The Simple Woman's Daybook~ Family Time!

Outside my window.......it is a beautiful sunny and very warm day in St. George, Utah.

I am thinking...that I am so happy I came down to St. George to see my Sister in law and her family. This is the family of my brother who recently passed away. 

I came down with my sweet daughter Christina and her children. They are off having fun with her mother in law and sister in law's family. It's been a quiet day but there is a family dinner planned for this evening. It will be a lively bunch here tonight.

I am thankful...that we were able to be safe on our trip down here. My husband and I had a prayer together and also my daughter's family had a prayer for safety before we left from home. 
We left on Tuesday for St. George and when we arrived at my sister in law's home as I went to remove my suitcase from a rack that was on the back of our car; I found that my suitcase was burnt on the one side facing into the car. It had melted clear inside the suitcase and I lost several items such as a blow dryer, curling iron and etc. If the suitcase had started on fire it could have been really bad, The exhaust pipes in the back of the car were blowing out hot exhaust onto my suitcase. We certainly had Guardian Angels on this trip.

In the kitchen...I am not in charge. Tonight we are having a family get together for a dinner of Pizza and salad. It should be a fun evening of relaxation and good conversation between the aunts, cousins and their children. I am hoping my older grandchildren will share a few songs. One of my granddaughters can play the Ukulele. 

I am wearing...a blue and black blouse, black Capri pants and black slippers.

I am creating...my temple schedule for Saturday and this blog post.

I am going.... home tomorrow. If we can get a way soon enough I plan to go through my hometown in Richfield, Utah and visit my Aunt and then visit my parents grave site and leave some flowers for the past Memorial Day. 

I am wondering...why life is so complicated. It seems like there is always some kind of struggle going on in all of our lives. I wish sometimes we had a little break from the stresses of life. There are moments of joy of course, and I feel I am very blessed; but life seems so hard sometimes. I have wonderful children, grandchildren and great grandchildren that I love deeply. We have a very large posterity and I feel in general all of them are going in the right direction and living good lives. However, I also see that Satan is very busy trying to destroy our families and he is working overtime to do so. Each of my children and their families have some kind of a struggle going on. Some of the issues are health related, some are financial, and some are emotional and spiritual concerns. I spend a lot of time on my knees pleading with my Heavenly Father to be ever aware of the individual trials that they are facing in the world of today. I know that we are sent here to learn and to progress and it will only happen through life experiences. Our families are the training environment for learning about love, faith, forgiveness and etc. Here we learn the attributes of Christ when we try to pattern our lives after Him. Our homes are the place to learn these characteristics. Satan, of course knows the plan and will do everything within his power to make our family life chaotic. His great plan is to destroy families and I think he is doing just that. I just pray that my children and grandchildren will not allow him any time to influence them for evil purposes.  

I am reading...the Book of Mormon as always. I am also trying to read the Sunday School lessons from the Bible. I am a bit behind on these lessons. 

I am enjoying the book entitled: "Refined By Christ" by Toni Sorenson. 

I read her book Defined by Christ and have loved her writings and especially her life experiences. This is a wonderful book and very uplifting. 

I am also reading a novel entitled: The Winds And The Waves, by Dean Hughes.

 I am really getting into this one. It is a series book. It is basically a pioneer story, which I love those. It's a little different because he is telling the story of young man who desires to come to Zion in America after joining the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the 1840's. He then shares a parallel story of this young man's future great great grandson in our day facing modern day problems. It is interesting and I find it is giving me a unique perspective of pioneer life vs. life today.

I am hoping...that my children, grandchildren and great grandchildren will be prepared for the onslaught of the events of the last days. I pray that they will learn to know and feel the spirit in their lives. They will need the Holy Ghost to be there as their guide as they travel the pathways of life. This life isn't easy at times but I am glad I am not a pioneer. I don't know if I could do what they did. 

