Our Missionary - Elder Jackson Williams~

Provo Mission Training Center - MTC

In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints we have 405 missions throughout the world. Our young men and women volunteer to serve on these missions There are also many adult couples that serve. The young men can choose to go on a mission at the age of 18 years old. The young women can go on a mission when they are 19 years old. The young men serve for two years and the young women for 18 months.  You may have seen young men and young women walking, or riding bicycles around your area. The young men are typically in suits and the young women in dresses. They are usually just two of them that comprise a companionship. All of the missionaries pay for their own missions either from money they have earned, with their families help and or if the family can't pay for their mission there are funds to assist. Members of the church can donate money to their ward or general mission fund. Before leaving for a mission the missionaries go through one of our temples. There are 142 temples around the world.  Here you can learn why we build temples. 

Jackson our grandson received his Missionary call on January 15th to the Omaha, Nebraska mission; you can read about it here.   Jackson went through the Provo Temple on February 13th 2014.

Provo Temple~

 It was a very special occasion. You can read more about the Mission Training Centers here.
 Jackson entered the Provo Missionary Training Center yesterday on Wednesday, March 19th. Here he will be trained to be a missionary for three weeks. After the three weeks he will fly to his mission area in Omaha, Nebraska.We are so excited for him. He will be a great missionary. 

 This is a picture of Jackson just after he gave a talk in Sacrament meeting.

 We commonly call this a mission farewell talk. 

His message was on our Savior, Jesus Christ's Atonement.

 After Church we went to Jackson's home to celebrate this occasion~

 Friends and family gather together~

 Here is my dear husband, Jackson's grandfather~

 Our Granddaughter in law with her two sons; Baby Sagan and Jaden~

Jacob, our grandson~

Sean, Mary and their friend Tammy~

 Tammy and Mary~

Our grand daughter in law, Jessica and our grandson Jed.

On Tuesday night, Jackson was set apart by their Stake President. The Stake President through the priesthood gives him the rights and privileges of an Elder. This is when he officially starts his mission. He is now called Elder Williams.

The following are pictures taken just after he was set apart~

Pictures of our future missionaries~

 

 Joseph, age 15

 Jeffery, age 9~

 Joshua, age 7 - Note that he is sitting by the Bishop of their ward. 

He looks like a future Missionary and perhaps a Bishop someday. 

Grandmother, Virginia- Mary's mother, Mary, Jackson, Joseph,

 Grandfather, Roger and Grandmother, LeAnn

Jeffery and Joshua~

 Grandfather, Jackson and Grandmother~

Jackson's parents -
Mary, Jackson, and Sean

After the setting apart blessing, we took Jackson to dinner. When we dropped him off it was hard to say good-by. He will be gone for 2 years. We will be emailing, sending fun packages, and writing letters to him for the next two years. We are so pleased with his desire to serve a mission. 

 On Wednesday his parents took him out to lunch before entering the MTC. 

Jackson on the way to the MTC~

On this day there are a large number of Elders and Sisters that will come to the Provo MTC. This happens every Wednesday. Their are approx. 3,800 missionaries in the Provo MTC at it's capacity. If the missionaries are going on a foreign language mission, they are in the MTC for 6 to 8 weeks. The Provo MTC teaches 50 languages. There are 15 MTC's  throughout the world. There are over 80,000 missionaries serving  at this time.

You can learn more about church statistics here. 

Here you can learn all about being a missionary in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

