Monday, December 26, 2016

The Birds!




             


Sometimes I feel like they are ganging up on me
Those birds of mine.
Its comforting to hear them call
At seven in the morning,” we’re here, where’s breakfast?” Outside the bathroom window. Or “ bye see you tomorrow “.in the late afternoon.
Last week though it was scary as hundreds descended onto our orchard grounds.
Row after row would spear an apple off the ground and throw it into a tree trunk, breaking it into smaller pieces and consuming it bugs and all. As more rows of large winged, long legged dinosaurs of birds landed, scenes of Alfred Hitchcock’s. “The Birds” flicked through my mind, and I got slightly nervous, retreating to my sewing machine to calm my nerves. I was alone…. with dinobirds.

Today was a cold and overcast winter day. The orchard grounds were clear; it was quiet. As we got into the car to drive to Albuquerque for breakfast with the kids, we saw our army of cranes in the neighbors’ yard. Looking up the “general” a larger, grayer bird, ruffled his feathers, and lifted a wing in a salute or a wave. Bye, We’ll be waiting when you get back.
And they were.

Friday, December 16, 2016

A Christmas Story


Little mouse sat
Huddled by the cabbage leaf
Twisted, curled, and drying;
Trying to stay warm
In the cold deserted
Garden

December is no time
To be lost outside he thought,
But Pester the cat sat drooling in
The doorway barring the way
 to warmth and shelter
Burrr

In the distance a bell chimed
The crystal sound striking
In the frozen air
Peace, Hope, Joy. Love, Share
Little mouse crept closer, hopefully,
Please?

Pester turned,and
Lay in the warm, fragrant straw.
Little mouse timidly drew inside;
Judged the cattitude
Cuddled in the arms of his nemesis
Warm
At least till morning.

Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Prayers Really do work



Last month I asked that you would pray for me and my surgery; that they would go well. Thank you for your prayers. My therapist told me I was two weeks ahead of schedule in recovery. Which I think is funny, since surgery was only20 days ago.!
I mentioned to her that I had a lot of people praying for me. She asked me if I had prayed for her? As part of my team, yes of course we did.
There are many people over the Internet, out in the world, in politics and business, in our neighborhoods who almost act angrily when we say we are praying for them, I guess they feel that if there is no God for them, there is no point of praying.
And then there are people that hope other people are praying for them but are afraid to ask. I am personally afraid of the things that are happening in our country and world. Whether a person believes in a higher power or not; whatever type of entity you look up to; being God, Science, or hard work and good luck. I hope you will keep the future of mankind in your thoughts.

1. Prayer is the soul's sincere desire,
Uttered or unexpressed,
The motion of a hidden fire
That trembles in the breast.
2. Prayer is the burden of a sigh,
The falling of a tear,
The upward glancing of an eye
When none but God is near.
3. Prayer is the simplest form of speech
That infant lips can try;
Prayer, the sublimest strains that reach
The Majesty on high.
4. Prayer is the Christian's vital breath,
The Christian's native air,
His watchword at the gates of death;
He enters heav'n with prayer.
5. Prayer is the contrite sinner's voice,
Returning from his ways,
While angels in their songs rejoice
And cry, "Behold, he prays!"
6. The Saints in prayer appear as one
In word and deed and mind,
While with the Father and the Son
Their fellowship they find.
7. Nor prayer is made on earth alone:
The Holy Spirit pleads,
And Jesus at the Father's throne
For sinners intercedes.
8. O thou by whom we come to God,
The Life, the Truth, the Way!
The path of prayer thyself hast trod;
Lord, teach us how to pray.

