... So restaurants are starting to re-learn what they had forgotten... Value and service to customers are important...

Lastly I have been doing some revamping the way we cook, because my family is almost all grown and we were not eating big meals together every often... Following the example of some articles on still cooking big but then freezing parts of our meals for later use, we are not only eating simpler and more healthy, we spend less time cooking the main meals and more time enjoying tasty dinner time adventures together... some things, like fresh bread just tastes better... so I am developing my own way of freezing the dough we like best, so that we can pull it out and cook on demand. It is fun to spend some of our time doing this together on hubby's nights off, and it's a new take on a "date"... Hubby likes having stuff he can pull out for his meals at work that are easy and taste good and I like having a healthy normal serving I can pull out of the freezer and re-heat also when I am alone to eat I don't have to cook...

I find am eating more salads and quick veggie meals, too... But oh MY, we are going to be enjoying rice and bean dishes more and more as I an finding a LOT of new ways to cook and serve both of those items, which come right out of our food storage... So, I just thought I would share a few of the things that I am learning... because we are saving a TON of money storing what we eat and eating what we store... and we find are enjoying food in a whole new way...

to quote...

President Thomas S. Monson:

"Mortality is a period of testing, a time to prove ourselves worthy to return to the presence of our Heavenly Father. In order to be tested, we must sometimes face challenges and difficulties. At times there appears to be no light at the tunnel’s end—no dawn to break the night’s darkness. We feel surrounded by the pain of broken hearts, the disappointment of shattered dreams, and the despair of vanished hopes. We join in uttering the biblical plea “Is there no balm in Gilead?” We are inclined to view our own personal misfortunes through the distorted prism of pessimism. We feel abandoned, heartbroken, alone. If you find yourself in such a situation, I plead with you to turn to our Heavenly Father in faith. He will lift you and guide you. He will not always take your afflictions from you, but He will comfort and lead you with love through whatever storm you face." ~ President Thomas S. Monson, "Looking Back and Moving Forward", Ensign, May 2008, 87–90

feasting on the Sabbath...

In a very practical sense...

I did too much this last week trying to catch up with all the things I couldn't do while I was limited after surgery... so I had to leave right after Sacrament Meeting today... This was actually our Ward Conference Meeting and the focus was again on Provident Living... I was spiritually fed and felt that in view of that worthy topic I wanted to share 10 of my favorite websites revolving around food storage, and especially ways to use that food storage...

Everyday Food Storage ~
The Idea Door; Food Storage and Supply ~ (this site has a BUNCH of links to other sites...)
Food Storage Recipes ~
The Enlightened Homemaker ~
Food Storage Recipes and More ~ (an online recipe book in PDF format that is easy to print...)
BellaOnline LDS Families Site ~ (this site has a BUNCH of links about all kinds of Home Management...)
Healthy Familes Warm Hearts ~
It's Not Your Mama's Food Storage ~
Food Storage, A Necessary Adventure (recipes) ~
Everything Under The Sun ~

Some of the websites I am sharing overlap ideas and even some recipes... but I have found that there is SO much help out there already given that I thought I would share just some of what I have used... The very last link above is from last November when Wendy Dewitt posted on her blog called "Everything Under The Sun" an article she has become famous for... with helpful hints, recipes, and a lot of other information... There are videos from the 3 BYU classes she taught in March on this topic at YouTube and other sources for this article elsewhere on the internet... in the last few months it has been floating around the internet as PDF file so maybe some may have gotten it in an email (I personally have gotten it half a dozen times in the last 2 months...) The PDF file is in a convenient format for printing... if you would like that version of this article, you can get it by emailing her or you can email me and I will share my copy with you...

I have used tons of the recipes which you will find in the posted resources as we have virtually lived out of our storage since hubby's accident last November. We are a lot less stress financially than we were while he was not working, but we have a lot of medical bills still left to pay, so it's not just the economy that is pulling at our income... Even if things were better for everyone else we would be living frugally... Over the last months we always had plenty to eat simply because we have in the past followed the council to store what we eat/eat what we store... My testimony of a long term ~ rotating food pantry continues to be strengthened each time we go through a challenge that makes it necessary to live on our storage, to date that has happened more than 10 times in our marriage of 25+ years... so now living out of and rotating our storage is a normal part of life... I feel this is a huge blessing to us, rather than a challenge...

With these few links I have been able to limit to site searches for help with so many problems that I have needed to find solutions for. I have been able to quite often cook with just what I store in my regular food supply/pantry... The ideas I have read on the websites I have shared align well with the messages of our Ward Conference today of living a fugal and provident life, and I have never personally come across anything bad in them, so I feel confident in sharing them... I have been using some of these blogs as a resource for some time... some are people I actually know and some have only been passed on to me by mutual friends...

I hope they are helpful to others...

less ouch... ugh... and bleh...

...even though I am still recouping from last Saturday...

I would not have given up that day for anything in the world, but it sure took a lot out of me... We will be repeating the same general schedule in mid May with the whole immediate family and many extended family members planning on being at the temple together... I hope I continue to get stronger by then, so I can enjoy the day even more... We always love going to the temple together as a family... and that trip will be extra special next month for a few reasons... We are all definitely looking forward to that day...

I hope we can get some more family photos after, that I can share... it might be our last chance to get everyone "snapped" while in nice clothes before Son2 leaves for boot camp in July... and just maybe we can get some new, great couple/single shots of all the kids, that we can use to update the family picture wall in the living room... Most of those are at least a year old...

In other news I am gathering recipes/ideas and planning a birthday dinner for Son2 in early May... and wishing we could all be together for that... But with work and school schedules... well, that is probably a hopeless dream... I have a few ideas that sound like fun, but Son2 gets to pick the food and he hasn't settled on a menu, so I am not sure what we are eating... gotta' zero in on that... the date is fast approaching.

Hubby and I need a new "long weekend get away~marriage renewal" trip (which we actually don't usually do on a true weekend, because hotel pricing/deals are often better during the week...) We are looking at the end of May or early June for that plan of action. We haven't done anything really special since our anniversary last November because of hubby's accident and then my surgery... But it has been our practice to do something special together once a quarter for a few years now... and we are really hoping to manage an inexpensive get away very soon...

We have had some great times in the last few months while being at home, and just spending time together... Since all the kids are grown it is pretty easy to find time alone... But there is something wonderful and magical about going somewhere and seeing something or some place new... Not to mention we have friends in several cities within a few hours of our home that we haven't seen in ages, and would like to... so we are looking at a lot of options for a 3-4 day mid-week trip.