What A Roller Coaster Ride~

These past few weeks have been like a Roller Coaster ride. There has been the slow climb to the top with the accelerating race to the bottom. Sometimes, it seems like I am up and down and swinging around. At times I am holding my breath and next I am screaming (crying) like I can't stop. To tell you the truth I don't like the Roller Coaster at all; but I do like life even with all of it's up's and downs. I am grateful for the the opportunity to be on this challenging ride called life.
On the way to Washington for our Grandson's baptism, we learned that my sweet Aunt Della had passed away.  We were in the Denver Airport at the time and it was a difficult moment. Some would say, why would you be upset; she was 100 years old and had a remarkable life? Or, it has been said that since she was in pain during the last several months of her life; it was a blessing she could go. I would agree with all of this but, she was such a dear aunt and along with my parents and brother who have gone before her; I will miss her more than mere words can express. She was like a second mother and I loved her. She had so many wonderful characteristics. She was delightful to be around. She was intelligent, wise, caring and just so much fun. She was such a good listener. She  knew my thoughts and feelings about my own life. She was  such a beautiful lady in every way. Although almost totally blind she would always dress up in a lovely pantsuit with her jewelry on. She loved the color pink and had saved out a pink pantsuit to be buried in. She looked so beautiful in this suit and she was adorned with special pearl earrings and necklace. I am sure she liked that.

Losing a loved one to death is  a poignant moment. I am grateful for the memories of all those I have lost in death. You don't ever forget them and the loss never goes away. It is part of life. It is part of the Roller Coaster ride that you said you would take when you left the pre-mortal life to come here. 
My Aunt had a lovely funeral and I am sure she was present in the spirit and I know she loved it. My lovely Aunt Della, I love you and I will miss you so much!

We arrived at my daughters home and enjoyed 4 wonderful days with their family. Little William age eight was baptized and confirmed by his father.

Dave and William

Tiffani, Dave and William

Roger and I with Dave and Tiffani's family along 
with Dave's Parents and his Sister's family~

 He is now a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. On Sunday in their Sacrament meeting he was presented as one of the newest members in the ward. What a very choice little boy he is. During the entire hour of the Sacrament meeting he was sitting quietly holding his scriptures and listening to the testimonies of the gospel that were given by various members of the this ward in their Fast and Testimony meeting.

William

 Our days there went fast but we enjoyed being with this endearing family. Each of our four precious grandchildren were so much fun in each of their own individual ways. On Sunday evening my husband and son in law gave my dear daughter a priesthood blessing. She has a physical condition called EOE. Her father gave her a marvelous blessing; and it was a tearful moment for all. I will treasure the memories of this visit. 

We came home on Monday and the week was filled with many activities. I was blessed to be able to write my  Aunt Della's Obituary. Just doing this one thing was so sad but sweet too. 
I had completed  my Aunt's history for her 100th Birthday in September. We had worked on it for a long time. 
As I wrote her thoughts and feeling about her life experiences; my life was elevated by her truly remarkable journey. Just to hear her side of the many things she lived through was fascinating.  She lived when there was a flu epidemic in 1922 that took many lives. Her mother and two sisters and herself had the flu. My mother told me once that their ears were so infected that blood drained from them. Meanwhile, my grandfather was trying to help others in near by farms along with his own family who were ill. While doing this he became sick himself. Within a few days he died of complications from this vicious flu.  My Aunt was 8 years old, my mother 6 years old and my other Aunt Alene,14 months old.  This left my grandmother a widow at a very young age. Life was harsh for them.
Aunt Della also lived during the great Depression, World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam, Deseret Storm, and other conflicts since then. Her only son served in the Vietnam War, Desert Storm and served with the Red Cross. She is well acquainted with the trauma of wars.
In her youth, she lived in a home without any modern conveniences.  There is nothing like an outhouse and not having inside water. We laughed together about some of the things that she had to do in this era. There were so many inventions through her 100 years of life. For instance, electricity, telephones, cars, airplanes, radio, television, computers, and many other items that make life easier for us. She thought the airplane was one of the greatest inventions. She said her father was an inventor of sorts and that he wanted to design an airplane. Oh, the fun stories she shared with me. My Aunt was not only beautiful, but spunky, stubborn and just delightful to be around. She loved to visit and wherever she went she was loved  by those who knew her. She had many that called her a friend. 
During these past few weeks I have witnessed beautiful moments of love and also sad moments of grief. Each of these experiences have left me with many thoughts to ponder upon.
This weekend has been  filled with a spirit of love. I soaked up the spirit during our temple shift. I have such a deep love for the temple. This is the one place that I can go to feel peace, love and to learn and grow in my understanding of The Great Plan Of Happiness. How beautiful are the thoughts that our Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ provided the way for us to someday walk with them again. There are so many blessings that come from Temple service. 
Our Ward Conference today was so inspiring. I was deeply touched by the messages given.  Our ward choir sang the song: "In The Coming Day". It sums up my feeling of these past weeks. The up's and down's are all part of the plan for us all. My greatest desire is to someday see my Savior ( in the coming day.)

