Category: Church

Education is not the filling of the bucket but the lighting of a fire! -Yeats

This letter from a missionary in Brazil arrived for Daniel today. How exciting for Daniel. He is so thankful! Thanks to a kind bishop who has put in requests to some missionaries to help with Daniel’s coin collection while sharing a little of their missionary zeal.

Smile at a Mormon Missionary today and let them share their message with you! They are good and they love the gospel. Thanks, Elder Farnsworth.

My heart aches for my neighbor. Her mother passed away this morning. Richard and I visited the hospice facility last night. What a very peaceful place. We were grateful and honored to be included at this very sacred family time. I sat up late last night, thinking. I wrote a poem. I won’t share it here, but in the writing of it, I felt peace, thinking about eternal things like family, faith, and life…not the mortal life we all struggle through, but the life that defines who we are, whose parent is our Creator. The something within us that never dies, but continues on after our bodies fail. I also felt more gratitude for the Savior’s victory over death so all of us can be whole again. And dear neighbor, I know we can be together with our loved ones again.

Our Father in Heaven is a personal God, who attends to the needs of each of us. In ways deep and also minute, he comprehends our pain and knows how to make it all better. He sends us family and friends in whom we can find comfort. He sends his Spirit to be with us, to comfort, guide, protect, and teach us. He sent his Son to eliminate the finality of death and the chains that sin would bring.

I love these words, spoken about those who dwell with God. Notice who personally comforts them.

“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” – Revelation 21:4

Here’s the only picture we have of me fiddlin’ at the ward Pioneer Day celebration. My Richard called the dance on very late notice, once again proving he IS my knight in shining armor. I was the only one with a bonnet, which really is too bad because dressing up is so good for you. I played Turkey in the Straw over and over and we watched a big old Virginia Reel come to life, little legs running and little bodies twirling… I say “little” because it was mostly children who dared have this much fun.

…But I’m sure the old pioneers would have smiled to see the children thinking of them and having such a good time.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2rV0ey6Op0

My private celebration of Pioneer Day brought deep feelings as I played violin by myself, enjoying  my own arrangement of Come Come Ye Saints and letting the tears flow. Thank you, ancestors, for what you did for your family and for the gospel’s sake. Thank you, Dad, for being our modern day pioneer and being the first to accept the gospel in your family.

During the trials in our life, big and small, it’s always good to have a reminder of the Savior’s understanding and victory over it all.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlc5RvmWN4s

Sunday, June 21: This was me, just before our big Stake Conference on Father’s Day at Centennial Hall. We met Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. The kids shook his hand. We are now members of the newly formed Sahuarita Arizona Stake.

Here are some photos that I took while taking another long drive to Tucson. In all, I drove up 4 times this week. I know, it’s only 45 minutes away, but it gets a little old.

When I get to the pecan groves, I know that home is just a few minutes away. Someday I will take the kids and we will run down the shady rows between the trees, laugh, sing songs and take about 100 pictures.

My Seminary Students on the last day of class, May 2001

I was a volunteer seminary teacher from 1998-2001 in Austin, Texas. We didn’t have a place to meet, so we met in our home. One room of the house was roped off as a seminary room and my own children slept through most of it. My first year, I taught Doctrine and Covenants and Church History to three students (D&C 18:10, 15-16). Year two I taught Old Testament; Year three I taught New Testament and my class grew to fifteen students. We held class from 6-7:00. One year we met at 5:45 a.m. Ouch!

I have to say that the sacrifice these kids made to come to seminary really set them apart from others their age. I was proud of them. I know they are blessed for their efforts.

Thursday is the wedding day for Cody, to be married in the Salt Lake Temple!  Jed became a father this month. I have seen students in the temple, said good-bye as they went on their missions, received lots of wedding announcements and I am always glad for updates on their college lives and work. Facebook: hallelujah.

Seminary: the toughest job I ever loved. Next to motherhood, of course.