I'm feeling pretty good these days... I have less pain than I have had for a lot of months, now that I am mostly healed... I don't have much stamina, but when I do feel up to doing things I am mostly able to manage doing them without much pain... a major improvement over last fall and winter... so hurray to that!

Life is good... I am a little slow at times, but good... so to those that have asked about why I have been so quiet lately on the updates... I just haven't had much to say, except that I am doing okay... and, how many different ways can you say that??? (Without sounding totally boring???) Life is good, it's just fine and dandy... but there is nothing much to report... So all you worry warts out there can stop worrying about me... honest...

feasting on the Sabbath...

I love the temple... Yesterday was a chance for hubby and I to again make a trip to the temple... Elder Bednar's talk from the Sunday afternoon session of conference 2 weeks ago was on my mind all day as we went about our busy but wonderful temple experience:

Within the sound of my voice are many young women, young men, and children. I plead with you to be worthy, to be steadfast, and to look forward with great anticipation to the day you will receive the ordinances and blessings of the temple.

Within the sound of my voice are individuals who should have but have not yet received the ordinances of the house of the Lord. Whatever the reason, however long the delay, I invite you to begin making the spiritual preparations so you can receive the blessings available only in the holy temple. Please cast away the things in your life that stand in the way. Please seek after the things that are of eternal consequence.

Within the sound of my voice are individuals who have received the ordinances of the temple and for various reasons have not returned to the house of the Lord in quite some time. Please repent, prepare, and do whatever needs to be done so you can again worship in the temple and more fully remember and honor your sacred covenants.

Within the sound of my voice are many individuals who hold current temple recommends and strive worthily to use them. I commend you for your faithfulness and devotion.

For me there is great comfort in the blessings of the temple... over the years it's been one of our favorite "date" places... yesterday was no exception...

I am reminded WHY we have 3 new temples being built in AZ... We NEED more temples... this time of year each year that starts the Saturday roll-call of what is often referred to as "wedding season"... from here until next fall every single Saturday is beyond crazy busy... (though generally all year long, Saturday's are busy..) Weekly there are from between 25-40 weddings/sealings every single Saturday depending on the time of the year it is...

All in all our day was great... but I am really looking forward to more temples in AZ... the new Phoenix temple which will be an hour closer to us will be a much smaller one, and like Snowflake we will make an appointment to attend, after it is built... that is always a calmer experience, I have discovered... Even stake and ward temple excursions are handled differently I am told... and yesterday I was reminded why we try when at all possible to go during the week when hubby is off instead of Saturdays when it seems like everyone else in AZ goes to the temple... LOL... But no matter what the circumstances... I am grateful for the opportunity to attend and for the blessings of the temple in my own life and the lives of my children...

I love the temple...

windy spring...

Honestly I can't ever remember in 15 years of living here through weather of all kinds, a spring that was so windy... even considering the general & normal windy-ness of our area... this year has been over the top WINDY... almost every day... I am immensely tired of the wind... I guess that is why last night I started dreaming of living in a wind free area... I refined the dream as the night aged to a tropical hut... in a sheltered lagoon... Bora Bora would do...

or a very private luxury cruise liner... lol...

Hubby's allergies have been worse this year because of the wind... mine, for some reason, not so much... that is highly unusual... personally I will take that small benefit as a HUGE plus...

Now back to that calm and peaceful Bora Bora dream, I think I will add a waiter offering pink lemonade....... at least while the wind blows outside, here in my real life world... ;)

the atonement...

it's Easter...

Last weekend at General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints an apostle of the Lord, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, gave a very moving testimony of the Atonement. I have always appreciated Elder Holland's talks wherever he is speaking... in conference, at firesides, or with his wife when I heard them many years ago... I love to go back and listen/watch his talks over and over... I know that this talk about the atonement will be one that I turn to often in the years to come...



I just wanted to share...

one of the things...

...that is very good about today's economy is that more and more people are looking to make do with what they have, pass on what they don't need to others that are in need and fix things up that they find available... because suddenly no one had as much "disposable income"... It has been my personal experience over the last 25 years or more to refinish furniture and fix things up or make do... I really like doing it... and I think there is more than just one reason to come to the reality of: "use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without"... Something most of our parents or grandparents knew very well... I find it interesting the number of forums, blogs and articles you can look at if you do a search.

The truth is that that people are learning in droves, that there is real and lasting satisfaction and joy in being truly creative and frugal with what you already have. I really have enjoyed watching and reading about a whole new generation (one that really didn't seem to be willing to learn some of these lessons on their own...) live more frugally... The waste in our society, and especially young adults has been out of control, for a long time... to me the "entitled attitude" I have been seeing in so many youth and young adults that live today is not only foreign, it is disgustingly selfish and detrimental to their learning and growing abilities...

It appears that the government is not choosing to learn many lessons from the current economic cycle, they continue to make a lot of the same mistakes they have been making for way too many years... but a lot of my family and friends, my loved ones and the people I think the most of... ARE doing a GREAT job at tightening belts and are actually having a good time learning to do with less and enjoying being a lot more creative with what they have, in the bargain... Personally... in my view that is, as I mentioned only ONE of the blessings of the current economic challenges we as a society face... a second advantage that is gained from this frugality is helping one another... I have seen some really fabulous giving and grateful receiving happening around me...

I have learned over the years of dealing with a debilitating disease that we really don't know how much we can do until we are asked to do it, and then are asked to do more, and more, to give even when we think we have nothing left or are stretched beyond what we thought we could manage... We find out who we really are when the biggest challenges come...

I am happy to say that I know a lot of really fine people that are making the most of their challenges, by happily accepting and growing in amazing ways...

Easter...

It's been 2 years since both of my parents passed away within a few weeks of each other... Last year near the 1st anniversary of those events, I wrote about some of my feelings regarding their passing in the spring of 2007... 2 years later, I still miss them both very much... Today I was thinking that the year they both went home to our heavenly Father, Easter Sunday was on April 8th (I will always remember that because my daddy left us that Easter evening...) This year Easter is on a different day of the calendar because of the way that Easter is connected to the cycles of our earth... but the actual calendar day isn't really what is important in my recollections... what is important is that as a Christian I personally recognize the Atonement of the Savior of the world at Easter each year. In fact it is important that I personally recognized the great GIFT that is given me by my Savior each and every day of the year...

Somehow it felt very right that my father went home to our Heavenly Father on the day that we celebrated that gift of the atonement from our Savior in 2007... I realize today that forever in the future Easter will be even more special to me than it used to be... that is because of the connection to Easter of my earthly father's passing. That Easter was the end of many long weeks, months and years of watching them leave us a bit at a time... and knowing that ther were now free of the pain, sorrows and physical limitations they had in this world... and that they had been reunited again...