Heartfelt Moments And Blessings~

Sometime life has so many twists and turns. Lately, I just can't seem to manage my life, my time, and my goals. I seem to be running on crisis mode most of the time. I suppose this is just life and how it is sometimes. I think I had visualized life at my age as simple with few pressures.  I thought I would be sitting by the fire reading a good book.  I guess the challenge is to try to slow down the turns and wiggle out of the twists. These past two weeks have been a rough road. 
I really enjoy writing blog posts. I know that I am not a great writer but I do like to write from my heart. I find that when I am writing, it is a way to let go of some of my pent-up emotions and helps me think through my life choices. I seem to find a clearer path when I am reading and writing about various subjects. I hope by writing today that it will help me find my way through the twists and turns of the past few days. 

Another forum for writing is in my personal journals. Writing in my journal has been such a blessing in my life.   I have several large journal books of my thoughts and feelings through the years. They contain my life experiences. I am hoping that I have expressed lessons learned and gratitude for every moment I have had on this earth. I know in there are priceless memories of our marriage together, our children our grandchildren and our great grandchildren. I have written about our parents and siblings through the years. I know that my journals are full of rich experiences in various assignments in our church. I have had many unique experiences that have been faithfully recorded in my journals. I have shared my testimony of my faith in our Savior and the blessings given to me by a loving Heavenly Father. I have written about our family traditions, our vacations, our fun moments with family and friends. I have written of many priesthood blessings given and the healing that has come. I have also written about the hard struggles of my life and the lessons in faith that have occurred during those times. I have found that our greatest growth comes after the trial of our faith. 
 During my nursing career I had so many special experiences with providing nursing care to others. I learned great lessons from those that I cared for. I have many stories stored in those journals of special sacred moments before death overtook those dear (patient) friends. I had many spiritual experiences where I witnessed those nearing death communicating beyond the veil. My testimony grew considerably in life after death. I also witnessed the miracle of modern day technology in saving lives. I felt the rush of acting quickly to help one in an emergency situation. 
Through the years I have been blessed with remarkable friends who have enriched my life. Each one of them has left an impact on me. Their loving kindness and service have lifted me in moments of need. These sweet times are recorded in my journal.
The journal has been the format for writing when I have a need to express my deepest thoughts and feelings. In blogging I share a lot of life experiences; but my journal  is reserved for those deeper spiritual moments and feelings that have helped to heal my soul. Those private thoughts where I have expressed my deepest concerns and my most profound gratitude. 
 I desire with all my heart to express positive thoughts and feelings here. However, sometimes in order to find that positive thought one must experience some of the negative sides of life. 
Adam and Eve were plainly taught that there is opposition in all things in order to bring forth the purposes of God.. We must know pain and misery in order to feel and recognize joy and peace. I know that in order to become a more Christ like person, one must go through various stages of growth. These times are usually difficult. We find the rainbow after we have been through the storm.  I know this to be true. 

Today I have a need to write the feelings of my heart. Just yesterday I had a day that I thought would never end. First of all I have had to make a difficult choice. I  had my Aunt Della going through the final stages of her life. I have been trying to go out to be with her and her family each day. My husband had a kidney stone episode over the weekend and it took a while to get that diagnosed. He has been in tremendous pain on and off.  As of writing this post he still hasn't passed the stone. Meanwhile, we purchased airline tickets to fly to Spokane to be at our grandson's baptism on Saturday. So the question was shall we go or shall we stay. My Aunt Della has been so dear to me that I wanted to be with her.However, I also felt that I needed to be with my grandson. Thus far we have never missed a baptism for any of our grandchildren. My daughter has an health issue that I am concerned about and I want to be with her and help in some way. My cousin felt I should go to this family event. He said he wouldn't have the funeral without me. He also planned to take a day or two to get some much needed rest from the stress of caring for his mother before making the final plans. It was still hard to make this decision. 