Text: James Montgomery, 1771-1854Music: George Careless, 1839-1932

Saturday, November 19, 2016

Pray for Me


Pray for me. In three days I will be learning to walk for the 6th time and will probably do eight and nine in the next couple of years. And even though I have gained more experience, I think the first time was probably the easiest. I didn’t have as far to fall.
The first time I was eight months old, and as a baby was happy to not be the shortest one in the family. I could see what was going on, and get my brothers into trouble.
The second time I learned to walk was after a stroke  paralyzed me when I was just two years old.
Over the intervening years I damaged a nerve and had to learn to walk without flexing my toes, I damaged my knee and had to learn to walk on crutches. Last year knee surgery and this year hip surgery have given me the opportunities to learn more lessons. I have learned  a lot about, charity, kindness, patience, gratitude, joy, and peace. I have learned that God loves me and that I have a lot of wonderful friends and family members. 
This fall at the  October general conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints ,Elder Evan A. Schmutz gave a talk titled 

As we exercise our faith in the Savior, He will lift us up and carry us through all of our trials and, ultimately, save us in the celestial kingdom.
As part of our Heavenly Father’s plan, He allowed sorrow to be woven into our mortal experience. While it seems that painful trials fall unevenly on us, we can be assured that to one degree or another, we all suffer and struggle. It is my prayer that the Holy Spirit will guide us to a greater understanding why this must be so.
When we view the difficult experiences of life through the lens of faith in Christ, we are able to see that there can be godly purpose in our suffering. The faithful can experience the truth of Peter’s seemingly contradictory counsel. He wrote, “If ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye.”As we apply our “hearts to understanding,”we can increase in our ability to both endure our trials well and learn from—and be refined by—them. Such understanding provides an answer to the ageless question “Why do bad things happen to good people?”
Without an “eye of faith”and an understanding of eternal truth, we often find that the misery and suffering experienced in mortality can obscure or eclipse the eternal joy of knowing that the great plan of our Father in Heaven really is the eternal plan of happiness. There is no other way to receive a fulness of joy.
God invites us to respond with faith to our own unique afflictions in order that we may reap blessings and gain knowledge that can be learned in no other way. We are instructed to keep the commandments in every condition and circumstance, for “he that is faithful in tribulation, the reward of the same is greater in the kingdom of heaven.” And as we read in scripture, “If thou art sorrowful, call on the Lord thy God with supplication, that your souls may be joyful.”
The Apostle Paul, himself no stranger to affliction, drew from his own experience to teach with depth and beauty the eternal perspective that comes when we endure well and with patience. He said, “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” In other words, we can know in the midst of our afflictions that God has provided an eternal compensating reward.
As we acquire this eternal perspective in our lives, our capacity to endure grows, we learn how to succor those in need of succor, and we come to appreciate and even express gratitude for the experiences God allows us to have as tutors in the path to eternal life.
When we find ourselves laboring through tribulation, it can be difficult to see our trials as signposts on our personal trail of discipleship. But whether we find ourselves at times in the dark valley of despair or on the high road of happiness, learning from and feeling compassion for the sufferings of others can be a blessing.
Then we can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
We can take strength in knowing that all the hard experiences in this life are temporary; even the darkest nights turn into dawn for the faithful.
I am looking forward to at least a temporary lessening of twenty five years of pain so I ask you again, pray for me. And look at your challenges and sorrows. What happiness and blessings can you gain from them?

Thursday, October 20, 2016

Joyfully


 





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I apologize that my letter this month is so late. It seems like October is running away with all of us. Some of it is fun like our annual Balloon fiesta. Some is sad with the loss of the husbands of two of my long time friends. Some of it is just hard with an overabundance of the delicious apples from our orchard. I wish each of you could come get a box full.  I would like to just put them all into production for a lot of canned applesauce and canned apples. As I am awaiting surgery on my hip I can only manage drying them. One problem is that my husband and daughter can eat a whole days work in a few hours. And then there is politics!
As I have been flying through my month I have reflected back about what brings joy into my life. What brings me up after a down week. My family comes first of course. But here are some thoughts that I found.