Easter each year will always be a reminder, to me now more than ever, that my father and mother are not gone from me forever... I will see them again... My parents lived lives of humble service, even while confined at the end by frail bodies... they were very Christlike... They are still those same generous and loving people they were in life... and because of how I miss them now it is my goal to live so that I can be with them again forever... because missing them forever is too much to bear...

This Easter season I am so very very grateful for the loving example of Christlike service that my parents gave me during their lives... I don't often measure up... but their examples give me hope and a mark to reach for. Maybe if I live to be 90 or more, as they did... I can get close to leaving for my own children a similar example??? It is a worthy goal in my estimation...

more wise words...

from Dr Elia Gourgouris' Mormon Times article today:

My point is that we must cherish and celebrate perfection whenever and wherever we find it! But it usually doesn't happen in big ways or even very often in the lives of human beings. It happens in moments, and those moments can become etched in our memories forever.

The problem is that those moments usually come unexpectedly, so we need to be open to recognizing them when they do so fleetingly occur. Oftentimes we are so focused on the tasks at hand, or the desire to force perfection in some other place or time in our lives, that we miss those perfect moments entirely. As a result, our lives can feel like an exercise in frustration, for as surely as we live we will have many more imperfect moments, days, weeks, months and years -- actually a lifetime.

But God does bring us moments. And those moments add up to create a rich and wonderful life. I think that at the end of my life, I'd rather have an imperfect life filled with some perfect moments that I loved and appreciated than a life filled with my own attempts at order and control that led me to miss the gifts that God was setting right before my eyes -- in his time, not mine.

Way too often we (all mortal beings who are certainly less than perfect...) become so focused on what we don't have, haven't yet achieved, and aren't able to do because of sometimes temporary limitations... that we stop seeing "the wonder" which is all around us... We ignore "everyday miracles" and "minor glories"... always wanting the major stuff to happen...

In the last year I have been trying to concentrate on what IS, instead of what isn't. Two things have been apparent to me... first: is that the adversary has done his best to try and confuse and discourage me from this goal by putting a lot of major problems in my way, and trying to force me to look at what isn't happening the way I want... and second: that there are tremendous blessings to witness every single day, just waiting for anyone that focuses on what IS the way "it" is. "It" is the relative variable... "IT" is not as important as recognition of whatever "it" is that is good...

The 13th Article of Faith says:

We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things. [italics added]

The one thing I disagree with in the article is that these moments of perfection happen rarely... I personally believe that once we train ourselves to recognize and accept all the good that there is in our lives that we will see daily many moments of near perfection if not complete perfection. As pointed out in the article these moments do not have to last to be perfect... And they do not necessarily have to be maintained by us... only acknowledged... plus I think it helps if they are marked (noted) in a journal... At least that is becoming true in my life... Each day lately I am finding more and more moments to be happy about... My life did not change, in fact in some ways life has gotten harder... but the way I choose to view my life... complete with moments of perfection, joy, happines, faith, and wonder (just to name a few) is changing... It's more of that "PollyAnna in practice" attitude...

family is forever...

...although this last weekend went WAY too fast...

Our online conference connection let us down on Sunday, so we missed the sessions live... and only managed to get a few bits out of an internet connection that just would NOT cooperate... Fortunately we will all be able to download and listen to the talks we missed through the next weeks... and we really enjoyed the extra time we had to visit and just be together... We had ALL the immediate family together on Saturday night and on Sunday in the morning, because unexpectedly Son1 was switched to on-call and got to be with us... We had lots of extended family on Sunday (Sweetee's family came to try and watch conference too... but as I said that didn't work so well...) and it was fun to all be gathered at Son1 and Sweetee's new house... since they had just barely moved, it was crazy busy for Sweetee to get things settled in fast the week before our planned weekend... but all our work to have plenty of food and lots of fun worked out great! It was a FABULOUS weekend of family togetherness... I wish we could do this a lot more often...

We took a family photo...

and here is one of Princess Bride and Sir Knight with their puppies...

a very handsome one of Son1


my beautiful DIL ~ Sweetee and her best friend


and last but NOT least Son2 ~ about a week before, this was taken during the move to the new house...

eternal love...

Love doesn't end at death... Anyone who has lost a loved one knows that... Because of that truth, in my opinion, the eternal nature of family just makes sense... Love also does not start with losing someone... It starts with spending time and energy in a relationship while they are a part of our lives. Which brings me to the most important relationships we will have in this life... they are the family connections we work so hard to develop, with a happy marriage being the crowning achievement that many couples strive for... But, do we do enough in our here and NOW to encourage "eternal love"? Most of us could probably use some work at this...

Yesterday hubby and I had a date in the middle of the day, he'd had the night before off from work... and after a leisurely morning, we ran some errands and then had an late lunch/early dinner together... We'd spent the evening before watching a DVD and cuddling, laughing at the show we were watching and relishing in the chance to hold hands as we fell into a peaceful sleep... (holding hands is one of our favorite communication avenues...)

We spent a while talking during our errands and lunch about this or that... not terribly important stuff... Some of our conversation centered around current events, some was sharing interesting opinions... we joked about the too large portion that hubby's salad contained with the manager of the restaurant... and remembered again why we usually share a meal... (Hubby's eyes were bigger than his stomach and so I splurged on a very wonderful gourmet burger and ignored most of my fries, while he ordered the "I can't believe how big this is" salad... yummy, but WAY too much food...) Through the day hubby held the doors for me as is his custom (and something I am very glad he taught our sons...) We shared stolen kisses here and there and murmured words of love... it was a lovely morning... then we watched another DVD together until hubby fell sleep in the early afternoon, in preparation of working last night.

I spent the afternoon thinking and writing in my journal about this day... It's not really an unusual day for us, but I had a kind of ah ha moment... Even though we have repeated a similar type of event very often over our 25+ years of marriage, I realized something about the quality of our relationship these days... The truth is that we still "date" each other... meaning that I realized that we don't just have date nights... we "date"... all the time... we are still dating even when we aren't together... just like when, previous to our wedding day, we were falling in love... all those many years ago... We often send private messages to each other... little love notes and words of encouragement... We used to have to work harder at sending notes... but now with electronic means of communication sending notes is so easy... and we use email, a lot...

Sometimes his notes to me are sent in the middle of the night while he is working and I am sleeping... I wake up to read these wonderful reminders of hubby's love, and they start my day so beautifully... The notes I send are often collected and read by hubby during lulls in his work schedule, or while on a break... It may sound mushy and unreal to some, but we really enjoy our "lifetime dating" relationship... It's fun to be not just married but eternal sweethearts...