We are now in the Denver airport on a layover. I just contacted my cousin and my Aunt passed away this afternoon. This is a very emotional moment because I was also flying home from Denver in 2006 when my mother passed away. My brother had called me just as we got on the flight out of Denver to Salt Lake and I cried all the way home.  I have not been able to be with either of them during those last few minutes of their life. It is difficult for me understand the timing of these events. However, I whispered in my Aunt Della's ear last night that I loved her. I told her that her husband, my mother, father and her parents would be there to escort her to her new home in the spirit world. I know this is true. 
I know that angels are near to bear my cousin, his family and my Aunt Alene up during this sad time. I know that they will have the comfort of the spirit with them all.

  I guess this is the day to vent some of my feelings. These  twists and turns are hard and we need to recognize that these kinds of experiences are part of the process of learning those Christ like attributes of patience, tolerance, humility, meekness, faith, hope, love and etc. To me the greatest of these characteristics is love, to have the Pure Love of Christ is the ultimate goal. To love as the Savior loves. 

 My heart is full of love for all of you out there in blog land along with my friends, immediate and extended family. I know that all of you have had or will have similar experiences as those I have experienced this past week. This is what we signed up for. This is our life. It is important for us to learn these lessons. In order to  have in our hearts the pure love of Christ. Our day to day journey is the learning path for this very thing.

I am saddened by the loss of my Aunt. I have deep love for my cousin and his sweet wife and family. Losing a mother is never easy. Last week our friends lost their 3 year old son following open heart surgery. Losing a child is probably one of the worst of life experiences for a parent. This too has weighted heavily on my heart.  I have concern and compassion for the pain that my husband is experiencing. These past two days and last week were learning days where I have had to exercise patience, faith, love, understanding and compassion. Of course, in between all of this I have also felt a little anger and frustration.  
I  am grateful to know that there is a divine plan for all. I believe in the "Plan of Salvation". This life is a gift from our loving Heavenly parents and our Savior, Jesus Christ. This path does not end with death. I believe in Eternal Life  and I know that I will see again those loved ones that have passed on into the Spirit World. 
These are my  heartfelt thoughts today.

 

One of my favorite scriptures is found in Doctrine and Covenants 84:88 "And whoso ^areceiveth you, there I will be also, for I will go ^bbefore your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my ^cSpirit shall be in your hearts, and mine ^dangels round about you, to bear you up". This is a scripture that brings me great comfort

The Simple Woman's Daybook- Prayers and Comfort Needed~

FOR TODAY - February 20th 2014

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

Enjoy reading and perhaps join the fun!

Outside my window....it is a cool sunny day. It has been very dreary the last few days so the sunshine is lifting my spirits today. I love light and always feel more motivated to get things accomplished.

I am thinking......that life can be wonderful but also very difficult. I think in today's world we all have stresses that affect us often, sometimes daily.The last few days I have felt so much negativity surrounding me with various worries that have popped up. Today I was reading an article in The Ensign, entitled; "Face The Future With Faith & Hope by Elder M. Russell Ballard." (January, 2014, pg. 25-29). You can read it here. There is a lot of evil in our society; but there is even more good if we but look for it. 

I am thankful...that I live in this day and age. We live in a beautiful world. Right now I feel blessed to live in the United States of America. We are a great nation. Yes, there are problems and perhaps these will increase; but for now we are very blessed. We do have freedoms and agency to choose our path.  Most of us live comfortably. We have food, clothing, housing, and so many modern conveniences. The technology in today's world is amazing.
We do have the poor and needy among us and we do have an obligation to assist where we can. We can be positive and bring the light of the gospel to others. We can share some of our bounty. We can reach out and serve one another. I know and feel that we are all brothers and sisters and we are all children of a loving Heavenly Father.
 In those nations that do not have the blessings that we have; we can  assist them through humanitarian efforts. I feel strongly that we have an obligation to lift and care for those among us on this earth who have little or basically nothing.  