I am looking forward to...our upcoming family reunion. I am excited to be with all of our family. There will be 48 total plus 4 others. We are having it this year at Bear Lake. It isn't a long reunion but hopefully a meaningful one. It is so awesome to have the family all together. I hope we can get a good family picture. We will have just one person missing; it is our dear grandson, Jackson who is serving a mission for our church in Omaha, Nebraska. 

I am learning.....how to be more patient with myself and others. I have a fiery personality at times and I am learning how to temper that. It's kind of sad in a way that being a grandmother is easier than being a mom because I have learned to be a better listener and more patient. I guess motherhood was the training ground to learn how to be a better grandmother. 

Around the house...my sister in law works so I have just been enjoying a very peaceful environment. In fact, I have not listened to the radio or watched TV since I have been here. I haven't had a house this quiet in a very long time. I kind of like these moments but I wouldn't want it this way for a long time. I just can't imagine the loneliness that my sweet sister feels since losing my brother.  She is such a delightful sister and I have plans for us to become even closer. 

I am pondering...on what kind of message I should give in the Preparation meeting at the temple on Saturday. I have been thinking about it all and I think I will have my two granddaughters write down their feelings about the Kansas City Temple celebration that they were in and then share a few other thoughts.

A favorite quote for today...

One of my favorite things...is doing and finding family histories. My grandson that is serving a mission in Omaha, Nebraska asked me to send him 4 ancestor conversion stories for a Zone Conference he is going to. I was worried about where to find the stories. I went in on Family Search and looked in a new area of this site and found  6 wonderful stories about our pioneer ancestors. Take a moment and look for your ancestors; it is amazing what you can find on this site.I was so excited to send these off to him. I plan to do more work in this area. 

A few plans for the rest of the week: Drive home to South Jordan tomorrow - Work in the temple on Saturday - Spend some quality time with my daughter and her children over the weekend - Enjoy a sweet Sabbath day with them. 

A peek into my day... I had a sweet day of peaceful reflection and a chance to meditate and pray about my family. Then there was a great family celebration tonight. These cousins have not been together for a very long time. It was a precious moment of time.

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Enjoy reading and perhaps join the fun!

The Prophet For Our Days~

 

The General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints~

We believe in the same organization that existed in the primitive church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists and so forth. (Articles Of Faith, # 6, lds.org) 

Our Savior ordaining His Twelve Apostles~

The Savior with His Twelve Disciples in The Book Of  Mormon~

You can read of Jesus Christ's Visit to the America's as found in 

The Book of Mormon

3 Nephi 8 through 28.

Our Living Prophet and Apostles of today~

We believe in Latter-day prophets who like the prophets of old testify of Jesus Christ, love us, give counsel and prophesy. 

Adam and Eve~

Moses

Abraham and Isaac 

Jesus Christ, Our Savior~

Our Savior Jesus Christ~

 Joseph Smith's First Vision - The beginning of the Restoration of 

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints~

You can read the 1st Vision Here~

The Prophet of the Restoration - President Joseph Smith~

Today our living prophet is President Thomas S. Monson of 

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

 President Thomas S. Monson

The Lord has called prophets throughout the ages. At times men have rejected and even killed those prophets, leaving the world in darkness. The Reformation led to the Restoration. 

          The Lord has not left us without guidance. We have a prophet for our day.

Just recently we had the Annual General Conference of the church where we heard messages from our Prophet, the Twelve Apostles and other general church leaders. 

I love President Thomas S. Monson with all my heart. He is a wonderful, loving, Christ-like man. I thought I would share a few of his thoughts from his conference message entitled: "Love-the Essence of the Gospel".