While I constantly pray that my children and grandchildren will be a part of my family for eternity... and that we will all be together forever... it is my relationship with hubby that completes my heart... Even when we are apart I feel his love, and have many reminders of it... I know that he works as hard as he does for me, for us... I know that he would spend every minute with me, if he could... but we also know that work and commitments outside of our relationship are a part of life and learning as well... That includes the need to provide service to many others too... not just working, but giving of ones time and means... Personally I think we have learned a valuable secret... that time away from each other doesn't have to separate us... it can actually help us be more connected... we have learned how to share our separated time... and it's not really as hard as it sounds...

You will both need to constantly work at that eternal love you want to share... The good news is that whatever works for a couple can be a way to keep the romance alive forever... It doesn't cost anything to say I love you and mean it... and it doesn't take too much effort once you get into the habit of really loving to find new and inventive ways to express your love... It is a wonderful feeling to know... really and truly KNOW that what you share with the one you love... is an eternal love...

....out like a lion...???

March is often windy in our part of the state... The last week has been WINDY... very windy...

I am looking forward to April because it is usually a calmer month (weather wise) here, but there are other reasons too... I spent most of March recovering from surgery so it wasn't much fun, at least some of that time... I am feeling so much stronger now, and certainly in less pain... that is for sure... For all those reasons April feels like more than just spring... it feels like a fresh start...

I will also mention Son2 and Sweetee just bought and moved into their first house... happy days and new starts in their lives too...

On this last day of March I feel like maybe I deserve a beautiful, peaceful, happy April... Here's to a beautiful spring and gentle, peaceful days...

anxiously preparing...

In case "Mormon Times" isn't on your radar for news or online reading material I wanted to share this article...

It's a well written opinion piece that expresses many of the things that I too feel about General Conference... In my opinion, these periodic conferences (and that includes stake and ward conferences, but right now I am concentrating on General Conference which is coming up April 4-5...) are a chance to take in oodles of spiritual insights, and renew my often depleting well of spiritual need without putting anything out on the table for others... that is, except my willingness to listen and put into practice counsel from church leaders...

It is in reality a completely selfish opportunity for refilling my lamp with pure and sacred oil, not just tiny drops that I can and do try to gather for myself... General Conference weekends are full of thousands of drops in just those TWO weekends a year... personally I crave the chance to wallow in the spirit semi-annually! I am completely psyched up... I really can hardly wait...

Please feel free to join me in the experience...

to quote...

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf...

"We know that sometimes it can be difficult to keep our heads above water. In fact, in our world of change, challenges, and checklists, sometimes it can seem nearly impossible to avoid feeling overwhelmed by emotions of suffering and sorrow."I am not suggesting that we can simply flip a switch and stop the negative feelings that distress us. This isn't a pep talk or an attempt to encourage those sinking in quicksand to imagine instead they are relaxing on a beach. I recognize that in all of our lives there are real concerns. I know there are hearts here today that harbor deep sorrows. Others wrestle with fears that trouble the soul. For some, loneliness is their secret trial."These things are not insignificant."However, [there are] two principles that may help you find a path to peace, hope, and joy—even during times of trial and distress. I want to speak about God's happiness and how each one of us can taste of it in spite of the burdens that beset us."

Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Happiness, Your Heritage," Ensign, Nov. 2008, 117–18

I actually LIKE my dentist...

I went to the dentist today... I like Dr. D so much... and his hygienist... well, she is the BEST in the world... Our family started going to this dentist almost 4.5 years ago, and I have gone all that time without a single cavity... so if we can just keep anymore teeth from breaking in half for no reason at all I'll be really, really happy! (That has only happened once in the last 5 years but I happened 4 times in 3 years with the dentist before him... whom I REALLY did not like anyway... and the kids HATED the old dentist, he was not at all kid friendly... but he was the only one that accepted our insurance back then...)

I was never a fan of dentists from the time I was a young person needing braces (which I wore for 3 years and hated...) but I realized today as I was sitting in the chair that I was completely relax and the whole cleaning/check up process was a breeze!

Now if only trips to the doctor were this uneventful... [chuckling]

avoiding the "lulled into tomorrow" syndrome...

The last 4 weeks have been pretty much a blur of sameness... I haven't bounced back from surgery quite as quickly as I had hoped... but... I think I am finally feeling better... at least I have had less pain the last few days. I am really grateful for that...

To try and keep my mind active and not be lulled into a stupor I have been spending some of my time while recovering working on genealogy... I've been helping a friend with her research... Working together through emails and online chats we hit pay dirt and located major information on 2 of her family's lines... that has been really fun... We also got her 4 generation information entered into the online database at Family Search. Plus, I caught up on all my blog reading, participated in one completed and one newly started personal study goals... spent some time on my journal and wrote some letters... so my time has not been wasted... just a lot less physically active than I want, even for me...

Today I am hoping to get a couple boxes sorted and more than a few things allotted to recycle through donation... this process of getting rid of stuff is going more slowly than I want, we have so much stuff that still needs to go away... But we will get there... I am looking forward to feeling good enough in a few more weeks to start back on house renovations which got stalled last year by preparations for our Princess Bride's wedding (see May 2008)... The floors got finished last summer but not all the painting we had planned got done, because I had too many health issues associated with my need for my recent surgery... so that is also on my list of "to do" and I am getting impatient to get back to those improvements we planned, and already bought the supplies for...

It's pretty certain that in the next few weeks that I will get back to some kind of "normalcy"... Spring is here in our neck of the woods and like everyone else I know I am simply impatient to be actively involved in some kind of "spring cleaning" activity... Not to mention, I really dislike the whole "lulled" thing that happens when you are "waiting" for time to pass... (and when you are waiting for a certain amount of healing to finish happening...) So I fight it, but there is only so much I can do for now...

That doesn't change the fact that I continue to feel glad that I have online resources to do something productive while being so limited physically... I am reminded that that there are always ways to do good and find "joy" in life...

feasting on the Sabbath...

Why we build Temples...



Why I love the Temple? The absolute peace and love I feel from my Heavenly Father and Savior is overwhelmingly strong for me within the walls of the temple, and that feeling is the same no matter which temple I go to... I crave those feelings of communion with heavenly influence...

loving a family...

This last week I have been concentrating on some personal improvement efforts, specifically relating to the focus of my efforts in supporting my family better. As children grow up and become adults a parent's roll changes so drastically... but being a parent doesn't stop, and in some ways being the parent of adult children is harder than I imagined it...