In the kitchen...there is not much going on there. My husband went into work today and I did make him breakfast and and prepared him a lunch. I won't be here in the evening; so no real cooking for me today. He's on his own for dinner.

I am wearing.....light blue Levi's, a white blouse, blue socks and black slippers. I feel com fee.

I am creating.....this blog post. Probably no more creating for me today after I finish this one.

I am going......out to my dear Aunt Della's assisted living place and stay with her overnight so that her son and his wife can have a night off. I am excited to have time with her. She isn't doing well and I think her time is limited. If she is having a good day; we might be able to visit a little; otherwise she isn't communicating much. I feel so sad to lose her and I want to spend time with her while I can. 

I am wondering...... why little children have to suffer and even die. I do know the answer to this but it is still hard to watch children suffer. I do know that Heavenly Father and our Savior love them very much. In our faith we believe that children who die before the age of 8 (age of accountability) go to the Celestial Kingdom where Heavenly Father and the Savior reside. These children are not required to go through a total life experience. We believe in the pre-earth life that they were chosen to come to earth for only a brief period of time.  If it is one of our own children; we believe that we are an eternal family and we will be together again as a family in the Celestial kingdom. If you are interested in reading more on this subject here are two more links: "What happens After We Die"  and "The Plan of Salvation" -
The reason I am saddened about little children is that one of our dearest friends recently lost their little 3 year old son following open heart surgery. This sweet family has 18 children. Nine of the children are their own and nine of their children are adopted. This was a little Chinese boy from China that they adopted; whom they knew up front  had heart problems. They picked him up in China and brought him home. He had one surgery a short time after he arrived here. My dear friend felt strongly that she wouldn't have this little one for long. You can read more about their experiences at "It's A Wonderful Life." Gideon Walker's  funeral is on Saturday. Perhaps, say some prayers for the sweet Walker family. I can't imagine the sorry of losing a precious child. But, I do know that this marvelous family have great faith in the Plan of Salvation. 

I also found out today that my dear cousin Mari's granddaughter Lila's cancer is spreading. Here are the thoughts found on my cousin's Facebook page. 
 Well this is the post that I never wanted to write. Things are not looking good for our little angel. The cancer is back, this time it's in her brain. The neurosurgeon is going to take out the tumor tomorrow (Friday) at 10am. She thinks she can get it all which is good. However the bad news is that the cancer cells are in Lila's blood, which means more tumors will grow back in a no time at all. Our options are to give her at-home chemo therapy which will give her a less than 20% survival rate; or just give her pain meds until the tumor gets so big that it takes over her brain and she falls into a coma. 
I hate both of these options. This little girl is such a bright, beautiful shining star and now she is being taken away from us after everything she has already been thru. How do parents decide which path to take? This is an impossible situation.
I will keep you updated after her surgery and let you know what we as a family come up with. THANK YOU ALL so much for your continued love and support.
Please say a pray for sweet little Lila May and her family.
I also have a very dear friend named Lura who has recently had surgery and is very ill. I am sending prayers for her too.   

I am reading.....The Book of Mormon and I am still in 2 Nephi; Isaiah's writings. I am learning so much. The scriptures bring great peace and comfort to me. Many times I have found answers to my prayers from reading the scriptures.

I am also reading the book entitled: " Consider The Blessings - True Accounts of God's Hand In  Our Lives" by Thomas S. Monson who is our prophet, and President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. 

President Thomas S. Monson~

This book is so filled with wonderful stories of faith. Just today I read some thoughts that helped me feel better about my own circumstances and also the difficulties of our dear friends and  my cousin's family. I know that the spirit can comfort them and that they can find peace in God's plan for them. I believe that Angels will surround them and bear them up during these painful  times.  

I am regretfully not reading a novel right now; life has just been too busy. I feel the lack of relaxing and reading a good novel.

I did however, read a short children's book entitled: "The Hundred Dresses"; by Eleanor Estes.

We had  a marvelous Relief Society meeting last night on this book. You can find a short review of this book here on a You Tube video. You can download it for free here.