"We cannot truly love God if we do not love our fellow travelers on this mortal journey."
"Actually, Love is the very essence of the gospel, and Jesus Christ is our Exemplar. His life was a legacy of love. The sick He healed; the downtrodden He lifted; the sinner He saved."
"There are many attributes which are manifestations of love, such as kindness, patience, selflessness, understanding, and forgiveness."
"Everyday of our lives we are given opportunities to show love and kindness to those around us. Said President Spencer W. Kimball: "We must remember that those mortals we meet in parking lots, offices, elevators, and elsewhere are that portion of mankind God has given us to love and to serve. It will do us little good to speak of the general brotherhood of mankind if we cannot regard those who are all around us as our brothers and sisters."
"Love should be the very heart of family life, and yet sometimes it is not. There can be too much impatience, to much arguing, too many fights, too many tears. President Gordon B Hinckley said: "Why is that the ones we love most become so frequently the targets of our harsh words? Why is it that we sometimes speak as if with daggers  that cut to the quick? The answers to these questions may be different for each of us, and yet the bottom line is that the reasons do not matter. If we would keep the commandment to love one another, we must treat each each other with kindness and respect."
"I would hope that we would strive always to be considerate and to be sensitive to the thoughts and feelings and circumstances of those around us."
"Forgiveness should go hand in hand with love. In our families, as well as with out friends, there can be hurt, feelings and disagreements......Blame keeps wounds open. Only forgiveness heals.
"Love is expressed in many recognizable ways; a smile, a wave, a kind comment, a compliment. Other expression may be more subtle, such as showing interest in another's activities, teaching a Principe with kindness and patience. Visiting one who is ill or home-bound. These words and actions and many others can communicate love."
"May we begin now, this very day, to express love to all of God's children, whether they be our family members, our friends, mere acquaintances, or total strangers. As we arise each morning, let us determine to respond with love and kindness to whatever might come our way."
In closing the conference, Pres. Monson said the following: "Beyond comprehension my brothers and sisters, is the love of God for us. because of this love, He sent His Son, who loved us enough to give His life for us, that we might have eternal life. As we come to understand this incomparable gift, our hearts will be filled with love for our Eternal Fathers, for our Savior, and for all mankind."
 " May heaven's blessings be with each of us. May our homes be filled with love and courtesy and with the Spirit of the Lord. May we constantly nourish our testimonies of the gospel, that they will be a protection for us against the buffetings of the adversary......May we ever be found doing the work of the Lord."
"I bear testimony that this work is true, that our Savior lives, and that He guides and directs His Church here upon the earth. I leave with you my witness and my testimony that God our Eternal Father lives and loves us. He is indeed our Father, and He is personal and real." May we realize how close to us He is willing to come, how far He is willing to go to help us, and how much He loves us." You can read this entire message here. 
President Thomas S. Monson loves to tell good stories either from his own life or others stories that have touched him. 
Here is one of his short stories from the book entitled: "Consider The Blessings - True Accounts of God's Hand In Our Lives", pg. 126.

"On my first visit to the fabled village of Sauniatu, Samoa, so loved by President David O. McKay my wife and I met with a large gathering of small children. At the conclusion of our messages to these shy yet beautiful youngsters, I suggested to the Native Samoan teacher that we go forward with the closing exercises. As he announced the final hymn, I suddenly felt compelled to personally greet each of these 247 children. My watch revealed that the time was too short for such a privilege, so I discounted the impression to shake the hand of each child. Before the benediction was to be spoken, I again felt this strong impression to shake the hand of each child.This time I made the desire known to the instructor, who displayed a broad and beautiful Samoan smile. He spoke in Samoan to the children, and they beamed their approval of his comments. 
The instructor then revealed to me the reason for his and their joy. He said, "When we learned that President McKay had assigned a member of the Quorum of the Twelve to visit us in faraway Samoa, I told the children if they would each one earnestly and sincerely pray and exert faith like the Bible accounts of old, that the Apostle would visit our tiny village at Sauniatu, and through their faith, he would be impressed to greet each child with a personal handclasp." Tears could not be restrained as each of those precious boys and girls walked shyly by and whispered softly to us a sweet tolofa lava. The gift of faith had been evidenced. 
President Monson's autobiography entitled: "To The Rescue" can be found to purchase here. This autobiography had a profound affect upon me. I learned more fully what a marvelous Christ like Prophet He is. 