Because the desire of my heart is to have my family unit preserved forever I have spent a lot of time recently on my knees in their behalf... I find it easier to pray for others... but in this case I am also praying for myself because eternity without my children and hubby won't be complete... they are the most important people in my life... I am trying to express that better in my words and actions.

feasting on the Sabbath...

This weekend was Stake Conference... I love SC... For years I have really appreciated the Saturday evening session that is for the adults best... usually I get the most out of this session, but that is possibly because I prepare for it...

I am learning through this exercise of "feasting on the Sabbath", I started at the beginning of the year, that when it comes to a LOT of experiences in life, many are made better by preparing for them... Not just anticipating, but actually preparing to focus on that experience and nothing else... Living in the moment as it were...

This SC was no different... I prepared for the experience and I can say that it was one of the best conferences I have ever attended... even though physically I was as uncomfortable, if not MORE uncomfortable trying to sit through it, as I ever have been... I was REALLY hurting, cause my pain meds wore off and I forgot to take any with me... but I couldn't leave... I was learning SO much, I experienced a feeling of thirst for the words being given that was really exciting... I gained some very important renewals into my own personal faith and spiritual needs in life... but I will just share one "woven concept" here:

True JOY comes from following council to be spiritually and temporally prepared within my own self... when I am properly doing what I can to fill my own well, and find joy and contentment with the life I have... I can love and care for others around me better... I know I can be doing a lot more... but I was also reminded that I don't need to do for other what they are able do for themselves, any more than others should do for me that which I can and should be doing for myself... This is a careful but joyful dance that we best perform through the spirit of Christlike charity and love... Those that follow council best are the best able to give of surplus joy which they will often own, because they HAVE internal contentment and peace. Also I was reminded that charity doesn't necessarily mean money... it often means giving of one's TIME and talents...

Some of these renewed ideas that I learned this weekend are related to a theme I had already latched on to for this month... and I find that really interesting.

10,000 steps...

Someday I WILL meet this goal... I am up to about 3000 a day, since the surgery... so I have a ways to go... Even before surgery, my elliptical machine and I had never found this magical Xanadu... I got pretty close last summer (just over 7400) before my health took another nose dive with the anemia issues, but we never actually found it...

In the last year I have lost some weight that I have been carrying around for years... I have started to concentrate on trying to follow the diabetic diet, to cut out foods that have little nutritional value, no matter how wonderful they taste (sometimes I still have a "taste", but I try not to wallow in these treats...) and I try to walk as much as possible... for me this means getting on the elliptical most days for at least a while... some days it's not very long, because hip pain becomes too overwhelming... but I still keep trying... and I keep looking at the goal...

Walk 10,000 steps a day...

Many doctors are saying that is a key point to lasting and healthy weight management... but that's not really the reason I started trying to reach this goal... I started trying to reach it because as long as I keep walking I won't be confined to a wheel chair... I may carry around a disability and need to use one for exhausting adventures, but mobility issues don't have to stop me dead in my walking tracks... at least not yet... walking is my tool to staying mostly mobile... I regularly lose ground that I have to regain... but so far I am NOT giving up!

choose to be optimistic...

I have become, over the last year, a faithful reader of Dr. Elia Gourgouris' column... I like his take on many issues... I like today's column better than most, even...

It's about choosing to be an optimist... [round of applause inserted here]

I know a little about this topic, because I have practiced this concept for some years... I choose to play "the glad game"... I choose to look at life through rose colored glasses, at least most days... I turn my back on seeing things in a negative light... mostly.

And before someone steps away slowly... seeing me as a silly dreamer, out of touch and perhaps a bit more than daffy... Let me say that I AM realistic... I do not ignore problems, but I choose to look at solutions and hope in the face of challenges... After the initial "WOW" I generally choose to look at the positive side...

As part of that optimism I accept that my Heavenly Father has given me, at times, a larger than average list of health challenges. I have come to the opinion that for whatever reason, these challenges are for my good... because I cannot see the end of my story it would be very easy for me to choose to see only the challenges and become angry and bitter... but it's really not what I face in life that is the important part, it is how I choose to face what is before me.

I invite all I know to join life in the optimist's camp... I also will share that I have discovered that being an optimist takes a lot less energy than being a pessimist. So join in... if only for your energy health.

find joy in life...

Last month I mentioned that I use "Read My Scriptures" in my personal and family study efforts... This has been a great tool for me, I have even donated to the cause because I like it so much... Right now I have 3 reading schedules I get reminders for... The weekly Gospel Doctrine Sunday School lessons, my personal study of scripture, and a family schedule, from which I pull out ONE scripture reference a day to text to our immediate family (plus one friend that wanted to be included)... These three reading schedules come in an email... and since I generally read my email daily, I then remember to read my desired scripture schedule...

Once I finish reading there is a "completed" button to hit, which then triggers the next day's reading assignment to be emailed to me. Clicking on that completed button also opens a new web page to the Read My Scriptures web site and there is always a quote included as an added boost to my studies... today's quote was too good not to pass on...

"Sadness, disappointment, and severe challenge are events in life, not life itself. I do not minimize how hard some of these events are. They can extend over a long period of time, but they should not be allowed to become the confining center of everything you do. The Lord inspired Lehi to declare the fundamental truth, "Men are, that they might have joy." That is a conditional statement: "they might have joy." It is not conditional for the Lord. His intent is that each of us finds joy. It will not be conditional for you as you obey the commandments, have faith in the Master, and do the things that are necessary to have joy here on earth." --Richard G. Scott, "Finding Joy in Life", Ensign, May 1996, 24

The last few months... (and some times it feels like years) have been especially challenging for me personally and for our family as well... we have had our share of economic woes, along with the rest of the country although only some of those challenges are because of family members losing jobs... Many of our challenges have been tempered by living the gospel and following council for years in the past... but honestly that does not mean that we do not feel the challenges deeply...

Like Adam and Eve we are left to make our way in the lone and dreary world. But thank heavens we also have the benefit of the Ministry of Angels....

feasting on the Sabbath...

This last week has brought me through a few lows... and I have been profoundly grateful for the gospel while I have been living through them...

My understanding is not perfect, but it is solid... I am grateful for the Savior's Atonement... I know that He loves me... imperfect and weak as I am... and even when I feel unworthy of that love, I DO know that He loves me... and I know that I can show my love for Him by loving others as He loves me...

I publicly express my love for my family... I have been very grateful for their support and love of me.

I share this with them and anyone else that cares to view it as wise counsel from the Lord, through one of His servants:



This second video touched me deeply and I wanted to remind those that I love to reach outside themselves to lift each others burdens... and then maybe reach outside that place and touch those who they do not even know perhaps... this is the way that we find the greatest joy and happiness in our own lives... it's not the things we give to others that are of greatest worth... the simple kindnesses we show are of the greatest value... when we listen for help from the Lord, we will know the kind of gifts to give... I really need to remember this lesson...