The three main character's showed personality traits that we all have had experiences with. The moral of this story is to not judge one another and to open our hearts to those around us. Become more aware of each other and the struggles we are all going through. Remember the Savior commandment to " Love One Another As I Have Loved You". .

I am trying to learn.....to having a more open heart to those around me. I have always tried to do this; but now I want to be even more aware of others. I want to be more bold in getting to know individuals and enjoying more friendships. I want to follow the Savior and be doing the good things

. 

I am hoping.....to have a sweet afternoon and night with my dearly beloved Aunt Della. 
I am praying for the miracle of peace and hope to be with those who have such deep sorrows and decision to make. 

I am looking forward to....more sunshine, more time with family, more tender moments to share with my dear husband. We are flying to Washington next week to attend the baptism of our little grandson, William who turns 8 years old tomorrow. This will be such a wonderful moment of time. I am hoping to see some friends while there. 

Around the house...right now I have some great 60's music playing. Oh, how music can bring back the memories. I love listening to music. Music has a way of filling my mind with memories and lifting my spirit higher. I have been enjoying playing the piano more. It's not a gift I have but it is a blessing in my life.

I am pondering...on all of the many thoughts I have expressed in this post. 

A favorite quote for today...

"Be the Rainbow In Someone's Cloud"~

One of my favorite things....is to dance with my husband. On Valentine's Day we celebrated at home. He danced with me and it was heavenly. How I love that good husband of mine. 

A few plans for the rest of the week: Stay with my Aunt tonight - Complete a history I am working on - Work in the temple on Saturday - Attend the funeral of our dear friend's son - Have a lovely peaceful Sabbath Day~

A peek into my day...this is my day, getting this post completed, packing for my overnight stay and then going out to my Aunt's place.
A Picture To Share......

Jesus will bless the little children~ 

I know He is always with us during trials and
also during the Joy filled moments.
 "Be of good cheer"~

Loving Thoughts From My Heart~

I would like to share some of my thoughts on love. February seems to be all about love. Love is in the air; it surrounds us and especially on Valentines Day. Lately, I have been thinking about what love is, how we find it and how it grows. I want to understand the word "Charity"; since it is my thematic word for the year. Love of course, is an integral element of charity.  I love this statement; "True love is acting in a lovely way. Such love is a principle of power that lifts and saves". (unknown author). What this thought means to me is that we truly learn, grow and love by serving one another. John 13: 34-35 says "As I have loved you; love one another". The Savior is our greatest example of Love. What did our beloved Savior do? He served.

When I was married to my husband for time and all eternity in the Salt Lake Temple I thought I knew what love was all about. I remember later on being told that to have a good marriage one needed to each give 100% to each other. Through the years my husband has given much more than that 100% to me. He is always doing the little things for me. He would clean something that needed to be cleaned that I hadn't gotten too. He many times brought me breakfast in bed, fixed our dinners, put in a load of laundry and ironed something for me. He has never believed that housework is just for the woman in the home. He has tenderly cared for me during times of illness and stress. He has given me countless priesthood blessings for comfort and or healing. The list of his service to me is long. Of course, I tried to serve him through the years but my list is shorter. Besides the fact he can iron better than me.
 Then when he was 45 years old he had a Heart Attack. Following his heart attack he had an angioplasty on three of his arteries and a few days later he had  complications that required two hospitalizations. The following year it was found that the angioplasty had failed and he had a double by-pass surgery. I remember when he returned from the recovery room following surgery; I looked at him and thought about how deeply I loved him. How grateful that I still had him with me.  I recognized that over that year I had had the opportunity and privilege of serving him with all my heart. I knew we had a good marriage; but then I more fully realized how blessed I was to have a man like him love me. I was able to return to him my deep love for him; by serving him, also. 

Think back about the day that you held your first new born child. I remember clearly that day along with 5 other days of holding a sweet precious gift from Heaven. Oh, how I love each of these dear children of mine. I felt keenly at that time the responsibility of caring for them. As new parent's we both wanted to be good at parenting our children. As I held them close to my heart I had dreams of what they would become. Could we teach them the deep love we had for our Heavenly Father and our Savior? Could we instill in them a love for the gospel of Jesus Christ. Could we be an example of service to them and others? Could we teach them about love?