“Those who wish to sing always find a song.”
Swedish Proverb

“Expectation has brought me disappointment. Disappointment has brought me wisdom. Acceptance, gratitude and appreciation have brought me joy and fulfillment.”
Rasheed Ogunlaru

“Joy always follows on the heels of pain. If a person escapes a mindset that current events represent an ongoing tragedy, they will encounter and comprehend all the beauty that surrounds them. We find bliss by living alertly and unequivocally accepting whatever is occurring in the present moment. If a person realizes that the present moment is all that matters, they will gain an inner stillness and appreciate the beauty and joy of each day.”
Kilroy J. Oldster, Dead Toad Scrolls

 “Joy cannot be confused with the mere absence sorrow, misinterpreted as experiencing minimal despair, or misunderstood as living without crippling trepidation. Bliss necessarily encompasses uncompromising acceptance of life’s defining permutations. Emotional harmony necessitates beholding the pleasant and unpleasant exigencies of life while expressing unstinting appreciation for the ordinary and the extraordinary events in our lives. Joyfulness transcends the variations in physical and emotional demands exerted upon us. Elation for life allows us to rise above environmental determinates and associated stresses that might otherwise vex our souls including death and other sorrowful events.”
Kilroy J. Oldster, Dead Toad Scrolls

“Our most intense joy comes not from personal feats, but from helping other persons achieve their goals. We become suppler human beings when we find true joy in witnessing other people’s successes and unabashedly share in their joyful accomplishments.”
Kilroy J. Oldster, Dead Toad Scrolls
 “There is much more joy in being a survivor than been a quitter.”
Omoakhuana Anthonia

“A storm-filled life replete with piercing and unearthly sounds ravages the soul of any thoughtful person. In contrast, the genteel wind of restoration moves silently, invisibly. Renewal is a spiritual process, the communal melody that sustains us. Inexpressible braids of tenderness whispering reciprocating chords of love for family, friends, humankind, and nature plaits interweaved layers of blissful atmosphere, which copious heart song brings spiritual rejuvenation. For when we love in a charitable and bountiful manner without reservation, liberated from petty jealously, and free of the toxic blot of discrimination, we become the ineluctable wind that vivifies the lives of other people. The mellifluous changes in heaven, earth, and our journey through the travails of time, while worshiping the trove of fathomless joys of life, constitute the seeds of universal poetry.”
Kilroy J. Oldster, Dead Toad Scrolls

2 Nephi 25 Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.

Sunday, September 18, 2016

The Fiddler's Wife


One of my favorite songs in high school had words which I took to heart and made my mantra. “Won’t be my father’s Jack, won’t be my mother’s Jill.
I’m going to be a fiddler’s wife, and fiddle where I will.” And that became my life-
Jack of all trades, and master of none.

I was looking on Wikipedia today for the name of an acquaintance and co-worker of my husband’s. I learned things about him that  didn’t know and it was interesting.
Just for fun I put my name in not expecting to see anything. But still it was sad to see that I didn’t exist!  That was as bad as when I looked for myself on Google a few years ago and learned that I had no friends! It makes me reflect back over my life and wonder if I have done what I was sent here to do or am I just taking up space on this planet of ours.
What did I want to do with my life? I thought of being a teacher or a nurse. That and secretary were the three things that most schools encourage women to do in life. There were women scientists,  actresses, and  shop keepers, sure, but women weren’t encouraged to be doctors and CEO’s much. It was better than when my mother was in school though. She wanted to be an architect but no school would let her attend classes for that. She settled for Landscape architecture and after being the first woman to graduate from her school in that discipline, got a job where she was hired by her initials so they could pay her as much as a man. My neighbor of the same age, wanted to be a conductor of a symphony, but her school said, “We could NEVER let a woman do that! The scandal!”

The thing I really wanted to do was be a wife and mother. I graduated in Home Economics Education because I would always have a job. If not for pay,then  in my home with a family. And I did use my training with family, church youth groups, girl scouts, women’s organizations and after school programs.
I read a quote from Gordon B. Hinckley the other day.

“I believe our problems, almost every one, arise out of the homes of the people. If there is to be reformation, if there is to be a change, if there is to be a return to old and sacred values, it must begin in the home. It is here that truth is learned, that integrity is cultivated, that self-discipline is instilled and that love is nurtured—Gordon B. Hinckley
So what do we need to know to teach this to our families?