*As a side note, I have decided that March is going to be a whole month of finding JOY!

Here is a great idea for a date night treat published on a blog I sometimes read...

A quick desert for two entitled ~ 5 MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE

I suggest you add vanilla ice cream and 2 spoons put in a rented or owned video for a simple date night idea, and you don't even have to leave the house (which for me right now is a given... cause I can't even stay out of bed for an hour at a time yet)... it may not be everyone's idea of great but it struck me as a winner!

water please...

Wouldn't it be nice if we didn't have to inconvenience others??? In the last week as I have been recovering from surgery I have periodically needed something, but was in too much pain to move or just felt bad enough that I wished I had a little robot so that I didn't have to inconvenience my family members who have been helping me...

Today I am finally feeling like my abdomen has not just been hit by a baseball bat... (and I mean a really big hitter, going after a home run...) I was as prepared as anyone could possible be for my hysterectomy, and yet the pain levels I have dealt with have been much greater than I was ready for... even a week later blowing my nose takes psyching up for, coughing is nearly impossible... and sneezing create a fear stiff enough to make me go into panic mode... because I am so afraid of the pain... It still requires all my energy and personal determination to get up for a glass of water... to use the bathroom... and to even eat. I dose day and night... but it's not been a restful-like dosing... more like hoping for the bad thing to go away, but feeling it there, just below the surface...

At least today I can say that the pain is at last starting to fade... I am taking a lot less pain medication now (over the last 24-48 hrs) and I am hoping that will also help my body to feel better... I do not tolerate pain medications well, they cause unusual reactions in me that others do not always have... so while they are necessary, I use them, but I am always more than ready and very willing to cut back and/or give them up entirely. I think it is a situation where they tend to build up in my system and leave me feeling groggy and irritable...

Anyway, I am starting to come up for air... to all my friends and family that have expressed good wishes and said prayers... thank you...

feasting on the Sabbath...

Even though we realized there was a chance we would be taking this week off from class I spent some time working on the lesson earlier in the week, before surgery... then when it was obvious on Friday after I got home from the hospital that expecting to feel up to attending church only 4 days after a major abdominal surgery was an overly ambitious goal... [chuckling] I called and arranged to take the week off... Sometimes I am so dense...

Nevertheless I kept working on the lesson and this morning I thought I would share a few areas that I explored in my personal studies...

Sister Allred's General Conference talk from last October is a wonderful overview for anyone just learning about the temple... I am sending it to the members of our class, as this week's "absent teacher" handout... I wanted everyone to have something new to lift them during the next week... We have all been enjoying this class so much together and I feel sorry to miss the enrichment my own spirit enjoys... Our class discussions have been really wonderful each week.

I also want to share here a talk President Faust gave almost 11 years ago. This talk is one that I have carried around for a while in my PDA... and it is especially speaking to me the last few weeks as I work at preparing myself over and over to help others learn about their own goals for temple attendance... to better understand the temple's importance in my own life... and to reach out to my own husband and children in love and devotion. Temple covenants have and should help me to connect my heart to each person I love more fully...

I remember in particular that this idea (the following quoted text) really jumped out at me when I first heard it given in April 1998... and as I was reading and studying the last few days... and thinking about family challenges that I know are being faced within my immediate and much larger/more extended family... I am overwhelmed by by Heavenly Father's love for us... He gives us the tools to love everyone we come in contact with... personally I realize I spend most of my days thinking these tools are harder to use than they really are...

Elder James E. Talmage affirmed that the true believer, “with the love of God in his soul, pursues his life of service and righteousness without stopping to ask by what rule or law each act is prescribed or forbidden.”

In a world where we and our families are threatened by evil on every side, let us remember President Hinckley’s counsel: “If our people could only learn to live by these covenants, everything else would take care of itself.”

Faithful members of the Church who are true to their covenants with the Master do not need every jot and tittle spelled out for them. Christlike conduct flows from the deepest wellsprings of the human heart and soul. It is guided by the Holy Spirit of the Lord, which is promised in gospel ordinances. Our greatest hope should be to enjoy the sanctification which comes from this divine guidance; our greatest fear should be to forfeit these blessings. May we so live that we may be able to say, as did the Psalmist: “Search me, O God, and know my heart.”

at home to recuperate...

I will be more polly-normal in a few days... until then I am taking some time off. I am going to plug in a movie or two and veg through this irritating post-op pain... it's a bit harder to get around without all those special extras like a hospital bed with handles to use for repositioning... not to mention on demand help when I needed it... When you have to interrupt a loved one's current task... you tend to second guess your own needs... I really appreciate all the love and prayers directed to our family...

My family and friends are terrific, and I know I will heal very fast, and I already feel some relief in some areas! ;)

the day after...

You always forget how hard that first time standing UP is going to be after abdominal surgery. (I use the term "up" in it's loosest translation...)

Years ago, I had all my children by C-Section... each one was a bit harder than the one before... nevertheless it's been nearly 19 years since Son2 was born... and... WOW... let me just say that it is a good thing that I was not actually expecting that much pain getting up after or I would have chickened out, for sure... he he... OH... and thank the heavens for a wonderful doctor that believes in pain medication on demand after this procedure!!!

All in all, I am doing okay now, it's just that first time, that is the worst... now I am just moving VERY slowly and carefully. I really appreciate all the prayers and offers of help once I get home... I know they have made/will make a world of difference... and, I selfishly ask you to keep up the good thoughts...

...Mom made it just fine through surgery. More later from her as she feels up to it.

personal note...

After many months of issues, (years actually) lots of research, and several doctors opinions... my hysterectomy is finally taking place this afternoon... Originally hubby and I wanted this surgery to happen in November, then the target date was moved to December... unfortunately because of his accident we had to postpone that date to the end of February or early March...... The decision to again revised the date to "now" was made possible only 2 weeks ago, because hubby is doing so well again and is back to working his regular schedule...

It is anticipated that I will only be in the hospital 2 days/nights... nevertheless because of some specific health risks I have, that time frame may be just a bit longer... It is my intention to get messages out, via my phone and/or kindle, and with the help of my family... I have spent some time and energy the last little while setting up and testing out mobile update options... my family will help me update this blog and other networking options (email and facebook)... the first info those interested will receive will be a short message that everything went just fine, as expected... someone will certainly text family/close friends who we have that contact info for... Later as I am feeling more awake and no doubt in need of a distraction, I will try to pass on more info...