Just Let The Savior In~

I know beyond any doubt that we have a very loving Heavenly Father and our Savior Jesus Christ. They desire for us to reach out to them for our everyday concerns and needs. Since the passing of my sweet Aunt Della and my dear brother John, I have been praying for peace of mind and comfort. I have received that comfort and peace through prayer. I realize that our Heavenly Father wants to hear from us frequently. He doesn't just want us to say a trite prayer but he wants us to pray to Him with all our deep concerns and also of our gratitude for His blessings. 
In order for our dear Savior to come to us; we must open the door and let Him in. That door is opened through prayer; a true prayer from the heart. Sister Chieko Okazaki in her book entitled, "Lighten Up" she said the following: "Heavenly Father doesn't want to hear only nice prayers. He wants to hear real prayers, honest prayers.....He doesn't want polite platitudes. He wants you! All of you!. He wants to be the center of your total life-the worried you, the mad you, and the sad you, as well as the inspired, happy, obedient, loving you". Remember you can pray any time, anywhere about anything. Just let the Savior in.
Sister Sheri Dew in her book entitled; "If Life Were Easy, It wouldn't Be Hard" stated: " Is there anything too insignificant to discuss with the Lord? Is any heartache too petty? Is any anxiety or worry too trivial? Is any weakness too insignificant to deal with? The Lord doesn't seem to think so. He has invited us to weary Him with our requests and needs. Just let the Savior in.

Will You Let Him In~ 

He is waiting Patiently 

at the door of your heart

He has knocked, once again

Will you let Him in,

Accepting God into your life

fostering a relationship with

our loving creator,

Our Savior, stands

At the doorway of your heart

Let Him in.

During the last few weeks my heart has ached but the Savior has walked with me and I know that He Lives and Loves me and you and that comfort and peace has come through Him. 

Just Let The Savior In.

Remembering Our Mothers & Our Heavenly Mother On This Mother's Day~

Happy Mother's Day To All you Awesome Mother's out there~

My Beautiful Mother~ Leone

As I was exercising this morning I was tuned into the, 'Today Show'. There was a sweet segment on Mother's and Daughters. All of a sudden my eyes filled with tears and I thought to myself. I want my Mom. These moments come unbidden but I really miss my  dear Mother. There are days that are really hard and I want to go to the phone and call my Mom. I guess if I were to have my Mom still here; I would talk with her and visit her more often than I did when she was a live. Since my Mom passed away in 2006; I have recognized more than ever before how much she really loved me and was always doing things for me. I think I took my Mother for granted. As a youth she sewed practically everything I wore. She made all of my prom dresses and my wedding dress. Whenever, I went to girl's camp for a week in the summer; I would come home and find that she had re-decorated some aspect of my room. As I had each of my precious children she and my Dad came to help me for a week to 10 days. I really miss my Mom so much.

 

                                             My Sweet Mother In Law~Nyal

I also miss my sweet Mother in law. She was such an example of faith, and perseverance. She had a lot of health issues and experienced great pain; but was always brave and true. She was gentle and kind and I loved her very much. I miss her too.  I will love these dear mom's of mine  forever and I know I will see them again someday. 

A Special Happy Mother's day wish to some of my favorite Mothers!

 These are my very own daughters and daughter in laws and granddaughter in laws.  What marvelous mothers they are and examples of true motherhood. 

      Back Row - Mary, Daughter in law; Jessica, Grand Daughter in law; Jenni, Daughter; Dana, Grand      Daughter in law:  Front Row - Christina, Daughter; Amanda, Daughter in law; 

Tiffani, Daughter; Amber, Daughter in law ~ 

I also believe I have a Heavenly Father and A Heavenly Mother~

First enjoy this rendition of "O, My Father by my daughter, Tiffani~

The verse I love the most states the following: 

I had learned to call thee Father, 

Through thy Spirit from on high, 

But, until the key of knowledge

Was restored, I knew not why.

In the Heav'ns are parents single?