Susan W. Tanner, former Young Women general president, taught: “Our Father in Heaven exemplifies the pattern we should follow. He loves us, teaches us, is patient with us, and entrusts us with our agency. … Sometimes discipline, which means ‘to teach,’ is confused with criticism. Children—as well as people of all ages—improve behavior from love and encouragement more than from fault-finding.”
Yesterday I saw something on my daughter’s face book page  that made me smile.

“One day, when my children are grown, I hope they still come through that front door without knocking. I hope they head to the kitchen for a snack, and rifle through the mail looking for a magazine they always read. I hope they come in and feel the weight of adulthood leave them, for they are home. For my children, my door will forever be open. Above all else, I hope they know this without me telling them.
Love speaks clearly enough
-The Train To Crazy.-
I guess I do exist

Saturday, August 13, 2016

Being Thankful


 












In the book LDS Gems and Inspirational Quotes Henry B. Eyring writes
“You could follow the command, “Thou shalt thank the Lord thy God in all things’ (D&C 59:7), President Ezra Taft Benson suggested prayer as a time to do that. He said:
“The Prophet Joseph Smith said at one time that on of the greatest sins of which the Latter-day Saints would be guilty is the sin of ingratitude. I presume most of us have not thought of that as a great sin. There is a great tendency for us in our prayers and in our pleadings with the Lord to ask for additional blessings. But sometimes I feel we need to devote more of our prayers to expressions of gratitude and thanksgiving for blessings already received. We enjoy so much.’

I have a niece who once commented, “ how would you feel if you woke up one morning and the only things you had were the things you said in your prayers that you were thankful for. I have thought about that since and it has changed my prayers.

 I’m grateful for the country I live in. I’m grateful for the opportunity we have to vote for great leaders. Living in the high desert, I’m grateful for the rain and hope we will get more. I’m grateful that we have a home and food and clothing to wear; for friends and family who are willing to come to our aid. I grateful for two teen-age cats to love and care for and laugh at.
My husband looks funnily at me sometimes at some of the things that pop into my head during prayers. I’m grateful for the sun, and flowers in our garden that we live in such a beautiful place. I’m grateful that we have enough to share; and pray for guidance to find those who need our help.

We had the opportunity to donate some furniture to Catholic Charities to set up an apartment for a refuge family last month. I don’t have a table to paint on but another family has one to eat on. I don’t have a couch to lie on and watch TV. But another family can sit. I gave away a dresser to keep my quilting  stash in but someone else has a place to put their children’s clothes.
 I am blessed. I have opportunities to grow, and share, and serve.

Saturday, July 9, 2016

You're A Success!


 








It is so difficult getting old. By the time my computer boots up I forget what I was going to say! Even the computer is feeling the stresses of age. When I try to hurry it along, it “Bleps!”at me.

I had some friends over this morning to help bind a group quilt we have been making. It has been fun getting together and working on a joint project as we catch up with each other’s busy lives. This quilt has had some interesting lessons for me.
Patience- Other people have lives and can’t drop everything for my schedule.
Charity- we all have different skills and talents
Artistic sense- Our brains are wired differently. The colors I see are not the same ones you see. What I saw as dark navy, someone else sees as black. My pale blue is your grey. My burnt sienna is her brown. But it is done and will be gifted Sunday.
Now my focus will change and I don’t know where to start. So many possibilities line up on my list. Should I take a nap and let the swelling in my legs go down? Should I clear up my work room to start a new project next week. Should I fold the laundry?
Should I write the poem to go with the quilt? I’m still waiting for inspiration on that one.

I’ve always been one to make lists. If I have too many things I want to or should do I write them down on paper, tear it up into little pieces and put them in a jar. Fate will choose which one for me to do. “No not that one, try again!”

Marvin J. Ashton, an earlier Apostle in the Latter Day Saint Church said, “Set your goals—without goals you can’t measure your progress. But don’t become frustrated if the victories’ don’t come quickly or easily. Remind yourself that striving can be more important than arriving. If you are striving for excellence—if you are trying your best day by day with the wisest use of your time and energy to reach realistic goals—you are a success, and you can feel proud of your accomplishments.”