Oh, the many nights of caring for a new born baby, nights of walking the floor with a sick child, nights of worry about where they were and what they were doing and then thoughts of were they safe. 
Times of inner struggle on how do we help a beloved son or daughter that made a wrong choice. How to handle a multitude of problems and concerns. With all of these parenting experiences that love we had when we first held that brand new spirit sent to us from a loving Heavenly Father had multiplied many times over. 
We then add to our love list, their beloved spouses and children. This cycle of love and service continues on. When problems arrive with one of our children we are on our knees pleading for their safety, their recovery, their lively hood and so many other items of concern. Our prayers are long as we pray for our grandchildren and great grandchildren.  They too must tread the path of learning to love deeply and completely. Marriage and family life is the training ground for learning Charity, the Pure Love of Christ.
Both my husband and I have been deeply blessed with loving  parents. Although they have passed on; we love them and at times have the privilege of feeling them near. I believe that they are still connected to us in many ways and that they are near to aid and serve us even though we can't see them. How I love our siblings they too hold a special place in our hearts. There are other cherished extended family such as aunt, uncles and cousins that bless our lives.
Love grows for others who are placed in our path. I have so many experiences of learning and growing in my love for our brothers and sisters in the gospel. We have many good friends that are cherished and loved. 

Love goes the other way too. We must allow others to serve us in times of need. We have received many acts of kindness from others through the years. Service is given and should be taken freely. We all need opportunities to serve one another and thus grow in our love for one another. 

Being a nurse has given me countless opportunities to serve and love others. I can assure you that there are so many I have cared for that I have deeply loved. I am so grateful for those blessed opportunities.
Church assignments often require dedication and service. I have learned so many lessons about love from these experiences.
"True love is more than a feeling or a declaration; true love is acting in a loving way. 'That is true love is being charitable, exemplifying the "pure love of Christ." Such love is a principle of power that lifts and saves." (unknown author).
Elder Boyd K. Packer said it this way: "As you give what you have, there is a replacement , with increase:" 
John Greenleaf Whittier wrote, "I'll lift you, and you lift me, and we'll both ascend together."

Happy Valentines Day to all of you wonderful loving family and friends that have blessed our lives with true love. 

Here are some fun blogs to visit. These are blogs that feel my heart with love~

Because of being raised by a farmer and rancher; I  love Cheryl's writings at "The Farmer's Daughter". She posts beautiful pictures  of Barns, Country Landscapes, Animals ( her adorable cats) and other fun things.

http://thefarmersdaughter2.blogspot.com/

Here you will find fun family adventures with this family of 12 children. They are an amazing family.

http://twelvemakesadozen.blogspot.com/

Christy is wonderful friend that has been a family therapist. She has written several books and I love her blog. I have learned so much from her on self-improvement and parenting.

http://christymonson.blogspot.com/

I love reading the positive and upbeat daily entries of Singing Granny's life. She has gone back to school to become an artist. I love following her progress and her enthusiasm for life.

http://singinggranny.blogspot.com/

"Be Positive"~

Lately, I have not been my positive self. I have a phrase in my patriarchal  blessing that says: ....."be optimistic and cheerful." I do feel that is part of my nature.
I realize that it is OK to have a bad day; but I don't like it when it runs into more than one day. It seemed like everyday last week brought some sad or bad news. I felt very stressed. On Sunday my pleading prayers were answered. Our opening song was exactly what I needed to hear.
Eight years ago my husband lost his job and he was out of work for 9 months. It was hard for both of us.  We were planning a trip to Salt Lake City to attend a Wedding for our Niece in the Salt Lake Temple. That day my husband received three job offers. Each one was in a different area. There was one where we lived; but not a firm offer. The other two were in Fort Worth,Texas and Salt Lake City, Utah. We are from Salt Lake City; but hadn't lived there for many years. We were living in Spokane, Washington at that time and had lived there for 15 years. Spokane felt like home to me.