No, the thought makes reason stare!

Truth is reason; truth eternal

Tells me I've a Mother there!

Words by Eliza R. Snow (LDS Hymn book pg. 292)

Another beautiful verse for this hymn is written by Warren P. Aston as a 4th verse.

You can find a beautiful article  entitled Remembering Our Mother In Heaven written by Warren P. Aston here.

O my Mother, thou who dwellest

with my Father up on high, 

There beside Him, not behind Him, 

Now revealed to thy children's eyes. 

Shall we know then thou wast nearby?

See the Pattern for our race?

As thou standest there, together

We gaze at last into thy face. 

I believe with all my heart that we have Heavenly Parents. I am sure our Heavenly Mother too sent us forth to this earth with the desire that we return once again back into her arms. 

Another beautiful hymn about our Heavenly Mother was written by Chase Harrison (1852-1936), entitled, Our Mother in Heaven. (Juvenile Instructor, March 1, 1892). You can read this lovely hymn as found in the article by Warren P. Aston. Take a moment to read this one; it is lovely.

Enjoy this special Hymn entitled: "Oh, What Songs of the Heart" by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir~ Listen carefully to the last verse.

May we all know that someday we will return into the
 arms of our Heavenly Parents. 
I believe this to be true.

Other Articles and Quotes On Heavenly Father And Heavenly Mother~
Decisions For Eternity -
Quotes from President Harold B. Lee - 
The Lord A Role Model For Men and Women -
 Becoming Like God- 

Simple Woman's Daybook Entry~ Back To Blogging, I go!

Be sure and drop by other Simple Day Book Entries Here. 

Enjoy reading and perhaps join the fun!

Outside my window.....it is a partly clouded lovely day. It is a little cool but not bad. I am too busy today to get outside but it has been nice to not have rain for a few days. However, we continue to need the moisture. 

I am thinking...that I have missed reading the blogs of so many dear friends for the last two plus weeks. I really miss you all. It is amazing how you can get so close to so many through writing and commenting on blog posts. I have met some amazing women. They inspire and left me on many days. Everyone has struggles and I am astonished at the faith
and perseverance that my friends have. Also, I enjoy reading about their talents and love when they share pictures and thoughts about their family and friends. I love when they share pictures of their home environments, and places they visit. I love learning about their faith and how it helps them deal with life pressures. I find that when I am in the middle of a crisis of my own they are there to lift, comfort and pray for me as I also pray for them in difficult times. I hope they all know how much I love them. A special thank to those of you that left such loving comforting comments when my Aunt Della and my Brother John passed away recently. Those comments and prayers meant a lot. You know who you are, so love and hugs to you all. 
I will be back reading your blogs and still posting my own; but maybe not as often until I can finish what I originally planned on doing.

I am thankful...for the knowledge that I have that there is more to this life than just our earthly experience. I know that I have a lovely Heavenly Father and I feel also a Heavenly Mother along with my Savior Jesus Christ. I have felt the loving arms of my Savior reaching out to me and walking with me during the last several weeks. I believe in Eternal families and the knowledge that one day I will be with my earthly parents and both brothers and also my own Eternal Companion and our posterity. We are a forever family.

Knowing this has helped me pass through stages of grief that we all will experience in some way. Tears fall but only because I will miss them  and I know that it is not over; there is no end. I also feel at times that they are near me. Perhaps, we all have a guarding angel or two that are near. I would like to think it is a family member from the spirit world. 
In the kitchen...I think I will fixed grilled steaks and salad. Doesn't that sound good? I will need to thaw out the steak soon or it will just be grilled cheese sandwiches. 