My dad and I, when  he was in his 90’s, would sit at the breakfast table and plan our day. I said we should plan to complete at least one thing a day. He smiled and said, “Today I got out of bed! “
What are you striving for today?

The Bishop's Quilt


 





A block in a block in a block he thought. That’s what I feel like!  I’m ready for a vacation. It seems like he’d been the jack in the pulpit for years. Gathering his family they headed for the lake. A Broken wheel threw a monkey wrench into their plans, but heading out with supplies on their backs they were determined to have a good day. Flying geese overhead called to them as they climbed a rail fence and followed the trail of the covered wagons over stiles and stones and through the lattice of trees in the woods.

Seeing the bear paw print they jumped the rail fence with both eyes open
The saw tooth star last night, gleaming in the heavens warned them of their adventure. Passing this old house, an ancient log cabin, they walked toward the brown waterfall.

Approaching the lake, they rented a sailboat, glad they’d gone fishing. They had seen a another bear paw print as they hopped the third rail fence. !



At the end of the day; full of fresh fried fish, and fruit from the apple leafed trees, they snuggled down  next to another rail fence; into their sleeping bags, happy and content under the dark sky filled with Missouri stars. Tomorrow they’d go panning for gold
“Dad,” the young boy said, “Thanks,
 Families are forever”.

Sunday, June 19, 2016

Forgiveness

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“May God help us to be a little kinder, showing forth greater forbearance, to be more forgiving, more willing to walk the second mile, to reach down and lift up those who may have sinned but have brought forth the fruits of repentance, to lay aside old grudges and nurture them no more” –-Gordon B Hinckley

Forgiveness…. may be the greatest virtue on earth, and certainly the most needed. There is so much of meanness and abuse, of intolerance and hatred. There is so great a need for repentance and forgiveness. It is the great principle emphasized in all of scripture, both ancient and modern.”—Gordon B. Hinckley

”Somehow forgiveness, with love and tolerance, accomplishes miracles that can happen in no other way.”—Gordon B. Hinckley

Many times I have sat contemplating my life and my actions and I wonder, have I done anything that I need to ask forgiveness for? Most of the time I have either been very good, or oblivious of how I have hurt someone. People don’t always react strongly enough to tell they’ve been hurt. I didn’t know why my son in law stopped talking to me after one comment I innocently made till I heard his family’s history. I apologized and asked him to let me know when I said something stupid instead of holding a silent grudge.  Another time I made a comment about something someone had made. I said it was interesting. UT- OH! I knew right away I’d hurt her feelings but it took me a week to apologize and explain that I really did like it and I really did find it was an interesting method she had used.

On the other side of the situation, how easy is it to forgive others?
This has been such a difficult month, no year. Remember the church group last year who invited a young man to their prayer group. He prayed with them, learned with them, and shot them. Could I have forgiven him, as the congregation did?
And this month in Florida, when someone took his assault rifle into a night club and
started shooting. randomly killing fifty; why, because he didn’t like their lifestyle? Was it because he was mentally unbalanced?  Was it because he thought he had a cause to uphold? Can I forgive him? Not yet, I need to think about it more

Thomas S. Monson from the D&C teacher’s manual says,
“If any of us are imperfect, it is our duty to pray for the gift that will make us perfect. Have I imperfections? I am full of them. What is my duty? To pray to God to give me the gifts that will correct these imperfections. If I am an angry man, it is my duty to pray for charity, which suffereth long and is kind. Am I an envious man? It is my duty to seek for charity, which envieth not. So  is it with all the gifts of the Gospel. They are intended for this purpose. 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 (Millennial Star, 23 April 1984 260).”
I hope you have a blessed and forgiving summer.

Friday, May 27, 2016

How will they know?