After the wedding we decided to go for a walk on the Temple grounds. We were both praying about what job he needed to accept. The one in Texas was for more money and lower cost of living than the job offer in Salt Lake. As were sitting on a bench I noticed a sign that talked about families. Here in Salt Lake City, Heber City and  St. George; we had a lot of family on both sides. I all of a sudden knew he was to accept the job in Salt Lake.  The message to me was profound but I knew that my husband needed to have a good feeling about it too. As were walking around the grounds I noted that my husband had tears rolling down his face. He said, "We are to take the job here in Salt Lake City". He said that the words to a hymn came to his mind and as he said the words to me we were both in tears. The words came from the following hymn:

 How Firm A Foundation",Verse 3:

"Fear not, I am with thee, oh, be not dismayed,

For I am thy God and will still give thee aid.

I'll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,

upheld by my righteous, upheld by my righteous,

upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand".

We moved here not knowing why; but within a short period of time we learned exactly why we were brought here. Since that day it seems like when that hymn is sung at our church it is just exactly what we needed to hear that day. 
It was an interesting day because I had been thinking also about my blog. I had a dear blogging friend that mentioned that she thought blogs should be fun. I totally agree. I think we get so much negativity from media and social sites. Daily we are divulged with negative news.  Bad news always trump's the good news. Even the TV we watch is so full of sarcasm, violence and etc. What we write about on the social sites is important. I want to be positive. I know that there may be causes to fight for; but in general I would say that most of us thrive on uplifting media and news. I love to wake up to good news.

Both President and Sister Gordon B. Hinckley had a positive influence in my life. President Hinckley was one of our prophets. He made the following statement:
"I see so many good people everywhere - and there's so much of good in them. And the world is good. Wonderful things are happening in this world. This is the greatest age in the history of the earth...
We have every reason to be optimistic in this world. Tragedy is around, yes. Problems everywhere, yes.... You can't, you don't, build out of pessimism or cynicism. You look with optimism, work with faith, and things happen. (Ensign, June 1994, 4.)
I am asking that we stop seeking out the storms and enjoy more fully the sunlight. I am suggesting that as we go through life we "accentuate the positive." I am asking that we look a little deeper for the good, that we still voices of insult and sarcasm, that we more generously compliment virtue and effort. I am not asking that all criticism be silenced. Growth comes of correction. Strength comes of repentance. Wise is the man who can acknowledge mistakes pointed out by others and change his course.
What I am suggesting is that each of us turn from the negativism that so permeates our society and look for the remarkable good among those with whom we associate, that we speak of one another's virtues more than we speak of one another's faults, that optimism replaces pessimism, that our faith exceed our fears. When I was a young man and was prone to speak critically, my father would say: "Cynics do not contribute, skeptics do not create, doubters do not achieve. "(Ensign, April. 1986, 204).
Sister Marjorie Pay Hinckley had such a loving and kind personality; I love this thought from her: "Who knows but that something wonderful may happen today. Have faith that it will. After all, every morning is a chance at a new day!"
So my challenge is that we all try harder to write those things that are uplifting, inspiring and that bring happiness into our lives. Even Sunday our blessed home teacher told us a story and then stated; "Perhaps, we should pray to be happy." So let's pray to be happy and positive.
In addition I wanted to share some of my favorite blogs. I love these blogging friends because they are positive, fun, and creative. These friends do share wonderful messages of hope and wonderful experiences.  Perhaps you will enjoy reading some of their uplifting thoughts. I will share two or three of these links each week. I have many blogs that I love.

Debbie does beautiful photography of her surroundings with wonderful thoughts too.

 http://itsallaboutpurple-debbie.blogspot.com/

Marie, has a great recipe site, along with her positive personality and does fantastic artwork:

http://www.ayearfromoakcottage.org/

Anna-Marie does homeschooling and her adventures with her children are wonderful.

 I am always learning new things from her.

http://lifesadventures-amb.blogspot.com/

Sue is a fantastic writer of books and poetry. Her writings are so inspiring.

You must visit her site here.

http://grannysuesnews.blogspot.com/

Next week, I will share more positive and uplifting blogs~