I am wearing....a blue house dress and slippers. It is late here and I haven't got dressed yet. This is not really me; but I have just been busy catching up with a dear friend on the phone and then a sweet conversation with my daughter who is living in Texas. 
I am going...to finish this blog and hopefully read a few posts from the blogs I love to read. I then have my temple schedule to do and hopefully get to bed early for our temple shift tomorrow. 
I am wondering.....how our up coming family reunion is going to turn out. We have commitments from all our children; so I am praying they can all come. As a mother I can not stand the thoughts of any Empty Chairs at our reunion. 
I am reading.... The Book of Mormon as always. The good news is that I finally finished 2 Nephi and I am now in the Book of Jacob. It has been a long hard study of 2 Nephi; but I learned so many things that I didn't know before. I especially learned to decipher some of the writings of Isaiah in the Book of Mormon and Bible. 

The Visions of Isaiah~

I am continuing to enjoy; "The Triumph of Zion, Our Personal Quest For The New Jerusalem. I am on the last chapter in the book. It is entitled: "Obtaining Zion".I have learned so much about Zion and becoming a Zion person. It is true that in order to have a Zion society one must first be a Zion person. I continue to discover many things about Zion that I did not understand or know before. 

 I am also reading a book entitled: "Refuge and Reality - The Blessings of the Temple by John H. Groberg. This book has many sweet temple experiences that Elder Groberg and dear wife had while serving as the Temple President and Matron of the Idaho Falls Temple.  Elder Groberg was also the author of the book: "In The Eye Of The Storm";on which the movie entitled: "The Other Side of Heaven" was made. It is about his experiences of serving a full time mission in Tonga. Anne Hathaway played his wife in the movie. I would recommend this movie; is was stirring and heartfelt movie. 

Here is the Movie Information~

I am hoping...that I can get my life back to normal. When I originally decided to take a blog and face book vacation for a couple of weeks it was for me to get more organized with a few things in my life. Instead, I ended up spending time with my treasured brother before he passed away. I will cherish every moment with him and his family. I miss him so much.  

I am learning...that often times things don't turn out the way you picture them. In fact, it is probably more true than not. Life does have it's twists and turns; those unannounced moments when things just come along to disrupt your life and put you in a tailspin. Life just happens and we can choose to be happy or sad and I choose to be happy. 

Around the house....I am trying to catch up on a lot of badly needed house work. Next week I will be getting things ready for my oldest daughter to come and stay for several weeks. Her family is moving to Australia mid July. They have to be out of their home by Monday the 10th. They are coming here and then her husband is going to Australia for a few weeks. She will be here with her 5 children. I am of course anxious to have them here. When they move I won't see them as often and it is rather expensive to travel to Australia. I will hope that we can go there while they are there. 

The sweet grandchildren that will be visiting us.

Abbey, Sariah, Levi, Faith and April~ 

I am pondering...nothing. I don't have time to ponder today.

One of my favorite things....to do is go swimming. I haven't went swimming for a very long time. When I was young I went to a swimming pool in our town every day. Later on I had this vivid imagination that I would swim across a lake in Utah called Fish Lake. One year my parents told me I could if I wanted too. I was very excited. However, once I got in the cold lake water; I immediately realize that it was not going to happen in my life time. Of course, I know my parents knew that all along. 

 Fish Lake, Utah

We have fished there many times - lots of good memories~

A pet Peeve.....This is a gross one. I hate it when people don't flush the toilet after using it. I hate outhouses and have used a few through the years. I have even had dreadful dreams about outhouses. 

Something new about me....I have discovered that I really like the color pink. When I was little my mother would dress me in a lot of red and pink. Through the years I have wore more black, gray, white and other deep colors. Now at this age I think I will go for pink. However, my favorite color of all is blue. I love blue skies. Yesterday we went to the temple and as we came out it was so beautiful. The sky was a perfect Pink and Blue. 

Jordan River Temple~

One of my guilty pleasures...popcorn, yup that is a big one. 

A few plans for the rest of the week: Temple schedule - Temple Shift - A Rugby game tomorrow. I have never been to one before - A sweet quiet lovely Sabbath Day~

A  Favorite Picture to share......

This is one of my favorite quotes from one of my favorite Prophets -

 President Gordon B. Hinckley

Be Grateful for the Ride~

Blessings and hugs for all~