When we decided to move back to New Mexico I thought “Wow! Maybe I’ll get to meet some of my favorite authors.
 I always enjoyed the sights and sounds of New Mexico and had fun collecting art of the area. My home is filled with paintings and sculptures that I picked up at craft shows. I enjoyed talking to the artists about their work. It makes each piece personal. One of my favorites was painted by the bag boy at the grocery store that we shopped at when I was a child.
But authors? How do you get to know them except through their work? One night I dreamed that I would meet two of my favorite authors in New Mexico, in church! Isn’t that a crazy dream?
The first one I met was at a local bar. She was doing a book signing. I didn’t know what she looked like or anything about her except that I liked the books her famous father had written. She was continuing the series so we went to listen. I sat at the back nursing my soft drink and a lovely woman walked up to me and started a conversation. It was interesting, relaxing and informative. I had fun. And behold, she was the author. I got to make a connection without being star struck.
Sunday was a conference at church. We had four or so congregations meeting together. I was with my brother and his wife and didn’t see many from my own congregation. Just before the meeting began a new member walked past us and my sister in law said hello and asked him which ward he was in. He said the name of the same one I belonged to. So he asked if he could sit in the empty seat next to me and we had a short chat of introduction. “Your name is so familiar, I said, are you related to anyone in Los Alamos?” After conference we talked some more and I said, “See you next Sunday!”
On the way home it struck me. I was sitting in church, in New Mexico, with my other favorite New Mexico Author. God’s little gift- He pays attention to our dreams and wishes, not just our needs and prayers.  What a fun time I am going to have fellowshipping a new member- if I can keep from being star struck.
My daughter had fun experiences like this when she was working at a local bookstore and authors and movie stars came in for material and book signings. She was good at helping but not over-whelming them as customers. The trick is to be kind, cheerful, and of service. But not stalking them.
How do we teach our children to treat others helpfully but comfortably?
I am reminded of a song we sing to our children

How will they know
  1. Words: Natalie W. Sleeth, 1930-1992
Music: Natalie W. Sleeth, 1930-1992. Arr. by A. Laurence Lyon, b. 1934, and Natalie W. Sleeth

1. How will they know, the ones for whom we care,
That God is love and with us ev'rywhere,
That life is good, with blessings all can share?
How will they know unless we teach them so?
2. How will they learn that, though they go astray,
God will forgive and help them find the way?
How will they feel the Spirit day by day?
How will they know unless we teach them so?
3. How will they grow in wisdom and delight?
How will they choose to follow what is right?
How can they trust the future will be bright?
How will they know unless we show them?
4. How will they live when they at last are grown?
What will they give to children of their own?
Will they reflect the values we have shown?
How will they know, as on through life they go?
How will they know unless we strive to teach them so?

As we relate to those around us—as we teach our children how to treat others—As we pray to God and tell him our hopes and dreams—we can remember that God cares about us always, in all ways, even the small stuff

Wednesday, April 20, 2016

A Firm Foundation

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 I lay in the hospital bed looking with joy and pride at my hour old daughter. It had been thirteen years since I had had this opportunity before, and as my son used to say “We’d been a-hoping and a-praying for this little sister. She was looking at me with her big round grey eyes, her perfect mouth formed into a little OH! I could just hear her thinking, “Who are you? What happened? I’m not so sure about this.” Besides that look of surprise I could see a little touch of trepidation.
What could I teach her as she started her earthly journey?
I believe that before we are born, our spirits live in a beautiful garden like world. I can’t imagine masses of strange atoms and mists just floating around waiting to be formed into a mass created by surprise.
I believe our spirits used to live with a God, our Heavenly Father, and that he created a world for us; that we are created in his image. That He has arms, and legs, and a head, and eyes, and ears. I believe he wants us to be in His world; to talk to him in prayer; to want to please Him as we do our earthly father and mother.
I believe we are here for a purpose; to learn how to be good and strong; to be helpful and kind; to serve each other.
In the April, 2016 issue of the Ensign Magazine, Jesus Christ, Our Firm Foundation  by Elder Donald L. Hallstrom
The author writes,
“We live in a world that can be confusing—if we allow it, it can cause us to forget who we really are. President Thomas S. Monson has stated:
‘Mortality is a period of testing, a time to prove ourselves worthy to return to the presence of our Heavenly Father. In order for us to be tested, we must face challenges and difficulties. These can break us, and the surface of our souls may crack and crumble—that is, if our foundations of faith, our testimonies of truth are not deeply embedded within us.’”
Elder Hallstrom continues,“
In addition to making covenants with God, we should be willing to make commitments to ourselves, to spouses (or to become a spouse), to friends, and to those with whom we serve…. Self-discipline can be defined as the ability to live consistently with our vision and commitments. Developing self-discipline is essential to progress because it seamlessly connects learning and doing. Ultimately, the strength of our spiritual foundation is shown by how we live our lives, especially in times of disappointment and challenge Possessing a firm foundation is the ultimate protection from the buffetings of the world.”