We have lots of hope (my doctor feels especially confident...) that this surgery will eliminate several pressing and chronic issues I have been dealing with, for these many, many months... but in any event, my female problems are simply creating so many variables we don't really know where they end and my disease issues begin, so this is a step that will separate all of that, and help define our questions... most importantly we hope that this step will give us more answers in the long run... We feel that this is the right choice for me... and I will personally be very glad when it is all over.

Thanks in advance for the prayers that will be said...

feasting on the Sabbath...

This week as I was preparing to help teach the temple prep class again, I was re-reading a few dedicatory prayers from some of the temples that I have been to or would very much like to go to... I found the Dedicatory Prayer from the Nauvoo Temple to be so poignant, and thought I would share with anyone that was unaware that these prayers are available for study.

Prayers that are given at temple dedications are revelatory in nature... I need to remember that...
Photo: © 2005, Scott Cannon./link
(...written in advance of posting)

From hubby

This was the outside of the gift bag that hubby used to deliver a Jasmine candle and card, plus another treat... He is very sweet... always...

~posted by mobile text

to quote...

~Elizabeth Barrett Browning

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of every day's
Most quiet need, by sun and candlelight.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love with a passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints, I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.

to quote...

~ Oscar Hammerstein II

A bell's not a bell 'til you ring it,

A song's not a song 'til you sing it,

Love in your heart wasn't put there to stay,

Love isn't love 'til you give it away!" -

to quote...

~Celine Dion

For all those times you stood by me
For all the truth that you made me see
For all the joy you brought to my life
For all the wrong that you made right
For every dream you made come true
For all the love I found in you
I'll be forever thankful baby
You're the one who held me up
Never let me fall
You're the one who saw me through through it all

You gave me wings and made me fly
You touched my hand I could touch the sky
I lost my faith, you gave it back to me
You said no star was out of reach
You stood by me and I stood tall
I had your love I had it all
I'm grateful for each day you gave me
Maybe I don't know that much
But I know this much is true
I was blessed because I was loved by you

You were always there for me
The tender wind that carried me
A light in the dark shining your love into my life
You've been my inspiration
Through the lies you were the truth
My world is a better place because of you

[Chorus]You were my strength when I was weak
You were my voice when I couldn't speak
You were my eyes when I couldn't see
You saw the best there was in me
Lifted me up when I couldn't reach
You gave me faith 'coz you believed
I'm everything I am
Because you loved me

be my valentine...

We don't do much for Valentine's Day, normally... we both see it as a made up holiday to sell stuff neither of us need or want... We try throughout the year to express love and affection daily, so really... who needs society to tell us when to show our love...??? Still hubby is off the next two nights so we are going to dinner tonight for a date night... and my next few days of days of posts will be Valentines to him... just because I can...

Everyone else (all 2 or 3 readers... he he...) can take a break... [wink]

snow!!!

I know that for those of you that get LOTS of snow this is not a big deal... but for us this is quite a bit of snow... We got approximately 6 inches total in the area that we live in (AZ high desert)... and according to the radio the roads are snow packed and extreme care is encouraged.

The roads were slushy and slick when Hubby went to work last night at about 8:30 pm... the equipment that our county has for snow removal is limited so it took him a while, driving between 10-20 mph all the way. I am still waiting to hear if he is going to Son1 & Sweetee's to sleep, since they live very close to where he works... I suspect his relief may have been late this morning, a lot of people in this area are CA transplants and they don't know how to drive in the white stuff, and they also never give themselves enough time to get places when road conditions are unusual... Kind of irritating...

Here are a couple pictures out our front door about 7:15 this morning...


Last night there was only a 2 hour delay reported for the schools, but I am wondering if they closed them, as I said snow removal is slow, we just don't have enough equipment because while we get snow, it doesn't usually stick...

UPDATE ~ Picture out the back window about 8:15 am; schools closed.


Final update 8:45 ~ Hubby home safe and headed for bed. Sun is out and melting as I type... He had a great time driving home from work this morning... he knows what he is doing/learned to drive in MN/UT... but there were lots of nuts off the roads between here and work he said... we will stay home and snowed in, thank you very much...!

feasting on the Sabbath...

My feast this week comes from studying two peripheral topics I was lead to, which are related to my lesson for Sunday... I have to share, that while I usually feel inadequate as a teacher... teaching is often a vehicle for which the Lord uses to teach many of us the most... Preparing a lesson is a great study tool...

This quote is not something that I will use in class (mostly because we always run out of time just covering the lesson material, so there isn't time to introduce much extra material, and I don't want to confuse or sidetrack our discussion...) But I will possibly include it at the end of the handout I make to send home after class each week for personal study. I like to send home the list of scriptures from the manual, because sometimes we can't get to all of them in class... I encourage class members to re-read through them again during the week, as a follow through in preparation for the next week...

Also, I want to note this quote in my journal... and I want share it with family and friends... I consistently find, that the more I study... the more I trust in the Lord, the more I remember that the gospel is a safety net for my heart and mind... The more I understand that the subjects I study dovetail one another, to help me gain understanding...

True Faith

“The just shall live by faith,” we are told in holy writ. I ask again, What is faith?

Faith exists when absolute confidence in that which we cannot see combines with action that is in absolute conformity to the will of our Heavenly Father. Without all three—first, absolute confidence; second, action; and third, absolute conformity—without these three all we have is a counterfeit, a weak and watered-down faith. Let me discuss each of these three imperatives of faith.

First, we must have confidence in that which we cannot see. When Thomas finally felt the prints of the nails and thrust his hand into the side of the resurrected Savior, he confessed that he, at last, believed.

“Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.”

Peter echoed those words when he praised early followers for their faith in Jesus the Christ. He said:

“Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:

“Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.”

Second, for our faith to make a difference, we must act. We must do all that is in our power to change passive belief into active faith, for truly, “faith, if it hath not works, is dead.”

In 1998, President Gordon B. Hinckley raised a voice of warning to the Saints of this Church as well as to the world at large. He uttered that same warning last night at priesthood meeting. He said: “I am suggesting that the time has come to get our houses in order. So many people are living on the very edge of their incomes. In fact, some are living on borrowings. … I am troubled by the huge consumer installment debt which hangs over the people of the nation, including our own people.”

Brothers and sisters, when these prophetic words were uttered, some faithful members of the Church mustered their faith and heeded the counsel of the prophet. They are profoundly grateful today that they did. Others perhaps believed that what the prophet said was true but lacked faith, even as small as a grain of mustard seed. Consequently, some have suffered financial, personal, and family distress.