One of the sister wives of my great -great grandfather, Parley P. Pratt was Mary Ann Pratt
Mary Ann Pratt married Parley P. Pratt in 1837. Upon moving to Missouri, USA, along with other Saints, they endured horrific persecution. When Elder Pratt was taken, along with the Prophet Joseph Smith, by a mob in Far West, Missouri, and imprisoned, Mary Ann was confined to bed, gravely ill, while caring for two small children.
Later, Mary Ann visited her husband in jail and stayed with him for a time. She wrote, ‘I shared his dungeon, which was a damp, dark, filthy place, without ventilation, merely having a small grating on one side. In this we were obliged to sleep.’
After Parley’s release from jail, Mary Ann and her husband served missions to New York, USA, and to England and were among those who made “the final weary gathering to Utah,” as she described it. Elder Pratt ultimately died a martyr’s death while serving another mission.

Despite this tumultuous life, Mary Ann Pratt stayed true. She powerfully stated, “I was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints … , being convinced of the truthfulness of its doctrines by the first sermon I heard; and I said in my heart, if there are only three who hold firm to the faith, I will be one of that number; and through all the persecution I have had to endure I have ever felt the same; my heart has never swerved from that resolve.’”

 (The women of Mormondom Edward Tullidge)

I hope that I will be able to continue to endure the challenges that I face in life and that my heart to will never swerve. I hope I am teaching my daughter that same faith.

Friday, March 18, 2016

Blessed are the Peacemakers


Mathew : 5 9  tells us
 “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.”
But how can we achieve this goal if people around us refuse to let us. Do we just capitulate and go with the crowd instead of standing up for our beliefs to keep the peace?
Years ago when my family and I moved to Southern California, we went innocently to church expecting the warm loving acceptance we enjoyed in the congregations we had left. We were disappointed. My daughter asked one child after another at the playground if they would like to be friends. Their answer?..”No we already have friends.” I decided that every person who moved into the congregation after we did were going to find friends in us, and we worked hard at it.

It is the political season now.  And again you can just feel the hate being thrown around by the candidates and the public in general. The candidates who are taking the high road and being peacemakers are losing and dropping out leaving us with the hostility to deal with. I feel like this vibrant exciting country is dying a slow death.
This month has been a sad one for us. It feels some days that our neighborhood is in a “them against us” situation. “We paid more so we expect exclusivity! “ ” We need to keep the riff raff out. ! “ “You are rude and argumentative” if you don’t just do what I say without questioning the reason. “Mom he’s looking at me” from our childhood.
I feel like I live around a bunch of six year olds!
What have we always been taught by our mothers?
Love one another
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Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.
Don’t be a bully
Stand up for your rights
Always leave your surroundings better than you found them
If you have a problem, pray about it.
Smile, don’t yell

I love to hear the men’s choir singing the hymn 
School Thy Feelings
by Charles W. Penrose, 1832-1925. (c) 1948 IRI

 School thy feelings, O my brother;
Train thy warm, impulsive soul.
Do not its emotions smother,
But let wisdom's voice control.
School thy feelings; there is power
In the cool, collected mind.
Passion shatters reason's tower,
Makes the clearest vision blind.

May you fill your life and the world around youwith peace