Third, one’s faith should be consistent with the will of our Heavenly Father, including His laws of nature. The sparrow flying into a hurricane may believe that he can successfully navigate the storm, but the unforgiving natural law will convince him otherwise in the end.

Are we wiser than the sparrow? Often what passes for faith in this world is little more than gullibility. It is distressing to see how eager some people are to embrace fads and theories while rejecting or giving less credence and attention to the everlasting principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is distressing how eagerly some rush into foolish or unethical behavior, believing that God will somehow deliver them from the inevitable tragic consequences of their actions. They even go so far as to ask for the blessings of heaven, knowing in their hearts that what they do is contrary to the will of our Father in Heaven.

How do we know when our faith conforms to the will of our Heavenly Father and He approves of that which we seek? We must know the word of God. One of the reasons we immerse ourselves in the scriptures is to know of Heavenly Father’s dealings with man from the beginning. If the desires of our heart are contrary to scripture, then we should not pursue them further.

Next, we must heed the counsel of latter-day prophets as they give inspired instruction.

Additionally, we must ponder and pray and seek the guidance of the Spirit. If we do so, the Lord has promised, “I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart.”

Only when our faith is aligned with the will of our Heavenly Father will we be empowered to receive the blessings we seek. (Joseph B. Wirthlin, “Shall He Find Faith on the Earth?,” Ensign, Nov 2002, 82)

(...written in advance of posting)

friends...

Most of us have friends... and most of us lean on those friends from time to time... It's one of the things that friendships are made of... it is a good thing... and often friendships become so important to us, that those friends become as close as family... It is a really nice thing that happens, sometimes...

Last evening we spent some hours having dinner and visiting with Son1 & Sweetee... no special occasion, just an evening together... It was a nice break and loads of fun... We laughed A LOT... (the men talked shop... which tends to happen when you get a nurse and a nursing student together...) we talked about houses, mutual friends, and extended family... we caught up on members of Sweetee's family which has become an extension of ours, it's really nice... we talked about a few plans on the horizon... jobs, school, food, pets, and a dozen other topics... It was so much fun...

We have done this with our other kids too... occasionally we can get most of the family in one place... but we have to take these opportunities to get together a few at a time, because we are all busy and scattered a bit right now...

I realized as we were driving home that for me, my ability and comfort in leaning on my family for support and love is growing... as our children grow and mature they are a frequent source of strength and emotional support... They are there to pray for us and we are gaining so much from that relationship... At some point children become not just family members but good friends too... What a lovely thing that is... I also recognize that not all families have these blessed opportunities or relationships...

In another time, I remember sitting with my own parents and just enjoying the moments when we were no longer just parents and children, but we could be friends too... and I wondered to myself if that day would ever come with my then young and needy children... Well, I am here to say that life comes full circle, if you are blessed to see it... For me the time has arrived that I see myself as my parents probably saw themselves and I see my children in a whole new light as the future, already arrived...

It's just plain COOL...!!!

Monday's musings...

This week will be a busy one... I have a plan in place to get some organization done before surgery later this month. Hubby is back to work in full swing and everyone else is working/in school as well...

I would really like to start baking again too... Hubby has missed the fresh breads. I love making ciabatta, so I think I will start with that today, small loaves make good sandwiches for hubby to take to work (the bread doesn't crumble...) and morning toast is great with this bread... Later this week we have pasta on the menu so I will make some rosemary peasant bread like Macaroni Grill serves.

A couple loafs of multi-grain should fill out the week's needs and keep us all happy... course if we go over to Son1 and Sweetee's on Thursday, I always like to take something to them, their busy schedules don't allow for much baking... maybe another ciabatta baking day on Thursday too?

I feel so happy today... I have learned to just accept this as a gift and not try to analyze these moments... I didn't make it to my aunt's funeral, and that was disappointing, but this morning my personal scripture study was filled with very positive thoughts... I love the gospel... I love my husband and children... I love life.

feasting on the Sabbath...

Hubby and I are teaching the temple preparation classes in our ward currently... As I have been preparing this week's lesson several quotes touched me very much and I looked up the references for the original text... The following words from a First Presidency Ensign message printed in 1994 are ideas I want to give much more thought to, in my own life...

Elder John A. Widtsoe of the Quorum of the Twelve said:

“Temple work … gives a wonderful opportunity for keeping alive our spiritual knowledge and strength. … The mighty perspective of eternity is unraveled before us in the holy temples; we see time from its infinite beginning to its endless end; and the drama of eternal life is unfolded before us. Then I see more clearly my place amidst the things of the universe, my place among the purposes of God; I am better able to place myself where I belong, and I am better able to value and to weigh, to separate and to organize the common, ordinary duties of my life, so that the little things shall not oppress me or take away my vision of the greater things that God has given us” (Conference Report, Apr. 1922, pp. 97–98).

***

President Howard W. Hunter continued:

"Truly, the Lord desires that His people be a temple-motivated people. It would be the deepest desire of my heart to have every member of the Church be temple worthy. I would hope that every adult member would be worthy of—and carry—a current temple recommend, even if proximity to a temple does not allow immediate or frequent use of it.

Let us be a temple-attending and a temple-loving people. Let us hasten to the temple as frequently as time and means and personal circumstances allow. Let us go not only for our kindred dead, but let us also go for the personal blessing of temple worship, for the sanctity and safety which is provided within those hallowed and consecrated walls. The temple is a place of beauty, it is a place of revelation, it is a place of peace. It is the house of the Lord. It is holy unto the Lord. It should be holy unto us.....

But to have the temple indeed be a symbol unto us, we must desire it to be so. We must live worthy to enter the temple. We must keep the commandments of our Lord. If we can pattern our life after the Master, and take His teaching and example as the supreme pattern for our own, we will not find it difficult to be temple worthy, to be consistent and loyal in every walk of life, for we will be committed to a single, sacred standard of conduct and belief. Whether at home or in the marketplace, whether at school or long after school is behind us, whether we are acting totally alone or in concert with a host of other people, our course will be clear and our standards will be obvious.

The ability to stand by one’s principles, to live with integrity and faith according to one’s belief—that is what matters. That devotion to true principle—in our individual lives, in our homes and families, and in all places that we meet and influence other people—that devotion is what God is ultimately requesting of us. It requires commitment—whole-souled, deeply held, eternally cherished commitment to the principles we know to be true in the commandments God has given. If we will be true and faithful to the Lord’s principles, then we will always be temple worthy, and the Lord and His holy temples will be the great symbols of our discipleship with Him." (The Great Symbol of Our Membership, Ensign, Oct 1994, 2)

(...written in advance of posting on Sunday)